Here's the e-mail I sent today, which I thought I'd post here.

Hello hello all! I thought I'd send a little note letting you know I'm alive and well and kicking it in Fiji. I'm inland so no white sandy beaches for me and rain almost every day. Althought I'm told the rainy season is going to end very very soon, which I'm most excited about. It also means that it still does get cold at night (seriously!) and can get really hot during the day. I work on different farms most days and have my own garden that's blooming. However, I found out this week that all my stuff is planted too close together so my crops won't be as big as they would be otherwise. I am growing cucumbers, Chinese cabbage (bok choy), carrots, long beans, French beans, capsicum (peppers), pumpkin (I think... the seeds have yet to sprout), eggplant, and bele, a Fijian leafy green.

We have a lot of events in my village and almost everyday I help the women prepare meals, big feasts where anyone and everyone can eat and everyone brings something. The people are wonderful, very helpful and generous. Everyone has pitched in to bring me something, build something for me, take me somewhere, and of course feed me. They keep me well fed on cassava, taro, taro leaves, and tilapia. Fijians are very happy, lovable, laughable people. They take time relax ("Davo!" is what I hear most commonly, meanly lay down and rest. It's more encouraged to lay down when you are at someone's house than it is to sit up. It took me awhile to get used to it, but now I love it. I don't feel bad falling asleep whereever I am, either!) during the day and at night. Every night there's a grog party somewhere, which can be a little much sometimes but other times it's a great social activity and where decisions really get made. Everyone is willing to pitch in to help out their neighbors, who are probably family in some way. Every familial relationship is important, from aunties to cousins to whatever your kinship.

For example, there was a funeral in the village last weekend. The village literally stopped for three days. Cassava was harvested, groups of boys slaughtered cows and pigs, and everyone helps bring food and mourning items for the family. The neighbors of the deceased (who again were related) held the camp where all the meals were eaten. Whoever showed up when it was time to eat was given a dish. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning and afternoon tea were all cooked for three days. Each matagali (your "clan") paid their respects to the family bringing mats, dalo, pigs, fabrics, and grog. It's a very public grieving. There's a church service and burial followed by eating and grog, much like American funerals (without the "dirty water"- yaqona). There are ten days of morning and then after 50 days there's another celebration and mourning officially ends after 100 nights. During this time, close men in the family don't cut their hair or shave their facial hair. Normally, thick facial hair is taboo in the village. Visitors who come to the funeral are each sent home with part of the cow or pig in return for what they brought.

Another example, my kitchen. I have a kitchen! It's made out of bamboo and has an open fire stove. Yup, I'm learning how to cook over an open fire. I have to cut my own firewood and then carry it tied to my back across the river. I'll take a picture next time because it's quite the site! I haven't really gotten the hang of starting and keeping the fire going, but all in time. It took a few weeks to actually complete and dozens of different men helped. I'll take pictures of that, too. Unfortunately I only have a few pictures of the building process.

Tuesdays are village work days. This week on Monday and Tuesday the men built another footpath. The women cooked the meals and tea. Jolly old time I daresay. Everyone brought his own bowl and chili and the women served up giant pots (GIANT) of dalo leaves (rourou) and sui, the bones of the cow.

I'm starting to work with the school and this week was working on organizing the library. Here's a plea: they need books!!! Books and any kidn of materials/ supplies for kids (crayons, pencils, paper, scissors, puzzles). There's no money available, due to foreign aid being cut off due to the interim government from the 2006 coup. Any help you might be able to offer would be very greatly appreciated. My mother is currently working on a book collection effort, which the teachers at the school are thrilled about. If you want to help or donate some books, please see her!

My life is so totally different in N. than it ever was in the States I can't really explain the magnitude of what I'm learning. I could do a whole women's and gender studies dissertation on co-ed volleyball, for example. One of the things I feel most proud about already accomplishing is the inclusion of volleyball into N. Day activities. If no volleyball, the girls/women would not have had an activity while all the boys/men played rugby. Now we play volleyball every day, except SUnday of course which is taboo. From 4- 6 pm, after you get back from the bush, there are sports. Rugby for the boys and now volleyball for the boys and girls. It's a lot of fun, honestly. Except that they're quick to cover me which means I rarely get to attempt to hit the ball. Needless to say, my arms are bruised all over from what I have done! It's a good way for me to get to know people, too. And ages in Fiji are all mixed together. Of course the elders are held to a higher esteem but it's perfectly reasonable to see 17- 40 year olds hanging out, be it playing sports or drinking grog or telling stories.

Here's a quick list of some of my injuries/ ailments: ringworm, four spots on both my hands burned from soybean oil and other cooking incidents, a gash on my right big toe, a cut on my right foot, sore thighs and shoulders from volleyball and gardening, three scars on my left shin from the bush, cuts on both my ring fingers from bamboo (it's sharp!), and plenty of other knicks, gashes, and bruises. They heal pretty quickly, all things considered. There have been some other ailments but we'll save those for the story telling after my two years. :)

All in all it's fun so far. Every day is work for me, I don't really get time off. I'm learning sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sooooo soooooooo much and ultimately I think that's what this whole experience will be: me learning and bringing back what I've learned. And of course dispelling myths that all Americans are wealthy, employed, and have guns. Telling people we're not all farmers either and we have to buy our food... and that we don't have fires or grog and we keep doors closed on our houses and you can't just show up at someone's house and expect a meal... these are the interesting tidbits I'm proud to share. And that we do in fact have rivers in our country but no, we don't have bananas or pineapples or mangos or papayas or guavas or dalo or cassava or rourou growing in our country. But what, then, do you eat?

I hope this finds you all well. Sorry I can't really send each person a personalized note. I've gotten a little lax on my letter writing as well. I thought I'd have a lot of time to sit around and not do anything but it turns out there's always something to do in the village or someone to talk with and there's always a grog party. So... for the sake of integration, you'll have to settle for a mass produced e-mail. Vosoti au. Did I mention I go to church 1, 2, sometimes 3 times a week? Believe it. Those pigs have made it to outer space, Kelsey. I kid you not.