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It was really rainy in the mountains in the bush. It's been really cold all week. Yuck.

Altar to Mary.


I realize I haven't really posted anything of substance lately. I always think what to say, but haven't really had time to post. So lets see if I can recap the past few weeks...

A week or two ago I went to Taveuni, finally, for a big meeting for our province. Taveuni is beautiful and wonderful and I had big plans to travel and visit some other PCVs. Alas, something spasmed in my back and it was the most excrutiating pain I've ever had. (Sorry Mom... but really don't worry) It was pretty awful and I could barely move, so I had to cut my trip short, which I was/am really bummed about. Good thing is: it's a lot better now and I had some great massages. So it was pretty depressing to be 25 with the body of an 80 year old.

This is in Tutu, the place I visited to check out hydropower. It's a Catholic mission/ training center. Very cool place run by a very very cool old Australian priest. It's what I'm going to write my thesis about! This is one of the chapels. Has an amazing view!

Soemthing I love about Fiji is all the colors. Everything is so colorful and vivid, from all the different greens of the forest (more than are in a box of Crayola 64!) to the blues of the sky and sea to the flowers (bright fuschias and deep purples, blue and purple and white morning glories, bright hibiscus) to the insects (the butterflies! the grasshoppers! the mantis!) to the birds (so many different birds! and also so many that aren't here anymore, vinaka mongoose). The sulu jabas (the women's dresses, see picture) and bula shirts the men wear. It's nice. See sulu jaba, above. This is in Taveuni, at the International Date Line. Technically, the date line runs right through Taveuni; but to make things simple, they keep it all in one time. Taveuni is the first place in the world where the new day/ new year starts! My back was hurting so badly in this picture.

This week I was really busy. Monday we went to plant and weed yaqona. Below is a video I took from the bush. Hehe. Below are also a few pictures from up there. Maria and I cooked the lunch, rice and dhal soup. It was cold and rainy. Tuesday we went to cut copra, but I forgot to put those pictures on my thumb drive, so next time. Copra is the dried coconut flesh that's the bread and butter of our area up here. It's what they use to make oil with and lotions and soaps and all those fancy shmancy things Americans and Westerners like to buy with coconut. We did it as a village project to help pay off the debt for the diesel for the generator. there was a group of about 20 of us who collected coconuts, piled them up, chopped them with an ax, and then cut out the flesh with a special little knife. Then you have to dry it. It's a three- four day process and we should get maybe $200. Wednesday I worked at the school and Thursday I did a major cleaning of my bure and then weeded a lot for my garden- finally! Friday was a open house outside Savusavu for fish ponds/ agricultural stuff. Needless to say, I'm ready to rest. And I've been helping the high school kids with their homework again and we had a soli (they give money) for the women. So nights have been busy, too. But we're finally making progress with our market at the road at the bus stop and on our septic tanks. Yay!