BulaVinaka! (standard greeting means roughly “hello good” or “hello thanks”)
Greetings from Fiji!
As you hopefully have heard, I am safe and well – and very busy! Internet and phone access will not be readily available for the next couple months so contact back home will be few and far between at first. Rest assured, I am doing well (healthy, happy, safe) and having an incredible experience.
Peace Corps training is intense. There are 26 people in my group – mostly youngsters but there are a few us who are 40+. So far, it’s like camping. We are staying in a retreat or conference center with dorm style housing (cabins), meeting room and cafeteria. After a few days of this (large group training) we will divide into sub-groups and go to live in a village. I will move in with my host family and there will be 5-6 other trainees from my group in the same village but living with their own host families. Some of my cohorts are nervous about meeting and living with their families. I’m more concerned about language at this point.
It rains a lot in Fiji. It’s very beautiful – lush, tropical – but here on the east side (where I will be for at least the next 7 weeks), it rains 80% of the time (even in the dry season, I’m told). I’m already used to it. It’s a warm rain, off and on, and the sound of it at night lulls me into a deep and restful sleep. It’s very humid but it cools down and night – even needed a blanket the past couple nights.
The food, so far, is pretty good. We’re spoiled here at the retreat center so who knows what village life will provide as far as food goes. Probably will depend on the host family. But I’m not picky and will try anything. Men tend to lose weight in the Peace Corps so I’m eating all I can (and they are feeding us every few hours!) before village life and diet takes its toll. Not to worry though – I’m looking forward to getting my flat stomach back, perhaps!
Lots of bugs and critters (again, think camping) and that will not change even when I move to the village. Probably just a fact of life now for the next 2 years. But the mosquitoes have not been biting me (unlike the ones in DC) and malaria is not an issue in Fiji.
Just before sunrise each day, we hear some drumming down the hill which I think signals the start of a new day. Sometimes it’s accompanied by singing – probably from the church. Yesterday, walking back from breakfast, we heard a squealing pig off in the near distance. Then, that evening, we had pork ribs and sausage for dinner. Ham again this morning.
Peace Corps provides tons of support in many ways (overkill on health and safety policies): water filters, mosquito nets, sunscreen (haven’t needed it yet – cloudy, raining most of time), bug repellent, etc, etc. After trying to pack light just to get here, they’ve loaded us up and weighted us down with 40 pounds of supplies and resources!
A few days later…
I’m in my training village now living with my host family: the husband and wife are retired phone company employees. Their youngest daughter is 21 and is studying accounting at the university – she lives here as well (their 3 other children are out of the house). One of the grandmothers lives here also. They all speak English pretty well so communication is not a huge issue and they can help me learn the Fijian. The kids in the village are fascinated by us and followed us around today while we were working on a community mapping exercise. It started out just 2-3 kids and grew as we traveled around the footpaths until we got back to the community hall where the tag-alongs numbered 15-20!
Fijian village life is rustic to say the least. We are lucky in this village. We have electricity 24/7. Water is collected from rain (good) and a stream source (not as good) into tanks that are shared by several houses each. All cold water (I prob won’t have a hot shower for many months to come) – not that it matters, it’s pretty hot and humid here all the time. Drinking water is filtered and safe and I’m drinking lots of it. So far, no incidents of illness from anyone in our group. It’s just a matter of time, of course, before I experience diarrhea or food illness but so far so good.
My host family is very nice. They are rather reserved which turns out is an advantage for me. Fijians don’t have the same ideas about privacy and independence that Americans do (very communal here) but my family seems to understand and respect my privacy, leaving me alone to read or study, encouraging me to rest (napping is part of the lifestyle in this heat – you know I love that!). They are feeding me SO MUCH FOOD. And it’s all pretty damn good! All things considered, I’m comfortable and healthy.
I have been here now not quite a week. Already, an amazing experience. (Am I really living like this? Is this my life now?) It’s both so much more and not at all what I imagined, it’s difficult to put into words and get it all written down. But I will continue to try and hopefully be in contact again soon.
Sota Tale (farewell greeting - means roughly “see you later” )
Please forward this around to anyone who might be interested in hearing how I’m doing. Michael, please print out and give to Mom and Dave.
Miss you all!
Love, Te (Dave in Fijian)
Isn't the appropriate greeting, "Eat Me!" ?
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