Yes, when I went to class the other day, my very nice--parental aged colleagues--were concerned that I was hacking all over their clean air space and had already been doing so for three weeks, so they told me to go find some Uci plant. I was to boil the leaves and add honey and fresh ground ginger and cracked black pepper and drink it to cure my chest-issues.
I was shown to the plant, accompanied by two of my classmates--searching Fijian style: looking around casually with a perplexed look and maybe even a scratch of the head. The dialogue goes something like this:
"How do you spell this oothie thingy, plant?"
"It is U-C-I."
"Oh, okay. Makes perfect sense. U-C-I!"
"What does this plant look like?"
"Oh, um, it has yellow flowers."
"Oh, okay. How about the leaves. Are they round, or long, or pointy?"
"Um, not round. Kind of medium. It gives off a smell"
"Are the flowers large, or small? Is the tree tall, or like a bush? What is this smell similar to?"
"It is smallish. The flowers are kind of small and yellow, or white and we use it to give smell to the ceremonial garlands during Hibiscus festival."
"Ahhh, I see. Okay. Set. Guess we will keep looking." (At this point, I am thinking we are never going to find this obscure flowery-bush-smelly thing and I will die of a common cold!
Then by the grace of God an older Fijian woman comes up and Tomasi--the guy 'helping' me look for this plant asks here where we might find one. She does a head scratch, a ponder, points at me--they all nod and then after one minute she finds one--right under our noses and right in the middle of campus.
FYI--It is a medium sized bush--with long pointy leaves, it gives off a smell like black licorice and has small clusters of teeny-tiny off white-yellow flowers. I pick some, take it home, boil it, drink it (it's not that bad) and am up all night with coughing fits--alas my mixture has not helped.
The next day I go to the doctor on campus. He tells me there is nothing he can do for me. Do I have allergies? Asthma? I say, "Yes, sadly I am allergic to every living thing and have been known to have allergy induced asthma." Ah, I see, he says. "Well then, you are suffering from hypersensitivity. You probably had the flu three weeks ago when this started and due to your allergies, you are at risk for the irritation to fester and remain in your body. I have seen people with this cough for 2-3 months. You have no fluid in your chest, so I can give you an inhaler and some OTC cough medicine and wish you luck. That is all, until you get a fever, or fluid in your chest."
"Thanks. I am trying to drink the Uci tea too. I am used to this hypersensitivity ailment, it's always my problem..damn allergies. Cough medicine hasn't worked yet, but I'll try the one you prescribe anyway."
"Uci tea?"
"Yes, my classmates said to boil it in hot water, add honey and drink it."
"Oh, okay--you've been drinking it, really??? (he is smiling and nodding his head slowly.) Well it does work, my grandmother swears by it and us Fijians use it all of the time for respiratory ailments, but we usually create a steam bath with it. You breathe in the vapors for 10-15 minutes with a towel over your head. We usually don't drink it, but I suppose you could try it, how does it taste?"
"Hmm... I see now. It didn't work last night--but the taste isn't bad. I will do a steam bath later tonight and let you know. Thanks for the advice."
I left the doctor and found myself another patch of Uci--traipsed into the bushes to pick me some leaves and that's where you found this "lialia kavalange yalewa" at the beginning of the note. Needless to say: I am a little weird and you don't even have to know me, or be in my culture to sense that vibe. (I was also invited to an Indian wedding during my 5 minute taxi ride the other day, but it's on Saturday and I have plans already..darn!)
Fiji is still wonderful. The temperature has dropped to 70/75 degrees. Here I was thinking I was used to climate, but apparently it is just "freezing here" according to the locals. They are all walking around in hooded sweatshirts and knee-high boots. I am sleeping better, when I am not coughing, and getting attacked by mosquitoes just most of the time now, instead of all of the time. It is raining a lot--last week I thought I would hop on the ark, after it left Martha's Vineyard--it was simultaneously raining all week there too. This is why I am still sick: Fiji winter--which really means "change in the weather," not like winter Stateside. I have been advised to put Vicks on my feet (and my head) and wear warm socks and shoes and jackets and shawls--but it is still bloody hot here!! So I compromise and sweat to death in my warmish clothes with Vicks on my chest and feet--but only at night.
Meanwhile I am stretching myself thin. I am at The Learning Center (TLC Primary School) Mondays and Fridays to do my service project with the kids--the international cultural exchange. The first graders are doing a mural, or pictures of their favorite things in Fiji. The second graders are writing a poem, which will be turned into a song tomorrow when Mike comes in with me and plays his guitar. (He has been a camp counselor for umpteen years and can make a bouncy-kid-tune to go with any lyrics instantly! I love it!) And the third graders are working in groups to write a creation/culture story about Fiji. Whenever I come to the school they all see me--the classrooms are open to the outside--and run at me and hug me and call my name. (I am still learning their names, so I just say, "Hey You!" And I hug them back. It makes me feel loved and important..aren't children amazing?
I am no longer a child, that's for sure. I celebrate my 24th birthday this Saturday. I miss my friends and family, but at least there will be a Rotary celebration (for our club's 10th birthday) coincidentally on my actual birthday. We are having a swanky masquerade ball at the snazziest club in town--Traps. I will have to rival my club for B-day attention, but I will have the people who have known me the longest in Fiji with me on my birthday!
So until next time...
Signing off for another day, waiting to embark on another year......
