Where to turn

I just had the most peculiar visit from a little boy name Willi. He only looked about 11, 0r 12 years-old, short, clean shirt, dirty shorts, bare-foot, with cracked toenails and various scabs and calluses on his exposed skin.

He walked up my stairway and quietly tapped away, wondering if anybody was home. I only answered after I looked through the window and saw it was a child. (Usually it is an adult from the squatter settlement begging, or trying to sell me some half-dead seafood.) He told me he was hungary and wondered if I had any work for him to do, so he could earn a few dollars to get bread and a drink. I told him I could give him a glass of water and offer him some bread, but I had no work. (He declined the bread, but took the water.) I started asking him his story, as he gulped down the water.

I asked him where he went to school because he spoke english very well and he said an Indian man had recently taken him in and put him in the Hilton Special School (for students with disabilities), although he had no apparent disability, Fiji is a place where if you know someone, you often times can be enrolled. Anyway, his parents left him as a baby and since then he has been living with a Rotuman woman, who has now gone to Savusavu. He has no aunties, or family that he knows of and is kind of wandering the streets now looking for work and a way to support himself. He told me he was 14, born in 1994 and his favorite subject in school is English.

The best I could do for this boy was make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and give him a couple of glasses of water. I listened to his story, suggested what he might do to find work, or relatives and wished him luck. I told him to keep the faith. I didn't have any spare clothes, or shoes for him, but I did send him off with $3.20--a small amount that he could squander and I wouldn't miss, if he was feeding me lies, but a large enough amount to get him a few bus fares and some food if he was in real need. I hope that boy finds what he needs and that I won't be targeted in the future for a break-in. There's a fine line here of who to trust and what to give and I'd like to hope I did the right thing. I saw gaps in his story and made sure to emphasize I was a volunteer, who makes no money here and also I leave with my large boyfriend, who is home most of the time. It saddens me to not be able to trust a child in need, but I think I found a middle road.

On a happier note, I went to an amazing island last weekend with snakes, white sand, teal water, and a peaceful breeze. The island of Leleuvia is a 45 minute drive from Suva and an equal boat ride. It's weather is mainly nice, getting about 30% of the Suva rain and it is inexpensive. I went there with a group of friends and we stayed in grass bures, only 20 steps from the beach and made the island our own little kingdom. It is easy to walk around the island at low-tide in about 5 minutes, minding the black and silver snakes that travel from the small forested area to the water when a cloud comes. I found that on land snakes move slowly and are non-intimidating. However, when in the water--they are fast and supple. (Making snorkeling a bit scary.)

After two glorious nights of sunsets, sunrises and beachy-days, my better half and myself came back to Suva with one extra passenger from Barcelona. As I do, I made friends with this eclectic man named Albert, who has been traveling the world for two+ years, volunteering his time to teach in orphanages and special-needs schools. He is writing a travel book and has really enjoyed escaping the rat-race city life and the fancy job. Can we not all learn from Albert?

I have recently started to read my work-load for next year...Midnight's Children, Love in the Time of Cholera, Great Gatsby, The House of the Spirits etc.... I will be completely enveloped in amazing, but difficult literature for high school students...living the lifestyle that Albert has now and I have taught myself to appreciate...

What is my plan for next year, you might ask? Well, I am moving back to Fiji after a 2 month sabbatical at home to finish my Rotary speeches and share some of the cultural nuances about Fiji. I will be home from the end of November through mid January and have lots of appointments scheduled with family and friends, Rotary clubs, and other civic organizations...I will be a busy girl, stuck in the rat race for two more months before returning to the South Pacific as an English teacher, a thesis student, and a purveyor of the good life.

Do what you love. Live simple. Breathe easy.

Shock and waves

Yadra readers,

The South Pacific and Asia have been dealt a serious blow. The tsunami and series of earthquakes that hit this region last week are shattering and mind numbing. Whenever a tragedy happens near you...could have happened to you... affects those people around you...it is cause for reflection.

So far Rotary has put together a drive for clothes and supplies--which Mike and I happily added to after reading the instructions and going to Nivis Motors in Nabua to drop of our bags of clothes. The very nice men at Nivis motors, who sell Mitsubishi cars did not know what we were talking about...a Rotary donation? Bob...oh, io our boss "Rob..." We can open a bank account for you and you can donate there.....OR you can head down the road to Niranjan Motors in Raiwanqa. Ah...set, wrong business sent out on the newsletter.

USP has started a few fundraisers and has also opened some revolving bank accounts that donate to various organizations and families in Samoa. I will be attending one of the fundraisers tonight and wearing feathers in my hair (a traditional hair piece being sold to raise money for the victims) and may attend a prayer vigil.. although in the South Pacific, those are fairly intense gatherings with large numbers of people and very passionate guidance.

Meanwhile, on Tsunami day I was on my way to work, next to the sea wall, and I received a phone call about the disaster that already struck and the thought that it might come our way by 10 am. I called my boss and she said we would have a work from home day since we were in the tsunami zone...so I worked from her home. Fortunately for us in Fiji it was a beautiful, calm and sunny day. The kids were released from school and some people were released from work and there were large waves experienced on the outer group of Lau (near Tonga) and a small quake felt in the North (Labasa) and a push towards developing a warning system in Fiji.

The next day, since the weather here is finally sunny, me and my mates went to the beach! On the way home Mike and I caught a local bus--45 minutes away from Suva. A small girl got up so I could sit in her seat and I put her on my lap, while her mother took a nap in the seat next to me. The bus stopped every 20-100 yards... letting passengers off and on, filling up the standing room in the aisles. And when the bus stopped, after some trouble catching third gear, and we were told to get off the bus and hop on the one behind it--I wasn't fazed because I was thrilled they preempted the broken down bus we were on and brought another for us to switch onto.

Two hours and three busses later, Mike and I arrived in Suva--happy and tired. It is amazing how Fiji has changed my sense of urgency and time. Last week I went to a friend's house for dinner--a new friend I had never met, and we headed over around 9 pm on a Monday night. Masta had invited me, Mike, and Brittany over for Eid (Muslim celebration). We were considered chief guests in his home and were fed a table full of sweets before we sat down for a delicious dinner of curried delicacies. Sweets before dinner was different, but tasty and all of the food led up to the viewing of Mecca. In side his house, his lovely parents showed us all of the large plaques and pictures, some with gold leafing, depicting Mecca and the millions of people who journey there to worship Allah. I felt very welcomed, culturally enriched and exhausted by the time I got home at 12:30 am.

Next week I am looking forward to Diwali celebrations (Hindu festival of lights). I am getting a new sari blouse tailored and am anticipating many dinners of delicious food, as well as the delivering of Diwali baskets to needy families in the area.

The next two weekends are three day weekends and I will hopefully travel to an outer island for one of them, continuing my exploration of Fiji and begin bringing my experience to an end as an Ambassadorial Scholar.

Matakatale