The First Few Days

A view of "Ba"
A city we visited this afternoon

The Fijian youth group at the Kava ceremony last night
(This was their goodbye song)

Sunset on Friday night, before the Kava ceremony

So, time is moving very quickly here. It is now Saturday, Fiji time, and I have had even more adventures since we began. This isn't your everyday orientation, no sir. Since last posting on Thursday morning, I have done the following:

-Had chicken curry at a gentleman's day club (not what you think)
-Had dinner on a Fijian farm and picked coconuts (yes, we ate them)
-Had two classes in the swimming pool
-Went to a place called Ed's bar, and took over the back room with my new Fiji friends (I dance just as weird in Fiji as in the US)
-Was taken to a suburb of a foreign town, dropped off, and was told to learn about culture
-Saw the beautiful ocean
-Got sunburn on the top of my feet
-Had another class in the pool
-Went to a Fijian Youth group and had too much Kava (look it up)
-Explored a town called Ba, and enjoyed the local fresh vegetable market

It has been quite an adventure. One highlight I will tell you about is getting dropped off in Lautoka, which is the second largest city in Fiji. With the program I am traveling with, everything is experiential. So, one such situation involves getting the whole group of 11 in a van and taking us to a foreign city. We are then dropped off in groups of 2 0r 3 and expected to find our way to the center of town, however we would like while learning about a specific topic. I was the first to go along with Dana, a travel mate of mine. We were dropped off in a suburb, and I was truly lost. Imagine being in a new country for only a few days and then you are expected to talk to complete strangers, learn about the culture, and find your way to lunch and a group meeting on the opposite end of town! Crazy? I thought so too. Did it stop me? No. I immediately asked Mrs. Quiliho if she was serious when she told me to get out of the van. She laughed about me for the rest of the day!

At first, Dana and I were quite frightened. We started a few steps in one direction, aimed a different way, and then decided that we needed a game plan. We walked down the street and met a woman who didn't speak much English. She was waiting for the bus and told us to have a nice day. Then, we had a lovely conversation with an indigenous Fijian waiting for a cab, who told us all about her mission work in New Zeland for the past year. This lasted about 15 minutes. Fijians are SO friendly. She even invited us over to her home. Then, Dana wanted to check out the Morman temple we saw, since she is from Salt Lake City- Morman Capital, USA. The bishop was washing his van, and was extremely helpful and friendly. We talked for about 20 minutes, and then figured at this rate, we were never going to get anywhere. Our walk continued, and we came across and Indian trade show. Dana bought a new purse, and we both had some Kava with the security guard. He was just chillin, and we talked to him about his grandfather moving into Fiji from India about 90 years earlier. He showed us out of the show, and then we found mud. Mud is everywhere in Fiji, because we are in the wet season. Our walk continued.

Eventually after seeing the botanical garden, we found the center of town. What a relief! It was over an hour later than the time we began. I bought a new wallet, and went to an Indian restaurant a woman suggested in the store. More curry. We then went to the Catholic church, just down the street. We were hesitant to go inside, so we introduced ourselves to a woman standing out front, reading the billboard. She was a woman from a village up in the mountains who walks to mass each weekend. She gave us a tour of the church, and took us around back to look at the school. Now, in America, do you ever see schools right on the ocean? Probably not. In Fiji, that's how things are done. This was my first glimpse of the ocean up close! This woman then took us down the street to the beach and told us all about the city. We spent about an hour with her (she wanted more time with us!), but it was time to leave. Fijians are so friendly! They take time out of their day to help anyone, even if it takes an hour. It is important for us to remember to think about the hospitality, and pay it forward to someone else.

Don't talk to stangers. Remember that from elementary school? I guess that is rude in Fiji.

This is an example of what I have been doing, though I have little time to share all of my adventures! Tonight, we are going to a Thai restaurant, before we depart for Suva City tomorrow. I am excited to go to the beach, which is rated #6 in the world, by the way. Some of us are going to go horseback riding along the ocean. I hope the snow is nice in Minnesota (sorry, I have to rub it in!). The weather is great, though it is VERY humid and hot. There is almost always a breeze, since we are on an island.

Keep messages coming! I miss you all at home, so stay in touch.

Austin