Getting Comfy

A church along the shore

The Stairway in the Royal Hotel, Levuka


Most of our Group at the Catholic Seminary


It is really nice to be getting comfortable in Fiji. After having some weird dreams last week about home, I spoke to my friend Katie about what I was thinking. She explained to me how when she was in Australia, she was thinking of some similar things. Then, she said that I will be home in what feels like just a short time. So, I feel like life is becoming real here in Fiji.

I am also realizing that living on an island sounds like it could be this fantasy filled with drinks with those little umbrellas, parrots delivering you messages from across the beach, and going swimming in the ocean each day. Well, life really isn't like that at all. I guess if I hopped on a bus and went to a secluded resort an hour down the road, maybe life would be like that (minus the parrot). Life is much like it is in any city. I wake up in the morning to dogs barking around my neighborhood, go for a run, eat breakfast inside with my family, get on a bus, and go to school. I do see palm trees and the ocean on a daily basis, my classroom is a bure (which is a grass-roofed house), and I could go to the beach if I wanted, but life is not quite what people might imagine.

There are opportunities to see these beautiful places if I want- don't get me wrong. This weekend, we are going to something called "The Beach House Resort." It is one of those resorts like you see in the magazines along the coral coast (the south coast of Viti Levu). Luckily, you can get a bunk room for a group, costing only $20 USD per night. This includes tea in the afternoon and breakfast, along with free sea kayaking. I'm in for sure.

Last weekend, our group visiting Levuka, a town on a small island east of Viti Levu. This place is exactly opposite of what one might see in a magazine, but it was still kinda cool. Levuka was the old capital of Fiji and is what is described by locals as "colonial." Old wooden buildings and hundred year old churches cascaded down the hill, with a backdrop of green mountains. Clouds looked like dry ice on the tips of the mountains. I was getting a little frustrated with our tour guide, as he didn't really talk to the group as a whole at any one point. If you really wanted to learn anything from him, you had to walk alongside and ask questions. It was still cool to see what was happening in town. We saw the sight where Prince Charles of England stayed when England was in the process of given up Fiji in the 1970s. We also saw the giant Tuna Factory. The whole town smelled of fish. It was gross. We stayed at the Royal Hotel. Sounds nice, but really I'm pretty sure that it was haunted. The building was built in 1903, and it was a place where sailors stayed back in the early 1900s. The lady who worked at the hotel said that people have hung themselves around the building before, and it is one of those creepy places where you can feel it. That weekend included my first boat ride since arriving in Fiji. I took a few hundred pictures that weekend, so when I get home, I'll show you.

Class is as usual this week. Riding the bus to school is interesting. It takes about an hour, and Fijian buses are sure interesting. They are all old, brightly colored, open-aired, and are about to start on fire at any moment. It is pretty usual news to hear that a bus starts on fire in Fiji. So, I just pray that I don't start on fire every day on my way to school. I just think of how nice the city buses are in Minneapolis- air conditioned, clean, comfy seats, etc. Not much else to update- its my 22nd birthday on Monday! My host parents are having a pot luck for my friends here in Fiji. You can come if you want, but I will not pay for the plane ticket. :-)

Keep the emails coming! I love to hear from all of you! I may be slower in response, as I will not be using my blackberry anymore while here. My parents just got a $200 bill for me using internet in the last 3 weeks on my phone. T-Mobile kinda sucks.