Ham sochtaa hai ki ham Suva and Nausori me rahegaa!

Raam Raam everyone!
Ok I know it's been a while since I wrote so bear with me on the random things that I write about!

So things are still really busy of course, and honestly are only going to get busier. Last weekend we had our volunteer visits where we go and visit a current volunteer serving on the main island, viti levu. It's basically a weekend where we get to relax and hangout, and really get a sense for how a volunteer actually lives after they have been placed at their sites. It was a great weekend- Julie (another awesome trainee who is a really cool acupuncturist--spelling on that? the computer is too slow to google the correct spelling...don't hate me) and I went to Nadi, which is near the west coast, to visit Christa---SO FUN! We had to ride on a bus for like 5 hours each way (because we were coming from the completely opposite side of the island) and yes my butt did go numb, but it was still great to see a lot of Fiji. ....RANDOM STORY/FACT: Ok so in terms of being conservative Fiji is kind of whack. First off they say to wear looser fitting tops that cover your shoulders and long skirts that have to go past your knees. So that's whatever. But what's ridiculous is that for some reason, it's completely OK here to drop a boob (or two) right in public to feed your baby. I was shocked when I would hear stories of women with both of their boobs hanging out while the whole community was hanging out around the grog bowl. I didn't believe it at first until we were on the butt-numbing-bus ride and then it happened. The lady right next to me. I mean that's cool and all...but just comparing that to how conservative you have to be (especially with your skirts), it's just funny. I love Fiji. :0)
But anyways Nadi was great, we got relax and cook some homemade American food...Yes, it IS possible to make homemade pizza with no oven and 2 pots on a stove. SO that was a fun skill to learn!
Oh and yeah there was this AMAZING restaurant that was called Buleccino's that we went to for breakfast. Good god, it was so good. It was very americanized- which don't hate me, it's very nice eat American style when you've gone a long time without it. The food was extremely good- for example: smoked salmon, cream, cheese, and grilled onion bagels, creamy eggs with bacon, and also bruscetta with grilled onions, tomato, and cream cheese. Considering breakfast is my favorite meal....I was in heaven. Plus I got my first latte in Fiji there!

This past week has been VERY busy for me- My family has been having this celebration/week 9-day long prayer called a Pooja. My youngest sister and her husband were having it for their in-laws. (their in-laws were sick and now they're better so you throw this Pooja to thank Paghuan). It's basically the same thing as Ramayaan except LONGER. Except there was a lot of people there anywhere from 60-200 people all packed in this small room. It was fun though, a highlight of the evening (which this is also shocking considering how conservative the Hindi culture is) was when some gay men who were dressed like women got up and started dancing. And it was totally ok, no one was angry or anything. I guess it just boils down to if you're a man or not. boo. but it's whatev. So I went to that Thursday, Friday, and all day Sunday. You go to as many out of the 9 that you can. And since it was my family I had to be there for a lot of it. The other girls in my settlement, my language instructor, and I all went to a wedding on Saturday night...again very fun colors (of the sari's and all...Which I LOVE!), the same reading from the ramayaan, and songs and such, even the same gay men dancing....one of whom came over and asked me to do dance with her. It was actually SO fun! A little embarrassing when it was just us up there, but then a lot of other girls came up and then it was so fun!

My family did Mendi (henna) on my hands which I SUPER DUPER love. Yes, I said super duper. I swear it makes anything you do with your hands twice as much fun.

If there's two things I'm SOLD on doing when I have a house in America is 1. Compost toilet. Look it up. very effective! 2. Beekeeping!!! We got to go visit a Hindi volunteer worker and saw the projects she was working one. One of which was beekeeping, and it was so amazing! I seriously want to work with bees if I can! We all got to eat honey straight from the comb afterwards...so delicious. Everyone was on a sugar high. It was really cool because you could just pick a piece of the comb off and chew on it to get the honey out. Then there was just some wax left in your mouth. No it was not like burts bees (trust me, I tried to use it as chapstick...didn't work), but I imagine that's what they make it from.

Ok so basically I think (90% sure) that I'll be living in Nausori and working in Suva! which after seeing how Christa lives in nady (which is a city), I am excited to live closer to a city. There are positives and negatives to living in both rural and urban areas, but I think what I am most excited about is the fact that I will be living near my host family. I'm pretty sure I might be one of few who actually want to stay with their host families. I can't say anything for sure of what I'll be doing because nothing is set in stone yet. BUT we find out on Saturday so I'll know then.

Language is of course EXTREMELY stressful, but you get through it. My language instructor, Mahend, is 100% certified badass and is SO funny. Just a fun-loving guy who is laid back and is such a social butterfly and really quirky. He reminds me a lot of myself- Fijian style.

Ok...and if anyone is looking for things to send me...travel hand sanitizers, cd's with music on them- PLEASE!, and any other random items are always appreciated! I love and miss everyone so much!

Ok and I'm really sorry for my spelling errors and run-on sentences. Internet is pricy and our PC salaries aren't that great. Instead of correcting my errors I'd rather be able to buy me a diet coke. :0)

-Fir Milegaa!
Chandni