Laminating Machines and Caesar Salads

So I know I don't usually post things about what I'm actually doing here all that often, so this is dedicated to my family back home who say that I 'vacation way too much' ;0)

What I've been working on lately has been: the Sanatan Scrapbook, photo shown to the left, where we put all of our newspaper clippings, invitations, etc; Compost bin- still a work in progress, suppose to be painting it this week...but knowing Fiji, it'll be another week or two; Our Diwali Edition Newsletter, Diwali is their really big celebration: 'Festival of Lights' and similar to our Christmas; Facebook profile and group page for my organization in an effort to reach out to youth; Maintaining our website using googlesites... These are some of my main projects I've been working on among many other small, 'day-to-day' ones.


Laminating Machine Story
So we found this old, small laminating machine when
we shifted to our new office. Roshni was too scared to use it so I said
we'd bust it out and have a go at it, especially since we were in
desperate need of one to make our membership certificates (and were worried because we knew there was no money for one). Turns out
it's embarrassingly easy to laminate things. After our first laminated membership certificate came out...Roshni and I seriously did a happy dance in the office...it's the little things.

Random but goodie. This one I came across on my visit to Sigatoka town....
What the Typical Caesar Salad in Fiji consists of:
a salad mixed with an Italian + Mayonnaise dressing (barf), boiled chicken, and topped with a fried egg. wtf.

And the following are just typical realizations from life in Fiji. :0) Despite everything, I really do love this place. 

You know you've been in Fiji too long when:
-As you go to use the restroom, you go to pull your shorts up (instead of down) seeing as you wear skirts that often.
-You have conversations with yourself in the mirror, especially in a British accent (shoutout to my besties). 100% pathetic. 
-you don't get shocked when you see piles of ants carrying away your toenail clippings to feast on later.  That happened. [As a side note I think I really just have an ant problem...In fact, the other day I killed a giant spider and thought I'd keep it to send home to my little bro in an envelope. Next morning I woke up, and thought 'hey, where'd that dead spider go...I could have sworn I put it right here last night.' I then looked around for it on the floor thinking I had knocked it off the table or something. Nope. It was being carried away by a bunch of ravenous ants.]

Less is S'more

Tuli/Jewels showing them how it's done!

kids enjoying the s'mores

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli, super proud of my guns!

Dancing to Footloose at Levuka's finest (only) Bar

Is this real? At the Bishop's Temple where the first Bishop is buried

After a 6 hour trip to get to Jewels island, Ovalaou, we started off the night right with Pizza and Fiji Bitter at the one (and only) club in Levuka town (the oldest town and previous capitol of Fiji). We definitely got the party started early (which I've noticed it's something that Volunteers just do- it's a mix btw having lost ALL shame and also going to bed early out of boredom/no sunlight). We managed to dance to footloose TWICE and didn't mind that we were the only ones on the dance floor (and also barefoot at that).

 After getting to Jewels village (super late...like 10pm) we still did our savusavu (customary when you enter a village as a visitor, you present them with the local grog as a gift for having you, some words are said, then you all partake in a few bowls of grog around the grog bowl). And despite being so tired and somehow slightly buzzed, we both still pounded about -6 bowls of grog, which I SERIOUSLY enjoyed. I forgot how much I really enjoy Fijian villages and their tight sense of communtiy, and Tuli's (Jewels') village was easy going and light hearted....which makes for all the better grog drinking. :0) 

Jewels and I slept HARD that night as we had both beer and Grog in the same night, but still woke up early the next morning to some chocolate chip pancakes and AMAZING snorkeling RIGHT OFF THE COAST aka her BACKYARD.  I see how she's practically living my dream (small hut, right off the shore, small village, random island, minimal electricity). *sigh* but then it's times like these where I have to tell myself 'hey, everywhere you go has its pros and cons'. And it really is true, and ultimately I know I'm meant to be where I am. And maybe it's good that I'm not there so when I visit other villages I can really appreciate it. SO, after yummy pancakes, great snorkeling (lots of soft coral, clown fish, swordfish, possible barracuda [at which point we turned around], etc) we just relaxed and made some deliciouso vegetarian sushi. Naptime was THE best as you could hear waves crashing against the shore and the coconut trees rustling in the wind...yes, paradise in a sense that it's beautiful. However not so much when you don't have that cabana boy to bring you your beer ;0)

So the next day was filled with LOTS of cooking, which we really enjoyed! It's been on Tuli and I's list to make homemade bagels in her makeshift oven when I came. And by gosh, we succeeded. We made perfect little bagel babies that we were so proud of. And later on that day we somehow churned out some french apple cake AND pumpkin ravioli. (see pictures above..I must admit, all that clothes washing has thoroughly paid off). It's times like these where you realize how much processed food Americans eat and how much more fun it is to try and make it yourself!

Later on that evening we made a campfire and made s'mores with a lot of the village kids. It was so funny to see how EXCITED they would get to make their own. Super cute. My favorite was Julie's friend, Laviti, who was a teenager from her vil that not only shared our American style enthusiasm for s'mores but also had on a shirt that said 'Less is S'more'. 100% Baller. And another little thing that gave me a chuckle was how the locals pronounced it...more of a sAh-more. cute.

And as a 'Goodbye Chandani! We'll miss you!' gift, what else could Ovalaou offer but over 113 mosquito and bed bug bites? Priceless. Turns out the sponge we borrowed from the neighbors for me to sleep on was infested with some extra critters who like to cuddle.  And I also have a new found respect for Tuli as I realized how rough the trip is back to the capital is for her. You have to wake up at 3am, be out by the road by 3:30am (in hopes the carrier doesn't come too early, which has happened in the past) and wait until your ride comes by at 4:30am-ish and takes you into town. Then the bus leaves at 5am which you stay on for an hour. Then the bus drives onto a ferry- which you can get up and walk around on but it's still only 6am and you're not really in the mood. After an hour on the ferry then it's back on the bus for another 1 1/2 hrs into town. Therefore a salute is in order to my good friend. :0) But it was worth it though because I had a really great time visiting Tuli's Village!

Can't really see them, but the bed bug bites are THERE

the good AND the bad

so a long time ago I threw out the idea that we should have a weekly team meeting to go over our projects, updates, etc. aka how it is in America. It happened about once in the beginning after the idea was thrown out,  but then kind of fizzled. However, we just started it back up again as my co-worker mentioned he wanted to make this a very professional office. I was thrilled and thought it was a great idea...every Wednesday at 3pm. We had our first one this week, and although it started out great (and finished well I would say)...somewhere in the middle I got called racist by a different co-worker. In his defense I think he mistakenly interpreted me saying 'don't insult my intelligence' for 'I'm more intelligent than you'...so who knows. Luckily I controlled myself and followed up how it's common for teams to have problems but that it's important to handle them in a professional, constructive, and polite manner. However I did get back at him just a little when I turned to him and said 'For example, calling me racist was out of line.'  I don't want to get into the details as it's not important, but basically it got pulled out as one of those 'I've got nothing else so this is a last resort' kind of line.  anyways, still felt it was a successful meeting as it opened the door for the team to meet once a week to talk and get these problems out! I know this isn't the happiest of blogs but I just want to be real about stuff! Oh and to end on a good note- went to a dance show for elementary school kids and I will say that I had a great time as Fiji NEVER lets me down on providing bumpin' songs...plus sneaking some grog in added to the fun!

It happens to the best of us...

me and my pills

Well everyone, this definitely isn't my proudest moment. I was really hoping that I would be able to say I went a full two years without getting one; sadly, Fiji has gotten the best of me. Late Friday night, my armpit started feeling a little funny and just a bit sore. Thought it would go away, but when I arose the next morning panic shot through my body. 'Sweet Jisu (Jesus)! It can't be...it just can't be! I swear I have good hygiene and shower multiple times a day, I just don't understand, how did this happen to me?But wait, I did shave my underarms yesterday morning..could it have? No..but then how?'.  That's right people, just half a day after shaving my underarms in the morning, a boil the size of a marble had formed in my armpit. They're very common here and almost impossible to avoid. I personally think it has a lot to do with cold showers, but you'll hear all kinds of reasons. Tell you what though, I was at the Peace Corps Medical Office so fast like a hook worm on your toe. awesome.

This  photo is of my healing dog bite. It wasn't bad at all and it only bled a few drops. My host brother's dog bit me (in it's defense it only wanted to play. Animals are treated horribly here and are not looked upon as pets. In my effort to show them that dogs could be nice and playful, their biggest dog got the best of me. I felt bad because he only wanted to play more and only bit me when I walked away). Anyway, for some reason when you get bites or cuts here....your skin kind of goes brown and then after a few weeks goes back to normal, not sure why.

Thought I'd post this to show my finger fungus (that I first noticed I had on the plane over to America for my sister's wedding). I'm pretty sure I got it while planting seeds in my garden..but it's almost back to normal now. The nail grew off and it's almost back to a normal length. I think it would have been healed much sooner had I actually stuck with taking the pills to get rid of finger fungi. However, seeing as they're hard on your liver, I opted not to as I drink too much grog in the evenings. It's Fiji. :0)


Other than my ailments, I had a really good time in Sigatoka (quaint town on the coral coast) visiting other volunteers in the area and also selling our Sanatan paraphernalia at our soccer tournament. This photo is from an old bridge along the Sigatoka river that was halfway destroyed because of a flood/cyclone a few years ago. Sean lives in a village just off the coast where he's done a lot with marine center at a neighboring resort. I'm totally jealous but every site has it's positives and negatives....but still I'm jealous. :0) We made some super tasty bruschetta and homemade muesli which I WILL be making again. Super fun trip and super glad I went!

Sean in his village!

sitting on the old Sigatoka Bridge

At our table selling Sanatan Logo stuff!

Fresh Fish, Cold Showers, and Cochroaches....Oh My!

My 'Uncle' Cleaning some Sambutu Fish!

Then I had a go...

So I went to the neighbors house last Sunday because they said they wanted to learn how to make American cinnamon apple oatmeal! When they eat something with oats, they add plenty milk and they call the stuff porridge. Plus it's super sweet. So I told them I would come over one morning and show them how to make my kind of oatmeal, withOUT milk (they were slightly astonished). Turns out they didn't like it all that much (of course) because it wasn't super sweet and it had something healthy in it. But my 'Uncle' (they don't call ppl by names here) there said that he had specially brought some Sambutu fish fresh for the market just for me. At first, not going to lie, I was a little annoyed b/c I had plans to just RELAX and not visit with any locals as it can get quite exhausting (mostly because I'm talking in Hindi). But then I said if he showed me  how to clean the fish and make the fish curry, I'd come back for lunch. So we picked up the fish scraper and went at it! I was actually laughing the whole time as fish scales were flying everywhere, one actually got stuck to my forehead. They too were laughing just as much as me as they'd never seen a white girl scrape a fish. I SUPER enjoyed it. :0) Then my 'Auntie' showed me how to make some pretty delicious fish curry with coconut milk (a version I'd never had before). And It totally makes me laugh b/c from the photo below, it reminds me of something you'd see only in movies, like Indian Jones for example when they're eating the eyeballs and monkey brains. I felt totally cool sucking out the juices from the fish head when we were eating, but then reality struck whenever I ate a fish bone. woops. Regardless, it was worth it and tasted freaking amazing....despite it's harsh appearance. :0)

Don't judge it by its looks....trust me.

Tips for taking cold showers:

1. Just commit: You stink, you smell, and you know you need to shower- so don't delay it. Once you've turned on the water and it's going full force, immediately go in. The longer you wait, the more you'll want to cry.

2. Sometimes when it's super cold, a Happy Dance is required. Force a smile on your face, start dancing, and I promise you'll start laughing at the fact the water is so cold (or at the fact you're dancing in the shower). Never mind if that laughing might lead to crying/yells of pain.

3. Get these parts of your body wet first as they're the worst: your hair, your back, and in some cases, the hair on your back.

4.Whilst shampooing & conditioning, leave at least 3/4 of your body in the water. It'll make it easier to rinse your head if most of your body is still under the shower head.

5. Move fast.

6. Be efficient. The better your scrub, the longer you can put off another shower.

7. Don't waste your time shaving. Your leg hairs will re-grow instantly when you go to rinse them. Trust me.

Just a few questions I thought I'd throw out there:

-How do roaches crawl into my fridge to die?

-Why are there roaches in my tubs of dry pasta noodles?

-How are there weavel-like slash scorpion-ish bugs in my buckets of: rice, chickpeas, and lentils?

Workin' 9-5....

These photos were taken at the Akhand Ramayaan (Continuous Praising/Singing) that went on for 2 nights and 3 days!

My main project that I've been working on lately were these Sanatan Logo Pens. They're shown in the photo on the left. I know you can't really see them closely but they look great. All the profits go to Sanatan, which once we've sold all 2000, should give us around 2000$ profit. It's not much but it's a start. At the Ramyaaan we sold around 160 pens.  Roshni and I had a fun (yet exhausting time) selling the pens. I know back home, when I'd reach a point of exhaustion, I become delirious and will start saying and doing random/ridiculous things. In the wee hours of the night, that definitely started and Roshni and I couldn't control ourselves, and being in a different culture of course was just an added bonus point of hilariousness. :0)

Something else I'm SUPER excited about...is moving into our new office! We're packing this week and we're set to move on Monday. This means we'll finally have an office that's set up for a professional atmosphere. I know that seems silly, but I feel like it's really going to change things in a good way. PLUS there I'll be able to make a compost pit so we can start recycling and composting. 100% pumped.

And I'm proud to be an American...

......because at least I know I'm free...(plus we have way better food) :0)

So I ended up going to Raki Raki, the northern part of the main island, to spend a night in 2 of the other volunteers' villages. It was great, I had a lot of fun hanging out with the other vol's. One couple, Chris and Nan, have this awesome traditional Fijian home- aka the roof and walls are made of layers of leaves, grass, and weaving of leaves. They also are near to a cool river which, had I lived there, is definitely floatable w/ an inner tube. (mehhhh the Guadalupe).  On Sunday morning we were scheduled for a dive, BUT seeing as the appointments are scheduled by Fijian hands, they of course lost our reservation and so we were unable to go. So that morning started off a little crumby as we woke up super early (actually in all fairness the roosters woke me up at 4am...not the alarm) to get to the dive shop only to find out we're not going. From there we headed to a retired PCV's, John and Judy, house, where we were having our 4th of July party at. Their place was super nice- WITH a pool! We took a small boat that John had made out that morning to a deserted island. It was BEAUTIFUL, very picturesque. We napped on the beach for a bit, then Lydia and I headed out for some snorkeling. At first, it was a pretty good snorkel, pretty stuff but nothing out of the ordinary....THEN. I hear Lydia scream through her snorkel- 'Look it's an OCTOPUS!' They're unbelievably rare here because they not only can change skin color, but also change skin texture! It was SOOO COOL. We're talking Captain Jack Sparrow cool. Lydia and I (of course) picked up a stick and were gently poking it, trying to get it to come out of it's home. It was a purple, orange, and white-ish octopus (really pretty actually) and when I stuck the stick in, it grabbed on pretty hard with it's suckers! So as we're poking it....I start thinking, and the following is my random/ridiculous thought process:
'I wonder if I stuck my hand in there, will it sucker itself to me? Could I be able to pull it out? Would it ink me? I hope it does actually, then I could say I've been inked on. This thing is easily the size of my head....I wonder, if I were able to get it out and put it on my head, would it cover my whole head. Then I could be like Captain Barbosa.' Yes. I thought about all of that.

Anyways, so that super made my morning. It's legs were easily the size of my ankle and I won't forget how it shot out a 'poop string'. That's right. At first I thought it was ink, but it didn't form a cloud. It shot out what looked like a few strands of brown string about 2 feet up into the water. Then a small parrot fish came up and started eating it....so that happened. And for the rest of the day, if you had to go #2, you had to say you had to go make a poop string. :0) I love PCV's.

This is a photo that I found that is pretty close to the coloring of the octopus that we came across. Except the one we saw had a 'face' that was a dark plum with a baggy-head thing that was spotted with purple, orange, and pink. oh and the photo at the top is of Lydia and myself pointing to the area where we saw the octopus!

And for the rest of the afternoon we had REAL burgers, (although I had a Mexican veggie burger), grilled chicken- which was super yummy, POTATO SALAD, baked beans, RANCH DIP AND CHIPS, ICED TEA, and for dessert...sweet Chisu (Jesus) there was cake and ice cream, cheesecake, pecan pie, and rice krispie treats. I love america. After we chowed down, we just hung out, played some jams, shot some Fireworks!!! Which honestly, when I say fireworks in Fiji...picture the cheapest firework you can find in America...and that would be the equivalent of what are our 'best' fireworks. :0) Regardless a few of us vol's had a roman candle fight which MADE my day. Seriously, I love them.