Training

Upon arriving in Fiji, we were met at the airport by a number of volunteers and staff members.  After passing through customs, we loaded all of our selves and our possessions (including a 15ft surfboard brought by one eager trainee) and our selves onto an open-air bus and started to drive away.  Which is when a large cushy touring bus arrived, windows dewed with airconditioning condensation, arrived and we realized we had been directed onto the wrong bus- headed in the wrong directions.  (Such an incident is endearingly referred to as getting “Fiji-ed” by previously established members of our clan.)

We traveled part of the way around the southern coast of Viti Levu (the Coral Coast) to a tourist village where we stayed at a resort and received an orientation to training.  There was really nothing of great value learned during this time, just an idea of how training will go.  The next day, we had water safety training on a cold and windy beach, and then spent the afternoon aboard a bus to our next training destination.  Positioned at a technical college, we spent the weekend learning elements of safety and health that we would need to know for the next 7 weeks.  We were then told what languages we would learn, given our first language class, and then divided into training groups. 

On Monday, we were delivered to our host villages where we lived with separate families throughout the duration of our training.  Each week we had language class Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm.  Sprinkled throughout, we had a few technical trainings and interviews with various staff members.  Thursdays were “center days,” where all 25 trainees met in town to get more in-depth technical training and a great deal of policy information.  Fridays were spent in brief language classes and then cultural afternoons were divided among the training villages, one per week.  A great meal was provided, followed by cultural information typical of the sort of village we were in and then entertainment, generally a meke performed by the trainees of the village.

My Host Family

I lived with a wonderful family during training.  There were my host mother and father, their 5 children, aged 19-35, plus their oldest son’s wife and their two sons, aged 10 months and 2 years.  My host father is a military officer who has traveled the world, so his English is exceptional.  My host sister, (who I live with mainly during the week while she cares for the small boys and the rest of the folk live at the farm house or at school,) attended an International secondary school where she was only allowed to speak in English, so she also speaks excellent English.  I was truly saddened the day I moved out of their house.

What, you don't like Thoreau?

Apparently Walden isn't interesting enough for some people out there.  Well, I'm sorry! I've been busy.  I told myself I wouldn't be like any of the other blogs I read who didn't post anything during training, but here I am, a week past swearing in and I haven't made a darned post.  I will attempt to update in short bursts, as opposed to one lengthy, boring post.

I’ve been in Fiji about 2 months.  I developed a degree of comprehension in the national dialect of Fijian, Bauan, only to find that I will be sent to a village where the dialect is Nadroga, and thusly quite different.  I begin tutorage shortly.

I’ve been to the ocean once.

From Walden

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."

Week one

Greetings from Fiji!

Week one is down and I'm in an internet cafe on Viti Levu.  I'm staying with a host family and spending much of my day in language and skills classes.  It takes about half an hour to get here into town to use the internet so I haven't had much chance to update.  I'm also using internet at a cafe so I don't have my computer.  I will work on setting up a skype session for some time next week.  I will also try to type a note and bring it in on a flash drive next week, although I hear that can be a good way to get viruses. 

On an interesting note-- I was switched to Integrated Environmental Resource Management instead of Health Promotion!

Staging

We are in Los Angelos now.  After some flight drama and a reroute to Minnesota,  I got to our hotel yesterday afternoon.  The trainees were fortunate to catch a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel and we're actually staying at a really nice place.  After settling down in my room, I met up with a trainee that had shared the bus with me and we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the lobby and greeting folks as they arrived.

I was one of the few trainees that had a room to myself- which was frankly really odd.  I hadn't realized before that I've never stayed in a hotel by myself and I found that I was really lonely!

Today was full of icebreakers and information on basic policy.  We've been off since 3:30 and there will be two busses coming at 6:30 to take us to the airport.  Our flight takes off at 11:30, so I think a handful of us will be having a drink or two at the airport to help us sleep.

Can't wait- I'll be in Fiji tomorrow!  And yeah, Jordan, I will work on updating frequently ;)

The last week

I'm down to my final week stateside.  I've packed my bags, and I have most of my room packed.  Now it's just eating my favorite meals, counting the minutes and saying goodbye.  Monday I will be flying out at 7 am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  Monday evening will be my official registration and Tuesday is scheduled for orientation most of the day.  I'll be flying out from LAX at 11:30pm Tuesday, and we'll land in Suva at 5:30 Thursday.  It's only a 10 hour flight, but we will be crossing the international date line along the way so there's just a touch of time travel in it for good measure ;)