Bula!

Last night was really great. Dinner with the Moslem family was fantastic. Abdul was such an excellent host. He gave us a tour of his farm and then showed us around the local mosque. He grows all sorts of things on his property and is also a beekeeper. Dinner was really delicious. We had chicken and fish, curried potatoes, tomatoe chutney, and roti. After dinner we listened to his stories and played with children from the area.

This morning we had our first "drop off" in Lautoka, a city near Nadi. A "drop off" is when our program director drives us to an area around the city and and drops us off in pairs with a topic to discuss with locals and vagure directions into the main city. I was partnered with Marshall and our topic was politics. We got dropped off by a housing development of people in a lower social class. The entire process was nerve wracking. The political situation in Fiji is kind of a touchy subject. A coup occurred in 2005 and the military is currently the governmental authority. We ventured into the housing development and saw some women drying out their floor mats. A flood recently devasted the region we're staying in. We approached them and they warmly welcomed us. One of them was our age, and took us around the apartment to talk some more. We learned that the people of Fiji are desperately hoping for an election so that the leadership will change, but at the same time feel like they themselves can't make a difference. As we were talking, children saw us through the windows and came out to play. The weren't used to seeing tourists and were fascinated. The kids weren't shy at all. They were very affectionate and playful. We wrapped up our political discussions and headed into town to explore. We had lunch at a curry house and ice cream at an Indian eatery. The types of food here are incredibly diverse.

I made it!

I'm finally in Fiji. The flight went well. I ended up sleeping most of the day. I met my group in LA. Everyone seems friendly and we're getting along well. Stepping off the plane was amazing. The first thing I saw were lush green mountains and fields.
Our first day was busy. We're currently staying in Nadi for orientation. We met with our program coordinators and and then were given free time. We decided to explore the city. Nadi is an incredible place. Walking through the streets is like sensory overload. We ate lunch in a place called the curry house. I had fish cooked in coconut milk and cassava, which is a really starchy root crop. It was pretty tasty. Our waitress from the restaurant led us to this little craft shop where we had our first kava ceremony with some artisans from a village. Kava is a drink that is used in a traditional ceremony for welcoming. It sort of tastes like dirty dish water. It's also a narcotic. It made my mouth go numb. I also felt light headed for a while. The ceremony in the store was kind of a gimmick to get us to buy stuff, but it was still a neat experience. We ended up walking back from town, which was about four miles because of road construction and a traffic jam. We got really muddy, but it was a good bonding experience. We spent the afternoon swimming and then had pizza for dinner. It didn't taste like anything in the states and was kind of gross.
Today we went to a Hindu temple in Nadi. The complex was covered in paintings of Hindu deities and was very brightly colored. We talked with a priest for a while about the practices at the temple. It was really interesting. We looked around Nadi for awhile after that. We went through a fruit and vegetable market. They had lots of things we couldn't identify. We had some pineapple there that was really sweet and juicy. I had lunch at a fast food place. I tried lamb curry, which was not my favorite. (Not anything like my Dad's) Tonight we're going to a Mosque and having dinner with a Moslem family. We actually met the man whose hosting us for dinner at the vegetable market. He seemed like a nice person.
The people in Fiji are wonderful. Everyone has been kind and helpful. Almost everyone greets you with a friendly "Bula!" (hello) on the street and asks you where you're from. I'm having a great time so far. I'll try and post some pictures soon.

Pre-Departure

I leave this afternoon for LA. I'm meeting the rest of my group there for our group flight. I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed right now, but also really excited. The packing and goodbyes have been stressful, and I'm ready to just be there.
I'm going to try and keep this blog updated fairly regularly, but it will depend on how often I have internet access. I'll also post photos of my adventures.

-Al

First Post

Hey everybody,

I've created this blog to describe my time in Fiji for my family and friends in the States. I'll be in Fiji for about three and half months. I'll try and update whenever I have internet access. 

-Al