We've started our Fijian language course. It's not terribly hard to pick up the basics. We've learned phonetics, sentence structure, verb tenses and basic greetings.
I've also moved in with my host family. I have a Na (mom in Fijian), three brothers, a female cousin, and two girls who live at the house with us. William, Danny, Mike, Sereana, Una, and Mary. Two of my brothers are away at boarding school. Mike is 12 and I'm teaching him to throw the frisbee. Sereana is my cousin, and she's a student at USP too, so she helps me navigate the bus system.
I have my own room, study space, and bathroom which is a big deal. My host mom is an excellent cook. So far I've eaten: shepard's pie, cassava, meatballs, and really delicious chocolate cookies. She also makes her own guava jelly. The one thing I tried that I didn't like was fermented seaweed in coconut milk. It was like really nasty jello. I had to work hard not to gag when I tried it.
My host siblings really enjoy American pop culture. They listen to music and watch movies from the states all the time. My family has a farm, and on the farm were a dog and some puppies. My siblings had named them Beyonce, Chris Brown, Rhianna, and Akon. It's insane.
Here are some random pictures from around Suva:
A flamingo flower at the Suva produce market.
Fisherman with their catch at the fish market.
The view from the balcony at the hostel.
A woman selling souvenirs to tourists.
Low income housing outside the city. This is what housing looks like in squatter settlements.
We've leaving on excursion tomorrow to another island. I'll try and post some pics of my house when I get back.
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