Ni sa bula. Sa Vakacava tiko?

Sheesh. I have a lot to write about and the only thing more neglected then this blog is my personal journal.

I'll start by saying today has been pretty shitty. The computer I brought with me (not my beloved mac, a borrowed pc) died and has to be reformatted. So I'm losing some pictures and the paper I've been working on all week. FML.

We went to Levuka for Friday and Saturday. We rode a ferry from Viti Levu (the main island) to Ovalau, where Levuka is. Levuka is the former capital, so there's a ton of history there. We took a tour on Saturday morning and got to see some cool places. There were several old churches that were really pretty. We also saw where the Deed of Cession was signed. This was the document that gave Fiji to great Britain as a colony. The main town area of Levuka consisted of one big street of shops and restaurants. The main industry of the town is tuna processing, so the place smelled lovely, as you can imagine. There were also dead frogs everywhere. It was disgusting. I'm pretty sure everytime you lose a game of Frogger, the corpse is deposited in Levuka. Don't ask me why.

The hotel we were staying in was called the Royal Hotel, and it was the oldest hotel in Fiji. (hundreds of years.) The hotel was really creepy and historical. We asked the staff if it was haunted and they said yes. Apparently a sailor hung himself on the staircase. Since it was Friday the 13th and all, a few of us decided to not waste the amazing opportunity and have a seance. We did it in one of the parlor type rooms near the lobby. We lit nine candles, placed bread in the center, held hands, and did a chant. It was pretty terrifying. We heard really faint footsteps coming towards the room, but then they stopped outside the door, and we didn't see anyone. It was a really interesting experience. We ended up breaking the circle, ending the 'connection' and channeling our inner scooby doo characters as we hustled back to rooms.

Saturday night all the students and their host families gathered for a big party. We ate some delicious food and got to know everyone elses' families.

Sunday morning I went to church. My host mother is a hardcore Pentecostal Christian, and is determined to save my soul. I've never missed my Lutheran upbringing so much in my life. The service was intense. People were falling on their knees and rolling their eyes into the back of their head, singing to the heavens, and dancing. There were also people there dressed all in silver who were playing tambourines. I don't know why. I tried to find out, and failed. The highlight of Sunday is the lunch. Everyone has a big meal for lunch after church. We had roast chicken, fish and ferns in coconut milk, cucumbers and potatoe salad. It was very tasty.

Things I'm Still Adjusting to:
1. Being white. Everytime I get on the bus to go to the suburb where I live, the bus driver stops me and asks me if I'm sure where I'm going. I'm going to start responding in Fijian that I'm going home. (Au lako i vale.) Maybe that will shut him up.
2. Watching movies constantly. That's the main activity here. You can buy cheap dvds most places and everyone watches them all the time. Not good movies, mind you, crap American movies from the 80's and 90's you forgot existed. I'm trying to find a copy of Indiana Jones for my 12 year old host brother because he's never seen it.
3. My host family's intense faith that I don't necessarily agree with.
4. Feeling like a child again. My host mom makes my lunch. I have a curfew. It's a weird time reversion.
5. Sweating constantly. Powerade has become my favorite treat. Anything isotonic really.

I don't have pics today, because of the aforementioned computer problems, but hopefully tomorrow.