Host family

Bula! Savaka cava tiko?
(Hello! How are you doing?)

This blog post is going to be a little shorter and not as in depth due to my new schedule of training and such.

I have moved into my host village and I could not be happier! It's tucked away in the mountains and the ocean is just over those mountains. It rains almost everyday, but it feels nice because its starting to get very hot and humid here. But the village is so welcoming and so friendly to all of us PCT's (Peace Corps Trainees).

My host family consists of my Ne (mom), Va (dad), Tui (my brothers name), and a few older sisters who only come home on the weekend. Tui is a few months older than me and we have become super close I think. The entire family is very protective of me and looks out for my best interest all the time. They have been showing me around the village, introducing me to everyone, and teaching me things left and right. It's sometimes a little hard to keep up, but I can do it!

The valei (house) that I live in is made of tin, has electricity at night, and some running water. The water pressure itself isn't strong enough to have a shower, so I have what are called bucket bathes. A basin is placed underneath the faucet in the shower room and collects water. You take a scoop and dump the water on top of you and that is how you bathe. It's a little different at first, but I have gotten used to it and it's kinda nice! The living room has no furniture except for what the TV sits on. It is traditional in Fiji culture to sit on the floor for meals and when having conversations with friends and family. My lower back is starting to kill me and my knees are screaming in pain, but I have begun to stretch a lot and that is helping a little. 

Tui has been taking me everyday to play rugby with all the younger men (19-30) of the village. It has been a lot of fun, but all my shoes and clothes are so muddy! The field we play on is anything but flat or dry and I'm so afraid to fall and twist an ankle. Tui has also really tired to get me into every aspect of village life and experiencing everything. He climbed a coconut tree the other day and brought down 3 bu's (green coconuts) and sliced them open for us. We drank the valoloko (coconut milk) and ate the inside and boy was it delicious! Last night he taught he how to scrape and husck a coconut before dinner. I never realized just how much energy it takes to do all that! I was sweating up a storm after I was done scraping that thing!

I don't have any pictures with me today as that I didn't think I was going to have time to come to the internet cafe in town. But there will be pictures to come and you will all love what they are!

That's all for now!

Vinaka and Moce!