my site visit to Waikubukubu village

First and formost I need to send out some thank you's. Jason Duffield thank you so much for the huge box of toys. I recieved the box yesterday and the kids especially Rusi went CRAZY!!! Rusi went through the box and kept grabbing anything he could and was saying nogu which means mine, mine, mine all mine! My host parents were laughing. We were playing basketball last night with the toy and I gave the stuff animals to the girls and they love the light up flying disks those things are awesome. So thank you so much Jason that meant alot to me and the kids. My host parents asked me this morning to send you regards and their love to you for the gifts! And for my other thank you Rebecca I just got done looking at your pics of the wedding. And i'm not going to lie i am trying to get myself together here in this internet cafe. I was bawling for sure. It was beautiful and I wish so much I was there. My god, you are beautiful. Talk about being jealous! I love the wedding cake with the butterflies, so you! i love the pics and Josh you look good to but just because my smelly cousin makes you look good! hehehe sorry your part of the family now!!!

So about my site visit, I put my pics up so check them out the mountains are wonderful, but it is a hard place to live. I am not going to say much about my visit cause quite honestly it was hell. The first 24 hours I was there I probably cried about 6 hours of it. they have no electricity and no generator and sometimes running water. I first got there and it took about 2 hours from a small remote town (Tavua) to get to my village in the interior of the island. I met everyone in the dark and it was scary I presented my sevusevu to the chief to welcome me into the village in the dark and my shower was questionable. the village is small with about 50-70 people which is very small and i probably only met about 5 kids since I was there which is depressing. there are 10 villages past mine that are even more remote but they all have electricity and running water which doesn't make since. I think my main project for the next two years is to get electricity for this village and how one American girl to do that I have no freakin clue. What makes me think Fiji Electic Co. is going to listen to me. Anyways, the next morning I was so excited to get some sunlight to walk around but even during the day people stay inside in dark rooms and I can't stand that. They don't play outside or do anything. They have a completely different dialect than what I have been learning so no one could understand me so no one really talked to me. It was awful, I drank their water to see if it was good enough never again will I do that because I got really sick and passed out. So i learned my lesson on that one. But food is an issue because there is not refrig and they eat dalo and ro ro leaves which I cannot live off of for 2 years. The shower is an issue because it's either in the river which i am not comfortable with becuase there are guys walking arund everywhere. My house is okay but they gave me a tiny little room and use the rest for their storage and I feel like I don'thave my own space and the family that used to live there still kind of do which sucks becuase there are people walking in and out there are way too many doors and windows in the house that don't lock and are completely unsafe for my to live in. I am not worried about the village people bothering me or harrassing me but the men that come from all over Fiji to cut sugarcane around my village that bothers me because they don't know who I am and if I am showering in the river or my makeshift shower where the door doesn't shut and swings open and i am way too tall for it i am to get on my knees to shower they will jump me and I am not comfortable with that at all. So have to have a serious talk with the safty and security office abuot my housing and I hate it because I feel like I don't have my own space for 2 years. I will not live with a family for two years because they won't let me do anything or go outside. i don't know how I am going to run because it's all mountains and it unsafe for me to walk on the road because of the sugarcane cutters. I am going to stop complaining right now cause I could go on for days right now. I have to keep positive. But the other people in my group all have mansions in cities and when i say mansions I mean mansions. I will take pics and show everyone and we can just have a comparison. I am not mad I am in the bush but I am upset about not having my own space and my safety and security. I am not sure how to deal with all of this and it's been really hard to come back to my host village and hear everyone else's great stories about their sites. I know there is alot of work in my village to get done so that's a plus and I can bring Sophia there and that makes me happy for can be light in the day or in my case during the night because I just sit in the dark and stare at the walls at night. But I am really ahppy to be back to my host village and hang out and see everyone for a few more weeks before I have to go back to Waikubukubu. I just have to get some strenth from somewhere.

So, things that I may need when I move from home are a headlight, that's right Kelsey I do need a headlight for mu large forehead cause I can't see shit. More socks because it is FREEZING there no kidding I feel like I literally went back to WV. and finally long lasting batteries for my flashlights. So, monday we have hub day at my village and my group is doing 5 mekes which are Fijian dances and I will have someone take video of that and you all can see them next time I get to a computer. I think that is all I have to say right now and i will try to have more positive comments next time I hope. Just in a hard time right now and I have no idea how to deal or cope with it. Love and miss everyone a whole hell of alot right now! oh yeah my cell is working dial 011 679 927 8982 but you have to use a international phone card or have international on you ground phone. Thank you!