Long week in the village but plenty to look forward to...

First of all I would like to thank Rick Ball and gang for the greatest comment on my blog. It made me laugh so hard in the internet cafe I got plenty of looks to shut up. That was great I needed a real laugh in my life. My friend Amy and I were talking about that the other day how we really haven't had a genuwine laugh in so long. Then when you realize that you are laughing for real you kind of stop and enjoy life for once. Cause it's hard to be pulled out of your comfort zone and thrown into this life that we live now. Anyways, I have a few things to talk about this week. Not much cause I was maily really bored this week.

AS I was talking about last couple of posts there was a death in my village and I attended the funeral this past Tuesday. I have attended a funeral before in Fiji during training but it was a high cheif (also an old man), but this funeral was much different cause thee guy was in his last forties (way too young to die) and it was very unexpected. He had a wife and kids too. People were wailing, weeping, and crying. It was to much. I didn't even know the guy and I can feel the pain from the family. It was hard. I actually walked up to see they body before they buried him which they take pictures of (kind of strange) and he seemed like a very nice man. I think it was the point that I can't handle that much crying from other people. I can't stand to look at that much pain and especially knowing that people whom I love at home are hurting too from a death very close to them. It was hard to sit there at that funeral to a man I didn't even know knowing that I should be home attending a funeral for someone I loved dearly. It was hard to hold back the tears though most people thought I was crying because everyone else was crying but really i was crying cause my heart and mind was home thinking of others.I think that is the hardest thing to do is to find the balance between life here in Fiji and life back at home. Cause no one here knows how my life back at home was and I tell them but they can't understand it. I tell them that stuff happens and they listen, but for them it is the here and now. But for me that is not the case. I don't know I just felt really guilty and helpless this week being in Fiji and not home.

Though on the lighter side of things when there is a funeral in village people eat alot. Which is common in my family. When someone dies you cook and you cook for people. SO I did do a lot of cooking this weekend. I made this amazing apple turnover and fried eggs with rice and tomatos. Thought the village was slaughtering 6 cows and carrying the cow parts across my front door and everytime I almost went to my outhouse to throw up it was good. They had asked me to help cut the cow up for the funeral and I said yes reluctantly but disapperaed when the time came to start cutting. I think I could have done it but I just was in a bad place and didn't have the heart to kill this poor cow. But I did eat him that's for sure. I don't get much meat to eat so when I can get a hold of some protein man I dig in! Cause ya know it's fresh! (hehehe)

Anyways, the kids are back in School!!!!!!!!! Though I was bored I rather be bored alone than be bored with a bunch of little kids staring at my every move and laughing at me mess up at their language. Though there is this one kid that is for sure the devil's child. His name is Saki. He is awful. I have never yelled at a kid so much in my life. They thought the white person had gone crazy. First he stole my playing cards. And in the village playing cards are a big deal and can keep a person occupied for hours. So I was mad about that then five days later he comes over and i asked hime where my cards are and he had them and he lied to the other kids saying that he asked me to borrow them which was not true. So I mad him give them back and he couldn't play all do with them, but the other kids could. SO there are like 10 kids in my house playing cards and he is acting like a baby in the corner and if he hits Sophia one more time I might have to hurt him. So anyways, all the sudden him and this little girl are talking in really fast Fijian so I couldn't understand most of it (and people do that too if they don't want me to know what they are talking about they talk really fast to i can't pick up any of the words, but I will be doing that too and use slang words when Chris comes or any other volunteer so they know what it feels like dang it) then he stood up and hit the little girl so hard I though that he broke her back I could hear her little bones just snap. I flipped out! I stood up and grabbed him and yelled and pointed my finger in his face (which is very bad thing to do in the village, but it was my instinct and I wanted him to know how serious I was) and at first this was all in English and Saki understands simple English so I know he knew what I was saying to him. Then he pretended to not understand so then I yelled at him in Fijian and all the kids knew what i was saying so he had to say it. I was saying "vosa vosoti" which means say your sorry. I said like 5 times and he finally said softly "vosoti au" which means I'm sorry. He had tears in his eyes from me embrassing him in front of the other kids but I didn't care no one will hit anyone like that in my house or around me or other kids. Then right after that Kelera came back and the kids told her what happened and she yelled at him forever it was great. It think his problem was that kept associating me with the missionaries (that give out all this frees tuff to people) and he thought that he could just take anythign from me and I would forgive him because I am a missionary. But guess what kids I am not a freakin crazy missionary. I am a freakin American so deal with it. SO that pretty much set him straight.

there was a meeting the other night that since the kids have to walk to school everyday for 6 miles now the school is providing boarding for the next 12 weeks of school. So the kids will stay there (there is only 15 kids that are from my village that go to this school so far away)all week from Monday to Friday and come home for the weekends. But they have to go to church on the weekends so I won't see much of them at all. It was good news right after the other. First the kids go back to school and now they have to stay at the school all week. that is awesome. I loved that idea. and at the meeting I was like yeah that will be much better for the kids and in reality is is because when it rains the kids can't go to school cause the road floods and then they are always late cause it takes them so long to walk to school and they stop and play half of the way anwyays. and then when they get home they are too tired to do their homework. So this is best for everyone that's for sure.

So, Kelera and I was talking the other day about when Chris comes to visit next month! I can't wait by the way. So, we are going to fix up the house really nice and get new fabric for the couch and chairs and new mats for the floor. We are also planning to cook him a Fijian feast. I am going to buy fish in the market in town and we are goin to cook those with prawns that we are going to catch in the river and make some really good traditional Fijian dishes and I am also going to cook some of the stuff I have been cooking from the Peace Corps cookbook that is fabulous. So I hope he comes to eat cause it's going to be amazing. The rugby team is very exctied to meet him and play rugby cause they know he played football in America which is a big deal. And I am starting to collect boiled and filtered water so we can drink grog when he gets to the village which is a common and respectful thing to do when you first get to a village. SO it's going to be the whole Fijian experience. I am excited for Chris to experience this new culture and I jsut hope he doesn't get culture shock too bad for too long but he will be fine. Though it will be fun for me to watch someone else go through this other than me cause I know what it feels like and it can be sometimes fustrating but intensely excited at times.

So other than my complete boredom this week is was okay minus the funeral. Yesterday I walked arounf the village for few minutes just to see if i could find anyone to kick the soccer ball with and I couldn't find anyone. I could have swore the whole village left and moved away like it was a ghost town and no one told me. Whew I was bored. But anyways, I am starting to gain some weight back cause I realize how to clean the water properly so that 's a good thing. I can hold things in my system more then 20 seconds. So that's a plus. I hope to get some phone calls sometime this week. That would be lovely.

Also I have thought of a few more things on my wishlist....

Kool-Aid mix
ranch dressing packets (not sure if they last ourside a frig long but it is impossible to get ranch dressing here and I was thinking maybe those packets from WEndy's or McDonald's would work I don't know)
skittles or nerds would be fabulous
and finally gravy packets for mashed potatoes


Also there are some recipes I am requesting so I can try...

Mom devled eggs (sorry I don't know how to spell that word)
I know you need mustard and mayonaise which I think I can get but I need directions too
rice crisy treats
and finally mashed potatoes like Grandma used to make them
(I have heard that the Peace Corps has cut the Thanksgiving dinner this year because of a budget cut so we won't be having a thanksgiving dinner and that is not okay with me so I need to start preparing for the and get some stuff together to make it as close as I can to the real deal.

I think that is all I have I hope all is doing well and hope to hear from people soon! love you all!!!