Soul Searching

It's been a long time since I've felt this way. I wish that weren't true but it is. I feel like my soul is full. Last weekend I went to a boarding school in Natovi with members of my host Rotary club, Suva North, for a work day . The day was part of a project that's been going on for quite some time now. The club started out by making repairs to dilapidated buildings around the school's campus - installing mosquito screens in windows, putting up dividing walls in dorms, cleaning up rubbish built up over the years, and touching things up with a fresh coat of paint. I could tell a lot of work had been done already, not just from the project coordinator's words but from comparing places that had been improved versus ones that would make projects to come. Almost all of the work prior to Saturday's was done entirely by Rotarians, with little assistance from the school faculty or children. The purpose of going this weekend was to change that - we wanted the kids to take ownership over where they lived and teach them to care for it. To start this process, we thought we'd teach them how to paint, work with instead of for them, and emphasize taking pride in their home.
When we arrived on-site the beds and personal items were already removed from the dorms and everything was placed outside under overhangs in case of rain (it rains almost daily here). There were about fifteen kids there to start out, aged eight to twelve give or take. The others were making up classes missed during the flooding that took place a few months ago. We began by having the kids clean up the remaining trash and odds and ends on the floor and shelves; it's all part of the prep process. Next was scraping the walls to remove old pealing paint, stickers, tape, sticky-tack, etc. to get ready to apply the first coat. I could tell the kids were going to do great job already, they were attentive and hardworking. We put down newspapers as drop clothes in the center of the room with trays and drums of undercoat spread out for the them to use. I explained the importance of being careful not to splatter onto the nice hardwood floor (which were in remarkable condition by the way) and continued by demonstrating how to use a roller versus a brush. We had a kid pour paint into the trays and off they all went!
It was really cool to see what a good time they were all having just whitewashing walls. Soon the older students joined us and the process continued as the crew painted the insides of three or four other buildings, two coats each. After leading the youngsters all morning, I had a following by mid-day. I walked around with a group of little ones doing projects. It seems that all my experience in youth work was reflected in how the kids responded to me. I taught them how to clean the brushes and trays and how to store them properly and they worked incredibly hard. A couple Rotarians commented on my way with children, they were impressed by my ability to teach the kids how to do things and how much fun they had in the process. One later asked, "Hey, can you go do that thing where you get them to do everything themselves and maybe have 'em clean these brushes up too?!?" I said I would and told them how I'd always believed in the 'learning disguised as fun' philosophy. I was thankful for all the training experience I had in camping and youth work; thankful for Suz's* emphasis on participatory learning. More than that, however, I felt blessed to have the opportunity to use my skills and training here. Many of the children were from small villages and had never seen how a room is painted, let alone been able to do it themselves! It was great to be a part of such a unique opportunity for them. The day had it's hitches but we accomplished much and were exhausted by the time we headed out. It was worth it though.
I have to say this was the best time I've had since I have been in Fiji. It's funny to think that when I first came here all I wanted to experience was sun and sand, but after Saturday I'm finding that I'd take a day like that over the beach every time. It's an incredible thing to give to another, especially children, and I felt a fullness in my soul I haven't felt in a very long time. I've been reflecting on the whole 'why am I here?' thing and think I may be arriving at it. It's time for me to give myself up for awhile, to live humbly and serve others selflessly. I'm here on a scholarship through Rotary, who's very motto is Service Above Self, and I think it's finally hitting home for me. I'm considering working with the Natovi school for my on-going project here and have been putting together some ideas about how to improve their programs. I know that my experience and training in camping and at Woodward Academy would provide some valuable insight to help move things along. I'll keep you posted.
Time is starting to go by quicker now as the routine is setting in. The grad school work load is ever-increasing and I'm getting busier by the day. I still manage to miss home every once in awhile and think about my friends and family all the time. Despite the occasional homesickness, however, I'm grateful to be here and am looking forward to the seeing where the Natovi project will go. Speaking of grad school, I better go and get some reading done for an upcoming project. I hope everyone's lovin' life back home. Take care and write me if you get a chance. Peace out.



*For those of you who don't know - Suz was my camp director at both Hantesa and Toccoa and taught me practically everything I know about youth work. I consider her my mentor in camping and am continually inspired by her dedication to kids and her passion for quality program development. (Thanks for everything, Suz!)

I Won't Hesitate

I think it's time for another update, so here goes. Nina and I spent the whole of our long Easter weekend on Venua Levu, the smaller of the main Fijian Islands. We left on Thursday evening with some people we met in Suva and took a twelve hour overnight ferry that ported in Savu Savu, where we'd be staying for our time there. The group was composed of young professionals, many of which own their own businesses here or are in middle management of major companies. Apparently this is a yearly event for them; they choose a destination and get a group together to take a trip. There was plenty of drama over the weekend, but Nina and I managed to stay out of the mix of it. It was actually kind of entertaining to watch, haha! Side note: I feel it's appropriate to say now that despite the drama, I was refreshed to get to spend some time with a large group of people again. It's a bit wearing to spend all your time with only one person. Nina's a fantastic flatmate and friend, but it's nice to have the group dynamic every once in awhile. Plus, y'all know how much of a people-person I am, so I've been proud to say I have lasted this long apart from a large group of friends without going crazy!
The weekend was nice and relaxing and finding things to stay out of the drama wasn't hard to do. Whilst in town, Nina decided to buy a snorkel and I followed suit and purchased one myself. We asked around and heard that a place called Split Rock is a spot with some of the best snorkeling in all of Fiji. Since it was close to our resort we thought we'd walk. Although we were told it was nearby "just another kilometer" became an all too common phrase from the locals we met along the way. After walking about 8k there, we finally reached our destination! Despite our rantings about how long it took us to get there (we weren't expecting a hike and flip-flops weren't exactly the appropriate shoes for the trek), a dip in the ocean was just what we needed cool us down (literally and figuratively). And, though the locals don't have much sense of distance, they know their snorkeling! It was fantastic; like visiting another world! The corals formed deep crevasses you could swim between which made you really feel like you were in the mix even though you're mostly on the surface. I saw some of the most beautiful fish you could imagine in all shapes and sizes and the coral formations were breathtaking alone. Needless to say it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I just wish I had an underwater camera to show it off! We spent the rest of our time wandering around the island, chillin' poolside or on the beach, and taking pictures. Other than that, the rest of the trip was relatively unremarkable. Well, except for one thing...
Mom says coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. I'm not sure where she gets her quotes (by which I'm blessed to hear regularly), but I think there's wisdom in that thought. Sometimes I cannot explain why or how I find myself in crazy-cool situations but it happens nonetheless. Back to the ferry boat ride - About half-way through our trip I somehow found myself sitting on a woven mat with a group of ten or so Fijians, drinking kava and singing songs ranging from Van Morrison to K-Ci and Jojo. They were incredibly talented and remarkably in sync with each other; they gave each song an island feel and the harmonies were unreal. I sang with them, of course, and played a couple songs on the guitar each time they passed it to me. After a few hours of this I felt truly blessed to be singing again and to be with a group of such talented people! I found out that some of them were in a band called 128, that toured around the Pacific and that they were putting on a show in Savu Savu Saturday night. When the guy told me this, it hit me just how surreal the situation was. I was jamming with a well-known Fijian band on a ferry boat travelling between islands in the South Pacific. I should write a book! To top it off, he invited me to come to the concert and sing a song or two with them! A couple nights later I found myself in another surreal situation - I was in front of a couple hundred people singing lead on a cover of Jason Mraz's 'I'm Yours.' I only sang one song but I'll never forget it! After it was all over I kept asking myself how it all happened and thinking 'How did I wind up so lucky?' Probably just coincidence.

Is This Heaven?

There are some interesting aspects about living in Fiji that are hard to appreciate (if you can call it that) unless you've lived here for a bit. I'll only share one with you now, though I assure you there are many. One of those things is the "mangy dog factor." Few realize the impact the gross over-population of dogs has on one's experience in the barrios of Suva, but believe me it can take its toll! The first time this became apparent to me was back when I was temporarily living in Tamavua at another flat. I would classify the 'Tamavuan' dogs as one of the "quieter" varieties of Fijian stock. They were well-mannered and affectionate and only bark occasionally throughout the night. The downfall of the 'Tamavuan' is its rooster-like quality - between 4-5am, you'll be delighted to be awoken from your slumber by the neighborhood pack. Strangely enough, the vocal chords of this variety are slightly altered from the norm. Instead of a bark, the mongrels make a mutant-like screeching howl for 10-12 seconds at a time, only pausing to take a breath! It's really charming.
Although my affection towards these dogs made it difficult to leave Tamavua, alas I had to relocate to my current flat in Samabula, another suburb of greater Suva. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the mangy dog culture is flourishing in this neighborhood. In fact, it's perhaps the Mecca for the Fijian mutt; the "Strip" of doggy Suva. I've found that there is a thriving nightlife here for them that is unmatched around the globe! To make things even more exciting, they often congregate right outside our building at the corner! Every night the dogs make their rounds, running up and down the streets barking, howling, and fighting each other from midnight to about 3 or 4am. My favorite activity of theirs to observe, however, is what I have affectionately termed the "doggy drive-by." This is when they get together at the corner (about 15-20 dogs, literally!) and proceed to walk up the hill, barking at each house as loud as their little lungs will allow for about an hour. Let's just say the barks are a sort of Fijian hymn for me and the feral dogs are the minstrels! Their song soars through the still Fijian sky. "Is this heaven? No it's Samabula."
Hope this gave you a laugh! I gotta say the dogs have been cause for a bit of adjustment from the quiet sleep I used to get in small town Iowa and at camp. I've adapted though and have learned to turn up my fan and shut the street-facing window in my bedroom before hitting the sack. I'm sleeping better every night now!
Well, I'm off to have lunch downtown. Hope life's treating everyone well. Peace and grace always, y'all.