BulaFiji

FYI

2006-06-07T03:34:00.000+12:00

I'm back in Portland, and have my old blog back. DiPoleMoment

Last day at work

2006-03-28T09:03:00.000+12:00

Well, this is my last day at work, so probably my last post until I'm sitting in a wifi cafe in Portland. There will be more posts to this blog as I decompress this entire experience, remember things I never posted about and upload photos. Although I'm sure that I'm doing the right thing for both R and myself, it was not an easy decision and this is a weird time. All I know for sure is that I won't be spending the rest of my life wondering "what if?" about Fiji.

Conjunctivitis epidemic

2006-03-22T12:39:00.000+12:00

This is the latest news on the conjunctivitis epidemic in Fiji. It has hit USP and you can see people around with swollen eyes. I am paranoid that I'll get it before I leave and it will screw up our flight plans. So I'm washing my hands all the time and using hand sanitizer like a lunatic. The University has e-mailed me these handy tips:

o wash your eyes when they feel dry or itchy with tap water - you
can do this every 3 to 4 hours;
o dry your eyes with disposable tissue paper - never use
handkerchief;
o use the eye drops every 3 hours but wash your eyes first;
o do not go near the infected people;
o do not touch other people's property. Keep to yourself;
o see the doctor straightaway if your eyes are infected.

With the second to last suggestion, I can't help but think of that guy from Office Space not wanting anybody to borrow his stapler. As if the e-mail's author was thinking "finally a reason to admonish people for using my stapler!" Of course I had to use somebody's stapler today (as mine has gone missing) but I used hand sanitizer immediately afterwards. As I look a computer all day long I'm subject to eye stress and now any slight change in the "feeling" in my eye is immediately contributed to "the conjunctivitis coming on". Yes, I've gone crazy.

Fessing up...

2006-03-20T13:55:00.000+12:00

After an awful lot of agonizing thought and discussion, R and I have made the decision to come home to Portland. We actually made the decision a while ago, but I've kept it off the blog. Now that our leave date is so close (March 30th) it's hard to blog without referencing it. Besides, we've told some folks, but they also read the blog, where it hasn't been mentioned, so it was getting confusing.

The homesickness was simply too much for us. It wasn't that we would occasionally feel homesick, our homesickness ranged daily from merely noticeable to totally unbearable, but it was never absent. We were unhappy. R wasn't getting the education he wanted, my job wasn't a dream job, and Suva's a hard place to make a home. Life is too short to spend somewhere where you are unhappy. Especially when you have a home to go home to.

Human Rights

2006-03-16T16:19:00.000+12:00

This is the text of an e-mail I just received. Note that one of the topics of the debate is IF HUMAN RIGHTS ARE UNIVERSAL! This is not the first time I have heard (actually read) this question being asked. It comes up in letters to the editor and interviews with Important People (tm) in the paper with alarming frequency. I find it disturbing that the existence of Human Rights is even questioned, but I'm glad that there are folks here in Fiji making the claim that they do indeed exist and are essential.

Debate: Respecting Human Rights: challenges in Fiji and worldwide

Date: Tuesday March the 21st at 6.30PM
Venue: Alliance FranÃ§aise
Entrance: free

At the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), the Alliance FranÃ§aise and the Regional Office for the Pacific of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) propose a debate: Respecting human rights: challenges in Fiji and worldwide No country or region in the world is sparred from human rights concerns.
Fiji is no exception; but what are currently the main human rights challenges the country faces? Are human rights truly universal or should they be specific to the Pacific region? How can the human rights cause progress in Fiji?

Programme:

Â 6.30PM The pain of others. At work for the UN Commission on Human Rights.
A film-documentary produced by the Swiss Television

Â 7.00PM Debate: what human rights challenges for Fiji?

Speakers: Dr. Shaista Shameem, Director, Fiji Human Rights Commission Ms. Edwina Kotoisuva, Deputy Coordinator, Fiji WomenÂs Crisis Centre

Capital is dirty and filthier

2006-03-16T14:43:00.000+12:00

Capital is dirty and filthier

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

THE capital is getting filthier by the day and there is a need to clean it as soon as possible...

Fijian Politics

2006-03-14T16:02:00.000+12:00

I don't usually post about Fijian politics. Despite my best efforts to understand, it generally makes my head spin. This quote from Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama in today's Fiji Times sums it up nicely. [Speaking about Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downe] "He understands only Western politics. He does not understand Fijian politics. It is dirty politics at its worst. It is cannibalistic."

Local Rate

2006-03-13T14:32:00.000+12:00

Once again, R and I took advantage of a local rate to stay at a swanky hotel for the weekend. This time it was the Warwick Fiji. This was more of a resort catering to the all-inclusive crowd with lot's of Australian families. The breakfast buffet was the best breakfast we've seen so far, and there was swim up bar in one of the pools! I got a sunburn again, despite serious application of serious sunscreen, and was actually bit by a fish while snorkeling. No harm done, but it freaked me out.

Bad Science

2006-03-09T08:50:00.000+12:00

I'm usually annoyed as science reporting because the reporting is so bad. When I read this article in the FijiTimes I was stunned by how bad the science was. The random sample wasn't random, there was no control group, and the measurement instrument is designed to measure something other than what they are trying to measure (they claim the test indicates that there is an effect on the nervous system then go on to explain that the test is commonly used to test if people are under the influence of Kava!) So the news is that some people, when they drink Kava, fail a test to see if they've been drinking Kava! That is neither science or news.

And more on the litter front. I guess having articles in the FijiTimes is a big part of the clean-up campaign. Actually cleaning up, does not seem to be part of the plan. I walked by the ocean as Suva Point last night hoping to see some improvement in the litter, but it was as bad as ever.

More on Litter

2006-03-08T08:18:00.000+12:00

The Fiji Times has a couple more articles about the litter problem. The first one, the city council states that the people are to blame. And while I agree that ultimately it is the residents who are doing the littering, perhaps the city council could come up with something more constructive than just blaming folks. I have seen nothing of the "clean-up campaign, [launched yesterday] which will end on Thursday next week" and imagine a sustained effort might be needed. The second article suggests that harsher enforcement of extant litter laws is needed. I agree that without enforcement, it might as well be legal to dump. In fact, there is a rubbish pile near my house that is not only right in front of a sign saying that it is illegal to dump, but also right next to the police post! As much as litter makes me crazy, I really don't think blame and harsh punishment are the ways to go about curbing the problem. At least not as the only parts of the plan. This AskMetaFilter discussion has some interesting ideas and anecdotes about litter in other cities.

A heartbreaking counterpoint

2006-03-06T09:18:00.000+12:00

to the reports of the missing baby bodies.

Babies Buried
Sunday, March 05, 2006
SEVENTEEN babies lie buried in a coconut grove at the Kinoya Treatment Plant as the area has become a dumping ground for unwanted foetuses...

Foetus dumping raises concern
Sunday March 05, 2006
A women's rights orgnaisation has raised deep concern regarding the increase in the number of unwanted foetuses being dumped by their mothers...

Litter

2006-02-28T08:43:00.000+12:00

Some more news that shows that the litter and garbage problem is being thought about and talked about...even if nothing is actually done. Having lived in pretty litterific places in the US as well, I wish I knew the secret to making communities litter-free. I am more than happy to relinquish my "right" to throw garbage everywhere if it means I get to live in a cleaner environment. I guess for a lot of people, if it's already trashed, it doesn't make sense to take the extra effort to throw something in the garbage. But there are places where litter is not a problem. What's different there? How do we get to the tipping point where it becomes worth it to keep a place clean?

Council should clean up beach

Monday, February 27, 2006

A FORMER Suva Mayor says the city council has to be responsible for cleaning a major picnic spot in the capital...

Permit system for plastic bottles

Monday, February 27, 2006

A PERMIT system which targets PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) bottles will be in operation in September this year...

My "beach"

2006-02-27T09:08:00.000+12:00

This is the beach by my house. It is really littered and disgusting and it's everybody's fault and nobody's responsibility.

Debris on picnic spot not council's responsibility

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Beach no more ... Ishika Kumar, 2, and Reshika Kumar, 3, play on debris at Suva Point yesterday

THE Suva City Council is not responsible for cleaning the most popular beach in the capital city, Lord Mayor Ratu Peni Volavola said last night.

More about the missing babies...

2006-02-23T10:11:00.000+12:00

Baby mystery at hospital morgue

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Paula Tuilau and wife Mereseini Rosi in mourning in their home at Matavolivoli in Nadi after the body of their still-born baby went missing from the mortuary.

THE body of a second stillborn baby is missing from a hospital mortuary....

Different usage...

2006-02-23T09:48:00.000+12:00

English is the official language of Fiji, but it varies from American English in small usages. I'm not sure how much of this is British English, Australian English or uniquely Fijian English. In any case I've assembled a list of these small variants. None of them seem like much, but it adds up to a bit of disoriented.

As I learned from posting to this vary blog "choking" means to "financially solicit", not to throttle somebody with your hands until they cant breath.

Others include...

In Fiji a "parking lot" is called a "carpark"
Food is for "take away" not "to go"
You go on a "bushwalk" not a "hike"
Things are in "heaps" not "piles" (the hole's only known natural enemy)
Said heap is usually of "rubbish", not "garbage" or "trash"
You buy your ticket as a "return" not "round trip"
You use a "brush cutter" not a "weed whacker"
Your car has a "boot" and a "bonnet" not a "trunk" and "hood"
Your house has a "veranda" not a "porch"
You would wear a "vest" on a summer day, not a "tank top"
You put your groceries in a "trolley" not a "shopping cart"
A store has "trading hours" not "opening hours"
You find out when you're on the desk by looking at the "roster" not the "schedule"
You get "time-in-lieu" instead of "comp-time"
And you buy your liquor by the "nip" not the "shot"
"Cheap" in Fiji seems to imply only "inexpensive" and not "inexpensive and therefore of poor quality" as it does in the US.

Now I'm not saying that either usage is better, or correct. And I realize that there are shades of meanings, garbage and trash aren't really the same things. And I'm not even saying that these other uses are ubiquitous in Fiji. They're all just things I've noticed.

Bureaucratic Incompetence at it's Heatbreaking Worst

2006-02-22T09:35:00.000+12:00

Mum to bury empty coffin

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Grieving mum 23-year-old Livini Taburagia weeps over the empty casket at home in Waiyavi Stage Five, Lautoka, yesterday, while hospital authorities called in police to look for her baby’s body missing from the mortuary.

THE distraught family of a seven-month-old stillborn baby today plan to bury an empty coffin because health officials have lost his body...

The FijiOne news reports that there are two missing babies!

Leisure time update...

2006-02-22T09:17:00.000+12:00

Paleni has posted about the candlelight dinner available at McDonalds here in Suva. I'm linking as his photo is better than the ones I took and it's got some interesting commentary. R and I went here for Valentine's day and it was quite charming. The place was decorated, there were tablecloths and candles and they took your order at your table. As our waitress said, "We don't have menus, but you know what we have!" As weird as it was to be in the double-armed embrace of corporate imperialism (Hallmark and McDonald's) it was also definitely a cross-cultural experience. Mostly I could see how this was a lot of fun for the staff. They were wearing matching "street clothes" (red shirts, white skirts) rather than their uniform, had decorated the place and were having a lot of fun taking orders at the tables. Having worked at McDonald's way back when, I can see how it would be a welcome diversion. I'm just glad they had burgers. For the past week or so the McDonald's here has not had any beef products and is "sorry for the inconvenience". Yep, that's right, a McDonald's without beef, indefinitely, for no stated reason. That's Fiji.

Last weekend, R and I took advantage of a special local rate for the swanky resort The Pearl. It was really quite nice, even thought the food while expensive was merely edible. We also saw the Firewalking and Meke show at the Arts Village, which was quite entertaining even if it was more 'warm rocks', than 'fire'.

Another Book

2006-02-15T08:56:00.000+12:00

I finished reading Owen Scott's Deep Beyond the Reef : A True Story of Madness and Murder in the South Pacific. It is a well written true crime story about the brutal double murder of Fiji Red Cross director John Scott and his partner Greg Schrivener. It's not a coincidence that there are two Scotts in the last two senescence, the author is the deceased brother. This is an incredibly personal perspective for homicide non-fiction to be written from, and yet remains objective enough that the book is more than a personal memoir of grief. That the whole story takes place in Suva made it very visceral reading for me. Highly recommended if you can get a hold of it. We have it in our library, and you could order it from our bookstore, or AmazonUK, and Powell's will get it for you if you order online. AmazonUS and your local library won't have it.

Book log

2006-02-10T12:43:00.000+12:00

I've finished reading Islands of the Frigate Bird : a novel by Daryl Tarte from the USP. It was an interesting read, but I have some mixed feelings about it. I could try to explain them myself, or I could link to this much better explination and book review.

Litter bugs watch out

2006-02-09T09:09:00.000+12:00

Litter bugs watch out
Wednesday, February 08, 2006

THE Suva City Council has warned that it would enforce a spot fine of $40 for anyone littering within city limits.

Sadly, I doubt this will have any real effect.

[update] To be fair, Suva is not the only place struggling with what to do about the litter problem:

OAKLAND
Litter tax proposed for fast-food places near city's schools

Christopher Heredia, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Fed up with kids dropping burger wrappers, beverage cups and french fry cartons on the streets and sidewalks surrounding the city's schools, the Oakland City Council is poised to take the unprecedented step of taxing fast-food joints and convenience stores to help clean up the mess.

Last weekend

2006-02-06T09:04:00.000+12:00

We didn't leave town this weekend. We did go and see the movie Big Mamma's House 2. The movie was just the sort of guilty pleasure, stupid but funny movie you'd expect from Martin Lawrence, but watching it in Fiji was an experience. The audience responded with huge amounts of laughter at every gag, and the sassy back-talking kid got a huge reaction. It reminded me of the movie Reel Paradise where an annoying New York film geek goes to Fiji to show movies. It has some great scenes of the Fijian audience going crazy over physical comedy like the Three Stooges.

Later that evening we were lucky enough to see the only two minutes of the International Rubgy League Wellington 7's that really mattered. The sudden-death overtime where Fiji beat South Africa to win the tournament.

On Sunday we were invited to a BBQ at the house of a professor at USP. It was nice to have some socializing and meet some new people. But mostly we watched hours and hours of the new Battlestar Galactica on DVD, along with a little bit of the old one for good measure.

Signs, Signs Everywhere Signs....

2006-02-02T08:49:00.000+12:00

These are pictures of some curious signs I've seen so far...

In the sign below, I think what they mean is "mouth watering". I certainly don't want a sandwich that melts my tongue! It also reminds me of an annoying catchy jingle for a brand of flour here. "made with Australian wheat, it's iron-enriched and ready to eat!" Really? Ready to eat flour?! Every time I hear it, I imagine my mouth full of flour, all powdery around the lips and gummy inside, filled with the delicious taste of raw flour, mmmmm!

This is where I do all my shopping...(not really but I do look there on occasion)

These are the entry requirements to a club. Standard fare for the most part, no flip-flops. But look closely at the second photo. "No Chocking Others" WTF?!

2006-02-01T09:29:00.000+12:00

We didn't do much this weekend. After taking forever to finish Zola's His Excellency, I read The Mosquito Coast in a weekend. I think one of the reason that His Excellency went so slowly was that it was all about political intrigue and I was much more interested in trying to figure out Fiji's current situation than in fictional, French politics from over a hundred years ago. The Mosquito Coast was a much easier read and riveting. We also went to see Underworld : Evolution, a not so good, modern vampire, sequel. We've also totally gotten into watching 24 on dvd. TV shows on dvd are so addicting, sometimes I can't imagine watching them as aired and having to wait a full week between episodes!

Our Ship Came In!

2006-01-26T13:33:00.000+12:00

A full ten days after our shipment from the US arrived in Suva, it arrived at our appartment yesterday. When it showed up I had to eat my hat. At the last minute, I had a bit of a panic "what if that's somebody else's stuff in there?", but it was our stuff, and all of it, and none of it broke. Customs was a snap. All I had to do is tell a woman that the computer was used. The woman from quarentine seemed convinced I hadn't packed any cane toads or kudzu. I was quite worried that there wouldn't be room and that the place would feel cramped once our stuff came, but that turned out to not be the case. We have an extra bedroom that only has extra beds instead of an office, but other than that, everything fit fine. It did take over an hour for them to assemble the bed. We've done it ourselves in much less time, so it was agonizing to wait, and occasionally peek in and see what little progress had been made. But that's how Fiji is, as pointed out in this article. [thoughfully sent to me by my aunt]

Now that we've got the shipment and our residence permits, the next beurocratic hurdle is actually getting R, registered for classes and cross-credited. Then perhaps we'll tackle the confusion that is getting the internet at home. You can only really concentrate on the red tape right in front of you, but as soon as you pass one hurdle there are just more waiting.

"To endure whatever befall" I think this line from the Fiji National Anthem is telling about what sort of an attitude you need to live here.

Wolf Creek

2006-01-24T09:19:00.000+12:00

Last night, we saw the movie Wolf Creek. It's a horror movie about backpackers in the Australian Outback. It got mixed reviews, and I agree. There were some terrible horror movie cliches. Make sure the bad guy is dead, duh! And the pacing was a bit off. But I did really like some elements. The cinematography shows how truly expansive the Australian Outback is, this becomes terrifying when you realize there is no where to run to. And of course I liked the bleak ending, I won't say anything more in case you're going to see it yourself.

Pacific Harbor

2006-01-23T10:55:00.000+12:00

In order to avoid the hords of people flocking to see Benny Hinn, in Suva. R and I went to Pacific Harbor for the weekend. The bus ride cost $F3.75 each and took about an hour. The beach was lovely! Much better than the beach near Sigatoka. Because there wasn't much in the way of a coral reef, the beach was soft and sandy and there were waves. However, because there wasn't a reef, snorkeling was not very interesting. But we did work on our technique a little bit. We stayed at the Lagoon Resort, which was a little out of the way and where the cast and crew of Anacondas : The Hunt for the Blood Orchid stayed when they filmed the movie in the area. Because we were seemingly the only guests it was nice and quite, but a bit eerie. Pacific Harbor also has a tourist trap Cultural Center where we ate ice-cream and cought our bus home. The beach we went to was near the super swanky resort The Pearl. We ate breakfast there on Sunday and it was miserable. In Fiji breakfast is the most consistantly overpriced ($F5 for toast and coffee) and terribly made meal to be found. We've tried a lot of places and have been really dissapointed, every time. McDonald's has the best breakfast, and even that's not as good as in the US.

First Visitor

2006-01-23T08:05:00.000+12:00

A friend of mine is in Fiji doing volunteer work for Greenforce. I knew that she was in Fiji, but we did not have plans until after her ten week stint was over. As it turns out, they were in Suva for a night to pick up supplies. She hopped in a cab and came to USP. I happened to be outside walking to an administrative office to try to track down my work permit. She got out of the cab and saw me walking across the lawn. It was a great supprise. I was showed her around a little and then we went back to my place to cool off. Afterwards, we met up with the rest of her volunteer group. They turned out to be mostly young and mostly British. They were staying at the South Seas Private Hotel. Later we ate at Pizza King, which had quite good pizza for Fiji, then went out to the O'Reilly's Bar, which was pretty much like any bar with pool, beer and ESPN on the bigscreen.

I've made a friend

2006-01-18T15:00:00.000+12:00

Last night R and I had great Korean food at Korea House with somebody from the HR department who has been really helpful and friendly while I am stuck in the muck of a million administrative tasks which seem to take forever to get done. She's about my age and from Toronto. Around these parts just being from North America means we have a lot more in common than with most other people living here. "Christmas in the summer? That's just so wrong!" It was nice to be part of a social situation that wasn't a forced work function, and it helps me feel a little more settled in.

When I got home I watched The Next Joe Millionaire which I also watch because I hate the contestants. Am I a terrible person, or have I cracked the appeal of reality programming?

Jamies Kitchen

2006-01-17T12:01:00.000+12:00

One of the wierd things about watching TV that's already a year old, is that the websites for the shows you're watching seem like they're from the future. But I still love Jamie's Kitchen.

English Language Skills Assessment

2006-01-13T08:27:00.000+12:00

R has finally received paperwork to enroll as a student at USP. Today he's taking USP's compulsory ESLA test. Which is pretty funny as he's a native speaker. I took a look at the sample questions and actually found them to be confusing because it's testing a lot of things that as a native speaker I don't even consciously think about, and therefore get turned around when I do. Plus I think the selections for reading comprehension are poorly written.

Finally some pictures

2006-01-11T16:01:00.000+12:00

This is our little Christmas tree. I loved it, just as I have loved all my Christmas trees.

Here I am making Kava on Christmas day.

This is Sigatoka Sand dunes. It's much more like the beach I'm used to than any other I've seen in Fiji.

Here we are eating Pizza by the Sea.

This is the obligatory sunset picture.

Here we are approaching Tivua Island. Then my batteries died. But a Google Image search gets better pictures than I can take anyway.

Weekend Movie Update

2006-01-09T12:21:00.000+12:00

Saturday was Grease and Sunday was the Corey and Corey vehicle Licence to Drive. Not watching too much FijiOne as we're working our way through several seasons of Smallville. We are such dorks.

We hit a dog last night...

2006-01-06T08:31:00.000+12:00

In J. Maarten Troost's excellent book The Sex Lives of Cannibals, he relates that hitting dogs on the road was such a common occurrence during their stay in Kiribati that it warranted no more than a casual "I hit another dog today" from his girlfriend at the end of the day.

Last night when taking a cab back from eating downtown at a Japanese restaurant the cab we were in hit a dog. We weren't driving fast, and the dog came out of nowhere. I didn't see anything and had no idea why both R and the cab driver were saying "Whoa!" as we came to a hard stop, and I slid forward in the back seat. Then I saw the dog sort of doing a running somersault out of the front bumper of the car, and heard the driver shout "You should keep your dogs chained!". The driver was actually a little shook up, and we kept re-assuring him that, no you couldn't see the dog, and no he wasn't driving too fast. We stopped at the police stand on the way home to report the incident, and the bumper was pretty damaged from the dog. We saw the dog running away, so it isn't dead or paralyzed, but who knows what sort of injuries he sustained. The cab driver told us that he felt bad as he has dogs himself, and then went on to relate in surprising detail what he feeds his dogs: 500 kg of sliced fish which he boils with some salt and onions.

This is the second such incedent in as many weeks. On Christmas day we witnessed the aftermath of a dog being hit. We didn't see the accident, but we saw the car pulled over, the group of people, the still alive but injured dog lying by the side of the road, and the crying little girl.

When we watched the news that night, both incidents seemed entirely incidental when they showed images an intersection with the blood stain and flip flops of a pedestrian who had been killed in an accident. "This years road death toll stands at one." reported FijiOne.

Holiday and Travel Log

2006-01-05T08:11:00.000+12:00

Well, pictures will just have to wait a little longer. Anyway, R and I had a lovely holiday. On Christmas Eve, we went out to eat at the Great Wok of China. I had eaten there before and it was excellent, and it gets good reviews on the internet. However, our meal was less than spectacular. I speculate that the good cook had the night off. On Christmas morning we opened presents and ate a big breakfast, we then went downtown and watched The Chronicles of Narnia then ended up eating at McDonald's because it was the only place open and we were really hungry. Yes, I had a Big Mac for Christmas dinner. We also made Kava at home with the Kavabowl I got R for Christmas.

The next day we took a local bus, the Sunbeam Express to our hotel on the Coral Coast, the Bederra Inn. While it was a nice air conditioned bus, playing Around the World in Eighty Days, it was an absolutely miserable bus trip because the guy sitting next to us threw up in his lap...twice. I had to be on constant vomit alert and didn't dare nap, and I certainly didn't want to eat the snack I brought along. A woman sitting in front of us also threw up but at least had the curtsey to do in into a bag. It was the longest two hour bus ride of my life. When we arrived, we were starving and ate at the hotel's restaurant which was quite tasty. We spent some time at the beach, which was actually pretty sharp. They call it the Coral Coast for a reason. We had wandered down to a more local beach where I felt out of place in my bikini, so we then wandered in the other direction and found a pretty good beach behind the Outrigger Hotel. That evening we ate at Le Cafe, which proudly proclaims to be "Under Swiss Management". From what we can tell it means virtually indifferent service but tasty food. Plus there was a kitten there to keep us entertained.

The next day we took a taxi into the nearest town, Sigatoka, hoping to purchase some items that we had forgot to pack, and some tiva-type sandals for R as he had blew out his flip flops the day before. Unfortunately it was still a public holiday. In Fiji both Christmas and the day after (Boxing Day) are holidays, as they actually fell on a Sunday and a Monday, the official days off were Monday and Tuesday. Nearly all the stores in town were closed. But our hero the taxi driver took us around to some of the shops that were open. When none of them actually had shoes (even flip-flops) he saw somebody on the street he knew, talked with him for a little bit, then explained that this guy owned a shoe store in town that he would open up for us! And it was a good shoe store with plenty of selection, and R found just what he wanted! Then we had the taxi driver take us to the Sigatoka Sand Dunes. They too were closed, but the people who work there were having a picnic there, and the taxi driver convinced them to open for us! It wasn't really that much of a burden since the folks were already there. it just meant taking our $F8 to let us walk on the trail, but I'm sure we couldn't have talked them into it ourselves.

The sand dunes were really amazing! It was a 40 minute walk through both forests and sand dunes to the ocean where we saw big breaking waves for the first time since being here. Of course it was a "no swimming zone" but we waded a little. Hey, if your feet are on the ground, you're not swimming! The formations of the dunes really reminded us of the Oregon Coast, and the plants were all serving familiar functions, even if they were in unfamiliar forms. The informative placards answered a lot of "I wonder what plant that is?" questions I had had. We would definitely go back there, to spend more time, wade a little more, take a picnic, take the longer hike or take some visitors. That afternoon we went back to the beach behind the Outrigger, and ate pizza by the sea.

The beach near where we were staying was actually a little disappointing, so the next day we booked a day cruise out to uninhabited Tivua Island on Captain Cook Cruises. It seemed a little expensive and turist-y but I am so glad we did it. They come and get you right from your hotel, and despite it being a pretty long drive, the boat ride out there was really neat, on an olde tyme boat. Once we got on the Island it was amazing. The beach was soft, the water was warm, they had snorkeling gear, they served all the softdrinks and beer you wanted, they served an awesome barbecued lunch and the beach combing was incredible, shells all over the place! It was really worth it to come out. I was really jealous of the two couples who were occupying the two overnight accommodations on the Island. But we can just come some other weekend to do that if we want! On the boat ride home, it rained really hard, and everybody on board got soaking wet. this is part of the reason why it wasn't until later that night, I realized that despite my precautions, I had gotten a pretty bad sunburn. Except on my arms where I'd already gotten a 'base tan'!

The next day we checked out and took another local bus back to Suva. We accidentaly got on a bus that wasn't an express and it took twice as long to get back as it took to get there. But, because the bus wasn't air conditioned, the windows opened, it wasn't nearly as crowded and nobody threw up! Despite being much longer, it was actually more pleasant, it rained again which cooled the air and my sunburn and made is so that you didn't regret not still being on the beach.

The rest of our time off in Suva was pretty uneventful. We didn't even do anything for New Years except shoot off a few fireworks. We bought a DVD player which helps release FijiOne's hold on my consciousness and saw Jarhead which was good but plenty depressing.

I'll try to post some pictures maybe sometime next week. Our first venture out of Suva went well we hope to do lot's more Fiji vacationing in our near backyard.

Earthquake

2006-01-04T07:58:00.000+12:00

Holiday and travel log to follow...
For now:

7.0-strength earthquake felt off Fiji

SUVA, Fiji, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale occurred in the region of Fiji Tuesday morning, but there have been no reports of casualties or damage.

This is

2005-12-21T16:04:00.000+12:00

just heartbreaking.

Arrived Safely

2005-12-21T12:42:00.000+12:00

R arrived safe and sound in Fiji. As his flight got in at 4:00am, we stayed at the Raffles Gateway just across from the Nadi Airport. It was pretty sweet for an airport hotel, and only cost $F75. I understand R made it out just in time before flights from Portland were canceled due to ice! I'm only going to work for two and a half days this week, have next week off and the following Monday off for Christmas and New Year's Day. So don't expect any posts until the New Year. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Happy Days are Here Again...

2005-12-16T08:59:00.000+12:00

R comes tonight! My shipment of household goods has actually sailed! Cingular actually canceled my account! And they finally paid my grant reinbursment, and my oven is fixed! Thank Santa!

TV

2005-12-15T13:49:00.000+12:00

Even in the states, I've been tricked into folowing reality programming due to sheer exposure. FijiOne's policy of being only one channel causes me to be exposed to all sorts of TV I might not otherwise watch. Because I can't, you know, just turn off the TV. I'll just watch whatever is presented to me. I'm terrible. I know. So I've been hooked into watching the Amazing Race. Of course FijiOne's policy of delayed programming also means that I just spoiled the ending for myself by finding those links. I would describe the Amazing Race as combining all of the stress and hassle of travel, removing any of the relaxing aspects of vacations, removing any meaningful experiences of world travel and adding the stress of competition. Yuck! I have no sympathy for any of the contestents, as they pretty much knew what they were getting into. I hated the program the first two times it came on. Now I can't wait until the next episode and the next season. Wait, that's how I feel about all reality programming!

Cults in Fiji

2005-12-14T10:21:00.000+12:00

I already posted how delighted I was when the Fiji government denied Rev. Moon entrance to Fiji. I now happy to report that Fiji is having second thoughts about letting Portland faudster Benny Hinn whom even Christians seem to despise, into the country.

Somehow I'm not concerned about the homegrown cult The Magical Powers of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps exactly becaue it's homegrown, or just that it may be a modern day cargo cult. From the article: "The group hopes that its registration certificate obtained last month would enable it to pursue its goal of withdrawing an enormous amount of money. The money was banked by the cult’s founding father some years back and cannot be withdrawn with the certificate."

Boycott Cingular

2005-12-14T08:56:00.000+12:00

Really, this is much more imporntant than boycotting that one Dairy Queen that won't accept coupons. If you are ever in a position to not get a Cingular phone or contract...DON'T. I've already filed my FCC complaint and my Better Business Bureau complaint, and am too exhausted to go into much detail. Long story short: Before I left, I called to have the phone canceled. Only after I'm already here do I realize that they didn't actually cancel it. Now they won't give me the time of day without the magic PIN. As I only use one PIN and they say that's not it, I know their PIN is a phantom. After calling the international help number, going into the Vodaphone store here and having fifteen rounds of e-mail with them, they will do nothing. I mean they won't even give me a postal address to mail a letter of dispute to. So I've filed FCC & BBB complaints, am keeping files, and if this ever comes up on my credit report, I'll start an investigation and dispute there too. My only consolation is that I am not alone in thinking that Cingular Sucks, and Hating Cingular. However it is also proof that I will never have satisfaction. The saddest story on the epinions site is titled "Cingular ruined my birthday". Cingular mysteriously canceled her service without her knowledge & she thought that nobody loved her when she didn't get any calls on her birthday!

Movies on FijiOne

2005-12-12T10:36:00.000+12:00

I thought I'd start posting about the movies that FijiOne plays. Every Saturday night, they play some sappy romantic comedy or heartwarming family film. Then on Sunday, they play some much more adult themed movie, often very violent but not so much sexy. What's funny is that they seem to be chosen out of the $4 DVD bargain bin, and have a high probability of being Canadian. I'll start posting the selections, let's see if we can come up with any patterns. This week: Saturday was Salt Water Moose, and Sunday was Anchor Zone. Note that both are Canadian.

Non-Specific and Casual Terms of Endearment

2005-12-12T09:42:00.000+12:00

In Louisiana it was "darling", in Baltimore it was "hon", in Fiji I'm finding that it is "my dear". What was it in Portland? "Dude"?

The above phrases are generally terms for loved ones, but in particular places there seems to be a designated term that can be used with strangers without implying any sort of actual intimacy. Please comment if there are any specific terms used in your part of the world (I'm particularly curious about Richmond, VA) or to remind me if there was one in Portland.

Alaska through the eyes of Fijians

2005-12-08T14:48:00.000+12:00

Some members of the USP DFL (distance and flexible learning) department are currently in Alaska to share ideas. As you might imagine the South Pacific and Alaska face similar challenges in delivering education to remote, isolated areas with poor technological infrastructure. They're writing a blog about it. I don't know any of these folks personally, but the observations and their take on Alaska are priceless. Such as "Later on in the day we took a taxi to Fred Meyers which is one of the nearest shopping malls from where we are staying. We took a look around & was so amused with the range of things they were selling. Left the mall @ about 4pm & it was dark outside. That's another interesting fact about Alaska in the winter; daylight is from 10am-2pm with the rest of the day in total darkness"

Fiji says 'No' to moonies

2005-12-07T07:58:00.000+12:00

State rejects visa for controversial cleric
Tuesday December 06, 2005

The Home Affairs Ministry has rejected visas for an Asian religious group that was supposed to have arrived into the country today. ...

If you have to say "we are not a cult" then chances are, you are a cult.

Triangulation

2005-12-05T13:56:00.000+12:00

As I'm finding my reading material pretty much exclusevely from the USP Library these days, I'm catching up on my Zola. I'm currently reading Savage Paris. I'm finding it particularly interesting as it is set primaraly in the fish and vegetable market of Paris known as Les Halles.

Here in Suva I'm taking great delight in the fish and vegetable market seen here [more photos from someone else]

Believe me, the picture does not even begin to show the enormitity and busy complexity of the market. Each time I go, I end up leaving not so much because I'm done shopping, but because I'm overwhelmed and overloaded. Only this weekend did I even realize there was an upstairs.

And today, while cruising around the digital library webspace for work, I come across this excellent online exhibit, which shows me actual photos and images of the Paris market.

Advent Calendars

2005-12-05T13:48:00.000+12:00

I've added some online advent calendars to the side bar. There are lot's on the web, I've only linked one's I thought were interesting. No overly religious, corny or amateurish ones. Some don't allow 'cheating' opening a door before the actual date. These just drive home how far away I am as it actually is the next day here in Fiji! I got a Christmas tree, I'll post more photos and experiences of my first Christmas in the tropics, which is definitely turning out to be weird for me.

Katrina Reconstruction rendered in HO scale

2005-12-02T12:40:00.000+12:00

If any of you are familiar with my n-scale model railroading hobby and Sadtown, you'll understand why I'm delighted that this model was built, even if there was a bit of a brew-ha-ha over it. Knowing how much work goes into these things, it is quite impressive that it has been built in such a short time.

I generally stay away from this sort of stuff, however...

2005-11-25T12:06:00.000+12:00

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.
You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.
From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

More Photos

2005-11-24T11:10:00.000+12:00

Due to the time of year, and the recent promotion of the former University Librarian to Deputy Vice chancellor, I've averaged about one work-related party a week! I'm told it won't last, which is fine by me. Anyway below is me at the Christmas party last Saturday with some of the other librarians.

Here's me getting a Fiji Bitter...

And the embarrassing results of that. You're just lucky I'm not posting the picture of when I tried to dance at the MLA convention. In general librarians are NOT dancers.

Boring Photos

2005-11-23T12:53:00.000+12:00

Well, I'm not known for taking very good photos. But I do know that when I was doing research on moving to Fiji, I was very curious as to what my house might look like. So I offer up these boring photos of the interior of our new abode. Above is the bedroom, the bed is always made because I have to pay someone to do it. Left to my own devices I'd not make my own bed or pay anybody to do it either. When my ship comes in (I love being able to say that legitemately) we will have our own bed and bedding.

And this is the living room area, I must admit to loving the Gilligan's Island style furnishing, but the seats aren't all that comfortable.

This is what it looks like to watch TV!

This is the back porch, which is why I couldn't resist getting this place. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean you're looking at!

More of the backyard, it's fenced from the public beach access just behind the house.

Here's the living room again, looking out onto the back porch.

And this is the spacious kitchen! Another big plus for me.

This is actually a couple of blocks away from the house, looking into the ocean from the public park at Suva Point. If you continued along this course you would eventually end up on the other side of the fence on my backyard.

Same spot, but looking in the other direction. At this park there is also playground equipment and a Kiosk selling icecream, soda, cigarettes and delicious fish 'n' chips.

My backyard, right on the other side of the fence. I see kids climb this very palm tree and get nervous.

And this is what it looks like from the front of the house.

This is the "vacant lot" near my house. Perhaps less depressing than most other vacant lots, but there's still plenty of rotting garbage.

The money

2005-11-22T08:01:00.000+12:00

Aside from never really knowing the value of things I buy 'do I think of it in terms of US money?', 'but I get paid Fijian' 'but what actually is my take home pay, I know I pay taxes but I haven't seen my first pay stub yet!', I feel like a child everytime I have to painstakingly look through all my coins and actually read the value of them rather than immediately recognizing them by sight. Part of the problem is that the coins are not related to the US coins I'm familiar with. There are many more to deal with one cent, two cents, five cents, ten cents, 20 cents, 50 cents and one dollar. See Fiji Coin Sets. And to make matters worse some of them are the same size as US coins but worth different amounts. The paper bills are colorful and interesting as most non-US currency tends to be, but I still find them difficult to distinguish as the $5, $10 and $50 are only slightly different shades of red! See Fiji Currency the colors are less distinct once the currency has been crumpled and dirtied through circulation. In summary, something I used to take for granted (identifying different denominations of currency) now takes special attention and leaves me feeling foolish.

Davui

2005-11-16T16:18:00.000+12:00

The online Fijian Dictionary doesn't have Davui in it. But it's my favorite part of the FijiTimes.

Small world

2005-11-14T09:11:00.000+12:00

Oddly enough, this article in the Fiji Times alerted me to the "Stop Snitching" DVD and t-shirts in Baltimore. What a strange small world it really is. From my time on the Baltimore city grand jury I can attest to the absolute reluctance of anybody to testify against others in their community and the tragedy of the Dawson family (mentioned briefly in second linked article) still makes me sick.

FijiOne

2005-11-11T15:47:00.000+12:00

I've added some Fiji-centric links to the sidebar. If you ever wonder what I'm watching on tv, now you can check. FijiOne the only channel you get without cable. (Even with cable you only get four channels and one is sports). It's actually quite nice to have only one channel. You never wonder if there is something better on, you never miss your shows because you're watching something else. I was talking to another expat and she agreed. She said that when she's at home at her mother's in Canada with supercable, she'll click through all the channels, find there's nothing on and lament that she's missing Shortland Street. Which is this terrible Australian soap opera, but it's on every night so you can't help but fall into it.

Surrounded by enemies

2005-11-10T15:01:00.000+12:00

As some of you may know I consider Bananas to be #1 on my enemy list. Now coming to Fiji, I tried to keep an open mind thinking 'perhaps fresh bananas right from the source may be different than the bananas I'm used to. After all, a vine ripened tomato is afar cry from a winter "tomato"' Well, after trying bananas here I realized that I still despise all bananas. And plantains too. Yes, I've tried them and they taist just like bananas. The problem is bananas are everywhere here! I came home last night and there were two bunches of bananas from the yard (yes there are banana trees in my new yard) in my kitchen. Then at work today, somebody gave me a banana from his yard! I can't bring myself to decline these offers of bananas, however I have no idea what I'm going to do with them. Perhaps this is bananas "season" and the problem will go away when the season ends, but I suspect that this is not the case. On the other hand, my favorite fruit, pineapple, is also readily available, delicious, cheap and even come in adorable baby sizes!

Here is one thing where Oregon and Fiji are alike

2005-11-09T08:39:00.000+12:00

Huge Meth Lab Busted in Fiji

(AP) Police dismantled a huge methamphetamine factory in Fiji's capital Wednesday, seizing enough chemicals to make $540 million worth of the drug — which they said was destined for markets in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

To completely contradict

2005-11-08T13:50:00.000+12:00

my last post, I've already found a house. On advise of other expat librarians, I took the first house I looked at because it was apparently a lucky break to be getting it. It's about a 15 minute walk to work, door to door, or a taxi costs only $F1.50 if it's raining (which it often is). It's also right by the ocean. Before you get any ideas about my lolling on a sandy beach, my choice of the word ocean rather than beach was deliberate. It's on Suva point which is a jettied point meaning that there really isn't any beach per se. And what there is is really full of litter, I mean REALLY FULL. But still there is a little park there with a playground, public restrooms and a fish and chips kiosk!

It's furnished, meaning I was able to move in right away, but when my shipment comes it may be a bit crowded as there isn't much storage space. There's a TV for company, but the kitchen is still pretty unusable as it was apparently "furnished" by a retarded bachelor. As there's a couple of properties next to each other all owned by the same land lady, the utilities work more like your housemate collecting on the electric than something more straightforward. One of these shared services is that of the "housegirl", yep, yikes! There's no not taking her up on the services, same with the landline first I've had in years, so I have to wrap my head around paying someone to do my dishes and laundry. I remind myself that it's similar to having someone pump your gas in Oregon, providing a much needed job to someone, plus my Sim had a maid, why can't I?

I've been into downtown Suva twice so far, and each time only explored a little before becoming totally overwhelmed and needing to go home. Not only are the streets laid out in nothing at all like a grid, there are alleyways, and stores with multiple entrances. Shoppers are approached more than I'm used to. And as I dislike even the mild "can I help you find something?" in an American Wal-Mart, most of these approaches simply scare me off rather than pulling in a sale. I figure that slowly, I'll learn my way around both geographically and culturally. I've also found the grocery store around campus, although my closest store is the CostULess a Fijian Costco which came in hand when I needed an extention cord (or lead as they're called here).

So far...

2005-11-03T14:31:00.000+12:00

I haven't been much of anywhere besides the University Campus and the row of shops opposite. I realized that my whole time in Baton Rouge I didn't make it much further either. The library is instantly familiar, with the same cast of characters and library problems as every other library I've been in. We can't afford the serials we subscribe to, we're running out of space and professors don't understand copyright. This weekend I hope to explore Suva a bit more, and am trying to find a house. I'm beginning to realize that this can be difficult, with things either being very expensive, or very sketchy, but little in between. Although am certainly better off than most Fijians, within the realm of westerners, I'm no diplomat or banker and the "executive homes" are a bit dear. There's only one TV channel, which is actually quite lovely, there is no wondering what else is on, or why something better isn't on. What's on is what's on and that's it. I've got a ton of DVD's but still will watch whatever it is that FijiOne thinks I should be watching, curious Australian soap operas, a completely baffling sub set of American TV (why this unremarkable sitcom and not some other?) as well as local news and a wonderfully non US-centric view of world affairs. Oh and they have Chicken flavored potato chips, that taste like chicken bouillon and poultry seasoning! I'll try to get photos up sometime soon.

2005-10-31T04:09:00.000+12:00

I'm here! So far Fiji seems lovely, warm rain, helpful airport staff, short lines and an internet cafe!