Bula Sia!

I've been at site for 6 months now and several factors have gotten me to finally gotten me to start a blog. Mainly, the gleeful excitedness that comes with being a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) after Pre-Service Training releases us out into the wild has worn off. I'm not so inclined to sit for hours around the grog bowl with the old men talking about the tides, rain, rugby, America...whatever. I've restricted myself to two nights of grog a week. This has freed up some evenings and what better to do than write some about Fiji for a captive online audience? All the better to keep my mind sharp and my English from further slipping towards Fijinglish.
Since I have missed 6 months, I'll fill you in on the basics...feel free to ask for clarifications on any entries hereafter.

• I'm technically an "Environmentand Natural Resources Management" Volunteer. I can give the broad, abstract definition of this but theory is slipping further down my list of likes since, with things like this, its just big words that don't really paint a clear picture as to what I'm doing (or what I'm trying to get started). Basically, I'm going to push the idea of composting toilets so the waste water doesn't seep into the ground water, thus turning the village green into a cespool when it rains and washing out to the reef. I want to build some fish ponds to reduce dependence on the sea and after that I want to teach anyone who will listen about waste management and simple environmental concepts. All that being said nothing has happened yet...I'm on island time and we are currently in the middle of a productive cyclone season.
• I live in a rural village named Korotubu (literally growing village) in the Province of Macuata on the island of Vanua Levu which is called "The Friendly North" (Fiji is called Friendly Fiji, so basically we are pretty friendly here). It is the second largest island in Fiji and it is best described by a fellow PCV as the "forgotten stepsister" as far as development goes.
• Labasa, the town I restock in, isn't the tourist destination that comes to mind when you think of Fiji...but I mostly welcome the fact that I can always find a familiar face in town and I won't be mistaken for an Aussie or Kiwi on holiday.
• I have a wonderful host family.
• My Fijian name is Menani

Now, the first topic of this blog (does this make me a blogger now? I suppose it does) is how writing this will actually count as me being a dutiful PCV. THe PC has three goals. Once again I will paraphrase:

1. Help people in-country
2. Bring a better understanding of Americans to country
3. Bring experiences back to US to share with fellow Americans

(If you ask some volunteers of PC Fiji, myself included, you will hear of a goal 2.5)

2.5 Peace Corps against the world in a dance competition. (This is based on the rather undisputed fact...I don't even know how it is a competition really...that when we PCVs get togetherfor a night out we bust plenty moves on the dancefloor. This either helps or hurt goal 2...the jury's still out.

So, in effect, this blog is helping me to complete goal 3 and eventhough I'm cutting back on my intake of Piper methysticum (kava, grog or yaqona), I'm attending enough Methodist services and village functions to satisfy goal 2. This just leaves goal 1, but I'm learning that there's no rushing "Fiji Time" and if I've learned anything in my past travels its to go with the flow...

I'll leave you with that...I have stories lined up to post so check back!