Last Goodbye

My journey home was fairly average. I managed to exhaust all my available cash sources on my last day, and so had a complete stranger pay my taxi fare to the airport. I said in my last entry that leaving Levuka was the saddest moment of my life – but boarding the plane to leave Fiji? It’s hard to pick. I kept my chin up though, and evidently some of the Bula Spirit had rubbed off on me at some point, ’cause I was disgustingly friendly to everyone – chatting to complete strangers, telling airport staff to “have a nice day!”, offering my tic-tacs around.

The flight connections all went smoothly, and I arrived on time in Edinburgh (having successfully and legally gotten 2kg of pounded yaqona through Customs! Hurrah!) to be greeted at Arrivals by my family - I honestly didn’t recognise my little brother, he’s lost a lot of weight and grown even taller too.

It was nice to come home. I had honestly missed Scotland and my friends and family, and it was fantastic to get to play piano and trumpet again. However my happiness at being home was significantly less than my sadness at not being in Fiji, and the novelty wore off pretty quickly. Things were so different. Superficial things like new shops and different furniture in my house and my food tastes. My relationships with many people had changed – most for the better, but I now seem to have two less best friends than I had when I left. And of course things that I wish had changed that hadn’t – my house is still full of clutter, the shops are still expensive, etc etc. (And it turns out that the cliche of all cliches is true – I’ve changed… (sorry, had to be said))

I can’t seem to break some of my old habits. Some are good – I’ve been getting up early, playing guitar, and I’ve lost all desire to go shopping which used to be a big vice – but I also can’t stop doing the creepy eyebrow raise, or making peace/up-yours signs in photographs, or speaking Fijian, even though I know no one understands

I’m at university now. Finally I am a real live student. I was really needing a change of scenery by the time it came to start term, plus if I hadn’t had to be getting ready for university I’d probably have spent my time mourning not being in Levuka any more. It was strange to be leaving again so soon after only just having come back. I like it here though, I think I’ll be happy, and I’m finally starting to get used to being surrounded by English accents.

Anyway, I just wanted to tie this blog up, and I think I’ve said enough. Sorry for all the cliches and pompous and whatnot. To everyone who read my blog and left comments – thank you, it made this blog so much easier to write knowing that people were actually reading and enjoying it.

And I guess that’s all. Moce.

Jenny Laahs – Freelance journalist

As featured in the September 2008 edition of MaiLife magazine:

The settings on this computer are right awful and I can’t tell if the writing on that will be legible on normal settings, so if not let me know and I’ll put the original document up so y’all can read my masterpiece.

Today is my last full day in Fiji. I spent it in Suva town centre, shopping and getting photos developed and ordering grog and whatnot. I realised earlier that I spent my first full day in Fiji doing almost exactly the same thing. I had figured that since everyone I know from Suva is somewhere else just now, I’d be spending these days totally alone, but I forgot that this is Fiji and that just never happens. Last night I made friends with a bunch of backpackers and today I kept bumping into people that I’ve met over the past 7 months. I was also surprised when this guy who runs a stall on Terry Walk remembered me from the couple of times I’ve visited his stall before, each visit months apart. Guess I made an impression there.

I’m so glad I left Levuka when I did, ’cause that birthday party at the weekend was exactly what I needed. Leaving Levuka was the saddest moment of my (evidently fairly unprofound) life and I think my heart broke a little bit, but what better way to fix it than some fun in the sun with some new friends? Leleuvia island is so beautiful, the snorkelling is stunning and the food delicious, and I think I actually managed to get a very very slight tan on my tummy. Hurrah!

And so I find myself about to start my last 24 hours. Wish me luck.

My time has come

Today is my last day in Levuka. I think I’ve been in denial about leaving ’cause it’s only just hit me that tomorrow, I won’t be here any more. I’m so glad I’ve got this birthday party over the weekend, ’cause I think without such a good distraction I’d probably spend the whole time feeling sorry for myself.

And so this is it. I’m leaving with a patchy tan, scarred legs and my weight having yo-yo’d like, well, a yoyo. I’ve learned so much, and I hope I won’t be too pompous on my return (y’all have permission to smack me with a sockful of wet sand if I am). I’ve watched more movies these past few months than in the rest of my life put together, and I’ve moved house a silly number of times. I’ve made plenty friends and these past few days have been really painful having to go through the goodbye process several times a day. I could go on and on and on here, but why bother?

(I’ve still got a couple more posts up my sleeve, so don’t delete me from your bookmarks just yet.)

And so I will finish my last Levuka entry with a line from a favourite song:
Bau nanuma na nodatou lasa mai Levuka nanuma tiko ga

(no prizes for translation…)

On top of the world

Or at least, The Peak:

The Peak is the highest mountain directly behind Levuka town. It took us an hour and a half of very steep hill walking to get up (although to be honest it more resembled rock climbing for most of it – my friends and I concurred that while our legs felt fine the next day it was our arms that ached) and half an hour of sliding down a mud chute to get back, but it was totally worth it for the view at the top. We could see practically every island in the Lomaiviti group, plus all the reefs, and right up the coast to Waitovu village. Lovely.

So I’m still in Levuka. My original plan would have had me leave a few days ago to start making my way to Nadi via various tourist hotspots and resorts and parties and whatnot, but I can’t bear to leave, and so my plans have been whittled down to the absolute minimum so I can stay here as long as possible. I’ll be leaving Levuka on Thursday or Friday to Leleuvia island, a tiny coral island with a wee budget resort, for the birthday party of one of my friends. From there I’ll head to Suva on Sunday for two nights and spent Tuesday travelling to Nadi for my 10pm flight. Sob.

A visitor might not understand why I feel sick at the thought of leaving Levuka. Tourists have mentioned the apparent lack of things to do a fair few times to me over these months. But you know what? Even though I’m kept busy visiting friends, tying up loose ends, doing all the things I never quite got round to doing before, etc etc, I’d be perfectly happy just chilling out wandering around town. I have so many memories that I can’t help but replay them.

So there you have it. See you all in a week and a half.

Something interesting

Last night it was so cold that I wore socks for the first time in seven months.

Brr.

Photos

I have hunners of photos that I haven’t put up yet, so here’s some of my favourites:

There have been three attempts to get all 16 GAP volunteers to meet up at a resort. The first time, at the Beachhouse in February was fairly successful with 15 showing up. The second and third times have been less so with only 8 showing up, but ho hum. This photo is from the second time we met up, in March, at Volivoli Beach Resort in Rakiraki, which is in the north of Viti Levu, the mainland. On our last night we took a Sunset Cruise, and it was definitely the highlight of the weekend for me. L-R: David, Jenny, Helen, Emma, Kate P, Kate H, Viv, and Jack in front.
(I’m still trying to get a fish blood stain out of my skirt from that night…)

This photo is from Caqalai (pronounced THANG-a-lie), a tiny tiny coral island in the Lomaiviti group (that’s where I am, folks). It’s by far my favourite resort in Fiji, and super cheap to boot. Also from there:

Sunrise over Moturiki. Not as impressive as the Lavena sunrise, but still nice!

This is a picture of Lovoni village, where I was originally supposed to have been placed.

and here’s me in the Lovoni swimming hole.

This is a sunset I enjoyed on the way to Arovudi village in the north of Ovalau.

Tokou village swimming hole, where I spent a very nice day before being taken out on a bilibili (bamboo raft).

This is Waitovu swimming hole. I love how I accidentally caught that guy in mid air.

Levuka town. The funny tree in front is one of the Baka trees. I love to sit there and look out over the sea, or enjoy a nice cold drink.

This was taken in the Koro Makawa club. Johnny and Viv were a bit drunk. Oh dear.

This is in the Ovalau Club, the only other club in town and probably my favourite one. There’s usually a grog session once the bar closes, and sometimes we join in. This photo is from a long time ago because both Helen and Ben (sitting either side of me) have gone home now

Me and my new best friend Jason at Tommy’s place.

Me and Esther who I used to live with. Nice girl

 

This is a photo from a typical grog session. This one is from Clare’s birthday back in May, in the hut beside her house. I gave my camera to this girl I know and she went mental taking millions of pictures. This one shows Edmund and Tewawa with my guitar in the foreground, and Clare with some Aussie friends in the back.

Me with Dorcas and Samisoni, the kids I used to live with. They’re cute Samisoni once said in Fijian to his mother, “Miss Jenny has beautiful eyes, she’s my Cinderella”. How could I not love him for that?

I spend way too much time in the clubs.

Baby Ba, who I lived with before Esther and Dorcas and Samisoni. He is the most adorable creature. He used to wave me off to school every morning shouting “byeee” and blowing kisses until I was out of sight.

We had a ceremony to bless the new school sign at St James a couple of weeks ago, and here’s the students and school board. Colourful, no?

And finally, here’s me in my lovely sulu and jaba with some of the kids. Apparently all the Fiji Times photographers keep getting hassle when they photograph kids doing the “up yours” sign as opposed to the “peace” sign, so I’ve been trying to teach them the difference, but I don’t think I’m getting anywhere…

Anyway, that’s all for now. Many many more photos can be found on my photobucket, the link of which is on the left somewhere, and there’s even a nifty wee slideshow feature you can use, so knock yourself out. Ciao for now.

A frank opinion

IMPORTANT!

There’s only two more weeks of school. That means I have only two more weeks with an address. Thusly if you’re planning on posting me anything, do as soon as you can, and remind me when it should arrive. I don’t want to leave Levuka with stuff waiting for me at the Post Office like so many other volunteers seem to have done.

And now:

Maybe there’s something in the water here, but people in this country are awfully straightforward. A fair number of conversations with complete strangers has proceeded as follows:

“Bula!”
“Bula.”
“Are you married?”

I’ve never really thought too much about my weight, but I haven’t had much of a choice since coming here, thanks to the very frank opinions of my acquaintances:

“Boy, Miss Jenny, you’re sure getting fat!”

“When I first met you, you were… *stretches hands as far apart as possible*”

“Eighteen??? But you’re so big!”

“Aww, Miss Jenny, you’re so fa… er… healthy!”

And, my favourite, this one from a tiny 4 year old Indian boy,

“Baby come?”

(For the record, although my weight has yo-yo’d a fair bit, overall I’m definitely a little less than I was at the start…)

An old man that I’ve met only once or twice for a few minutes amazed me a little with his perceptiveness. We were holding a ceremony at school to bless the new school sign, and I was in a good mood. I had my camera out, trying to capture a suitable moment to send to the Anglican newsletter. This old man came up to me and said;

“You’re feeling homesick, aren’t you?”

And you know what? I think it’s finally starting to hit me. It’s taken over 6 months, but I’m starting to really look forward to coming home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still having the time of my life out here, but still I keep finding myself daydreaming about all the things I’m going to do when I’m back in Linlithgow.

Speaking of which, my flights are all sorted. I am leaving Fiji on September 9th, arriving in Scotland September 10th. See you then!

Hot stuff

I had a bit of an adventure this morning. You know that lukewarm shower of mine I’ve been raving about? Well, I was using it this morning when suddenly it burst into flames. No shit! My first thought was “Crap, it might be an electric fire and I’m in a shower, if I get water on it I’m gonna blow the school up”. Holding this thought I grabbed my towel and ran about like a madwoman going “Ahhh! Help me! Fire! In the shower! Nooo!”. One of the other GAP volunteers, Vivian, has been staying with me the past week, and on hearing my cries for help, awoke from her deep slumber, donned her fire-lady outfit and grabbed the hose. I ran back into the bathrooms with the headteacher behind me to find the fire was out and the school intact, which I guess means it wasn’t an electric fire after all.

And thusly the day was saved. Well done Viv!

The downside is, I’m back to having a freezing cold shower. It’s still winter. I’m used to it, though.

Holiday snaps

Hi guys. Time to share with you the photos from my holidays up north. Brace yourself.

My holidays started off by acting like a tourist in Suva:

Yes, you do get McDonald’s in Fiji

This is part of the University of the South Pacific campus. Wish Durham looked like that…

This is the cession stone in central Suva.

This is a street barbecue. It’s only $4 a serve and proper delicious. I reckon someone could make a fortune with these in university towns, as it’s gotta be the best drunk food ever.

After our street barbecue, we went to Tico’s Floating Restaurant for a drink. Tico’s is very posh. I had barely opened the wine list when I realised I felt drunk. “What ho!” I cried, “I have not yet taken a single sip of any intoxicating substance! What could possibly have caused this phenomenon!” Then I realised that, oh yeah, we’re on a boat, and it’s rocking in the waves. Oops. *facepalm*

The next day we took this teensy 12 seater plane up to Labasa, a 45 minute journey.

We checked into our hotel and I donned my tourist gear.

We crossed the Labasa river into town for lunch before getting a lift up to Nagigi to this Hindu temple.

This is Cobra Rock. Devotees swear that it’s growing and they have to keep raising the roof.

The next morning we went back into Labasa town and took a 3 hour bus ride down to Savusavu. The bus ride was incredibly scenic and I tried to take some pictures, but it’s hard when the roads are more potholes than flat.

Savusavu was beautiful, and we had a lorra fun taking pictures around the bay.

Love this picture ’cause you can look at it upside down and it’s still the same. We went kayaking around that island too.

We also went to the hot springs. You can cook vegetables in these. Steamin’.

The next day we went for a trek in the Waisali rainforest reserve:

There was a nice view from the top: 

And we had fun thwacking the spider’s webs out the way

This is Savusavu town, by the way.

Savusavu was our last chance to take cash out for the next week of our journey, so we got megabucks and felt like rich people. Also I had my hair cut by a transvestite, check the new hair-do.

The next part of our journey was Dolphin Bay.

It felt proper isolated.

And they sold lovely home brewed beer for the low low happy hour price of $1.50. Result!

All the guests ate and hung out together and we made some friends there.

Also me and Helen looked quite pretty

Once we were done at Dolphin Bay, we went on to Taveuni, and our first stop was the Waitovu Catholic Mission with this nice church.

Afterwards I went to straddle the date line, thus miraculously being in two days at once! Check it!

The next day we had a picnic up the top of Des Voeux peak, a big hill in the middle of Taveuni. It was kinda cloudy though and my pictures aren’t great so here’s a picture of the hill I took from the other side of the island a few days later:

The next day we went round the other side of the island to Bouma National Park to visit two of the three famous waterfalls. Here’s the biggest one:

There was a nice view on the way up too:

 

We stayed at the gorgeous Lavena lodge, and the next morning I witnessed the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. (No editing on the colours folks)

 

The next day we did this tour – kayaking, walking and swimming. During the walk we saw an Orange Dove. I’m no birdwatcher (shut up Chris) but I hear they’re pretty darn rare:

After that it was back to Suva for a night in the glorious Raintree Lodge, where we ate The Cheesecake that God Intended (with his sidekick Super Apple Pie):

 

and I went a bit mental with the lilypads waiting for the taxi:

The next day I did my shopping in town and then got the boat back to Ovalau, all fresh for school on Monday. Ta-da!

Well, thanks for tuning in folks. Hope it didn’t take too many years to load.

Fijian English

Fiji is essentially a bilingual nation. In fact, many people speak three, four, even five languages. Schools are taught in English, and all forms and signs are in English, so if you’re living in Fiji you kinda have to have a good grasp it. “Fijian” is a pretty broad term when you’re describing the language spoken here, as there are over 300 regional varieties, all of which developed fairly independantly and are significantly different. The Fijians had no written language until the European missionaries arrived in the mid-1800s, and at this point in time the most powerful chiefdom was that of the region of Bau, and so the Bauan dialect has been adopted as “Standard Fijian”, which is the form taught in schools and in any publications and so is the form that an outsider like myself will learn.

So, your average Fijian can speak English, Bauan and their own dialect of Fijian. Many also have a grasp of Hindi as well. (There are actually more Indians in Fiji than there are indigenous Fijians)

I have been trying to learn Fijian. I suspect it’s the only reason my brain hasn’t turned to mush already. It’s quite a challenge – I’ve never been the linguist type (five years of French lessons and all I know is how to say “I feel like chicken tonight”), plus I’ve never tried to learn a language that hasn’t developed along the same lines as English. The grammar in particular is very confusing, but I won’t bore you with the details.

Slightly easier has been getting used to the English that people speak over here. Obviously they have their own distinct accent, and occassionally we have trouble understanding each other (my Scottish accent has toned down considerably here, sorry guys). A few months ago I was looking to buy a mirror and I found I had to pronounce the word as a Fijian would say it  – “meerah” – before they could understand what I was looking for.

Some words are used more often back here, and others are used differently. The words “set” and “true” are used a lot, both as a question and an answer. Words such as “off” and “on” are used as verbs – eg, “Could you off the light please?”

As Fijian is structurally different to English, some words are used in situations that we would not use in English. Does that make sense? Don’t care. If you pass someone in the street that you know and it’s late afternoon, you would say to them “moce!” which literally means “sleep” and is used as “goodbye”. So, people will often say “Bye!” to you as you pass them, which I found a bit weird at first until I worked it out. Same applies with the question “O lako i vei?” – “where are you going?” – which is used as we say “How are you?”. Also, confusingly, the word for thanks in Fijian – “vinaka” – can also mean “No thanks”. So when you offer someone, oh I don’t know, a biscuit, and they wish to decline your invitation they will often just say “Thanks”. Now, to a Brit, that’s gonna mean “yes please”, right? Confusing until you get used to it.

And of course, body language is different too. Fijians are not a demonstrative people and their body language is often very subtle, for example a reply in the affirmative is often represently only by a meaningful blink. The more demonstrative types will show a “yes” not by nodding, but by jerking their head up in time with the forceful raising of their eyebrows, which on the whole is a highly alarming gesture and caused me some concern for the wellbeing of the person in question on my first experience.

Having been here for over 5 months now (!) I have picked up a lot of these habits, so please do not be alarmed if, on my return, I start saying “bye!” all the time and raising my eyebrows a lot.

I have found a super fast way to upload all my pictures, so expect massive photo posts coming your way soon.

Moce mada!