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…)