bees, burns, bananas

The past couple of weeks have been busy! And somehow I've found myself in the strangest situations. I wish I had pictures to go along with the stories. One day I'll get better at this.

I was writing one day, in my house, listening to music, right around dusk. I noticed it was getting a little warm. I look outside my window, and see huge flames. The sugar cane field, which starts about 10 feet from my (very flammable) bure, is on fire. I go outside and watch in amazement. Fire is very contained and well-behaved here, though, and so while I was concerned, the village wasn't. I took a lot of pictures, might've prayed to Jisu a little, and then waited for it to settle down. It was started on purpose, of course, (and with no warning, of course) because the sugar cane had just been harvested. It was very Fiji.

I went to see Lydia's village (another PCV) -- she lives right on the coast, and is only accessible by boat. So we waited for the tide to come in, got on the boat, and ventured out there. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Later that visit, we hiked atop a nearby mountain to see the village in context of the Viti Levu Bay. From the top of that mountain, overlooking the incredible expanse of water underneath, high enough so that bats circled below us, and coconut trees were mere toothpicks, I thought of the Grand Canyon. Different scenery, of course, but the similar feeling of total admiration of and respect for nature. And, also not truly believing what I was seeing was real. It was overwhelmingly beautiful!

A nearby Fiji RPCV (returned Peace Corps volunteer), who was a volunteer in the mid-80's and who now lives in Fiji, took a few of us current volunteers out in his boat to an empty island. It was the kind of beach you see on desktop backgrounds -- complete with coconut trees, a white sandy beach, and no other humans around. We had coconut and papaya as snacks, went snorkeling, and wandered around looking at the creatures living along the beach. My favorite were the large, vibrantly blue starfish that we were able to pick up and admire from up close. It was an incredible day, followed by an incredible hot shower and an incredible lunch at their house. And an incredible sunburn. (I thought I could handle the sun -- I'm from New Mexico after all! -- but Fiji sun is (duh) worse. I learned my lesson. And I learned the PC gives out Aloe for free.)

I spent Tuesday morning wandering around in a bee suit. There was a beekeeping workshop in my village put on by the same RPCV mentioned above, and having never seen bee hives, I tagged along. I learned that bee suits are hot. But also -- beekeeping is fun! You don't have to do much work, and in return, you get a delicious snack. There is a push to lift Fiji's dependence on sugar cane export, and honey is a likely alternative because of its minimal work, huge demand, and incredible profit. So I may find myself in a bee suit again soon!

The waste management campaign is going really well. We have now built rubbish pits and compost bins in one of my villages, and are learning to sort out the tins, PET plastics, glass, and aluminum. (The other village is going slowly -- it is just such a big village! But I know we'll get there one day too!) On the horizon, which we may start next week, are soakage pits. Instead of having greywater (water from the sinks and showers) run into the river, we will intercept the drain and plant banana trees in a circle. The banana trees, which are very good at absorbing large amounts of water, will be able to turn once potentially harmful chemicals into delicious fruit.

My parents are visiting in about a week and a half! I am very excited to show this place off to them. I'm hoping it will ground my current experience in some sort of reality! (Often I feel like I am dreaming..)