footpaths!

I have learned that it is good not to get your hopes up for things. I spent a lot of time my first year getting my hopes up, then getting my villages' hopes up, then being let down, then having to let down my villages. Not a fun cycle. That is why I was a bit covert about this footpath operation, not telling too many people in case it fell through. But now that I have seen 340 bags of cement sitting in the community hall, and have seen completed sections of new footpath under my feet, maybe it's time to get excited!

The footpaths were needed for many reasons. During the rainy season mud makes the paths inaccessible. Some just simply stay home, and meetings, funerals, weddings, and children going to school are all affected. In addition, the mud mixes with animal feces which then enters open wounds in feet, leading to skin infections. Footpaths minimize the villagers' contact with the dirt, making skin infections less common.

Plus, they look cool.

Money came from America, from friends and family and organizations through a PCPP (Peace Corps Partnership Program). I still haven't gotten the list of donors, and a proper thanks will come with time, to be sure. But a preliminary thank you to anyone who contributed to this project!

Turns out, the way to a Fijian's heart is through footpaths. And the way to my heart is through a good lunch. So. These past couple weeks have been excellent. Every day the men work on the paths, while the women cook. Around 1:30, the women carry large pots full of breadfruit and curries and cassava and fish, etc, to the community hall. The women set the floor with food and plates and then tell the men lunch is ready. The men come in and eat, while the women fan the flies off the food and sit near the door. The men then leave to go rest for a bit while the women eat what is left over. Then the men get back to work, and the women clean up and then lie down and tell stories.

I like seeing the whole village working together on the same project -- men and women alike. And the boys are learning too, helping after they come home from school. The village is very happy with the footpaths. And that makes me happy.

Pictures to come soon!