Bula Fiji!
It seems pretty surreal, having started this blog about three months ago, that I am now actually sitting and writing it in the tropical paradise that is Uprising Resort. It is just how a paradise should be – white sandy beach, warm sea, swimming pool, palm trees.. I could go on! In short, its pretty damn amazing! We’re all going to be staying here for the next few days, until Sunday, when we’ll be taken to our individual placements. Still, we are making the most of it while we can, by swimming and chilling out as much as possible.
Yesterday we had a day trip into the capital, Suva, as we needed to register with the British consulate and also with the hospital. We also had a team exercise to do. We were split up into four teams of four, and each team was given a list of questions around a certain general theme (for e.g. my group’s theme was Transport and Communication). We had to go into shops and find out the answers, for example how much it costs to send a one page letter within Fiji (20 cents), and what daily papers are printed in Fiji. We also had some time to just browse around, and I bought a lovely new light-blue bikini!
The 1 1/2 hour bus ride back from Suva proved a good oppertunity to look at the Fijian landscape. Somehow it isn’t quite how I expected it; it is so green, and there are so many leaves! It looks so rich! The houses are cute little bungalows, with steps leading up to the door. I’m beginning to wonder what the house that I will be living in will be like, and I can’t wait to see.
Anyway, its nearly time for breakfast now, and I still need to flisk through the Fiji Times and find an article to present to the group! Another of our orientation exercises…
Do Fijians wear Crocs?
Now that I’m on the other side of Christmas and New Year, the Fiji trip is starting to feel a lot more real. I also began to get the feeling that I was possibly lagging behind my fellow volunteers in the preparation stakes- this was fully confirmed when I was sent one of their kit lists, all colour coordinated, with notes, in an excel table. So yesterday my dad and I went shopping for some travel essentials. First stop: rucksac. My dad loves a bargain, so the Deuter Denali bag endeared itself to us immediately, due to it being on sale (50% off!). I am in love with it. It is grey and blue, with openings at the top, bottom, and middle, aswell as several concealed pocket and even a cute little puch in the belt. There is something about it that is very feminine.
At the Briefing, we were advised to buy our mossie nets once we arrive, but the CarePlus net had appealing black and yellow packaging, and a promise that for every net bought, one would be donated o Africa, so how could we resist? In addition to the ‘CarePlus Compact Bell Mosquito Net’, we also bought the more versatile ‘Mosquito sheet’, which can be hung in windows, used as a picnic blanket, etc etc. If these nets stop me from getting the horrifying purple scars that I saw on the legs of one of the returned volunteers, then it will well and truly have been money well spent!
We also bought some more luxurious mossie protection in the form of a silk sleeping bag liner. I was pretty horrified by the price tag, but it is high quality and will last for ages I suppose. In any case, I’m sure its going to be lovely to sleep in a bag made of silk! Our final purchase was a pair of amazingly chavvy Fila tracky bottoms, which we bought in a supermarket for less than half price! What a buy! They are great.
This afternoon I finally cleared away all the crap that usually sits on my sofa, which is now going to be my packing base. Pictured are my notesbooks, guides, a couple of t-shirts and trousers, reef shoes, travel towel and all the stuff I bought yesterday. Not pictured are my crocs. My Crocs are mint green, and for anyone who has never tried on a pair, all I can say is this: don’t knock them til you’ve tried them. They are comfy as hell. I’m only wondering whether Fijians will understand their beauty. Its a dilema; I don’t want to be laughed out of Lautoka, or have people think that I have some crippling condition which necessitates the wearing of orthapaedic shows. But I do want comfy feet. I was however heartened to notice ‘crocs’ on the afore mentioned kit list! Maybe I won’t be alone!
