Ni Sa Bula Vinaka Everyone! and Happy New Year, too.
Things are pretty slow around this time of year in Fiji, so I don't have too much to report. But, I felt that a new blog post was overdue, so here we go...
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Almost half of all the PCVs currently serving in Fiji (about 35 of us) met up on a remote island called Qamea (located East of Taveuni, the "Garden Island" of Fiji) to bring in the New Year together. We stayed at a really great little hostel with sand floors in the common dining area, ping pong tables, a computer for internet at night, a volleyball court, great snorkeling, and, of course, a gorgeous white sandy beach with a rope swing to play with. It was a true paradise vacation, and including all meals it all cost about $15 USD per night!
Below are some pictures highlighting the weekend stay...
Eating communally in the sand-floor dining hall.
Getting our drink on while playing card games after dinner.
PCVs always seem to bring dance parties wherever we go. This trip was no exception.
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While leaving Maqai and heading back to the Taveuni boat landing by carrier in order to catch our little boat back to Vanua Levu, the carrier broke down several times. Typical. Sally and I stayed in the bed of the truck to provide moral support for the boys (below) who had to push start the truck several times until a back-up arrived to rescue us.
So, those are all the pictures I ended up with after the trip. Not surprisingly, I lost my camera for the majority of our stay at the hostel and only found it with these pictures on it...
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Introducing my brand new yaca ("namesake"):
ETUATE GOLDMAN BARI
Born to Marica and Ilitia Bari on January 17, 2011, "Mr. Goldman" as we have all come to call him, is a happy and healthy baby boy.
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And finally, on 5 February 2011, a year-long effort to bring SPCA ("Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals") to my remote village was successful! For $100 (donated by the village courtesy of our 2010 "budget" project), five veterinary students took a day off from their week-long Vanua Levu open clinic to come all the way to Nanuca Village and de-sex all the dogs they could get their hands on. We were able to treat 23 of the 30 village dogs, and 2 of the 5 cats (besides my own, who were already taken care of last year).
The project was a hugely draining experience, but it may well be my proudest accomplishment since I've lived in the village. Now, the dogs will not be so aggressive (fighting over the females who are in heat), and the village children will not be in danger of being hurt by them. Additionally, the animal overpopulation issue will be greatly reduced, and hopefully this will lead to more sanitary conditions for all!
The villagers built a traditional shed (made of wooden posts and pieces of roofing iron) beside a vacant tap beside the church for the doctors to operate in.
Everyone in the village was very excited to have their dogs treated, and many of the owners of female dogs showed up as soon as the SPCA van arrived with their dogs tied up and ready to be operated on.
Of course, the whole thing was a huge spectacle, and many of the villagers watched for hours as the doctors worked tirelessly.
Here, the five doctors are rotating their work so they can do three animals at a time.
Here, 6 post-operation dogs are sleeping off the drugs. This is the quietest and most docile I have ever seen the animals of Nanuca.
Here some of the kids watch the "show" from the venue of the church loli (a traditional drum that is beat on to call congregants to church service).
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Well, that's all for now. I am in town today to watch the Superbowl with some other volunteers and have an early Mardi Gras celebration. Later in the week I will head down to Viti Levu island to travel and do some "work exchange" for two weeks with another PCV, Tait.
As always, thank you for visiting my blog. I miss you all!
xx
Milika
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