Seriously, it is like paradise, the weather here right now. Funny thing is that it is winter. Now, I haven’t written in a little while, it’s true. I now have a computer again and even have figured out internet access at the house. After we fixed the electrical system in the village and then the village fixed the problem of figuring out how to pay for the fuel for the generator, we even have pretty steady electricity now (3 hours every evening, more or less). Point being, I have no excuses for not blogging other than that life here has sort of turned out like life, you know dull for the one who lives it.
When I got here and started living this life, everything was so new and entertaining, disgusting, sad, etc. Now it just feels like life. It is just what I do and I don’t think that there is anything to write about. Hootenanny, I know. There are actually all kinds of cool things going on.
First, we are getting some work done…or at least started. Getting started on something seems like a decent accomplishment here. First, water. The cyclone in March washed out a section of pipe for the main water supply that comes from a small catchment in the hills behind the village. Well, the village fixed that with some silly putty and spit so now every time that it rains, the river washes out that section and the village goes without water for a few days while we try to find the pipes and put them back together (with new spit). Now we are going to get some cyclone relief money to fix it right.
Farming: as always, I am keeping my hands in the soil. Evidently, there is something of a green revolution happening in the village now. They had no idea that one could just up and grow food by your house, or so they tell me. Either way, after laughing at me for a few months for trying to grow veggies in the village, I am now swimming in delicious veggies. WHO’S LAUGHIN’ NOW!! Me, that’s who and now everyone is planting like crazy. Now, I sort of make the rounds, checking on folks’ gardens, answering questions, and working with them. It is really fun, because a lot of these veggies, Fijians have never seen grown and didn’t know that they could be. A number of the new gardeners are poised to start making some mad coin from the veggies in the near future. That will be fun to watch.
I am also working on a larger scale vegetable farm with a family and we are going to get some funds from the Ministry of Agriculture to get serious: plowing, irrigation, nursery, etc. We are well on our way and have planted a large area but are sort of stuck at this point as it is becoming unwieldy to try to water it by hand hauling buckets from the swamp. The nursery will also allow them to cover an area to grow some things during the wet season when the market price is the highest. I can’t wait for that because it will also mean that I won’t have to go without tomatoes and bell peppers next Jan-March!
Down the road, I am looking to try to figure out a hydro-power setup for the village’s electricity, but I have run into a series of roadblocks there. Namely, no one want to pay for it. So, I have put it on the backburner and we will continue literally burning money to run the generator.
On a fun note, Sally’s aunt Pamela and her cousin Melissa came for a short but sweet visit. Actually, they hung out with us for five days as part of a larger trip including two other countries: New Zealand and expensive Fiji. It was great having them here since it is always great to have family and friends here. It is basically the only time that we travel so we get to take a little break. And of course, with our gentle prodding, they usually arrive with appropriate amounts of alcohol and chocolate. We went up to Taveuni, hung out on the beach, did some snorkeling, and went on some waterfall hikes. It was great. I sure do live in a beautiful country.
Oh, and I have picked up the ukulele. It is a really fun little instrument and it makes me famous, being white and all.
Here is me impersonating superman!
