Of COURSE we celebrated Harry Potter's birthday! I wore my 'I solemnly swear that I am up to know good/Mischief Managed' t-shirt and my lightning bolt earrings all day! We got a lot of e-mail/report work done in the morning, and then Audrey, Natalie, Brittany, and I went to Hilton and hung up door decorations for beautification projects, and we analyzed what all we needed to repaint on their blacktop surface. We went home and I had a horrible headache and just felt awful, so I took a nap. Still felt gross after my nap, so I took some more Advil and we headed back to Hilton, accompanied by Bruce (he wanders all over the city, and surprisingly isn't dead yet) to paint the messed up and peeling things they had painted earlier in the summer. It was actually a lot of fun. Minus the part where I got eaten alive by mosquitoes. I seriously look like I have chicken pox! Ah well. It happens to the best of us.
Then Britt, Audrey, and I went to a movie store to buy ridiculously cheap movies. So we made our purchases (I got Harry Potter, in honor of his birthday) and headed home for dinner. Had delicious burritos with our ever favorite Roti (awesome tortilla things). Then we played Psychologist, and they made me be the Psychologist because I was the newest team member. I got it pretty quick. Go me! It was fun tho. Then we did the pass-along story game and it was so funny again. Then we played a new game. One that I will be introducing to my family because it would just be a riot with us. It's called movie charades. One person (the proctor) makes up a list of 10-12 movies- all different kinds. Then all the other people split into 2 teams and go into different rooms (I've been told it's best played with one team upstairs and one team in the basement). One person from each team goes to the Proctor and gets the first title. Then they run to their teams and play charades with the movie title. The person to correctly guess the title runs out to the Proctor to get the next title, and it keeps going like that until one team wins by finishing the list first. It is SO fun.
Then we may or may not have made a music video to a very popular song by 5 members of the team drawing eyes on their chins and doing the upside down talking things. I recorded it, and oh my GOSH it's hysterical. But it's not ready for the public to view yet. But don't you worry. It will be up! It's so funny.
Then we turned on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (that's what I get for not buying the movie in America!) Stone and made popcorn. Then Audrey wanted to do 'tattoos' on people with pen, so I volunteered (Katniss style) to get one, and of course, she did the Dark Mark. It was only fitting haha. We didn't finish the movie because we were all so tired. But it was a great day.
Brittany, Audrey, and I will probably be going to Tavua on Sunday-Wednesday for some different projects so we have a lot of planning for that. Possibly a rugby game this weekend as well! Lots to do, not enough time left!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Squatter Settlement Round 2
Monday was a good day. We got a lot done at the house and did one of my favorite things- GROCERY SHOPPING. I love it and that's for reals. No idea why, I just do. Then we went to the Squatter Settlement again to do some English games and songs with the kids while Yan Chun worked with some of the adults on budgeting and finance. It was hysterical. They knew some of the games and songs (like Old McDonald) but they LOVED Simon Says. Oh man did we have a blast with that. I spent most of the time taking pictures and just laughing with all of them. After awhile we went outside and did some tag games and did things like the alphabet and what starts with A, and that kind of thing. These kids are just SO DANG CUTE. And they LOVE seeing the pictures after I take it. Seriously the second I put the camera down, they all start running and screaming "Show me!" (typically in Fijian, and I have no idea what the word means, but I know they want to see the pictues) and then they all shriek and laugh and grin after seeing the pictures. It's so cute- except for when they get a little too excited to see the pictures and start hitting. That was when I taught them to say Please. Ain't gonna have none of that hitting business! Then we went home and had stir fry for Yan Chun's last meal with us (he leaves Thursday but he's doing a project in Tavua today, tomorrow, and Thursday). It's so sad. Yan Chun brings a hilariousness to the group that no one else can. On Meghan's birthday, we all went around the dinner table and told what we loved about Meghan. Yan Chun said "When I first met you, Meghan, I could only think one thing.... This girl's hair looks like stir fry noodles." (Meghan has longer blonde curly hair). We all about peed our pants. So when I was grocery shopping Monday, we had to buy stir fry noodles, and I had no idea what they looked like because I've never bought them before. But when I saw them, I knew. Because it looked like Meghan's hair. BAHAHAHAHA. So funny. ANYWAYS. The stir fry was great. Then we made brownies for team building dessert and cleaned the house. Then played a game of Grey's choosing. We did the pass-along story where you start writing a story for a minute, and when the minute's up, you fold the paper to cover everything but the last line of the story, and then pass it to the next person, and they have to continue. IT WAS HILARIOUS. Oh man. We could hardly read them they were so funny. Then we had delicious brownies and ice cream and then popped in a movie, but I headed to bed.
Tuesday started at 3:00 AM with Bruce (the dog that is owned by the people that live here usually, I think?) barking. He usually barks every morning ridiculously early and it's always right next to my window. Anyway, there may be a dead dog in the near future here. Serious. I hate him, and I don't usually hate dogs. Oh well. Stupid Bruce. Then I got up and wrote the blog from this weekend, and then got ready for my exercise class. I started by teaching about finding your heart rate and how it should be between 140-200 BPM during exercise yadda yadda, and it went WHOOSH right over their heads, but that's ok. Then we did a quick warm-up and did the Hokey Pokey, which was actually quite fun. Then we did Sharks and Minnows (on land) and it just turned into a big screaming and running around game, but still fun. Then Brittany and I stayed and watched the dancing that their doing for the shows. They are SO good. Seriously. I love it. Wish I would be here for the shows :( Oh well. Then we went home and changed and headed to Gospel High School to check on another volunteers project (she left last wave, and just wanted to make sure it was still going smoothly). Went home, changed back into comfier clothes and went with Audrey to tutor. We had so much fun. Today I helped Louisa study the major organs and their functions. Then I helped Suli and Simale with times tables and then we did health science and it was on CPR. Random but ok. It had some weird questions, that weren't in their notes, and I didn't want to make their answers too complex, so I dumbed it down as best I could. Hopefully it's correct. Then we took a cab home because it was POURING just like last night. Delicious dinner and hilarious team conversations. Probably going to the movies tonight, or going there to get snacks and then a movie here. Who knows.
Can't believe I only have 2 weeks and 2 days left. So not ready for that.
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS Squatter pics. Try not to die from cuteness overload.
-This is Maddison (I think he said that was his name- he's SO shy, but SO cute)
-Singing 5 Little Monkeys
-The Chief and one of the babies
-Simon says pat your head!
-I can't for the life of me remember this little boys name (GuDiese or something) but the is just the cutest. And a boy who is 10 I think? Don't remember his name either- I'm so bad with names!
-This is Pete (pronounced Peh tey). He plays wing in rugby and we have a secret handshake!
-Pete and this cutie.
-Pete and his buddy that I can't remember! Ugh so annoying that I can't remember their names!
-Aren't these kids the cutest?! Only competition they have are my own nieces and nephew!
-Seriously I would take this one home if I could.
-Some of the cutest boys I know!
-This one goes without saying. Uni, Maddison (probably spelled wrong) and that one cutest kid ever.
-Ignore the sweat shine. Admire the cuteness of this picture.
-Peace signs everywhere!
-Uni and Bulo
-Pumba and Bulo (yes Pumba! So cute!)
-Pumba the goof and Bulo the interested.
-They are some of the nicest and coolest people ever!
-So humble and beautiful.
Tuesday started at 3:00 AM with Bruce (the dog that is owned by the people that live here usually, I think?) barking. He usually barks every morning ridiculously early and it's always right next to my window. Anyway, there may be a dead dog in the near future here. Serious. I hate him, and I don't usually hate dogs. Oh well. Stupid Bruce. Then I got up and wrote the blog from this weekend, and then got ready for my exercise class. I started by teaching about finding your heart rate and how it should be between 140-200 BPM during exercise yadda yadda, and it went WHOOSH right over their heads, but that's ok. Then we did a quick warm-up and did the Hokey Pokey, which was actually quite fun. Then we did Sharks and Minnows (on land) and it just turned into a big screaming and running around game, but still fun. Then Brittany and I stayed and watched the dancing that their doing for the shows. They are SO good. Seriously. I love it. Wish I would be here for the shows :( Oh well. Then we went home and changed and headed to Gospel High School to check on another volunteers project (she left last wave, and just wanted to make sure it was still going smoothly). Went home, changed back into comfier clothes and went with Audrey to tutor. We had so much fun. Today I helped Louisa study the major organs and their functions. Then I helped Suli and Simale with times tables and then we did health science and it was on CPR. Random but ok. It had some weird questions, that weren't in their notes, and I didn't want to make their answers too complex, so I dumbed it down as best I could. Hopefully it's correct. Then we took a cab home because it was POURING just like last night. Delicious dinner and hilarious team conversations. Probably going to the movies tonight, or going there to get snacks and then a movie here. Who knows.
Can't believe I only have 2 weeks and 2 days left. So not ready for that.
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS Squatter pics. Try not to die from cuteness overload.
-This is Maddison (I think he said that was his name- he's SO shy, but SO cute)
-Singing 5 Little Monkeys
-The Chief and one of the babies
-I can't for the life of me remember this little boys name (GuDiese or something) but the is just the cutest. And a boy who is 10 I think? Don't remember his name either- I'm so bad with names!
-This is Pete (pronounced Peh tey). He plays wing in rugby and we have a secret handshake!
-Pete and his buddy that I can't remember! Ugh so annoying that I can't remember their names!
-Seriously I would take this one home if I could.
-Some of the cutest boys I know!
-This one goes without saying. Uni, Maddison (probably spelled wrong) and that one cutest kid ever.
-Ignore the sweat shine. Admire the cuteness of this picture.
-Peace signs everywhere!
-Uni and Bulo
-Pumba and Bulo (yes Pumba! So cute!)
-Pumba the goof and Bulo the interested.
-They are some of the nicest and coolest people ever!
-So humble and beautiful.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Weekend in Nadi
Friday- Started by going to a village in Dreketi. They had another volunteer organization (mostly people from Canada) stay at this village for a week and they were working on a school. Friday was their painting day and we were invited to come help paint! So we did. To get there we had to take a couple of Mini Buses (aka Creeper vans that have more seating and we literally fit like 20 people in them). So we finally get to the village and start painting a classroom door. Audrey and I only got to stay for 2 hours (it takes an hour to get there from our place in Suva). It was sad, but we had a bus to catch for our weekend getaway to Nadi! So we got home, packed really quick and headed to the bus station (which is seriously a zoo all the time). We took a charter bus to Nadi (about a 3 1/2 hour drive, and only cost $16! Which is about $8 US dollars. crazy). We got to Nadi a little after 8PM and checked in at our hostel called Aquarius on the beach. Natalie, Audrey, and I were in a 6-person dorm room (3 bunk-bed sets and a bathroom) and Lucy and Alex were in a 12. Our first night we had 2 roommates- 1 from New Zealand, and 1 from Holland (didn't get to talk to her much, sorry Dad!). We ordered dinner at the restaurant at the hostel and then went for a walk on the beach, which was literally less than 50 yards away from back of the hostel. SO COOL. It wasn't the crystal clear blue water, white sandy beaches, but it was still very pretty.
Saturday- Got up and had free breakfast (delicious pancakes and OJ- which I'm pretty sure wasn't really OJ.... oh well) and then went to Denarau (the port where our cruise ship was leaving from, and it's like this big outdoor mall and has a lot of resorts and beaches there). Natalie, Audrey and I checked in for our day trip and walked around all the mall shops while we waited to board the ship. We got on and went and sat on top. OMG THE VIEW WAS AMAZING. The ocean was so beautiful- literally a tealish color. It was amazing. Then we started to see the island we were going to (South Sea Island). It was this itty bitty island! We got of the boat onto a smaller boat to take us to the island, where we were greeted by a group of singers in traditionally Fijian clothes! Then we had a buffet lunch and watched some dances and singers. It was so great. You could stand in one spot on the island, and do a 360 degree turn and see ocean anywhere you looked. We went to the beach for a little bit and then Natalie went and did a Scuba dive of a shipwreck! (Wish I had gotten certified!). Audrey and I went on a "submarine" tour which was....kinda lame. You could hardly see anything and we both felt sick after. But then we went snorkeling! We went with a small group to do a deeper snorkel. It was amazing! Not super colorful because we weren't very deep, but there were tons of cool fish and lots of blue star fish and we even saw an eel! In our group, there was a group of about 6 or 7 Asian girls (Korean I think). They were.....scared I think? They were all wearing life jackets (most of us weren't- you wouldn't be able to dive down if you were wearing one, and seeing as I somewhat know how to swim...hah! I was fine without one) and they kept holding on to this floaty thing and laughing and shrieking. The snorkel instructor, Joe, looked at me and Audrey and said "Uhhh... why did they come?! You girls follow me, we'll go see some cool stuff!" It was so cool. It was over way too soon. We went back to the beach, grabbed Natalie and went snorkeling just off the beach. It was REALLY shallow, but we still. saw some cool fish and got some pictures (Natalie has a GOPRO with an underwater case! But it was so hard to stay underwater for the pictures!). And before we knew it, a guy came over to us in a boat and told us it was time to turn in our gear and get ready to go. We were not happy. There was still so much to do! I had wanted to Kayak, but maybe another day. The snorkeling was legit. We got back on the boat and headed back to Denarau. Met up with Lucy and Alex and went and had dinner. Then in the middle of the open mall square, there was a free show! It was traditional dancing from some of the islands and ended with...FIRE DANCING. IT WAS SO COOL!!!!! Very impressive. Then we went back to Aquarius and walked on the beach and looked at the stars. They were SO bright and everywhere! It was truly amazing. Then went to bed. This time our roommates were Australian, and I'm not sure what the other 2 were... One sounded British and the other sounded Scottish, but we didn't get to talk to them.
Sunday- we got up and had our free pancakes and "OJ" again. Then we all laid on the beach for awhile and then headed to sacrament meeting. A boy there just got his mission call to the Philippines (not George and Lori's mission). Then we went back to the hostel for lunch and more beach time. Then it was time to go :( We got a ride from Godfrey (Lucy and Carly met him- he's a surf instructor!) to the bus station. We took a mini bus home instead of a charter bus (supposedly faster). Well, the driver definitely drove faster. I was fearing for my life the entire drive home. He would pass when there wasn't a lot of room and it was literally like we were playing chicken with other cars. Scary. It was packed. And the roads were bumpy. And I may or may not have thrown up when we got home. Anyways, this guy kept stopping to pick more people up and we were like "you've got to be kidding. THERE'S NO MORE ROOM! And this is a long drive!" So with the amount of stops we had, it took about the same amount of time as a charter bus. Got home, and I showered, didn't eat dinner (last thing I wanted to do after that drive home was eat!), nodded off during our scheduling meeting,and then past out on my bed.
Overall it was an amazing weekend. There's just so much to do here and it's all so beautiful. I'm having the time of my life! I'm so glad I decided to this. I'm so grateful to everyone who donated and made this experience possible for me! The experiences I'm having, the people I'm meeting and helping, and the adventures I'm on are truly remarkable! Thanks everyone!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS Picture time!
1- Alex representing HELP-International on the beach.
2- Paddle boarder on the ocean.
3- Our beach walks
4- Hector the dog! He scared the crap out of me while I was laying out! He just came over and sat next to me. Then whined until Natalie and I pet him. Then we took him in the ocean :)
5- South Sea Island!
6- The greeting party at South Sea Island
7- Beautiful water (and lots of painful coral) at South Sea Island
8- traditional dancers on the island!
9- Natalie going on her wreck dive!
10- Sunset on the way back to the main island (Viti Levu)
11- Dance show at Denarau
12- FIRE DANCING.
13-FIRE POIS?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!
14-Can we just take a moment and discuss the epicness that is this picture?! Not to pat myself on the back, but DANG. This picture is a favorite for sure.
15- Fire fire fire.
16- Fire dancing pyramid. INSANE.
These pics are from Natalie's camera! Thanks Natface!
1-Starfish
2- Snorkeling
3- Fun underwater snorkeling pics!
4- Natalie and me snorkeling!
5- Me and Audrey on the boat ride back
Saturday- Got up and had free breakfast (delicious pancakes and OJ- which I'm pretty sure wasn't really OJ.... oh well) and then went to Denarau (the port where our cruise ship was leaving from, and it's like this big outdoor mall and has a lot of resorts and beaches there). Natalie, Audrey and I checked in for our day trip and walked around all the mall shops while we waited to board the ship. We got on and went and sat on top. OMG THE VIEW WAS AMAZING. The ocean was so beautiful- literally a tealish color. It was amazing. Then we started to see the island we were going to (South Sea Island). It was this itty bitty island! We got of the boat onto a smaller boat to take us to the island, where we were greeted by a group of singers in traditionally Fijian clothes! Then we had a buffet lunch and watched some dances and singers. It was so great. You could stand in one spot on the island, and do a 360 degree turn and see ocean anywhere you looked. We went to the beach for a little bit and then Natalie went and did a Scuba dive of a shipwreck! (Wish I had gotten certified!). Audrey and I went on a "submarine" tour which was....kinda lame. You could hardly see anything and we both felt sick after. But then we went snorkeling! We went with a small group to do a deeper snorkel. It was amazing! Not super colorful because we weren't very deep, but there were tons of cool fish and lots of blue star fish and we even saw an eel! In our group, there was a group of about 6 or 7 Asian girls (Korean I think). They were.....scared I think? They were all wearing life jackets (most of us weren't- you wouldn't be able to dive down if you were wearing one, and seeing as I somewhat know how to swim...hah! I was fine without one) and they kept holding on to this floaty thing and laughing and shrieking. The snorkel instructor, Joe, looked at me and Audrey and said "Uhhh... why did they come?! You girls follow me, we'll go see some cool stuff!" It was so cool. It was over way too soon. We went back to the beach, grabbed Natalie and went snorkeling just off the beach. It was REALLY shallow, but we still. saw some cool fish and got some pictures (Natalie has a GOPRO with an underwater case! But it was so hard to stay underwater for the pictures!). And before we knew it, a guy came over to us in a boat and told us it was time to turn in our gear and get ready to go. We were not happy. There was still so much to do! I had wanted to Kayak, but maybe another day. The snorkeling was legit. We got back on the boat and headed back to Denarau. Met up with Lucy and Alex and went and had dinner. Then in the middle of the open mall square, there was a free show! It was traditional dancing from some of the islands and ended with...FIRE DANCING. IT WAS SO COOL!!!!! Very impressive. Then we went back to Aquarius and walked on the beach and looked at the stars. They were SO bright and everywhere! It was truly amazing. Then went to bed. This time our roommates were Australian, and I'm not sure what the other 2 were... One sounded British and the other sounded Scottish, but we didn't get to talk to them.
Sunday- we got up and had our free pancakes and "OJ" again. Then we all laid on the beach for awhile and then headed to sacrament meeting. A boy there just got his mission call to the Philippines (not George and Lori's mission). Then we went back to the hostel for lunch and more beach time. Then it was time to go :( We got a ride from Godfrey (Lucy and Carly met him- he's a surf instructor!) to the bus station. We took a mini bus home instead of a charter bus (supposedly faster). Well, the driver definitely drove faster. I was fearing for my life the entire drive home. He would pass when there wasn't a lot of room and it was literally like we were playing chicken with other cars. Scary. It was packed. And the roads were bumpy. And I may or may not have thrown up when we got home. Anyways, this guy kept stopping to pick more people up and we were like "you've got to be kidding. THERE'S NO MORE ROOM! And this is a long drive!" So with the amount of stops we had, it took about the same amount of time as a charter bus. Got home, and I showered, didn't eat dinner (last thing I wanted to do after that drive home was eat!), nodded off during our scheduling meeting,and then past out on my bed.
Overall it was an amazing weekend. There's just so much to do here and it's all so beautiful. I'm having the time of my life! I'm so glad I decided to this. I'm so grateful to everyone who donated and made this experience possible for me! The experiences I'm having, the people I'm meeting and helping, and the adventures I'm on are truly remarkable! Thanks everyone!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS Picture time!
1- Alex representing HELP-International on the beach.
2- Paddle boarder on the ocean.
4- Hector the dog! He scared the crap out of me while I was laying out! He just came over and sat next to me. Then whined until Natalie and I pet him. Then we took him in the ocean :)
6- The greeting party at South Sea Island
7- Beautiful water (and lots of painful coral) at South Sea Island
9- Natalie going on her wreck dive!
10- Sunset on the way back to the main island (Viti Levu)
11- Dance show at Denarau
12- FIRE DANCING.
13-FIRE POIS?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!
14-Can we just take a moment and discuss the epicness that is this picture?! Not to pat myself on the back, but DANG. This picture is a favorite for sure.
15- Fire fire fire.
16- Fire dancing pyramid. INSANE.
These pics are from Natalie's camera! Thanks Natface!
1-Starfish
2- Snorkeling
3- Fun underwater snorkeling pics!
4- Natalie and me snorkeling!
5- Me and Audrey on the boat ride back
Thursday, July 25, 2013
YES MADAME!
Wednesday was fantastic. Meghan and I woke up super early to start our day at the schools. But first! I made pancakes. Va (our morning cook) has been sick this week so we've been handling breakfast on our own, and since I woke up early, I thought I would make breakfast for the other 3 girls. So cooking here is a bit different. We're lucky because we're staying in such a nice house that happens to be a catering business as well, so we have a microwave, toaster, oven, etc. But they don't have cooking spray.... so I used oil. The pancakes turned out to be more like fritters, but they were super delicious (I added oats in there to thicken them up a bit too). The downside to cooking with oil- I got burnt approximately 10 times from oil splashes. Boo. But sacrifices must be made! And they were fantastic pancakes. So Meghan and I ate quickly and then left for our first school, Nabua Primary. Meghan did a workshop with some of these teachers last week, so we were going there to see some of the teachers in the classroom trying out some of these ideas. I went to a class (grade) 3 room. OMG. I ABOUT DIED FROM CUTENESS. These kids were seriously adorable and SO polite. They were doing a maths (short for mathematics, and they call it maths. it's cute) review for their upcoming exams. So I went around and helped a few of them, and anytime I asked "does that make sense?" or "do you understand?" they always reply with "YES MADAME!" It was literally one of the most adorable things I've ever heard. I may or may not have made sure to ask questions so they would reply just like that. I should have recorded it. Ah well. Can't have it all. Anyways, after our review, I taught them a song to remember the 3s times tables. You put the numbers to the tune of 'Jingle Bells'. 3 6 9- 12 15- 18 21- 24 27 30 33. It works. THEY WENT NUTS. They absolutely LOVED it. We did it a few times, and then I would cover the numbers so they could try to remember it (just like scripture mastery!). It was so fun! And then we had to leave and I was so sad. So I thanked them and said MOCE! and they all started to giggle. So funny.
Then we went to a school for a PD (professional development) during their afternoon tea (a break they have everyday- no idea what the students do during this time). These teachers were GREAT. They were super interactive and responsive and it just went really well. And they had a ton of food for us, which was great. We stayed and talked for quite awhile after. Then we went home and relaxed for a bit. Then we headed out to another school- trying to take a bus because our taxi runs were starting to pile up and cost far too much. Well the bus we took ended up stopping at a zillion stops and then headed to the main hub and it was just crazy so we hopped off and grabbed a cab. Got to the school late, but they were running late anyways, so it's ok. This was one of the worst PDs we've done. The teachers just gawked at us like we were zoo animals and didn't respond to ANY of our questions or examples. When we finished, the principal stood up and said "this has been an interesting presentation, but as you can see our teachers are far too busy to implement any activities or games in their lessons." ARE YOU KIDDING?! They missed the WHOLE point of the presentation! UGH. Thanks for having us waste an hour of our lives. THEN. Everyone was leaving and the principal looked at us and said "so you're going to leave now right?" as if she wanted nothing more than for us to be out of her sight. No problem lady, we're gone! Oh well. We just focused on how well the morning went and we were happy.
Took the bus home (have I mentioned how much I love riding the buses here? I'm being serious. I love it). We went shopping downtown (it was Meghan's last night here, so she wanted to get a few things). And then came home for dinner. Then we watched a movie and Grey, Natalie, Lucy and Alex came home! YAY FOR MORE PEOPLE! It was too quiet without others here :) Then bed.
Slept in a bit this morning. Got ready for my exercise class lesson. Did some reading. Then went to my class. And.... well. It didn't really happen. The kids were all out playing all other things, and the teachers didn't really call them in to come to my class. So I taught the 5 that were there listening to me and we played Red Light, Green Light for about 10 minutes, then joined the other kids in different games. It was kind of frustrating, because I planned and prepared all this stuff, and then didn't do it. Oh well. It's how Fiji kinda goes. Plus I got to play Touch (Rugby) so that was fun.
Went home and went into town with Audrey, Natalie, and Poasa. We were on a mission to find some specific souvenirs and to go to the post office to figure out how Natalie was going to mail a rather large souvenir home. It was fun being there with Poasa- he knew basically everyone. It was fun. Plus I gots some good stuffs :). Went home and got ready for tutoring. Went to tutoring, but none of the kids were there yet. We waited and talked to the staff for a bit, and then the kids showed up. I worked with Louisa again and this time she was studying for another test about ears! So we studied the way that sound travels to our brains. It was super fun. Then we practiced her times tables, and more kids showed up, but we had quite a few people there helping, so I stuck with Louisa and we did a lot of maths.
Then we went home and had an amazing dinner (Tiko strikes again!). Then we made some reservations for this weekend! I'M SO EXCITED. We're going to Nadi, and on Saturday, Audrey, Natalie, and I are going on a half day island tour to South Sea Island where we'll do some snorkeling and lay on a bit nicer of a beach and possibly some other fun activities! I'm so excited! It's only a few hours, but I'm stoked. Plus we're going right back to Nadi for more stuff. Then we'll be there for a bit on Sunday and then we'll take a bus back to Suva (I think it's about a 5 hour drive? Woof, but hopefully worth it).
After that, we all went to Jody's (the most Americanized food place here) and got brownies and ice cream (delicious, but SO rich). Then home for some Taboo and a movie. It's a good life here in Fiji :)
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS some more pics
1- The buses are super colorful, and the norm for transportation (besides walking). I LOVE THEM. Honest to goodness I do. Go buses.
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2- The view from the bus as we got into downtown Suva. This is the harbor, and it is just gorgeous.
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3- This is the view from one of the schools. I loved it.
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4- The students from Nabua primary class 3! (the 'Yes Madame!' students). They are just too cute.
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Then we went to a school for a PD (professional development) during their afternoon tea (a break they have everyday- no idea what the students do during this time). These teachers were GREAT. They were super interactive and responsive and it just went really well. And they had a ton of food for us, which was great. We stayed and talked for quite awhile after. Then we went home and relaxed for a bit. Then we headed out to another school- trying to take a bus because our taxi runs were starting to pile up and cost far too much. Well the bus we took ended up stopping at a zillion stops and then headed to the main hub and it was just crazy so we hopped off and grabbed a cab. Got to the school late, but they were running late anyways, so it's ok. This was one of the worst PDs we've done. The teachers just gawked at us like we were zoo animals and didn't respond to ANY of our questions or examples. When we finished, the principal stood up and said "this has been an interesting presentation, but as you can see our teachers are far too busy to implement any activities or games in their lessons." ARE YOU KIDDING?! They missed the WHOLE point of the presentation! UGH. Thanks for having us waste an hour of our lives. THEN. Everyone was leaving and the principal looked at us and said "so you're going to leave now right?" as if she wanted nothing more than for us to be out of her sight. No problem lady, we're gone! Oh well. We just focused on how well the morning went and we were happy.
Took the bus home (have I mentioned how much I love riding the buses here? I'm being serious. I love it). We went shopping downtown (it was Meghan's last night here, so she wanted to get a few things). And then came home for dinner. Then we watched a movie and Grey, Natalie, Lucy and Alex came home! YAY FOR MORE PEOPLE! It was too quiet without others here :) Then bed.
Slept in a bit this morning. Got ready for my exercise class lesson. Did some reading. Then went to my class. And.... well. It didn't really happen. The kids were all out playing all other things, and the teachers didn't really call them in to come to my class. So I taught the 5 that were there listening to me and we played Red Light, Green Light for about 10 minutes, then joined the other kids in different games. It was kind of frustrating, because I planned and prepared all this stuff, and then didn't do it. Oh well. It's how Fiji kinda goes. Plus I got to play Touch (Rugby) so that was fun.
Went home and went into town with Audrey, Natalie, and Poasa. We were on a mission to find some specific souvenirs and to go to the post office to figure out how Natalie was going to mail a rather large souvenir home. It was fun being there with Poasa- he knew basically everyone. It was fun. Plus I gots some good stuffs :). Went home and got ready for tutoring. Went to tutoring, but none of the kids were there yet. We waited and talked to the staff for a bit, and then the kids showed up. I worked with Louisa again and this time she was studying for another test about ears! So we studied the way that sound travels to our brains. It was super fun. Then we practiced her times tables, and more kids showed up, but we had quite a few people there helping, so I stuck with Louisa and we did a lot of maths.
Then we went home and had an amazing dinner (Tiko strikes again!). Then we made some reservations for this weekend! I'M SO EXCITED. We're going to Nadi, and on Saturday, Audrey, Natalie, and I are going on a half day island tour to South Sea Island where we'll do some snorkeling and lay on a bit nicer of a beach and possibly some other fun activities! I'm so excited! It's only a few hours, but I'm stoked. Plus we're going right back to Nadi for more stuff. Then we'll be there for a bit on Sunday and then we'll take a bus back to Suva (I think it's about a 5 hour drive? Woof, but hopefully worth it).
After that, we all went to Jody's (the most Americanized food place here) and got brownies and ice cream (delicious, but SO rich). Then home for some Taboo and a movie. It's a good life here in Fiji :)
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS some more pics
1- The buses are super colorful, and the norm for transportation (besides walking). I LOVE THEM. Honest to goodness I do. Go buses.
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2- The view from the bus as we got into downtown Suva. This is the harbor, and it is just gorgeous.
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3- This is the view from one of the schools. I loved it.
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4- The students from Nabua primary class 3! (the 'Yes Madame!' students). They are just too cute.
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Moniti and Tusite
Moniti means Monday and Tusite means Tuesday :)
Then we went home and we had some time to kill before dinner. So I did my laundry. Now, we don't have a washer and dryer here (well we did, but they aren't working, and the launder mat is crazy expensive) so we hand wash our clothes. I WILL NEVER TAKE A WASHING MACHINE OR DRYER FOR GRANTED AGAIN. OMG. I HATE DOING LAUNDRY BY HAND. It was horrible, took forever, and I'm pretty sure I didn't use enough soap on my whites, and too much soap/didn't rinse enough on my colors. Guess we'll know if it rains next, and my clothes start to have suds to rinse better. Anyways. We literally have a huge bucket in a shower that we use for laundry. Least favorite experience so far. Woof.
Ate dinner with the team (always a great time). And then we did house cleaning, which was much needed. Our house has smelled as of late. Probably just because nothing ever dries here and everything is mildewy. It's gross. But cleaning really helped. Then we did team building and told ghost stories and played taboo. Way funny. Then we made a giant cookie and got ice cream. So delicious and so fun.
Today I got up and went to the store to print out some stuff for my first exercise class at Hilton Special School! I was actually really nervous for it! We went a little early (I was told the class would be from 12-1) so I got there at 11:50. We started at 12:35. OH FIJI TIME, HOW I LOVE THEE. Not really, but that's ok. Now I know from now on it will start later. We started by talking about some of their favorite exercises. Then we did a quick warm-up and stretches. Then straight into relay races. First, they didn't really understand the concept of a relay, so that took some explaining. But after the first one... THEY LOVED IT. It was SO much fun. We did a running one first, then skipping, then hopping, and then they either skipped or walked fast. It was great. So fun. Kind of chaotic, but very fun. We ended with 10 sit-ups and some stretching. I felt like overall, it went fairly well. I think in the future, I will do the hokey pokey- I think they will love that and it well help them review the body parts in English.
Then I went home and changed for another PD at the Assemblies of God Primary School. We felt much more welcomed at this school. They had us sit in these special chairs in their staff room for their meeting. Not very many teachers attended, but they were so nice. They started it off with a prayer, which was awesome. During the presentation, which we had much more time for this time, they were kind of quiet and didn't participate all that much (they all seemed really tired). But then we started talking about games and examples (multiplication war was HUGE hit!) and they started getting into it more. They asked us a lot of questions after it was over. It was kind of cool. Then they ended with a prayer, and brought out all this food for us to eat. And they only had plates for us- the teachers just used their hands. They wouldn't let us wash our dishes or anything. I felt so special! Then we told them we had to go, and someone immediately ran out to call a taxi for us. Everything they did was just so nice. Go AOG.
We went straight to tutoring at FENC after this, and we were so late because we had to stay for the food (it would have been super rude to just leave and not accept their offer- not that I minded because I was hungry!). I helped Louisa (who is also Mormon!) study for a science test. We studied all about blood and we made up funny things to help her remember (like Dad used to do for my stupid vocab and geography tests in high school!). We had entirely too much fun. Then we took some pictures (it was Meghan's last day of tutoring) and they gave her cards and had this little goodbye speech. It was so cute.
As we (me, Meghan, and Audrey) were walking home, a car drove by and someone yelled "HEEEEEEEEEEY LADIES! I LIKE THE GREEN ONE!" We started laughing and looked around b/c we had no clue what he was talking about. Then, I realized..... I was wearing a bright green skirt. Meghan and Audrey DIED laughing. Oh boy. HAH!
Got home for dinner. There are only 4 of us at the house right now, everyone else is on trips. So we ate and then we were just listening to music... when an NSYNC song game on. So we did the only logical things we could think of. Brought all the extra mattresses downstairs and had a dance/singing party, complete with remote and phone microphones. We're the best.
Tomorrow we have a lot of school visits, and hopefully a rugby match!!!!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
PS a few pics
1-The cookie! With all 8 of us and our spoons.
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3- These 2 cute girls from Hilton just before the exercise class! Wish I could bring them home!
4- Meghan with Ledua and Kini at tutoring
5- Meghan with a bunch of the kids from tutoring (I don't know all their names yet!)
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Streets of Suva
Yesterday was Saturday and it was great. Got to sleep in a bit which was nice. Then Alex, Grey and I headed out on the town! Well kinda. We went walking all over downtown Suva. But first! We had lunch at the mall. Hah. Then we headed out again. There is a botanical garden and museum that Grey had been wanting to see. On our way we passed the rugby pitch! Unfortunately, no games were playing. Which was really too bad because it was so muddy and would have made for an awesome game! One day. It's on my list to see a rugby game while here. Must happen. The botanical garden was... a bit of a let down. I thought it was going to be all these beautiful and different flowers and colors everywhere. Well it was pretty, but not that colorful. Lots of trees. The museum cost some money, and we didn't feel like paying to go in, so we just looked around for a bit at the free stuff and left. Then we went and found a cathedral! It was a super cool building, but we weren't allowed inside. It was raining on and off a lot as well. It sounds like it wasn't very fun, but it really was. It was great to just walk around and look at stuff and be with fun people. Then we headed home and dried off (well, as much as we could. You're never really dry in Suva- thanks rain and humidity). Then other people decided they were hungry so we went to dinner at the mall. Again. haha. Love it. We had a riot though. There was this super attractive security guard. And Brittany and I started giggling like little school girls as we said Bula to him because he smiled back and he could tell we were talking about him. And we went across the street to another store, and then had to come back that way to go to a different store, and we had to pass by him, so Brittany does this huge and slightly awkward wave, and the guard just started cracking up and came outside. He pulled Grey aside, saying he needed to talk to him privately. HE ASKED IF BRITTANY AND I WERE MARRIED. HAH! We went to the store, and we had to walk by the guard again (Sol is his name) and Grey and I decided we would write down Britt's name so he could find her on facebook. So we walked by again, and we were all going to go in and say Hi, and Brittany goes up to the doors (which were automatic) and tried to open them, but the mall was closed, so it wasn't opening, and what she didn't see, but the rest of us did, was just a few feet further, there was a door propped wide open. It was hysterical. Sol was dying. So we went in, made awkward conversation, and then we left, but Grey stayed behind and gave him the paper and told him to add Britt on facebook, and Grey said he was acting all giddy and cute like. So funny. He hasn't added her yet, but we'll see! Very funny experience. Brittany was so embarrassed and mad at us (but she secretly liked it). Then we went home and watched Invictus and went to bed.
Today is Sunday. Woke up early and went to church with Grey (the others took advantage of the sunshine and headed to Warwick for a beach day, but I wanted to experience church in Suva :) plus there will be other beach days). It was an open building, which was cool, like a middle area that was just wide open to the sky, and had classrooms in the hallway. And this is a ward, but I thought it was definitely branch sized. Interesting. And they do reverse schedule (Relief Society, Sunday School, Sacrament). Sunday School is broken into Adult Adults (well that's what I call it) and YSA (Young Single Adult). The guy that taught the YSA class got home from his mission in March and he went to New York! So cool. Our lesson was on the pioneers and their time in Nauvoo. It was so weird that no one there had been or even really seen Nauvoo and I've been there almost 10 times. Crazy. So I got to answer a lot of questions and that was cool. Sacrament was great, but everyone is so quiet, even when they sing. I was so loud! Kinda funny. Good thing I can somewhat carry a tune! After church, Grey and I went home while Brittany stayed for choir. Unbeknownst (solid word usage) to us, the house was locked. And only Brittany and Lucy have keys. So we chilled on the patio until Brittany came home, and she actually went around another way and we didn't even see her. It scared the crap out of us. We went in and ate lunch. Got to FaceTime with Becky and then later Mom and Dad (HE GOT AN IPHONE4. World has ended). Took a nap. Then went to a stake music fireside. Why is it that when we don't need a taxi, every taxi known to man passes by and honks, trying to get us to flag them down, and when we need a taxi, there is none to be found anywhere?! So weird. But that happened tonight. Anyways, this fireside. Brittany had a solo. She's a rockstar. And was hands down the best one, not even joking. These ladies that sang. Oh they had such sweet spirit. Not so many had such sweet voices. But it was still great. There were a ton of people there. It was awesome. Then home and we started making dinner (Banana chocolate chip pancakes, salad, cucumbers, and carrots....hodge podge dinner! Time to go for real grocery shopping). Grey and I almost burnt the house down (not really, but there was a lot of smoke). Then others took over and the pancakes were delicious, as were the vegetable entrees. We had a great dinner conversations (someone usually picks a topic- tonight was movies). Then cleaned up and figured out the schedule for the week. Gonna be a busy one! I start the exercise classes on Tuesday! Starting to get a bit nervous! We're probably going to Nadi (pronounced Nandi) this week and staying at a resort and doing lots of beach trips! So excited!!!! And now we're going to watch Finding Nemo! Huzzah!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
Oh PS. There are approximately a million GECKOS around here. And there are some in the house. One usually hides up by the upstairs windows and freaks me out. One just made a super weird noise, and it freaked me OUTTTTTTTTTTTTT. Blergh.
PPS Pictures!
1-Touring the streets of Suva (with Grey and Alex)!
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4- Cathedral close-up
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Today is Sunday. Woke up early and went to church with Grey (the others took advantage of the sunshine and headed to Warwick for a beach day, but I wanted to experience church in Suva :) plus there will be other beach days). It was an open building, which was cool, like a middle area that was just wide open to the sky, and had classrooms in the hallway. And this is a ward, but I thought it was definitely branch sized. Interesting. And they do reverse schedule (Relief Society, Sunday School, Sacrament). Sunday School is broken into Adult Adults (well that's what I call it) and YSA (Young Single Adult). The guy that taught the YSA class got home from his mission in March and he went to New York! So cool. Our lesson was on the pioneers and their time in Nauvoo. It was so weird that no one there had been or even really seen Nauvoo and I've been there almost 10 times. Crazy. So I got to answer a lot of questions and that was cool. Sacrament was great, but everyone is so quiet, even when they sing. I was so loud! Kinda funny. Good thing I can somewhat carry a tune! After church, Grey and I went home while Brittany stayed for choir. Unbeknownst (solid word usage) to us, the house was locked. And only Brittany and Lucy have keys. So we chilled on the patio until Brittany came home, and she actually went around another way and we didn't even see her. It scared the crap out of us. We went in and ate lunch. Got to FaceTime with Becky and then later Mom and Dad (HE GOT AN IPHONE4. World has ended). Took a nap. Then went to a stake music fireside. Why is it that when we don't need a taxi, every taxi known to man passes by and honks, trying to get us to flag them down, and when we need a taxi, there is none to be found anywhere?! So weird. But that happened tonight. Anyways, this fireside. Brittany had a solo. She's a rockstar. And was hands down the best one, not even joking. These ladies that sang. Oh they had such sweet spirit. Not so many had such sweet voices. But it was still great. There were a ton of people there. It was awesome. Then home and we started making dinner (Banana chocolate chip pancakes, salad, cucumbers, and carrots....hodge podge dinner! Time to go for real grocery shopping). Grey and I almost burnt the house down (not really, but there was a lot of smoke). Then others took over and the pancakes were delicious, as were the vegetable entrees. We had a great dinner conversations (someone usually picks a topic- tonight was movies). Then cleaned up and figured out the schedule for the week. Gonna be a busy one! I start the exercise classes on Tuesday! Starting to get a bit nervous! We're probably going to Nadi (pronounced Nandi) this week and staying at a resort and doing lots of beach trips! So excited!!!! And now we're going to watch Finding Nemo! Huzzah!
Moce and much love,
Sarah
Oh PS. There are approximately a million GECKOS around here. And there are some in the house. One usually hides up by the upstairs windows and freaks me out. One just made a super weird noise, and it freaked me OUTTTTTTTTTTTTT. Blergh.
PPS Pictures!
1-Touring the streets of Suva (with Grey and Alex)!
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2-Just love seeing palm trees and coconuts everywhere!
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3- Cathedral! So cool!
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4- Cathedral close-up
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5- Cathedral. Where's Waldo... I mean Grey? Do you see him??
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6- Oh and I found this video from the dance show Friday. It didn't come up on my phone until today.... Weird. Again, poor quality from the phone, but it was seriously so cool.
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