BULA!!

Hello again!! Everything is great here in awesome Fiji. Here is a picture I took on the bus ride from Nadi to Suva: 

Yeah I really can't wait to get in all of that. During the week I'm basically going to be working like a dog in heat (heh.. cause I'm working at an SPCA and it's really really hot out) and then on weekends I will be going off with other volunteers to awesome places. Ina (pronounced eye-eeena), my housemate from Germany showed me pictures of her last weekend getaway and everything just looks photo shopped and unreal. I'm meeting the rest of the volunteers tomorrow (I think there's around 15?) and I heard they are already planning a road trip around the island. There's a national Fijian holiday this Monday so it's going to be a long weekend of ridiculousness. 

Yesterday I was shown how to use the buses and where certain landmarks are. The city is extremely crowded and busy. When I got back home, there was only a few hours until dinner time. One of the most amazing things about this program is that I never have to worry about food. Food was great as usual, ate some mackerel which tasted like chicken. I was told that most of the volunteers that stay with my host family gain weight. One volunteer had gained 8 kilos! So yeah be prepared to greet all of my necks when I get home in 3 months. 

My host family went over some customs to be aware of. One in particular was that when passing too close to someone's space or interrupting their view of something, you should say "too low" (not sure about spelling). Last night I was really wiped out so I went to bed early again. The heat really takes a toll on your body. 

This morning I got up early and showered. Karishma picked me up and took me to my first day at the SPCA. When I got there I was welcomed and got the impression I was greatly needed. My role will be to help with education and fundraising along with taking care of the animals and assisting the veterinarian. There isn't a veterinarian yet, but there will be in a few weeks. This is good because then I have time to adjust to the place. 

The SPCA is quite shocking. The first dog I saw was one that someone brought in. This dog was the most emaciated dog I have ever seen. It would put Sara Mcglacuahgahan (pronounced Baklava) to shame. I didn't really have time to take it in since I was getting a tour of the facility but around 15 minutes later I saw the dog being carried to a freezer, dead. 

Many of the dogs here are a lot thinner than dogs in fat America but Fiji is a developing country so really dogs aren't a top concern. With all of the sadness that occurs comes the happiness that the well dogs give. They might be filled with ticks, mangy, smelly, and thin but they are still happy just like American dogs. 

Here are some dogs I bathed this morning: 

She's a mommy 

To this pup

The dogs are generally happy and most are non-aggressive. Most are mutty island looking dogs but there are also some beauties. Like this german shepherd: 

Sorry bad pic, but he's flawless

There are also lots of cats. They are the most crazy social cats I've ever met. 

They really liked their dinner of mackerel too. The dogs were fed rice and fish. They are livin it. 

Towards the end of the day, somebody dropped off 6 puppies. It was a pretty outrageous thing to do. She said they were 2 months old and couldn't take care of them anymore. To me, they looked lot younger. What do you think?: 

So my first day at the SPCA was great. I liked meeting the staff and the dogs. I'm excited to make a huge difference for the lives of these poor animals. 

I'd like to end this blog post on a Jillian Fact of the Day: 

These geckos are everywhere, all over the walls and floor. It's great because they eat mosquitoes. I really enjoy them because they sound like parakeets. BLU!! BIRDIE BLU!!!!! This one seems to be committing suicide (I feel like one of those natgeo narrators who think they are speaking for the animals). 

Lata. 

Arrival

Bula!! Hello, Bula is kind of like Fiji's Aloha. It's pronounced boola, kind of like booya. I am safe and unpacked here in Suva with an exceptionally amazing host family. Both of my flights were good. From NY to Cali, I sat in a 3-seat row with the middle seat empty so I had lots of room for multiple kinds of sleeping positions. On my Cali to Fiji flight, I sat next to a native Indian Fijian guy who's dad happened to be one of our flight attendants. Also, next to him was a girl who's mom was one of our flight attendants. So I got to sit next to airplane royalty for 10 hours, which was great ha. They both told me a lot of what to expect about Fiji. It was interesting because they were coming from vacation in Cali. They were obsessed with the fast food it was cute. After talking and eating airplane food dinner, I was able to sleep which I needed.

Once I arrived in Nadi (pronounced Naandi), it was 4:15 am Fiji time. I was greeted by Oripa and another volunteer who was going to be located only 15 minutes from the airport. Oripa bought me a bus ticket for Suva and sent me on my way. The bus ride was about 5 hours because there were many stops. I think it would usually only take about 2-3 hours. It was good though because again, I got the chance to sleep. At times I was awake though, I was greeted by the beautiful beachy scenery. Everything is so breathtaking. I took some pictures I promise I will post pictures next time. I am at an internet cafe and I didn't bring any of my hookups for the computer. I also saw people horseback riding on the beach which is definitely something I will be looking into doing. 

The last stop on the bus was my stop at the Holiday Inn in Suva. I was greeted by Karishma and Jessi who helped me with my bags and went in a taxi with me to my host family's house. Everyone was extremely helpful. When I arrived (around noon), we all went in and talked in my host family's cozy living room. I met my host father Weiss (I don't think that's how it's spelled.) who is extremely nice. He asked me if I have any food preferences and I told him that I cannot eat mayo. He was extremely grateful that I told him that because they put mayo in some of their dishes. I also met my host family's god daughter Barbara who is seven and their son, Tony who is ten. Barbara was getting picked up that evening. I taught them how to play Uno and War. They had a lot of fun.  

My host mother, Nisetta came home shortly after and greeted me like she was my own mother. She's full of life and makes me feel like I am part of the family. She has made it very easy to feel comfortable in a new place. She made lunch and it was excellent. I ate pumpkin, rice, a chicken dish, and some kind of beef and mutton dish. There was a dish with mayo in it but both of my host parents told me to stay away from it. I'm really glad I told them I don't like mayo. 

I unpacked most of the evening into my amazing room. I will post pictures I promise. I have lots of space with a bed and a futon. It's really more than I ever expected. After I was unpacked I showered!! So crazy. It's one of the electric showers but I was used to using it since I saw them a lot in Central America. After I was all settled, another volunteer who is also living with me came home. She is from Germany and extremely wonderful. She showed me around after dinner. Speaking of dinner, it was amazing. I ate some type of fish that was soaked in coconut milk. It was probably one of the best things I've eaten in a while. 

But yeah, everything so far is amazing. I adjusted really quickly to the time change (probably because I slept so much while transporting) and my host family was impressed by it. I went to bed around 9:00 pm last night and woke up more relaxed than ever. People really are living the life here even though it's different. I feel like people are more cooperative and friendly around here which makes everyone a lot more happy and relaxed. I've also noticed that people smell really good here. I'm not sure if it's their natural body odor but they really smell like a mixture of coconuts and paradise. I hope to find this secret to eternal smelly goodness. 

Today I will be meeting with Jessi and she is going to show me how to use the buses to get into town and to work at the SPCA. Tomorrow I will start my induction into the SPCA so yay!! I promise blogs will be cooler later with pictures I just had a lot to say and not much time to really say it. So if you have any questions feel free to ask me. I was given a new sim card so I can call you (I don't think you can call me) so let me know if anybody wants to arrange a time for that. The sim card is actually amazing because everyone in the program uses it from the same company so we can text each other for free. So it's nice to be able to still use my phone. 

Ok I have to go now and get ready for the day. I will post a new blog soon thanks for reading!!

Testing

Testing 1, 2, 3. Still in the states. Hi. First blog post ever. Sorry it blows.