Rustic

February 22. Yet again I was the early riser this morning. We were driving to Oni's family's farm today, where we would be staying for 3 days and 2 nights. I had to pack everything I needed for that time in my backpack. I left several things behind, including my laptop (I'll just type on my phone) so I don't know exactly when I will be able to post the next few days.

Breakfast was a short affair, entailing porridge with brown sugar. Simple, yet filling. We had to fill up 2 trucks with our group, Ori, the cook, our backpacks, and the food. It made for an uncomfortable 3 hour drive. By the end of it I was gritting my teeth in pain and frustration. When I arose from my temporary prison, I had a golf ball sized lump protruding from my spine.

Ori's family's farm is surrounded by their fields and a river (which is below a cliff), which forms a peninsula around the three buildings that make up the property. Two small huts are for sleeping, while the other larger building is a living area, kitchen, and dining room combined. There is a pathway that leads to the river (because the river is about 50 feet below the farm), but due to the dismal weather, we weren't able to climb down until we built stairs. 

The stairs were crude in structure. We cut through the ground to form the basis of the steps. Then we picked out planks of wood from their firewood pile, in order to reinforce each step. The railings were a bit harder. Large logs were lodged into the ground, as smaller logs were nailed into the large ones. It took the best part of the afternoon to finish the job, but we were pleased signing turnout. The steps weren't only built for our uses, but for Ori's family to use as well. Half the village had turned up to watch our efforts and cheered us on as we finished the job. Afterwards, we were able to swim in the river for a well deserved cool-down.

Staren and I were made a couple Fijian friends while we were swimming around and they asked us to join them in their game of water rugby. At first, I was hesitant. Every male Fijian is well built and tough, but they seemed nice enough and it was also being played in water. So we started the game, playing, at first, with just a large empty coke bottle. As the game progressed, however, more Fijians and guys from our group joined. It soon became a fun, yet ruthless battle for points. I wasn't injured, luckily, but I was mentally and physically exhausted by the time my team had one. The other team jeered at us as we came off the field, ready for a long nap.

I, however, didn't have the luxury to take a nap. I have to write down everything from today because we have a busy night tonight. I'm glad I brought my phone to blog. I doubt it would have been good to lug around my computer in the highlands. As I have guessed, there is no wifi here. I apologize, but I won't be able to post a few days until I get back to town. Thanks for the patience everyone. 

The Tropics of Fiji

February 21. I awoke several times in the middle of the night covered in sweat. It's too hot for human life here. The fourth time this happened I c zosxx hecked my watch, hoping it was a time to wake up. It happened to be 5:30am. That was late enough for me. I did everything I could in that time. I showered, unpacked and repacked, and I took pictures of the landscape. At long last it was 6:30. Time to eat breakfast. It was a basic meal, but much better than the ones we had in New Zealand. Afterwards, we got onto the bus to start our day at the beach.

We arrived an hour later and dragged our feet out to meet the sand (most of us had slept during the ride). Until that time I hadn't noticed that the day was marred by grey clouds. However, it didn't rain once when we were there. We put our belongings down on the sand, but not before brian had ran straight into the water, tossing his towel and shirt carelessly on the sand. Not 10 seconds later did most of our group race after him. The water was bath temperature, with a stench of sulfur palpable throughout the shoreline. We jumped over the waves and played frisbee with Erik and Oni.

30 minutes later, muddy brown horses and foals came striding across the beach, ridden by local Fijians. They stopped directly in front us. "You can ride them if you wish." Ori, in answer to our questioning looks. Excited, we all jumped out of the water. The riders dismounted and handed us the reigns. With help from the owners, we mounted them and were instructed on how to ride. I have ridden before, but it was good to have a refresher course. They started us at a walk, but 5 minutes later we had all broken into a gallop. They horses weren't magnificent, they were obviously bred for labor, not speed. The foals ran alongside us as well. We only had about 20 minutes on the horses until we were back on the bus off to the sand dunes.

I was slightly perplexed as to what the wonders of the sand dunes of Fiji were, but I was excited to hike them either way. We arrived at the tourist center, where there was plenty of history information about Fiji as well as many artifacts pertaining to the dunes. Our guide, Tommy, was a nice enough guy with built legs and a prominent face. While he led us through the wilderness towards the dune, he explained to us the history of the Fijian people. His expression turned from grave to proud and back again during his explanation. When we came to our first dune, after 20 minutes of hiking, we were allowed to race up it and spring back down with enormous leaps. It was good fun, but tiring. Before long many of us were drenched in sweat from the heat and the running. We came to the beach soon after. It was beautiful spot, with white sand and pale blue water (even though it was still overcast). We cooled off with a quick swim, but we couldn't linger because they had warned us of shark attacks in this area. We set off on our hike again, going through the forest and back to the base. We arrived covered in sand and mud, moaning with hunger. We said our farewells to the guide, then pressed on into the town of Nadi.

We only had about 2 hours in town, most of which was spent looking for a place to eat. The group spent the rest of the time exploring the town and buying various souvenirs, while I had to go to the Internet Cafe to post February 20 on the blog.

At 3pm we left the town and went back to base to freshen up. We all showered and were delighted to see that the water pressure had finally been turned up to a usable level. We had no plans for the rest of the day. So we spent our time in the pool, playing billiards and petting the base's dog Boe. There are several kids on the base as well, who are the sons and daughters of the staff. Some are Fijian and some are of Indian decent. Native Fijians and Indians make up about half of the population each, in Nadi. We played with them for a while until we were told that we must prepare for another Fijian ceremony, which wouldn't be complete without cava. I have already put on my sarong and am writing at this moment because I doubt if I'll be able to write after some more cava. I'm starting to really enjoy the experiences that I'm having here, most of which involve the culture of Fiji. I do miss the developed country of New Zealand, but this is a different realm of fun and learning that I could get used to.

Oh the Delicious Kava

February 20. I was supposed to be my room’s wakeup call at 6:30am, but I actually slept through the loud and obnoxious sound that usually wakes me. Apparently everybody else slept through it as well… Yet, I was still blamed for our lateness. Erik yelled at us to get up at 7am (the time we were supposed to be leaving for the airport). We threw our belongings in our bags and raced down to the van. Not surprisingly, we ended up waiting a few stragglers. Staren, Olivia, Claire and I had a brilliant idea to grab a Subway breakfast while we were waiting. It ended up taking about 10 minutes too long. Everybody, yet again, blamed me for being 10 minutes late (instead of blaming the stragglers).

The drive wasn’t a long one. It was gloomy, yet exciting to say goodbye to New Zealand. I watched the landscape on the way to the airport, soaking in as much as I could before we arrived. As we unloaded our bags from the car, we were split into 2 groups. Claire, David, Ben, Jade and I were flying Air Pacific, while the others had connecting flights from Christchurch to Auckland and then on to Fiji.

My half got our tickets and headed to the gate. Little did we know that our flight had been delayed by 2 hours. While the others shopped (in order to kill time), I bought a combined book of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was the answer to all my prayers. It’s over 1100 pages, and looks as daunting as a dictionary, but it will undoubtedly keep me occupied for some time. We ate lunch and settled down at the airline lounge. Finally, it was time to board the plane. As soon as it took off, I crashed. I slept for the entire 4 hours and only awoke when the plane roughly landed in Nandi Airport.

We were immediately greeted by singing and dancing locals and, after an hour through customs, we met up with our other half. Elise drove us to the Rustic Pathways base in Nandi, which is much more comfortable than the hostels we have lived in. We were warmly welcomed by the base members and one other Rustic student, Lauren. She is here for 5 weeks on a Gap for Good, which is what I will be doing in Thailand.

 The culture shock was such a blow to me. On the way to the base I noticed how undeveloped this country is compared to New Zealand, and I wondered how I could transition to this lifestyle. I found that it wasn’t hard however; you just need to get used to little or no bath water and develop a fondness for trying new things.

We ate dinner, which consisted of rice, savory vegetables, and ripe pineapple. Then the staff announced that they would be preforming a Fijian welcome ceremony shortly. We were handed sarongs and taught what to say and how to behave during the ceremony. I was already sweating bullets in my jeans and I wasn’t eager to put on another piece of clothing.

When we all had our sarongs on, we sat in a circle for the ceremony. The head of the group, Oni, had a large bowl in front of him. He explained to us that we would be drinking cava in order to immerge ourselves Fijian culture. Cava is a root, grown on this island (Veti Levu), which calms the mind and body and makes your mouth go numb. To start making the cava, Oni took a substance, which looked oddly like dirt, and poured it into a strip of cloth. He poured water over the cloth, while Indae, his assistant, kneaded the dirt inside of it. It produced a muddy brown liquid, which Oni promised would taste like chicken soup. I was eager to give it a try after that statement. Oni grabbed a large bowl and dipped it into the cava. Indae clapped 3 times as he did this. Before Oni drank he said “Bulla!” (Which means hello/welcome) and chugged the cava. Then Indae clapped 3 times again. We were obviously supposed to follow suit.

There were 4 types of bowls that you could drink out of. The tsunami, the largest bowl, high tide, about the size of a cup, low tide, half a cup, and pussy, which is the smallest bowl. No one was foolish enough to go for the smallest bowl and, out of respect for their culture, most of us chose the tsunami. When it came to me I said “Bulla!” and drank deeply. I almost gagged from the taste. It was like eating dirt off the ground. I pretended to enjoy the drink as I handed it back to Oni. He smiled with a toothless mouth and I tried to smile back, but my lips were numb from the drink.

When everyone was finished Oni yelled “Taki!” My first thought was thank god, it’s over. As I was standing up to leave, however, I caught sight of Oni handing out the bowls again. I grimaced as Indae explained that Taki meant “Again!” The second tsunami made my tongue go limb. After the fourth there seemed to be a dull throb coming from my arms. I was about to throw up from the taste and I doubt that I could have drank another one. Before Oni could yell “Taki!” Elise jumped up and stated that we were all very tired after our long journey and needed a rest. I have never been fonder of a person than at that moment. Oni opened his arms wide and put on an understanding smile. He named us all honorary Fijian visitors and sent us off to bed with his unwavering grin.

 We were led to our villas afterwards. Most of us are peeling off the clothes from our bodies before we take showers. I had to immediately write this down because it was the first real cultural experience I have had in ages. Even though it was an experience I hope to never encounter again, it excited me to learn more about a culture, which is what I set out to do during these 4 months. I wish I could write more about today, but my hands are slipping from the keys even now. The cava was more powerful than I expected.

You can look forward to some different, but no less exciting, blogs in the next 8 days. Please keep posting any comments, feedback, or questions that you may have. They are what keep me typing, even when my body is slowly becoming numb and useless.

Recuperation

                February 19. I was grateful for an off day. I woke up at 10am and a good night’s rest recovered me from yesterday’s attitude. I was ready for another great day and I made it my mission to make up for what I had lost in yesterday’s sulking. There were fresh donuts and muffins waiting for me when I walked into the kitchen, and I ate them with content as I chatted with Erik about what our time will be like in China (he is my leader in my next month). I was the only one up until 12pm. Everyone else had gotten to bed at 5:30am (I knew this because they had barged into the room at that time, yelling about the night’s events). Until then I uploaded all the pictures of white water rafting, black water rafting, and freefalling skydive onto my web album. I had only just been able to do this because, until last night, nobody had given me their CDs of the events.

                When everybody awoke, bleary eyed and stumbling, I handed them breakfast and started talking about what we could do today. Only one part of me had actually penetrated their hungover minds: the act of giving them breakfast. They ate slowly and distractedly, with their eyes unfocused. After they showered and changed, they were finally ready to discuss the day’s events.

                We decided on going out to wander the town and stop along the shops. The city of Christchurch is plenty more hectic than Queenstown or even Auckland. There is so much to see (or maybe today was a special day) because people were playing scavenger hunts, dressed up in ridiculous costumes, and I even saw a portly old man with a monkey that would do tricks when given a dollar. We admired the shops and landmarks until about 5pm. We occasionally stopped for coffee or tea and at 4pm we had a late lunch.

When we finally came back to the hostel it was to find the rest of the group lying around the couch watching Monsters vs. Aliens. We played some more pool, which led into several games of president. This was one of the first card games (that I have played in) that escalated into physical injuries. Ben slammed his knee into the table, Andrew took my hat and chucked it at my groin, and Steran slammed his head against Caitie’s in their rush to play their cards.

Nursing our injuries, we all returned to our rooms for a quick change before we were off to dinner. We ate at an amazing Mexican place. A sign outside stated that people that had birthdays could get a free cake for the table. When we placed our orders Ariana stated, in passing, that it was my birthday. Everyone repeated the statement in earnest and the waitress, somewhat caught off guard, hastened to put balloons on our table for the false occasion. I know what you may be thinking and I can’t deny that it was wrong. Yet, it was necessary.

After our delicious meal and a savory chocolate cake we returned to our hostel. The group is playing a few more games of president before we set out for the town tonight. Some have agreed to stay with me throughout the night, no doubt because their livers are kicking them in revenge for the last 3 weeks. I look forward to my last night in New Zealand, but I’m still not ready to leave. I am, however, curious to see what Fiji will bring to conclude the last leg of this amazing month.

Finding a Remedy

                February 18. Today wasn’t a day packed with adrenaline, quite the opposite really. We had another long car ride of 5 hours (they are starting to wear me down). We listened to some more comedy in the car to keep our spirits high. We only have 2 more days in New Zealand before we go to Fiji. We’re not ready to leave yet. I, at least, feel as if I’ve only scratched the surface of this amazing country.

                Andrew lent me his Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring book. I have been so eager to read the series again after we have watched the trilogy and saw some of the landscape on which it was filmed. The book is tedious, but it’s still a great read. I forgot how much was left out of the movie that is in the book.

                We stopped for lunch after about 3 hours. We all made sandwiches again and threw the Frisbee around. I wasn’t on my game, and I felt like I was having an off day. I wasn’t myself at all. I kept quiet and just thought about what the next year of my life would bring. I don’t know why I was thinking of my future that day, but it kept eating at my mind when I least expected it.

                When we finally arrived at the hostel in Christchurch, I was not looking forward to going out to dinner with everyone. I just wanted to be alone for a while. I did my laundry and showered, pausing once in a while to humor one of my friends as they made a joke or tried to initiate a conversation. Finally, it was time to eat dinner. We had another Kebab, but these ones were enormous, with twice the meat, sauce, bread and veggies. It could have been the best thing I’ve ever eaten. It brought some happiness back into me, but that soon died away as the group left for the bars and I went upstairs to my room. Even if I had been able to be with everyone, I wouldn’t have wanted to.

                I checked my email immediately when I got back to my room. Just to add to my disappointing day I read an email that stated I had been deferred to my number 1 college. I know that it doesn’t mean I’ve been denied, but it didn’t do anything to help my mood. More out of routine than desire, I grabbed my computer. It’s funny how I wouldn’t have wanted to write a page or more every day when I was at home, but now it’s become a habit. It’s funnier still how the simple act of writing is making me feel better about my day. I think, subconsciously, I’ve been purging myself of all bad emotion for almost 3 weeks now. Knowing that there is a way to escape, for me to be able to channel my emotions into something, is a comfortable feeling. Hopefully this sensation will stay with me for the next few months or maybe even forever.

Just So You Know

                February 17. At least this morning wasn’t as hectic as yesterday morning. I woke up and blogged, as you might already know, and finished blogging at around 9:30am. We had to leave at 10am so I only had 30 minutes to pack, eat, shower, and pack up the van. We only just made it, checking out at exactly 10am. We drove for another 6 hours to Dun Edin, a much larger town than Queenstown. Our hostel is located right under the PoolBar. There are at least 20 pool tables in this bar under us, so we were able to spend the rest of the day down there. I also was able to post my Nevis bungy jump on my Facebook, so if you would like to view it please don’t hesitate to friend me on Facebook (I am Jimmy Mack on Facebook). We went out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant and I was pressured into trying many new foods I wouldn’t normally eat. I ate seaweed, plenty of vegetables, and even eel. We went back to play some pool and President again. I used to hate President, but it is a game of exotic emotion and exuberant attitudes. The noise rose twice in level when we play cards. The game just ended and we are now in our beds getting ready to sleep, but I just wanted to share a statement that might clear up some confusion.

                When I first planned the month of February, I signed up for the Give Fiji trip, but it was canceled due to only 2 people signing up for it. It just so happens that Caitie was that other person. When I chose the Essential New Zealand/Fiji trip I thought it would be culture based. It sure seemed it would be that way when looking at the itinerary on the Rustic Pathways website. Don’t get me wrong, I love this experience and have learned some culture while I’ve been here, but it didn’t meet my expectations. The main purpose of these 4 months is to help world communities and learn about culture, but it did not turn out so for February. I spoke to Rustic Pathways about this and I have been assured that my next 3 months will be more of an immersion into the countries, so I hope for those of you who were hoping for feedback on my original ventures, your expectations will be met in my next 3 months. Sorry if any of you were disappointed by my first month, but I would urge you to check in during next month. Thanks so much for your feedback, keep it coming.

Ceaseless Landscapes

February 15 and 16. (Sorry for double posting February 14th, here is the real post) We left Queenstown after 3 nights there. I wasn’t sorry to leave. Quite the contrary. Everyone was nice, it had great shops, there was so much to do, and I loved the atmosphere of music and cheerfulness. I might even move there one day. We left for Te Anau that day. It was only a 5 hour drive, which has become normal for us by now. I slept most of the way, too tired to do anything due to my nerves still being shot. We arrived at our hostel and settled down. We napped, which was very beneficial, because as soon as we awoke we felt lively again. We headed to Subway for dinner (cheap and simple tonight) and preceded to the local park to throw around the Frisbee we had bought (we sadly lost the rugby ball a few days ago). We then finished off the day with a spectacular 6 hour Lord of the Rings marathon, where we watched the last two we hadn’t seen while in New Zealand. When we finally curled up into bed, it was about 3am, but I still wasn’t properly tired.

The next day we were awoken by Erik at 6am. We didn’t realize we had a sightseeing appointment at 7am and we rushed to pack our things and get out the door, only to later be told that we would be staying another night at Te Anau. We drove 2 hours to the sightseeing harbor. We hopped onto a tour boat, with a café, free tea and coffee, and a free deck of cards. That’s all we needed for a good time. We cruised through huge mountains and lakes, continually seeing beautiful waterfalls, double rainbows, and baby seals. The landscape was amazing, like all landscape in New Zealand, but it never stops surprising me how preserved this land is. It’s one of those sights that can only be explained when you see it for your own eyes. No wonder they used it for Lord of the Rings. At one point, we cruised right under a waterfall, where Steran, Claire, Brian, and I all got soaked to the bone. It was plenty fun, however. We passed the time with playing President (a card game), but it soon got too loud because we kept yelling at each other and getting really into the game. After 2 hours we pulled into the harbor, where we made about 3 sandwiches each and talked late into the afternoon. At around 5pm we left for the hostel. I went to the computer repair store and gave them my computer. We played another round of Frisbee and made ourselves some great tasting tacos. I went for a run after dinner, wanting to get back in shape after 5 delicious meals today. We watched another movie tonight, Anchorman. We laughed and joked, staying up late as we swapped jokes and ridiculously childish scary stories. It’s now the next morning, and I’m finally catching up on the days where my computer was broken. Hopefully this repair did the trick. Thanks for reading!