So It Begins...

Bula and Namaste!

I am happy to report that I am currently updating my blog while on an old school computer at an internet cafe in the heart of Nausori... in Fiji! Nausori is the closest city to where we are currently holding training in Nadave (pronounced Naan da veh). Truthfully, I was not anticipating internet access and won't be able to put up any pictures yet but that's not for a lack of taking them!

This has been a whirlwind of a week: leaving, crying, meeting new people, having a brief (and yet somehow long) state-side orientation, being charged with the care and handling of everyone's passports and boarding passes and the immigration letter that would allow us to enter the country, flying the Pacific, skipping Wednesday, skipping sleep, arriving in Nadi (Naan di) and working through immigration/customs, meeting the staff, spending the better part of an hour loading up and boarding a bus only to find out we boarded the wrong bus upon trying to pull out, drive along the coast to the other side of the island to Pacific Harbor, stay at a resort/hostel and begin our first day of activities, rain, participate in the sevusevu welcoming ceremony, drink yaqona (kava), briefly lost feeling in tongue, have tea, eat lots of fried food, maintain a constant layer of dirt/bug spray/sunscreen on my skin, work a sulu, have tea, rain, play volleyball, visit beach, have tea, sleep!, wake, have tea, water safety training, have tea, get shot up with a barrage of vaccinations, drive to the new temporary training site in Nadave, have tea, meet more people and learn more logistics, rain, never wear shoes, moving into my burre (my little house that I share with four others) that is nestled among other burres along a winding dirt path amidst palm trees and beautiful native fauna set atop an expansive hillside overlooking a wide river that runs to the ocean in the distance, rain, accept that my hair will be mimicking Annie for the remainder of my time here, have delicious dinner, grog circle in which lots of grog was drunk (drank?) and random thoughts were shared for a while, language training in Fijian!, na yacaqu 'o Christine!, lunch, shopping, rain, and internet!

Well, I know that was an absurd way to post about my week but that is just about how crazy and overwhelmed I have felt for most of it! However, I am incredibly excited and enthused to be here and perhaps once this whole thing stops feeling so surreal and reality actually sets in I will be able to reach a level of content happiness.

As I'm about to be kicked off this computer I will end it here for now! I hope life is well back in the states and would love to hear from you via comments!

Moce!