Another week goes by and I’m slowly getting into the feel of things. I’ve finally met Francis (the health coordinator for the Savusavu Red Cross Branch) and I’m getting used to seeing new people around the house. I don’t know if I will ever get used to seeing frogs jump around the house, and it’s becoming a past time to count the numbers of moko (geckos) running around on the ceilings and walls of the house (15 at my last count). And as we slowly wind out our first and only month in this house, I can’t help but feel a wind of excitement draw me in as we finalise the documents and payments for the new house. We move in to the new house on the first of March (which is the week after next week).
There’s gonna be so much that I’ll be preparing for. One being the Peer Ed training for the FRCS Together We can Project. Sevu’s coming up sometime next week-ish to start recruiting Peer Eds from Taveuni and Savusavu for the training. The next thing I might have to look forward to is the upcoming peace camp. It’s being organized for April and George said that I could re-apply and see if I could get in. On the other hand I’m also gonna nominate Rhonda and whoever else might want to apply for the camp from the Choir.
So as you can see, my post is becoming more coherent and easier to understand. LOL. Meaning that I haven’t fallen bored and closed the document to continue it another day. However, this means that this post will be a short one as I’m slowly running out of things to put into this post. Internet here in Savusavu is annoying. There’s a computer place in town with good internet but the connection speed once you open a new tab just slows the whole pc down. Oh and I’m sure that it’s got a low RAM. Which reminds me, I have to get a new RAM chip (maybe just order it from the computer place and pay for the extra shipping charges. Also I have to ask how much it’ll cost to have the Sound Card changed. But I don’t want to give the pc for fixing only to wait a long time for it cause we need it for Corps Stuff. The shop does pc maintenance and they have a lot of old computers lying around, probably waiting to get fixed.
This promises to be a week full of different experiences, new ones and hopefully new places to be. There’s a funeral (my first one in Savusavu) and I think the Protex Clean Hands promotion comes to Savusavu this week and I’ll get to meet the other Red Cross volunteers here in Savusavu.
This is it for now. Catch up again in my next post.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Movie Review
Movie: Invictus
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, also featuring Matt Damon (…)
Genre: Drama
This is a really interesting movie. It has an interesting look at how inter-racial relations in South Africa fared when Nelson Mandela took up office for His first year as President in a post-apartheid country. Of course, the sentiments of apartheidism are still in a slow phasing out from the rainbow nation and we know that it was only possible because of the work of Nelson Mandela.
Anyway, back to the whole point of this post, a review of the movie.
The movie as I said earlier is based on the situation in South Africa at the time of the Rugby World Cup ’95. At that time, the Springboks were the accorded the title of being the worst rugby team and were representative of white S. Africa; along with the colours of their uniform – the Green and Gold. In fact they were so bad that they were going to be disbanded as a team and the Green & Gold revoked as team national colours of the country. Mandela stepped in and changed that outcome and gave South African Rugby a chance to become a part of his rainbow nation building exercise.
The President putting faith in the team gave them a boost of confidence that saw them through to winning the rugby world cup.
Clint Eastwood has done it again. I gotta say that out right from the start, Clint Eastwood has done it again. First it was Letters from Iwo Jima and this other one about the American flag raised on Iwo Jima. There’ve been several good movies that he’s come out with that have made a huge impact at global movie awards including Sundance, the Academies and the Golden Globe. I have no doubts that this movie will collect even more awards for the acclaimed Director.
Morgan Freeman’s acting as President Nelson Mandela is something completely different from what we’ve seen from this actor. It’s obvious that he’s had to take time to rehearse the part and practice. But I believe that he was the perfect person for the role. He was able to replicate Mandela’s poise and physical presence. Even the accent was a little stressed but I could distinguish it from his normal American accents.
Matt Damon portrayed Springboks captain Francois (surname). Yeah, he was cute and hunky dory. But he played the character so well and showed the leadership abilities that Francois used to change the team from one that was apartheid conscious to one that embraced change.
Can you get the drift of this review??? Change from old to new possibilities???
That’s what Invictus is all about. It shows the ability that people have to change their lives and their nation, and it was only because one man dared to bring the change in himself.
This movie is a must have (if you can’t get the original then I guess you’re stuck cause the government’s cracking down on all pirated copies)
LOL
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, also featuring Matt Damon (…)
Genre: Drama
This is a really interesting movie. It has an interesting look at how inter-racial relations in South Africa fared when Nelson Mandela took up office for His first year as President in a post-apartheid country. Of course, the sentiments of apartheidism are still in a slow phasing out from the rainbow nation and we know that it was only possible because of the work of Nelson Mandela.
Anyway, back to the whole point of this post, a review of the movie.
The movie as I said earlier is based on the situation in South Africa at the time of the Rugby World Cup ’95. At that time, the Springboks were the accorded the title of being the worst rugby team and were representative of white S. Africa; along with the colours of their uniform – the Green and Gold. In fact they were so bad that they were going to be disbanded as a team and the Green & Gold revoked as team national colours of the country. Mandela stepped in and changed that outcome and gave South African Rugby a chance to become a part of his rainbow nation building exercise.
The President putting faith in the team gave them a boost of confidence that saw them through to winning the rugby world cup.
Clint Eastwood has done it again. I gotta say that out right from the start, Clint Eastwood has done it again. First it was Letters from Iwo Jima and this other one about the American flag raised on Iwo Jima. There’ve been several good movies that he’s come out with that have made a huge impact at global movie awards including Sundance, the Academies and the Golden Globe. I have no doubts that this movie will collect even more awards for the acclaimed Director.
Morgan Freeman’s acting as President Nelson Mandela is something completely different from what we’ve seen from this actor. It’s obvious that he’s had to take time to rehearse the part and practice. But I believe that he was the perfect person for the role. He was able to replicate Mandela’s poise and physical presence. Even the accent was a little stressed but I could distinguish it from his normal American accents.
Matt Damon portrayed Springboks captain Francois (surname). Yeah, he was cute and hunky dory. But he played the character so well and showed the leadership abilities that Francois used to change the team from one that was apartheid conscious to one that embraced change.
Can you get the drift of this review??? Change from old to new possibilities???
That’s what Invictus is all about. It shows the ability that people have to change their lives and their nation, and it was only because one man dared to bring the change in himself.
This movie is a must have (if you can’t get the original then I guess you’re stuck cause the government’s cracking down on all pirated copies)
LOL
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Boredom Settling In
So here I am wondering about how this year would go for me. It seems like this slow, relaxed lifestyle isn’t so good. I miss the whole rushing around and going places that Suva affords me. Here, I just walk to town, check my emails at the internet shop and upload my updates on the blog. In Suva, I walk into town, I catch the bus to Vatuwaqa and wherever else I need to be and do so much in one day.
Even blogging from home is slightly a bore since I type it up one day and wait till I have money to go upload it. I wish I had internet at home so I could facebook, youtube and everything else from the comfort of my own home. It would make my life so much easier.
Right now, it’s my fingers crossed that I get into the Oxfam Youth Partnership program. I think we get allowances for communication costs and I’m hoping that I get it cause God knows my budget can’t handle the extra costs here in Savusavu. Thing sa already, I’m struggling to keep the bank account from closing by depositing ten bucks every month.
There’s a lot that I need to do but as each day passes, something else gets in the way of me accomplishing personal needs.
Check this out… this post right here is actually done over several days. I type something and then I get bored and close it for awhile. Open it again and continue a little more… it’s getting tiresome.
I just wish I could get internet at home so I could post regularly and also check email, facebook, bebo and youtube the rest of my life away. God only knows how much I’m dreaming of having a new laptop and internet.
LOL
This is sooo weirdly sporadic! Yet again I had to close the freaking post and then open and type in something new. Anyway, to the whole reason I’m adding on to this is: GLEE
OMG
I repeat
OMG
I just saw episode 12 and it totally rocked. I mean, it was so amazing. They did a scene with a deaf school choir who signed “Imagine” by John Lennon and were joined by the Glee Club choir singing and learning the signs along with them. It was sooo amazing. I actually cried. If only I could do the same with the PV’s or at least the Community Gospel Choir. That would be a truly amazing performance.
speaking of choir, they have auditions beginning today... gawd i miss them all.
hopefully i get to join them in singing someday this year.
sniff*sniff
Even blogging from home is slightly a bore since I type it up one day and wait till I have money to go upload it. I wish I had internet at home so I could facebook, youtube and everything else from the comfort of my own home. It would make my life so much easier.
Right now, it’s my fingers crossed that I get into the Oxfam Youth Partnership program. I think we get allowances for communication costs and I’m hoping that I get it cause God knows my budget can’t handle the extra costs here in Savusavu. Thing sa already, I’m struggling to keep the bank account from closing by depositing ten bucks every month.
There’s a lot that I need to do but as each day passes, something else gets in the way of me accomplishing personal needs.
Check this out… this post right here is actually done over several days. I type something and then I get bored and close it for awhile. Open it again and continue a little more… it’s getting tiresome.
I just wish I could get internet at home so I could post regularly and also check email, facebook, bebo and youtube the rest of my life away. God only knows how much I’m dreaming of having a new laptop and internet.
LOL
This is sooo weirdly sporadic! Yet again I had to close the freaking post and then open and type in something new. Anyway, to the whole reason I’m adding on to this is: GLEE
OMG
I repeat
OMG
I just saw episode 12 and it totally rocked. I mean, it was so amazing. They did a scene with a deaf school choir who signed “Imagine” by John Lennon and were joined by the Glee Club choir singing and learning the signs along with them. It was sooo amazing. I actually cried. If only I could do the same with the PV’s or at least the Community Gospel Choir. That would be a truly amazing performance.
speaking of choir, they have auditions beginning today... gawd i miss them all.
hopefully i get to join them in singing someday this year.
sniff*sniff
Monday, February 15, 2010
Trouble in MY paradise
Gawd, it just seems like nothing in my life will ever get any easier for me. This move to Savusavu has just made it even more important for me to move out and find my own life, by my self and without mum and dad hanging on my shoulders. Everything I am, what I choose, and wherever I go; it’s all scrutinized by them and they just have to have a say in everything. The older I get, the more sacrifices I’m expected to make. I’m almost 25 and mum wants me to share a bedroom with Navi. I’m sorry, I love my family and all my cousins but there is no way in hell that I will share my personal space with them. She of all people should know that. Well, she’ll see for herself just how stubborn I can be. Then there’s dad. Always has an excuse for everything.
The arrangements for a new house should have been made by now, but he’s busy playing host to every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes through here. I want us to get to a cleaner, healthier house; I want my own space; I want this bloody computer to be fixed up so I can watch my movies in the privacy of my bedroom. I want my own things.
I can’t keep expecting to sacrifice my life so that theirs is a little less hassled. Fuck that shit!
If I get into the Oxfam program, I’m gonna learn everything I can; get all the accreditation I can achieve from it and get a good job, with a good pay and flat out. I need to have this for myself or I will die bitter and unsatisfied.
I won’t put up with this anymore! If things don’t start moving faster, I’m not gonna help with any sermons, meeting plan prep, and singing – NOTHING! I will draw the line as to where I fit in this scheme of things. I will not be made a fool of in my own life.
So there.
The arrangements for a new house should have been made by now, but he’s busy playing host to every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes through here. I want us to get to a cleaner, healthier house; I want my own space; I want this bloody computer to be fixed up so I can watch my movies in the privacy of my bedroom. I want my own things.
I can’t keep expecting to sacrifice my life so that theirs is a little less hassled. Fuck that shit!
If I get into the Oxfam program, I’m gonna learn everything I can; get all the accreditation I can achieve from it and get a good job, with a good pay and flat out. I need to have this for myself or I will die bitter and unsatisfied.
I won’t put up with this anymore! If things don’t start moving faster, I’m not gonna help with any sermons, meeting plan prep, and singing – NOTHING! I will draw the line as to where I fit in this scheme of things. I will not be made a fool of in my own life.
So there.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Savusavu – boat rides and broken houses (PART II)
Now that I’ve had a chance to talk about my boat ride over here to the beautiful bay of Savusavu, let me try and describe the scenery. Oh and don’t forget, this is part II of my update.
When we got here, it was a little after 5am and there was nothing to see. We got to our house (oooohhh, just you wait till I tell you about it) and as the sun rose, ohmigosh the view from our terrace is spectacular. Looking out into the bay, with the little island across from us. We had the Hot Springs Hotel as our neighbour and the hot springs the hotel was named after at the foot of our drive way. Nice don’t you think?
WELL THINK AGAIN!
Our house was an absolute dump! I thought to myself that my mother’s day could not get any worse. The furniture was ruined beyond all recognition, the house was dingy, and the toilets… oh don’t let me get started on the toilets!
Bloody hell, it was disgusting. I couldn’t go to the bathroom for 2 whole days. My body was in such shock over the state of the toilet, it couldn’t function as it should (meaning – I was so shocked I couldn’t shit). Kaila!
The bathroom was damp and mum used a whole bottle of bleach to try and clean the shower area. It was terrible.
The kitchen had very little in stock. By that I meant that we had one fork, one teaspoon, two table spoons and one teeny tiny cutting knife that disappeared the following day after a church lunch. There were no pots and pans to cook with and the water was not safe for us to drink at all! Mum and I resorted to boiling huge pots of drau-ni-moli (lemon leaves) tea and keeping it aside in the fridge as drinking water. It was refreshing!
The upside to our living here is the price of food at the fresh produce market. We bought rourou, tubua, passionfruit, bananas and two huge paw paws for cheap! My passionfruits were $1 for 7 (so I bought $2 worth). We went to the fish market after and bought some fish for dinner that night along with some coconuts.
Our first night here was nothing eventful; it was the living arrangements that made us wary of everything.
Savusavu is a beautiful place. I just can’t wait to see its beauty in the comfort of our new house and away from the horror that is our interim place.
So there you have it… part II of my first two days in Savusavu plus the prelude (the boat ride).
When we got here, it was a little after 5am and there was nothing to see. We got to our house (oooohhh, just you wait till I tell you about it) and as the sun rose, ohmigosh the view from our terrace is spectacular. Looking out into the bay, with the little island across from us. We had the Hot Springs Hotel as our neighbour and the hot springs the hotel was named after at the foot of our drive way. Nice don’t you think?
WELL THINK AGAIN!
Our house was an absolute dump! I thought to myself that my mother’s day could not get any worse. The furniture was ruined beyond all recognition, the house was dingy, and the toilets… oh don’t let me get started on the toilets!
Bloody hell, it was disgusting. I couldn’t go to the bathroom for 2 whole days. My body was in such shock over the state of the toilet, it couldn’t function as it should (meaning – I was so shocked I couldn’t shit). Kaila!
The bathroom was damp and mum used a whole bottle of bleach to try and clean the shower area. It was terrible.
The kitchen had very little in stock. By that I meant that we had one fork, one teaspoon, two table spoons and one teeny tiny cutting knife that disappeared the following day after a church lunch. There were no pots and pans to cook with and the water was not safe for us to drink at all! Mum and I resorted to boiling huge pots of drau-ni-moli (lemon leaves) tea and keeping it aside in the fridge as drinking water. It was refreshing!
The upside to our living here is the price of food at the fresh produce market. We bought rourou, tubua, passionfruit, bananas and two huge paw paws for cheap! My passionfruits were $1 for 7 (so I bought $2 worth). We went to the fish market after and bought some fish for dinner that night along with some coconuts.
Our first night here was nothing eventful; it was the living arrangements that made us wary of everything.
Savusavu is a beautiful place. I just can’t wait to see its beauty in the comfort of our new house and away from the horror that is our interim place.
So there you have it… part II of my first two days in Savusavu plus the prelude (the boat ride).
Friday, February 5, 2010
Still Breathing
I wrote this poem on the boat as we were leaving Suva...
Waves bobbing
To and fro
The horn sounds
The engines roar
Slowly the coastline fades from view
Slowly the distance grows between me and you
My heart grows pensive at the thought
How does one go on breathing –
When the heart is lost?
How does one keep moving forward –
When your legs are cut from underneath you?
It’s hard to imagine that the moon I see
In the night sky
Is the same moon that caresses your face
With its gentle light
The light over me seems lost; alone.
Just like me
The stars twinkling over you
Are to me cold and distant
But the thought
That we’ll meet again
Makes this seeming exile easier to bear
Keeps me hopeful for that day
Causing my heart to return
Bringing all into focus
Reminding me that I’m still breathing
And each breathe
Brings me closer to you
Waves bobbing
To and fro
The horn sounds
The engines roar
Slowly the coastline fades from view
Slowly the distance grows between me and you
My heart grows pensive at the thought
How does one go on breathing –
When the heart is lost?
How does one keep moving forward –
When your legs are cut from underneath you?
It’s hard to imagine that the moon I see
In the night sky
Is the same moon that caresses your face
With its gentle light
The light over me seems lost; alone.
Just like me
The stars twinkling over you
Are to me cold and distant
But the thought
That we’ll meet again
Makes this seeming exile easier to bear
Keeps me hopeful for that day
Causing my heart to return
Bringing all into focus
Reminding me that I’m still breathing
And each breathe
Brings me closer to you
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Savusavu – boat rides and broken houses (PART I)
I was going to start from how beautiful this town is or describing how quaint it is and I remembered something… THE BOAT RIDE OVER.
Let me start from the very beginning. The boat to which I am referring to is the SS Suilven, the best inter-island ferry we have in this country. I first went on this boat in 2007 when after the Savusavu Music Festival, the then Malaga Singers returned from Savusavu aboard the Suilven bound for the capital city. It was a fun boat ride; we were put in the first class lounge so it was pretty decent (we even had bunk-like sleepers). I could never forget that ride. Ever.
So when mum decides to tell me that we were traveling to Savusavu in the Suilven, I thought to myself (YES!) and began pushing for us to get either first class tickets or the pricier but much better cabin tickets. You may ask, what’s the difference? Well, let’s just say that even though you’re first class and all that, you still have to share bathrooms with the economy class passengers. Cabin passengers, have their own spacious cabins with a really, really nice bathroom (including shower with hot water) that looks like it came out of a hotel catalogue. Meals come with the cabin (YUMMY!) and they can also use the first class lounge, should they choose to go there.
Now, you may say that I’m a snobby bitch, but let me remind you that we all seek the better things in life, even if it means spending a few extra dollars to travel in relative comfort.
So there I was, tempting my mother and father to buy the pricier tickets, all to no avail. We all got economy tickets. And it all went downhill from there!
Picture this. We’re sitting in the economy lounge, packed like sardines, people all over the place, some even lying in the spaces where it could be found. There were people everywhere: inside and outside. Then it happened. The air conditioner broke down and stopped working altogether (economy class only mind you; the cabin ac’s were working in fine order). I was stuck in the lounge with no air circulation, no space to move around, no space to lie down and nothing to drink to replenish my internal water supply that was being sweated out in this 11 hour voyage. All I could do was periodically walk around the outside of the boat, navigating my way round sleeping bodies so I could get some fresh air and then return to my hot, humid and sweat smelling corner. I must say, the smell of human bodies cramped in one space with no ventilation is absolutely nauseating and disgusting to say the least. I have to be hones about that. I felt bad for the babies and children who had to coop up in that space.
Mum and dad? Well they spent the night on the benches outside.
I’ve had a fair amount of chances to berate them for not getting us better tickets on that ship. We’ve all agreed that if we are to travel back to Suva by boat, it’ll be in the cabins or we won’t travel at all. I’m gonna keep them to their word.
Looks like I’ll have to continue this later cause talking about our house is another long post with elaborate descriptions. Keep an eye out for Part II of this blog post.
Let me start from the very beginning. The boat to which I am referring to is the SS Suilven, the best inter-island ferry we have in this country. I first went on this boat in 2007 when after the Savusavu Music Festival, the then Malaga Singers returned from Savusavu aboard the Suilven bound for the capital city. It was a fun boat ride; we were put in the first class lounge so it was pretty decent (we even had bunk-like sleepers). I could never forget that ride. Ever.
So when mum decides to tell me that we were traveling to Savusavu in the Suilven, I thought to myself (YES!) and began pushing for us to get either first class tickets or the pricier but much better cabin tickets. You may ask, what’s the difference? Well, let’s just say that even though you’re first class and all that, you still have to share bathrooms with the economy class passengers. Cabin passengers, have their own spacious cabins with a really, really nice bathroom (including shower with hot water) that looks like it came out of a hotel catalogue. Meals come with the cabin (YUMMY!) and they can also use the first class lounge, should they choose to go there.
Now, you may say that I’m a snobby bitch, but let me remind you that we all seek the better things in life, even if it means spending a few extra dollars to travel in relative comfort.
So there I was, tempting my mother and father to buy the pricier tickets, all to no avail. We all got economy tickets. And it all went downhill from there!
Picture this. We’re sitting in the economy lounge, packed like sardines, people all over the place, some even lying in the spaces where it could be found. There were people everywhere: inside and outside. Then it happened. The air conditioner broke down and stopped working altogether (economy class only mind you; the cabin ac’s were working in fine order). I was stuck in the lounge with no air circulation, no space to move around, no space to lie down and nothing to drink to replenish my internal water supply that was being sweated out in this 11 hour voyage. All I could do was periodically walk around the outside of the boat, navigating my way round sleeping bodies so I could get some fresh air and then return to my hot, humid and sweat smelling corner. I must say, the smell of human bodies cramped in one space with no ventilation is absolutely nauseating and disgusting to say the least. I have to be hones about that. I felt bad for the babies and children who had to coop up in that space.
Mum and dad? Well they spent the night on the benches outside.
I’ve had a fair amount of chances to berate them for not getting us better tickets on that ship. We’ve all agreed that if we are to travel back to Suva by boat, it’ll be in the cabins or we won’t travel at all. I’m gonna keep them to their word.
Looks like I’ll have to continue this later cause talking about our house is another long post with elaborate descriptions. Keep an eye out for Part II of this blog post.
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