Why I ever owned a hamster as a child is beyond me...
I HATE rodents. Yes, indeed, I had another encounter last night. Except this time it was a rat. A big, black, hairy, jungle rat. There is an air-con unit in my room, because the previous volunteer that lived in our house was a Peace Corps Princess... or so they say... It's mounted on my wall, above my bed, all bulky and dusty...Anyhow- it was never my intention to use the air-conditioning in the first place, i don't even know how to turn it on.
Here's the story:
I wake up to the sound of chewing. I know that sound, loud and clear, I could recognize that sound anywhere. I think I've been scarred for life since the incident with the Saweni mice. The sound was the same, only a louder, a bigger sound (if that even makes sense). At first i thought it was the bats that chill out by my window, I've become accostumed to their squeeling at night, it kind of sounds like they are giving birth....
So when I realize the sound is coming from inside the house, inside my room, right above my bed, i freak out. I throw the sheets off me and turn on the light. yeah. Sure enough, a thick, black rat tail is curled up agianst the wall, sticking out of that old, dusty air-con machine. The rat is still, paralyzed and silent. I think it was trying to get me to think it wasn't there. But it was there all right, black and hairy and big...there was no way i could ignore that thick black tail... uggghhh. i'm getting squeemish just thinking about it. So i look around my room for something, i don't know what, just something to get the rat out of my room, to leave the same way it came from without falling to my bed or ME for that matter. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the cockroach killing spray... I sprayed the air-con vent and still the rat didn't budge. I sprayed it some more. Nothing. It was as if the rat was laughing at me. So then i got pissed off and with my fly swatter i banged on the vent until the rat crawled out, balanced itself on the wires that connect the air-con to a hole leading outside. A hole. (No wonder i was still getting bit my mosquitoes, even after PWD put mosquito screens on our windows.) So i grabbed duct tape and taped up the hole. That didn't work. As soon as i was falling back asleep, i heard the rat come back. Or maybe i was dreaming it? i didn't care. I tucked my matress in the mosquito net above my bed and hoped to god the rat wouldnt fall on it, using it as a safety net. Why it even enjoys chewing on the wires inside the air con vent? I don't know. But I do know, that if the air-con worked before, it sure as hell doesn't anymore.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
One of my closest friends from PST (Pre-Service Training) left about two weeks ago. We call him Toad. His name is Todd, and is absolutely one of the kindest people I've ever met. It's just hit me, how much I miss him, How much I miss getting a random text message from him, or a phone call or a a hug.I remember first meeting him in LA, at orientation at the Renaissance Hotel. We got stuck doing this stpudid ice-breaker excercise together. I remember introducing myself, extending my hand to shake his... And Toad, sweet as he is, said, "I'm a hugger". And that was it, I knew we would be friends.
Toad had it rough from the very beginning. He asked for the chicken meal on Air New Zealand. It was pink, so he didn't eat it, he drank wine instead. And then, when we got to our host families, he got bed bugs. Itchy and swollen and miserable as it was, Toad kept truckin' on through. Giving out hugs and love... It's crazy, but in the short amount of time we had here, we became good friends. We saw each other through good times through not so good times, through really bad no good times at all... We cried and laughed and danced and sat on the beach or at Aji's house drinking grog, me and Toad and Ropate, my boys... and we made a pact that if we ever decided to leave we wouldn't do so without talking to each other first. (that seems like ages ago)
And then he constantly kept getting sick. I could see him losing pounds (or in this case, kilos) every week. I could see him struggling without his girlfriend, who he left back home. I could see him really struggling to keep things together and stay. Even after site visit, even after swearing in.... I remember him calling me in a panic... crying over the phone and not knowing what to do. I knew then, i was losing toad. When it came down to it though, some things are just not worth it, some things just don't feel right, and some things are just too big to give up and risk losing. I even played devils advocate a lot with him and tried to convince him to stay... Toad's heart was just in a different place. So while I lost Toad's presence here in Fiji, I've gained the support of a true friend. It was hard to see him E.T. (Early Terminate) but in the long run I know he's done the right thing for himself.
If you are reading this Toad man: I miss you, we all miss you... Your absence is greatly felt . And i can't believe you didnt leave me your Charlie Brown T-shirt. What's up with that!?
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
It's been a while- so here a couple of posts -from my journal:
July 28, 2006
This was our fisrt day in Lawaki. i think I'm still going through cuiture shock. Fijian Village life is drastically different that living in an Indian Settlement. I didn't meet my "nene" (host mom) until later in the day. I presented my sevusevu to her and her husband. (a sevusevu is a formal way of asking permission to enter a village or family. It is the actual root of yangona, which is used to make grog, or kava, it is wrapped in newspaper and looks all twined up and spiraled. it looks kind of like a gnome head) anyway, my sevusevu went something like this: " Oqo en dua na noqo i sevusevu lailai" Fijian language is a trip! it's so wierd.. but it sounds beautiful when they speak it, especially the women, with their soft voices.... the "q" is pronounced as an "ng" sound the "c" is pronounced "th" as in "that". Very confusing.
There was a fundraiser tonight in the village. All the villagers invited us to drink grog with them. I drank so much grog, more than i've had in one sitting since i've been here. It made me so tired and i was in slooooooooww- motion. I slept like a rock though. The grog hangover is crazy, all you want to do is sleep, and eat, and sleep some more. Went to church on sunday. They attend a methodist church in the village. There is a wooden "lolly" (a drum) that they beat as a bell to come to church. Its really cool... everyone gets dressed in their best clothes, with their bibles and hymn books in hand. I went to church for two hours in the morning and then 2 hours again at night. Dad would be very proud. All in Fijian... it was interesting, the preacher was definately preaching, but the choir was beautiful.
August 3, 2006
Oath of service:
I, Danica Conneely solemnly swear pledge my commitment and support to the people of Fiji, and in the spirit of peace, friendship, and international cooperation that I will do my best to represent my counrty while respecting the traditions, culture and values of Fiji, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully carry out my duties as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
August 8, 2006
Last night was the first time I cooked in our kitchen. We had a bunch of people over (mostly from FRE2 and FRE3). I made pasta with mussels and salad and garlic bread. It was a nice break from all the dalo and boiled fish we've been eating. One of the volunteers even brought some wine! It was comforting to cook and entertain some friends. The first of many dinners to come. The house I live in is big, It's in government quarters so it looks sketchy and institutional from the outside. But we have a yard and apparently an avocado tree (havent seen any avocados yet) and a mango tree that just flowers but doesn't fruit. We are pretty close to the police post and only a 5 minute walk from the University of the South Pacific. Also close to the water, although there is only a sea wall, no beach, The skies are gorgeous here, especially when it's not cloudy out. Can't wait to know my way around the city and not look or feel lost.
August 11, 2006
Suva is good, it rains almost every day which makes it impossible for laundry to dry... i did laundry 3 days ago and they still have not dried. Its all the humidity, I guess. The Public Works Department has been working on our house for the past week and they still have many repairs to do to the house. Most importatly- mosquito screens. It's funny how Fijians break for tea, then an hour to 2 hours lunch and then tea agian... It reminds me of Bolivia and how everything shuts down for two-3 hours at lunch.. siesta!
Night time is the loudest time at the house. The bats here are HUGE. They look like flying dogs without tails. and they squeal really loud too. There are rats living on our roof top, and since it is made of tin, you can hear their claws as they scurry across the rooftop. The most annoying sound of all, however, is waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of mosquitoes buzzing in your ear. Last night I put up a mosquito net around my bed and have had the best night's sleep in a long, long time. I didn't wake up once! and the mosquito net looks really cool too, kind of like a canopy bed, only not as romantic, definatley not romantic.
July 28, 2006
This was our fisrt day in Lawaki. i think I'm still going through cuiture shock. Fijian Village life is drastically different that living in an Indian Settlement. I didn't meet my "nene" (host mom) until later in the day. I presented my sevusevu to her and her husband. (a sevusevu is a formal way of asking permission to enter a village or family. It is the actual root of yangona, which is used to make grog, or kava, it is wrapped in newspaper and looks all twined up and spiraled. it looks kind of like a gnome head) anyway, my sevusevu went something like this: " Oqo en dua na noqo i sevusevu lailai" Fijian language is a trip! it's so wierd.. but it sounds beautiful when they speak it, especially the women, with their soft voices.... the "q" is pronounced as an "ng" sound the "c" is pronounced "th" as in "that". Very confusing.
There was a fundraiser tonight in the village. All the villagers invited us to drink grog with them. I drank so much grog, more than i've had in one sitting since i've been here. It made me so tired and i was in slooooooooww- motion. I slept like a rock though. The grog hangover is crazy, all you want to do is sleep, and eat, and sleep some more. Went to church on sunday. They attend a methodist church in the village. There is a wooden "lolly" (a drum) that they beat as a bell to come to church. Its really cool... everyone gets dressed in their best clothes, with their bibles and hymn books in hand. I went to church for two hours in the morning and then 2 hours again at night. Dad would be very proud. All in Fijian... it was interesting, the preacher was definately preaching, but the choir was beautiful.
August 3, 2006
Oath of service:
I, Danica Conneely solemnly swear pledge my commitment and support to the people of Fiji, and in the spirit of peace, friendship, and international cooperation that I will do my best to represent my counrty while respecting the traditions, culture and values of Fiji, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully carry out my duties as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
August 8, 2006
Last night was the first time I cooked in our kitchen. We had a bunch of people over (mostly from FRE2 and FRE3). I made pasta with mussels and salad and garlic bread. It was a nice break from all the dalo and boiled fish we've been eating. One of the volunteers even brought some wine! It was comforting to cook and entertain some friends. The first of many dinners to come. The house I live in is big, It's in government quarters so it looks sketchy and institutional from the outside. But we have a yard and apparently an avocado tree (havent seen any avocados yet) and a mango tree that just flowers but doesn't fruit. We are pretty close to the police post and only a 5 minute walk from the University of the South Pacific. Also close to the water, although there is only a sea wall, no beach, The skies are gorgeous here, especially when it's not cloudy out. Can't wait to know my way around the city and not look or feel lost.
August 11, 2006
Suva is good, it rains almost every day which makes it impossible for laundry to dry... i did laundry 3 days ago and they still have not dried. Its all the humidity, I guess. The Public Works Department has been working on our house for the past week and they still have many repairs to do to the house. Most importatly- mosquito screens. It's funny how Fijians break for tea, then an hour to 2 hours lunch and then tea agian... It reminds me of Bolivia and how everything shuts down for two-3 hours at lunch.. siesta!
Night time is the loudest time at the house. The bats here are HUGE. They look like flying dogs without tails. and they squeal really loud too. There are rats living on our roof top, and since it is made of tin, you can hear their claws as they scurry across the rooftop. The most annoying sound of all, however, is waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of mosquitoes buzzing in your ear. Last night I put up a mosquito net around my bed and have had the best night's sleep in a long, long time. I didn't wake up once! and the mosquito net looks really cool too, kind of like a canopy bed, only not as romantic, definatley not romantic.
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