A bumpy one hour bus ride from Labasa... I arrived in Nabala on Friday afternoon. My friend Carrie is teaching computers at a boarding school in the Macuata province called Nabala Junior Secondary School. It is Summer break here, so the kids are all gone and the village is very quiet. It's very peaceful and HOT. Yesterday we went out for a swim in the ocean with some of Care's good friends.. Uncle Dan and his wife Lucia were kind enough to take us out on their boat. It was beautiful, we snorkeled around the boat, and i saw a blue starfish for the first time in my life! The way back was a little tricky, as we had to walk back through the mangroves and mud. There was no way to do it with flips either because they would surely get lost in the mud.. so we walked barefoot and hoped not to get any cuts and therefore be prone to getting hook worm. that would suck.... but so far, so good...
I will be here until the end of the week, if things calm down, I'll go back to Suva on Viti Levu, and go up north to the Ra province, Nokonoko, my second option for a potential site. I'm excited about village life. Just three days here in Care's village, and i'm adapting quite well, drinking grog and playing cards and walking around with muddy feet.. I could get used to this, walking around in sulu's and not shaving.. I havent even looked at myself in a mirror since I arrived. It's actually quite a freeing experience. ( And no, don't worry I havent become a hairy hippie... at least not just yet. haha!:)
Ok so here's the latest news on the military situation...
I don't get any cell phone reception in Nabala, but they have a computer lab at the school here and WIRELESS internet!!! It's crazy! So we have been able to follow up on the news, which is great.
The US said that they were suspending aid from Fiji... and right now it looks like PCVs are the last volunteers still at their sites. Jica, Koica, Aussie Youth Embassadors and NZ volunteers have all been consolidated. But for now, we are on standfast (which means we are on alert and cannot leave our sites). Hopefully they will lift this alert by the end of the week so that I can travel and find myself a site...
The news below is from fijilive.com
Soldiers hunt down coup opposition
Sunday December 10, 2006
Fiji's military continued a crackdown on opposition to its coup on Saturday, as deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said he would return to the capital next week to seek a peaceful restoration of democracy. Fijians were warned on Saturday that if they spoke out against the military they would be summonsed to Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva and, if they refused, forcibly taken there. "The military wants this transition to be smooth," said military spokesman Major Neumi Leweni in issuing the warning. Commander Bainimarama staged a bloodless coup on Tuesday, toppling Qarase's government, which he claimed was corrupt and soft on those behind the last coup, in 2000. Fiji has had four coups since 1987. Opposition to the coup is growing, with the Great Council of Chiefs and churches calling it illegal. Several prominent Fijians have already been taken to the capital's barracks and been ordered not to make further comments, while Fiji's human rights commission said it was investigating reports of "inhumane treatment" of one person detained. Fiji-born millionaire Ballu Khan had his office ransacked by the military and his bodyguards taken in for questioning. Former government minister and unionist Kenneth Zinck was allegedly taken to Queen Elizabeth Barracks after publicly calling Commodore Bainimarama names while drinking with friends at a club. At least two correspondents to a local newspaper and several government chief executives were also taken for questioning the military.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
I have been in Labasa since Sunday. It is one of my options for a potential site, after having left NCHP in Suva. Labasa is a "city" on Vanua Levu, the other big island...
It smells very strange here. The smell is a pungent one, but i havent been able to put put my finger on what the smells resembles... kind of like baby diarrhea and chow mein. It's so strong I woke up in the middle of the night from it. They say the smell comes from the Sugar Mill, which makes me question why sugar tastes so good but smells so bad while in its process.
Ok, so now for the news... I know a lot of you have been watching the news and have asked me, what's going on in Fiji? Well, I don't really know how to answer that, as I had stated in my previous blog, I'm not used to this sort of reaction from the people in the midst of political turmoil. In Bolivia, things would be so different. There would be demonstrations and road blocks and banners and fists up the air. Not here. People are going on about their businesses, occasionally stopping on the street to listen to the news updates on the radio that blasts outside the many second hand clothing shops that cover the main (the only) street in Labasa.
I am staying with a volunteer here in Labasa, Like most of the pcvs that work for the ministries in Fiji, she too, lives in government quarters. I was shocked to see Military checkpoints right outside of her house. But the soldiers were really nice, waving and saying goodmorning, I even asked if I could take a picture of them and they were happy and eager to pose for the camera, but my camera battery had died. damn. I made sure I charged it last night.
AS of 6 o'clock yesterday evening, the military has taken over the government. Bainimarama, the head of the Military has stated that this will be a "peaceful" transition. Last night, the Prime Minister, Mr Qarase called on Fijians to fight for democracy after the military finally ousted him. Government ministers have also been given a month to vacate government quarters and to return all government property. Their cars were seized yesterday.
The last I heard today was that armed soldiers ordered everyone out of the Parliament premises, and also, they entered the Prime Ministers headquarters, ordered everyone out, and removed some unknown documents.
Last night, the alert for volunteers got changed to standfast, which means we can't leave our sites. Sucks for me, because I have no site. But still, I have to stay here, in Labasa, living in a house with a girl that is so negative she sucks out all of my energy, She doesn't know how to say good morning or good night. Her basic social skills are, to say the least, lacking.
I have also been assigned on an "attachment", or internhip to work with the Ministry of youth. Today I offered to help a guy with a reproductive health workshop for youth. I was excited because, i felt like yeah, there's work to be done! But no. This guy was awesome. He didnt need my help, He was so on top of his shit that I actually ended up learning a thing or two from him. And the kids listened to him and he was excited and passionate about what he was teaching them. I felt like a wallflower, just sitting, useless, in the corner, occasionally taking pictures of him and the kids (because he asked me to). I ended up leaving early because he was making me feel uncomfortable, like he wasn't taking me serioulsy, just commenting on my looks, and when I asked him if he was feeling any better (because he has the flu) he said.. "I feel better if you stayed," ugggghhhh. so i tried again, I asked him if he had taken any medicine, "you the only medicine i need." I left.
As I was walking back into town, with my freshly charged camera battery in hand, i walked by some military dudes, -who by the way, are in full combat gear- and i said my usual, Bula! they didnt seem as friendly today as they did yesterday, and when I took out my camera and pointed it at the smiling camoflauged men, this guy -I'm assuming, in higher rank- comes flying out and yells.. "NO PICTURES!" Woah! ok, ok no pictures. What do you say to a man that comes charging at you with a gun hanging on his shoulder and a little green beret looking hat? ok, ok, no pictures... so I went on my merry way.
It smells very strange here. The smell is a pungent one, but i havent been able to put put my finger on what the smells resembles... kind of like baby diarrhea and chow mein. It's so strong I woke up in the middle of the night from it. They say the smell comes from the Sugar Mill, which makes me question why sugar tastes so good but smells so bad while in its process.
Ok, so now for the news... I know a lot of you have been watching the news and have asked me, what's going on in Fiji? Well, I don't really know how to answer that, as I had stated in my previous blog, I'm not used to this sort of reaction from the people in the midst of political turmoil. In Bolivia, things would be so different. There would be demonstrations and road blocks and banners and fists up the air. Not here. People are going on about their businesses, occasionally stopping on the street to listen to the news updates on the radio that blasts outside the many second hand clothing shops that cover the main (the only) street in Labasa.
I am staying with a volunteer here in Labasa, Like most of the pcvs that work for the ministries in Fiji, she too, lives in government quarters. I was shocked to see Military checkpoints right outside of her house. But the soldiers were really nice, waving and saying goodmorning, I even asked if I could take a picture of them and they were happy and eager to pose for the camera, but my camera battery had died. damn. I made sure I charged it last night.
AS of 6 o'clock yesterday evening, the military has taken over the government. Bainimarama, the head of the Military has stated that this will be a "peaceful" transition. Last night, the Prime Minister, Mr Qarase called on Fijians to fight for democracy after the military finally ousted him. Government ministers have also been given a month to vacate government quarters and to return all government property. Their cars were seized yesterday.
The last I heard today was that armed soldiers ordered everyone out of the Parliament premises, and also, they entered the Prime Ministers headquarters, ordered everyone out, and removed some unknown documents.
Last night, the alert for volunteers got changed to standfast, which means we can't leave our sites. Sucks for me, because I have no site. But still, I have to stay here, in Labasa, living in a house with a girl that is so negative she sucks out all of my energy, She doesn't know how to say good morning or good night. Her basic social skills are, to say the least, lacking.
I have also been assigned on an "attachment", or internhip to work with the Ministry of youth. Today I offered to help a guy with a reproductive health workshop for youth. I was excited because, i felt like yeah, there's work to be done! But no. This guy was awesome. He didnt need my help, He was so on top of his shit that I actually ended up learning a thing or two from him. And the kids listened to him and he was excited and passionate about what he was teaching them. I felt like a wallflower, just sitting, useless, in the corner, occasionally taking pictures of him and the kids (because he asked me to). I ended up leaving early because he was making me feel uncomfortable, like he wasn't taking me serioulsy, just commenting on my looks, and when I asked him if he was feeling any better (because he has the flu) he said.. "I feel better if you stayed," ugggghhhh. so i tried again, I asked him if he had taken any medicine, "you the only medicine i need." I left.
As I was walking back into town, with my freshly charged camera battery in hand, i walked by some military dudes, -who by the way, are in full combat gear- and i said my usual, Bula! they didnt seem as friendly today as they did yesterday, and when I took out my camera and pointed it at the smiling camoflauged men, this guy -I'm assuming, in higher rank- comes flying out and yells.. "NO PICTURES!" Woah! ok, ok no pictures. What do you say to a man that comes charging at you with a gun hanging on his shoulder and a little green beret looking hat? ok, ok, no pictures... so I went on my merry way.
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