Surfing

Been surfing a bit. Made a few contacts with the surfers in Suva. There are only about 10 people who surf in the whole city, which is pretty crazy. I think it is because you need a boat to get to the wave. It is out in the middle of the harbor where there is the only gap in the reef. While you are surfing huge tankers sail past into the harbor; so cool. The is a heavy wedge of water that goes over the reef. It is a really fun wave. Surfed yesterday where it was about 2 meters high. I got smashed on the reef a few time but no injuries yet. I am going surfing this afternoon with a guy I met yesterday on his boat. I don’t think I will be able to get pictures but it will try.

The uni

It is so beautiful. Once I work out how to put pictures up they will describe the place much better. It is like a tropical botanical garden. There are about 10,000 students on campus with about 10 of them including me being white. There are so many cultures from all over the Pacific. The cafeteria food is pretty good; the ladies behind the counter always hook me up with extra stuff on my plate. They think I am to skinny, which is true in comparison to the Pacific people. I am trying to eat healthy though, eating lots of fruit and seafood.

Cost of living

Things in Suva are relative expensive after the conversion of money. Items end up being about the same or more expensive as Australia. This creates obvious classes. It is pretty much you have money or you don’t. As soon as your out of the city it’s pretty much slums. I think the average wage here is about $2-3 Fijian dollars an hour. It is challenging my wealth and me. What is my responsibility to it all? So confronting. Behind the post card pictures of Fiji is pain, hurt and suffering.

Accommodation

Accommodation

What can I say; it is a rat-infested ghetto, where my room is the size a matchbox but I do have a fan, which is nice in the heat. There is consistent noise making it really hard to study. The toilet is revolting; just imagine a really bad public toilet and that is what it is like. There are so many ants, if you leave any kind of food or drink in your room within an hour it will be covered by ants. I learned this the hard way after purchasing a pre packed sandwich I left in my room for about an hour when returning to eat it I had a bit the noticed that my sandwich was moving and upon closer inspection revealed thousands of tiny ants. Yummy!!
Any that is a brief picture of the accommodation, I think I can tolerate everything but the condition of the bathroom is a little frustrating. I will put up pictures when I work out how. Give me a few weeks.

Kava

Been drinking a bit of Kava while in Fiji. It is such a bizarre experience. Your whole mouth goes numb and your body goes into a relaxed state.

Here is a website that describes it in detail if you want to check it out

http://kavaroot.com/

I will defiantly be bringing some home so everyone can try it if you want to.

I will just continue on having a numb mouth

Second Subject

A subject that I think I am going to enjoy. It is religion and politics in contemporary society. The focus will be on Christianity, Islam and Hinduism however other religion will be looked at. The first lecture was right into the think of things with a look at Islam, Mohammad and its origins, very interesting. The subject doesn’t have an exam so I am really stoked on that.

Since I am dropping the geography subject I need to work out what I am going to pick up, at the moment I am thinking about another sociology subject focusing on families in contemporary society or doing my own research project in conjunction with the field placement.

I see a lecturer tomorrow about it all and then I will decide. I hope I will choose the right subject.

First Lecture

Geography in the third world. I am the only white guy in the room. It’s a little intimidating. The whole lecture is about how white people have treated people in the third world in regards to that they are lower than them and when it come to development she was like white think they have all the answers. Anyway it was pretty much just trashing western people. I spent the whole lecture sinking in my seat, trying not to be noticed.

After that I think I am going to change subjects, it wasn’t really suiting my course anyway, it was more about economic development than community or empowerment development.

My second subject vocational field training I went to the lectures and no one turned up. I double-checked the room, I was at the right room it was just empty. Maybe next week people will be there. I think I may not even have lectures because I think it like an internship of sorts. I went to meeting with a place today called ECREA. They seem pretty cool

I will give an update when I work out things work in Fiji. When they say Fiji time they mean Fiji time.

Catch you all latter

Justin.

Extracts from the first week

I am in Fiji and safe. . . The place is so cool . . . the
campus is a paradise and about 30 hectares of tropical gardens (I will
get pictures when I can). . . .

The surf is a boat trip out on the reef, so I will have to budget how many
trips I can do. It maybe a good thing in that I am not being
distracted by going surfing all the time. I am joining the Fiji surf
association and they do regular surf trips on budgets, which is really
cool and I hope to go on some.

The trip over here went fairly well but getting from the airport to
the Uni was a mission. Getting out of the airport I was swamped with
people hassling to get my business. Not really what I wanted after
not sleeping on the plane over here. After about an hour of seeking
help I finally found someone willing to help who didn't want to shaft
me. I gained directions to catching the public bus from the airport
to Suva. Just me, the locals and sacks of fruit and veggies. After
about 5 hours on some of the worst roads that I have seen with nearly
the craziest driver I have been with I made it to Suva. The
countryside is so beautiful along the way. The public bus are all
about 40 years old, rusted and with no air conditioning but for the
fact that every window except for the drivers has been taken out this
makes it pretty fun. The buses are so crappie yet they have the
sickest stereos that I have ever heard and the music is so loud that
you can't talk to the person next to you. You hear the bus coming
before you can see it; it's hilarious. I could have a hearing problem
when I return.

Everything is now on Fiji time and I already feel a little frustrated
about it. . . . When I arrived at the Uni
after I finally find someone to get directions and find out what is
going on I am told nothing just given a key to the tiniest room ever,
(my bathroom at home is literately almost double the size with a bed that is
just wider than me, no room to roll over) one roll of toilet paper and a
bucket. I was like what have I gotten myself into. . .

I did get to enrol yesterday. I
am doing 3 subjects that is a full time load here. I'm doing
geography in the third world, sociology: religion and politics in
contemporary society and advanced social service vocational field
training. The geography subject goes out on heaps of field trips to
the local villages and stuff. The field training is working with an
NGO, which I am looking forward to. Not sure what religion and
politics will entail but it sounded really interesting.

I have already travelled around a bit; I went to the national park the
other day it was heaps of fun. I was a like this thick jungle with
waterfalls and a rope swing. I have to go back because I didn't take
my camera. I went with the other Australian and American that are
here they pretty cool. We caught the public bus in the morning and
because it was Sunday they only run in the morning, which we didn't
realize so after we had been there got stranded. So we did our first
bit of hitch hiking in Fiji back to the Uni. Not sure how safe it was
but it was fun. I felt safe because it was three of us. There is a
bunch of international students now mostly from USA. They are ok guys
all around 21 22. . . .

I already know that I will be a different person upon returning and I
am praying that it will be for the better. When you are out of your
comfort zone you realize how important God is or rely on Him more or rely
on Him how you should always. I am going to join the Christian group
on campus if they have one, which I think they should since they hold
a church service on campus. Nearly everyone in Fiji goes to church on
Sundays and nothing at all is open. It is kind cool just being sort
of forced to have a day off. Anyway I hope things work out.

Well that is about it for now. I will try and email as often as I can
but is relatively hard to get a computer they seem to be always full.
. . .

Take care,

Justin

Last Night in Melbourne

Well I head of to Fiji tomorrow, starting to feel a little nervous. I guess I hope that it all works out and will be an experience that’s worthwhile. I look forward sharing my time with everyone over the next six months and look forward to everyone sharing what’s happening with them. Thanks

Me