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