Elizabeth is in Fiji!: Thanksgiving 2014

One good thing about the time difference between the U.S. and Fiji is that American holidays feel like they last forever. This Thanksgiving was my first one away from home and that could have easily sent me into a tailspin, but instead it turned out to be one of the best weekends of my time in Fiji and also my life.

Early Thursday morning I took the 2 hour bus into Labasa where I met some of the other PCV’s around the island. Together we all took the bus to Wainikoro. Wainikoro is small town, similar to Dreketi, about an hour and a half east of Labasa. Wainikoro is one PCV’s site where we decided to have thanksgiving partly because the house is huge and partly because she is the best host ever. Here we met the rest of the volunteers in the north. ‘The north’ refers to the northern division of Fiji which is mostly Vanua Levu but also some other surrounding islands such as Taveuni. All together there are 14 of us and we also had one RPCV (returned Peace Corps volunteer) who never returned and is now married here in Fiji join us. All together it was 15 of the Peace Corps family and some of Jamie’s (our host) neighbors who helped with the cooking join us. After cooking a gigantic feast that included 5 chickens, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn, pumpkin, cranberry sauce, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie, we all sat around one long table and shared ‘I’m thankful for that one time in Fiji when…’ All together it was a beautiful meal and an amazing Thanksgiving that I will never forget.

(Some of these pics are thanks to Andi and her go-pro!)

PCV's on the bus to Wainikoro!

Even in Fiji I peel potatoes on Thanksgiving.

My Peace Corps family and our helpers!

A beautiful Thanksgiving sunset!

Peace Corps slumber parties.

The next morning, we all took a boat to a nearby island off the northern coast of Vanua Levu for a day of play and picnic. They call the island Katawaqa (literally translates to burning boat), but I’m sure if you tried to find it on a map it would be called something else. The island is tiny and uninhabited, you can walk around the entire thing in about 10 minutes, but it was GORGEOUS. There was a shallow sandbar that you could walk on from our island to the next, which was unbelievably beautiful and made you feel like you were walking on water. We had a day of swimming and sunning on the sand. For lunch, the locals helped us spear fish and we cooked the catch on an open fire on the beach. We even had fresh lobster! This island was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in my entire life and I am just so humbled that I get to call Fiji my home.

Pulling up to our Thanksgiving island.

In Fiji we hold our meetings in the ocean.

Spear fishing!

The catch

Lobster for lunch!

Just eating mangoes in paradise

Walking out on the sandbar

Sunset on the boat ride back. I love Fiji.

Saturday I came home back to Dreketi and took a serious nap. Then Sunday I woke up and went to my neighbor’s house who helped me get ready to go to my first Indian wedding. Dreketi is about 50/50 Fijian and Indo-Fijian so I get to experience both cultures, which is pretty awesome. One of the nurses at my health center was getting married so pretty much everyone in Dreketi was gong. Last week I was at my neighbor’s house and said ‘what should I wear to Ashika’s wedding?’ within seconds they were having me try on saree’s and throwing jewels on me. So Sunday morning I went over so they could help me get ready. Saree’s seriously make you feel like Cinderella. They are so beautiful with their bright colors and intricate details. The wedding was just as bright between the beautiful colors and decorations everywhere and it was really cool to see how a traditional Hindi wedding goes.