The End of an Era

I first want to apologize for dropping the ball on this blog over the last few months.  As my time in Fiji grew shorter I was more and more pulled towards really being present here and as a result, this blog was one of many things I stopped keeping up with.   

27 months is a long time, and it's also not enough.  When I began the Peace Corps, two years felt like an eternity.  I knew that if I thought about it as an 821 day countdown, it would take forever, so I put the idea of even returning back to America out of my mind.  I put my old life in the past and began a new life here in Fiji.  As a result, I was almost shocked when the final day actually arrived and I was expected to return to the U.S.  I'm glad I jumped into my service this way, it made my experience that much better, but in the end it has made it so much harder to leave.  

There have been hard days in Fiji, and although I mostly talk about the good times, I don't want that be lost.  I've missed birthdays, graduations, and other life events that I wish I could've been there for.  I've had some of the lowest moments of my life after the sudden loss of a close friend.  I've cried on the floor of my house when I wanted nothing more but to be home.  I've been scared, lonely, and uncomfortable many times throughout these two years.  Despite all of this, Peace Corps was the best decision of my life.  

Some of you may have heard me say that Fiji changed my life, and I'd like to explain why that is.  Moving to a new country on my own, and successfully building a life for myself here has given me a confidence that I will never forget.  Living in an unfamiliar place and largely at the mercy of locals, has taught me how to trust in the goodness of strangers.  Staying in a small rural town has showed me what it really means to be part of a community.  Most of all, this country taught me how to be happy.  Of course, I was happy in the U.S. too, but this was different.  For the first time, I had to make my own happiness, I had no family or friends, no luxuries or indulgences, no "comfort zone."  All I had was myself, and I learned that that is enough. 

As I was saying goodbyes over the last week, I told everyone that I will be back.  I fully intend on returning back to Fiji, but I recognize it will never be the same, and I think that is what I will miss the most.  It's not just Fiji, I'll also miss being a Peace Corps Volunteer.  For the last 2+ years my entire identity has been the Peace Corps, and for the next few months I think I will be almost mourning the loss of that identity.  But the good news is that although my 2 years as a PCV are over, I have an entire lifetime as an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) ahead of me.  

I want to take a moment to talk to anyone from Fiji who is reading this.  I just started tearing up at the computer as I tried to think of what to say to you.  I feel silly talking about the work I've given Fiji, because it is nothing compared to what you all have given me.  To my many families in Fiji, you mean everything to me, and I can't thank you enough for making a space for me in your homes and hearts.  I look forward to the day we meet again, sa maka ni moce, sa sota viro ga.  

Now I'm talking to those of you who are considering joining the Peace Corps, or taking some other risk in your life: DO IT.  Fiji is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and my memories here are my most prized possession.  I wouldn't trade the last two years for anything.  

Vinaka Vakalevu Viti....

Lolomas, 
Elizabeth
P.S. If anyone has it seen it yet, I made this awesome video for my group as we ended our two years! Check it out!!

Cyclone Winston

On February 20^th  2016, the strongest ever recorded cyclone in the southern hemisphere made landfall in Fiji, and his name was Winston. 

Cyclone Winston had been playing around in the south pacific for two weeks.  He made his first pass by Fiji to the west, between Vanuatu and Fiji and heading south of the islands.  He started to move east, below Fiji, eventually hitting the Kingdom of Tonga as a Category 2 cyclone.  All of us in Fiji assumed he would continue his track heading east and away from our islands, but then Winston made a move that shocked everyone.  He made a complete hairpin turn and started moving directly west – hitting Tonga again (as a Cat. 3) and heading straight for Fiji. 

Winston's path, making a hairpin turn over Tonga

This is the path Winston took straight through Fiji

Even as Winston made it’s turn towards Fiji, most weather systems predicted that he would pass south of the islands.  It wasn’t until about a day before the cyclone hit, that the projected path changed and looked like it would hit the two main islands of Fiji.  Because Peace Corps keeps us on high alert, I had been tracking this storm ever since it first came on our radar in about mid-February.  As it came closer and closer, I kept asking around in my community if anyone had heard about the cyclone, or if we should be preparing, to which they responded “No worries!  No cyclone coming!”

Cyclone prep in Dreketi-- just put rocks on top of the tin.

The 24 hours before the arrival of Winston were hectic to say the least.  As the path continued to change, we were getting calls from Peace Corps continuously updating us and informing the next steps.  In the afternoon on Friday, February 19^th, one of our staff called me and told me that I would be hosting two other volunteers at my house during the cyclone.  But the cyclone started moving faster than anyone could have predicted, on Friday it was moving less than 10km/h but overnight it started moving around 23 km/h.  At this point, the cyclone had escalated to a Category 5 Super Cyclone.  So on Friday evening, I got another call from our staff informing me that I couldn’t stay in Dreketi, and I had to get on the first possible bus in the morning to Labasa (the biggest town on the island).  Saturday morning, I did what they asked and headed to Labasa, where I met 10 of my fellow volunteers.  We went out to buy water and food and then headed back to ride out the storm.  At this point, there were groups of volunteers in 4 different locations around the country.  Thankfully the cyclone didn’t end up coming far enough north to put us in any danger, but power lines and communication towers came down, so we couldn’t contact any of our fellow volunteers to see how they were doing.  That night there was nothing we could do but stay together and wait as the wind and rain passed.  In the morning we looked around outside and saw that luckily Labasa was fairly unharmed, there were trees blown over and some signs down but overall, ok.  However reports claiming a different story in other parts of the islands began to trickle in. 

Waiting for the storm to come...

When consolidated for a cyclone, we play Peace Corps monopoly

We read stories online of entire communities being brought to the ground, and people clinging to trees as the water tried to pull them away.  Pictures of the damage started to surface, and although it would be days or weeks before we would know the true extent of the damage, we knew it was bad.  The next couple days were more of the same.  Story after story came to us about devastation in other parts of our island, and the rest of the country.  We all frantically tried to get in touch with people in our communities to make sure everyone was okay, but no connection could be made.  On Wednesday, I was able to go out to Dreketi to see if everything was okay, and thankfully it was.  I am lucky to say that my house and rest of my community were spared from the worst of Winston, and on Thursday I was able to return home.  But many Fijians, and other volunteers, couldn’t say the same. 

The destruction was vast, after taking a drive around the island I was able to see it first hand.  I will never forget standing in the remnants of a fellow volunteers’ home, as we packed up the few belongings that weren’t destroyed, put the rest into trashbags, and then watched as she had to say goodbye to her community, not knowing when or if she would return. 

Most of these I took at/near a fellow volunteer's house on my island.  Isa Melissa, we are all already missing you!

There are currently 55,439 Fijians staying in evacuation centers around the country, with no homes to go back to.  There were 24,000 homes damaged or completely destroyed by Winston.  An estimated $60 million worth of damage was done to our crops.  Hospitals and schools around the country are also damaged, leaving patients without a place to go and students unable to return to school.  42 people lost their lives to Winston, but despite all this it still impresses me that everywhere I look, the Fijian people are still smiling, laughing, and thanking God for what he has spared.  The people of this country are some of the strongest and most resilient people I’ve ever known, and they will get through this the same way they do everything: together.  I am eternally grateful that I am lucky enough to stay here in Fiji during this time of struggle and help in any way I can because I know there are many of my fellow volunteers who would give anything to be in my position.

If you would like to donate to the rebuilding fund follow this link to the New Zealand  and Australian Red Cross!!

 https://www.redcross.org.nz/donate/pacific-disaster-fund/

For more pictures, check out the Fiji Government facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FijianGovernment/?fref=ts

And for another volunteers' experience on an island that was devastated by the cyclone check out this blog: divingoffthedeepend.com

#StrongerThanWinston

Loloma, 

Elizabeth

My trip to America!

As many of you know, I just returned from a holiday trip to America!  I quickly settled back into life in Dreketi, and it honestly feels like I never left, except for the heat-shock to my system that is.  While I was home the most common question I got was “does it feel weird to be back?”  The answer is no.  It didn’t feel weird being back in America; it just felt like I was living a double life.  There were however a few things that stuck out as especially culture-shocking:

Cleanliness

By far the most impressive thing about America is how clean it is!  Everything from the streets, to public restrooms, to grocery stores, to people’s homes are spotless.  There is hardly any trash along the roads and sidewalks, and even in shops, the aisles are always clear and the merchandise is properly stocked.  Homes, including their inhabitants, are always nicely picked up and clean, almost to a fault.  In Fiji I thought it bothered me how dirty things always were but after being reminded of the alternative, I think I like living in a world where life is messy. 

Cars

There are so many cars!!!  It’s unbelievable.  Everywhere you look, there is a car whizzing by, and you can’t escape them.  And with the sheer volume of cars, comes traffic and highways which are, on their own, slightly terrifying.  Cars also mean instant gratification.  If you want something, you go out and get it, which is a privilege that I think most Americans take for granted. 

Phones

Everyone has a phone and they are constantly using them.  In some ways this definitely annoyed me.  There were many times that I would be sitting at a table and notice the conversation die down only to realize its because most people at the table had turned to their phones.  I like being able to discuss things in person, without someone whipping out their phones and “fact-checking” whatever it is we were debating.  On the other hand, in a place like America, phones are much more necessary than they are in Fiji.  In such a huge place, directions and coordinating via phone is often necessary, not just a nice convenience. 

English

It was weird hearing English spoken everywhere I went.  In Fiji, it is easy for me to tune out all the noise around me because usually its in a language that requires a lot of focus for me to understand.  In America I found myself constantly surrounded by strangers’ conversations, all of which I understood, and therefore had to eavesdrop on. 

Prices

Prices were surprising in both directions, some things were unbelievably cheap (alcohol, dairy, candy, food), others were very expensive (restaurants, taxis, clothes).  I also didn’t appreciate being reminded that things like sales tax and tipping where a thing that existed. 

Concrete

There is just so much development in America.  There is so much concrete and steel everywhere and in the few pockets where there is still open land, they’ve started construction to build new shopping malls and parking structures (to keep the insane number of cars as mentioned above). 

Options

America is the land of options.  If you go in a grocery store, there are a million different types of sandwich bread to choose from.  If you’re hungry, there are hundreds of restaurants to pick from.  If you’re bored, there are tons of activities just waiting. 

Customer Service

Waitresses, shop clerks, and even taxi drivers are all about customer service.  If something wasn’t satisfactory it comes out in their tip and therefore they work extra hard to keep customers happy… a concept lost in Fiji. 

Looks

     On multiple occasions, I found myself saying, “Everyone here looks so fancy.”  Things like style, appearance, and personal hygiene go by the wayside very quickly in Fiji, and I like it that way!   In almost a year and a half in Fiji I’ve never done my hair or had it cut by anyone that wasn’t another PCV, only worn mascara on maybe 3 occasions, and I’ve never spent more than 2 minutes getting dressed in the morning. 

     Alone-ness

I specifically say ‘alone-ness’ and not ‘loneliness’ here because I don’t want to say that America is lonely, it absolutely is not.  Surrounded by my longtime friends and family made me anything but lonely, however because there is such a different community structure, it is much easier to be alone.  In Fiji I am constantly around people, even when I’m alone at home, I hear people calling my name from outside, stopping by for tea, or dragging me along to some event.  It’s a type of community where even though you are alone, you never feel like it.  In America, even though you aren’t alone, you can easily feel like it. 

Moce!

Elizabeth