Everyday, I have to pick up seashells that my kids throw all over the room. Don't they understand these are not toys? These are MY treasures....I invested alot of beach time and sand in the toes collecting them. Good thing there seems to be an endless supply of them here! whew. School for the little bot today. He's learning how to do a Fijian Meke. It's so cute to see these little ones doing the traditional island mekes (dances with stories and warrior tales, done to the beat of a "lali drum", which is a hollowed out log or bamboo and tapped or beat on with 2 sticks) They are learning some Fijian language but mostly "stay safe" rules right now. Alec thinks he can speak Fijian and rattles off alot of repeated sounds that is similar to the language. It's just not any real words. He'll get it though. Elias understands "bula" more than "hello" and "moce" more than "goodnight"
Well, getting back to my collection of shells on the floor. I'll just use the broom. (called "sassi")
moce vinaka

As I type this I can hear some really loud thunder. We've had a few amazing storms but nothing like a cyclone, yet....There are some days when it rains so much that the alleys and gulleys around here turn into rivers and pools. Thanks for my covered terrace area or we'd never have dry clothes! Have I ever mentioned what a pain in the "large-area" all the creepy crawlers are here? I just had to stop and scratch my leg due to a bite from a bug so small,I need a magnifying glass to see it? It's bite is worse than it's whole body! And the ants...red ants..(fire ants) when they bite, oi lei, you know it! It feels like your foot is on fire (if that's where the get you) and it lasts for some time. Then there are the "bonk" ants. They don't seem to bite, just walk around and bonk each other in the head as they pass....if they miss, they run around like crazy trying to get caught up, all the other ants get mixed up because they follow each other, it calls for intervention, just to get them bonking their head again. I try to "shoo" them in the right direction, get them caught up, if they are too stupid to figure that out, I squash them. Then they start all over, bonk and crawl..bonk and crawl..bonk and crawl...idiots. The mosquitoes here look harmless enough, compared to the ones in Yellowknife, however, these "suckers" pack a punch. Good thing they have "tropical" strength mosquito spray. It works great but may be causing long term lung problems! kidding! The last two mornings I have entered the kitchen to find a cockroach on its back....the only way a cockroach should be. At least I know my traps and spraying is working. These are only small ones at about an inch long. We have stick bugs and rhino beetles, big juicy spiders and what other bugs were on " A Bugs Life" ? Some of the local kids have told me to kill the praying mantis when we see them, "in case they pee in your eye" they say! After I sprayed them with coffee, I asked them why I'd ever let one pee in my eye! It was funny at the time. There is also centipedes, but we smash them before they get a chance to grow too big and "pee in my eye" as well. It seems to me that these creatures have bad toilet habits..peeing in everyones eyes..of all the nerve!

What's today? Sunday. Mar 14. Fairly disconnected from the rest of the world. I'm on the low part of the "Fiji Rollercoaster" I can't wait to get back to my real life. Today it's like this..."only 7 more months until "so-and-so" get here for a visit. " "Only 1 more year, less a month, and our contract is up" " I would love to breathe in some -8c weather" "Why do I hate it here so much?" Ahhh, I don't think I have a reasonable explanation for this feeling. I just have it. It's in the pit of my stomache (just like the 3rd world hot-dog I just ate) and won't go anywhere. It's a feeling of being disconnected, discombobulated(is that a word?) and dis-dis-dis-something or other. I'm finished with this adventure. It's too hard. Particularly with 2 little children. Next week, I'll never want to leave. It's just the rollercoaster that this South Pacific Island has us on.

I've had a bit of web time lately. My kids have survived on freezy pops during my small amount of "me" time. What I found in some of the things I have read bother me. Why are so many Christians swearing? I know they are only words. Perhaps I AM A NERD. Perhaps NOT. I don't know, I hear my little 3 (almost 4) year old boy using words that are completely inappropriate for anyone, yet my neighbours don't have a problem that their little ones speak like, well a bunch of idiots. Hence, my little one who looks up to the 5 and 7 year olds, repeats what he hears. To me. TO ME! I can't get him past this phase. It's taking too long. I am tired of hearing it and witnessing little ones ranting like they do. How many times do I have to ban them? The words? I'd love to move to just avoid the whole thing. Back to my "web-time" same thing. Why would anyone want to talk like that? Maybe Eddie Murphy has good reaseon, after all, it's his "thing" He makes good money off his words. His rotten words, so what if he has a funny laugh. I don't accept it when my friends swear. Christian or not. Am I out on a limb here? Maybe, maybe not. I s'pose it's kinda a lame thing to stand up for. I want my son to sound clean. Too much to ask? Too little of a problem? sure. Puh-lenty of problems and society failures abound around me. It just seems like it should be easy to stop a kid from swearing. uh- NOT. How can I stop him when his "peers" are doing this? What about when his Christian leaders are doing this? This is just the start. I can't WAIT until Jr. High and girls and homework and driving enter his life. Ahh, but as I type, my baby is being attacked by our puppy, aptly named "Angel" ok, not really attacked, licked maybe. not attacked.

Today is all about sweat. walked about 20 minutes and sweat the equivalent of a 3 day trek up the Himalayas...The Appalachians....and Mount Ararat. Man oh man is it hot..hot hot hot. That was just one way, the way back was no more sweaty, just more hot. My Chariot doesn't have much for ventilation so I ran..did I say ran? liar. I hussled..walked REALLY fast ..as fast as I could to get a little wind on my boys. The heat was stronger than I was, the baby fell asleep and the boy sweated, along with his Mother! Well ,that's the thought for the day. sweat it out.
hasta luego.

Today, I get to be a teachers' helper at my sons playschool. He doesn't want to go today, I don't want to go today, but my one year old is keen on going.....go figure. So, we go anyway and suffer the heat and humidity. If we get there early maybe we can sit by a fan. at 1030 this morning it was already 31c. Yes, I AM complaining. It's way too hot and humid. The only escape is to turn on the AirCon and wait for the cool-down.

Have I mentioned that the chocolate bars, that you see below the counters in Canada, are kept in coolers here, so they don't melt? Each room in our house has one ONE electrical outlet. The kitchen is blessed with 2. We get creative with our power bars (not the chocolate kind) The power is always going out here much like Yellowknife. The blessing of having a propane stove is that it doesn't rely on electricity. We still got to have coffee this morning. Also because of all the rain we've been having, the run off water is flowing into the drinking water. Everyone has stomache problems and we have to boil water. Just to add to the humidity level and the heat. Again, thanks God for Air Con!

Having said all that, we spent the greatest day on Saturday about an hour from our place at a beautiful beach, swam, got rained on, collected seashells and came home just after we were a little red! Yes, those are the days that we moved here for. We even got pizza for supper. YES!

moce