TEACHERS' WORKSHOP

On Monday Viseisei Sai Health Center presented an all day workshop to the Family Life educators in Lautoka. It is believed that the teachers in Fiji should be responsible for teaching Sex education as the parents do not do this...won't do this....can't do this.   So we have young girls who have no idea what menstruation is or what happens in the bush!!!  We have older women who have no idea what menopause is!!!!!  No one talks about it!!!!  But teen pregnancy is increasing, STIs are increasing, people are dying of cervical cancer.   Joe and I were on a panel of parents and teachers talking about our experiences as parents in talking to our children!!!!
   On Thursday VSHC presented to the teachers in Nadi.  I have not met one teacher that I don't really admire - Wellsville and Fiji.  They work hard and care.  Corporal punishment has recently been  abolished in Fiji.....That is GOOD but the teachers state that classroom management is more an issue.....Schools, Minister of Education, and Viseisei Sai Health Center are partnering to promote wellness.  Culture, Behavior Change, Poverty are challenges.

KOROIPITA

KOROIPITA is a housing project sponsored by Rotary, Aussie Aid, Habitat for Humanity to build lo income housing for the homeless (squatters).  They are built by volunteers from Australia, New Zealand, America.......  Joe and Rita are Australian volunteers who have come here for 12 years, every year for three months.  Joe is a retired engineer.  Rita is a retired teacher.  Joe oversees the building of homes and Rita has created a kindergarten for the children of Koripeta.  They go to school knowing Fiji, Hindi and English.  She took the Rotary break room and made a school.   She found teachers.  She found money to pay them....... They also have a computer/library for children to study.  Rita meets every Wednesday with the women of Koroipita to do crafts that they can sell for money and their livelihood.  I want to be like Rita and Joe when I grow up......

 Rita

 Joe.....

MAKING MASI

Masi (also known as malo or tapa) is bark cloth with rust colored and black printed design.  While men wore the masi, production has traditionally been a woman's role.  Made from the inner white bark of the paper mulberry bush that has been soaked in water and scraped clean, it is then beaten and felted for hours into sheets of a fine, even texture.  Intricate designs are done by hand or stencil and often carry symbolic meaning.  Rust-colored paints are traditionally made from an infusion of candlenut and mangrove bark, pinker browns are made from red clays, and black from the soot of burnt dakua resin and charred candlenuts.
   Joe and I were fortunate to meet a woman at Koroipita who gave us a demonstration in making masi.  She grows her own mulberry bushes.  I bought a wall hanging.  I hope I have captured this true art in pictures because it is very difficult to see masi being made.  She is teaching this art to her daughter.

 My new wall hanging.....made by Kailea

 Kailea's home at Koroipita...there is an outside kitchen, non-flushing toilet, electricity, one large sleeping room for 6-10 people.

 Mulberry bush...

 Masi after mulberry bark has been beaten and felted and before painting...

I also bought a bracelet from another lady who made this with beads and safety pins.  Her entire livelihood comes from making bracelets.  She has seven children.

JOY

He put "OY"  to make JOY and got 50 points!!!!  He won by 10....I challenged magot.  But magot is a small grotesque figure in Chinese or Japanes workmanship according to Webster dictionary.  I know he was thinking maggot!!!!!!!!  o fiddlee dee....... He kept a straight face last week and gave me a crazy definition for "DRATHERS" which I challenged and he lost!!!!
    We play scrabble, boggle, chess, cribbage and really don't miss TV at all.  Joe reads the NYTimes online and lets me know what is happening in the world.  The young, computer savvy Peace Corps peers have loaded a bunch of movies on our computer and we were able to hook our computer to the office projector, flash it on the wall, make popcorn and watch a movie the other night!  We feel JOY!

SUNDAY

We started our Sunday early with a tennis lesson at the Northern Club.  It was fun playing tennis again....we can still hit the ball!!!  Tennis balls here are $10/per ball!!!!!  Most people play rugby, volleyball/net ball.   Joe misses the Sunday men's tennis group.   He is ready for some male bonding!   Get your tennis racquets ready for California!
   Afterwards we went swimming and met an American doctor from PA who has been here for 15 years working at the Medical School....he was a former Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand in the 70s and has worked internationally his whole career.
   On to the Hare Krishna temple and service with Ashley, Kayla and Mary.....  Now this was quite interesting.....  we chanted, danced, sang, clapped, bowed, washed our hands, celebrated a goddess's birthday, laid on the floor, etc.  A vegetarian lunch was served following the service.  We all want to do good so we don't have to come back in another life!!!!!!     I owe Joe a beer after this little adventure!!!

Reading the Fiji Times before tennis....

Hare Krishna Temple in Lautoka...

...this little piggy went to Viseisei......

Joe chased bulls out of our yard yesterday and this little piggy came today!  Last night we had two spiders, 3 frogs, 1 cockroach, 1 gecko, and lotsa little black bugs in our little house before we went to sleep......I will NOT miss the bugs!!!!!

VUDA SCHOOL WELLNESS DAY

Today was Vudu Primary School Family Wellness Day.  We were asked to do blood pressures and blood sugars.  We started with exercise dancing in the field, played musical chairs, sack races, egg toss, trained police dog demonstrations, fire department show, etc.  It was a fun day for kids and families.  The Ratu and his wife from Viseisei were there.  Grog was served for the elders.  Lunch was fresh fish, sweet potatoes and seaweed!  The kids made trash containers for their school.  Joe and Dr. Rajat talked to the elders, the parents and the children.....we strive to work together as a community to choose Wellness.