Fiji Day 4

Today we had our first work day, My roommates and I got up as usual now, 5:00am and watched the sunrise as we chilled in our hammocks, it was nice, the sky was already a little red at 5:00 and progressively changed between purple orange and yellow over the next hour until the sun actually rose. It broke the horizon around 6:00, but it was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. I have a video of the first part and a short time lapse after that. I haven’t got a chance to look at them too much, yet, but I hope they turned out well. Then after breakfast we began work. I was out in the papaya fields with Hillary digging holes to put fertilizer in, it was fun we got to talk and get to know each other a little bit. It got hot very quick though. I got a blister on my thumb from the shovel, so I had to change how I was holding it a little bit. Then Donyes took over for Hillary for a while and I got a chance to talk to him so that was really cool to have that one on one time. At 10:30 we stopped for tea time of course, which we did not actually drink tea, but had some water juice and some fruit. Then it was back to work. The papaya fields only had two rows left so they moved me to a job where I was digging out and leveling an area to pour concrete. This is when I got to have a good conversation with Russie, he is awesome. I want to be like him someday. He is one of the hardest most efficient workers I have ever met, he studied theology in the Solomon Islands, which is pretty legit and then chose to become a part of the island encounters ministry when they started the farm last year. He is the grounds keeper and the backbone of the farm maintenance there. He wife and daughter Auntie Salah and Flora work in the kitchen and couldn’t be sweeter. They have taught me a lot of Fijian words and a little bit about the food and culture. After we were done with the concrete and leveling it was time for lunch, we ate lunch and drank lots of water. We then talked for a little bit and jumped straight back into working. I went out to the field to plant cavacus (sp err) it is kinda like a potatoe anyway, it was pretty hard work. We got to use Cane blades named for their use in the sugar cane fields to cut back the overgrown part of the field to dig up new holes with a pitchfork like tool to plant the seed. It is one of those jobs that is done whenever we have time to squeeze it in. Then my watch beeped at 4:00…which is when I was supposed to be leaving for kids club, so I ran back to my room put on a clean shirt and ran up to get in the car. Lara was running a few minutes late so I was ready before she got there. So then we went over to Wai Loloma house which is a place for women who had to get out of abusive relationship or orphans whose parents couldn’t keep them because of the culture if the baby was out of wedlock, or if there parents died and no willing reletives clamied them. So we played with kids, then I was asked to help change someones tire and it took forever to find all of the tools we needed, but when I did and removed the old tire and everything, the “new” tire they brought me, was old enough that it had a hole in it and the other one they had….same story, just a different tire. So it ended up being a lot of work not to accomplish much, but it was still fun, especially playing with the kids of course. They really didn’t want us to leave, but maybe we will get a chance to go back. Lara’s kids are adorable. She has a 4 year old an 8 year old a 10 year old and a 16 year old. I have spent the most time with the two youngest, but they all seem very nice and sweet. When I was looking for tools to change a tire I found a note from the 8 year old to the 4 year old telling her that she loves her and hopes she has a great day. It was so cute, her little handwriting and everything. We then came back to the farm and ate dinner. Then I finally got to shower felt so good. Now tomorrow we are having a fun day, we are going scuba diving, to a waterfall, zip lines, I think a mud pit. And hot springs, so should be super legit and a great day for the GoPro. Getting up again at 5:00am tomorrow so I will journal again later.