Why students throw things at trees... & Leonard revealed!

Bula! I haven't said much about campus, so here's a bit of info.  I'm staying in a guest house on the FNU campus.  It's about 10 minutes or so from Lautoka. LOTS of students also live on campus in the dorms which means there is great energy here!  Every night a group of them plays volleyball on a cement court right by the guest house. I'll take a pic sometime. My first two days here while still in a jet-lagged stupor I couldn't figure out why students kept randomly throwing things up in trees - sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. Not wanting to appear any more clueless than I already do my strategy was to just keep walking and pretend I didn't notice.  Finally yesterday I had a light-bulb moment... they're all picking (or rather catching) mangoes!  There are lots of giant trees on campus, and at least half of them are mango trees.  It just happens that one of them is in front of my house. See the big old tree below. 

And here are a bunch of delicious mangoes from my tree!  

To all of my mango-loving friends, especially you Tosha and Todd, oh how I wish you could be here right now!  Students are not just throwing things! They are carrying as many mangoes as they can hold back to their dorm rooms.  These suckers are sooo sticky and juicy that you need a bath after you eat one and the issue is that now that people know me they keep bringing me a mango and telling me to eat it on the spot, which of course I do! Then I spend the rest of the day sticking to everything. Maybe this is a joke they like to play. "Let's watch the American eat a juicy mango and then try to figure out what to do next".   But, whatever, it's worth it! P.S. Blogger spell-check says you spell plural mango with an e-s... who knew.

Yesterday I figured out public transportation!  There is a bus stop right by campus and I can now get to town whenever I need to. A few favorite things...

The open-air bus and all of the kids on it.  This one below wanted me to know that I am not actually his friend and that he had better things to do than look at my camera. :-)

The HUGE market - one city block in size.  It's pretty overwhelming actually, and this pic doesn't even do it justice, but this here is a farmer's market people! This pic is in one of a series of like five really large covered markets on the block.  Between the fresh mango and pineapple I am the happiest visitor in Lautoka!

Lautoka is the sugar cane capitol of Fiji.  They call it the Sugar City.  In fact this is the reason so many Indians are in Fiji.  The colonial British brought them here as cheap labor on the sugar cane plantations.  Then when the British finally left, the Indian's stayed.  And an amazingly rich Hindi-Fijian culture is the result.  Everyone I have talked to says that no other island in the south pacific is like Fiji culturally for this reason.  The fact that people say "Namaste" and I get to eat the food I loved in Nepal all the way here in Fiji is one of my favorite results.  Anyway, sugar cane is EVERYWHERE in Lautoka, but my favorite was this little train that runs right to the wharf with car after car of sugar cane.  

Today I got to go to church and it was the best thing ever!  I met some really awesome people and bonded with lots of them about having a daughter on a mission.  It was a kick!  And, finally, after another evening of getting to know Leonard he did slow down long enough for a picture last night.  I know, it's a little anticlimactic, but you don't understand how hard it was to stay perfectly still, laying in my bed, and pretend I wasn't taking a picture of him from across the room.  Also, I'm not brave enough to get any closer anyway.

I spoke with Sangeeta and Dropati about Leonard and after telling them about Molly and Sophie and my five chickens with names (naming chickens is not a thing here) they think it's for the best that I keep him. They say I need a pet and the campus cat is too wild for me to tame.  So, it's just Leonard and I.  He clicks a lot, and they said that in Fiji if you are telling a story and a lizard clicks at the same time it means you're telling the truth.  Good to know!

Love you all!  I'm off to Suva, the capitol city, to meet the Dean and some Ministry of Education people tomorrow. 

Things I'm learning and also an introduction to Leonard

Bula and happy Saturday!
I'm happy to report that I'm starting to figure out how things work at FNU and what exactly it is that I am here to do.  The meeting with department heads yesterday was so helpful!  It's funny, a university is a university and there are more similarities than differences in the experiences of faculty.  They all helped provide important context for me about why this program is being created at this time and what challenges the College of Education faces at FNU.  There is also a close link between FNU and the Ministry of Education, which will have to approve anything we do. Basically, we have around 7 weeks to create an entire bachelor's degree program including the creation of somewhere around 16 courses (they call them units).  Once we have that written then they want me to visit committees (with the ECE faculty) at the college level, then university level, and then possible the Ministry of Education level to convince them to support the program.  Hopefully we get it written in my first month here and then do the "convincing" in my last month here.  Then somewhere in all of this I hope to find placement sites for our UW ECE students to complete an internship here in 2018.  I think we will be working 6 days a week, very long hours, to pull it off.  It will be challenging, but doable.  I'm excited about it actually.

Also, they had me change rooms in the guest house yesterday and I'm really happy about that.  My new room is quite a bit bigger and has a door to the porch which is where I know I will spend most of my time while at the guest house.  What I didn't realize until later last night was that my new room already had a guest (well, several, but I'll just tell you about the main one).  I've decided to call him Leonard.  He's a little lizard who lives behind the air conditioner.  I tried to take his picture, but he's a fast little fella.  Here's the thing about Leonard.  he's noisy!  At night he calls all of his lizard friends, and I think they party.  I've chosen to believe that they don't party in my room... just outside somewhere. I didn't know lizards could bark or screech, (I'm not sure how to describe the noise), but I've also never had the chance to hang out with one in such a small space before. I figured Leonard may have just stayed the night and left early this morning, but after a little scare getting dressed I realized he's still there.  So, we had a talk and have come to an agreement.  Leonard will let me stay in the room as long as I avoid his corner and don't mess with the air conditioner that's found there (meaning figure out how to actually make it work). And, in return, Leonard will eat spiders and cockroaches, and also not come on my bed or climb in my clothes... or invite any of his friends over.  I feel good about this arrangement. I'm determined to get a pic of him to share.  I'm pretty sure that my human neighbor in the guest house, a visiting faculty from Hong Kong, heard my conversation with Leonard this morning, so now he knows about me.

A couple of pics:

The campus ECE classroom

Sangeeta teaching a video-conference class with teachers from across the island.  I had the chance to sit in and also give a speech.

Getting my feet under me...

It's a bright shiny morning here at the FNU Lautoka Campus!  I mean exceptionally bright and really hot already at 8:00am.  I realized this morning that everything I did and said yesterday after about noon was likely really interesting for the people around me.  Jet lag this time just made me really dumb!  I can't even really remember writing the last post... or how I managed to destroy everything online as it happened. Somehow I made it to my room and crashed  by 6:00pm. Sangeeta and Dropati, my ECE colleagues, looked a little guilty leaving me last night... and now I realize why.  I think I must have looked so helpless and pathetic when they left.

BUT, today is a better day!  Last night, prompted by the joint barking of every single dog in Lautoka I woke up about every hour.  They had LOTS to say! Also, I can report that although I haven't seen a single chicken since I arrived, there are at least 1 million roosters in Fiji and they all wake up at 3:00am.  Being a crazy chicken lady I have to admit I actually liked it.  I got the giggles at about 4:30 when the rooster choir was joined by the canine choir and then... that woke up the rest of the birds.  I feel like animals out number people here by like 10 to 1.  I know, I know, it's the same ratio in Wyoming.  But let me just say that at least pronghorn are quiet.

Here are some pics from yesterday!  Sangeeta, my amazing host, my name on my office door, delicious Indian brunch made by Sangeeta, and a surprise welcome afternoon tea with non-traditional students.

The palm tree outside my window,  Kids from the campus play group, and Sangeeta, Dropati and I at the first of my welcome events. Everybody gave a speech. Based on my experiences yesterday I think I should be good at giving speeches by the time I leave.  

Here's my lovely office.

The thoughtful welcome cards I received every time I went somewhere yesterday.

This morning there is a welcome reception with all of the department heads where, you guessed it, I will be giving a speech.  Then I will finish touring campus, head into town to figure out how to get money, and I'm sure eat some more amazing food.  I have a great feeling about this place.  It's so good to be here!

I'm here!  What a day!  I was welcomed "Fiji style" which means as best as I can tell you eat lots of amazing food and get presents and everyone is totally awesome.  I am still figuring out technology while here and that means that currently this is the best I can do.  I managed to somehow delete 2 blog posts and lose all of my pictures from today, but other than that the tech thing is going great.  Well, not exactly.  Wifi is not a thing in Fiji.  Or not a thing with anyone I've met or any of the places I've been so far.  So... after much discussion it was decided that I should get a SIM card.  I'm supposed to be able to still text and Facetime with iphone users, but I tried texting and haven't gotten a response from anyone.  Someone should try to text me or Facetime at this number...6798698136.  I think you may have to use the code 011 first. But don't do it if it's going to cost you money.  I will get good at this by tomorrow.

Just know that all is well.  Fiji rocks!  I have a perfectly lovely office - decorated with love by the faculty here.  My guest house accommodations will suffice. I have met tons of people and have two more days of greetings coming up.

Highlights from today: 1. A surprise afternoon tea-party with students in an early childhood seminar that included a beautiful flower arrangement just for me.  2. Sangeeta (my host) made Indian food for brunch and my stomach is so happy.  3. The mountains here are legit.
Much love!