Water Water Everywhere

It's hard to believe it's already the week of Thanksgiving and that I've been living in Fiji now for almost 5 months. I love to live in a place where I don't have to deal with the cold and the snow, though the humidity in Suva is not without its challenges. We have 4 large dehumidifiers in the house, which all have to be emptied every other day in order to keep the mold and mildew at bay. We also have window air conditioning units. I was surprised to find out our recent air conditioner troubles were the result of being clogged from the outside with gecko droppings. The geckos are everywhere (there's no way to keep them out of the house), and I originally thought they were cute, but have been slowly learning more gross things about them. Besides the trouble with the droppings, I also found out that they're cannibals and my colleague also caught one drinking the saline out of her contact case on the bathroom counter. Not quite so cute anymore. We're soon entering cyclone season,  and not exactly sure what to expect. Last year the big storm knocked the power out for 2-3 days for most embassy housing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we won't be hit as hard this year

I just got back from my second consular visit to Tonga. Alex went along for some diving and photography. We went a couple days early so I could also do some of the fun stuff. I saw two different kind of sharks (a small reef shark and a leopard shark) while snorkeling. I don't remember ever seeing a shark before, so that was fun. I was also amazed at the different types of coral that I've never seen before and looked like they were taken directly out of a cartoon. I also saw big oysters, sting rays, clown fish and sea anemones, and even got head-butted by a little jellyfish (one of my biggest fears in the ocean). I haven't finished my certification to dive, as I struggle with being able to take off my mask underwater. I think I'd struggle with feeling claustrophobic too, so far underwater. I'm a huge fan of snorkeling and have done a good deal of it. Alex and I enjoy snorkeling together. I get to swim around and find all the cool stuff to point out to him to take pictures of. When he did a couple dives and I snorkeled alone we both realized it wasn't as fun. I had no one to take pictures of the cool stuff I found, and his camera slows him down under the water to the point that he prefers having an extra set of eyes to find cool subjects more quickly. Luckily there is plenty to see while snorkeling in Fiji and the surrounding areas, and since we have our own masks and fins, it's generally a free activity.

check out some of Alex's recent photos here:

Nemo

Low tide

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we'll travel to one of the closest small islands that should offer some more great snorkeling and swimming. While it's not too hard to get away on long weekends and visit the beach, it is somewhat of an effort to get to the beach. Suva is surrounded by water, which is beautiful, but doesn't have beaches or any real place to swim. We're always grateful when we catch a sunny weekend day so we can use the little pool in the back yard.

Not too long ago I finished (hopefully) the final treatment I'll try to kill the parasite I've had trouble with for so long. My health really suffered while I was on it, and I'm trying to rebuild my "gut health", as my doctor calls it. What this means is getting probiotics from as much food sources as possible (as opposed to only popping a probiotic supplement). I recently found a pretty decent greek-style yogurt made in Fiji which I believe has active cultures in it. For the most part, fresh dairy products can be hard to come by, so I'm glad for that. I've also branched out in my kitchen activities to try my hand at making sauerkraut. Other than a bad cut on my thumb, that turned out pretty well. My most recent attempt was kombucha (since there's no such thing as a health food store here!). My first batch came out relatively good. It's not just like store bought, but I am pretty pleased with it. I was also glad to be able to add fresh kumquat juice from the tree in the yard and grated ginger (which cost about $2 USD for a big bag of ginger root!). Kombucha involves a culture/starter that keeps on growing as many times as you care to use it, so I started fermenting another batch immediately and I'll try to get it even better this time. I do feel improved energy to a certain extent, so I think I'm on the right track.

Suva at sunset

Happy Diwali!

About a year ago at this time I spent several hours making brightly colored tissue paper lanterns for the Diwali party at FSI during language training. This year I get to see the celebrations first-hand, fireworks and all. Every night for the past week or so we've heard and/or seen fireworks around our house. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, the most important festival of the year for Hindus. It lasts five days (based on the lunar calendar), but it seems like it lasts at least 2-3 weeks based on the fireworks going on here. It kind of makes me feel at home after two years living in Venezuela. This weekend Alex and I attended a Diwali celebration sponsored by the Indian High Commission and the Indian Cultural Center. A co-worker offered to let me borrow the sari she bought to attend another Diwali party, so I took the opportunity to dress up.

People have asked about Hindi and the Indian culture/population in Fiji. I've been surprised at how much of the language and culture is preserved in the Indo-Fijian population. I come across at least a couple of visa applicants almost daily who do not speak English enough to carry out an interview. Even those whose English is fluent also speak mostly Hindi with other Indo-Fijians (referred to as Indians in Fiji even though they are Fiji-born). I was warned that Hindi in Fiji is nothing like Hindi in India. While I do find this to be true, I don't think it's so far off that it's very difficult for them to understand it. For one thing, Indian pop-culture has a big presence in Fiji, so the popular movies, music, and TV shows are all over the media in Fiji. I think this is part of the reason why they can generally understand my feeble attempts at Hindi. Similarly, though the language is used differently here, the base language is the same, and context gives a lot of clues which help in understanding the gist of a conversation. I've explained it like this: Hindi has conjugations of verbs that vary for gender, plurality and formality. I haven't heard Indo-Fijians use any conjugation other than the singular masculine informal regardless of the subject's gender or plurality. That kind of makes it easier for me since I don't have to worry that I'm conjugating correctly. I'll sometimes do the interview in Hindi, but will often ask a local staff to interpret, though I can usually understand most of the applicant's responses.

I also regularly use the Tongan interpreter (though almost all Tongans graduate from high school where English is taught in every grade, they tend to pretend they don't understand me until I get the interpreter--I think there is some perception that they have a better chance of having the visa approved if the interpreter is used). About 3-4 times so far I've also called upon local staff to interpret for me in Fijian. There have been times that I wished I could also speak French and Chinese. Already in 4 months I've seen passports from more countries than I did in my entire two years in Venezuela. My boss says we interviewed people from at least 50 different countries last year. It keeps work interesting and keeps me on my toes as well, always learning new things.

scouting at a village outside of Suva

8 Countries in one month...

Granted three of them were just the airport, but still....it's been a really busy and hectic month! Alex and I had a great trip to Madrid for a wedding and then on to Portugal that started at the end of August. To get there we transited Seoul, which has great facilities in the airport for a five-hour layover. We drove from Madrid to Faro, Portugal, which is on the southwest coast. There, we met up with our good friend who's currently posted in Munich and we all rented a little apartment near the beach and spent a week laying by the beach and catching up. It was one of the best vacations I can remember ever taking. The return trip was brutal (transiting Hamburg, London, Seoul, Nadi) and took about 40 hours straight, but we left on a Saturday morning and arrived home on Monday at noon due to the time difference.

I was in the office four days before we left for my first work trip to Tonga (one of the countries in our vast consular district). Alex went along on the Tonga trip and enjoyed snorkeling with whales (and a shark), photographing the blowholes at sunset, and discovering what Tongatapu has to offer. It will be a somewhat regular trip for me, so we'll probably plan to take advantage of the trip over and stay a weekend at one of the other islands where there are lots of diving/snorkeling options. Though smaller and more rustic than Suva, Tonga has a lot of beauty to behold, and I look forward to getting to see more of it on future trips. (Check out Alex's picture of the coast at sunset here).

Returning to Suva from Tonga, I was very eager to get home and stay here for a while! It was nice that it is finally starting to feel like home. We still have a few things to work on to be completely settled, but I was able to spend all day Saturday unpacking and arranging some of the last boxes that had been pushed to the back of closets for storage. There's not a lot of storage room, and I brought quite a bit of consumables, so it's still a bit of a challenge finding a place for everything.

Below is a random list of some highlights that stick out from my travels:
-buying tons of fingernail polish and hair mousse in Madrid to replace all of mine that was not allowed to be packed in my HHE
-being in Mariola and Lucas' wedding (seeing her for the first time in three years)
-seeing Jenn for the first time in a year and feeling like no time had passed
-eating the most delicious seafood I've ever had in Portugal
-kayaking through the stone arches off the coast of Portugal
-sitting in the hammock on the porch listening to the rain in Suva
-providing American Citizen services to US citizens who required Tongan translation across a folding table at a conference center in downtown Tonga
-talking about laptop visa adjudications on camera for the local news in Tonga
-spraying myself in the face with coconut juice as I tried to cut a hole for my straw
-taking a picture with a US flag tattooed man on the streets of downtown Tonga (he looks like he may have done time in a California prison based on some of his tattoos)

with Jenn in Lagos, Portugal

kayaking in Portugal

waiting for sunset at the blowholes in Tonga

interesting guy on the street in Tonga

life goes on...

Hi from rainy Suva. It's been a busy month, getting a little bit settled in and hitting the ground running at work. Alex arrived on a Saturday, we got to move into our house on Monday, and all my household effects and consumables were delivered on Tuesday. I got a day and a half off from work to unpack, and then it was back to business as usual. Work is never dull--I am continuing to learn something new every day, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. This week I was in charge of coordinating the US Embassy's booth at the annual Hibiscus Festival, a week-long event with carnival rides, talent shows, food stands, beauty pageants, etc. We had a tent for just one day, promoting some of the USAID projects, educational programs and scholarships in the US, the Embassy's facebook page, and, of course, visa information! The local staff did a really good job of pulling everything together and prepping me for my first ever TV interview.

We've done a lot to start feeling at home, but it feels like there's always something else to do. Right now we're still waiting to get tv and internet hooked up, putting in maintenance requests every day at work for small things that need to be fixed on the house, buying more electric convertors and power cords, and figuring out where things should go. We joined the best gym in town (still no air conditioning) and got to play soccer for the first time with a small group from the Embassy on Friday (yay!).  Alex got his computer set up right away and has been busy editing and cataloging photos whenever he has a spare moment. Last weekend we drove almost 3 hours to stay one night at a beach, which was more like what you think of when you hear Fiji than Suva is. It was a long drive, but nice to get to the beach finally!

Despite the many cool things about this job/lifestyle, one of the drawbacks is being far away from friends and family, especially during the rough times. I was saddened to get the news that Grandpa passed away on my birthday, less than a month after I'd arrived in Suva. I wished I could attend the funeral and be around the family, many of whom I haven't seen in quite a while. Uncle Dennis sent me the memorial video that was played at the service, which was a nice way to participate from so far away. I've also been thinking a lot about my friend Anne since arriving. We went through our arrival together at our first post, and I often find myself thinking of things I want to tell her about or wishing we were planning a trip for her to come visit me here. At work when I'm faced with challenges I think of how Anne always confronted the challenges so gracefully and handled them so adeptly, and I am inspired to do the same.

I'm really looking forward to seeing a couple of other close friends in the next couple of weeks. One is getting married in Madrid next weekend, and she asked me about a year ago if I would be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I wanted to say yes, but had to wait until I got to Suva (just 2 months before the wedding) to confirm I could get the time off. Thankfully, my boss generously gave me the time off, and to take advantage of the very long and expensive flights, we're going to stay another week and meet up with a very dear friend in Portugal (she's currently working in Germany). I wish we were more settled before taking off, but I know it will be really wonderful to be around friends who I've known for a while. I'm hoping that when we get back it won't be long before we've got everything up and running and I'll be able to stay in touch a little more easily!

Bula!

I've officially been here now for three weeks, and figured it was time for an update. I'm starting to get the hang of the job, though I believe I'll be challenged until the day I leave. Caracas was a good job for learning how to become adepts at making quick decisions and doing lots of interviews fast while still being fair. However, in Caracas there were 15 or so people just like me doing the exact same thing, and different people were assigned to handle different special types of visas, and then there was a supervisor and a two more layers of bosses on top of that, plus about 40 local staff behind the scenes preparing the cases, answering phone calls and e-mails, etc. Here, I'm all the interviewing officers, the supervisor and the boss all rolled into one. I answer to the head of the consular section, and I have three local staff doing all the background work. While the volume of interviews is obviously much lower, the variety is MUCH greater, so I am continually being challenged to look up State Department policy before making decisions on lots of things. Overall it's really great. I actually wanted to come to Fiji specifically because I knew this set up would force me to learn a lot more about processes and regulations than I'd had to know before.

Two of our local employees interpret Hindi when needed, but our office is short staffed right now, and one day during my second week I didn't have an interpreter available. I'd either have to interview in Hindi or ask this couple to sit down and wait a couple of hours until I could do their interview. So after a couple moments' hesitation I decided to give it a shot. When I started speaking Hindi, it felt like every head in the waiting room snapped around to look at me. I was rusty, having not used any Hindi in the two months since I'd finished language training, but we somewhat communicated and I completed the interview. Since that one, I've used my own Hindi probably 20 times or so on other interviews, though I like to get an interpreter, especially when a case is less straightforward, just so no one can claim later that a decision was based on a misunderstanding. Yesterday, after I finished interviewing a young Indo-fijian student (in English) he said "I just have a question; when you speak Hindi are the words on your screen? or do you actually know them?" It made me laugh, but I took it as a good sign that at least I wasn't butchering the grammar to badly. The two Hindi-speaking local staff have been encouraging, so I may be able to work on keeping up the language while I'm here.

I'm still in a temporary house for a couple more weeks. I was originally assigned to move into this house permanently, but things changed and I got reassigned to one that is just up the street from the embassy, so I'll eventually be able to walk to work every day. It's a little hard to settle in when I know I'll be moving out again shortly, but I decided 5 weeks is long enough that I do need to make myself feel as comfortable as possible here. So...I have had a couple of good shopping trips where I stocked up on the essentials--broom, soaps, clorox wipes, kitchen essentials, etc. and have done a good bit of cleaning. I was excited to receive my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) this week, so I now have several more things to make me feel more at home (my memory foam pillow, my viola, more clothes and shoes!). My entire shipment of household effects is likely to arrive 2-3 months after I did.

As I was well aware it would, it rains a lot in Suva. Humidity is usually in the upper 90s, although it's winter right now, so it's cooler. It feels like it's been in the 70s to low 80s since I've been here, and not too unpleasant. I like hearing the rain on the roof at night, and it hasn't rained too hard during the day since I've been here. There are three large dehumidifiers in the house, provided by the embassy, and I've been emptying them about twice a day. I'll post a short video that I took through the window of my taxi yesterday, just to give a feel for what the city of Suva is like. I hope to get more soon--I think once I'm able to start driving around on my own I'll have more interesting photos to share!

The road between the embassy and one of the areas where a lot of embassy housing is located.

I'm in Fiji!

As I've once again let way too much time lapse and lots of people want an update I thought I'd take the opportunity of some down time to update my blog. Lot's has happened--good and bad--since I last wrote. In March I was able to take two days off my language training to go to a wedding in Venezuela with Alex and his family. On that trip we were robbed at gunpoint when we walked a little ways up the beach during the wedding. Luckily, our losses were covered by insurance. It wasn't fun, but it could have been a lot worse. About three weeks later, Alex made a complete surprise visit to Arlington, which I was completely amazed he was able to pull off. The fun of that trip was diminished by the sad news the next day that our close friend Anne had been killed in Afghanistan (See here for more information). I was so thankful to have Alex there as we went through initial stages of the grieving process. The next 5 weeks or so were filled with different ceremonies honoring her and giving different groups of people within the State Department the opportunity to grieve her death. It was surprisingly difficult to balance feelings of personal loss of a friend with all the activities in the State Department aimed at commemorating the loss of the young promising diplomat who so many people admired, but that didn't necessarily know her personally or very well. They had a very nice memorial service for her in DC, and it was especially meaningful to me to be able to attend her funeral and have the chance to talk with her family a bit. 4-5 other good friend from Caracas were also in DC for assignments or training at the time, so we were able to support each other through a really difficult time, and I was so grateful for that chance to share with others who could identify with the same feelings I had.

Shortly after, I went through a whirlwind of finishing language training (passed with flying colors, but I feel like I could take another 8 months before feeling adequate in the language), packing out, getting final doctor and dentist appointments, getting ready for home leave, and saying good-bye to good friends in DC. Alex joined me at the end of May, and we departed for a four-week trip covering much of the Southwest and Western parts of the US. We were able to see a lot of family and friends, visit 9 different states, see parts of 4 national parks, and drive over 3,730 miles in three different rental cars. It was a lot of fun, and we got ideas of how to make it even better next time (visit fewer places and stay longer in each one!).

The day Alex left to return to Caracas, I began my journey to Fiji, and about 40 hours after departing on Wednesday morning, I arrived in Suva, where it was about 12:30 in the afternoon on Friday. I'm staying in a hotel until my housing is ready, so I have internet and my meals prepared for me. I was able to make myself stay awake until almost bedtime on my first day here, so I've been adjusting well to the time change so far. It is very weird to realize that though it's Sunday afternoon here, Sunday hasn't even started yet for most of my friends and family. I got a sim card right away, so I can still use the internet on my iphone, though I'll probably just use my embassy-issued phone for phone calls locally. I've had a very warm welcome from so many people from the embassy community, and I'm very eager to begin working there tomorrow morning. After about 10 months of training and leave I am really ready to feel like a contributing member of a team again as soon as possible! I'm also looking forward to moving into my permanent housing (which sounds great), Alex's arrival in just over a month, and visits from friends and family over the next two years.

Here is some more information about Suva, the capitol of the Fiji Islands.

Between heats at an outrigger paddling competition the embassy team participated in yesterday, in a bay in Suva

A first view of the main island, Viti Levu, from the airplane

Spring is in the Air!

It's been too long since I last wrote! I meant to write a post before Alex arrived for a visit in February, knowing I'd be busy once he got here, but I didn't get it done. The biggest news since then has been recent--the death of Venezuelan presiden Hugo Chavez. I was completely surprised, as I didn't expect them to actually announce it. There's plenty of speculation that he's been dead for a while. The news came about 3 hours after news hit that two Air Force attaches at the Caracas embassy had been PNGed for conspiring to kill the president. PNG= persona non grata ie. "you're no longer welcome here." The US Ambassador to Venezuela was PNGed before I ever got there ( I think it was in 2009), and we never had an ambassador while I was there. The accusations against our people echoed an offhanded comment Chavez had made a few months earlier during one of his talks, suggesting that the US had come up with a way to cause cancer in people and they were aiming at South American presidents.
Venezuela is now looking at new presidential elections on April 14. The two main candidates will be Chavez's VP (and now interim president) Maduro and the previous opposition candidate, Capriles.

Alex came to visit for two weeks in February, and while I had to go to work while he was here, I did let some of my studying slide, and we had presidents day off, so we were able to do some fun stuff. I accompanied him several times on photography outings to some of the landmarks in DC and we also made a day trip to Great Falls national park where we almost froze to death, but got some good shots (I can't wait for warm weather!) We also had the chance to get together with several friends we both worked with in Caracas who have recently returned for training or jobs in DC.

I have continued to struggle with energy levels and difficulty with digestion. In January, I did a comprehensive blood tests for food intolerances, which gave me several things to focus on. After cutting out the things that were causing a reaction, I did feel some better, but not even close to normal. While maintaining that diet (my diet would seem very weird to you right now!), I have also started to look into treatment for a parasite I was diagnosed with in October 2012. It's apparently one that researchers don't know a lot about or understand very well, and there are not very effective treatments available. The best place in the world to get treatment for it is in Australia, based on their rate of success in eliminating the parasite. Find more info if you're interested here. So while I'm trying to work on in now, I just might have to take advantage of Fiji's proximity to Australia when I move in order to find relief.

It's hard to believe that Hindi training is nearing the end; I have almost two months left, but several of my classmates will be testing out this month, as they will have to start other training before leaving for their posts. It's nice that we've reached a point of not learning so much new stuff and now practicing speaking for fluency (but hard to accept that my language abilities will be limited to what I know now!). Because Hindi is classified as a "hard language" the requirement is to get to a level 2 out of 5. For world languages like Spanish and French, the requirement is a 3 out of 5. So while I've learned a lot, my abilities are still very limited, and it can be frustrating to think of how much I've worked to end up so slow and limited when I try to speak or read at a level I'm used to in English, and even in Spanish. C'est la vie in the Foreign Service though :) I'm already dreaming of what language I might get next time around.

Checking In

I wrote last week, having just returned from visiting Joanna and Matt and meeting Alexis Crossett for the first time. I was so enamored with my new niece that I overlooked what I'd been thinking about writing about--looking back on 2012 and thinking ahead to the coming year.

As I think back to last year, it's hard for me to believe how much I've had the chance to do! I've visited Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico and Spain (quick trip) and went to Dad and Tammy's wedding in April. I got to visit the world famous lightening in Catatumbo not once, but twice, and and I got to revisit one of the most beautiful places on earth, Los Roques with some amazing friends. I really enjoyed the proximity to all kinds of new places to visit.

I witnessed two countries' elections pretty close together and have thought about the reasons for the differences between them. I witnessed a lot of the best of Venezuela--the most beautiful places, some of the most intelligent, caring, and passionate people that I've met. Unlike many of my Foreign Service colleagues, I'm not someone who thinks about (or understands a lot of) politics that much. I was lucky to be born in a country where things work well, where there are lots of opportunities and little poverty, little crime compared to the rest of the world. Watching Venezuela's process through my friends' and colleagues' perspectives has been challenging, as I realize I don't know what I'd do to change things if I were in their shoes. (read the latest here).

Fiji also has elections scheduled for 2014, and I'll be interested to contrast that experience with what I've seen in Venezuela. I have been going back and forth between stocking up on summer shoes and clothes and trying to to buy anything more, as I feel I have enough for Fiji. I get to take a shipment of consumables (recommended items include toilet paper, any kind of paper goods, coffee, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.). It's also recommended to bring all sporting goods and shoes you expect to need, as good quality and prices are not readily available. Since I sold my TV and most electronics in Venezuela, I've been gradually replacing them. I need to find items with dual voltage plugs, as the voltage is different there than here. I'm waiting to buy a new car once I get there, since cars are driven on the left side of the street and the steering wheels are on the right side of the car.

Though I've been relying on Alex's pictures for the last year or so and haven't really taken any of my own, I broke down and decided to buy a camera. I would have loved to have one when I was visiting El Paso, and as Alex's focus is on artistic shots, I don't always the get cheesy shots I want to remember fun trips. I got a pretty simple point and shoot one, but it seems like it'll be just what I want size- and capability- wise.

The State Department recently posted a video on their careers page of the website giving an overview of the job(s) of a foreign service officer. I really enjoyed seeing it and it was a great reminder to me of why I took this job. Language training doesn't happen to be my favorite part of it, but it's a necessary part of it, and it's a pretty cool perk. The video also shows a pretty accurate glimpse into the work my colleagues and I do around the world.

Canon PowerShot A2300 16MP 5X Optical Zoom Black Digital Camera (Google Affiliate Ad)

Welcome 2013

Welcome 2013! I'm back at home after a great trip to El Paso from Christmas through New Year's to visit Joanna and Matt and meet Alexis Jean Crossett! It was really nice to see Joanna and Matt, and to meet my precious new niece Alexis. It was also really great to have a break from studying and a change of pace for a few days. I had a blast holding Alexis, changing her diapers, helping bathe her, watching her sleep, waking her up to eat, and going to a doctor appointment with her and Joanna.

I took way too many pictures of her, but I couldn't help myself. Here are a couple of her after her third bath wearing the robe Alex and I bought for her at FAO Schwartz in New York after Thanksgiving. He couldn't believe this was it, since she looks so tiny in it, and it looked pretty tiny itself. She is a precious little girl, and I can't wait to visit again this summer. It was so hard to leave on New Year's!

It was only a 3-day week coming back, but it was long enough for me! I jumped right back into Hindi the day after returning. I also had a doctor appointment to follow up on food intolerances. I'm getting a blood test from ALCAT to determine what foods are producing an immunological response when I eat them. Despite some improvement, I've been continuing to deal with a great deal of fatigue as well as some indigestion and some headaches. In a few days I'll have a list of foods that I have severe, moderate, milde, and no reactions to, and I hope to find some improvement with this.

I've also turned some attention to start planning my home leave trip this summer before leaving for Fiji. It's hard to believe I'm about half-way done with my Hindi course. In late May Alex will come back for a final visit here, and we'll do some fun traveling, hopefully to some places where he'll get some amazing pictures, and also to visit Joanna et. al. and Dad and Tammy. We're currently trying to plan the details of the trip, which is fun and challenging at the same time. We definitely want to hit the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, LA, and we're seeing what else we can do.

Dad and Tammy are at Joanna and Matt's house this week--so hopefully I'll get to see some more pictures and videos of Alexis soon! ;)