More of My Fiji

So, as promised, more of our trip in Fiji.

Even as I was going through these tonight, I felt teary all over again. It's such a difficult thing to try and put into words; feeling SO close to people and a place that it feels like that should be your norm and yet living here IS our norm.

Even though it has been weeks since our return, I still feel a mix of emotions being back.

Caught between two realities.

It's so weird and yet this is the way Yah has destined it to be (at least for now).

Anyway, here are more shots to share :)

{There were lots of meke's (special songs and dances) and in some of them the women stand up and 'choose' their partner by tapping them on the shoulder. They dance side by side with arms around waving joyously in the air. Siba!!!}

{Our kiddos had practiced 'Waltzing Matilda' as a little song 'gift' for our village. I accompanied them on the guitar and even Zippi joined in!!!}

{We enjoyed so many beautiful sunsets on the farm. It was like my skin and eyes were trying hard to drink in the colours and light, knowing as each day passed, that it was getting closer and closer to the time that I would say goodbye to these kind of simple pleasures}.

{Ethi and Liji were in their element playing footy with all the village children. It was so special to see them run and play so freely despite any language or cultural barriers.}

{Here I am with my sisters and with Samu (my cousin) and his wife Peci (in the orange) who visited us in the hotel. I couldn't believe how grown up Samu had become in 14 years.}

{Back on the farm, another feast is prepared. Our family went to so much trouble to cook and prepare food for us. It was so delicious and I'd give anything right now for some of that curry from Peceliema!!!!}

{This is where we ate together. In Fijian culture we eat on the floor as a sign of respect that no one is considered 'higher' than anyone else. A table runner is placed on the floor and food is spread out over that. My sisters fan the food to keep the flies away until everyone is called to eat}.

{Here is the volau (shed) which was errected in our honour. This is to house all the visitors who will come to the village to meet and greet us! The volau is decorated with many woven leaves and flowers, mats and in our case (because of my parents' bad back and Dannii and Brett's knees) they even put out a couch setting for us to use. Again in Fijian culture, they don't have lounge settings out when people are sitting in a lower position but there was an exception made for us because they understood our needs. That is LOVE and GRACE in action right there!!!}

{Dannii, my SIL, was loved and accepted immediately by my family there. This was so touching to us and to her too. She feels like blood to them and they to her. And I know she misses Nau and the family and the land there just as much as I do.}

{My beautiful Aunty Nana Kasa}

{My cousin playing guitar Sevo and his nephew (the oldest of the 41 great-grandchildren) Ropate (in the blue) whom I can still see as a little 2 year old running around the village getting into trouble from my Pupu (grandfather) }

{Another of my 40 first cousins (YEP!) Peiwa and his brother-in-law Joe}

{Two of my beautiful first cousins Mena and Ta'ke in the blue who is the eldest out of all of us grandkids. I love these girls SOOOOO much and miss them to bits}.

Zippi with little Lusiana and Sisi

We played many games of Pani which we have played since I was a small child.

I first played it on the farm in 1988 and then would request to play it in Australia with my family in our backyard and every time we went back to the village to visit. Our kids and Brett have been taught by my dad how to play and we LOVE this game!
So the kids requested we play while we were there.

{The two teams are established - the throwing and the catching teams. Coconut shells are stacked one on top of the other and the throwing team tries to knock down the stack in one hit. The throwing team can catch the ball and if it bounces once and is caught, the thrower is out! However, if the thrower manages to hit the stack and knock it down, then the whole team has to try and restack the shells while the catching team set about throwing the ball about to one another (no running!) and trying to peg the ball at the throwers. If the throwers can restack the coconut shells, they get a chance to throw again and it begins again. Otherwise, the catchers change ends and get to try their best at knocking down the stack. Sounds complicated but it's not and it is SO much fun!!!}

{The ball has been thrown at one of the 'throwers' but has missed and ended up on the roof of the shed! In the meantime, the kids try to stack the shells!}

 

{Kit does well with the stacking}

{Dee gets hit on the back and cracks up laughing! No more stacking for her now. She cheers on the rest of the 'throwing' team}

{The coconut shells have been restacked and here comes another thrower! The village kids have a great aim!}

{Almost had them stacked but oops they've falled down again! Quick, got to stack more before the ball gets thrown at you!}

{Love this photo of Liji who looks like he's trying to avoid the ball by standing diagonally!!!}

{While Pani is being played, little Zeeki strips off for a bit of a cool down. It's humid this particular day and he's enjoying being in just his nappy}.

{Aunty Meng catched the ball and gets ready to throw it again!}

{The game goes on while Sisi washes some pots...}

{...and my aunties and cousins chat and prepare the next meal. They are so incredibly hospitable and display a real servant heart to us. Makes me so thankful to them and inspired to do the same in my life to those I love too}.

{My cousin Via in the outdoor kitchen and verandah}

{My dad's beautiful sister, Nei Seno, whom I adore. It is her village that are hosting us each day. While Momo Kameli has passed away since I lasted visited, she and Ta'ke (her daughter) have been looking after Nau and Pupu Samu which makes my heart happy}

{Two of the great-grandkids...Giri and Sitaita}

{Zippi and Emily played beautifully together.}

{She loved the freedom of play and being outdoors so much too}.

{Meanwhile, pani goes on!}

{More cousins and friends come to the village to lu lulu (meet) and it is SO lovely for me to catch up with Kelera and Basi whom I played with as small girls. We are now all married and have small children of our own}.

{My incredibly beautiful Nau (grandmother) sits on and watches. I ADORE this photo of her. She is such a gorgeous woman inside and out. I'd give anything to be able to sit right there next to her, feel her hand on my hand as we laugh to a familiar joke or at something one of the kids are doing. I am so thankful for the MANY moments like this that we shared during our trip.}

{As day turns into night, the generator is plugged in (no electricity on our village) and the kids sit under the volau playing hand clapping games; teaching each other Fijian/Australian ones and enjoying such a sweet connection between distant cousins}.

Beautiful times and memories.

I have many more Fiji photos to share but I also need to try to keep updating my blog with photos of things that have happened since we've returned!

I'll keep going between the two when I can.

More soon.

Hope my friends in blogland are doing well.

Yah bless you,

Lus x

Fiji Photos

So it has only taken me 4 weeks to begin posting photos of our actual trip (lol!) but here is the first installment.

If you get easily bored by people's holiday slideshows, please feel free to resume reading the blog in say another 2 weeks! Lol!

Hope you enjoy these shares of a time that is forever etched into my heart.

{The night before we left: Kids clothing/shoes etc all laid out for them to dress into bright and early the next day when they awoke}

{Family photo with Dannii at the airport when our neighbours kindly dropped us off. Our travelling party of 8! On the way down, we were so grateful for our spacious 12 seater bus; plenty of room for us AND all our luggage!}

{Marvelling at how big the aeroplanes are and spotting a rainbow as we walk through to board our first ever family flight!!!}

{Pretty happy traveller; Zeeki ate, slept and nursed on the flight}

{After arriving at Nadi Airport, Brett and Dannii got all our luggage off the turnstyle things and we waited about half an hour for our transfer to arrive.}

{When it did, we all squished into the commuter plus our luggage and were taken to the Mecure for the night. It was only a one night stay here before we flew up to the north island to visit my family for the fortnight! Dannii & I went to get some curries for dinner across the road and some water bottles. Brett & Liji, Dannii & Zippi were in one room while me & Zeeki, Stassi and Ethi took another room. This was the configuration we kept to on the north island too. They kindly 'upgraded' our room for us but this unfortunately meant carrying our luggage, yep ALL of it, up 3 flights of stairs ourself! lol. The rooms were lovely and big, quite cool too.}

{Mecure at Nadi}

{Our Zeeki slept well at the Mecure after a big day of adventure!}

{We arrived at Nadi Airport, checked in our luggage for our inter-island connecting flight to take us to Labasa and there we met my parents, my sisters, Meng and Dee and Dee's partner Kit. We all caught the same flight up to Labasa. It was lovely to see my sisters and parents whom I hadn't seen in many months}

{Boarding the smaller Air Pacific inter-island flight to take me back to my *heartland* after 14 LONG years! I was incredibly emotional at this point. I love that Ethi is actually jumping in the air in this photo. They were pretty pumped too!!}

{Waiting for take-off...me and my cheeky sisters in the background!}

{Flying over the passage way between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Can you believe that some of my adult cousins have not seen the coast before because they live quite inland and it costs alot to go on a bus trip there? Wages are so low that the little people do earn needs to go to buying food and essentials rather than taking bus trips to the coast. It just boggles my mind that you could live in Fiji and not have visited the coast. This is the reality for many villager's though.}

{My beautiful sisters. I can't believe they are here on the SAME plane as my family and our parents and my SIL and BIL!}

{The boys checking out the inflight reading material. They loved looking at the various sizes of planes and tried to spot them at the airport}

{I can't even tell you how I feel when I look at this photo above. Words can't describe how much I want to live on these plains. Not just as a romantic ideal but how much we can actually SEE ourselves living there. I have ridden on horse bareback through some of this land. As I see it for the first time in nearly a decade and a half, I weep. It means THAT much to me to be back again}

{My family; our travelling party as we arrive at Labasa Airport!}

{Check out the airport! It has windows and more walls since I've been here last. It has changed and yet is so familiar. It wasn't as hot as we had expected. Rajen from the rental car hire was there to meet us with our cars. We needed an extra truck just for all our luggage!}

{We drive to our hotel and check in. This will be home for the next 2 weeks (well at night anyway! During the day, we'll mostly be at the farm! It feels so strange to be so close to the village (about 30 mins away) and yet to not be able to see Nau (grandma) and my family until the next day. Ethi whispers excitedly as he drifts off to sleep, "Only one more sleep till we get to meet Nau Levu (Great Grandma)}

{Before we went to the village the next day, we went to the market to pick up yaqona and other bits and pieces. There we bumped into many people including dad's brother, Tata Bond. I love him and he has changed in the past 14 years. He looks more like my dad now!!! It's SO great to see him!}

{Driving to the farm, we drive on dirt road, over rickety bridges that would have been closed decades ago here! We pass a tractor and the kids think this is already an amazing adventure!!!}

{Arriving at the village, we aren't able to go straight to hug my family. Instead we must wait as my father presents the sevu sevu. There are many protocols and traditions that must be observed. Many involve waiting, clapping in a special way (called a cobo pronounced thombo) and listening. Hearts are poured out in the beautiful Fijian tongue that I love so much and don't realise how much I miss hearing until I am once again in the midst of it. We all weep as my dad shares how sad he is that my Grandfather (Pupu) is not here to meet Brett and the kids and yet how wonderful it is that Yah has brought us back again....together. My grandmother sits opposite me and weeps until the ceremony ends}

{Once finished, we are free to 'lu lulu' (cuddle, kiss, shake hands with others) and Zippi straight away takes to my first cousin 'Sisi'. Sisi engages her and plays hand games and over the next 2 weeks they form a very special bond}.

{Ethi wears the beautiful floral garlands that have been made especially for our coming. My family here have very little. When I say very little, I mean next to nothing material wise. And yet the love they have abounds immeasurably.}

{My Grandmother's Pupu Samu meets Zeeki}

{And here is one of my most favourite people on the face of the earth...my Nau. She and I have a very special bond and I would give anything to be near her daily. I am so thankful she looks so healthy and well. I last saw her 10 years ago when she visited the south island and Brett and I took Stass there to meet her. Flights to the north island were too expensive for us then but it was wonderful for her to meet Stass as a baby.}

{Now that Stassi is more grown up, Nau is so happy to cuddle and kiss her namesake again.}

{They laugh together alot and communicate the best ways they know how despite the language barriers. It is something that even now as I type this, my heart is so thankful for!}

{Day 1 and Brett assumes a spot near my cousins as the prepare yaqona for the other men. These are not just some guys...to Brett, these men are family even after a few minutes. He would lay down his life for them.}

{Nau meets Zeeki boy boy!}

{He seems happy here but he unfortunately settled only a very few times with anyone other than me or my mum from time to time. His anxiety levels were very high for the most part of the trip. We did the best we could though and it was lovely to get this shot of him not screaming with Nau}

{I adore this. Brett with Pupu Samu. I love how Pupu is holding his arm.

So intimate an embrace.}

{Oh my heart is so happy when I see my love with my family whom I have loved for so many years throughout my childhood. Even when I was 9, my heart always wanted to be right here with my family in our land.}

{So to see my Brett with Pupu Samu was incredibly special. The man I love definitely loves Fiji just as much as I do which of course means the WORLD to me!}

{Another of my dad's brothers...Tata Mesa. So lovely to meet with him again!}

{Lunch is prepared for our family. We eat at a runner on the floor. This is the custom in Fiji. While the rest of those in the village eat kasava and tea, we are treated to curry of many kinds, fresh juice, root crops like suli and yams. While we feel bad that we are the ones eating like this, we know that to not accept this meal would be a huge insult.We bring things to share for other meals. There are many, many mouths to feed and we are SO thankful for the incredible love and hospitality of our family}.

{After lunch, Nana Tor tries to entertain Zeeki and Zippi but Zeek doesn't last long there. He practically lived in the Ergo carrier during this holiday.}

{Brett learns how to pound the yaqona crop with the boys}

{Zeeki tries his first snack of kawai - a yam that i LOVE!!!!!}

{The boys find a coconut and are mad keen to have it opened!}

{The kids love drinking the 'bu' or pure coconut water inside}

{The view looking north from our village}

Uploading these photos and captions has taken me over a week!
I'm wondering if I'll get to share more before the year is out!!! lol

In other news....I have set myself a blogging goal. Blog Zeeki's birth story for his first birthday post on here. That gives me about 6 weeks ;)

Surely I can do it...???!!!! lol!

No seriously, more to come soon.

Lus x