Couchsurfing with Noodle

So I hugged Diane and left Fiji. I do miss it there but my adventures will carry me on and on...and first on a plane that charged for EVERYTHING...peanuts too! but I had a kick ass flight attendent who secretly thrust in my hungry hands a chocolate bar, crackers, cheese, and a water...THANKYOU! And seriously it is a good thing that I was completely ignorant of how long it would take me to reach Darwin...cause it took 8 freakin hours.....so,I arrived in Darwin (very tip of Australia near Indonesia ...extremely multicultural place!!!! )at about 1 am...and figured that is way to early to show up at my host's house so I attempted to sleep in various yoga positions on little couches at the surprisingly crowded Darwin airport.....(all the flights there seem to leave at crazy hours between midnight and 4 am!) then at about 9am I called Noodle and got in a taxi and walked up into Noodleland :) And well....the main reason I picked Noodle as a host...and thankfully he picked me (and many others :) to host...well simply put I am missing my favorite summer festival Burningman...and Noodle's couchsurfing profile embodies Burningman and I have not been disappointed. I am having great fun. The other couchsurfers here that I have met are great. Travis is planning to host me in Bali which would be nice....so anyway I just wanted to put in a bit about Noodle. He is a creative generous spirit that makes various objects out of cheap wine bags (the bags in the boxed wine :) he also is an excellent poet. Wrote a great one about how lovely women are without make-up :) so it is an experience living here with him and his roomies...Vanille is french and was a couchsurfer but now works at an art gallery, her and I are driving to an Aboriginal Festival soon), Dave is a freakin AMAZING guitarist! and the couchsurfers really vary....italian Pierji that taught me how to make gelato, Emmanuelle laughing at my jokes and really good at making some, Melody, a fellow Burningman fan bonding with me over times spent on the Playa....Travis taking photos and volunteering with me at the Festival.....and Samantha, a film student with a beautiful tattoo of Ella Fitzgerald...now there is a father and son team that are hunters from Aberdeen WA,...crazy....oh I could go on and on. Anyway I will write more later....but Darwin is very interesting, presently my volunteering at the Darwin festival is ending and now I am volunteering with the Larrikia Foundation which assists Aboriginal people living in the "long grass" bush. That experience will be another later blog because that has been a very interesting experience to say the least.

Fiji's Top 10s: Laughter

The laughter here generally seems to be louder and more free. It has reminded me to be more joyful. I noticed the laughter immediately and am still amazed by it because really how many times in my life did I ever think that laughter could be so different in another part of the world. But to me, it is. The laughter here makes me reflect upon my own laugh and wonder about it's boundaries. Maybe I am getting way too deep in this but visit Fiji and I guarantee you will notice the laughter. As I write this I am reminded of my dear friend Taura who shared and office and a crazy teaching life with me. Now Taura's laugh makes me think that she had a past life in Fiji. I miss you T!!! Here are photos that Ana took at her school...the laughter of these lovely children filled my ears most days.

Fiji's Top 10s: Treasure House Children's Home

I heard about the place while on the island of Naviti. Another traveler, a woman Lisa from Canada mentioned that she had been volunteering at a orphanage nearby the town I was staying in. Knowing that i had been a teacher she mentioned that there was a little 10 yr old girl there that specifically really needed help reading and that that could interest me. I agreed and when I returned from the islands Diane and I went to the orphanage and hung out with the staff and the 13 kids (17 now as I write this) . I LOVE Treasure House. It is a warm pleasant little house with little rooms full of children's beds, the walls are bright colors and stuffed animals and other toys line the shelves on the walls. The children smile so often they light up the rooms and the babies amazingly enough rarely cry and if they do, picking them up for a cuddle is the cure. The staff is full of warm cuddly women with a nice dose of firmness and sweetness, the are all called Mother. The staff is about 8 to 12 people that rotate day and night shifts. They usually have a baby on their laps. There is also a cook that makes all their meals. Treasure House is the main reason why it is getting so hard for me to get on a plane out of Fiji. The kids happily shout my name when I walk up the driveway. Some poke their little chubby hands through the openings in the fence so they can link their fingers with mine. As I get in the gate, little 3 year olds rush up and put their arms up to be held. I hold various kids and play with others for about 20 minutes then I make my way to Ana's room. she smiles her big beautiful smile and takes out her school books. For the next hour or two we go over her homework and then do reading and writing. During that time her three other roommates enter, there are two 16 year olds, so smart and thoughtful. Great, considerate, personable girls with gentle smiles and big sister sweetness. then the final roommates or house sister is another 10 year old, a funny girl that opens up a book of French words that is not part of her school work actually she found the book, she speaks topics she seems to grab from the air. I have grown to love these children, I wait in anticipation of wild difficult moments with them but after weeks and hours with them, those moments just do not come. Treasure House is a lovely little spot that is doing something so right, when I reflect upon my time working with foster youth in Seattle; not once do I recall walking into a foster home or children's home that even came close to the warmth and homeyness of Treasure House ....I arrived there in awe and expecting the awe to end but after volunteering there for about one month I have a strong feeling that I will be leaving there in awe....the staff, the children, the happy little house with a trampoline in the spacious front yard, it also has a new swing set :). the little living room with fluffy couches where three year olds like to climb, the cribs with smiling peaceful babies looking up at me with big brown eyes...the bath tub full of kids, oh I could go on and on. Treasure House is an inspiration to me, the staff, the children, the warm inviting energy. Thank you for everything!!!
(sorry if you read this twice, for some reason it also posted under July 14)

Fiji's Top 10s: FIJI ONE TV STATION

FIJI ONE -the one tv station (if I move here I will start Fiji 2)!!!!! gotta love those swine flu commercials and those actors showing their fear of contracting the epidemic especially the man that says "I am really scared" with the most deadpan look on his face but then with a tiny hint of a smile. Oh and I really like seeing all the women in commercials with their afros...Awesome!!! Now why Shortland Street, Hannah Montana and that Cody and Zack show about those twins living in a hotel...why those programs were chosen to show on the ONE tv station is beyond me.....OH what I really love is the Fiji version of American Idol...LOVED it!!! now those kids can SING. And the winner last year that appeared high and had one tooth---I loved it, now could you see that happening in a "westernized" country with our obsession with looks....a couple women in commercials here even have tiny mustaches and moles that I swore were eyebrow piercings and they are Beautiful!!! ...I love it..., the freedom I feel appearance-wise in Fiji is great...I stopped plucking those 2 chin hairs..."love me as is" I say...at least till I am back in an "westernized" appearance obsessed environment where nose jobs are the norm and women enjoy being hairless and bony...but lord knows I will never be hairless or bony.....thank goodness....haa haa :)

Fiji's Top 10s:Public Buses...anyone want to dance?

Best Ride so far: At sunset, pink orange purple sky is the back ground to a soundtrack of Bob Marley BLASTED over the bus speakers. People on the street look envious as the bus cruises by them belting out Three Little Birdies. The wind is gentle I have a seat in the first row, I look out the window and catch glimpses of bats cruising the dimming sky.
Public Buses - the fact that in many cases the drivers do not actually stop the bus to pick people up...they just slow it down to a crawl...crazy!!! What about the elderly?...what about me? they need to actually stop !!! me, yep I actually have demanded they stop...with a smile of course, anyway, now in sue-happy USA these bus manufacturers would be sued the moment they were off the assembly line...I mean the one lane down the narrow bus is as wide as my food is long...about 9 to 10 inches and the dilapidated metal seats that can fit three booties (with some chub hanging over the side) make contact with folks rather intimate. But many seats are cushioned...some with plastic but that is in the mini vans mostly(similiar to a South African minibus but different...not as crowded as in Cape Town.) Now the buses I am mainly talking about in Fiji are big buses, they kinda look like old decrepit school buses from the 50s but they are white and green and purple mostly. The music on these buses is great!!! lots of reggae, some rock and occasionally Bollywood hit soundtracks....maybe country thrown in and of course Hip Hop....I am amazed people don't jump up and groove...seriously these buses are happening, more happening than any of the shady clubs I have been to. Anyway when the bus is full which it usually is, people just stand in narrow spaces where bodies are not meant to be, and when there is not standing room people actually hang out the door, there is only one door at the front...yep so when one person at the back needs to get off everyone has to get out...crazy:) . The bus is usually open air meaning there are no windows just curtain type things that are rolled up unless it is raining. And when it rains, it rains...sheets of it that explain the INSANE sized pot holes. (Ana my little friend from the orphanage took many of these photos.)

Fiji's Top 10s: Taxi Drivers

Taxi Drivers – I will miss them :)(even the airport ones that are rip off artists) The airport lame ass that used up all kinds of gas driving all over Fiji thinking I would actually pay him extra money…funny Sh@* now what would make him think that I would fork over more loot is beyond me, but I guess plenty of people have in the past. The honest ones are really sweet and are great conversationalists too. Much better at demonstrating common courtesy than most bartenders in Seattle. They would all say Hi to me when they would see me in town…A couple invited me home to meet their parents, but I declined. And I appreciate Sam, the driver that noticed my barefeet (I broke a flipflop and walked around for hours looking for a place to buy new flipflops) Sam told me where to go…though many Fijians walk around barefoot, he quickly recognized the fact that I am a "fake Fijian" :) and I was in pain and needed footware:) I deeply appreciate their navigating skills around the pot holes that are the size of some pacific atolls. Oh and that one crazy driver that I still am not sure was a taxi….it is hard to tell, scary but true, Anyway he drove me around and did not ask for money…which sent up all kinds of red flags….even bigger flags went up when he seemed really eager to know what types of men I date. But then I think that me being a loud fast talking American freaked him out a little more than he freaked me out so he drove me to where I needed to go and I gave him 50 cents…the ride should have been 5 fiji bucks (us$=2.50) anyway I lived…and yes I learned all kinds of lessons from that….but ten years ago I did the same thing in Brooklyn (now that was a funny night---red flags went up when we noticed that his car was missing the entire back window), sometimes it is hard to tell who is a taxi driver…..what else can I tell ya; but I promise to be more careful:)

Fiji's Top 10s: The People and the Islands

So I have been to several beautiful islands in Fiji: Nacula, Naviti, Waya, Kuata, Mana and the main one that I am on right now, Viti Levu (where Nadi and Suva are). And I LOVE them!!!! See, I am a bit of an Island type of gal. Soft sand leading to turquoise waters, colorful fish, palm trees swaying in the breeze..ahh...this is where I feel the healthiest and the most comfortable. So the lack of hot showers, the huge spiders, the bats, the geckos, the falling coconuts (word on the street says it is a major cause of head injury and/or death on the islands) , the sea snakes,the pit toilets..."Whatever" I say because I am on an island. And here the islands are really special. Each island that I visited has a village (sometimes more than one) that is the host. It is their island and that to me is something very unique. The money I spent on these islands did not go to some already rich fat cat sitting on a huge yacht somewhere; the money went to the village. On every single island the villagers made me feel very welcome; everyone was so gracious and helpful. THANK YOU..or rather VINAKA!!! So here are some personal shout outs to some of the folks that touched my island life here in Fiji:
The Posse at Malawai 9: Diane - the Irish Diva who i will always remember fondly especially barking back at her dogs (when they acted up) "Who's the BOSS!", Paul- Diane's Fijian husband and a member of the British Army; I will remember him drinking kava with his buddies and laughing with him during Pineapple Express and various other movies:),You both really rock. Jimmy - for having a delightful demeanor and a monchi chi smile :) for possibly being a doctor and for just being so sweet and open. Aggie- for her awesome cooking skills, girl that was the best curry! and for being a genuinely caring soul with a great laugh and open mind...also she has great taste in music!!! and Thomas Oh Thomas, thank you for having a great girlfriend like Aggie :) for being a good cook and for singing Pavarotti...you are comedy baby, true comedy!!!...the three of you really made my stay so special!!!!and how could I forget the mother and daughter dogs Cleo and Finley...both pregnant by the same dude..or is it stud...anyway I will miss the franic barking and puppy dog eyes...and Cleo is a Kleptomaniac who ripped apart my earplugs and almost killed Bippi!. THANKYOU Couchsurfing hosts!!!!
Sami at Sunset Waya for singing so sweetly and for thinking I was family
Moses at Sunset Waya for caring so much about the guests having a good time
Lucy at White Sandy Beach for looking like my mother and being a great person to talk to and for inviting me to stay with your family!
Noah at Kuata for arranging everything and for showing me the island and kayaking the entire way to his village and dealing with my silly questions about the shadows deep in the ocean. What a treat to visit your village and meet your family!
Solo at Sunset Waya for being the best guide at just 17 years old!!!! but you scared me when you climbed to the edge of that cliff to get your dog! Anyway Solo has ther most infectious laugh, I wish I recorded it.
Ravi the Chef at Mana for preparing the best fish and really making sure that I was well fed...such a generous person you are!
And the other travelers I met that really made me smile: Kristy, Julien, Joakim,thanks for the Suva roadtrip and then some :) Melissa thanks for being over 30 :), Humberto, Julie, Caroline,thanks for being such good company on Mana and Freiderika thanks for the loan.....so many good chill folks!!!!