Korovou Branch Activity

About a week ago the Elders (missionaries) called us and told us there was going to be a branch activity of playing games and stuff.  They asked if we could bring some finger foods and some watermelon.  Knowing that the Branch is mostly poor Fijians we made 3 pans of orange rolls, a pan of rice krispie (bubbles as they're called here) treats and 3 dozen rolls with chicken salad along with two watermelons and 3 pineapples. 

When we got to the church yesterday morning at 10:00, the starting time, we found out that it was a district meeting that started at 10 for all the leaders and the activity was just the kids.  OK!  So I went into the kitchen at the church and there are several cakes sitting on the counter.  Great!  But then I go to put my food on the counter and notice that everything in the kitchen is FILTHY  dirty.  I just can't cut the watermelon in those conditions.  At first I'm afraid if I clean that I will insult the branch members, but then I decided I'm here to teach and set an example.  So I start washing the counters with a small warn out  sponge that I found in the sink.  Kim comes in and sees the dirt and he starts washing the refrigerator. 

The Elders then come in looking for something to make a drink in.  They find a square 2 or 3 gallon container that is also filthy.  Elder Moore starts washing it.  He actually found some soap.  I honestly don't know if it's possible to really clean it though.  But he does the best he can.  Then he takes it outside to the water faucet, which is used for the members to wash their feet before coming into the building.  There is no sanitary or purified water in ANY faucets in Fiji.  But the natives apparently drink the water.  We were told to ONLY drink bottled water or water out of the purifier in our apartment.  So the Elder fills this bucket with water, brings it back into the kitchen, and proceeds to fill it with tang flavoring.  Once finished one of the young teenage girls fills a cup (who knows if it's been used before or not) and gives it to me to see if it tastes good. To see if they have the right amount of powder drink in it.  What am I suppose to do?  We're told they get offended if you don't eat the food they offer BUT I don't want to drink that "punch".  So I take a sip and tell her it's great.  I put the cup on the counter and she says, "oh, that is for you to drink."  I politely said thank you and said I'd drink it later.  Later never comes, thank goodness, because when they start serving someone else is given my cup of drink. 🤦

Well anyway, I get the kitchen cleaned.  Kim finds a broom and sweeps.  Then I get the watermelon and Nada and her older sister Eloise insist that they cut it.  OK "BUT don't cut yourself."  They both got to work on that watermelon and did a fair job getting it cut into serving sized pieces.  Then Eloise and I cut the pineapple.  Nada went out to play.  At 11:30 the Elders suggested we bless the food and start feeding the children since the adults should be done soon.   We blessed it and Eloise and Nada start filling plates with food and giving them to the children.  They put one of everything there is on a plate and gave this little 3 year old a heaping plate of mostly cakes.  There were a LOT of kids there and I knew we didn't have enough chicken rolls for everyone to have a roll and wanted some left for the adults.  I started cutting them in half and just giving the children a half of a chicken roll.  Soon all the children had been given food and the adults came out.  I'm not sure that all the men got a chicken roll but I know the women did.  The men got whatever was leftover with no complaining. 

After everyone had been served a sister came with a large container of egg salad sandwiches.  I was grateful to see some more stable food and not just sweets but they were a little late.  But don't worry!  The Fijians like to eat and every one of those sandwiches got eaten and so did everything else.  There were NO leftovers at the end.  I was trying to clean up the now totally destroyed kitchen when I realize I was being a little like Martha when she and Mary were visited by the Savior.  She was busy doing duties and not gleaning the field, so to speak.  Just as I had that thought, Kim came in and said "come out and join us."  So I left the mess and went out front where the women were all sitting and laying on the front "porch" of the church talking and enjoying each other.  I joined in and we just had a very relaxing time talking and chatting and talking some more.  What beautiful people they are.  They were in no hurry to clean up and go home.  Back in America, we would clean up and go home.  But not here.  They have a much more relaxed attitude about life.  They are simple and humble and satisfied and happy.  They are delightful. 

Around 3:00 or so we decided we'd better head home.  I honestly thought we'd be done at noon and home by 1:30.  But it's ok.  Then Sister Tamani asked if we would take her husband into Suva with us.  He is a night watchman and his shift started at 7:00.  Absolutely we will take him.  Then as we were getting in the car, Shirley asked if she could have a ride.  She is the one we took the sewing machine to and lives quite a ways from the church.  So we told her yes.  Well that meant her 4 daughters would be joining us as well.  But don't worry about our 5 passenger vehicle.  There's room for 8 people!   It's an SUV and has a back area where the 3 younger girls crawled right in to. They thought nothing of it.  Besides, isn't that what that area is for? 😅😉  Lal, the oldest daughter, is 20 years old and both women are good sized.  So they rode in the back seat with Brother Tamani.  We took them to the end of their road which meant they still had a good walk to go but they were happy to get that far! 

We just Love these people.  What a day to remember!  💗😊

 Eloise and Nada helping cut watermelon.  There's the big bucket of drink the Elder made.

 These boys were pumping up the rugby ball so they could play.  Rugby is a huge sport here.

Lots of helpers in the kitchen.

 Playing volleyball, basketball and rugby.

 The women sat on one side and the men sat on the other!  😂

 Just sitting and talking.  What a carefree life!  This is Sister Tamani. The sister behind me is the branch president's wife.  I don't know her name. 

 These kids were having a great time playing on this hill.  Oh the joys of youth!

Taking Shirley and her daughters home. La, Nada, Kara and Eloise.  She has one boy, Solo, who we picked up Sunday morning as he was walking up the road to church.

On Sunday, after our meetings, I told Nada that I wanted to take Kim (Elder Roper) to Sister Tagidugu's grave site which is just down a path behind the church.  Brother Tagidugu was the temple president when his wife got cancer.  I guess they fought it hard--she even went to Salt Lake for treatment but lost the battle.  Everyone in the area came to her funeral.  This was about 6 months ago so we never knew her but we've heard all about it.  She and her husband were legendary in this area.  When we started down the path there were several of the children that came along.  The little boys were bare footed, which is very common, and they ran through the field as if they had on shoes.  Their feet must be like leather.  

 They decorate their graves in a very unique way.  I'm sure there is some meaning, but I don't know why. 

 The children told me this was the grave of a young child in the village.  They didn't know why he died, other than he got sick. 

 Salote in the red is showing us Sister Tagidugu's grave site.  She is standing on her son's grave who died 8 years ago at the age of 36.  None of the children knew why he passed away.

 Lily is looking at the son's grave.

 Eloise is showing me what is inside the cloth curtains.

Still flowers and ribbons from the funeral.

 Salote

Running back to the village and the church. 

This is John, Salote and Kara.

Fiji LDS Church College and Primary School

When we arrived in Suva, the schools were out for a 2 week break between terms.  I really like the way the school calendar works here.  They begin school in January.  The school year is divided into 3 terms, each around 16 weeks long.  Between terms they have a 2 week break and then there is about 7 weeks off after school ends.  So it's really nice. They go to school 16 weeks, have 2 weeks off, then 16 weeks again, and another 2 weeks off, and then one more 16 week segment before they end the school year.  Plus there are holidays they get days off for.   School for this year will end on November 22 and begins again in the middle of January.  So, just like in China, we will have almost 2 months of free time. 

This last week school resumed.  The first day back was a teacher in-service day.  Kim and I were asked to do a short presentation to introduce ourselves to the college teachers.  The college isn't really a college as we know it.  It is grades 7-13.  They go a year longer here and the students are allowed to stay in school until they are 21.  They might stay longer because they maybe had to miss a year because they didn't have funds or some other reason.  They also do not advance them if they don't pass the end of year testing.  So they may be longer because they failed a test.    Once they can pass the 13th year exam, then they must graduate and move on.  It's not like home but the students are kids just like in America.  We've enjoyed walking around and meeting some of them and visiting classes. 

It took us a couple of days to get over to the Primary school because of things they needed us to help with at the college, but once we were there we both felt at home.  Elementary kids are just so adorable and loving.  They all want to shake our hands and tells us hello.  I wish we were able to work more with the students.  Kim and I are trying to find a way to tutor one student in reading.  Materials are slim but I think we'll find a way. 

The plan is to start teaching the teacher courses next week.  There is basically one teacher who needs the courses so we are trying to get some other teachers to join the class just for a refresher.  We wanted to start with a class management class but Daniel, our teacher who needs the courses, has already taken that particular class.  So, we are going to teach the computer and technology class and we have 2 or 3 other teachers who are interested in taking it.  It'll be good to get started.  Most of our days right now are spent checking out the courses and looking at how we can teach them.  I'm feeling a whole lot out of my comfort zone.  It's one thing to teach a first grader, another thing to teach English as a 2nd language, BUT it's a whole 'nother ballgame to teach college courses to teachers that have degrees of some type. 

The College is about a 10 minute drive from our "flat."  The Primary School on the other hand is about a 1/2 mile from where we live.  It's just down the hill from the temple, so there is a beautiful view from the play ground.  Here are a few pictures.  I really need to take more. 

 LDS College Campus-there are several small buildings with 3-4 classrooms in each building attached together with these walkways.  The building in the back is an old traditional building and not one of the classrooms.

 This is the gymnasium.  It's quite nice.  And YES Kim is wearing a sulu--not a skirt as it appears.  He is learning how to handle it, how to sit with his legs down and together!  It's a bit difficult. 😂😅

They have a "farm" in the back.  They raise chickens for laying eggs and for "meat".

 Edward is the man in the boots.  He is the manager of the farm.  Here they are peeling Taro and cooking it in a fire pit off to the left.

 This is the home economics room.  The stoves and equipment in here are top of the line.  It's pretty amazing.  Sad part is they don't use the stoves hardly at all.

This was the teachers in-service day on their first day back.  Kim and I were asked to introduce ourselves.

 Chicks that they will raise for meat.  I'm not sure if they sell them or give them to students. 

These are new dormitories--one for boys and one for girls.  Starting in January, the new school year, they will bring in about 100 students from the neighboring islands to live in the dorms and attend the high school.  They have to be at least 11th graders.  These are kids that haven't had a lot of opportunity for education so it'll be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

 Another picture of the college (jr. high and high school) campus. You can see the ocean in the background.  It is so gorgeous.

 This is the cafeteria.  The students are getting their home-style cooked meals.  They cost about $2.50 which is less then $1.25 American dollars.  They have about 4-5 hot dishes and then sandwiches and other variety cold foods.  I'm impressed with their lunches.

 You can see the view better in this picture.

Last week, 3 couples from Utah brought boxes and boxes of donated supplies to the Primary school.  They also took supplies to other primary schools on the island.  The school had an assemble to thank them and present each of them with wrap around sulus.  It was a very touching assembly.

The lady in the red in Meisi.  She is the principal and is a "character" to put it lightly.  We are enjoying her strong personality.

 The Primary children in the assembly.  They have all their assemblies in the church which is right next door.  They sang their school song which is to the tune of the Baptism Song (about rainbows).  The one line that says "I want to be the BEST I can..." is the same and they really belt out "BEST."  It was adorable.

Here they are singing a Fijian Traditional Song.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  It really touched my heart and I couldn't understand of word of it!  The kindergarteners (Kindy) do not wear uniforms like the rest of the school.

 We walked around and visited all the classrooms.  Elementary age kids are the best.

I have to say the Fijian People especially the children are beautiful.  It's hard to beat the Chinese children but these Fijian's are right up there at the same level.  I think we are going to truly love serving in the schools.