Getting Involved

My primary project is very slowly starting to pick up. I have visited the club's bee farm to check the status of the hives. We will have our second harvest next month. Checking the hives was terrifying though. During training I just watched as the hive-managers pulled out the hives to check for honey production. This time I had to help! I was the one in charge of the smoke and the bees don't like this person, that is for sure. I was dive-bombed by bees the whole time, yikes. It was pretty exciting though, so much energy buzzing around me, I couldn't hear a thing. Next month will be all that much more exciting as we pull out the honey. I am going to do some research on making bee's wax candles so maybe we can make some extra money at Diwali time.

I am also making myself available to the other groups in Rakiraki. I have joined the Ra District Hospital Board as the Acting Secretary. I have also joined the Inner-Agencies Committee for the Protection of Children and will be helping them as they plan a fundraising dinner and auction......this must be my calling in life. They are thinking about auctioning off some wine from New Zealand and Australia and it wasn't even my suggestion. Finally, John and I have both joined the Fiji Red Cross Society. With them we will visit neighboring villages to talk on our respective specializations. John will do workshops on piggery clean-up and proper rubbish disposal, while I will talk about money management and budgeting. I am excited about this new secondary project as it is something John and I can do together.

Here in Fiji, I have also become an avid reader. Not having any other form of entertainment, books have become my salvation. In the past four(ish) months I have read more books than I read all of last year. Time kept me from getting involved in a good book back in the States. When every minute of every day is spoken for, starting a book is a big commitment. Now, I have nothing but time! The favorites so far have been The Poisonwood Bible (this was a second read), The Namesake and The Red Tent. I started reading Eat, Pray, Love, as many people recommended it, but could not get past page 75. It is the most shallow book I have ever attempted to read. Her style of writing also bothered me, it was much too casual, like we were buddies. After giving it many second chances I decided to put it down for good. Please share any book recomendations you have as John and I are always on the lookout for a good read.

John and I are planning a trip to either Suva or Lautoka in the next few weeks and hope to upload pictures while in one of the two big cities. The internet here in RR is WAY too slow.