Thursday, April 21, 2011

And after you read that last post, here are a few pics x



My boys and the big Yellow fin


Does it look like I'm building a house???

The crew

Fisharama...


So here I am, in the depths of the coconut jungle, feeling the most relaxed and peaceful I have for a very long time! Its been 5 weeks since we left Oz, it feels like much longer and I feel like I have smoothly settled into what my idea of living on a tropical island should be like.
For the first time in about 5 years (since Noah was born) I am doing a whole lot of absolutely NOTHING! Besides the daily routine of cooking and house keeping, I am not doing much else and am absolutely LOVING IT!!!!!
In the few weeks Before I left Sydney I was running around like a chook with its head cut off (which being here I’ve seen a few of – Noah particularly loves that stage of dinner preparation- after he traps the chooks in the cage, someone will come and chop their heads off and he loves watching the headless things run around flapping to death...)- organizing, preparing, schlepping back and forth from Cronulla to Bondi, shopping, lists, packing, more lists bla bla bla... I cant stress how nice it is to have all that behind me, and how grateful I feel to be living such a peaceful stress free life here.
For the first few days or couple of weeks here I was freaking out, feeling bored and at a loss of what the heck I'm gonna do here for all this time. I felt similar feelings to how I did before I left last time, and pushed my head into overdrive trying to think of things I can do here to stimulate me, mentally mainly. At some stage I just decided – to hell with that! I'm gonna just do NOTHING!!!! How about that??? How DARE I? How can one do NOTHING in this world??? Surely there are things TO BE DONE!!!!!!?!?!!
But no! I decided to dedicate this time here to spend real quality time with my kids, to wake up every morning and get out of the way the routine duties (breakfast, washing, cleaning, cooking) and spend the rest of the day having fun with my kids!!!!
What parents out there can say that they have spent a whole day just playing with their kids? (not to mention weeks and months of it???) Thinking only of what game or activity or fun they can do next???
Well I am LOVING it! I am so grateful for this time, coz I doubt I could be doing this anywhere else. I’d always be too busy, too distracted, too frustrated. But here, we’ve been making and playing with play dough, we’ve been painting, and face painting, and building dens, and playing music, singing and dancing, baking cookies and muffins, screeching tickling sessions, climbing trees to pick fruit, watching movies in the day time with massive bowls of popcorn, watching the moon and the stars at night lying in our mozzie dome on the grass, going for swims at sunset, watching the “seals” (eels in Noah lingo) eat the fishes “greedy guts” (guts) when Carl cleans the fish he has speared, planting seeds and growing the vegie patch, telling stories, going for walks and counting “Shungululu’s” (centipedes) on the road, playing “I spy with my little eye”, reading loads of books, doing lots of schooling for Noah (with Saulei drawing or playing paper aeroplanes or hanging off my neck). The kids are so happy, and I am so happy. This time is making me appreciate them so much more, and adore them to my absolute core. I get blown away everyday by their cuteness and divinity, and just cant get enough of cuddling and squeezing them to death! At times I feel sad that I have missed out on so much of this because I’m always too busy cleaning or cooking or doing this or that.
PLEASE!!!! All you parents out there- make the effort of at least one day a week, or even a couple of hours a day-  to drop everything and be an “Island parent” like me... you dunno what you’re missing out on. It will make you so happy, and make your kids even happier...
The boys have befriended the 2 little girls who live down the road, they’re similar ages, and have just started to warm to each other, which is great! Its taken a while, but they're now playing together at some point of every day, and loving it!
Carl has been fishing loads (he’s actually just gone out now, 8:45pm to catch me some Lobsters. Its the 3rd night after the full moon that, apparently, is the best time to go Lobstering. Yum breakfast tomorrow morning for me...
He has become quite the spear fishing pro, my husband. Every time he goes out, he comes back with enough fish to feed us all (plus some to freeze) and at least 2 other families in the village, which everyone is very grateful for. Did I mention the Yellow fin Tuna he came back with one day- it was the size of Saulei!!!!! (he didn’t actually spear that one, but it was so cool, and sooo yum!!!).
I cant go on without saying that yesterday, I finally scaled and gutted some fish!!! I was always so grossed out by that part of the process- scales flying up in the air and into my hair, digging my hands deep into the fishes guts pulling out all the insides covered in fish poo... yuk!!! But I decided it is time to graduate from Jewish Princess to Island Queen- and I did it!!!! (With the help of Futfiri- the gorgeous mum of the 2 little girls, who came running over when she saw Carl brought home fish, as she LOVES eating the RAW fish guts!!!! (dunno if I will be doing that one...)
So fish has been our staple food lately- fish cooked in coconut cream, fish baked in banana leaves, fried fish, Tom Yum fish soup, Massaman fish curry, steamed spicy fish. Fish fish fish. (and Taro, Cassava, Taro Cassava, rice.) oh, and still loads of Avocado’s (GuyGross - thinking of you each bite...), Pawpaw’s on tap (we are surrounded by pawpaw trees, and whatever we cant eat- the chooks get. And then we eat them, so its more pawpaw in a roundabout kinda way...)
What else? – a “night out” on the piss with Aggy (who’s house we’re in) and her mates, which started off hilarious, drinking Vodka and lemon juice, badly mixed with homebrew made of fermented Cassava water... I knew very well how bad that mix is so only had a couple, but these Rotumans, I tell you, THEY CAN DRINK!!!!!! Jug after jug after jug- ridiculous amounts, which at first was amusing, but it got to a point where I remembered why I don’t like drinking with Rotumans, or drinking much at all, and I was falling asleep on the floor and ended up being walked home at 1am (about 20 minute walk) by Charlie and Lilly, who felt really bad for me, and worried that Carl would be waiting up for me worrying about what I was doing... (NOT! Clearly Carl was fast asleep and didn’t even stir when I climbed into bed...). The rest of them were drinking till they passed out, and only came home in the morning...
Another little event, in a place where not much happens, was a 1st birthday party we went to down the road, which wasn’t much different to any other “DO” here, but what is worth mentioning was the birthday cake, flown in from Suva, a massive pink thing, about 4 times the size of my laptop, with a not- Barbi doll coming out of it, pink gown and all, royal icing, marzipan roses- the works!!! (tasted shit). I stood there fanning the thing for ages, until it was time to eat it (before dinner, not after), so got a good look at the details. I think all the old ladies sitting around felt sorry for the “Hen Fissi” (white woman) having to stand there and fan... (Clearly a heavenly feast for thousands of flies...)
So Passover has passed, without me even thinking of Matza balls, and Easter is this weekend, and all I can think of is Chocolate, which I wont be eating, and the days flow by, the full moon was incredible, shone like daylight in the middle of the night, the tides come in and out, and the waves crash so loud that sometimes I wake up at night thinking that an electric appliance is on...
On Saturday I am going with the ladies to the local school to help weave the roof for a Bure (traditional hut) they’re building as a first time ever “pre school” on the island. The head teacher there heard I was here and wanted to send Noah there, and asked if I will come and teach there once a week. Not sure what exactly, but I'm sure it will be fun. And great for Noah to have more interaction with kids and learn some Rotuman stuff (like how to make a ball out of coconut leaves...or something...)
As for the progress of the house, Carl has been quite the Logger the past couple of weeks, and has been in the bush preparing more timber for the house, so not much building. The lack of fuel on the island has slightly held him back, but he is stoked with all the wood he has slabbed and prepared.
I still haven't managed to nail him down to write, maybe over this long weekend.
So signing off to go look out the window to see Carl’s flashing torch out in the deep dark sea...
Happy holidays- whatever it is you celebrate!
Coconut cheers, and love from us all
x

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

pics!!!


Will Post more in the next few days!!!
x N
 
This is the foundations of the house and a peep into the views which will be clearer when the bush is cleared one day...


View from the back deck of the house we are currently living in.

Fabulous four affloat

OUCH!!!

Clear clear water...

What to do with a box full of Avocado's????

Noah's first reef surf