Bula!! (Hello in Fijian)

I'm here!!

We made it safely to Fiji! Since the time is a day and 6 hours ahead of U.S. Time, we left on a Thursday and got here on a Saturday at 6 in the morning. The flight was pretty long, but luckily my little friend, Tylenol PM helped me out. :) I walked off the plane and was hit with a wave of heat and humidity! Holy cow! It was insane! I had a little trouble trying to get through customs, but not to worry, I talked my way right through it!

We had to take a 1 hour bus ride to then get on a mini bus (which my long legs didn't even fit in because it was that mini) that bus took us right up to our house in Ba, which is a very small village on the west side of Fiji. We pulled up and beheld our new pad for the summer; a hot pink palace! It is a very cozy place, but we manage to fit 16 of us inside! I sleep on the top bunk currently and have warned my roomies that I sleep walk...so to just be cautious! (That has now become the new joke of the house, well, along with a lot of other things I have accidently said.)

That same day we went 10 minutes into town and got to buy fruit from the market and bread and a pillow! We also were able to use the internet cafe there for a little bit. The internet is super slow there, so that's why you haven't seen a blog post until now! Sorry! One funny thing that happened that day was one of the Fijian taxi drivers pulled me aside, as I was doing my best to speak the 6 words of Fijian I know, and he told me, “You better stop speaking Fijian young lady, or you will end up getting married here!” It was hilarious! Then, another guy I was talking to said as innocently as can be, “You really need to stop speaking such broken Fijian. How are we supposed to understand what you're saying?” So, as hard as I'm trying, my Fijian is still pretty awful, but that's not stopping me from practicing!

Sunday was amazing because we got to walk to church here in Ba! It was about a 15 minute walk and by the time we got there we were all dripping with sweat! It is SO hot here. Anyway, we walked in and there were like 5 members there. The chapel is so small, and it also holds the relief society, young womens, and Priesthood room. We found out that the ward's bishop died last year and they haven't had anyone to replace him yet. So, there is one high councilman who comes from Lautoka (about 40 min away) and runs the Sunday service. I was asked if I could teach the young women because their president didn't show up. So, me and Amanda (another volunteer) went in and taught the class! There were 3 Fijian girls who were so sweet and so giggly! I showed them pictures of my friends and family back home and they immediately had a crush on my little brother, Drew. But, duh, who doesn't, right? They were 15 and 16. We sang, recited the YW theme, and talked about our testimonies and faith. It was really amazing! The Sunday school class then came in, and didn't have a teacher either. So, we were asked to stay again and teach about missionary work. This time it was combined with the boys! We had a good time. Sacrament was the last meeting, and as I went to sit in my seat, the high councilman came and asked if I would bear my testimony during the meeting. So, he introduced me as Sister Lex, and I went and shared my testimony. I felt very grateful for that opportunity and for the whole experience. We will really get to know this ward well because we will be going for 6 more weeks! They were so welcoming and inviting!

Fiji has proven to be an amazing adventure already and i've only technically been here for 2 days! I'm not eating very much though, and I find myself hungry a lot, but that's okay because I'll go stock up on pineapple and bananas at the market today. I always make sure to try everything I'm given, but that doesn't always mean I can finish more than one bite. So, thank heavens for those granola bars my roommate Caitlin packed in my bag! I have literally been living off of those and Fiji water! :)

Well, that's the update for now. I will try and keep this updated as much as I can! Moce! (pronounced “mo-they”, meaning goodbye!)