It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

For the record, I did not cry on my birthday. At all. I was much too busy drinking, dancing, and having a general good time (salute general good time)(for those of you who do not get that reference watch "how I met your mother" for the love of Jisu).

This past week I attended a financial literacy workshop hosted by PC and learned that budgeting doesn't mean I have to give up my "it's shiny, I like it, I bought it" shopping. It just means I need to have a section for it in my budget and maybe limit it to $5 a week or so. Budgetting can be fun!

Each night, I hung out with other PCVs in Suva. Some people that I don't get to hang out with very often. Let's just say I laughed so much that my 6-pack is cut and I'm ready for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover.

On my Fijian birthday (I had the longest birthday ever this year, about 40 hours or so), I went to Natadola beach and played in the waves and even skinny-dipped a bit with some other volunteers! It's not a nude beach but we made it into one. Scandalous. Then we went out to a club in Lautoka. Cozz brought princess crowns for me and Swaz (her birthday was the 24th) and birthday hats for everyone else. We decorated our table with balloons and streamers and even had a blueberry cake for dessert. Cozz planned the whole thing and it went off without a hitch. Great party, good food, fun friends. That's what birthdays are all about.

Thank you to everyone who sent cards, facebook messages, made phone calls or just plain thought of me on my birthday. I was having a great time. Don't you worry. A major good time (salute major good time).


P.S. This is what 24 looks like.

Suva City

Those are a few pictures of Suva Harbour. It was an overcast day, but I love the greyness of it all sometimes. (Maybe I should move to Seattle when I get home?) Stormy seas can be just as beautiful as clear, sunny days.

I've been in Suva for over a week. The hustle and bustle is much like an American city. People rushing all around, buying groceries, checking their email at the coffee shop over a tall hazelnut latte (my personal favorite), rushing around the market looking for the freshest produce, hailing cabs and hopping on buses to take them to myriad destinations, all with their 3 bags and 2 small children in tow. You can spot all sorts of attire from traditional sulu jabas worn by the women and pocket sulus worn by the men to board shorts with tank tops to sundresses with big sunglasses to black pants with blouses and stiletto pumps. Surprisingly, the bars even have dress codes -- no flip flops ever and no shorts for men. For a country where few rules apply, it's interesting that the bouncer's enforce this rule so strictly.

One can find almost any food found in America in Suva with the one exception of Mexican food. It doesn't exist here so stop imagining a smorgasboard of enchiladas and chimichangas covered in cheese sauce and a margarita on the side. Won't happen. However, there are tons of fantastic Indian cuisine restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Japanese, Fijian, Italian, etc. I had terrific sushi for lunch yesterday. Mostly everything you want is here if you're willing to pay for it.

I'm a bit bored with Suva. It's hard to make friends and most of them have jobs anyway which leaves me alone all day. I much prefer life in the village where there's always someone to talk to and I know all my neighbors. The city nights are scary with all the dogs and cars and people, but I feel extremely safe in my village knowing my neighbors are within earshot. Basically, I like Suva but I want to go back to the bush.