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Published: April 28th 2009
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14th APRIL 2009 - ARRIVAL IN SUVA
Once off the bus in Suva we got into a taxi and headed to Raintree Lodge (our resort). It was 7km out of town and so not in the best location but the price was right! The place was really nice and they upgraded us to a double room rather than a dorm...bit of a brucey bonus there!! There were some cool waterfalls nearby and the resort was set on a big lake...would have been awesome had it not been raining and the falls not closed over Easter. Oh well!!
After dumping our bags we caught another taxi back to town. Nat wanted to go to the Suva markets and so asked the driver to stop somewhere good to take us for some souvineers. He dropped us at what could only be described as a Debenhams. Vey strange and certainly not a market! We had a quick look around and then headed back onto the streets of Suva. Not as I expected. It was quite dirty and not very big to say it was a capital city. It was very run down in parts yet had a brand new state of the art
cinema complex and a department store. A mixed bag!! We bought some fruit from a stall, got badgered by shoe shiners (not sure why when wearing flipflips) and pestered by barrow men (men with wheelbarrows to carry your luggage...I only had my handbag!!). Nat got some unidentifiable food and whilst we sat down to eat we were approached by a lady who tried to tell us she worked for Tourist Information and that we should go to her office. She was just like the TAT in Thailand and we weren't going to fall for that again...once bitten, twice shy as they say!! Once Nat had eaten we escaped her clutches and wandered around Suva some more and spent a bit of time on the net in a dodgy backstreet internet shop!
We emerged back on to the streets of Suva oncce it had got dark and headed to the bus station. It was so busy and I gripped my bag worried about pick pocketing! We didn't have a clue what bus to catch and loads of men surrounded us trying to help though all they did was confuse us with conflicting advice. Eventually a chinese man dragged us to
the side and pointed us in the right direction. Phew. As we approached the bus, at least 10 people must have said 'Bula' to us and were so friendly apart from 1 guy who came right in my face asking if I smoked dope! I did a good sidestep and jumped on the bus! The bus journey was interesting too....very fast, very loud and pitch black so we had to keep our eyes peeled for the resort. We almost missed it too had a lady on the bus not pointed it out and asked the driver to stop for us! Fiji people really are friendly!!
Back in Raintree Lodge we settled in the room for the night with our books and music before falling asleep.
15th APRIL 2009 - THE DAY I BECAME MAAM & MISS DEBORAH
I had a really good nights sleep. Nice to be in a private room and not have to worry about snorers, bag rustlers and weirdos. We got up at around 7.30am and headed for breakfast. It was like being in Thailand again for me as I tucked into muesli, fruit and yoghurt. Sat beside lake to eat breakfast...so nice but a
shame it was so gloomy! Following breakfast we spoke with reception who arranged for us to go on a visit to the local Fijian school. We quickly got sorted, checked out and hopped on the bus to school! I didn't take an apple for the teacher though!!
Off the bus we walked into the school grounds. We were heading to our next destination after the school visit and so we had all of our luggage with us. 4 boys ran straight across the field to help us carry our bags bless them. My backpack was bigger than them but I gave them my little bag which they took with beaming smiles as the escorted us to reception. So friendly and they addressed us as 'Maam' or 'Madame'!! Felt like royalty! The school was set out in an L shape around 2 edges of a field. The buildings looked pretty run down and there didn't seem to be much organisation cracking off as half the kids were sat outside the classrooms playing and chatting.
At reception we met the headteacher who told us a little about the school and asked us about ourselves and what we did back home.
He then took us on a tour of the school and we visited every single classroom. It turned out that half the school were doing tests and as the school was short on desks. That was the reason for half of them being outside. He took us to every classroom, even those doing tests! Very unlike England where no one...not even the Queen would dare interrupt a test! As he entered each room all the kids stood up and said "good morning sir" in unision and then they stayed standing until he told them they could sit! So obedient! Despite some of the work being very advanced for children of that age and a lot of the kids being very bright, if they couldn't afford to go to school then they didn't go! Simple as that...no scholarships or government help! They became shoe shiners or barrow boys. Such a shame!!
The kids all had beaming smiles and seemed fascinated by us. My favourite class was a year 8/9 class. The kids all asked me lots of questions and kept calling me 'Maam' or 'Madame'. I told them that they could call me Deborah if they liked. Their eyes went
wide with excitement and from then on they tried to say my name as often as possible. They called me 'Miss Deborah' and I loved it. So funny!! The teacher in that class was a little downbeat though. She kept telling me how she wanted a bigger classroom and how they didn't get enough funds. I tried being positive and asking her about different things to do with the school. When I asked what sports they played she tried to get me to take the whole class out for a game of rugby! Ha! If I am honest though I would have done had the field not been like a mud pit from the heavy rain. Spoilsport I know!!
Spoke to a few of the teachers as we went round the classes. Some funny ways of working. One guy got the brighter kids who finished 1st to write for the slower kids. Not help them but write for them! Another teacher paid money to kids if they ran errands for him...I would have loved that system when I was at school!! The headteacher even gave a boy some cash to run to the shop for him to buy some
cakes in our honour! We must have looked partial to a cake or 2 because the ones they brought back were door wedge size!! Nat and I split one over a cup of what I can only describe as the worst coffee I have ever tasted. Would have been rude not to drink it though!!
Such poor resources and conditions yet all the kids seemed so happy and many were very bright and spoke fluent English as well as Fijian. I was amazed! We eventually said our goodbyes to the staff and waved at the children as we went by the classrooms...how disruptive of us!! My favourite class ran to the door and I heard shouts of "Bye Miss Deborah" and "Bye Madame" (for Nat). Such an eyeopening visit especially for Nat compared to her classroom at home. A taste of the real Fiji!!
Back on the road we thumbed down a bus (getting good at that now) and headed into town. Proper public bus too...no glass in the windows and very crammed after a while. It went about 2 miles per hour and I almost offered to get off and push at one stage. We got off
at the bus station and then waited for the Sunbeam bus to come and take us to our RakiRaki...our next destination.
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