Thursday, April 29, 2004
I leave for Fiji today. Oh my gosh that sounds frightening and exhilarating all at the same time. I'm almost all packed. My mom keeps on pushing a few more things in my luggage every other minute or so.
The good news is that the missionaries in Suva have found a house for us. The bad news is that since we will be staying only three months, the landlord wants $1600 Fijian Dollars a month (split four ways is about $200 USD a month). It doesn't come with any sheets/pans/plates/cutlery/etc. but that's okay.
Well, I've got too much to do in too little time.
The good news is that the missionaries in Suva have found a house for us. The bad news is that since we will be staying only three months, the landlord wants $1600 Fijian Dollars a month (split four ways is about $200 USD a month). It doesn't come with any sheets/pans/plates/cutlery/etc. but that's okay.
Well, I've got too much to do in too little time.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
I spent tonight repacking a few of my bags. I had been so busy in Utah packing my things at my apartment into boxes for the summer, cleaning, studying for finals, and doing any numbers of things, that I didn't have time to pack properly then. I'm anxious that I'm bringing all of the wrong things and will be stuck with a hundred things I don't need and will miss the hundred things I could have brought instead.
A little about what I know so far: I need sunscreen and bug spray. I have really fair skin, and I don't want to come back in three months burnt to a crisp. I also do not want to be eaten alive or get dengue fever. I also know that I need to bring some supplies for teaching fifth grade. I don't know exactly which supplies will do me the most good, but I've brought some read-alouds, glue sticks, colored pencils, pens, construction paper, etc. I'm going to be wearing a lot of skirts, so I brought a variety of long skirts and short-sleeved skirts. One of my tasks tomorrow is to repack my clothes suitcase to make sure that I actually have some matching outfits (this all goes back to throwing things into bags when I packed in Provo).
Tomorrow I'll spend more time with my family and run some errands. I have a lot to do before I'll feel ready to leave Thursday. I can't believe how quickly time has flown (sorry to sound trite, but it's true). I had a shock today when I looked at the weekly weather forecast for Suva and realized that it actually included the day that I would get there. Two more days and then I'm gone.
A little about what I know so far: I need sunscreen and bug spray. I have really fair skin, and I don't want to come back in three months burnt to a crisp. I also do not want to be eaten alive or get dengue fever. I also know that I need to bring some supplies for teaching fifth grade. I don't know exactly which supplies will do me the most good, but I've brought some read-alouds, glue sticks, colored pencils, pens, construction paper, etc. I'm going to be wearing a lot of skirts, so I brought a variety of long skirts and short-sleeved skirts. One of my tasks tomorrow is to repack my clothes suitcase to make sure that I actually have some matching outfits (this all goes back to throwing things into bags when I packed in Provo).
Tomorrow I'll spend more time with my family and run some errands. I have a lot to do before I'll feel ready to leave Thursday. I can't believe how quickly time has flown (sorry to sound trite, but it's true). I had a shock today when I looked at the weekly weather forecast for Suva and realized that it actually included the day that I would get there. Two more days and then I'm gone.
I leave Thursday for Fiji, and I'm full of emotions. I'm nervous, excited, scared, and everything in between. I've spent the past three semesters learning everything that my professors could stuff in my mind about classroom management, lesson planning, and so on. I hope that I'm ready. I'm taking my teaching math book on the plane to cram during the 10 1/2 hr flight. (14 hours if you add the trip from St. Louis to LAX flight I have to take first.) I just keep on repeating that I'm not going to forget everything just because I'm leaving the country. Well, we'll see what happens.
