Halloween in Fiji

Halloween in Fiji.  I didn't even know they celebrated Halloween here til the morning of.  A friend called and said there was a gathering for the kids at a local pool, then an adult event at a snazzy resort close by.   So, we rallied!  After school we scambled through what we had available.  Jonah got a pair of shorts and shirt that we tattered for a pirate costume.  Alina borrowed fairy wings, and I made ears and cuffs to be some kind of leopardy cat.  Off we went.  The kids event was Fijian style in every detail- the entrance was a long tunnel made from palm leaves, lined with carved, lit pumpkins.  Tiki torches all over, and to our surprise a bouncy house.  In the first 3 minutes ALL 20 kids got in the bouncy house, it toppled right onto the tiki torches, the house folded on the kids and there was a mad panic to get all the kids out safely.  Unbelievable and yet not surprising!  By minute 5 they all changed out of their costumes and went in the Tiki pool.  There's a water slide, and beach area too, they played the night away.  Not one piece of candy!  

Zip and Dip

Zipling yet again.  We've gotten to be good friends with the owners daughter and he invited us out for another run. This time when we were done we walked down to the river we had just zipped over and went for a swim. There was a local family who live in the hills at the river bathing - they bring buckets down with soap, sponges, shampoo and laundry.  

Dewali - Festival of Lights

There is a large Hindu population here in Fiji and there was a huge celebration for Dewali day - Festival of Lights.  This is akin to Christmas for Christians.  It's a time of gift giving and festive meals.  Candles and lamps in generous quantity adorn each Indian house.  It's a time when the Hindi people clean their houses, open their windows and welcome Laksmi, the goddess of wealth.  Wealth is viewed as a reward for good deeds done from a past life.  The goddess of strength is also worshipped and this rids people of laziness and evil.

Our neighbors invited us to go with them to a nearby village to see the lights.  The car ride alone was a wonderful luxury - it's been a while for us.  The village was ALIVE.  All of it's people were out walking, talking, sharing treats.  Even at the late hours the kids were up playing.  The houses were strewn with lights.  Christmas type lights but done very differently then we do it.  It felt spiritual and incredibly personal.  My favorite houses were the one's with many, many candles and lanterns.  I was so in awe of the night, I didn't pull my camera out.  An interesting observation for me was as we drove into the village -  it was obvious because of the decorations which houses were Fijian families and which were Indian.  They live peacefully in integrated communities, but they have very different religions and beliefs.  

This is a picture of a boy from Jonah's class making a powder painting.  Like many families here, his family owns a restaurant and their house is in the back of the shopfront. He drew the chalk outline first and then used different spices for color.  The yellow is Curry Powder, the pink is Tumeric mixed with white flour, and of course you can make various shades depending on the quantity of flour.  He dedicated himself in earnest and spent the entire day making a few of these decorations around the property.

Golf Lesson #1

One of the benefits of the amazing resorts here is the Golf Pro - Jimmy.

Welcoming and a great teacher.  A small group of kids from Jonah's school are training for an upcoming golf tournament.  Jonah and Alina have been included in their lessons and are quite good at this new sport.  

Girls night out

Wahoo!  We went to the ritzy resort up the street.  The kids played in the pool and we all swam at the beach.  Then we changed into fancy clothes and had a yummy dinner - in the outdoor dining room, SERVED to us.  It was luxurious.  For the first time in I can't tell you how many months I had a couple drinks, really cut loose and had a good time.  :)

Tapa Cloth Field Trip

Tapa is a fibrous paper made from bark.  It's mostly made in the South Pacific.  The bark is softened and then pounded to spread the bark into sheets.  Printing plates are made by carving into huge logs. The paper is spread over the log and the tapa is rubbed with dye to stain the sheet with a design. The raised area creates the design.

It's an incredible process I got to see in action at a faraway village.  I took a day trip to when the kids were in school.    These aren't my pictures however.  

I love the look of this paper!  I have been working with a local company to create a number of sheets of tapa with a cool design that includes the Petroglyph logo.  I am bringing a bunch home with the hopes of figuring out how to use this tribal decor at Petroglyph.  

Socks and G-d

I have one pair of socks here with me.  I wear them with my walking shoes.  And I wear them a lot. It often rains on my runs and my socks get soaked.  When I return from a run, I leave my socks in the sun to dry.  10 days ago my only pair of socks disappeared.  Gone.  I thought either the pool guy took them or the dogs couldn't resist their lovely aroma. 

One of my best girlfriends (you know who you are) just got through with a pretty nasty divorce. She commented the other day that through this last two years of difficulty, she has prayed a lot. She confided that everything she has prayed for in this hard time has come to fruition - in all different manners - guidance, a lovely house to live in, a loving man, financial stability.  She's been pretty amazed.

So, here I am in this beautiful land of many religions and lots of prayer.  And I thought... I'm going to give this a try.  I'm going to say a prayer, in earnest.  I have lots of things I would like to manifest in my life and I could sure use some help.  I thought I'd start out small.  I prayed for my socks to please come back to me. I really did.  

Now, I know this is hard to believe, or maybe it isn't, but the very next morning there was one sock in my yard. I was astounded.  It was absolutely a sign that somebody was listening.  I almost felt G-d giggling when I walked outside.  I was giddy.

Evidently returned by the dog, angels come in all forms.

I certainly never thought I'd have a complete pair of socks again,  I was content with a divine message and demonstrative gesture of support.  

You know the end of this story.  

The next morning, there it was.  

My second sock, sitting in the green grass at my front door.