with my own two hands

Hi Everyone!

Its been a long time since I've updated, but I have a lot to share with you all now.  I hope everyone is well and you enjoy some pictures and stories from my life here.

Early in May myself and 6 other women joined together to plant fruit trees around the Labasa Hospital.  We planted a total of 19 trees, a variety of guava, lemon, lime, saursop and mandarin.  The women that I worked with are part of an NGO here that focuses on food security.  They donated the plants to help the Labasa Hospital provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their patients and staff.

  

planting our first tree

digging

our cutest and youngest volunteer

The same NGO has a youth group that focuses on Nation Building.  They're the most helpful, positive and willing group of people that I have met in Labasa.  They've helped get the Labasa Hospital compost started and come every Friday to monitor and help train various gardeners.

turning the compost pile

after we've added the 'green material' from the kitchen

adding brown material

The hospital has been having problems with its soil.  It's been a long, frustrating and complicated process.  I've waited for two months to get an honest answer and there doesn't seem to be an light from the administrative side.  So, I'm experimenting.  We're going to remove all the soil from the boxes and try to make each wooden box a small compost bin. Basically we're trying to make our own soil rather than wait to find the money to purchase fertile soil.

starting the soil making process in one of the wooden raised beds

i hope this works!

Another project that I've been working on since November has finally become something real and tangible.  The Dieticians and I are trying to establish organic gardens at all Health Centers and Nursing Stations on our entire island.  Its been the most challenging and learning experience I've had at work thus far.  Below are two pictures, the first is the group of nurses and Ministry of Health staff that attended my first ever 'Introduction to Organic Gardening' workshop and the second is the packets of seeds we are giving to each location (okra, lettuce, english cabbage, bok choi, french bean, long bean, bell pepper, tomato, eggplant and cucumber),

horray plants!

At home I have also been doing a lot of projects as well.  I've been baking, cooking a lot of new things, doing art and playing with the neighbor kids. Here are some pictures...

i'm getting really good at making bread

i learned how to make granola because i've eaten oatmeal for a year straight and its time for something new

Greta, the other girl volunteer in town, has a chocolate tree outside her house.  I wanted to learn how to make chocolate so I picked some and tried cooking it. I haven't baked with it yet, but sometimes I roast it for my coffee and get a tasty treat. 

the chocolate fruit (the white flesh is so sweet and delicious)

roasting the beans

One day I decided I'd like to learn how to make a solar oven, so I did.  On sunny weekends when I stay I home I use it to do basic cooking and drying

the beginning

i forget what I was cooking, possibly roasting coconut or toasting my granola

My favorite part about living where I do (a bit outside of town) is the kids that live near me.  The girls come down about once a week and it gets so silly.  They're all adorable and so fun to be around.

one of my favorite pictures. when we hang out i let them practice their art with my camera.  i love the perspective they have on everything hence my chopped off head. merewailesi is being a spaz and Elena is being a goof.

giving a kid a camera ensures lots of blurry pictures

one day when we were learning about plants

they love wearing my sunglasses.

practicing their modeling poses

more modeling practice

for mallory

Some art that I've been working on...

 

And of course we still find time to have fun.  Mike, the big guy on the left is from Canada and works here as well.  He thew a party for us a couple weeks ago to celebrate 'the end of the world'.  Apparently there was this religious group that was preparing for the apocalypse and we decided to celebrate in honor of the craziness.  We made tie-dye and ate barbeque

 

and if want to look at some more photos, my sister did funny blog about our (the drazba family's)  past. i'm the one with the curly hair.

here's the link http://theseunitedstatesofamericans.blogspot.com/2011/05/homes-where-my-heart-is-and-thats-why.html

I hope the sun is shining bright and the summer is a blast! Miss you and love you all!

Monica