Lisa in Fiji

Celebrating our last night in Fiji - in Nadi

2008-07-01T01:52:00.003+12:00

Here you have it! You are witnessing us celebrating our last night in Fiji - on the beach in Nadi. Here we are drinking & watching the islanders dance! What a terrific show it was & so much fun!

My interpreter clearly had a good time & enjoyed herself very much! (As you can see in the photos! Hee!) And an Irish traveller who we met at the bar. And I too had a good time!

After this fun girly night out, we retired to our hotel rooms to have a nice long hot shower & a deep sleep in our own double beds which we havent had in a while. Just blissful!

Making & drinking Kava for the first time!

2008-07-01T01:37:00.002+12:00

Well here I am finally experiencing some Kava!

First of all, we saw some men outside under the street light pounding away grinding kava in a tall narrow pot with a very heavy heavy steel pole. When the pole hit the ground - the ground vibrated!!! My friend says one must be careful when grinding the kava or it will hit the foot & cut it badly. This is why the street light is needed - when doing it at night.

After this we went knocking on a neighbours door for a few packets of grounded kava.

Then finally in my friend's house to begin making the kava.

Making the kava started off really well! It started with a little puppy dog lapping up our fresh water in the green bowl! Ha! We had to start again & change the bowl with some more fresh water. After this, the kava (grounded root from a special tree) was put in large strips of fabric & dipped & swirled about in the water. Then the water was stirred until it became clear & muddy & of a smooth texture.

Then the the kava was ready to be drunk & was poured into a coconut cup. The cup was passed to me first - gulp! I had to clap my hands 3x times & sign 'n' say 'bula' before drinking the cup in one mouthful. But I confess I couldnt drink it in one mouthful cos it tasted so strong & muddy!!! But I did manage to drink it all & passed on the cup to my friend & then his brother to drink.

Suddenly my lips felt numb - I couldnt feel them! And then my tongue felt all tingly! A few more cups later - I began to feel quite mellow & relaxed!

Much later & a beer later - my chest had the strangest feeling ever. I had to stand while the beer went down my chest past the scratchy feeling of kava in the upper chest. A nice but strange combination!

Definately drinking Kava is an acquired taste. I didnt like the Kava much but am glad to have tried it & really enjoyed the ritual that goes with it - clapping hands, saying bula to each other before drinking & passing on the cup. I think I would drink it again cos it really does give a nice mellow relaxing feeling later!

What a great way to remember my last night in Suva & my last day of university!!!

Fiji Association of the Deaf (FAD) farewell party for us

2008-07-01T00:23:00.002+12:00

Here we are having a little farewell party for us - held by some members of Fiji Association of the Deaf.

Lots of special thanks were given to my interpreter for her support & training for Fijian sign language interpreters. A big thank you to my interpreter for her big heart & advice to help the Fijian interpreters find ways to improve on their service.

A funny moment at this party! When the president of FAD was giving a signed speech - I tried to watch & pay attention but hard a time concentrating! Because the little boy in the red shirt sitting next to me kept blowing air at me through his straw!

After the party & some good chats, my interpreter left to have dinner with her host family. And I left to go taste some Kava with a deaf fijian friend - my aussie girlfriend's boyfriend. As this was going to be my last night in Suva - I had to go try out famous Fijian drink - Kava!

Swimming at the olympic pool with my deaf students - last day!

2008-06-30T23:05:00.008+12:00

And here I am at the olympic swimming pool in Suva on my last day at school - with my deaf students from Gospel Primary School for the Deaf. We had a great time!

The children were keen to show me lots of tricks in the pool, swim laps with me & we all dived off the divers block to see how far we could swim after diving. Ha! I felt like a kid again diving off that block but they wanted me to do it - so I had to do it or else I would have been a boring Aussie girl to them. Ha!

When we finished our swim, the children played with my hair - put loads of gel in it & styled it with their fingers! Ha! They also posed for lots of photos! And gave me lots of hugs to say goodbye. They really hope I will return to visit again this October to watch their performance for the school 10-year anniversary event. I said I will try to visit but cannot promise as there are things I must do upon my return to Australia. It was a sad moment to part & leave. Some tears too. I have grown so fond these gorgeous happy & generous deaf children!

After bidding farewell to these children - I caught a taxi back home to get ready for a night out to celebrate end of Fiji project & end of university with deaf friends of the Fiji Association for the Deaf.

Farewell to Gospel High School ... & presents!!!

2008-06-30T22:37:00.004+12:00

My last day at Gospel High School! And my last day of university!!! Whoah!!!

A sad but lovely day! So many beautiful farewell speeches from students & teachers. And so many gifts!!!

Here you see photos of a special farewell morning tea event held for me & my interpreter. All the school staff (about 40x staff members) bid us farewell, said prayers to god to wish us well, & also invited us to return to the school anytime in the future. A lovely feast of tea & snacks were provided for us - but as I was so busy chatting to everyone I had no time to eat!!!

The gifts I received was a lovely wooden art piece with an image of Fiji & 'bula' engraved on it. Also, some clothes from a teacher colleague & Indian bracelets!!! And a gorgeous surprise gift from my students - a fijian 'masi' print wall hanging & a folio of all their wonderful hand art images. I was so moved by this!!! I did not expect to receive so many gifts!

I was rather tired on this day - as you can see in the photos! This last & final week at the school was rather exhausting as I tried to make sure I had time with each & everyone of my students & colleagues before leaving. And I also had a few nights out socialising with my new fijian friends.

Last 2x photos you see below are images of my interpreter (& me behind the camera) saying goodbye to Gospel High School (at the back of the school) & to Gospel Primary School for the Deaf (behind the high school on same block of land).

We were very sad to go but at the same time I was very excited in knowing that university is over at long last & was looking forward to a night out in Suva to celebrate!

Rhythm & Art Class with form 3 students

2008-06-30T22:18:00.006+12:00

Here are some images for you to view - from my form 3 art class at Gospel High School last week.

We explored rhythm & movement in line drawings & used music for inspiration - in particular the 'meke' music of Fiji.

Lots of diversity in the drawings here!

Some students struggled with this task as there was lots of freedom with this topic. However, I thought the task was useful & beneficial to the students as they dont get many opportunities to explore & express themselves so freely.

Enjoy the photos!

It's showtime! Deaf drama at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf

2008-06-26T20:58:00.005+12:00

And my last task for today involved putting on a semi-polished 'Deaf Awareness' performance for all the deaf children at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf. Including the deaf performers, there are about 55x deaf children at this school.

The children performing were so excited & nervous - including the deaf & hearing teachers who are performing in this show also! All have never done this before! In fact, they have never done drama before!

They loved it, were such great performers & signed beautifully. The audience had a really great time too!

We also invited the school principal from Gospel High to come & watch the show. She was impressed & said they are so good at it! Oh I do hope they will do more drama at the school now because it is a wonderful way for the deaf students to express themselves! I am glad I found the time to put this show together with the students - within 1-week (approx. 2.5hrs per group)! Now the students have a good excuse to do more drama between now & October. They will need to rehearse this show up until October - to give their final & best performance at the school's 10-year anniversary event - which will be held on 'World Teacher's Day'.

Something interesting for you to know. One boy is 20y.o in this school. This boy only started primary school when he was 17y.o - just 3-yrs ago! Up until he was 17y.o he might have been isolated in a Fijian village somewhere. But it is better late to start school than never! So this is why some of the deaf students at the primary school look so big! There really is a need to get more deaf awareness out in the villages so we may get deaf children into school earlier & so they may learn language asap - as like hearing children do. If deaf children are left in the villages, many will not develop language skills. So this has been one of my challenges when working with deaf primary school children - communicating clearly because some have only just been introduced to language & are only just learning to sign. But having worked with the children a bit now I can see they do pick up the sign language very quickly, go on to be smart & very keen learners! This is clearly evident amongst deaf students who have been at school for at least a couple of years.

Tomorrow, the deaf children are thrilled to know that I will finally be joining them at the olympic swimming pool in town. They are so excited & have been asking me to join them for awhile now - as part of their regular Friday sporting activity. I have not been able to attend before because up until now I have been teaching at the highschool on Fridays. The children were keen to know what I will wear. I told them I only have bikinis but will cover up! They giggled & laughed. So the trip to the pool will be a nice way to finish my last day in school & my last day of university! Yay!

Indian snacks & masala tea with my Indo-Fijian colleagues

2008-06-26T20:54:00.004+12:00

Finally some chillout time again - this time with my colleagues from the language department at Gospel Highschool.

The ladies are all Indo-Fijian women - often talk a mixture of Hindi or English or both.

We had some great laughs & lots of girly talks! These women love to chat & talk about girly things just like us western women do.

We also talked about sari's - Indian dresses. And how much of their social times involves dressing up in beautiful sari's for weddings or special events. Their next big sari event is 'Diwali' - the 'festival of lights' this coming October. If I return to help the Fiji Association of the Deaf in October for 3-months in preparing & delivering their national deaf awareness week event - I will also be invited to celebrate the 'Diwali' with the girls in a 'sari' at their home. Oh how good would that be - to dress up in sari! I never got to do that when I was in India in 2004 for 4-months.

Deaf drama at Hilton Special School (for the little ones)

2008-06-26T20:38:00.004+12:00

Here are some photos of me with the little ones - deaf children at Hilton Special School. We had lots of fun playing drama games. This was a new experience for them as they have never played drama games before. Lots of laughs especially when we played 'duck, duck, goose!' - we sat in a circle & tapped each other on the heads & sometimes tapped twice to chase each other around the circle.

After this, I finalised my deaf awareness training for staff at Hilton Special School & discussed ways teachers can provided better support for deaf children for when they go on to highschool - Gospel Highschool.

*** Something funny for you to know - the teachers of this school said they have a problem! They can't use any of their computers because some of the children sneaked into the computer lab room yesterday & took the balls out of 'all' the mouses - for the computers - including the new box of mouses! These children like to use the balls to play marbles! (How clever & resourceful are these children! Ha! But not so good for the teachers or their school finances or for other students who may want to use the computers!)

Finally, at the end of my visit to this school, my interpreter & I had to make a quick run - by taxi - to get back to Gospel Primary School for the Deaf to get students ready for their show - in front of an audience! Busy time, wailei (tired from hectic schedule) & rather hungry as I havent had much time to eat this week!

Some group photos with students & colleagues

2008-06-25T19:29:00.002+12:00

Here are some group photos for you to see - taken today:

(i) Left photo: me with one of my art classes
(ii) Next photo - below: with my deaf drama students
(iii) Bottom photo: with one of my deaf poetry / english students, my interpreter, a deaf colleague at the deaf primary school at my favourite location - the Raintree lodge for coffee, chat & some much-needed chillout time!

Hmmm ... my day today? Busy!!! Two art classes - collecting students final drawings & playing a drama game for some fun as it was my last day with the art classes; Deaf Awareness Training for Gospel High staff; & then deaf drama with the children in the primary school.

We had some interuptions today during my deaf drama workshops at the deaf primary school - too many visitors!!! So many people are fascinated to meet my gorgeous deaf Fijian students. I dont blame them really!

Yesterday we had visitors from America's Gallaudet university - the all-deaf USA university.

Today, we had some elderly deaf Australians from Brisbane & Caboolture region (near to my Aussie home!!!) stop in to visit - as part of their stopover trip in Fiji via a P&O cruise ship. The children were fascinated to see these visitors, my Aussie interpreter & myself all signing 'Auslan' (Australian Sign Language). Some of the children would ask me what this or that Auslan sign was. It was fun to be able to translate for them so that they would understand.

Also, my deaf Fijian colleague nudged me on the elbow & said he has never seen elderly deaf white people before - that signed. He was really intrigued by these elderly deaf & white Aussie visitors. Hee!

After my deaf students & I posed for lots of photos for the deaf Aussie visitors, the visitors finally left so we were able to get on with my drama workshop - cos its showtime tomorrow!

To wrap up the day, my deaf colleague, my interpreter & one of my deaf students went out for coffee to relax at the Raintree lodge - in amongst the rainforest, birds & 'large' water ponds. Very nice!

By the way, I am pleased to say - I get lots of big hugs now - each day from my little deaf Fijian students. I love it - cos I miss my hugs sometimes whilst I am here! Hee!

(Part 4 - Final) Hand Art Classes - Theme "Fijian Identity"

2008-06-25T19:02:00.004+12:00

Here is my final collection of hand art & aboriginal-inspired art images from my Fijian art students. Enjoy!

A visit to the Fijian Deaf Association (FAD)

2008-06-24T20:57:00.004+12:00

Wailei! I am tired! What an exhausting day it was - but it was so great!

Here you have a photo of me visiting the Fijian Deaf Association for the 1st time! Finally I visited & was so glad because the deaf people at this organisation were fun to be with & we had some really great conversations. My Fijian signing is improving each day now but I was so tired at the end of today as there was a lot of head work going on for me - with me trying to remember all the Fijian signs as I chatted. I think I did rather well! The president of the organisation was glad to have met me because now he wants to see how he can get me back to do more work in Fiji especially in the area of Deaf Awareness. (He told me a story about how a deaf man was shot by a member of the army not so long back - perhaps some communication breakdown! Just terrible! So FAD tries to inform as many organisations as possible about Deaf Awareness)

FAD & I swapped a copy of our books - I gave them a signed copy of my Deaf Awareness book called 'Look at Me' & they gave me a signed copy of their recently published Fijian Sign Language Dictionary.

Prior to coming here, I had a cup of coffee with a deaf Fijian man who happens to be the boyfriend of my deaf Aussie friend. He will move to Australia next week to finally be with his girl! He is nervous - a bit worried about Australian security at the airport. I think he has heard too many stories about how tough our security is at the airport! Hee! He wants to know if he can bring some Kava (Fijian alcohol) to Australia & if he wont get into trouble with Australian security. I said he'll get thrown into prison! Hee! No I said was not too sure & that he best find out from someone before he goes. Quite funny really - he is very nervous. He has a wild cheeky side to him - so perhaps he has reason to be a bit worried. Ha! No seriously - he'll be fine I am sure & I'm sure Australia will welcome him with open arms. He is also very worried about the cold weather in Australia. I said it's freezing cold! Ha! No not really but for Fijian people it might be a bit cold - as I know Fijians get cold very easy as they are so used to the warm humid weather here in Fiji.

It looks like my new friends here at FAD want to throw me a farewell / end of university celebration party this Friday night! I am looking forward to it! It might be a calm & easy night or it might be a wild night - I have no idea. I think I maybe visiting a nightclub also - hope so cos my deaf friend in Australia says I must visit one before I go as its a unique experience & quite different to western nightclubs. I'll let you know if I go.

Tomorrow night I maybe going to finally try some Kava - my deaf Aussie friend's Fijian boyfriend (as mentioned above) will take me out tmw night to try some Kava. I hope it wont make me too drunk as I hear the drink is potent! I do need to attend school the next day to teach & dont want to sleep through my alarm or come into school with a bad hangover. Ha!

Hmmm ... it's turning out to be a great last week in Fiji! I am making the most of my last few days here - with just 5x more days to go! Oh!

Though I must say I feel more tired each day now & really look forward to lying on that hammock by the beach in Nadi before I fly out to Australia!

Moce moce - goodbye!

Poetry Class with deaf & hearing students

2008-06-24T20:35:00.003+12:00

Here are some pictures of my english class - we have been doing poetry this past 5-weeks & today was my last day with this class. We had some great success - lots of students including my deaf students wrote some beautiful poetry & presented them to the class!

This class has been a real challenge for me. I had to learn how to work with a sign language interpreter whilst teaching & had to refrain from signing or otherwise my deaf students would get confused as to which person they would look at for signs - me or the interpreter.

Here are some good tips for hearing teachers working with sign language interpreters or teaching to both deaf & hearing students:

(i) Talk next to the teacher! So deaf students can see both of you at the same time. Deaf people, including myself, dont like 'tennis ball match' interpreting!

(ii) Talk slowly & clearly with good sequenced structure - so the interpreter may have sufficient time & an easier time in translating the spoken english into sign language.

(iii) Dont talk at the back of the classroom - if you do - make sure you get the attention of your deaf students also before you talk.

(iv) Make sure your interpreter is ready to translate before you speak.

(v) Encourage hearing students to sign also.

(vi) Encourage equal participation & understanding between deaf & hearing students.

(vii) Be visual - write instructions, lesson topic or new key words on the board; provide photocopy handouts; provide visual concept mapping exercises etc.

(viii) Talk with your interpreters before starting your lesson e.g., make sure the interpreters know what you are going to talk about & make sure they have time to create or find signs for new vocubulary as they will need to teach the deaf students these new signs so they may understand the sign language interpretation such as signs for poetry words - poetry, similies, metaphors, figures of speech, idioms etc.

(ix) Make sure your sign language interpreter has sufficient signing skills too! Very important!

(x) Have fun! Its great fun having both deaf & hearing students in the class! The hearing students love it too!

(Part 3) Hand Art Classes - Theme "Fijian Identity"

2008-06-24T20:04:00.006+12:00

Here are some more hand art & aboriginal-inspired art images from my 3rd art class - based on the theme of 'Fijian Identity'. Enjoy!

Deaf Drama (grade 6 & 7) at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf

2008-06-24T19:54:00.004+12:00

Here are some photos of my deaf drama group at the Gospel Primary School for the Deaf. Today we finalised our performance & did a mini showing for a few teachers for practice in front of the audience. Hee! The students went blank & forgot some of the performance so we had to start again!

The teachers were thrilled with the 'Deaf Awareness & signed poetry' performance & look forward to our final showing this Thursday when we get some people together for an audience. This Thursday there will be a presentation from group 1 (grade 6 & 7 - today's group) & group 2 (grade 4 & 5). Should be fun to see it all come together & hopefully inspire them to practice after I leave so they may present the performance at the school's 10-year anniversary event.

Beginning of last week at Gospel High

2008-06-23T16:09:00.006+12:00

Bula! Today is the beginning of my last week here at Gospel High. Now I have to start saying goodbye to some of my students as some classes finish with me today - since I will be working with the deaf children every day this week at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf.

So here you have it, some pictures of drama games we played outside, a group photo of another class & pictures of the deaf drama workshop I led in the afternoon. As always, all of my students want to play lots of drama games as they love the games & have so little opportunity for this in school.

My challenges today - Fijian sign language! I need to know more as I am now working alot with the deaf children which is so much fun for me! They are so enthusiastic & keen to be my little actors but need clear instructions in Fijian Sign Language. (Some of the students have only just started developing language skills due to coming to school at a late age. This is a problem here in Fiji - lots of deaf children still out in the villages & not taught language or sign language & not accessing education! One day soon - we need a person to go out in the villages on the island to find all the deaf children & bring them to school!) Fortunately, I have a deaf & hearing teacher helping me in the workshops so we can work faster in communication because I dont have much time to direct them in a performance - for their upcoming 10yr school anniversary performance. Students are keen for me to return in October to help them practice again for their performance before showing the performance to the public - I will try see what I can do. If you know of any interested sponsors out there - let me know???

Tonight I will study my Fijian sign language dictionary so I can learn more signs!! Glad to have the dictionary - this is not available in other developing countries I have worked in e.g., India or Africa. So it's rare & excellent to have a Fijian sign language dictionary as a resource here!

Moce moce - goodbye!

PS: Non-verbal communication - I am fascinated with the way Fijian's use so much non-verbal communication here! Nobody points or says yes vocally. It's all done with eyes, a single head nod & the eyebrows.

E.g., at the end of a street i can get a taxi with a simple nod of my head - they can spot me from afar & know the head nod means I need a taxi; a teacher will point out the location of a duster (for the blackboard) in the classroom with a simple head nod, eye contact & eyebrows - she wont point to it with her finger; a father will call his son from afar in the shopping centre by 1x nod of the head & eye contact with the boy (approx. 3y.o) etc - no voice or name calling. It's amazing - in all my travels I have never seen so much nonverbal communication here with just the eyes, head & eyebrows.

Great for deaf people - but even us deaf Aussies could miss it - as its so subtle & quick here. I remember I was asking for the duster a few times last week & didnt realise the teacher had pointed it out already several times with just her eyes, eyebrows & head. The duster was not close by - it was on the other side of the room - yet she still didnt point to it with her finger. Amazing!

So my friends, when I get home I might be in a little habit of raising my eyebrows etc. for a yes or nod my head to point things out. Hee!

(Part 2) Hand Art Classes - Theme "Fijian Identity"

2008-06-20T19:46:00.007+12:00

Some more pictures of hand art from the students of my art classes. Enjoy!

Yahoo! My sister is off to the Olympics to represent Australia for rowing!

2008-06-19T20:41:00.006+12:00

Congratulations to my sister Sonia Mills (the girl standing on the right - in the photo to the left) & her partner Catriona Sens for qualifying for the Beijing Olympics - women's rowing - double sculls. They will represent Australia at the Olympics this coming August. Good luck to them both! You go girls!!!

For those of you who are interested to know more, check out these website links:

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news/article/-/4715797/australian-rowers-high-beijing

http://www.smh.com.au/news/beijing2008/historic-result-for-australian-rowers/2008/06/19/1213770772368.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/beijing2008/australia-to-field-biggest-rowing-team/2008/06/18/1213770732466.html

http://www.foxsports.com.au/beijing_olympics/story/0,27313,23886265-5016781,00.html

Drama workshop with deaf children at Hilton Special School

2008-06-19T17:31:00.006+12:00

Today my interpreter & I went to Hilton Special School to give a 1-hr drama workshop to grades 6 & 7 deaf students. This is clearly is not something they do often so they made the most of it & really enjoyed themselves! Lots of laughter & humour! Such friendly happy children they are! They have so little material things but have so much in terms of spirit & happiness for life.

Hand Art Classes - Theme "Fijian Identity"

2008-06-18T23:04:00.006+12:00

Whoah! I have some amazing hand art pictures to share with you - from 2x of my art classes! We explored line drawings again but this time using our hands to draw designs which reflect our individual indentities e.g., our cultural background, our interests, hobbies etc... And some students have developed further their 'aboriginal' line drawings (from last week) by choosing some of their favourite lines from their aboriginal drawing to use as a background for the hands. Amazing work indeed! Enjoy!

Every student did their art homework this week & not one student had to return for detention with me today. Phew! My teacher mentor was very impressed to see that each & every student did their homework. I think she gave would give me lots of stars on my report for having such a positive impact on the students, by encouraging students to deliver their best work & by not letting students get away with not doing their homework. Hee! When there is a will, there is a way!

I think the students really enjoyed this task & my teacher mentor is now inspired to develop this task further with the students after I leave. She is thinking of asking students to make a wood carving of their hand designs & perhaps hang the wood carving as a mobile art piece to put on display in their homes. Lovely! What a wonderful idea!

Lisa with Fiji dancers

2008-06-17T21:50:00.007+12:00

Oh my! Time here in Fiji is going too fast now! Suddenly I now wish I could stay on in Fiji as I'm really starting to feel so settled here & becoming fond of my new Fijian friends. (I leave Fiji in less than 2-weeks away - oh!)

School went well today & I feel rather comfortable now with teaching & I think my teaching strategies are going down with the students & teachers.

It looks like there maybe a change of plan with my school schedule next week - I might drop some of my classes in the highschool to go & teach more in the deaf primary school so I may direct deaf primary school students in a theatre performance for their 10-year school anniversay event coming up this October. (I wish I could return in October to watch!) I will organise a deaf teacher to learn the performance so he may rehearse with the students whilst I am gone & get the students ready for their October public performance.

After school I went for a walk & picked up a stray, skinny & very scarred dog (think the dog was in a vicious dog fight not so long ago) ... this dog followed me everywhere & went into the shops with me! Shop owners had to chase him away when they realised it wasnt my dog. Oh poor dog! And then another stray dog come into the shop to be with me! It was funny - shop owners said animals must like me! Hmmm ... lots & lots of stray dogs here & they seem to have no owners & I think many of them are hungry because they look so skinny - you can see their bones sticking out!

In the evening, my host at home had a meeting at the house so I went out for the evening & watched some islander dances again & got some more dance pictures to share with you all. Enjoy!

Oh yeah ... it seems I might finally taste some 'kava' (traditional Fijian alcoholic drink) this week as a deaf man wants me to try it. Oh dear! I was kind of hoping to get away with not trying the drink as I have heard it doesnt taste very good - it's a taste that takes a while to get used to & its a bit potent - easy to get drunk on I think. But I cant say no as that would be rude - so I must open up my mind, go try it & hope not to get drunk in the process. Heh! As will have school the following day.

Deaf Adults Bible Study

2008-06-15T22:19:00.004+12:00

Today was Bible Study day (Sunday) - held at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf - for deaf adults in the community.

The bible study was led by Fiji's first officially qualified deaf teacher - see photo of man in blue shirt to the left. He works at Hilton Special School, led a programme at the church this morning & led the bible study this afternoon. Not sure when he finds time to rest! A lovely guy & so very welcoming. He has a sign name similar to fishing as he loves to fish! With the class, he 'thanked the Lord' for having me here in Fiji. Sweet! We also did lots of sign singing to church songs - though my signs were not much good as I didnt know the songs. But I did try & I think that was appreciated.

Everyone is trying to get me to return again to Fiji or to stay longer to teach because teachers with signing skills are needed here. My students were at the church for deaf people this morning (including the school principal!) & were full of praise for me as their teacher & were proud to introduce me to deaf adults in the community. I felt proud to be their teacher!

It was a fun day & it was great to meet more deaf adult Fijians. So very friendly & welcoming! I'm slowly picking up more & more Fijian Sign Language - which is fun to learn!

Tomorrow it is public holiday - the Queen's Birthday. So I might go visit all the deaf kids in the 3x hostels (i. little girls ii. teenage girls iii. boys) - most deaf kids that go to school here - live in hostels as their families live on the smaller islands or in the villages far from here.

Cheers!

PS: Photos of the kids below are hearing children of deaf adults. So cute!

Deaf drama at Gospel Primary School for the Deaf

2008-06-12T16:36:00.005+12:00

Bula! Welcome again to my blog - hope you are not getting bored with my blog yet?!

On today's blog you will see photos of my 1-hr drama workshop with deaf students at the Deaf Primary School. I directed students in a short performance they may use later this year at their school's official opening ceremony. Performance involved greetings of all kinds inc. deaf greetings; signed poetry about sign language being a silent beautiful visual language; & a friendly bow to the audience (which the students loved to do!) The students really enjoyed themselves & learnt what I taught them - so fast! We had the performance directed, choreographed & remembered within 1hr 15mins!!!! That's a record time for me in terms of directing students in a 'semi-polished' short performance. They were so quick & so eager as they never do drama. I will be back again next week to polish the performance some more.

Also you will see a photo of a student's art work from one of my art classes - just brilliant I thought! The task here involved doing a coloured line drawing on the theme of rhythm & art - draw lines then colour to match the rhythm of Fiji's famous 'meke' islander dance music. (Ermm ... you can also see my attempt at doing the line drawing too - which I showed to the class as an example just in case some students were not clear about what they have to do for me. My drawing was helpful as some did not know how to colour or develop their line drawings. Now all students fully understand the task at hand - I hope to see lots more next week to put on this blog & I am sure they will be better than my pencil drawing).

Today I tried out 'formal peer assessment' with students in my drama class. This is the 1st time I have tried this in school since learning it at university. We used a custom made criteria sheet to mark fellow students when presenting their Shakespeare lines in front of the class. The class really enjoyed assessing each other - me too as this kept students busy & out of trouble as this is a very noisy & chatty drama group. (So thanks to my uni teachers for sharing this new teaching strategy - it works so well!!!)

And lastly, you will see a few photos of my Aussie interpreter who has just arrived today & will stay with me until end of June (she is standing next to the school principal - in the photo); a photo of school children playing football in the school yard; a photo of deaf children on the hostel school bus (many deaf children here stay in hostels as their homes are far away in the villages or on the smaller islands); & a photo of students buying Indian sweets or savouries at the school entrance gate after school has finished.

My next 2-weeks are very full! In addition to classes I have to teach at Gospel High & Gospel Primary School for the Deaf, I've also been requested by Hilton Special School (a primary school & Fiji's first school for deaf & disabled students) to deliver drama workshops for their 37x deaf students & Deaf Awareness Training for their teachers; & a professional development training workshop with my interpreter for Interpreters in Suva. The diverse experiences I'm getting here is just fantastic! I feel very grateful for the support, variety & enthusiasm!

Bye for now!

My talented art class

2008-06-10T17:03:00.009+12:00

Look at this! This is some artwork from my very talented art students! I am so pleased with their creative efforts.

Last week, I asked students to create an aboriginal-inspired line drawing based on an aboriginal dreamtime story called 'crocodile dreaming' which I played to them via my laptop last week. I think the drawings are just wonderful! This is the first time they have done an art activity like this & they really enjoyed it.

We will develop the drawings further next week with a handprint inspired by student identities including their cultural backgrounds.

Not much time left & with class time being so short (30mins!!!!) I am requesting them to complete the work each week at home. All did their homework this week but a few boys. So I had a few boys coming back to me at lunchtime for detention today - to finish their drawings. I think they were surprised that I was so tough & was expecting each & everyone of them to finish their homework. They promise they will do homework next week. Hee!

So the photos you see here are photos student line drawings, photo of a necklace a girl made to sell to teachers for some pocket money, photos of my first detention boys - made to finish their line drawings, and a photo of a boy (with the jumper-hood) who volunteered for detention because he wanted to be with me to do some more drawing. Really cute so I gave him a few tips to improve his drawing to make it really good for next week. He was grinning from ear to ear when I helped him.

Hmmm ... I really love teaching art classes - it is a refreshing change from all the drama classes I have taught throughout the years as a drama practioner & youth theatre director.

Fijian sign language class at Gospel High

2008-06-10T16:41:00.005+12:00

Today I observed my first sign language class for hearing students at Gospel High. All classrooms with deaf students are taught sign language each week by a deaf teacher from the deaf primary school. It was so inspiring to see! I wish more schools in Australia & the UK would do this! The hearing students clearly enjoyed themselves & were so good at it! It was fun to watch - no voices in the classroom & very little voiceover interpretation so all students will learn to watch with their eyes rather than listen.

I have been teaching the past 2-days without a sign language interpreter as I am still waiting for my replacement interpreter to arrive from Australia this Thursday. Some of the hearing students in my class were so helpful - if I didnt understand a word they were saying, they would fingerspell it for me. Just wonderful! Indeed this school is a very great model of good practice regarding deaf awareness & proper integration of deaf & hearing students - it really does strive to be a holistic school.

Photos of little deaf children & me

2008-06-09T15:13:00.004+12:00

Here are a few photos of me with the little deaf children in the school next door. My new family!

And a photo of an art teacher & her gorgeous Fijian dress. And a deaf boy sitting at his desk in my art class ...

Not much to say today as I am so tired & exhausted. And it's only Monday! Good grief! It's been a big year for me with full-time studies at university & then straight to Fiji to work in school for 6-weeks. Another friend - a university student who is doing her uni work experience in Singapore, has also expressed how tired she is. She says she has never felt so exhausted as now - likewise I feel the same! I feel like the girl in the photo below - too tired to move. Oh I need some rest in a hammock by the beach in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji or just a looooooonngg holiday!

The sun shines in Suva - finally!

2008-06-08T16:43:00.006+12:00

What a glorious sunny day it was today! So great to see the sun shine again - at long last! It's been cloudy or rainy on most days I've been here in Suva. Typical Suva weather apparently. So it's great to be able to show blue skies in my photos again.

I spent the day by the pool at the Holiday Inn - soaking up the sun, listening to music on my iPod, being served by a friendly Fijian waiter for beer & potato wedges (yes very healthy i know). Then after a few hours I made my way back home by taxi (as they are so cheap here) but stopped in at a local shop to buy ice-cream for my chatty Indo-Fijian taxi driver & me.

My interpreter's last day - farewell!

2008-06-06T18:26:00.003+12:00

Today was the last day for my interpreter. She has been of tremendous help to me this past 3-weeks! She has enjoyed herself & is glad to be going home to enjoy some of her usual comforts again such as hot showers, her blowdryer, sunshine, a comfortable bed etc ... As a token of thanks for her support, the teachers in my 'language' department & I went to a curry restaurant in town to eat some Indian snacks & drink Masala tea.

We had some great chats & were glad to meet up away from school. We talked about Fijian customs such as 'giving & sharing'. Fijians here always give to one another on a daily basis e.g., one teacher was making chutney this morning & gave some her chutney to her pregnant neighbour; my host gives his newspaper to the security guard outside our place each day; staff often share their lunch; staff will buy snacks for a few people - not just for themselves etc ... I remember my first day at the school I was a admiring a teacher's skirt & told her how lovely it was. The teacher said she will wash it & give it to me the next day. Oh dear - I had no intention of taking her lovely skirt but just wanted to give her a compliment. So I had to decline her offer several times before she gave up! Heh! So generous the Fijians are here - always sharing ...

My interpreter leaves this weekend for Australia & next week I will have another Australian interpreter fly to Suva to join me next week in school on Wednesday until the end of my placement at the school - 27th June.

I have just another 3-weeks left here! And then I will be finished university! Yay! Very exciting! But of course a part of me will be sad to leave this beautiful & generous country ...

It's Friday - end of the week! Phew!

2008-06-06T18:00:00.004+12:00

Oh phew! It's Friday - end of the week! I am so glad cos I need a couple days rest! This teaching work is exhausting! Nevertheless, I am pleased to say my teaching is being well received by the students. Though sometimes it is a challenge because Fijians are timid in nature & not always keen to get up in front of the classroom - so I have to do lots of encouraging! But we always get there in the end - with everyone taking turns in participating.

A few things you might be interested to know here - Fijians almost never nod their heads to say 'yes' & almost never 'point' to give directions. They just use their eyes & eyebrows e.g., they raise their eyebrows to say 'yes' or look with their eyes with slight head movement to 'point' out something. I sometimes repeat my questions but will quickly realise they have already given me an answer with their eyes!

Lots of nonverbal communication here & its quite different to deaf nonverbal communication - but sometimes similar. Very interesting! Even on the buses here there is lots of nonverbal communication e.g., bus driver will tilt his head to side & look at door to say 'this is your stop' - he wont point or talk! If I miss see the bus driver tilt his head or look at the bus door - I will miss my opportunity to pull the rope for the bus to stop - or else bus driver will carry on driving! So I have to watch the bus driver's head & eyes very carefully whenever I go to a new location via bus. Interesting hey!

Here are a few photos of me teaching drama to form 6 (grade 11) english students, a photo of the view outside classroom window, students relaxing during lunch break etc ...

Deaf students at Gospel High & Gospel Primary School

2008-06-06T17:45:00.003+12:00

Bula! I finally I had a chance to visit Gospel Primary School for the Deaf which is next door to Gospel High. With my Aussie interpreter we took a few photos with the deaf students to share with you all. I have also included a photo of a group of deaf students at the Highschool - the last photo at the bottom.

Altogether in the primary school there are about 52 deaf students & in the highschool about 15x or so deaf students.

I will be starting some drama classes for the deaf primary school students as of next week. We all look forward to it!

Enjoy the photos - you will notice they are quite tall & much older than your average primary school students. This is because many deaf students started school late. This also means some of my deaf highschool students are in their late teens & early 20's!! But it is better to learn late - than never at all!

Oh yes - there is also a blue-eyed deaf boy in the primary school! Georgeous blue eyes! Have a look - he is the tall boy standing next to me in the top photo.

Deaf Awareness Training for School Staff at Gospel High

2008-06-04T15:23:00.005+12:00

Well today was my 1st day I had to put my new university-learned 'classroom behaviour management' skills into serious practice!

Students were getting too excited in my drama classes & would talk too much amongst themselves! This meant too much noise for me (& my hearing aids) & my interpreter! So I had to make myself known as 'strict' Miss Mills - a teacher not to messed with! I stopped the drama activities immediately (after several warnings) & had them sit down to practice silence in the room by reading their Shakespeare text books. I threatened them with staying back at lunch time if I caught anyone talking! This sure did work - as the room became silent ever so quickly! I hope the students will be keen co-operate with me in my next lesson as I think they will much prefer to play drama games rather than silent reading of text books. Fingers crossed ...

To finish off the day, I led my Deaf Awareness Training workshop for staff at this school. We had so much fun especially with the games I planned for them. We explored deaf communication tactics through eye contact, clear gestures, sign language, pointing etc. I confess I had teachers ask me before my workshop began - to stretch out my workshop where possible so they may have one less class to teach at the end of the day. Heh! Too many lessons in a day here & so little time for breaks - I don't blame them for wanting a little extra time out! Teachers work hard here & with so few resources.

I hope to do some more training for school staff next week. And tomorrow I hope to finally go & meet young deaf children in the 'all' deaf primary school next door. Watch this space ...

At the Raintree Lodge

2008-06-02T00:37:00.006+12:00

And here we are at the Raintree Lodge - 10mins. out of town in the lush green forest!

We experienced our first Fijian Church sermon with some singing. Though I must say we felt quite out of place there - all the little Fijian children kept looking at us & giggling. It must have been our signing hands or our white skin or my red lipstick - oops we didnt plan on visiting a church! Nevertheless we were encouraged to go inside the church when we were caught peaking through the doorway outside the church.

Then we went for a brief walk in the pebbly forest ...

And canoeing for my friend despite the boat looking a bit dodgy! However, my friend reassured the man that she can swim & is up for the challenge! Hee!

Then we watched some Fijian island dancing whilst drinking beers (again!) & eating seafood coconut curry for dinner.

Tomorrow my friend leaves for paradise again (the islands on the west coast) for a few days & then returns to London. Oh! She will be missed as she has been great company for me here in this exotic new land! Before she leaves, she will visit me in school tomorrow to check out my teaching & to meet some of my delightful Fijian students.

It's 1am now - must bid you all goodnight!

Fiji Musuem

2008-06-01T23:55:00.006+12:00

Hi Everyone! Had a great weekend with my friend! We went to 'Pure Fiji' to buy some gorgeous coconut body creams & scrubs etc ... Just delicious! Now we smell like coconut!!!

We also went to the Fiji Musuem. What a fabulous museum it was! So many beautiful old artefacts such as a sorcerers clubs, war clubs, fishing hook, a cannibal fork (for eating humans only!!!), a fishing photo (showing village people forming a circle to trap fish), whale tooth necklace, masks, wedding dresses made of masi (a special Fijian tree bark) with handmade Fijian stencil prints (which I showed you in an art class in previous blog entry), artwork etc. We also saw lots of old wooden boats canoes etc.. only managed to get 1x photo for you as most were too large for my little camera!

And lots of eating out at different places to fatten up!

Best wishes to my sister at the 2nd World Cup Rowing Regatta this weekend!

2008-05-31T00:44:00.005+12:00

I would like to wish my sister Sonia Mills & her rowing partner Cate all the best for their races at the 2nd World Cup Rowing Regatta this weekend in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Some of the international teams competing this weekend have already qualified for the Olympics. While others teams, like my sister & her partner, will be in Lucerne this weekend to compete & check out other international teams before they go on to compete in the finals in Poland June 15 – 18. In Poland, Sonia & Cate, representing Australia's Olympic heavy-weight doubles team (skulling - 2x oars), aim to succeed in qualifying their boat for the Olympics. They must get their boat over the finish line - within a certain time frame - I think!? (Is this right Sonia - correct if I am wrong?)

To watch Sonia & Cate in the 2nd World Cup races this weekend - live June 1 - click on this website: http://web.wcsn.com/index.jsp

Wishing Sonia & Cate all the best! You go girls!!!

My home in Tanavua - Suva

2008-05-31T00:20:00.011+12:00

Friends have been requesting to see photos of where I live in Fiji. Here they are!

A nice area kept safe & secure by security guards outside. Break-ins & theft is a problem here in Suva so we have full-time security guards outside & lots of mad barking dogs to keep the area safe.

However, break-ins still occur. I just found out 4x young men were caught climbing the fence of our place last christmas! Apparently, many break-ins occur by youths after they have been drinking Kava - the popular Fijian custom here. They use sugar cane knives to wedge open windows or doors.

So I have been told, by my hosts, to always keep the front porch lights on, keep all doors locked, be friendly with the neighbours & with the security guards so we may all watch out for each other.

Since my hosts are away this weekend, I have been asked to turn on the TV tmw night & turn the TV so it may face the window so the security guard may watch his beloved international rugby 7's - leave the TV on all night so he can follow all the matches - happening in Twickenham in London right now. Maybe I should give him a beer too?

Apprarently, Suva really rocks here when the 7's are on! Fijians are very proud of their rugby - including the women. My interpreter complained last week of no sleep because the neighbourhood in her area was roaring with cheers from Fijians early in the morning when they were watching the 7's! Lucky I have deaf ears. Hee!

My friend returns from Paradise!

2008-05-30T22:58:00.002+12:00

Hi! My friend returns from paradise! We meet again in Suva for another Fiji bitters on the tap - by the harbour.

My friend has just spent 4-days boat hopping around some of Fiji's islands - off the west coast of Fiji. She showed me her photos & I can honestly say the blue sea, white sand, blue sky Fiji brochures we see in our countries - are in fact true!! Whoah!

When I arrived in Suva - I wasnt sure if the Fiji Paradise travel brochures I saw in Australia were true. But my friend's photos has proved it is indeed true! Paradise does exist here in abundance - on the small islands around Fiji! The islands look so gorgeous! Oh I am jealous because I have no time to travel around the islands as I must stay in school for 6-weeks here in Suva - to qualify as a school teacher.

Meanwhile, the weather here in Suva - is like London! It changes many times throughout the days & attracts the clouds & rain! All other parts of Fiji get the sun so my friend came back looking very tanned & was most surprised to hear it had rained during the week here in Suva. All she saw during the week was SUN, white sand & blue seas! Grrrr!

Oh well, nevermind - at least I do come from paradise in Australia - the sunny Sunshine Coast! Though it would be nice to experience a bit of Fijii paradise. If I am lucky, I might be able to find time to visit one small island for a day & night trip at the end of my 6-weeks here - just before I fly out of Fiji. Wish me luck! I don't think I'll be able to stage a sicky day at school either because the little islands on the west coast are not conveniently near to me ... oh!

Teaching Art & Drama

2008-05-28T15:34:00.005+12:00

Today started off really well! I taught my first art class with music exploring the topic 'art & rhythm'.

I played fijian music via my laptop whilst everyone tapped with one hand on the table to the beat of the music. I then asked everyone to stand up to dance to the beat but they became stiff & rigid! Students were very self-conscious as they are mostly accustomed to sitting during their lessons. So I had them sitting again tapping away on their desks with one hand whilst they used the other hand to pretend they were drawing in the air - to the beat of the music. Then I had them drawing on their paper exploring all sorts of lines whilst tapping away on the desk with the other hand.

Later I showed them the visualiser on my laptop which shows music through art - they were truly fascinated! I don't think many of these students have had access to computers at all. This was such a fun lesson! I am really looking forward to doing more art work with these students through music - a great topic for the students & me as their student-teacher. The main teacher for this class (who was observing me) told me she was also learning lots from this lesson. I noticed she really got into the dancing & tapping to the music. Hee! But then the bell rang so we had to stop. Oh the lessons are so short - just 35minutes!!! With 40x students in each class I really have to move fast in my lessons.

By the way, I have a photo here of a boy with a collage (artwork) he made in his previous art classes. I thought the collage was so great - I had to take a photo & share it with you all.

As for drama - my shakespeare (Julius Ceasar) classes are going really well! I am now getting students from other grades are coming up to me to ask for drama too. They dont do any drama in this school so it is something new & exciting for them. I'm really glad to be able to offer it.

But I must say, I am so exhausted & tired at the end of each day ... it really is a challenge working in a new school in a different country with 40x students in each class, with different accents, limited resources & just a blackboard etc. And when I get home there's still so much planning to do for the next day! Oh I dont know how school teachers manage! My mother was a teacher - now I understand why she found teaching a challenge & tiring at times. Teacher's definately need their school holidays to recover!!!!

Lastly, I finally got access to a printer today to print off my lessons & student worksheets etc. Oh I felt like a girl in a lolly shop though I sometimes felt like a girl stealing lollies from a lolly jar! Hee! It was a real treat to be able to use a printer & photocopier. Not many of the teachers use the printer or copiers due to limited knowledge about computers or tight school budget for printing & copying. Fortunately, I've been given permission to use the printer & copier - in moderation. Phew! This is better than nothing as I couldnt stand to just use the blackboard each day! Bye!

My weekend in Suva

2008-05-26T19:12:00.003+12:00

Hi everyone! A lovely weekend was had with my friend. We successfully found our way into the city on the bus.

We met one of my deaf students in town - as you can see in the photos - the young girl standing next to the coconuts. She took us for a tour through the town & rested in the park with us & her hearing friend - the park security guard. We were amazed at how deaf friendly this park security guard was - he didn't know sign language but was ever so comfortable with using gesture, eye contact etc. to communicate with the girl & wanted to make conversation with us all. Fijian people seem to be so accomodating of deaf people here & seem rather deaf aware. Perhaps because there is so much diversity here. My friend & I were truly amazed! In fact my friend thought the security guard & the deaf girl would make a great couple one day. Hee! There really are some great models of good practice here.

Later we went to the very crowded markets. I went to take a photo of my friend but suddenly I see a Fijian woman standing beside my friend posing for the photo also. It was rather funny!

Then we went to go shopping but discovered all the shops close here at 10.30am on Saturday & close all day Sunday as Sunday is a day of rest here. So not much to do here in Suva so we found a cafe to rest & chat.

My friend has now left for a few days to go island hopping, soak up the sun in paradise - whilst I stay on here to work. Lucky girl! We shall meet up again next weekend for a walk in the rainforest & hopefully see some Fijian dancing including the famous 'meke' dance by Fijian men.

Oh yes - great news! My visa is now sorted - I am now legally allowed to stay for 6-weeks. Phew! One Fijian woman at immigration standing in queue behind me at the immigration office was complaining about 'Fijian time' - everything so slow & laid back. She has been away overseas & forgot how slow it takes to get things done here. Actually I didnt mind the wait at the immigration office & didnt think it was all that bad. Perhaps I have adjusted well to 'Fijian time'.

Bye! Have a great week.

My friend from London arrives in Suva!

2008-05-23T23:19:00.011+12:00

My dear friend from London has arrived safely in Suva! It is wonderful to have some familiar company out here in Fiji. Here are some photos of us (& other people) relaxing at the Holiday Inn by the harbour having a Fiji Lager and later eating out at the popular curry house which was delicious but rather hot & spicy I must say! Nevertheless we'll be back as we found the tall & very fit looking Fijian security man we were told to look out for. He kindly found us a taxi so we may get home safe & sound! Heh!

Another day at Gospel High

2008-05-23T15:17:00.010+12:00

Bula! Erm ... that's about all I know so far in Fijian language. Sorry! I will try to learn some Fijian language next week & will share with you all on this blog. Being deaf I dont have much of an ear for new spoken languages ... But I am picking up the Fijian Sign Language quite well - I love it!

Anyway, it's been another great couple of great days at the school. But we are exhausted at the end of each day as there is so much to take in - new school ways, new culture, different curriculum, different accents, different sign language etc ... Absolutely exhausted by the time I get home.

Last couple of days, I have begun to introduce drama to a group of students. (By the way each class has about 40x students or more!!!) I've also begun exploring some poetry using the 5 senses. And today some printmaking on fabric - a Fijian print used on wedding dresses here. Next week, I'll be taking over quite a few classes teaching my very own poetry, drama and art classes. Wish me luck!

The photos I have attached today are some photos of deaf students, hearing students, my excellent Aussie sign language interpreter and my Indo-Fijian Teacher Mentor who is just wonderful.

My interpreter & I have been requested to do some training for Fijian Sign Language Interpreters - so that will be happening in a week or so. That should be fun. I can see they need some help but otherwise the deaf students are so smart so they must be doing something right.

I finally met my Aussie deaf friend's deaf Fijian boyfriend here at the school today ... I am looking forward to having him show me around Suva soon.

I finally got my timetable sorted today. Phew! That took some work!!! The concept of timetable seems somewhat abstract & vague here - perhaps due to Fijian time being so laid back! Furthermore, each class is only 35minutes here - lunch break just 30minutes which is apparently very generous here in Fiji as most schools only have about 20minutes for lunch. School classes here involve 10x lessons a day!!! Oh my too many classes & not much time to go into any depth. Indeed, my art classes will have to be short - not much time to set up & pack up paint materials etc. Gulp! (I thought you Aussie teachers & prac students might be interested to know this).

Enjoy the photos. I'm off to meet my friend from London today for a drink at a hotel & later eat a curry. As the political situation here is a bit tense - I've been warned not to walk anywhere in the evenings. I've been told to get the security guard at the curry place to wave a taxi down for me & my friend - to get back home safely. Lots of mugging & theft here so we have to be very cautious. So far so good & I'm feeling quite okay ... Just people here are getting a bit concerned because there has been a couple of death threats to the Australian High Commission here (not far from my house)! Oh well it makes life interesting eh!

Bye! Have a nice weekend everyone!

My day in school at Gospel High

2008-05-21T22:25:00.004+12:00

Thank you everyone for all your emails! So nice to hear from you all so soon.

Anyway, it was a great day at school today.

I started off with an Agriculture class!!! Gulp! This was not right - I have no idea how to teach agriculture! Heh!

So managed to persuade the school principal to let me teach some Arts in the school. Fortunately, her response was really great! The principal & the staff are so enthusiastic to have me teaching drama & art to the students in the school. Yay! Much better suited to me than agriculture!

I also got to teach some deaf students today integrated in a mainstream classroom. They are so smart & sharp! Their interpreters have clearly been great help to them in the classroom. One deaf student said their teacher (my teacher mentor) loves deaf students - I noticed this too. It's just wonderful to see a teacher so enthusiastic about her deaf students in her mainstream classroom. (Sorry no photos of the deaf students yet - will do that soon)

A funny moment for me today was when I was tutoring the deaf students in the classroom on poetry. I told a deaf boy to get up & point the word out for me on the blackboard. He was so hesitant - didnt think he understood me. So I said 'go on - point to the word on the blackboard'. He looked around looking very unsure of himself & checked with his deaf mates to make sure he understood. Indeed he did understand me & finally a several minutes later (after much persuasion) he did it! Hmmm ... its obvious the students are not encouraged to move about in the room & must always sit in their chairs. I was so glad to be to introduce this new experience for him! Smile ...

As for sign language with the deaf students - we did alright. They have some different signs but some are similar to Auslan - Australian Sign Language. We had to do some swapping of signs for common understanding & generally I think they understood me well. I hope! I know how deaf people can fool people & pretend they understand ... Heh!

To finish of the day, I had to walk a leafy pathway to get to my bus-stop. Got on the bus for the first time ever & got lost! I ended up out of the city into the rural village area! Oh dear! Lucky the bus driver chased another bus - tooted his horn several times & overtook this other bus so I could change buses & return back home. Phew! I think all the passengers in the bus thought it was funny. Nevertheless, the bus ride was interesting as I got to see some rural villages which seems quite different to the city of Suva. I must return one day & venture a bit further with someone to see more of the village life.

So its a good start to my week at the school - I am getting rather excited about the 6-weeks ahead of me.

By the way, this evening I joined my hosts (a couple from NZ & America) at the French Cultural Centre for an alfresco (outdoor) French movie - lots of other expatriates, diplomats & prac students like myself went there also. Was so much fun! I always really enjoy my French films.

This Saturday I might be going on a 5-hr hiking trip with members of the hiking club. And the following weekend joining another group for snorkelling at an island on the east coast with members of the hiking club again. Can't wait!!!

And this Friday a dear & special deaf friend will be visiting me for 2-weeks - from London.

Goodnight!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-20T23:03:00.002+12:00

For more information about my 'Look at Me: Deaf Awareness' book or to buy now please visit my website: www.honeybee-creations.com

Bus ride from Nadi to Suva

2008-05-20T19:12:00.007+12:00

Bula! Here are some pictures of the view from my window on the bus from Nadi (airport) to Suva (my base for the next 6-weeks) - a 4hr bus ride along the coral coast from west coast to south east coast. The land is so natural, untouched and lush green tropical jungles! See map picture. Cheers, Lisa

BULA (Hi) - Greetings from Fiji - I am here!

2008-05-20T13:17:00.003+12:00

BULA (Hi) everyone! Here I am in Fiji!

What an interesting start this trip has been!

Got here and ticked the wrong box on the form at the airport and was given only 14-day visa!!! Gulp! I am meant to be here for 6-weeks for university - must do 6-weeks in school in order to graduate from university.

Went to immigration yesterday to sort out the visa problem. An Australian man who lives in Fiji came with me & my interpreter to try sort it out at the immigration office. Immigration let us through immediately into his office and dealt with us immediately. The Australian man was shocked - he has never seen immigration move so fast ever! Must be my blonde hair or our clever way of communicating in sign language and spoken english which fascinated the immigration man. Heh! Anyway, it seems I have to pay a fee to stay here for 6-weeks & my Fijian school have kindly offered to pay the fee for me because they are really excited to have me. The school does not want me to go because everyone talks about me already - look forward to some deaf awareness training too outside of school hours. So the school will sort out the visa for me. Phew!

I had a tour of the school yesterday. A lovely big school and so many smiley faces! Went into my first classroom & my goodness there were no students as they were all outside due to one student lying unconscious on the floor in the classroom - she hit her head!!! And then an ambulance came to take her away. Oh my!

Unfortunately, there are no Arts curriculum in the school but I am going to try & see how I may do some drama & arts in the school - must do because Fiji is rich with arts & culture - & I so love the arts! I also need to work out a way to get some students to teach me some Fijian dancing with those wonderful colourful straw skirts.

By the way, first day here I relaxed on the beach in Nadi - was lovely & so peaceful. I went for a horseride & had so much fun! A gallop along the beach with the wind going through my hair without a helmet was the best feeling ever - I felt so free! I havent ridden a horse in a long time so it was fabulous! For those of you who dont know I was a farm girl when I was younger & did lots of horseriding & mustering cattle - my father first put me on a horse when I was 2y.o! The Fijian man who took me for a ride told me I knew how to bounce on the saddle & hold tight really well. Heh! (No misinterpreting this please!) Anyway I said I was trained by the best - my father who comes from a family with high reputation for horseriding in NSW Australia. The Fijian man smiled & said he is THE Fijian Horsebreaker. So it seems I was in the best company for horseriding in Fiji. Smile ... Mind you, the Fijian man's horse was bucking all the way along the beach next me - a bit scary - I was worried he was going to kick my horse and throw me off my horse but didnt. Phew! So it was a great day riding that horse - I'll be back for more horseriding before I leave Fiji. Though I must say I do have a few saddle aches & bruises now ... Heh!

More news coming soon everyone - perhaps next post will be about my day in the classroom.

Cheers
Lisa