Hi again,

Finally! A new blog post. 

I interviewed a community member who owns and runs a small canteen business in my village and transcribed it. Link here! Give it a read, and let me know what you think.

Also - if you feel so inclined - send me a few photos or updates from your end! I'd love to see/hear how things are going.

Katie

Hi friends,

I did promise a real blog post in my last email, and here it is.

I’ve been struggling a bit with what to share in my blog, and time has been getting away from me. Hence my six-month hiatus since my last update. What is one emotion you’ve recently felt very deeply? I talk about some of the emotions I’ve experienced in Fiji in this post. Let me know if there’s anything you want to read more about with regard to my time here.

I was super homesick recently but have since been keeping busy with grant proposals, ministry and university meetings with my village counterparts, and quality time with my volunteer friends. I would love to hear any updates you have about your lives. If you have any photos to share with me, even better.

Let me know what you think about this post as well - link is here. Hope you enjoy the read!

Katie

Hi everyone,

Big hiatus, I know. Yes, I’m still in Fiji. Time continues to pass by more quickly with each month, which I have mixed feelings about. I feel more at ease now that I’m nearly nine months into my time here. 

About a month ago, Fiji “winter” suddenly arrived. I wore actual jeans. I’m wearing layers to bed. Another volunteer here said that he was able to see his breath last winter - I’m still waiting for that to happen. For reference, it’s hit a whopping low of 65F on especially cold nights.

I have finally started working on my next blog post. In the meantime, here’s a brief, written interview that I did on another Peace Corps Volunteer’s blog about my experience as an Asian American volunteer in Fiji. Give it a read if you’d like. Happy belated AAPI Month, happy Pride Month, and happy summer to those of you in the northern hemisphere.

Cheers,

Katie

Hi!

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you were able to feel some holiday spirit wherever in the world you were.

The holidays looked a little different for me this year. It’s always been my favorite time of year. Part of that may be due to my birthday falling in the month of December, but by and large, it’s because of that feeling in the air that shows up when the end of November is in sight and carries through New Year’s celebrations.

I caught the flu just in time for New Year’s Eve (isa), so this post will be Christmas-heavy. Hopefully you get a feel for what Christmas is like in a village of 50 that doubles in size when the holidays roll around, and everyone comes home. Give it a read here.

To my new readers - welcome! Thanks so much for joining and choosing to stay in the loop while I’m in Fiji these next couple of years.

And to all of my dear friends who have responded to my emails and blog post updates, it continues to be so good to hear from you. It’s always a bright spot in my day to hear about how your life is going.

I loved learning about how you’ve been collecting joy in your lives. Here’s another question for you: what is something new that you learned about yourself in 2023 that you’re taking with you into 2024? I’ve been reflecting on that myself.

Cheers all,

Katie

P.S. Isa (mentioned above) is the Fijian equivalent of “R.I.P.” - used casually in daily conversation when something bad or unfortunate happens and also more seriously when someone is sick or passes away - not too different from how “rip” is used in American English. 

Bula maleka everyone!

It’s somehow the end of 2023. I will admit, I went on a bit of a blog hiatus due to the flurry of a variety of things that happened over the past (nearly) two months since my last post: a small cyclone came and went (we got evacuated to Suva), I got a bit sick, training wrapped up at the end of November (I swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer!), and I moved into my two-year site.

One of my favorite things to do is spend quality time with people I like. Those of you who know me well know how much I value it - whether it’s having a meaningful conversation, experiencing something new together, or just plain having fun. The two experiences I talk about in this latest post perfectly capture the type of quality time I’m often seeking. And they both happen to be while fishing. Here’s the link!

I also talk about collecting joy. I would love to hear how you’ve been doing that in your lives.

Also, also - I promise that you will get to know my current village (and home for the next two years) better through my upcoming posts. I moved into this village about one month ago, on Thanksgiving Day. It’s almost Christmas now.

Happy Holidays, and happy reading!

Cheers,

Katie

Bula maleka,

Happy Halloween! 

I'm six weeks in. I have three more weeks of training before I swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and formally start my two-year service in another village. I still can't believe I'm in Fiji. Give my second blog post a read here.

I so appreciate everyone who reached out to share their thoughts on my first post. It means a lot to me. Let me know if there's something you want to learn more about in a future post!

Cheers,

Katie

P.S. If you know of any other blog readers and they're interested in staying in the loop, send me their email address or ask them to fill out this form!

Bula, 

You've expressed interest in following my journey with the Peace Corps! Yay :) I'm just about two weeks into my time in Fiji. Click here for the first installment of my blog. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. 

Reach out to me with any thoughts or questions you might have. My internet access has been surprisingly consistent right now (knock on wood). I would love to catch up with you.

Maleka vaka levu,

Katie