Life, liberty, and fireworks

Two big things happened this week; 1.) Yesterday was Diwali and 2.) I VOTED!

I wont go in the order I wrote it- because that wouldn't be fun and voting needed to be second for dramatic effect. I feel very.... well, patriotic. I certainly never thought I would say that, let alone write it down in a place for everyone to see. But, living in a country where elections are constantly postponed due to cues and other political strife, I feel very fortunate to have the ability to draw tick marks on a piece of paper, and have it mean something. In fact, it was so satisfying that once the postage was placed on the letter, I strutted over to the FastPost bin, kissed the letter, and gently dropped it in. That's it. I VOTED, and I think I should get a sticker for that. Wheres my sticker?!

Like most Americans and the rest of the world, I'm very anxious to see what happens. Every morning I listen to the innumerable opinions broadcast on the BBC about the matter- I'm not sure its healthy to have your anxiety peak at 8am. I cant imagine what its like in the states right now, with this sort of news blaring throughout the day. I guess my 30 minute breakfast anxiety is nothing compared to what many of you are exposed to.

Diwali- the festival of lights, the Indian equivalent to Christmas, happened yesterday (Oct.28), and since almost 40% of Fiji is made of Indo-Fijian, its national holiday. Lights of all colors (I would call them Christmas lights, but that would be wrong in this context) framing many houses, fireworks everywhere, and the smell of sweet molasses coming from many kitchens consumed Lautoka. From an outside perspective, Diwali is a day for eating sweets and playing with fireworks... and both are done in excess, its fantastic.

The day itself of wasn't terribly exciting for me because the evening was spent in Nadi saying goodbye to the first of our group to be sent back to the U.S. - the cause, medical separation. Sad. I didn't feel too bad about missing the celebrations because I had been to two parties the weekend before. I even wore a salwar kamis on two different occasion. The first was a loan from a Bangladeshi doctor and the second was my first Fiji purchase of Indian attire.

It's really nice to be back in the Sugar City- Lautoka. I came back this past friday from my two week adventure to Suva. I was welcomed by 15 puppies. Three of the six dogs that guard my house gave birth while I was away. They're all really cute and I would probably be more cuddly with them if they werent infested with fleas. The owners are trying to get rid of them because there are already 6 at the house. Anybody need a puppy? No charge, you just have to come and pick it up.