Mini Bus Lessons are Life Lessons

Dearest Reader,

do the wee fishes in the background make you feel like you are swimming in a tropical paradise? they should! these are real fijian fish. this picture was taken by one of my friends when I was living in fiji sometime between 2004-2006. (i know i didn't take this picture because my underwater camera is just a digital camera wrapped in a few zip-lock bags. . . and this pic far exceeds the quality I could produce with sir Zip and Lock).

So let us get to the beef of things:
I arrived in Fiji last week. I was suppose to go to the Lau Island Group last week but I remain floundering about the main island. There is only one plane per week. It takes 8 passengers and lands on a grass runway; right next to the ocean (talk about excitement!). anywho, i was bumped from the flight as school has just started and they need all the teachers to get back to fill the classrooms and mold the minds of the youth. without school and good teachers; children are aimless. . .and go crazy. I say, "go teachers go!" (or in Fijian "lako qasenivuli lako!")

yesterday i took a mini bus (which is just a 15 passenger van) to Suva (the capital city) to see what I could do about getting out to the island as quickly as possible. the drive takes about 3 hours depending on the sanity of your van driver. most mini bus drivers are like base-jumpers, fire eaters, or the girls who let people throw knifes at them - they are bat-shit crazy and not afraid to die. they press the gas pedal to the floor as they pass semi trucks on single lane blind curves-with only rock bluffs for the road's shoulder. I usually enjoy these rides because they make you realize how much you love your life. 

But i made a terrible mistake. I should have know better; shame, shame, shame on me. When i went to the mini bus stand, I willing jumped into a mini bus that was blaring gospel music. As a person who is content to roam the world with no religion this was going to be a rough 3 hours. I didn't realize it at first. I thought it was bearable. But as soon as the door closed the music seemed louder, the seats seemed more crowded, and it was definitely hotter. It is soo hot here (in Fiji), I can feel the water I drink boil in my stomach (if i could swallow a raw egg whole, within a min it would be hard boiled). On top of the music, heat, and a dude basically sitting on my lap, the driver obviously was a God-fearing man. He was different than the other mini bus drivers. He drove with caution. He drove slow. He didn't take 3 hours to get to Suva. He took 4+. ahhh, lesson learned.

Reader - those are all the little nuggets of knowledge I can leave you with today. it has started to rain. I must run before the heat comes back. Enjoy. And come back soon.