Sorry forgot...

I forgot when I was on here the other day to say that I got a cell phone a few days ago; making it quite easy to get a hold of me phone wise if you are so inclined. So, if you would like the number drop me an email/post and I will forward it on to you (sorry, posting my number on a public blog doesn't sound like a great idea to me....... also, if you email me please identify yourself as some of those email addresses out there are a bit cryptic). If you have scype you can call me for something ridiculously cheap like 10 cents a minute, and i hear that text rates aren't too bad (i'm working on a scam for people from the states to be able to text me for free, and hopefully i'll have more info on that by the end of the week).

cheers,

Aric

Bula sia from the friendly north

So, this is my first post from my permanent site, are you as excited as I am!?! I sure hope so, because most of the rest of these are going to be coming from here, and if you're going to start off with a bad attitude it's going to be a long 2 years. Anyway, I just arrived up here in Labasa a few days ago, and am working on settling in. (If you're wondering about the picture above, it is my new friend Steve [who is strangely Mo's cousin....what..] and I's entry into the facial hair contest of July 4th that we put on. Unfortunately I didn't win, but there wasn't a prize so no worries. I'll try to put up the pictures of all the entries at a later date).
The Past week has been pretty crazy. On Monday we had our final language exam to see if they were still going to let us into the peace corps (in case you were wondering I passed). Tuesday was our last night in the village, which was a huge ordeal with people eating, drinking kava, singing, and crying late into the evening (fortunately for me it was also my first recovery day from food poisoning, so the first thing I wanted to do with it was sit around and do the above all night). Wednesday we departed the village exorbitantly early in the morning (5:45 to be exact) for Suva, where we had our final training sessions; after which they turned us lose on the town. It was a great evening, about a third of us left the next day (thursday), so it was the last time I would see many people in the group for a few months. Being a family page and all, I can only say we had a fantastic time, Suva has some great bars, and I hope to take some of you who visit out there sometime. Thursday we were officially sworn in as volunteers, those going to viti levu left for their sites, and the rest of us going up north were given and extra day in Suva.
I left friday afternoon on the overnight boat to SavuSavu, and took a truck from there to Labasa (arriving early morning on Saturday. Since then I've been working on setting up my living quarters and getting ready for work.

So, my address here is:
Aric Bickel c/o Macuata Provincial Office
P.O. Box 1326
Labasa, Fiji Islands
South Pacific

and, I have a challenge for all you people out there feeling up to it. I have an excess amount of blank, white wall space..... and I would like you to fill it. Send me whatever it is you want (within reason), and I will put it up on my wall. I think this could be a great way for me to feel more at home, and involve more of you in what is going on in my life over here. So, you have my address now, send me something fun to put on the wall. At some point I'll take a picture and post it. Maybe, if you're lucky, i'll even send you something fijian back to put on your own wall.......

alright, time is up here. I should be able to get back up here and post more in a few days.

cheers

Aric

Guess Where.....

Sorry for not getting to a computer recently, but aside from our normal busy schedule I have been traveling quite a bit...most notebly to my site for the next two years! So, I have stationed in the Macuata provincial office working with their qoliqoli cakavata (fisheries committee). The provincial office is in Labasa (pronounced lambasa), which is that largest "city" on Vanua Levu (Fiji's second largest island in the north). The city is located on the northern side of the island adjacent to the 3rd lagest barrier reef in the world. I visit the site this week, and it seems pretty nice. It is a modest Fijian town, which luckly (in my mind) does not see many tourists. I was initially bummed becuase I was hopping not to be placed in a larger city, but the work should make up for it. I will be working with the council to help better manage the marine protected areas (MPAs) in the province. The province consists of about 106 villages, of which the majpority have some sort of MPA set up. So, I will be traveling to those villages that have them set up and working with them to not pouch in the restricted area and helping them to survey and assess the results from the instution of the area. In the villages that do not have an MPA, we will be working with them to raise awareness and possibly get them to set one up. It sounds really great so far, and I really dig the traveling aspect of the position. Although I had not hoped to be in a city, there are a few perks: The are several other volunteers in the area (8 or so), there is very good access to internet and phone facilities (i think i will actually have a cell phone), and there is plenty reasonably priced and nutricious food in the area (think i might be able to go back to being a vegetarian). The northern island is a beautiful place, with ample diving (all kinds of reefs), hiking (there are mountains less than a kilometer from the ocean), and other recreational activities; as such I am pretty pumped to get up there and start exploring.

If, by lovely chance, you have a package in your hands just waiting to ship of to the fiji islands, please do not until i give you an updated address. I have it, but of course forgot to bring it to the computer facility; so since mail takes roughly 2 weeks to get here I would not receive it at my present address (no worries if you just sent something, the peace corps will forward it along, it will just take awhile). We have some training and a few exams and such the next couple weeks and will all be shipping off net thursday (your wens maybe, depending on which side of the world you live on) July 26th.

Otherwise all is going well, just trying to make it through the homestretch of training and move on to my site. Thanks for the letters, rents and jessica i received yours yesterday. I'll try to write back here as soon as I can.

Cheers,

Aric