3rd time's a charm

i just visited the hospital for a third time and great news! I HAVE REGAINED HEARING IN MY RIGHT EAR! whooo. they hardcore cleaned it (super gross) but now i can hear again. i have yet to go diving and was told by the doctor that i should wait until i finish my antibiotics (thursday) before i start diving again. however, the doctor also didn't know how to work the blood pressure cuff, so i'm fairly confident that monday will be sufficient.

things have been fun, boring, frustrating, and relaxing all at once. it's been nice to have some time sitting in the hammock looking at the gorgeous ocean, but it's definitely been difficult hearing everyone come back talking about seeing sharks, turtles, huge fish, sting rays and today, dolphins. so, if my ear clears up, i'm thinking about joining the next expedition and staying in fiji for an extra 3 weeks. 9 weeks in fiji? not bad.

my experience has been vastly different from the others, but it's been pretty good. hopefully by the beginning of next week i'll be out getting my advanced open water certification. then i have about 5 trillion in water tests to take and i have to learn/practice doing survey dives. the good news is that they're going to let me dive more than once a day, so i'll be super busy :)

one of the things i got to be involved in since i wasn't diving was planning a kids conservation club at a nearby island's primary school. we kicked it off by doing our own rendition of the harry potter puppet pals show (i'll post our version when i get home), then doing a rap, then splitting into small groups to chat, then doing a relay race in fins, mask and snorkel. so fun.

the people here are incredible. i love almost every member of our group, which is good because the island is so small that you physically can never be alone. there are a few exceptions, but i basically just steer clear of the people that make me want to jump in the ocean while wearing nothing but a weight belt. i think everyone is learning the value of patience and it's been fun watching some of the younger girls start learning how to grow up. almost everyone on the trip is in a life transition phase--changing jobs, moving, transferring schools, taking a gap year before uni... i've certainly never been in a situation like this and it's fascinating to hear and experience everyone's stories as they try to figure out the right direction. i have no idea how i'm going to be able to say goodbye to everyone in 2 weeks.

while not diving has been so frustrating, i'm getting better at looking on the bright side. i mean, cmon. i'm in FIJI. the water is the brightest blue you can imagine, the sun is brilliant, and the stars at night are breathtaking. plus, a few times now the water has had bioluminescence... no idea how to spell that... personally, i like to inform people that the "water is sparkly".... but basically, when you run your hand through it, it looks like there is a trail of glitter or sparks in the water. one of the best moments i've had is when petey, a volunteer from the UK, and i took a kayak out at midnight and looked at the stars above us and the stars in the water. it's hard to ever feel stressed here.

alright, the internet cafe is about to close. we're spending the night in levuka (a nearby island that almost counts as civilization) so we're about to get dressed up and go out to PARTY!