As of today, 082909, we have been here 100 days. To celebrate that fact I thought I would write 100 things I have learned….

1. God's creation is very diverse.

2. Learning a language makes you feel stupid – learning 2 is brain suicide.

3. Dishwashers are overrated.

4. However, washing machines and dryers are WAY worth the money.

5. Armpit hair makes your clothes smell – I have always known this but now Mataio does and has remedied it.

6. Hiking for an hour burns 500 calories.

7. Water from a green coconut is good for you, milk from a brown coconut is not.

8. Lifejackets make good seat cushions on fiber boats.

9. Powdered milk ain't so bad.

10. I can live without cheese.

11. No matter how slow time moves, days still pass quickly.

12. Cooking for others is fun and not fattening.

13. Gardening is hard when free-range chickens like to eat your seeds.

14. Composting is important but invitees bugs.

15. Plastic lasts forever.

16. Yeast is finicky when it comes to water temperature.

17. Watching others that have religion without a relationship with Jesus is painful.

18. Music is soothing even when you can't understand the lyrics.

19. Roosters are annoying.

20. Only female hornets sting.

21. Geckos eat mosquitos and I love them.

22. I can live without air conditioning.

23. I really DID hate driving a car.

24. Matt looks cute wearing a flower headband.

25. Every seashell is unique.

26. Dog poop in Fiji is gray.

27. Raw fresh fish is really good. 

28. Cooked fresh fish is even better.

29. I now know 10 recipes for cooking rice.

30. Being away from family and friends is still hard.

31. Electricity is expensive.

32. I don't look THAT silly in flowered clothes.

33. Matt thinks bushy eyebrows are hot.

34. Saying no is rude, instead you should just say thank you and walk away.

35. UNO is a fun game even when Matt always wins.

36. SKYPE is awesome. Call me.

37. Praise God for rat-proof containers.

38. Sweet potatoes are better than kumalas, but don't tell Apa.

39. Rain is important.

40. A smile is the best communication in any language.

41. Tuvaluan is easier than Fijian.

42. Running without a road is hard.

43. Ankles develop big pink calluses to cope with sitting cross-legged 8 hours a day.

44. Machetes are useful in the bush.

45. Picking papaya and banana off trees is harder than it looks.

46. Cold showers really are cold.

47. Sweeping is easier than vacuuming.

49. Age appropriate teaching really is beneficial.

50. I can change.

51. Hand washing laundry is a good arm-workout.

52. iPhones are still useful without the phone part.

53. Podcasts help retain intellect.

54. Windy days do not make good boat days.

55. Working with Matt on projects is rewarding.

56. Kerosene lamps smell bad.

57. Dead coral is good fertilizer.

58. Mattresses without springs are more comfortable.

59. A piggery is a pig pen.

60. Feasts are fun but there seems to be lots of food wasted.

61. Refrigeration would help with food waste.

62. Immersing an item in water will keep it cool for 24 hours.

63. While baking, you can substitute oil for butter and banana for egg.

64. Drinking hot tea when it is hot outside eventually makes you cool.

65. Saving face is more important than telling the truth (for others).

66. Yaqona still tastes gross.

67. A good hammer is worth the money.

68. Flushing a toilet uses 6 liters of water.

69. Ants can't swim.

70. Humidity cuts down on skin lotion costs.

71. I have even less balance than I thought I did.

72. Children don't need toys to play and have fun.

73. It doesn't matter what your watch says when it is Pacific Time.

74. Lemon leaf tea from our tree in the backyard is better than any tea you can buy in the store.

75. Showing a teacher how to print on both sides can rock their world.

76. Who needs shoes when you have really big, rough feet?

77. Cutting grass with a weed-eater apparently uses less fuel than a lawn-mower.

78. Community is easier with less distractions.

79. Matt can make a pretty good slingshot out of my exercise bands.

80. Weaving baskets and mats takes great patience and hand strength.

81. I brought too many clothes, but don't tell Matt.

82. I can eat 15 bananas in one day.

83. Good buckets are hard to find.

84. An egg carton makes a good plant nursery. 

85. MacBook Pros don't come with a modem.

86. Matt can make a table out of a door and some scrap wood found under the house.

87. Reading a book a day can be normal.

88. Peace Corps training was a waste of time.

89. Learning while doing and teaching is best.

90. Your curtains don't have to match. They just need to be obnoxiously colorful.

91. Not having a ceiling makes it easy to hang things from the rafters.

92. Receiving mail makes for a really good day.

93. A good church is priceless. 

94. Cooking on a gas stove means you never know how long it will take.

95. You don't need foil when you have gigantic leaves.

96. Keens are better than Reefs.

97. Kids need loving attention no matter where they live.

98. I took school for granted.

99. Generosity is not a game where you keep score.

100. Life's too short to be normal!