Welcome Global Works travelers, parents and friends. We are excited to share with you trip updates from around the world. As our main office receives updates from the trips we will update the page as we receive news from the field.
The Fiji Group has arrived safely and their trip is off to a great start! We will be posting in the next few days with further updates and photos. Stay tuned…
Update # 1:
So far, this Fiji trip has been amazing!! I’m getting to meet really cool teenagers from all over the U.S. not to mention one girl who lives in Belgium! I love the Fiji term “Sega Na Leqa”—no worries, it’s all good. This is a great attitude to adapt to my semi-hectic summer, in between working at Frontier Ranch after this trip and signing up for college classes— stress!!! I am very excited to go to the Mountain Village tomorrow. I want to be as present, healthy, and positive as I can be for the entirety of this service adventure and travel trip, there is a lot to gain from my time here!!
This has been a really relaxing trip thus far. Today we went to town to get our sulu (fijian wraps) and then relaxed on the beach. There is a pool and a sand bar into the ocean at Voli Voli, which is the northern most point of Fiji according to our leaders.
On another note – I love volleyball!!! Adam, our leader, said that the villagers at our next destination have challenged us Fiji vs USA, so we have been training in preparation. Tomorrow we head into Nananu village for nine days. We are pumped now that we know how to wear a sulu and have tasted Kava. I am extremely excited to meet my host mom in the village and especially the kids!!! I know that they will love all of our home stay gifts. Love to you all back home! GW Fiji Participant (Christian Brown – 2010)
Photos coming soon!
Update #2:
Bula! The village is so much fun! I love playing with the kids. All of a sudden the little kids who came with us ran down the entire mountain (delana) with me, it was amazing! Two nights ago my Nau (Mom) let me skin the fish (maleya) that she caught. On family day we are going fishing. Yesterday we went to the swimming hole it was so much fun (swim=galo). The people here are so friendly and I love learning Fijian. For example: Au via nikata na nomu sote. That means I like your shirt. Oceinayacamu? (What is your name?) Yabaki cava? ( How old are you?) I vei a nomu vale? (Where is your house?) – GW Fiji Participant Frazier
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Yadra mata vubale (good morning family)! Nananu is our favorite spot in Fiji! Sunday is a day of rest here, and literally what we did was rest and visit their local church. We read Fijian hymn books with the village, and we are now excellent at reading Fijian! Most nights except for Sunday we have our mini Mekes which are dance parties. Between each song we drink some kava from coconut shells. Before the trip we were worried about not having enough food or not enjoying the food, but now we are worried about fitting in the plane seats on the way home, because we feast four times a day! Once you stop eating, the naus say “ kana vaka levu” which means eat some more. Our family calls Marisol “Kate Levo” (big tummy) for all of the fried bread and potatoes she eats! The food is so delicious. Every night at seven we have our family prayer, where the whole family sits together and our magu prays aloud. After that we (Katie and Marisol) learn Fijian words. These are our favorites:
- Danisi-dance
- Wasa wasa- ocean
- Bulumakau- bull/cow
- Apolo- apple
- Lomani- love
- Io- yes
- Segana lega- hakuna matata
- He vacava- whats up
- Vakanuinui vinaka nomu siga ni sucu nikua-Happy birthday (to Katie’s dad!)
That is all for now, we are all doing great and we miss you lots even though we could stay here forever. Happy 4th of July from the Katonivere family (Fijian Family).
Lomani iko (we love you) – Fiji Participants, Katie Benson and Marisol Landers Serrano
Update #3:
Words cannot describe the magnitude and potency of our experience(s) in Nananu Village these past days. This past week and a half has been totally awesome, unforgettable, life-changing…for a lack of better words. One interesting thing, just about our journey to and from Nananu, is that it rained when we arrived and it is raining today when we left. Therefore, it proves the full circle experience of our stay at Nananu Village. Fijians belive that rain is a blessing. This made our welcome and farewell that much more special. Saying goodbye to our new friends/family was really hard for me because of the sheer generosity and love that is deeply rooted in each and every member of that village. I cried for a solid 3 minutes as I hugged my Auntie who can longer walk due to knee problems, and then cried again when I had to say goodbye to my new “bro”, Nawonga.
But, enough with the sad update, onto the fun and “cool” facts and stories! I met so many amazing, loving people in just nine days. I tried kava for the very first time, which is a type of root that is grinded down to make a cold tea. I went scuba diving at Volivoli Beach and had the greatest time learning that I can actually trust a 30lb. oxygen tank to enable me to be a fish for 40 or so minutes!!!! Ah, I loved going scuba diving which was two days ago on Thursday. I am really happy that everyone was excited and courageous enough to go scuba diving, that way we can all share the similar experience!
When I first got to Nananu, I thought we were not going to have enough food, mainly because I figured that an almost unknown village in the mountains of Fiji would not have as much food as I would have liked. I was very, very wrong. Since hospitality, community, and compassion are the pillars on which Nananu Village is built upon, they made sure we got well fed. And we DEFINITELY did! Not to mention how amazing the food tasted. The potato curry, pumpkin curry, chicken curry, Dal, Coconut Milk, Roti (flatbread), Juice, Rice…pretty much everything tasted amazing!
In terms of the service component of this trip, we had help from the local villagers in making a fence around some homes so that the goats around the area would not eat the vegetables and clothes. We also made water taps which are basically sinks so that when villagers shower or wash dishes, so that they do not have to get muddy. In addition some of us made a really cool sign for the village, so now when anyone goes down the main road near Nananu, they will be sure to find Nananu.
Overall, awesome experience for sure. I’m looking forward to the next two weeks, and more importantly resting after dancing at the closing ceremony last night and this morning.
Peace, Christian
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For the past nine days we were staying in a mountain village called Nananu where we took part in service projects and immersed ourselves in Fijian culture. We were put to work on different sites helping the village with several things which included building and painting benches, painting a sign to go outside the village, putting up fences to keep animals out of plants, and a couple others. All of our project s were hugely appreciated by the village which was personally the best part of being involved in them. In addition to the way the locals embraced our presence on the worksites, we were welcomed into their homes. Our naos (moms), and maqus (dads) offered us all very generous accommodations, while our brothers and sisters paraded us with love and smiles. We enjoyed traditional food, clothing, and celebrations while in Nananu that contributed to a one of a kind experience which we were all very sad to leave. The immense amount of hospitality and care offered to us was very special and unforgettable. Vinaka vaka levu (thank you very much) to all the villagers. -Tatiana Mitts
Photos:
Update #4:
Bula! We left Volivoli 2 days ago for the beautiful coastal village of Nasinu. While we were in the resort we got some much needed R and R and did some reflection on our time in Nananu. We also got to snorkel in the breathtaking coral reefs of Fiji. After a short boat ride, we got the opportunity to get up close and personal to the wide variety of colorful corals and we even found some coconuts to snack on! We even bumped into the New Zealand and Fiji crew during the last day at the resort.
After a 3 hour bus ride we arrived to Nasinu. We were warmly welcomed into the village with a sevu sevu ceremony and the kids of the village sang a few fun Fijian songs for us. We have just came back from the second day of the intense volleyball tournament going on here. Tensions between the teams (which are a mix of locals and the global works crew) are very high as the players are extremely invested in the game. Today being our first work day here, 8 of us went to the local primary school with Lila and Dan to teach the kids subjects varying from English to Geography. The language barrier was hard to get past but all in all the day was extremely rewarding. Us two, Karma and Alix, taught the very lively 3rd and 4th graders. The school is short of teachers and classroom, therefore some teachers have to teach two grades in the same classroom at the same time. Trust us, it is not an easy job. The other 10 stayed in the village with Adam working on a nursery for mahogany trees and painting a house with primer. After tea time, our favorite part of the day, we headed to the volleyball for a few matches.
Alix and Karma
Update #5:
BULA!! Hello from Nasinu Village!! We spent a few days at Volivoli Resort after our amazing experience at Nananu Village. Despite a rainy welcome at Volivoli, we were able to have some pretty awesome days in the sun.
On Monday morning we got to go on a snorkel excursion – I have never seen a place that looked more like a true paradise. Just imagine crystal blue waters, the colorful fish, the smooth sand on the beach, and the palm trees swaying in the breeze. We swam to shore and found an abundance of starfish just lazing in the shallow water. I really could spend all day in the ocean, so the next day I chose to do the optional SCUBA dive.
It was me and 4 other kids that decided to go and it was by far the best 40 dollars that I have spent in Fiji thus far. We got to see amazing coral and interesting colored fish. I was able to go down about 35 feet before my ears started to hurt, but it is the wildest thing to be in the water that deep. I love that the SCUBA gear probably weighs 40 pounds, but in the water I felt completely weightless. After the dive, we swam to shore to find an abandoned resort – there were no people and it looked overgrown and deserted. We found a mama dog and her little puppies on the beach. Even though I am not the biggest dog fan, these puppies were pretty easy to fall in love with. They were adorable and very young, not more than a few months old. On the shore, we found coconuts and we were able to crack them open on the boat and eat them on the ride back to Volivoli – a delicious way to end a perfect afternoon.
So enough about my love for the Fijian beaches – I love the Fijian villages even more. After a bumpy, yet very scenic drive, we arrived in Nasinu Village on Wednesday afternoon. The villagers greeted us with love as we were welcomed with singing and prayers. We were matched with our host families and I was paired with Lulu as my roommate during the home stay. The families were very welcoming and Lulu and I enjoyed our first night playing with our 6 month old sister – she is very cute. My nau (the word for mom in Fijian) says that our baby sister didn’t cry at all in the night because she knew that we needed our sleep. I was very grateful for that since today we began the service projects.
I got to spend the day at the primary school, participating in the class and helping to teach the kids. I got to work with classes 7 and 8 (equivalent of grades 7 and 8 in the U.S.) and it was pretty tough in the beginning because they are not very strong with the English language. I learned that these kids are so isolated from the media and American influences such as radio and television, so their exposure to English is minimal, resulting in a significant language barrier. Despite this, I got to accompany them on their science lesson to a nearby area that looked like a jungle. The kids were assigned to find insects and write about their habitat and living environments. It was pretty awesome to see them in action and they were even able to answer some of the questions in English – very impressive. I really enjoyed trying to connect with the children, even if we didn’t fully understand each other. When we came back from the school we got into our teams for Nasinu’s favorite pastime – VOLLEYBALL! I have never been so keen on volleyball, but playing with the villagers has been really fun and skills and confidence have grown. That being said, it would have been impossible for my volleyball skills to have gotten worse.
- Amanda
Update #6: Nasinu Village -
We all took a three hour bus ride to Nasinu Village. On the way I was still missing my family from Nananu but ready to make a new family. When we arrived in Nasinu, we were greeted by our liaison Chale. We met our host families, where I was put in a three person homestay with Katie and Charlotte. I have become close friends with my sister Miri here, who is actually my cousin. She is 12, very outgoing, and loving my bop it gift. (Bop-It translates very well in Fiji).
While in Nasinu I have helped build a nursery for pine tree seedlings to be prepared to be planted in the forest. I have officially learned how to saw and hammer like a pro, when I return to the states I plan on opening a construction company with Natasha. Our skills are unbelievable, even the Fijians were impressed.
Thursday I went to the school and teamed up with Katie to teach class seven and eight. They were the oldest kids at the school, 12, 13, and 14 years old. It was so fun and interesting to teach them. We taught math by having a race between the boys and girls to answer multiplication and division problems. All the kids were very smart, bright, and eager to learn more. We then continued by teaching poetry. We had all the kids write a line of a poem about Fiji, and then we combined them to make a whole poem. After lunch we only had the 13 and 14 year olds to review for their upcoming test on photosynthesis, government involvement with the environment, and sexual education. We taught a photosynthesis song and song: the light hits the plant and the plant makes its own food. Sorry to everyone back home that I can not show you these wicked dance moves. We then took a 40 min. walk from the school back to the village, no yellow school buses in Fiji. We raced back for our favorite meal…Tea Time! I stuffed my face with fried bread and drank my weight in black tea. Saturday we all worked together gathering wild pine tree seedlings, planting them in the nursery, and finishing painting the house.
Sunday was the best day here, we went dolphin watching! They were so beautiful. They were flipping in the air, especially the baby ones. We also went snorkeling. Today was our last day in Nasinu and our last day in a Fijian village.
Today we saw the opening of a new house in Nasinu that we worked on. It was very interesting. They held a Kava ceremony and the district chief came to the village to celebrate the opening of the house we helped paint. Now tonight I am off to dinner, exchanging gifts with my family (if I can figure out who they are), packing, and having a raging Fijian dance party! Then tomorrow we have a 6:30 breakfast and then at 7:30 we leave our new home of Nasinu. Only a few days left in Fiji and with this amazing group and I am trying to take it all in.
Missing everyone back home!!! Love, Maris
