Fiji Adventure Update #3:
There are few words that describe the Fiji trip as well as adventure. During the past week, we have spent our time in the village of Nananu: assisting them with various incomplete projects such as building a cement stair case, laying brick for their new community center, and painting the local pastor’s house. It was truly a satisfying experience, yet the invaluable lessons we learned of simplicity and appreciation for what we have, far transcends the acts of labor we provided. Upon our departure from Nananu, we said farewell to our families, children we played with and taught, and all the village leaders. Although the group was exhausted and ready to relax at the next resort (Voli Voli), we were all touched and sad with leaving our newly found friends and knew that despite the difficult times in the village, the memories of Nananu would be instilled in us forever. After all, Nananu means “remember” in Fijian. —Brandon Scolieri
Generosity. Laughter. Family. Three words that come into mind when I think about Nananu village. During our 6 day stay at Nananu Village, the Global Works group can unanimously agree that we have gained a second family in the most unexpected of places—a small, secluded village in the islands of Fiji. There’s a saying that goes: “home is where the heart is”. I believe, along with the rest of the group, that we have all permanently left a piece of our hearts in Nananu village. Perhaps a small piece went to the small school children we had the opportunity of teaching, or another to our mongus and naus, or maybe the amicable animals inhabiting the village; either way, Nananu village has become our home away from home. —Belinda Lei
With the good memory in the village freshly in mind, we went onto our next destination—some place that millions of people have dreamed for—a private island. Doesn’t that sound cool? Well, as we departed from our port at the river, we knew this was not the type of paradise with white sand, blue water and five star hotels. It was an island named after Robison Crusoe who in the famous novel, landed on an island more like this. We slept in a 30 person room, used buckets to shower; snorkeling in the waves, none of us has had this type of experience before. These activities really made the trip an “adventure”. We enjoyed ourselves with various entertainment like kayaking, and watching the skilled dancers perform with fire sticks. Tomorrow is the last day of our trip; too sad we have to leave soon, but the memory of the Volivoli beach, village and island will last longer than that. – Webb School Student
Fiji Adventure Update # 2:
On Wednesday morning, we departed from Volivoli beach resort and arrived at the Nanunu Village. Upon our arrival, we were greeted immediately by many members of the village. Next we were welcomed officially into the village in a traditional Fijian welcoming Savu Savu ceremony. The Savu Savu ceremony consisted of being formally welcomed by the priest and the chief and drinking kava, a root that has been crushed and mixed with water that is drunken daily by all the villagers. After the ceremony, we all met our homestay families and got a chance to bond with our family members and the surrounding members of the village.
We all reunited for lunch and dinner time in the community hall. Every day, we have breakfast at 8, lunch at 1, tea time at 4:30, and dinner at 7:30. Contrary to the popular belief, village food is actually very good! The Nananu diet includes curry, Indian roti pancakes, stir fry, potatoes, cassava, and fish. For breakfast and tea time, we are presented with an array of baked goods and fresh tropical fruit. Our last few days here have been very productive.
We worked on three different service projects: a cement staircase by the river, building a new community hall, and painting the entire exterior of a house. The first day was tough at first, as it was our first time doing manual labor in the high heat and humidity, but we all adjusted perfectly and had great improvement on painting and adding another cement layer to the developing community center. On the 31st, Taylor celebrated her 18th birthday in a traditional Fijian birthday celebration. At tea time, the women in the village made her a special birthday cake and she arrived fully dressed in a Fijian wedding dress and sulu for the party. That night was also our first dance party in the village, dancing in the village is much more conservative and expressive, but surprisingly they prefer to listen to American music instead of the expected traditional Fijian music. The dance was just another exciting moment of the day and every member of our group was dancing and having a great time. We also got a chance to drink some more kava.
The next day was continuing to work on our projects and taking many breaks to go wade in the river. Despite the heat, all of the students have worked very diligently. The villagers have continued to demonstrate their hospitality throughout our stay and have really appreciated our contributions to the village. The last few days were all the same, but the village enjoyed our dance party the first night so much, that the following two nights were more dance parties, but most of us were still too tired from the heat and the work. Every night and every afternoon, we relax under the trees with the villagers or play games with the children, the people here are engaging and exciting and beyond humble and generous.
It is now Sunday morning and still burning hot, but we are still enjoying our stay. Our homestay families dressed us in traditional Fijian apparel, chumbahs for women and bula shirts for men. Then we walked to the village church and listened to service and sang hymns with the villagers. Although we could not understand the Fijian, we were still able to feel the unity of the village and passion for their religion. Today is also a day of rest for the village. The villagers relax from the week and regain their energy for the coming week. Many families use this time to bond. Some students have joined their families to go hiking around the local area. We are surrounded by a panoramic view of the captivating mountains and bright blue, expansive sky. Another group went for a swim in the river to cool off from the heat. Others are playing games with friends or with their homestay siblings. The students have really begun to form friendships with the villagers, helping to make their trip even more enjoyable.
From a teacher’s perspective, I have been amazed by the warmth of the Fijian peoples and the cheerfulness and work ethic of our students. They have hauled sand and rocks, painted, and laid the foundation of a new community hall. While it has indeed been hot, they have retained their sense of humor. We are surrounded by lush tropical plants and green hillsides. We have marveled at one day old baby goats and one week old puppies. We are covered in mosquito bites and paint. We are woken each day by roosters at sunrise, and we fall asleep under skies rife with stars and constellations. This stay has been hard work, but many of us are beginning to transition from the newness of the experience to a real sense of fondness for this village. The villagers live simple lives filled with family, church, food, and hard work. Children run freely throughout the village without any cares or fears. The villagers share everything. For example, all money is pooled in one central location and doled out as needed. There is no technology and therefore no desire for materialism. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from these people about community and values.
The next two days will be spent at the local school and then off to some much deserved rest and recreation on Robinson Carusoe Island. I am also glad to have such wonderful guides from Global Works alongside our group. Dan and Lila have been simply amazing and highly competent. ~Juli James
Fiji Adventure Update # 1:
Since hugging you goodbye and fleeing off into the unknown islands of Fiji, we have emerged ourselves into the most luxurious of places. We arrived bright and early in Fiji at 5 am on Monday morning only to be greeted by our guides, Lila and Dan. The morning was beautiful, only to be made more special by the presence of the most vivid and beautiful rainbow any of us could have asked for. We boarded our bus and began the 3-hour bus ride to Volivoli beach and resort. The people are Fiji are beyond nice and hospitable, they are incredibly kind and generous and were just as excited to see us as we were to see them.
When we arrived at the beach resort, the heat and humidity became slightly overwhelming, but within minutes, all of us had found our ways to the pool and beach. Between scavenging on the sand bar, kayaking, or playing an assortment of pool games, we all felt at home on this luscious island. Our dorms in the resort seemed a little too familiar, but we have all seemed to find our niche. The first day was our chance to become accustomed to the resort and the island, but most importantly, the heat and humidity. In the night time, we all gathered at the restaurant to eat and play the vast amount of card games at our disposal. The first night, we were also lucky enough to meet some Canadian students on a service trip of their own. It was a great bonding experience for all of us, as well as chance to debunk some typical Canadian-American stereotypes.
The night was probably the most impressive moment of the day as every star in the sky was visible, a sight that not many Californians get to experience. The little dipper or big dipper were un-recognizable in the bright and beautiful night sky. The next morning was just as impressive. Waking at dawn to see the sunrise, most of us gathered at the restaurant to be served breakfast before going off on our day excursion. The morning was amazing; the sky was a beautiful and perfect shade of blue while the ocean glistened in the sunlight. The low tide in the morning exposed the sand bar on the beach, allowing some students to go hunting for sand dollars or pretty shells. By mid-morning, we were all reminded of just how warm it can get on the other side of the world, but luckily we were just about to leave and go into town for a little shopping. ~Taylor Wiseman
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The journey began with a ten hour plane flight to an island that nobody in the group had adventured to before, creating a unique experience for everyone. While some slumbered, and others burned their time with card games and counting sheep, we were all waiting with great anticipation as to what the trip would surmount to. The first steps off the jumbo sized, double decker jet plane were suffocating to everyone due to the intense tropical humidity, but we acclimated…eventually. Directly from the airport we departed in a bus with our Global Work tour guides, Lila and Dan. Within the first moments of the bus ride the lush scenery and dazzling exotic colors captivated the group’s attention, and suddenly the bus was silent. The vivid and surreal colors of the environment seemed to encapsulate the wild feel of Fiji instantly.
By the time we were a third of the way to our resort we stopped for a quick restroom break, in a village like shopping center. The style of living and cultural characteristics of the local people were as striking and unfamiliar as the lush scenery that had been our first encounter with Fiji. It was not clean nor did it seem to be modernized to the extent of western society. After boarding the bus again which would take us directly to the resort from the break stop, we all sat and observed the people walking alongside the streets our bus was driving on. From the views outside the window we could see that many people were without shoes and lived in dilapidated housing. Our presence in a large bus seemed to be excite the people and children we drove by as they would greet us with shouts of “Bula” (hello in Fijian),or screaming and hand waving. Immersed in cultural diversity and a foreign environment, it was instantly known that it would be a trip of unforgettable moments and lessons.
Just as we arrived at our resort we set our stuff inside our dormitories and got ready to jump in the pool and go swimming at the beach. During our time outside, the tropical weather brought pouring rain while it remained sunny out;everyone enjoyed the brief change in temperature. That evening the sky was set ablaze with a vibrant array of light dancing on the horizon as the sun dipped just below the island parallel to the one we are on. It was a truly a marvelous sight, that even the most daring of beauties would not challenge.
The next morning the soothing coolness of the night had disappeared and the heat of the day had already begun to kick in. We will be going shopping in a Fijian town later today, just before we leave for the village the next day. ~Brandon Scolieri