Volunteer Trip to Fiji
 

Lots of images warning.
So as you may know, for 2 weeks in June I was in Fiji (and a day in LA on either side of that). The reason I was in Fiji was because I was volunteering. The local schoolhouse was in very poor shape, and the infrastructure of the country overall is pretty poor so they definitely needed the assistance. Our group consisited of about 14 people, including two representatives from the organization we were with. We lived with a host family and worked for the first week and on the second week we went on a short island hopping trip.
For you non-geography majors, Fiji is a group of over 300 islands (100 inhabited) north east of Australia. So yes, there was about a 19 hour time difference to what I was used to. Also the weather there is awesome, a cooler day is about 27 Celcius.

So there's some pictures from the trip to look at if you are interested.

Landing in Nadi airport, around 5 AM.

Our airplane to Suva, capital of Fiji, and closer to the villiage we would be staying at (Savu).

Walking around Suva, during orientation.

The first Kava ceremony. Kava is a customary Fijian drink, with numerous effects. For one, it numbs your mouth and after a few bowls you tend to loosen up a bit. Almost all business done with a traditional Fijian is done over kava.

The schoolhouse we worked on, while there we constructed an outhouse, fixed up three classrooms (painting, etc) and also taught.

One of the local Fijian workers asked if I wanted a coconut. I said yes and was led into the brush. Turns out, it's much easier for them to chain saw down a coconut tree than climb it.

Kava in Savu village. The kava here is significantly stronger than anywhere else we had it. And they drink it every night from about 8pm - 2 am.


Constructing a septic tank holder, with only wheelbarrows to mix in.

This was the kindergarten room before we began, watch for it later!

Savu kids at the swimmin' hole.

Teaching the grade 1 class, they loved the camera.

Facepainting, the whole school rushed to our room as soon as we broke these out. I must have wrote 'Fiji' and 'Canada' like 120 times.

The last day that the school kids would see us, so they had a thank you ceremony for us.

I got lei'd. And I was also given a sulu (guy skirt thing), another traditional fiji item.



The finished kindergarten room. On the rear wall we had a Canadian scene.

Sunday is a day of rest for the Fijians. After church they have an enormous feast, and then the rest of the day they will drink kava. I have never eaten so much food as I have in Fiji.

The whole group of volunteers after the church service. I think 90% of us are wearing clothes given to us by our host families.

This is my host family and myself, wearing my "dad's" military uniform. He's a Fijian soldier as well as a UN peacekeeper. He is also like 8 feet tall and has hands that could crush a person.

Anyway, that's it for the first week. I weeded out a bunch of pictures obviously and tried to make it so you could get a pretty good idea of what went on. If you like, I'll post some from the vacation week as well - that would probably contain a lot more of the other volunteers. But we did cool stuff like snorkeling with manta rays, but my camera doesn't mix with water so there aren't many pics of stuff like that.

So awesome! :O

I would like to see as many pictures as is humanly possible please. :>

That was an awfully nice thing for you to do. I applaud you and your team.

That is a lot of cake.
And alcohol.

Good job.

I NOTICED MANY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS.

I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU GOT SOME PUSSY.

AND DID YOU HAVE YOUR PERIOD AT THE SAME TIME AS THEM?

That's actually really cool to do MRPG. All joking aside that must have been quite an experience.

ALL SERIOUS UP FRONT. THOSE BITCHES ON THE KAVA LOOK DOWN TO FUCK.

I AM PROUD OF YOU SON

SAY HI TO YOUR SEXY HOST DAD FOR ME :growl

good job ^.^

I like the photo of that tree, it looks cool, and I also second the motion for you to post more pictures.

Nice work on the class room, although the kid looks slightly apprehensive getting his face painted.

Kava cola is available here, or at least it was, I haven't seen it in years. I never tasted it. Wiffles, you're from Hawaii right? You should be down with Kava something chronic.

Are you sure you havent joined the dharma initiative? This looks an awful lot like the hatch.

If they ever start talking about a submarine ride you better run like hell.

Ok there are more on the way but it takes me a long time to upload so I'm working on it!
It felt awesome to do it... It was seriously so fulfilling. Every detail about the trip was perfect.
There was always so much food. It was ridiculous. You have no idea. Each meal had two main dishes and at least 3 sides.
That's for another thread, brah :rock
Apparently, like 8 of them did. That was a nice thing to hear over a dinner.

The best experience.
AND FUCK KAVA IS LIKE PATENTED FIJIAN PANTY REMOVER.
Totally will bring you up in the letter. :p
This is what makes it all worthwhile.
Yeah they got some sweet plants there! And apprehensive I can say they definitely were not. They were all over that.
I can see buying a kava drink. I bought some of the powder back with me.

That would explain all that weird magnetism.

But seriously, pictures in a while!

I don't know if you are interested, but Peace Corps is doing much of what you just did. I was very close to going to Eastern Europe to help with construction and/or electronic technology. I got very sick and now I have a gf who would miss me if I left for 4 years.

Jes, its good. im not very partial to it tho ^.^;

That very last picture is friggin' awesome man. I am very proud for you.

PS. Don't get too carried away with this helping business! You'll starve! Money wise!

Very nicely done. Congratulations. :)

And I'm back, due to popular demand! (May do another post after this)


Fiji Gold beer, this was actually the first day during orientation, but whatevs.


Followed quickly by tequila.



We went on this crazy hike on our last day in the village. Our destination was the savu (waterfall). The path was not, uh, kept well. At one point we crossed over a creek and the bridge was just two branches that happened to grow there.


But we ended up making it!


This at Port Denareau, where we'd left shortly after for our first island, Korovu, of the Yasawa group.


On the way we passed our last stop, South Seas Island. One of the smallest.


ALLLLL THE LADIES :)


Korovu after a huge meal that tasted delicious. We'd been drinking all day, and then the main event came up. "Eat My Box"



Eat my box is a game where you have to pick up a box off the ground with your teeth, and without bending your knees. One of the girls really regretted wearing a dress. Also, we managed to pull in some other tourists who were on the island.


The winners! (The guys had bet money on who would win, the fellow on the bottom won about 250 Fijian.)


After more drinking there was dancing and stuffs.



The hired fisherman stopped by during the next day to give his catch to the kitchen of the resort. The top fish is a barracuda and they are terrifying.


We tried playing volleyball, but soon found that their inland beach volleyball court had an inch of sand, over cement.


So the girls ended up doing girly junk, like getting their hair did. I chilled around and went snorkeling. The same day a little later we went snorkeling WITH MANTA RAYS! It was the most amazing thing. The creatures are enormous and the way they eat makes them look like they will just consume you too (they dive towards the surface). We saw 3 or so, but they stuck around the group so it was sweet.


I also hammocked it up.


Beautiful sunsets!


So we ended up drinking later (a common theme).

More to come, in time, and if there is interest.

That is what I imagine myself to look like as a fish. :(

I'm terrified of barracuda too. Especially when you look over and they're just hovering there, watching you.

I love pics of overseas work. A friend just got back from a medical expedition to Jamaica and those pictures are gorgeous. All I know of Fiji is snarky stuff from Paul Theroux :(

THAT NATIVE IS GOING TO KILL RYAN SEACREST :eek

Fun, fulfilling, and sexy. Good work, me laddo.

Fiji is a fucked up country. FYI.

Nice pictures though, they remind me of when I lived in PNG. The one with the sunset is really awesome.

Seacrest out.

NO WONDER HE DIDN'T GET ANY POON, RYAN SEACREST PROBABLY BANGIFIED IT ALL.

GANG RAPE THEN A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET :(