Fiji Islands: Sunny Service & Island Immersion Session 2 2024

July 12-14, 2024

Bulaaaa,

We landed bright and early and got off the plane. Then we went through customs and almost left Jared there because they were asking SO many questions. Then we went to a local market to try some new fruits. We tried guava, starfruit and had some coconut water and pineapple it was so good. Except the starfruit was a bit disappointing. Then we went back to the hotel and went to breakfast on the beach. Then we went into the ocean and did some ice breaker games. After that, we had some rest time and headed out to Nadi for a scavenger hunt and bought our Sulus. Maggie, Julia, Maya and I finished first and also won! After lunch we went back and just relaxed and played a lot of Uno and the card game president. Then we went to dinner on the beach and saw the sunset. It wasn’t to bad of a sunset but I thought it had more potential then it delivered. Then we had dinner, but it came out like an hour later but not everyone’s meals per usual. Then we watched this performance where these guys danced with fire and made noises. Also they kept touching the fire and high-fiving us. Also one guy literally put the fire in his mouth it was actually insane. Then on our way home we ran into Australian girls who were very excited to meet us and dying to know if Canes and Crumbl were worth the hype. In my opinion Canes is a 12/10, Crumbl on the other hand… Then we went to bed very early because we were so exhausted. Bye!

-Lauren 💚🌺🌟

July 15, 2024

Today we woke up, ate breakfast as a group, and headed to our first activity of the day, zip lining! We were picked up and driven to the zip lining location. When we arrived, we explored the area and discovered that it was Jurassic park themed and there were lots of dinosaur figures. Then we suited up and started the zip lining course. There were six lines and we went on the course twice. Many of us tried going upside down and laying flat, which we called dead man. After we finished zip lining, we had lunch and enjoyed a card game of presidents with new friends in our group. We had originally planned to hike to a nearby waterfall and go swimming but since Fiji hasn’t had much rain this season and the waterfall was more like a lake. Once we were back at out hotel we had some free time and decided to enjoy it at the pool making friendship bracelets and creating a fun playlist for tomorrow’s drive into the local village. Before dinner we had a team meeting and created our community agreement including what traits we hope to see from one another over the trip. We also talked about what tomorrow will look like and had a home stay orientation to help prepare us for what life in the home stay community will look like. We then headed to dinner by the beach and went home to pack and get to sleep for our journey in the morning.

-Kyli

July 16, 2024

Bula from Nativi!! We started our day off with a yummy breakfast and began to play some teamwork games before we departed on our 4 hour journey to Nativi, our home stay village. In the van we made a playlist and sang songs all the way to lunch where we stopped for some local Kava to bring as a gift to the village. We then arrived at the village and were welcomed with a sevusevu ceremony which was so beautiful. After that, we played sunset volleyball and were introduced to our home stay families! It’s so much fun being in a community like Nativi where we always eat together in the community center and everyone is so nice. My home stay family has three young kids and a couple older kids who don’t stay with us. We spent some time getting to know each other before we had dinner and finally headed to bed. Bula!

-Maya T.

July 17, 2024

Bula!!
The first thing we did this morning was have breakfast which was delicious. Today was the first day that we started working on the kindergarten. It was definitely a new experience but we all enjoyed working together with the Fijians. We made it fun by playing music as we worked. At about 12:30 we paused our service for lunch with many delicious options. After we finished working we were super hot and all jumped in the creek in our clothes! Next we had tea time where we had hot chocolate, tea, and delicious pastries. After tea time we went outside and played with the kids. We played many things like volleyball, soccer, duck duck goose, ring around the Rosie. After we played for a few hours with the kids we were all pretty exhausted and went to Millie’s to play mafia. The game got pretty hectic but was very funny. After we played mafia we all went to the community center to get dinner. The food was AMAZING.

The family that I’m staying with is generous and very kind. They welcomed me into their house with open arms and made sure me and my roommate were comfortable with our stay and ensured we got everything necessary to be functional in the house. BOSSMAN is the best. – Jared

My family is so so kind. I’m writing this currently with Mana on my lap (my home stay brother). They are so happy and welcoming it warms my heart. I feel so happy with them and have a great time playing games with them at night.

-Maggie

July 18, 2024

The time is 5 am “cockodoodledoo” you hear from the window. You wake up to see 6 roosters cockadoodledoing. you contemplate getting out of bed but remember your on Fiji time so you fall back asleep until the sun rays shine through the window and wake you up again. You grab your multicoloured hibiscus sulu and your shoes and head to the community center for breakfast. You leave your shoes at the door and you’re struck by the smell of fresh bread and fruit. You take your seat on the ground and your immersed in the smell. After the prayer you indulge in your breakfast then it is time to head back to our homestays and put on our work clothes. After you suit up in your work attire you meet at the local kindergarten and start painting. After a couple of hours it is time for lunch which is prepared and served in the community center as is every meal in Nativi. Work after lunch is followed by tea time, an invitation to drink tea and talk to wind down from a long days work. As your leader Craig would say “you get what you give” and that is exactly how you feel after a good day’s work when you are surprised with popsicles and greeted by the children to play. There is nothing more fulfilling than playing games and bonding with the children in the community and there is no greater gift than seeing the village all come together and embrace you as their own. In the surrounding valleys the sunsets are undeniably the best way to end play time with the kids. You make your way to Millie’s, the groups common space, to restock on water and play a team bonding mafia game. Time flies when you’re having fun and before you know it it’s dinner time. You wind down with a home cooked meal and stories with friends.

Sweet dreams from yours truly,

Kyliana and Sean

July 19, 2024

Ello chaps and mates,

cheerio fellas
This morning we arose to the sound of children singing, roosters making the “cockadoodledoooooo” noise, and MP3 connector music. Then we headed to breakfast and ate crepes and scones with some Nutella and some “choc hazelnut spread”. After breakfast we put on our Adam Sandler shorts and got to work painting the school teacher’s house. During our break from work, we made phone calls home to our parents. However, some didn’t answer because they thought a scammer from Fiji was calling. Once we finished our painting, we went to lunch where we had chicken nugget burgers. This marked the first feast without rice 😔. Devastating, I know. After lunch, we went back to Millie’s house and played mafia. Per usual, Maya, Jared, and Lauren all got out within the first few rounds. Then we went to the river and jumped in with our clothes. The kids joined us this time and so did a large bamboo stick. The kids went up to a cliff above the river and jumped off, which was very nerve racking. Afterwards, we dried off and headed to tea, where, of course, we finished yet another jar of “choc hazelnut spread”. Then we played some hand games and volleyball with the community. After the games, we went back to Millie’s and played celebrity. Before dinner, we went to the community center and watched the beginning of our Fiji montage that Craig is creating. For dinner we ate RICE! We also ate fried taro leaves, ramen dishes, and veggies. After this, we went back to Millie’s (again) and played more celebrity before going to our homestays for bed. We’re hoping to not wake up tomorrow morning at 4 am because of the very loud roosters.

-The best leaders of the day, Lauren and Freya💚🌺🌟

July 20, 2024

Bula!
Today we woke up not to the sun but to the roosters once again. After getting dressed and ready for the day we walked over to meet up with the rest of the group. A morning breakfast prepared us for the intense party preparations for dinner later that night. We then split up and followed the lead of some of our host kids to collect coconuts, cassava root, and taro leaves. It was a long hike for most of us and began to sprinkle a little bit, but the kids definitely knew what they were doing. After collecting all the food, we began preparing it for the lovo which is a way to cook using an underground pit where meat is cooked as well as taro leaves. We sat with some of the women in the village and marinated a pig, fish, and chickens, as well as carved out coconuts for coconut milk. The women also showed us how to weave the baskets which were used for the meat that would be cooked in the underground pit. After the food began cooking, we went down to the river with the kids and built rafts out of bamboo to race in. After the river, we all showered and got ready for the big goodbye ceremony. We ate a big dinner and after said our thanks to the community and of course drank kava. After our group prepared and performed a dance to the song “Firework” by Katy Perry, choreographed by Maya and Georgia. They clapped along to our dance and shared some of their songs too. During their songs we shared some dances with the villagers. Some of us stayed up and drank more kava while some of us headed to bed since it went on until 12!

-Maya and Julia

July 21, 2024

Bula!
Today was our last full day in the village. In Fiji, Sunday is considered a rest day where everyone tries to relax and unwind. Members of the village visit church while we began breakfast. The group then met at Millie’s where we played games and made bracelets. We were then called for lunch where we had an assortment of Fijian dishes. As usual, lunch was very very good. After lunch, we stayed in the community center with some of the kids and watched Coco, super mario, Shrek, and finished with Moana. While most kids were giggling at the movie, others were entertaining us by teaching us some more hand games. After a long day of relaxing, we then went back to our homestays to further rest by napping. In addition to our nap time, we began to prepare our suitcases for our journey to the islands the next morning. We all gathered back at Millie’s around 6:30 and saw our last sunset in Nativi. We gathered around the grass with all the children and watched the full moon and sunset filled with colors orange, purple, and pink. After sunset we gathered around for our final dinner of our stay in the village. We prayed before beginning to eat and finished off the meal with a loud vinaka nakana (thank you). Another movie was put on and some stayed at the community center for a little longer to watch, but others went back to their houses and did some more packing. Rest day in Nativi was very needed for our group after a long week of service work and preparing for the big dinner the day before. Goodnight!

-Best wishes from Georgia and Tessa ❣️

July 22, 2024

Bula!
Everyone woke up to the sun shining bright through the windows. Our host families greeted us with a yadre, which means good morning in Fijian. We all said goodbye to our host kids as they left for school which made us all very sad and even some tears were shed. As we left Nativi, the women of the village sang us a special goodbye song. Hopping on the bus, we headed 45 minutes to a beach resort named Volivoli, known for their clear scuba diving waters. We laid out in the sun, relaxed by the pool and ocean, and ate our first meal out of the community center! At around 3, we got back on the bus and finished the 3 hour drive back to Nadi. A beautiful orange and pink sunset greeted us as we pulled back into Nadi. We arrived back at the friendly beach escape resort and dropped off our heavy bags. We all got ready for dinner and strolled over to the restaurant. On the way we put our a cappella skills to the test. After we witnessed Freya and Lauren terrible acapella skills we got sat down for dinner. After we sat down we all went to go and relax on the beach together and just talked about stuff from school and home while stargazing and taking pictures at the water. Then we went back to the resort and ordered desserts. Yum!

-By whole group!

July 23, 2024

This morning we woke up back in Nadi for the first time since our home stay experience in Nativi. After breakfast, we went to the market to look and buy some souvenirs. Then we went to the supermarket and stocked up on some snacks and we bought this jelly roll thing that was so bad. Then we had lunch at the Olive Tree which many kept mistakenly calling Olive Garden. The place we ate at had a variety of choices: Mexican, Italian and Asian food. The food took so long to come out since we are a big group, that we got free dumplings. We then walked back to the hotel and had some chill time. A few of us played some volleyball and then took a dip in the pool. We then had dinner and reminisced over the Nativi village and what a great time it was. We sat back and realized that the world is so different in terms of culture, food and beliefs. We knew they were different but it was just cool to witness it firsthand actually being there. The Elders and the kids showed us their way of life and it made us realize that no matter what the village has or lacks they always find a way to bring love to others and be happy. In the states we could never achieve this because back home people think they need money to be happy. The people in the village have each other and were happy with whatever they had. It was a good experience to see some new perspective within a different culture and we’ll never forget it.

From Jared🦅and Lauren💚🌺🌟

July 24, 2024

Bula!

After an early wake up, we got on the bus to go to the ferry at 7am. Once we got there, we ordered breakfast and had to eat it very quickly because we had to board the boat. We got on the boat at 8:45 and left at 9. All of us settled on the top deck of the boat and looked at the beautiful mountains surrounding us. Almost everyone moved to the front of the boat and we met teenagers from another company that were also traveling around Fiji. Those kids got off the boat, but we stayed on for another hour and tanned until we had to get off. We hopped on motorboats that took us to Barefoot Manta island. Everyone received cold towels infused with essential oils and then they brought out fruit smoothies that we all enjoyed. After lunch, we settled into our tent-style bunk bed rooms and then went to go check out the clear water. Since it was low tide, we were swimming right next to the coral. Some of us went for a quick snorkel to look at the colorful coral. With some other people on the island, we played some intense volleyball games. Later, we sat on beanbag chairs and chilled by the water and even saw a couple of reef sharks. At first, we were spooked by the sharks, but later learned that they are harmless. The sun started to set and everyone went out to swim with the pink clouds. After that, we had about an hour before dinner, so we laid in our bunk beds and then got ready to go. Most of us ordered buttered chicken and veggie burgers for dinner and then received chocolate mousse as our dessert. We played a game of Uno to finish up the day and then everyone headed to bed. Today was a very long and fun day. That’s a wrap!! See you tomorrow!

By Georgia😇 and Sean🤠

July 25, 2024

Bula friends and family!

Today is day 14 of our adventures in Fiji. We started our morning by waking up to a nice breeze and going to breakfast when suddenly we heard the drum announcing the manta rays were here and rushed to get in the boat. We put on our snorkels and fins and jumped into the water with our guides. We swam down the channel when we saw Maddy, the pregnant manta. She was super majestic and swam by us with yellow fish hanging on to her. She was about 3.6 meters! We went through the channel a couple times and saw Maddy 3 times! We also saw super cool fish in the coral. After that we revisited breakfast and started our day! We rested after at the beach in hammocks! Then we went snorkeling once again but not for the mantas this time we went closer to the shore where there was lots of fish! We took lots of underwater pictures! After we went to lunch where we had very good food! After we were very tired so we decided to take a long nap in our rooms. Then we went to the marine conservation center were we learned more about mantas like the different types and we saw lots of videos! Then we all took showers and got ready for dinner. Before dinner the girls took lots of pictures by the water. Then we headed to dinner where we enjoyed rice and curry and lots of desserts then we headed to bed.
By Kyli and Julia

July 26, 2024

Bula from the islands!

Today was our last full day on the barefoot manta island. We started off early by waking to the sunrise. After we grabbed a quick breakfast at the buffet, most of us went on a paddle board around sunset beach. With 3 on a paddle board some of us struggled but it was a good way to start off the morning. Once we finished paddle boarding we took a rest by laying on the beach and soaking in the sun before a instructional meeting in the marine center. We we were informed of the coral service activities and how to properly move the coral without hurting it. After the meeting we went out on a boat to where we would be moving the coral. Rob, our instructor, gathered pieces of coral to give to us as we swam back and forth from him to the paddle board station that was placed above where we would be replanting the coral. After we moved about 150 pieces of coral, and due to the tide getting lower, we headed back to the beach to where we finished off our service with a class time back in the marine center. We then dove deeper into the aspects of coral and learned various interesting facts about the different types of coral that exist. Once we completed the class we had free time to relax and rest on the beach. We enjoyed the rest of our day by playing some volleyball, swimming in the ocean, and lying in the sun. As the sun started to set we got ready for our last dinner on the islands and took photos by the vibrant sunset.

Maya and Freya

July 27, 2024

Bula!!
Today was our last morning on the Barefoot Manta Island. We all woke up to crashing waves and a colorful sunrise and made our way to breakfast. For breakfast we had an assortment of delicious pastries, fruit, pancakes, and eggs. After that, we all laid out on the beach soaking in the last bit of sun before we left. At around 10, we all met up at the dive shop to get some snorkeling equipment and jumped into the refreshing water that housed hundreds of fish and corals. We saw so much before we had to head in because of the strong current. Then we spent more time lying in the sun and waiting for lunch to begin. For lunch we ate buffet style and played mafia one last time as we got ready to leave. We spent our last hour on the island with an intense game of beach volleyball and finally we left to a goodbye song sung by the staff, and yet another dance train. We got onto the small boats and as we passed through the boat channel there was a huge manta ray on the surface waving its wings saying goodbye to us! The boat ride back to the mainland was a long, rocky, and wavy ride. The waves were huge and rocked most of us right to sleep. We finally got back to the beach escape resort and ended our day with dinner at our hotel.

Sweet dreams, Maya and Freya