Fiji Islands Session 2 2023

July 13, 2023

We are so excited to be giving you daily updates on our amazing adventures throughout our trip! Today was our travel day, but because of the time difference, we landed in Fiji at 5:30am and had a full day ahead of us. We travelled through airport customs, did our money exchange, and headed to a local market. The market had tons of fresh fruits and we tried as much as we could as we were walking through. All of us even tried some Kava, a very popular Fijian drink made from the roots of a peppermint plant! After our market stop, we headed to the Beach Escape Resort, our hotel for the next few days. After we dropped our luggage, we ate breakfast right on the beach side at a restaurant very close to our hotel. After a quick game of pool volleyball, the beach looked too enticing to pass up, so we all went for a quick swim and walk around exploring!

We headed back to the hotel to have food there while also being able to swim by the pool for a little bit. Following our pool time and lunch, the team set out for the streets of Nadi where we all went shopping for a little bit. We bought some interesting souvenirs and tried some more Kava! The group wanted to see the amazing sunset, so we enjoyed another time at the beach while playing some volleyball and getting to know each other with some team building activities. We ended the night with some beach side dinner and an amazing Fiji fire and dancing show!

– Major R.

July 14, 2023

Bula! Day 2 was an amazing adventure all around. We started the day at 7 am with a delicious breakfast spread with toast, eggs, fruit. After breakfast we went ahead and got ready for our ride to the zip lines in the mountain of sleeping giants! We spent several hours there exploring the beautiful grounds and rainforest. After the seven lines of ziplining through the jungle we hiked to a gorgeous double waterfall. Although the water was frigid, jumping in as a group was such a fun activity. Not to mention how our bodies needed some chriothetapy after the long days of travel. After hiking back from the waterfall, we rewarded ourself with different variations of delicious pizza.

After a sleepy car ride back to the resort, we had a few minutes of downtime before we headed to the beach. Although it was a cloudy day, the rest at the beach felt immaculate and was much needed. The boys decided to cut their rest day short and played rugby with the local children in the water. We headed back for showers and followed up with a group journal reflection and contract ceremony. The traditional Lovo dinner included mussels, chicken, crab salad, spinach, and yam. The group ended the night with spicy peppers, cheesecake with ice cream, and a spectacular traditional fire show. We cannot wait for tomorrow’s adventure! Goodnight and see you tomorrow!

– Siya, Tillie, Sam, Major

July 15, 2023

This morning we packed and ate our breakfast at the resort, afterwards we hopped on a bus towards the ferry. We got on the fairy which was a 1 1/2 hour ride and we got to the island where were home staying. We took a speedy boat ride and had to move some of the group to another boat midway. Once we arrived we were greeted by the village and kids who were energetic. We were welcomed with open arms. We met the children and they were so energetic we played all afternoon, and had us exhausted. We had our tuna and egg sandwiches for lunch when it started raining and we played with the kids until dinner. We prayed and the kids sang. Once dinner was finished we debriefed and we were ready to sleep.

July 16, 2023

Today we woke up on church day and ate breakfast and went to church. After breakfast it started to pour raining and some kids climbed the big rock by the beach. During church we sang tons of songs. After church we ate an amazing lunch made in the community containing fried chicken and fries. After lunch we went to the beach and hung out with some of the kids playing with Wilson (the volleyball). We next went swimming in the choppy but fun water. We saw Paul and Aj jumping off of the cliffs into the water (very exciting). Before dinner some of the kids took their first bucket showers. During dinner we had some rice and chicken. Some of the kids had some kava and were buzzing after it. Once we finished with that, we had some yummy fijian dinner and hung out at the porch with trip leader, Samy before we called it a sweet night!

~Will and Lily

July 17, 2023

Bula! Today we started off the day by eating a delicious breakfast to fuel ourselves for our big day ahead. After eating, we headed back to our rooms to get ready to go on a hike. We started the hike off strong, but we kept stopping for breaks along the way as the scorching hot sun was starting to get to us. Once we reached the top, we laid down on the rocks and enjoyed the beautiful view. Although, most of us started to slip and slide on our journey down.

After a long journey down, we sat to eat lunch. Soon after, we started off our community service by assembling a volleyball net for the kids. Then, our next project was to start gathering rocks from another island to build stairs from the houses leading to the beach. Some of us even enjoyed the views and some snorkeling. After a long, tiring day, we came back and ate dinner and are now about to go to sleep for our big day ahead tomorrow! See you tomorrow!

-Siya and Chaz

July 18, 2023

Day 6 was a big day of service that we are happy to share with you! We woke up to an amazing breakfast of Fijian pancakes, eggs, juice, and toast. After breakfast we changed into our work clothes for the hard day of service ahead. In the morning the group spilt into 2 groups, one went to a neighboring island to collect rocks for a retaining wall to protect the community center, while other group stayed back to prep concrete and do various other jobs for construction. The group collecting rocks came back to the island during high tide and threw the rocks in the water near the shore of our island. The other group did various projects, including straightening rods, collecting rocks, cutting rods, cutting metal ties, digging a trench, assembling the bottom layer of the wall, and other activities.
We worked for the majority of the day, taking breaks for water or lunch. Around 3 we went back to home stays to take a break and do laundry before an afternoon at the beach snorkeling and swimming. In the evening we went back to houses for bucket showers and a change of clothes before a delicious dinner made by the ladies of the community. For dinner we had a large selection including rice, chicken, Fijian spaghetti, and Fijian chicken noodle soup. And then we came to the front porch played a couple reflective games and getting coral cuts cleaned before returning to our homestays for the night.

-Tiula Vinaa

July 19, 2023

This morning we ate breakfast at 8:00, afterwards we had a short break until we started our service making the retaining wall at 9:00. We worked hard finishing the 2nd half of the wall, mixing the cement, getting our hands dirty flattening out the top, collecting the best shells, and adding our decorations to top off the wall. We wrote Global Works and left an impression on the kids and a beautiful seat. We had lunch and for the rest of the afternoon we had free time until dinner. We all split and spent our time doing whatever to fill the time. A bit before dinner we snorkeled and played rugby with the locals. After a long day we had our delicious dinner with curry and the boys special spinach dish and debriefed for school the next day. In conclusion today was a extremely work heavy day, but we were all very happy we finished and left a mark of Global Works hard work.

-Brandon

July 20, 2023

Bula from our 6th day in Namara Village! We began the morning with a delicious pancake spread and fruit. Following breakfast, we packed our day bags and hopped on a 15 minute speed boat ride around the island to the school. Yesterday we split into pairs and came up with a 2 hour engaging lesson plan for during their school day. The grade levels ranged from kindergarten to 8th grade. It was a very energetic and loving couple of hours spent as a community. After we had lunch at the school, we headed back to unwind for a few hours which included snorkeling, packing, and spending time with our homestay families. After that we had a very crazy and positively hectic dinner, over all it was a very chill and fun day. And now we are wrapping our night to with a quick debrief of what tomorrow looks like before our Sevu Sevu (Kava) ceremony.

-Will and Tillie

July 21, 2023

Bula from day 9 of our trip. Today we woke up to a nice breakfast in the village. We ate pancakes, eggs and bread. After breakfast, we went to pack for our next destination, Coral View Resort. We said goodbye to all the elders and kids at Namara village as we got on the boat to leave. The ferry ride to Coral View was about 3 hours long. We talked and played games to pass the time. Once we arrived at the resort, we were greeted by Fijian ladies with some juice at the beach. At the resort, we had some lunch before checking into our rooms. The boys were all together in one room and the girls were split into two different rooms. After we took some down time in the rooms, we came out and talked to some kids from a different organization who are also here for a service trip. They were also from all around the country. It was nice talking to kids from a different group. After that, we all ate dinner together and ended dinner with ice cream. Later in the night, the staff at the resort showed us how to do the bula macarena. Then we went to bed. See you tomorrow-Sotatale mataka.

-Sam and CJ

July 22, 2023

Today we started our day early with some breakfast then set off in boats for the underwater caves. We had a great experience in the caves and hope to come back some other time. After that, we ate lunch and then afterwards, half of the group went kayaking and the other had free time and were free to do whatever they pleased. Then, we all gathered for dinner and ended the day off with uno with another group of kids from another organization and went to sleep. Tomorrow we will be moving to another resort in Fiji called Barefoot Manta. We are all very excited for that. See you tomorrow!!

CJ & Chaz

July 23, 2023

Bula from Manta Ray!

And our adventure continues! We began the day by packing our belongings and saying goodbye to all of our new friends at Coral View. Around 10am we hopped on a two hour ferry boat ride to the Barefoot Manta Resort. Although the journey was a bumpy one, it was definitely a great bonding experience with the group. The hospitality at the resort has been great and we spent the day making new friends with the staff and guests. The scuba divers participating later this week were prepping and reviewing for their certification, which allowed everyone else to explore the beautiful resort. After an amazing competitive volleyball game, we headed to a delicious dinner with options of chicken, pasta, and soup. The staff ended the night with songs and one of the best pieces of pie we have had on this trip. We are so ecstatic for our scuba adventures ahead and cannot wait to get some great footage. See you tomorrow!

—Siya and Tillie

July 24, 2023

This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise to which Austin got to experience from the comfort of his own room. We all headed down to breakfast with a delicious buffet of fruits, donuts, and a whole array of other delights. We sat down and enjoyed our breakfast while vlogging Gabby’s 17th birthday. Once finished eating we all split to do our own activities. Austin, CJ, Will, Sam and Branden all went out snorkeling at sunset beach and did a curve to manta beach. We saw some beautiful coral and massive schools of all kinds of fish. No sharks but we saw a couple fat Groupers. After about a 45 minute snorkel we all showered and took an hour to relax before our dives. Chaz, Lily, Major, Sammy and Sia all went out to do their certification dives during our snorkeling. After a small chill time with everyone Austin, Will, Sam, Branden and our dive master Bella went for our dive out at the front of the resort while Tillie and Gabby did a fun dive together, the rest had lunch and took time to rest. After all the people diving got back, we all went to rest and do our own thing while Sammy, Lily and Major did their second dive. After they got back, all the boys and Tillie joined and played some volleyball with the Fijian workers, and it was a long game with team switching. All the Fijians were super strong and were gods at volleyball. After a exhausting game we all headed towards dinner. Most of us were sick, and couldn’t do dives while we waited for a long while until the food came out. We are excited to see what Fiji has to offer us tomorrow!

– Brandon

July 25, 2023

This morning we woke up, got ready for the day, and went to eat a delicious buffet breakfast, prepared by the chefs. This included donuts, omelets, orange juice, bread, and fruit. After the delicious breakfast some of the group went to scuba dive in the beautiful Fijian waters!! The dive site that they went to was The Fantastic Wall!! It was a gorgeous wall of coral growing all over it and we had the most eye-pleasing experience yet! Some of the group was wiped from yesterday so they took naps during that time. When the divers came back they took showers and went to lunch. For lunch we had a amazing spread of fish, chicken, rice, and traditional Fijian bread. After lunch most of the group went back to their bure to take a nap. Once the group awoke they went to partake in a very fun volleyball match with the local dive shop staff. It was a very intense game that went back and forth. Team Global Works ended up winning. Then some of the group went on a beautiful dive at a site called Garden Of Eden. It had amazing coral and tight swim throughs that some got nervous about. When the rest of the group was diving the others went to paddle board in the Fijian waters. Once they came back we played another great game of volleyball. After that we went down to dinner at the resort. They had an amazing spread of food. After that the group was tired so everyone went to bed. Goodnight!!

-Sam, Lily

July 26, 2023

Bula! Today we awoke to a yummy breakfast with half the group preparing for diving and the other half got a little extra rest. After we finished up, 9 am diving crew went diving and the rest stayed back and chilled on the beach and or in hammocks. It was a pretty gloomy night so us that stayed behind didn’t do anything too extreme or active. After packing up and getting ready to check out, the dive and snorkel group came back and we had lunch one last time at barefoot before we were given a proper Fijian goodbye by the barefoot manta staff and taking off on a 3 hour bumpy and wet boat ride to the mainland. On our way back, we made a stop at Wailailai beach, where we recognized a few familiar Namara faces that gave us a nostalgic feeling!!! After 3 hours of travel back to the mainland, we made it back to where it all started and ended our day with some delicious American-Fijian styled dinner: pasta, burgers and a whole lot of pizzas!! We then got back to our hotel and had fruit ice cream before calling it a night on our last day in beach escape. Tomorrow we head back to the states!!! We will wee you tomorrow!

-Siya