Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Over the long Easter weekend I, and seven others, took a four-day cruise up to the Yasawa Island group. We left early Thursday morning and spent the majority of the 4 hour boat ride re-enacting Titanic on the front of the boat. Once, we stopped next to a tiny island to snorkel around the reef. It was beautiful weather and the reef was wonderfully colorful.
We spent every night on the same island. Its Fijian name is Drawaqa Island, but after the cruise line appropriated it, it became Barefoot Island. It lived up to its name as I didn't wear my flip flops for the entire four days.
Barefoot Island served as our home base and we stayed in little double bungalow thingies right on the water. Ours was on "Sunrise Beach." Some of the others were 100 meters behind us on "Sunset Beach." It was beautiful. I woke up early on the last day to catch the sunrise.
We went fishing on a little boat. Out of the 8 of us, two fish were caught but it was a lot of fun.
We also visited a village on another island. We had a Kava ceremony and were treated to a dance performance. The village was very cool but it was sort of just a very elaborate tourist trap. As my supervisor reminded me, the entire country is a tourist trap.
My roommate, Caleb, and I hung out mostly with the staff on the island. They were so friendly and were very excited that we were hanging out with them. The feeling was mutual and we drank Kava long into the nights.
On the third day, Bio, the man who organized everything for us announced that one of the German couples on the cruise with us was getting married. It was a perfect setting for a wedding but it was very strange because they only had a handful of friends with them to witness the marriage. The crew set up a nice altar on sunset beach and timed it perfectly so that the sun did indeed set behind them as the groom kissed the bride. I later found out that it was the groom's third wedding and the bride's fourth. I guess it was the ol' 'boy cried wolf' scenario and that's why nobody wanted to go to the wedding.
The crew was a very talented group. They made our suppers, played classic Fijian and American love songs, played some stellar volleyball and made our massive sailboat glide gracefully through the Pacific.
All in all, it was a great trip. Although I did feel bad about missing the Hallelujah Chorus at church on Sunday.
Now, its back to the workday grind.
We spent every night on the same island. Its Fijian name is Drawaqa Island, but after the cruise line appropriated it, it became Barefoot Island. It lived up to its name as I didn't wear my flip flops for the entire four days.
Barefoot Island served as our home base and we stayed in little double bungalow thingies right on the water. Ours was on "Sunrise Beach." Some of the others were 100 meters behind us on "Sunset Beach." It was beautiful. I woke up early on the last day to catch the sunrise.
We went fishing on a little boat. Out of the 8 of us, two fish were caught but it was a lot of fun.
We also visited a village on another island. We had a Kava ceremony and were treated to a dance performance. The village was very cool but it was sort of just a very elaborate tourist trap. As my supervisor reminded me, the entire country is a tourist trap.
My roommate, Caleb, and I hung out mostly with the staff on the island. They were so friendly and were very excited that we were hanging out with them. The feeling was mutual and we drank Kava long into the nights.
On the third day, Bio, the man who organized everything for us announced that one of the German couples on the cruise with us was getting married. It was a perfect setting for a wedding but it was very strange because they only had a handful of friends with them to witness the marriage. The crew set up a nice altar on sunset beach and timed it perfectly so that the sun did indeed set behind them as the groom kissed the bride. I later found out that it was the groom's third wedding and the bride's fourth. I guess it was the ol' 'boy cried wolf' scenario and that's why nobody wanted to go to the wedding.
The crew was a very talented group. They made our suppers, played classic Fijian and American love songs, played some stellar volleyball and made our massive sailboat glide gracefully through the Pacific.
All in all, it was a great trip. Although I did feel bad about missing the Hallelujah Chorus at church on Sunday.
Now, its back to the workday grind.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Ruggers
Last week, there was a massive rugby tournament going on in Hong Kong. Fiji was one of the favorites. At a barbecue a few nights ago, Fiji played the United States. I took so much crap from the Fijian family whose house we were at because the U.S. got crushed.
Everybody in the country was upset as Fiji lost in the semis to New Zealand.
Last night, a few of the volunteers went to a local hotel to play some poker and hang out by the pool and the Fijian rugby club walked in to have a meal at the restaurant. It was really cool seeing them in person. They were surprisingly not that big. I still wouldn't want to have to wrestle any of them. It was really cool to see these world class athletes just hanging out.
I thought that was exciting.
I am quite ready for my cruise tomorrow.
Everybody in the country was upset as Fiji lost in the semis to New Zealand.
Last night, a few of the volunteers went to a local hotel to play some poker and hang out by the pool and the Fijian rugby club walked in to have a meal at the restaurant. It was really cool seeing them in person. They were surprisingly not that big. I still wouldn't want to have to wrestle any of them. It was really cool to see these world class athletes just hanging out.
I thought that was exciting.
I am quite ready for my cruise tomorrow.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Farewells and Voyages
Today, I was moved from my 4th grade class and sent to help teach grades 1&2. This is because all of the volunteers were in one room and the real teachers wanted wanted some helpers. It was sort of disconcerting as I had just learned the names of all the kids in my class. Oh well, the little ones are cute but it will be more of a challenge.
Other than that, it have had a pretty peaceful weekend. A couple of volunteers left so there were barbecues for us to attend. On Saturday, all the male volunteers went to the fancy resort land of Denarau. There, we had pool wrestling matches all day and only took breaks to eat pizza. It was surprisingly fun and extremely exhausting.
Masaki, the Japanese student who was living at our house left. This was sad. But, we had a fantastic lovo in celebration. That means we dug a pit in the ground, used firewood to make large stones super hot and then we put several chickens and other tasty meaty treats in foil and dropped them in the hole. After that, we put the dirt back on top and let it cook for a couple hours. It turned out amazingly and I am definitely going to make one when I get home.
We have a long Easter weekend. Thursday morning, I embark on a 4 day sailing journey to the northern Yasawa Island group.
We get to go fishing and snorkeling and stay in huts and visit villages and lay on the beach and all of that fun stuff. I will definitely take a billion pictures.
SO STAY TUNED.
Other than that, it have had a pretty peaceful weekend. A couple of volunteers left so there were barbecues for us to attend. On Saturday, all the male volunteers went to the fancy resort land of Denarau. There, we had pool wrestling matches all day and only took breaks to eat pizza. It was surprisingly fun and extremely exhausting.
Masaki, the Japanese student who was living at our house left. This was sad. But, we had a fantastic lovo in celebration. That means we dug a pit in the ground, used firewood to make large stones super hot and then we put several chickens and other tasty meaty treats in foil and dropped them in the hole. After that, we put the dirt back on top and let it cook for a couple hours. It turned out amazingly and I am definitely going to make one when I get home.
We have a long Easter weekend. Thursday morning, I embark on a 4 day sailing journey to the northern Yasawa Island group.
We get to go fishing and snorkeling and stay in huts and visit villages and lay on the beach and all of that fun stuff. I will definitely take a billion pictures.
SO STAY TUNED.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Roadtriiiiiip
I had another great weekend adventure. Two of my new friends wanted to rent a car and cruise around the main island of Viti Levu for their last weekend adventure before they went home to Bermuda and Wales respectively. They invited me and three others to come along. When they came to pick us up on Friday night, I was shocked to see an ancient Toyota Corolla hatchback with a cracked windshield waiting. Then, I remembered that I was in Fiji and this car was perfectly acceptable. After squeezing into the back, we were on our way.
Our first stop was the town of Lautoka. That is the second largest "city" in Fiji. We found a massive old hotel. It appeared as though we were the only people staying there. At a nightclub around the corner we ran into some Japanese tourists we befriended at Beachcomber Island the previous weekend.
The next morning we got up bright and early and continued making our way around the island. It was interesting going through the different villages. Everybody gave us a friendly wave as we passed through.
Now is a good time to write something about the roads in Fiji. First of all, there are not many paved roads to begin with. The ones that are paved have some pretty serious potholes. Every time we hit one, the car would bottom out because there were four of us and all of the bags in the back of the car, not to mention the fact that the car, whom we named 'Tony,' had no suspension at all. At certain times, the road just ended and we had to drive on gravel or dirt.
We wanted to stop near the village of RakiRaki because it has nice beaches. Our guide book sent us to the 'circular road' in order to find good beaches. This road was extremely hilly and the gravel was more like small boulders. I do not have the time to write how nerve wracking that drive was. After 30 minutes of bumping around, we arrived at a small place called the Voli Voli resort.
We took a short swim at their beach and immediately decided that this was where we wanted to spend our night. Before we settled in, we went back out the road because we heard that there were some nice waterfalls in the area. Without having a clue where we were going, we stopped to ask some kids walking home from school where the waterfalls were. Without skipping a beat, one of the boys hops into the front seat bringing the total number of people in the car to 7. At this point the car barely cleared the ground on the even pavement. After 10 minutes of driving down paved roads, we were back onto a gravel road. This one was significantly worse than the road to Voli Voli and I was so certain that Tony would not make it. Driving further into the mountains, we had to cross the river three times. If you think we crossed three bridges, you are wrong. The river just ran right across the road and there was a slab of cement under the water for traction.
After a while we reached the end of the road and ended up in somebody's driveway. Our guide got out and a man said we could pay him to show us the way to the water falls. After some bargaining, all parties were satisfied.
We reached the waterfalls and they were amazing. We slid down some and jumped down others. One of my friends had an underwater camera so I will steal the pictures that he took.
We left the waterfalls just as it was starting to rain and the family who guided us made us stay for Kava. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava)
We had to hurry through the ceremony because if it rained for any longer the river would get to high to drive through.
We made it back to the resort slowly but surely and had a very relaxing night watching the lizards catch moths as the sun set.
The next day, we set off towards the capital city of Suva. As we were driving down the road that splits the mainland in half (basically the second most important road in the country) we encountered a detour. We thought it was strange that there could be a detour from a road that was barely a road before. At the other side of the detour, we ran into some very rocky mud. We were signaled to stop by a man with a red flag. In front of us was a large machine that resembled a transformer. After sitting in the mud for a few minutes we realized that they were actually building the road right in front of us. This is not a joke. We waited for them to smooth out the mud enough for us and we made our way out of the mud.
Arriving in Suva, we had lunch in the mall. I had a delicious lamb kebab.
We had to have the car back to the rental place by 5 PM on Sunday. Before we went home, we wanted to see the sand dunes of Sigatoka. We got to the national park and walked through the forest and realized that we would have at least an hour long walk to find the dunes. We did not have that much time, so we just came home.
It was a bizarre, fulfilling and relaxing trip.
It is now time to start another week at work.
I am quite sorry to hear about the Terps Tragedy but I am now looking forward to the Orioles season.
Our first stop was the town of Lautoka. That is the second largest "city" in Fiji. We found a massive old hotel. It appeared as though we were the only people staying there. At a nightclub around the corner we ran into some Japanese tourists we befriended at Beachcomber Island the previous weekend.
The next morning we got up bright and early and continued making our way around the island. It was interesting going through the different villages. Everybody gave us a friendly wave as we passed through.
Now is a good time to write something about the roads in Fiji. First of all, there are not many paved roads to begin with. The ones that are paved have some pretty serious potholes. Every time we hit one, the car would bottom out because there were four of us and all of the bags in the back of the car, not to mention the fact that the car, whom we named 'Tony,' had no suspension at all. At certain times, the road just ended and we had to drive on gravel or dirt.
We wanted to stop near the village of RakiRaki because it has nice beaches. Our guide book sent us to the 'circular road' in order to find good beaches. This road was extremely hilly and the gravel was more like small boulders. I do not have the time to write how nerve wracking that drive was. After 30 minutes of bumping around, we arrived at a small place called the Voli Voli resort.
We took a short swim at their beach and immediately decided that this was where we wanted to spend our night. Before we settled in, we went back out the road because we heard that there were some nice waterfalls in the area. Without having a clue where we were going, we stopped to ask some kids walking home from school where the waterfalls were. Without skipping a beat, one of the boys hops into the front seat bringing the total number of people in the car to 7. At this point the car barely cleared the ground on the even pavement. After 10 minutes of driving down paved roads, we were back onto a gravel road. This one was significantly worse than the road to Voli Voli and I was so certain that Tony would not make it. Driving further into the mountains, we had to cross the river three times. If you think we crossed three bridges, you are wrong. The river just ran right across the road and there was a slab of cement under the water for traction.
After a while we reached the end of the road and ended up in somebody's driveway. Our guide got out and a man said we could pay him to show us the way to the water falls. After some bargaining, all parties were satisfied.
We reached the waterfalls and they were amazing. We slid down some and jumped down others. One of my friends had an underwater camera so I will steal the pictures that he took.
We left the waterfalls just as it was starting to rain and the family who guided us made us stay for Kava. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava)
We had to hurry through the ceremony because if it rained for any longer the river would get to high to drive through.
We made it back to the resort slowly but surely and had a very relaxing night watching the lizards catch moths as the sun set.
The next day, we set off towards the capital city of Suva. As we were driving down the road that splits the mainland in half (basically the second most important road in the country) we encountered a detour. We thought it was strange that there could be a detour from a road that was barely a road before. At the other side of the detour, we ran into some very rocky mud. We were signaled to stop by a man with a red flag. In front of us was a large machine that resembled a transformer. After sitting in the mud for a few minutes we realized that they were actually building the road right in front of us. This is not a joke. We waited for them to smooth out the mud enough for us and we made our way out of the mud.
Arriving in Suva, we had lunch in the mall. I had a delicious lamb kebab.
We had to have the car back to the rental place by 5 PM on Sunday. Before we went home, we wanted to see the sand dunes of Sigatoka. We got to the national park and walked through the forest and realized that we would have at least an hour long walk to find the dunes. We did not have that much time, so we just came home.
It was a bizarre, fulfilling and relaxing trip.
It is now time to start another week at work.
I am quite sorry to hear about the Terps Tragedy but I am now looking forward to the Orioles season.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Long Weekend
Last Thursday I was invited to go on a field trip to the Fiji Weather Center. The weather center is a large, blue building on top of a hill in between a military outpost and the airport. I learned that it is the only meteorological center in the region. It was very interesting as we got to see the weather balloon filled with hydrogen and released. We also got to inspect the official thermometers and all of that cool stuff. We even got to stop at McDonald's on the way back to school as any self-respecting field trip should do. However, the folks at the weather center neglected to warn us of Cyclone Tomas.
During my lunch break on Friday I received a text message from one of the Projects Abroad staff members saying that there was an official cyclone warning and that all schools were closing immediately. At first, I was a little upset because I had planned to go with a few other volunteers to a small island called Beachcomber Island for a little R&R on the weekend. I figured the trip would be canceled because there would be no boats going to the islands in such terrible conditions. Later on, I heard that the trip was still going to happen because Tomas was moving very slowly and wouldn't reach the mainland until late Sunday.
Making our way to the port Saturday morning, the weather could not have been more beautiful. We set sail (not actually a sailboat) on a catamaran called the "Cheetah." In 45 minutes we reached our destination. Stepping off the boat, into the clear waters of the pacific, we were greeted by live music and fresh mango juice.
After getting situated on my bunk in the large dormitory for the 'budget travelers' I decided to take a stroll around the island. This took 15 minutes. As small as the island was, there was shortage of things to do. A few of us rented kayaks and rode to a sandbar that we saw way out in the distance. This took a lot longer than we expected and returned exhausted. However, it was completely worth it. There is something entirely satisfying about being the only people on an island in the middle of the ocean.
The island also sponsored a snorkeling trip. I got to see the set of Finding Nemo. It was fantastic. The colors of the coral and the fish were unbelievable. Another volunteer had an underwater camera so I will try to get some of his pictures.
That night, there was a lot of good music and dancing. You meet all types of interesting people down here; people who have traveled around the world.
The next day we woke up and had to leave the island on account of the cyclone. The boat company was not sure if they were going to be able to run the evening ship. We did not want to risk it so we hopped on the early boat.
School was closed on Monday and Tuesday but there was little damage in Nadi. I was feeling a little under the weather and didn't leave the house.
I am so sorry that I haven't added any pictures.
I will try to fill you in on what daily life is like and all that. But, like I said, its been a long week and I need some rest.
During my lunch break on Friday I received a text message from one of the Projects Abroad staff members saying that there was an official cyclone warning and that all schools were closing immediately. At first, I was a little upset because I had planned to go with a few other volunteers to a small island called Beachcomber Island for a little R&R on the weekend. I figured the trip would be canceled because there would be no boats going to the islands in such terrible conditions. Later on, I heard that the trip was still going to happen because Tomas was moving very slowly and wouldn't reach the mainland until late Sunday.
Making our way to the port Saturday morning, the weather could not have been more beautiful. We set sail (not actually a sailboat) on a catamaran called the "Cheetah." In 45 minutes we reached our destination. Stepping off the boat, into the clear waters of the pacific, we were greeted by live music and fresh mango juice.
After getting situated on my bunk in the large dormitory for the 'budget travelers' I decided to take a stroll around the island. This took 15 minutes. As small as the island was, there was shortage of things to do. A few of us rented kayaks and rode to a sandbar that we saw way out in the distance. This took a lot longer than we expected and returned exhausted. However, it was completely worth it. There is something entirely satisfying about being the only people on an island in the middle of the ocean.
The island also sponsored a snorkeling trip. I got to see the set of Finding Nemo. It was fantastic. The colors of the coral and the fish were unbelievable. Another volunteer had an underwater camera so I will try to get some of his pictures.
That night, there was a lot of good music and dancing. You meet all types of interesting people down here; people who have traveled around the world.
The next day we woke up and had to leave the island on account of the cyclone. The boat company was not sure if they were going to be able to run the evening ship. We did not want to risk it so we hopped on the early boat.
School was closed on Monday and Tuesday but there was little damage in Nadi. I was feeling a little under the weather and didn't leave the house.
I am so sorry that I haven't added any pictures.
I will try to fill you in on what daily life is like and all that. But, like I said, its been a long week and I need some rest.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Hot enough for ya?
After leaving Baltimore Thursday morning, I arrived in Nadi early Sunday morning. The first thing the Projects Abroad director gave to me after picking me up was a bottle of Fiji water. I immediately thought, "Oh great, it is 'just water.'" Anyway, these first few days have not been extremely eventful, but every night I go to bed feeling accomplished and exhausted.
My host family is fantastic. My host mother will not even let me clear my own plate. I am living with three other 18 year old guys from Fiji, Japan and Canada respectively. Along with my other host brothers, we play great games of soccer every evening in the backyard. Also, my host dad enjoys watching America's Funniest Home Videos. Naturally, we get along swimmingly.
At the Nadi Christian Academy I, along with another volunteer from England, am responsible for teaching the 'year 4' class. We are with them from 8:30 until 3ish teaching anything from English, to health science. It is a lot of responsibility but I really like all of the kids and they are cooperative for the most part.
Tonight, the volunteers are going to be going to a place called "Smuggler's Cove" to watch fire spinning. I will try to post some pictures ASAP but I am still searching for a place with WiFi so that I can use my own computer to do the uploading.
Also, its been over 100 degrees every day that I've been here. I am not quite used to it, showing up to work dripping with sweat.
I hope all is well in B-More.
Bula!
My host family is fantastic. My host mother will not even let me clear my own plate. I am living with three other 18 year old guys from Fiji, Japan and Canada respectively. Along with my other host brothers, we play great games of soccer every evening in the backyard. Also, my host dad enjoys watching America's Funniest Home Videos. Naturally, we get along swimmingly.
At the Nadi Christian Academy I, along with another volunteer from England, am responsible for teaching the 'year 4' class. We are with them from 8:30 until 3ish teaching anything from English, to health science. It is a lot of responsibility but I really like all of the kids and they are cooperative for the most part.
Tonight, the volunteers are going to be going to a place called "Smuggler's Cove" to watch fire spinning. I will try to post some pictures ASAP but I am still searching for a place with WiFi so that I can use my own computer to do the uploading.
Also, its been over 100 degrees every day that I've been here. I am not quite used to it, showing up to work dripping with sweat.
I hope all is well in B-More.
Bula!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Hawaii
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Departure
Once again. it is time for me to set sail for faraway lands. This time, I will be traveling to the South Pacific island nation of Fiji through Projects Abroad. I will be living and teaching English in a small elementary/middle school for two months. I look forward to sharing this experience with my faithful readers. I hope to have great stories of my travels, life at school and of my four host brothers, Navneet, Amit, Savnit and Kavnit.
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