Move and Learn by Rick Mereki

These vidoes by Rick Mereki are so cool - makes me even more excited to go!! :D

Story in the Dorset Echo :)

The picture to go with the story, had to separate it as it was too big to fit in the scanner! Grainy :/

I wanted this picture instead of the one chosen (above) as I look 'more excited' but my wish was not granted!

The story

Waitavala Water Slide, Taveuni, Fiji

What to do with those spare weekends? Hmm I don't know... maybe through myself down a waterfall? Sounds like my kinda fun! Don't worry it was recommended in the guide..

Homemade jam for Fiji :)

Blackberry and Apple :)


I made £92.71 just from selling jam! I hope to continue selling it, once I have made the next batch and decorated them with the cool lids.. £2 a jar, bargain!

Fijian Food Specialities (this had to make a post!)

The traditional foods that I will be eating in Fiji are: tavioka (cassava), boiled or baked fish and seafood in lolo (coconut cream). Meat is usually fried and accompanied with dalo (a dry starchy rootcrop which has a taste reminiscent to artichokes).


Tavioka (or cassava) ~ A rootcrop with a bland taste but a lot starchier than dalo. When well cooked the taste could be likened to a boiled potato.


Fijian's like to put cassava in most things, including...

Cassava cake recipe

• Prep Time: 15 min(s)
• Cook Time: 1 hr(s)
• Serves 16

Ingredients

7 cups grated cassava
3 eggs
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
60g melted butter

Topping
1 can condensed milk
125ml coconut milk
2 tbsp flour
2 egg yolks

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 7cm-deep, 28cm-diameter ovenproof dish.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cassava, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, coconut milk and butter until well combined. Pour into dish and bake for 1 hour or until firm in the centre. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place condensed milk, coconut milk and flour in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir until thickened. Lightly beat egg yolks, then add to condensed milk mixture. Stir until well combined.

Pour topping over cake and spread evenly. Using a kitchen blowtorch, gently caramelise the topping until lightly blackened. Alternatively, caramelise under a griller; be careful as it will blacken quickly.

Serve at room temperature.

Note: Cassava is sold in 250g packets from Asian grocers. You will need 2 packets for this recipe. Make sure to thaw before use.

Cassava cake is delicious (we shall see!) and is normally served with afternoon tea or breakfast.

Cassava Cake

(http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/12021/Cassava_cake)

Kokoda


Kokoda* is a popular dish consisting of cubed fish marinated in lemon/lime juice then squeezed and garnished with onions, chillies, shallots, grated carrots, tomatoes and combined with thick coconut cream. Usually served chilled.

Here's the recipe, looks delicious - I shall be looking forward to sampling some!

Kokoda (Fijian Spicy Fish)

This fish dish is a Fijian favorite and utilizes common ingredients of the islands. It is the Fiji version of ceviche. Serve it with a fresh fruit salad.

• 4 large fillets of white fish such as mahi-mahi
• Juice of 3 large limes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1cup fresh coconut cream
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 small green chile, such as serrano, seeds and stem removed, minced.
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced

Cut the fish into bite-size pieces. In a non-reactive bowl, combine the fish, lime juice, and salt. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove from the refrigerator, add the coconut cream, chopped onion, and chile just before serving. Sprinkle the tomatoes and bell pepper over the top. Serve on a bed of lettuce in coconut bilos (half coconut shells).

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Heat Scale: Mild

(http://www.fijibure.com/namatakula/food.htm)

Kokoda :)

*Kokoda - Not to be confused with a WWII walking trail in Papua New Guinea! 

Kava

According to my trusty Fijian Lonely Planet: 

Kava, also called grog(!), is mildly narcotic, looks like muddy water and makes your tongue go furry. You won't escape trying it! How reassuring... The kava is made from Piper methysticum - a type of pepper plant.

'Having a grog' is used for welcoming and bonding with visitors, for storytelling sessions or merely passing time. At a kava ceremony, participants must sit cross-legged, face the chief of the village, and the tanoa (large wooden bowl). 

The dried and powdered root is mixed with water in the tanoa and squeezed out. The resulting concoction is drunk from a bilo (half a coconut shell). Very tropical! You then clap once, accept the bilo, say 'bula' (cheers) and down it. Clap three times in thanks. This continues until the tanoa is empty (could take a while...) but you don't have to drink every one offered, at least the first to be polite. 

So after drinking this delightful sounding drink, I will get a furry tongue and then possibly 'feel a slight numbness of the lips'. Heavy drinkers develop kanikani (scaly skin)!!

Traditional kava ceremony

Lovo

Lovo are traditional indigenous Fijian banquets in which food is prepared in an underground oven. A hole is dug in the ground and stones are put inside and heated by an open fire. Palusami (meat or corned beef, onions and coconut cream), whole chicken or pork is wrapped in banana leaves and slowly half baked and half steamed on top of the hot stones.

This sounds amazing.. but I am a vegetarian. However, I do eat fish and there's tons of other delicious food to eat. :) Usually, lovo is served for more formal occasions.

Lovo - looks like a banquet!

Being a vegetarian in Fiji is pretty easy (yay), especially if you're partial to Indian food (I am). There are also loads of fruit and veggie markets. 

Alcohol!

Fiji Bitter and Fiji Gold are locally brewed beers and most wine is from Australia or New Zealand. Decent wine is around $22 (£7.50). Beer is about $6 (£2) in bars. A 750ml bottle of Fijian Rum is $32 (£11). Sounds pretty good to me! I shall also be hunting down tropical cocktails of course..

Cheap restaurants cost between $4 (£1.30) and $8 (£2.80) for a main meal!!! In more upmarket restaurants and resorts, meals cost approximately $20 (£7). 

Looks like I will not only be eating extremely healthily - no chocolate (unless I want to go and make it!) but also my purse won't be getting worryingly light! 

Fiji ~ More about Ratu Meli Memorial School (RMMS)

Here's some more info about the school I will be volunteering at.

The Ratu Meli Memorial School is a Government School run by the community committee. It is affiliated with the Fijian curricula, so the classes are in English. However, because most students do not speak English at home many of the children are quite shy about speaking English and have a vocabulary less developed than children from the mainland.

There are currently 125 students enrolled at Ratu Meli Memorial School, both boys and girls, from class1 to class 8. The students are from the villages of Nacula, Naisisili, Navotua and Malakati on Nacula Island. Due to the distances between their home village and the school, almost 50 students who attend RMMS board at the school during the week and live with the school's eight teachers.

(Taken from the Fiji Education Training Manual, written by GVI)
http://gvifiji.blogspot.com


I will be assisting local teachers when it comes to teaching basic subjects as well as supervising and interacting with the children. I will also help struggling students by giving them the one-to-one attention they need. I may help to run workshops for English, Maths or other subjects, such as Arts and Crafts, in order to create an enjoyable environment by motivating the children.

The long term aim is to make children confident, help them get up to level required for them to pass subjects and to improve their spoken and written English.

My Daily Schedule

06:30 - 7:00            Breakfast
7:00                        Load boat and get ready to deploy
07:30                      Departure
07:55                      Arrival at project site
08:00 - 15:00          Teaching at assisting in classrooms
12:00 - 13:00          Lunch
15:00 - 15:50          One to One teaching (not Fridays)
16:00                      Depart from projects to base
16:30 - 19:30          Lesson planning/Base chores/Free Time
19:30ish                  Dinner

Young girl studying at desk at Ratu Meli Memorial School.

Fiji Leaflet :)

Fiji :P

On January 10th 2012 I will be jetting off to sunny Fiji for my volunteering adventure! Less than two months away now.. I am so excited :)

I will be teaching children aged between 3 and 13 years old at the Ratu Meli Memorial School on the Yasawa Islands. My primary aim is to improve the level of English but I will also assist with Maths, Sports and the Arts.

Typical Day

Your days normally start very early with breakfast, before travelling to work by boat. At the school most of your morning will be spent teaching and organising educational games/activities for the children. English is taught in schools but grammar and reading is usually particularly poor and children are rarely encouraged to speak together in English. Your most important role is providing face-to-face contact with children that need positive role models and education support (feeding, teaching, interacting with them daily), whilst simultaneously providing them with an exciting cultural interaction.

Usually school starts with an assembly, a great way to start the day. You will then meet with your fellow teachers to discuss the day’s activities. The rest of the day will be spent teaching, assisting teachers with daily goals, marking homework, playing games, and providing one on one support for students. Students benefit from this valuable interaction at an early age with volunteers fluent in English. One of your primary aims should be to improve the level of English in your classes. You will also assist with mathematics, sports and arts and crafts. You will also have the opportunity to learn the local language from the kids in your class. After school finishes in the afternoon volunteers may help with sports and extra-curricular activities. In the evenings, back on base, there will be time to lesson plan and prepare for the following day.

(Taken from www.gvi.co.uk)

I have arranged my three-month trip through the gap-year company, Global Vision International and my travel insurance with Campbell Irvine. I have also sorted out my CRB check, all my flights through Qantas Holidays  with help from Bath Travel. My accommodation for two nights is also all paid for at Aquarius Fiji in Nadi, booked through Awesome Adventures. 

So I am flying at 3pm on January 10th from London Heathrow to Los Angeles. I then leave L.A at 9.30pm their time and arrive in Nadi at 5.15am.. two days later!! Yes, I arrive on January 12th in Fiji as it is a whole day ahead. Mind boggling. I will be beyond jet lagged. Hence, the two days rest when I arrive as the program does not start until the 14th.

I shall then be travelling to New Zealand to see a friend I knew in Nepal, of whom I haven't seen for five years. I fly back to London on April 19th via Sydney, Australia. I arrive back in England on April 20th at the horrideous time of 6.25am. Cannot wait. I am setting off on the above trip alone but I know I will meet loads of lovely people out there.

Obviously this adventure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it does come with a hefty price tag..

GVI fee: £2095
CRB: £5
Insurance: £111
Flights: £1611.73 (including New Zealand)
Two nights accommodation: FJD 132 (around £26)
Plus any extra spending money, so in total over £4000!

I'm not doing too badly with fundraising, having raised around half the money through my two summer jobs and selling homemade jam for £2 a jar. I have made £92.71 from selling the jam to the ladies at a Weldmar outlet in Weymouth where I volunteered every Wednesday and also at Pekoes Cafe in Weymouth where I worked during the summer. I now have a part time job at Debenhams which will help to raise the rest of the money.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support, your donations and for buying my jam! :)

Watch this space...



Go to the GVI website: www.gvi.co.uk to find out more about various volunteering opportunities.

A Few Photos From My Travels :)

Drying washing the Nepali way in Bhaktapur

This was the usual transport up into the mountains - via tiny, rather scary jet..

On elephants at bathing time at Chitwan National Park, Tharu, Nepal

Everest Trek in Nepal - 2003 - I didn't quite get to the top.. but almost to base camp!

With a Sadu (or Holy Man) in Pashupatinath, Nepal

Anjuna Market, Goa, India

The gates of India

Me in Goa, India

The beautiful Taj Mahal, although a little crowded when we went in 2005

A monastery in the Himalayas - so peaceful :)

Tiny local shop in Nepal - these shops also doubled up as houses

On the Hash in Nepal aged around 9

Annapurna Trek - October 2004

While rooting through my travel diaries, I found one that I had written at the age of 11. It was written when I was trekking with my family in the Annapurna region in October 2004. We travelled from Besisahar over the Thorung La Pass to Jomsom. Here are some amusing extracts.

Friday 15th October 2004

'One early, sunny morning on Friday after arriving in Besisahar (from Kathmandu) and sleeping one night, the day before, we woke up to the mountains. It was a very clear day after a very horrendous storm the night before.'

'We followed the river through the valley of many hills. It was a fairly level walk. We finally arrived at a village called Bhulbhule where we had lunch. The balcony was overlooking the roaring, rough, rapid river. I had a big plate of chowmein with vegetables. In the afternoon we travelled another 3 hours. It was quite a steep walk up hills. We saw a river snake, a crab and many frogs as we passed lots of water.'

'I was very tired but I carried on till the top of the hill where we stayed the night at Bahundanda.'

Saturday 16th October 2004

'We set off at about 8.30 and started walking. It was 3 hours until we had a break. The scenery is absolutely 100% beautiful! The mountains are always so clear, with the river running through the hills to the mountains. I found out that I left my watch behind! Uh oh!'

'We stopped to have lunch at Syange. There was a hot spring there. Everywhere we look there's a waterfall/stream/river! We carried on for two hours up hill all the way! We turned the last corner and saw the village of Jagat on the hill top. The shower didn't work so we had to pour water on our heads! Oh well!'

Sunday 17th October 2004


'Today we are walking quite a long way for 7 hours to Dharapani. We had lunch at Tal then after lunch it was a very steep climb. We were very exhausted but we saw Dharapani in the valley below and sighed for relief. We walked past a rock on the way and we saw a big lizard in the sun. We think he was sun bathing! For lunch I had my first real meal of Dahl Baht. I got to eat with my hands!'

Thursday 21st October 2004


'We are having a rest day because we have to acclimatise. This is our rest day in Manang! We are staying in a hotel called Tilicho Hotel. In the morning we walked up a ridge along a path and we walked through a fence and we saw Tilicho Lake! There used to be a boating service across the lake. The mountains were really clear and they seemed so close.'

Sunday 24th October 2004


'Today is the hardest day when we go over the highest mountain pass in the world. The mountainous pass is called Thorung La. It is 5421 metres high! It was freezing cold and many people were feeling sick. It was bout 5 hours to the top and about 3 hours down to Muktinath. We had to get up at 4am and leave at 5:00. We had to walk up a hill in the dark with our torches! The hotel we stayed in was tiny and it only had 4 bedrooms so we had the whole lodge to ourselves! I was extremely tired when we finally arrived. Muktinath was a huge town and pilgrimage centre. There is many temples and monasteries. I feel so proud of myself.'

'My Autobiography'

I have just found this piece of writing that I wrote before returning to secondary school in England. The following has not been edited, although my mother probably helped at the time!

'My name is Jennifer Palmer and I'm 12 and a half years old. I was born in Dorchester, England. I went to Holy Trinity School. My early life was spent in Weymouth for eight years.

Then one day we received an email, my mum got a job as a teacher in Kathmandu, Nepal! We packed our bags and said goodbye to our friends and the sea. I was unhappy we were leaving, but I was excited too. We were off to a strange, new country that we barely knew anything about. We arrived at the start of 2002. I only found out that Nepal was a country above India when we arrived.

Kathmandu was so different to Weymouth. It was polluted and there were stray dogs everywhere. The roads were potholed and poor people lived in shacks. As we settled in to our new surroundings we began to realise this was the only city. We came for the mountains and to experience another life.

We cycled around feeding the dogs and adopted two of our own, Wiggy and Fred. We also drove out to the countryside and saw ladies in red working in emerald green rice fields. As well as the vibrant and festive city life there were rural areas too. People had to work hard to keep themselves alive. They had to walk miles for water, they had no electricity and they lived in tiny clay houses. I felt sorry for them, but at least they had their friends and family.

I went to the British School and I was put in Year 4. It is an International School with 29 different nationalities. Luckily, there was no school uniform, I settled in easily and made new friends.

In Year 5 our class went to Chitwan National Park. It's a wildlife reserve and we stayed in little bamboo rooms. There were elephant safaris and we even saw a crocodile while canoeing across the lake. Time passed and in Year 6 my class went to Borderlands. Borderlands is an activity centre on the Tibetan border. This time we stayed in tents and participated in various activities like building a shelter. I felt extremely privileged to be given a chance to go on all these trips.

At the end of Year 6 we out on a leavers performance and took our big step into Secondary school. I was afraid we would get a lot of homework.

In Year 7 we were involved in more fund-raising for charities like KAT (Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre). Me and a friend started visiting an orphanage with our French teacher. She has adopted two Nepali children of her own. The orphanage is called Mendies Haven and is organised by a lady nicknamed 'Mummy Mendies'. We read books to little children aged around 7. Even though they're orphans they all live together as a family and that makes me feel glad and relieved. Now I'm in Year 8 and we are still helping our little friends to learn.

Most Saturdays me and my family go on the Hash with the Himalayan Hash House Harriers. The Hash is a social get-together where people walk or run around the rural areas. We experience something new every time we go. We see people outside their little houses with their friends huddling around a fire. Outside the butchers on a slab we sometimes see goats heads covered in flies and blood. Sometimes we witness poverty stricken families, including children, hammering away at stones, later to be used for road building. Only 52% of the population are literate but parents can't afford to pay for their children's education. The girls are used for housework and boys help their fathers. I feel very fortunate to have the chance to go to school when there are so many children in the world that cannot go.

The Seasons over here include Monsoon which is a very rainy season that happens during summer. This January there have been bandhs, curfews and power cuts. Curfews are when you can't leave your house and go out anywhere because of the security situation. I get very bored when there is a curfew because we get stuck in our garden playing badminton. There are power cuts because of the lack of water. Nowadays we make sure there are enough candles because there is at least one power cut every day.

As a family we also go trekking. In the Desain holidays of 2004 we went on an Annapurna trek to Thorung La Pass. It is the highest mountain pass in the world. It was very cold and I felt a bit sick at times because of the altitude. It was worth it. When we reached the top I felt really proud of myself. The views were breath-taking. This trek seemed very long but I will never forget it.

We have been on many fantastic holidays from Nepal. I loved the holiday to Goa, India even though we got harassed by lots of beach sellers. When we arrived at Delhi I was horrified to see huge families with children living on the platforms!

In Thailand I got my hair braided, which was different. The sea was warm, which is unlike Weymouth! We also flew to Cambodia and visited temples but it was very hot. My favourite festivals in Nepal are Diwali and Holi. Diwali is the festival of lights, people put up garlands and the houses sparkle. Around the stupas, the flames of hundreds of tiny butter lamps waver in the wind. Holi is when the locals throw coloured water balloons at each other. We join in with both festivals.

Going to Nepal for 4 and a half years was a great experience, but I miss everyone back in England. I hope to go back to Nepal in the future and visit TBS. Half of me wants to stay in Nepal and half of me wants to go back to England.'