I know I haven't written for a very very long time but I started studying Communications and Media at Bournemouth University in September so I thought it would be a good idea if I updated my blog and continued to write. I hope there are still people out there who will continue to read about my experiences!
I have just picked up my Fijian journal and decided that I would skip a few days and continuing writing about my trip from the beginning of the Fijian school week. Or at least what was supposed to be the first week back at school after the long summer. However...
Day 10 ~ Monday 23rd January 2012
I have to teach Class 5 - aged ten to eleven, luckily quite a small class. We couldn't go to the school and meet teachers as there was a massive storm and it rained all night and into the day. Had to plan lessons all day - Art, Music and P.E we teach alone but English, Maths and Science we help with (in my case, I taught everything... keep reading). We also take English workshops every week.
Day 11 ~ Tuesday 24th January 2012
No school again today. Been raining constantly and now Nadi is flooded, the airport is closed, there are no boats running and Ratu Meli School is closed, possibly for the whole week. Some people are going home on Friday and they haven't even had the chance to visit the school. Not able to wash or dry anything, everything smells.
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| Cooking lesson with Lice... how to demolish a coconut! |
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Lice cooking hundreds of pancakes (with our help!) to raise spirits on base. Fantastic cook!
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Day 13 ~ Thursday 26th January 2012
We went to the school today to clear the classrooms and paint murals along the outside of them. The construction group built a barbed wire fence. We listened to the 'Chief of the Yasawas' for ages, he talked about how no-one came to help him with the school. We do see a lot of Fijian men lying around or drinking Kava - what's known as 'Fijian time'!
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| Before painting the mural... |
Day 14 ~ Friday 27th January 2012
I have been in Fiji for two weeks. The divers (on the Marine program) were able to go out yesterday after the shitty weather but they all came back really ill and had to go on oxygen because they thought it was to do with the tanks. They all went to hospital on the mainland, 2.5 hours away (it took us 5) - it turned out it was mild carbon monoxide poisoning.
Went to a cute little village called Malakati and played volleyball in the searing heat. We were wondering where all the kids were until they started coming out to play. It was getting too hot so we put some paper down in the shade for drawing and painting but the kids mostly wanted to paint themselves!
After lunch it was time to say goodbye to the two-weekers, sad. Stood on the beach waving like people truly stuck on a desert island.
Finding it very hard to sleep in this heat with the mosquitoes for company. Mice seem to love my bag for some reason. Wonderful. I eventually caved in and took my washing to Lice (local woman who lives on base) as I knew she'd do a great job.
Day 15 ~ Saturday 28th January 2012
The rest of the group went diving but I didn't have a spare $600 so I sat on a deckchair at Nanuya Resort and sobbed on the phone to mum. I was emotional about sitting around doing nothing for two weeks (and having no internet!) Hard to have any alone time when you're always around such a big group.
Back at base we met the new volunteers, three Aussies and one American, all really nice.
Day 16 ~ Sunday 29th January 2012
Went to the church on base at 10am but it didn't start til half past - 'Fijian time'! It is one of those things that the guidebook suggests to do while in Fiji and I highly recommend it. I went with a new volunteer ~ Ann, who's 67 and from America. It was a really unusual but interesting service as the church was just a little shack with a traditional woven mat to sit on. I was given a woven fan by a Fijian lady which was sweet. We sat cross-legged on the floor in sulu's - not as easy as it sounds! They sang beautiful Fijian harmonies and part of the service was read in English, just for us! It was such a calming atmosphere, I nearly fell asleep.
