My Journey ~ To Fiji and Beyond!

Fiji Gallery.

2013-03-23T17:11:00.001+00:00

Here are a selection of photos taken by a friend in Fiji - she took over the Class 5 reins when I left...

Base!

Kitchen at Base. (complete with rats!)

Dining room/lounge area at Base.

Lo's Tea House along the beach - best banana cake!

Class 5 tykes.

Mischief on the field!

Class 5 girls.

Emma - adorable little girl who lives on base.

Naughty boys from Class 5!

Class 5 boys - crazy!

Class 5 in class - not working!

Toilet/shower on base.

Teaching at a Fijian school... finally!

2013-03-22T22:03:00.002+00:00

More extracts from my Fijian diary...

Day 17 ~ Monday 30th January 2012

Went into the school finally to do some teaching but we had to go to assembly first. We sat in a line in front of the kids and introduced ourselves and listened to this long assembly. They all said 'good morning' to us individually which was so cute and then they had to say prayers and sing songs. When I walked into my classroom I had to introduce myself and talk to the kids but then the teacher ~ headmaster Mr. Minoa walked out and said 'I'll be in the office'! I started to teach English which he told me to do until lunch! I used the Fijian comprehension books which the children were obviously finding boring but I had nothing else planned. I can't believe I have to teach the most difficult class, with no teacher and everyone else and everyone else only assists the teacher. They only teach Music, P.E and Art on their own. Guess I have more freedom to do what I want! I was going to do Maths after having lunch in the 'library' but the headmaster shut the school suddenly after it was discovered that a cyclone was apparently on the way. All schools in Fiji were shut for the whole week as a precaution and all the boarders were sent home. Great! Another week sat on base in the pouring rain. Of course the kids were ecstatic.

Not such a tidy entrance!

At the school... finally!

Before assembly... little tykes!

After a bit of direction...

Day 18 ~ Tuesday 31st January 2012

We were called for an urgent meeting and told to pack two bags to prepare to evacuate. Something was headed for us and to be on the safe side we needed to get back to Nadi, on the mainland - a five hour boat journey. All the windows had to be boarded up, all the bags moved into one dorm and the beds shoved next to the windows. We then boxed up all the education resources to put under tables in the middle of the education hut. After all this we sat down and waited and waited and waited until we were finally told that there was no need to evacuate! Argh. Personally, I had been looking forward to a warm shower and a clean bed! We watched the film Death at a Funeral in the evening - very apt. After three kavas - Fijian alcohol made from a root - my mouth felt very numb.

My last diary extract was on Sunday 12th February 2012 - Day 30 which reads:

Haven't been doing much because of the weather but went to the school this week and finding teaching my class difficult as it's only me. Hopefully, me and another volunteer will be able to handle them more easily.

And then it all started to go downhill...

The Reality of the Situation...

2013-03-22T17:30:00.001+00:00

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.

Cooking lesson with Lice... how to demolish a coconut!

Lice cooking hundreds of pancakes (with our help!) to raise spirits on base. Fantastic cook!

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'!

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.

My Fiji Photos :)

2012-05-17T23:26:00.003+01:00

Some of my photos in a video ~ enjoy!

Day Six ~ Thursday 19th January

2012-05-07T19:19:00.000+01:00

A few people have been ill already, luckily not me! Lauren (education leader) was ill with tonsilitus so couldn't come with us to the village. Other people have developed tropical ulcers from mosquitoes bites, after being in the warm sea containing bacteria. Lovely. Can't believe how amazing it is here though, it's exactly like the paradise you see on a postcard. Yellow sand, crystal blue water, blue sky, literally perfection. Our turn to make breakfast today so I got up at 5.45 to make porridge and toast with tomatoes. As soon as I entered the kitchen I saw a mouse scurry into a hole in the wall and Angela felt a rat across her foot!! It was dark so we had to use torches to fry toast. We went back to the village we went to on Tuesday ~ Makavakalevu or something and sat by the sea again, painting shells and playing 'Paraball' with the parachute. We blew up some balloons for them and wrote their names on them, played snakes and ladders and volleyball. Well I sat and watched the volleyball in the shade while the little ones clambered over me. We had leftover dahl baht from yesterday which was warmed up for us, is was delicious and is exactly what is eaten in Nepal. The education leader, Jackie, spent 3 months volunteering in Nepal, Tibet and India and when in Nepal she helped at an orphanage in Pokhara, what a coincidence! We got back and could be lazy, in true Fijian style ~ swimming and lying by the palm trees, we can even buy beer for $3. We were sat relaxing and suddenly the base kids came running up with homemade pea shooters, made with seeds from the trees and began firing them at us! Last night we watched a film on a projector called The Guard.

Day Five ~ Wednesday 18th January

2012-05-07T19:06:00.000+01:00

We went back to the village that we went to on Monday and made the shell jewellery, crowns and painted shells. Outside we played ball and got the parachute out. I played with a girl called Rebecca (aged 13). It was so fun but it got very hot. We had lunch with the locals who cooked rice with a fishy noodle sauce and what looked like cockles with breadfruit. The breadfruit tasted powdery and strange. The Fijian hospitality is so friendly, they all have huge smiles. Didn't bother wearing shoes today so I was worried I would tread on some weird bug. There is apparently something called a Spab or spider crab that can drop from the trees and kill people! We were also told to be aware of poisonous cone shells, stingrays, jellyfish, stonefish and sea snakes! All of which can be deadly. Do not pick up any pretty shells! When we got back we pretty much jumped straight into the sea to cool off.

In the education group there is Emily (Australian), Angela (Swiss), Jon (Canadian), Nat (US) and Tyler (US). Other people joining us at the moment are Nish (UK but born in Sri Lanka) and Lena (UK but part Danish). They also do construction ~ glad I'm not doing that in the heat! So there is a real mix of people. Everyone has to do base chores and I do recycling every Thursday and a kitchen clean every Tuesday as well as cooking ~ not like home! Other chores include looking after the veggie patch, rot patrol, cleaning the toilets and the GVI blog.

Day Four ~ Tuesday 17th January

2012-05-03T11:35:00.003+01:00

Vinaka vakalevu ~ Thank you very much!

Had a better night's sleep although there was a massive storm and I thought the trees would fall through the roof :L The mariners have such an intense course compared to us and have to have lectures to study fish. It does look very fascinating though. Their course is brand new and involves marine research to protect the fish. Went to a different village today to do the summer school again with a much smaller group of 15 kids. The facepaints were trashed so we could only use blue and red but the kids had so much fun. They also made crowns but tipped half a ton of glitter on them! There were some amazing masks ~ a tiger and some suns. The other kids made bracelets and necklaces. We sat outside, right next to the sea and at lunch time the village women made lemon tea and buttery rotis ~ they were delicious. We then played ball and frisbee with them on the beach. I can't believe this is work! The kids got hold of our cameras. Uh oh! One of them, Vina, took mine and took pictures of EVERYTHING. Consequently, my camera then die. By the end the ground was COVERED in glitter, card, paper, beads and paint. It was worth it though to see the kids so happy and helping each other :). Again it was hard to go as they stood on the beach and waved to us. Aww. When we got back we spent hours painting penne pasta and shells from the beach for the kids to make bracelets and necklaces. For dinner we had potato, beans and fruit. We walked along to Lo's Tea Shop later and had delicious banana cake andd chocolate sauce, whilst digging our toes into the sand of the beach.

Dishing up a pasta lunch

Ruci and a dog :)

Tiger mask!

Rotis and lemon tea

Day Three ~ Monday 16th January

2012-05-01T14:58:00.001+01:00

Sega na Lega ~ No Worries (this will become a tattoo!)

Another night of not so great sleep and had to get up early to go to summer school in a village on another island, one GVI had not yet been to. It took about ten minutes to get there by boat, then we walked to the village hall to meet the chiefs and say 'bula!' We had to wear our sulus (sarongs) and GVI tops. All the kids came and shook our hands individually and then sang a Fijian song which was really sweet. We then went to the school and started setting up and suddenly loads of kids appeared from nowhere. Me, Emily and Nat were in charge of facepainting and head-bands and the other group did masks and drawing. I have never done so much face-painting on so many sweaty faces! Loads of kids were running around with bunny ears and whiskers.. so cute! We then put some pop music on which I hadn't heard in ages, was weird to hear in such a contrasting location. We had lunch and then had to say goodbye! All the kids cling on and its hard to go. We had to jump off the boat back at base and got soaked, such an unusual way to get to work every day. We had ages when we got back so we made lots of crowns and masks for tomorrow. The cooking team made noodles and veg, delicious!

Amelia making a crown!

Mask making

Drawing and colouring :)

Day Two ~ Sunday 15th January

2012-04-29T12:23:00.002+01:00

Bula! ~ Hello!

Planned the holiday school today and decided to take face paint, coloured card, tissue paper and glitter. Couldn't sleep at all for the first night, due to the huge amount of mosquitoes and the heat, although my bed is next to the window. My mosquito net is far too small so I got slightly eaten alive. The dorms are very basic. I share with ten other volunteers with two shared showers and toilets. Luckily, we have one solar light but sometimes it doesn't work and the water can be off for a day. Later in the evening, the generator broke and there was no water for showers or washing. The other dorm found a Huntsman spider, the size of a dinner plate ~ thank god it wasn't in ours! Had curry and rice for dinner, yum! The base is in an amazing location by the sea, it has a well and a shared kitchen. We have cooking teams and shared chores ~ mine is compost and recycling! There's two dogs on base, Matty and Junior and they belong to the three in-house families. There are so many adorable kids running round, impossible to remember names!

Matty?

The kids having fun in the tree

Angela and Matty

Day One ~ Saturday 14th January

2012-04-29T12:15:00.000+01:00

Had to catch up with these blog posts as unfortunately I didn't get the chance to write out there and then came back early cos I got ill :(

The Journey Begins!

Got up really early (6am!) to catch the boat over to our Yasawas base. Met other GVI volunteers at breakfast but also shared a dorm with a few girl volunteers. Haven't met anyone yet who is doing the childcare project for 3 months (like me!) Met a lovely Australian girl called Emily but she's only doing Childcare for 2 weeks ~ she lives so close! Shared a dorm at Aquarius with Sanna from Melbourne, doing the Expedition project, Kristina from the Gold Coast, doing the Marine project and Lydia from Switzerland, also Marine. Everyone's really friendly but people will come and go so will be a big mix. :) The boat journey takes four and a half hours to the base and we spent the time on the deck, island watching. There is no internet on the islands so took the opportunity to email before leaving (there was as I found out later but minimal access). Also bought a Fijian sim card for cheap texts and calls but may not be much phone signal! Nadi town, on the mainland, reminds me of India, loads of little shops and markets selling everything under the sun. We got into town on a rickety old bus with a bicycle bell attached to string which had to be pulled if you wanted to get off! Everything was ridiculously cheap, apart from sarongs ~ strange as everyone wears them. Resorts are expensive too, especially as its tourist season. The islands should be much cheaper. There are many places I would love to go to at the weekends that we have free but it takes so long to get anywhere by boat. It takes 18 hours to get to Taveuni, one of the best islands for exploring and hiking.

Ready for an adventure!

The beautiful islands ~ from the deck of the Yasawa Flyer

Farewell England!!

2012-01-09T23:05:00.001+00:00

The next time I write I will be in the paradise that is Fiji..

Goodbye England! See you in three months and ten days..

As I will be residing on a remote island I may not get to the internet as often as usual, therefore expect updates every week or every other week (should get to a computer most weekends!).

I go on Tuesday!!

2012-01-02T23:53:00.000+00:00

Can't believe I'm off on Tuesday and in less than a week I will be soaking up the Fijian sun.. don't get me wrong though, this is not a holiday!!
Been shopping today as I'm working my way through the extensive kit list.. will literally have to sit on my bag to squash it in..

So far I have a pile that consists of:

2 pairs of baggy shorts
Flip-flops
Hat
4 Sarongs
Chinos
2 pairs of Sunglasses
Waterproof
Towel
Sun cream
Head torch
Normal torch
Cutlery
Mosquito Net
Insect Repellent
Batteries
Detergent
Dry Shampoo
Shampoo
Dry Bag
Rash top
Notebook
Money Belt
Times table book
Paracetamol
Travel tablets
Plasters

Have yet to pack many things such as, long sleeved tops, tees, cossies, school resources, adaptor, water shoes, camera, mug, toiletries, pjs, more light trousers and shorts, more first aid necessities

And the obvious ~ flight tickets, passport, accommodation reservation, insurance deets, etc, etc

Work, Work, Work!!

2011-12-20T13:11:00.002+00:00

I'm now working at Debenhams, Weymouth on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day to get as much Fiji cash as I can!!

On Boxing Day I start at 7am.. ouch!

Can't believe how soon it is now.. 20 days!! Finish work on January 2nd and fly out on the 10th!! Sooo excited :D

Christmas Carols for Fiji?

2011-12-16T12:45:00.001+00:00

I have had a new idea to fundraise for Fiji - carol singing door-to-door and sell mince pies/brownies. A lot of people don't appreciate carol singers so the mince pies is kind of a backup plan..
If I do this I will have to get my singing up to scratch.. and my knowledge of carols.. good idea?
Please comment :)

Sold some more jam to volunteers and youth workers at Dorset Youth Association, the total is now over £120! Thanks guys :)

Nearly at the £3000 mark now, yay!

The Fair at the Fort :)

2011-12-12T10:04:00.001+00:00

The Brownies Christmas Fair event was actually held at the Nothe Fort in Weymouth, not at the school, oops!
Although it was raining I made £13.60 :)
Add that to the rest and the total = £113.31 just from selling jam and brownies, not bad! Thanks people :D

Holy Trinity Brownies Christmas Fair :)

2011-12-08T18:06:00.001+00:00

Made some more jam today... well I helped with the apple coring and the labelling haha! Will be selling some this Sunday 11th December at Holy Trinity Brownies Christmas Fair, Cross Road, Weymouth, so come down and buy some for £2 a jar.. it's a bargain!

Tomorrow I will also bake cakes for the stall at the fair, probably brownies (I have a killer recipe!). They will cost around 30p, 50p if I make bigger ones :P

Also may have a donation box.. every little helps!

All funds raised will go towards my teaching volunteering trip in January - what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to put money towards a good cause, don't be a Scrooge! :)

Not long now!

2011-12-02T17:26:00.001+00:00

Collected the tickets today, thank you Bath Travel! Cannot believe I will be in Fiji in a month and eleven days :D The time has gone so quickly..

Time to start thinking about packing.. Sarongs, mosquito net, bikinis, etc ~ How will I have enough for three months?!

I also have some fundraising plans too.. involving jam, brownies and Christmas, stay tuned...

Such an amazing song :)

2011-12-01T14:21:00.001+00:00

When We Stand Together ~ Nickleback

Love this song, the lyrics are inspirational and highlight exactly what my trip to Fiji is really about.

Move and Learn by Rick Mereki

2011-11-30T23:26:00.001+00:00

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

Story in the Dorset Echo :)

2011-11-29T13:36:00.001+00:00

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

2011-11-24T14:45:00.001+00:00

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 :)

2011-11-22T13:06:00.001+00:00

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!)

2011-11-21T22:01:00.001+00:00

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)

2011-11-21T20:50:00.001+00:00

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 :)

2011-11-15T13:39:00.001+00:00