Heading home

We are getting ready to board our flight home. We will send an email when we arrive to LAX and email updates for ETA to Parker.


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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Batilamu Summit

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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Awesome grill. Awesome trip

Bula,

We had a very nice culminating meal at Awesome grill near our hostel in Nadi. We were able to reflect on our time together and also celebrate our incredible in country guide, Henry. Henry has shepherded us throughout our time on the island and he embodies the qualities of the Fijian people we have seen over these two weeks. He is joyful, kind, patient, and humble. We are thankful for Henry and the rest of our hosts for making this trip so special.


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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

at Nase Lodge

The night was an interesting one to say the least. Henry Diamond-Pott '18 sleep walked three different times. He walked outside each time, yelled "Who's there!" at anyone that moved, and doesn't remember a thing. Laurent Cotter '19 got up and yelled "Juakeen!" during the night as well. Most of us slept in to about 9am and then ate oatmeal, banana bread and fresh pineapple for breakfast. The group decided to do a 2.5 hour waterfall hike after breakfast. On our way to the waterfall, we saw a wild white horse, spiders the size of our hands, and large banyon trees. After sweating profusely in the humid jungle, we finally reached the 200 foot waterfall. We immediately swam in the small pool at the base of the waterfall and ate snacks to rejuvinate. We took many photos with the few digital cameras that we had on the large boulders along the stream. While continuing on the hike, we came across a beautiful view of the ocean in the distance, the city of Lautoka, and the giant cliffs that surrounded us. After reaching the lodge, we ate some gormet PB&J sandwitches with multiple peanut butter and jelly options. In the afternoon, we napped and played numerous card games of hearts, speed and Uno. We also played about five games of catch phrase and took turns taking freezing showers using just a bucket. Jula Harrington '18, JT Melbourn '18, Sofia Carillo '18 and our chaperone Mr. Spearn were our fantastic cooks for the day. For dinner, they made delicious burritos wth rice, beans, peppers, onions, tomatoes and cilantro. We finished up the night with a group meeting led by today's leader, Lia Redfern '18. We pulled each other's names out of a hat and shared a spirit animal that we each thought embodied the name. Before bed, we played more card games and prepared our bags for our main 4-5 hour trek tomorrow. Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to my parents because today is their 25th wedding anniversary and I wish them the best!

Off to Abatha

Oh how the mighty fall. Today the group woke up not feeling so well on both ends of the poop scale. A chill morning in, a collective group nap, and a heartfelt goodbye to the school helped some of the team recover in time for our 2 hour afternoon bus ride to Lautoka. While there, the group separated into teams to exchange money, buy dinner, and buy food for the next few days on the trek. From Lautoka, the group rode in the back of some trucks to Abatha, a small town 1500 feet above sea level. The truck ride was on a very isolated and hectic dirt path. Sarina Jassy '18 noted some similarities to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Jula Harrington '18 reported sights of multiple horses chasing after her group's truck but JT Melbourn '18 claims he saw them first. The cabin we are staying in now is called Nase Lodge. Tomorrow the group looks forward to sleeping in, improved health, and some light treking. The group also wants to wish their dads a Happy Father's Day!

A day at Nakavadra school

We began our day by waking up in our village hostile around 7:30. Led by Lia Redfern, we walked to the high school to eat breakfast and get ready for the rest of the busy day. Energized by the delicious meal of watermelon, kula kula, naan bread, and bread with butter, we gathered in separate groups to visit different classrooms. I visited a 12th grade geography classroom, in which the students studied agriculture and the impact of sugar. One of the students shared her math notes and tests with me, and I was surprised to see the similarities amongst our studies. Just like us, the Fijian students are studying pre-calculus, and memorizing formulas for slope, functions, and logs. I really appreciated the students excitement to openly share their work and aspects of their culture. Each students welcomed us with open arms and seemed beyond thrilled to get to know us and our individual backgrounds/ lifestyles. We spoke with the students and shared and compared our sports, extracurricular activities, classes, and workloads. While describing the scenery of a city, the Fijian students were intrigued by the differences in landscape and astounded as we described skyscrapers and skylines.

After communicating with the students, we went to lunch to eat chicken, bean, or egg sandwiches. Then, it was our turn to contribute to their community after they had welcomed us. We all worked together in painting chairs, and digging holes to build brand new benches for the students to relax during freetime. During this time we were able to interact with the Fijians as they prepared the cement for the benches. I was surprised to see the students so willing to help in manual labor during their school day. After the day of working, we finished the day by playing a variety of sports (net ball, soccer, spike ball) with the local villagers. For me, the biggest culture shock was walking into the school classrooms. They were obviously very different from ours at Parker, in that the wooden desks were stuffed with papers and there were no computers in sight. Today was a great introduction into the life of a Fijian student, and life in the Raki Raki village.

Suva

Whattup parents from Suva, my favorite city in Fiji!

I have been looking forward to today since the beginning of the trip because we got to see an international rugby match. It was super exciting to watch the Fijian national team play against Scotland. It was very similar to being at an American sporting event; every time the Fijians scored the crowd cheered and screamed. The public buses leaving the game were basically party buses, filled with excited fans dancing to the music from the radio. After the game we went to the mall where we found food and explored the nearby port with massive fish heads for sale.

I thoroughly enjoyed today because we got to see life in the biggest city in Fiji. The rugby game was thrilling and made me wonder why it isn't more popular in the US.

We only have 3 more days left in Fiji, and as much as I can't wait to return home, I will definitely miss the island of Viti Levu and the amazing people we have met while here.

Looking forward to our last few days of rest and relaxation!

-JT

We arrived to Suva

Bula

Wi fi is very limited. We hope to update our followers with some blog posts about our recent adventures soon. We are headed to the stadium to watch Fiji take on Scotland in rugby 15s.

Alec Rox [our entire group rocks actually]

Bula,

Sorry we've been dark for so long. We hope to update you all soon with blog posts for each of our past few days.

Despite battling some stomach bugs, our group has completed our community engagement phase and our trekking phase, and we are reunited once again after twice being separated due to illness.

We look forward to exploring the southern part of the island over the next 4 days.

More posts coming soon...


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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Sunday in Fiji 🇫🇯

We woke up this morning to a beautiful day; bright blue skies stretched as far as the eye could see, framed with mountains to the south and rising sun in the east. Walking out of our room, we were greeted with the burning sun marking the hottest day of our trip so far. We went to breakfast and had some amazing chocolate cake. Then we took a short walk down the main road to the local church and we took a seat in the back of the church. It was a wonderful experience, complete with beautiful singing, prayers and hymns. The preacher asked our group to volunteer a chaperone and a few students to speak on behalf of the group to the entire congregation. Jarrad Phillips, our fearless leader spoke accompanied by Sarina Jassy, Nick Miller and Lia Redfern. Jarrad encapsulated all of our sentiments and echoed the discrepancy between wealth in the United States,

and the overwhelming wealth of joy and happiness in the village of Raki Raki. Lia described the village as a second home for all of us, and we left the church feeling like we never wanted to leave.

After leaving the church, we returned to our room and cleared the floor of mattresses and sleeping bags to choreograph a dance for our ceremony at night. Led by Sarina Jassy, we all learned a two minute group dance to "Despacito". 

After learning the dance we went to lunch and then played spikeball and cards for a few hours. After that our entire group joined in with the locals in preparing for the luau taking place that night. We peeled roots and shredded coconuts. We braised the chicken and placed it in palm fronds which we then braided into elegant knots. A huge fire was built and we placed the food in it then covered it in banana leaves and tarps to keep the heat in. 

Later that night we all met for our last dinner together. After some wise words from the rugby coach and the principal, we all dug in to the food. For our nightly entertainment we performed the dance choreographed by Sarina to such excitement that we actually performed it twice! After watching some more dances and singing, we left the school to return back to our rooms. It was a long day, but filled with happiness and laughter. We spent so much time with our new friends, playing games and dancing, and enjoying the wonderful hospitality in Fiji. We are sad to leave the village tomorrow and the love and friendship here, but we look forward to the trek ahead and experiencing more of this beautiful country. 

Fijian musical chairs 🎶

We finished the yesterday with a great meal, touch rugby, playing with the students and a bonfire that included musical chairs (don't worry... it was all safe)


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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Playing with the Fijian kids has been one of our highlights

We hope to share some videos of our after dinner dance parties too :)
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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Go nakauvadra go!

Heading to watch the semi-final rugby match for nakauvadra high school.

We get to ride the bus with the team to Vatukoula to play Nilsen high.

We will keep you posted on the score 

Community Engagement Phase

Day 2: Thursday, June 16

Today, we spent 3 hours on a bus from Nadi to Raki Raki, with a stop in Lautoka.  After the three hour bus ride, we boarded the back of trucks with large covers over the beds, and we headed off to the village of Raki Raki. Before entering the village, we all had to put on our sarongs/sulus in order to show respect towards the elders.

We arrived in the village outside Raki Raki, and we settled in to our home for the next four nights. The Fijians in this community welcomed us with open arms!  The residents of this island nation are all very friendly.  Every time we enter our home, we must remove our shoes as a sign of respect. Sunglasses and hats are not permitted in the village. Our guide, Henry, explained to us how the villages thrives and the six different "classes" of tribes in the villages. Every village has a carpenter tribe, fisherman tribe, priestly tribe, chiefly tribe, warrior tribe, and the recently diffused slavery tribe. Since the village is male dominated, a Fijian identifies with their father's birth-given tribe. During important ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, or big holidays, everyone helps out with their appointed positions based on their tribe.

We settled in, then we walked up the King's Highway to the school where we took part in the first of two kava ceremonies. Kava is a non-alcoholic drink that is made from the kava root. It is a signature item in Fijian culture. The completion of the kava ceremony gives us permission to stay in the village and use their facilities. We bought the kava in Nadi and presented it to the spokesperson for the chief; the village presented us with liquid kava in return. The ceremony consists of mixing kava root with water and then ceremonially offering a coconut to all the guests. Kava has an anesthetic effect on the tongue and throat which is a weird sensation

There were two ceremonies because technically the school is one community and the other is the community of the village. The community ceremony was small, consisting of us and a handful of representatives outside our homestay. The other ceremony, despite being more casual, was more impressive, and it included Fijian dancing!  After introducing ourselves to the high school, we were given lays.  The ceremonies officially welcome us to the community. I was a little but nervous about drinking Kava for the first time as I didn't want to spit it out on accident, or worse. It all went well.

After the ceremonies, we had dinner separately at the school followed by dancing. The food was prepared by young women at the high school. It consisted of rice, stir fry and chicken. Fijians love music and dancing, and we got a chance to join in the fun after dinner. It seemed that most of the moves were impromptu involving the hips and the hands. Almost all of us danced to the music, which was a mix of Fijian and Spanish music. I did not know what to expect in terms of music, but I was not disappointed.

Tomorrow, we begin our work at the high school. I look forward to working on the high school buildings that were badly damaged in a recent typhoon. Our interactions with the locals have all been positive and group morale is high. I look forward to the rest of the trip going as smoothly.

Waiting for departure

 We had a nice bus ride to LAX. Boarding the plane soon.

Fiji Day 1, 2 or 3???

Bula! Today was arguably the longest day of all of our lives. We
landed in Nadi at 6 in the morning and went through customs and
finally got out by 7:30. The surrounding area around the airport is
completely different from San Diego. After we exited the airport, we
all crammed into two vans and headed to our hostile. As we headed to
our hostel, we were able to look at the surrounding area and children
running to their school bus. Our Fijian tour guide, Henry, answer all
of our questions about the surrounding area and gave us insight on
Fiji.

Once we got to our hostel, we ate breakfast and headed out to the
market. The feeling in the market and in Fiji is positive and kind.
Everyone says bula to us, which is a huge change from the American
culture. Being surrounded by such positivity and smiling faces makes
the long plane ride and lack of sleep worth it. While at the market,
we got the best pineapple that any of us have ever had!

When we got back to the hostel, we all threw on our bathing suits and
headed out to ocean and spent two hours playing spike ball and
volleyball. While playing volleyball, three people from Britain,
Germany, and France all asked to join the game and they played with us
for a while. After playing in the sun and due to a lack of sleep, we
all became very tired, and the meeting Nessa, our expedition leader
planned was cancelled because we were all falling asleep as she was
talking. We all headed to bed and were asleep by 9.

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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Landed safely in Nadi

Sent from my iPadBula folks! Today is the first blog entry :) Our journey started today
when we all met at Parker at 5 pm. I was excited and kind of nervous,
but I thought nothing could go wrong with how prepared I was. Well,
sure enough when I first arrived and coach Phillips asked me, "one
question, do you have your passport" I realized that I had forgotten
just that. Probably the single most important item on this trip and I
had left it at home. Not to panic though, we were able to work out a
meeting location with my mom and the driver at the Westfield mall in
north county--so I just want to say now sorry for the inconvenience to
the group. Anyways, long story short, through the anxiety and all, I
was able to get my passport and am finally off to Fiji (hopefully)
prepared.

We made it to LAX approximately around 8 pm. Then, we went through the
usual steps of flight travel: baggage check, security, and etc. JT,
our group leader for the day, did a wonderful job seamlessly guiding
the group to the gate. When we arrived at our gate we sat around in a
circle and went over rules and safety. During this time, I had a
chance to ask some people what they're most excited and fearful about.
Jula Harrington 18' says "I'm most excited to meet our host families."
When asking Nick Miller 18' what he's most afraid of he simply goes:
"the food."

After our group meeting we were able to go out into the airport and
get some dinner. Luckily, everyone made it back to the gate by 10:20
(JT's decided meet up time) and we started to board the plane at
10:45.

Now, even with my passport mayhem, I'm still having great time with
all my friends and I can't wait to see what awaits us in the journey
ahead.

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Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA
www.francisparker.org | @francisparkersc | facebook.com/francisparkerschool

*As Far As The Mind Can See*

Build up day

Trip planning was a success. Students were able to review expectations
and go over itinerary.

We hope to update this blog daily but that will depend on our wifi availability on the island.