Moce Fiji, It's Been Lovely!

Hey there Family & Friends, its Becky the token Canadian writing to you this week! So lets get straight into this update, we are currently in Suva on our second free travel day in Fiji. In the past week we have finished the Togovere driveway, Climbed a mountain, Trekked through the Fijian Rain Forrest and of course made tons of new friends. The Highlights have been on Sunday which was "Maqu Day" the North American equivalent to Father's Day. It was basically a day to spend with your hot family, relax, eat lots of food and take even more naps. And not to be forgotten was Kim's extremely memorable 18th birthday celebrated in the village, she was dressed head to toe in traditional clothing, the pictures are priceless. We finished up the driveway on Monday so we had the rest of the week for activities. On Tuesday majority of the group braved the Strong winds and climbed Mt. Nakovandra (that's a 5 hour trek there and back!!) Lots of stories and laughs from that trip. On Wednesday we were fortunate enough to go to the Fiji Water plant for a tour in the morning then to Drauniivi Public School in the afternoon. I'll never forget how the children swarmed us as we got out of the truck. We were overwhelmed with smiling faces, whispering kids and loud laughter. In the classroom the kids were so happy just to play a couple rounds of "Heads Up, 7 Up" with us. That night we put on visitor night for our village. Boy! Do we know how to show them a night of fun! Thanks to Kara's organization we SUCCESSFULLY put on a fashion show demonstrating all the different ways to wear a sarong, a couple musical performances by our very own FANZ-tastic band consisting of the guitar stylings of Stephen, Myself (Becky) on vocals, and the man with the rhythm, Ben J. on drums. It was a night to remember. On the following night was the villages farewell to us. I'm happy to say I think I've drank my last bowl of Kava. For those that don't know (like I didn't) Kava is a traditional drink made from pepper root. Its served at the traditional welcoming and farewell ceremonies, lets just say its an acquired taste! After a night of Kava and dancing we were off to sleep for our last night in Togovere. With an emotional send off on Friday morning, saying goodbye to our loving host families, our Nau & Maqus (Mom & Dads), we were off to Suva, Fiji's capital. We are now at the Rain tree Lodge just outside of Suva soaking up the last little bit of Fijian Culture that we can till we are off once again to New Zealand. To give our group a Triangle Check (as Amanda would say)
Our Minds- are with the ones we love and yet thinking of the next leg in our adventure, Auckland NZ

Bodies - Mosquito bitten, a little burnt (and peeling in some cases) but feeling refreshed.

Spirits - optimistic, hopeful and encouraged.

The end this lovely view into our days, I leave you with some Fijian words of wisdom.
"Wele Mele" meaning Chill out!! :)

Till next time,
Becky Vandekleut

Fijian Village

Bula,
Fiji is awesome! We are all having the time of our lives, and we hope that all is going well at home, wherever that is. This week we were introduced to our village and our Fijian families. I think we all feel right at home as we were welcomed very warmly and enthusiastically. Everyone is extremely nice, sometimes overwhelmingly so, and we have found that the kids fallow us everywhere.
The work we are doing is good honest work but does not seem this way because the atmosphere is lots of fun. Who knew building a driveway was so slow and so much work. What would take a day with a cement truck and proper materials takes weeks here. It is alright though we are learning to appreciate even the smallest bits of infrastructure in a small village like this.
Houses are small and the food is different but i, and i think the whole group, find it very enjoyable. I dont think many of us even miss most of the small luxuries that are taken for granted in everyday living in the US. All is well.

Bula from Fiji

Bula! Hello! Gaby here-
What a dream it has been over the last few days! (Besides for the 10 hour plane ride of course.) All of us met safely at LAX and were ready to start our adventure. After the exhausting plane ride and the experience at customs we were ready to see our beach side paradise. After one car ride of driving on the wrong side of the road and a relaxing boat ride in the crystal clear blue water, we arrived at the Bekana Gardens (which i must say completely exceeded all of our expectations.) From the breath taking beautiful beach (that is 10 steps away from our room), to the magnificently friendly staff, to the exquisite food and luscious plants that surround the island, we couldn't have dreamed of a more heavenly place to get to know each other and start what is seeming to be a life changing trip. All of us are getting along great, like we have been friends forever. Our talks only seem to get more interesting and we all get a little bit closer with every one. So for all those parents (including mine) who are worried for even the smallest reason about your baby; were great. The next adventure we are about to embark on is in a small village where we are going to be staying with Fijian families for about a week or so. We most likely wont be able to write when we are there. However the next possible chance we get you will be receiving more info. Well thats all for now!

Sincerely,
The newly claimed Fijian,
Gaby Fusco

Notes from the airport

Well, it's official, they're together and ready! The group leaders just gave me a call and they have their full group - yes, everyone is there! In about three hours they'll be airborne and embarking on a journey of three-months and a thousand experiences.

Yours in spirit and adventure,
Ethan

Greetings from Amanda and Steven!!!

The sky is blue and spirits high here in Portland as we prepare for our upcoming trip. There are so many great adventures ahead of us, and we are so psyched to get to know each fellow adventurer and dig into our team journey through the South Pacific.


If you're feeling the pre-trip butterflies, enjoy them! Excitement comes in many flavors, and we appreciate them all.

Look for posts here about once a week as we soak in the Fijian culture, farm and haka in New Zealand, and melt through the Outback of Australia!

Cheers,
FANZ crew