Vinaka Vaca Levu!

All I can do is sigh in pure happiness of being right now, this second (thank you Leah), in the middle one of the most culturally enlightening and entertaining episodes of my dear travel career.

*sighs in glee*

I have three essays on the brain back-burner and I’m so excited about my new learnings I wake up in the middle of each night and frantically scribble away in a journal that the keyboard is in a jealous rage over! It will all come to the light of the screen soon…if Christmas counts as soon. But I’ve lost all perspective on time. The time is now. And THAT is what I must concentrate on.

Very close to “NOW” is tonight!

And tonight I will sit in this room, with that purple “solu” on, surrounded by a circle of my incredible new Fijian friends….

,

We will chat and laugh and sing for hours all the while performing the ceremonial rites of drinking Kava. We’ll sit in a circle with our legs crossed all the same, and when the Kava is passed to me, I will greet it with a “bula!”, clap my hands once, take the bowl by one hand, drink the “high tide” root water in one swig, return the bowl and announce my gratitude, “Vinaka vaca le vu”, clap three times and return to my conversation on the meaning of the last song sung, or my training in the Fijian dance of “mecce” or a translation of the Fijian language, or an explanation of Fijian joke.

Sound interesting? Mysterious? Exciting?

It IS!!!

And I must go….for “now” calls! And don’t worry….it will ALL be explained….and they keyboard will have it’s sweet revenge.

Fiji Photo Album

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Australia – New Zealand – Fiji Itinerary

This is the itinerary (covering the next three months) that I just typed up for our LEAPnow semester students …

Sept 19: Depart U.S. for Nadi, Fiji

Sept 21: Arrive Fiji

Sept 21-23: Orientation

Sept 24-Oct 5: Work with Habitat for Humanity

Building low-cost houses for underprivileged families.

Oct 7: Fly to Sydney, Australia

Oct 8: Tour Sydney

Oct 9: A.M. Train to Brisbane

Oct 10-25: Arrive at ATCV Site

(“Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers”) We will participate in rugged outdoor conservation work for two weeks in the country surrounding Brisbane.

Oct 25-29: Chenrezig Buddhist Retreat Center

4 days at this peaceful retreat center receiving an introduction to yoga and meditation and having a chance for some reflection.

Oct 30: Fly to Alice Springs (Australia’s Red Center)

Oct 31-Nov 4: Aboriginal Cultural Tour and Trek

We will spend one week in the Red Center, the heart of the Aboriginal culture, visiting important Aboriginal landmarks like Uluru (“Ayers Rock”), hearing tales of the Dreamtime (traditional stories of the Ancestors) and learning about Aboriginal song, dance and body painting.

Nov 5: Fly to Brisbane

Nov 6-9: Kroombit Ranch

An authentic Australian Ranch where we will be participating in a variety of outdoor adventure activities including abseiling, ropes courses, four-wheel driving, bush dancing and goat mustering!

Nov 9: Train to Cairns

Nov 11-15: Dive & Sail the Great Barrier Reef (SCUBA course)

2 days pool & theory, 3 days & 2 nights “liveaboard” on a 140 ft tall ship learning to SCUBA dive on one of the most fascinating natural environments on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef.

Nov 16-17: Cairns

Nov 18: Fly to Christchurch, New Zealand

Nov 19-Dec 4: Cultural Travel and Adventure in NZ

Two weeks traveling around New Zealand’s South and North Islands visiting alps, caves, glacier valleys, lakes, volcanoes, waterfalls and adventuring in rafts, speed boats and trekking by foot and hoof.

Dec 5: Students Fly to U.S.

Dec 5-18: (I continue to travel solo-style in New Zealand.)

This makes up for the five years that I asked Santa for a snoopy-snow-cone machine and didn’t find it under the tree. ;)

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