Archive for August, 2009

The Think Pacific team proudly introduces a new face to our overseas operations! Tim Hooper will be taking on the role of expedition leader for the next 10 months, living alongside our volunteers in the rural communities, offering support and guidance and leading the many project aims and adventure activities. 

Tim has been to Fiji twice before, in 2004 and 2006. On both of these occasions, he lived in Wainunu, in a remote area of Vanua Levu, northern Fiji, where he gained experience of kaiviti life and enjoyed teaching in a rural school and helping with community projects. Tim  has just finished a masters in Property Management alongside a part time job in construction, so he is well placed to help out our Fijian building managers!  His fun and relaxed personality make him the perfect candidate to settle our volunteers into  ‘Fiji time’ and ease them into the culture shock. We’re hoping his rugby skills will come in great use for some fun Think Pacific matches against the local teams (he’s certainly the only one in our team who can match the Fijians in size and strength!)  Harry has known Tim for many years and we are delighted that he has decided to join the Think Pacific family!

Following his intensive first aid training in the UK, Tim has spent the past month working with Benjy, Harry, Jack, and the local villagers as we get the final preparations in place to welcome our September volunteers to Fiji on the 5th.

The next expedition is just around the corner, and we can’t wait for it to get underway!

With the expedition almost at an end, there was just enough time for some last minute shopping for ice creams, Fijian handicrafts and souvenirs before arriving at Nadi Bay and Mama’s lodge.  In preparation for their flight home, Abi and Matty visited the hospital to check their cuts and bites. Abi has been an absolute warrior battling with a badly cut leg and swollen foot since about day one of her trip, and we are all extremely impressed and proud that she stuck through the expedition until the end. Abi has visited clinic waiting rooms with our expedition leaders across the country, always with a smile.  It is for this reason that she deservedly achieved the honour of the now infamous ‘Abi Heath Award for Determination’!  An award we’ll continue for future expeditions, so her name and courage may continue!

With the afternoon sun beating down, the team sat in the shade beside the pool for a project feedback session conducted by Simon. It is so important to receive the thoughts and ideas from the team so we can make Think Pacific better and better for future volunteers, and for the communities of Fiji who our projects support.  It was immense to have so much constructive feedback on all elements of the trip and to see how much the expedition, Think Pacific and Daku village has meant to everyone. Fiji, it seems, really has had the amazing impact we hoped it would have upon our volunteers.

It is touching to see how many volunteers are already making plans for return trips to Fiji to visit Daku village and see their Fijian families.  It’s also great to see members of the team expressing their interest in applying for expedition leader jobs with Think Pacific.  We could certainly put the talents of our volunteers to the full potential working on the staff team one day!

The final evening saw a barbeque, an awards ceremony and a speeches. Nicola read out a poem for the team (the “cheers”) written by the TP girls, and in the comedy moment of the evening, Harry saved the famous  tp trophy coconut from a tourist’s machete!

Everyone was missing Daku and over drinks, which went on until the early morning, we all sat up telling stories and laughing and looking back at an incredible project.

As well as the first homework classes and the completion of so many building aims, this has been the team that brought us the TP Olympics, the establishment of project specific committees and the most successful village festival ever to be held in Daku. We’ve had the first plays, aerobics and contemporary dances for the village children, the first health and hygiene lessons and the first time a group of ‘tourists’ on Moturiki have ever mastered the  ‘meke’ or made such an impression and given so much time, energy and care to the village children.

It has seen the start of cricket, rounders and soccer,  the first structured TP coaching sessions for the rugby team and the beginning of the institution that will become the TP Ashes! 

As the team left for the airport the next day, with Sophie saying goodbye first and then the majority of the team flying out in the evening,  it was emotional, with chants of ‘TP, TP’ and hugs and tears at the airport, it was a very sad moment to see our volunteers head through the gate.  With Oli, the remaining TP volunteer, due to fly out early the next morning, we headed back to the beach for dinner. At midnight, we burnt the Think Pacific Olympic Trophy on a bonfire to create the TP ashes and chatted until the early hours about Fiji.

July 09 team will forever be remembered by people of Daku as the start of something very special. So much of this team’s spirit and ideas will be carried forward for years to come. So much work lies ahead for Think Pacific as we make sure our volunteer teams keep making a huge and sustained difference to the villages of Moturiki, to make sure we fulfil the development targets of our local partners and to endeavour to provide our teams with the best, most rewarding experience of their life.  It’s been a huge learning curve for our volunteers and the Think Pacific team, but one thing is for sure, we’ve loved every minute and we’ll never forget July 09.

Vinaka Vaka Levu to all our volunteers. You’ve done a tremendous job and it’s been an absolute privilege

Take care, keep in touch and we hope to see you in Fiji again soon.

Lolomas,

Simon, Harry and Benjy x

The final day and evening in Daku was amazing. The TP team volunteered to take sabbath in the morning with readings, English hymns and fabulous plays and songs with the kindi children. A lot of work had been put in by our volunteers. Hanna gave a wonderful speech before Nicola narrated a very creative  bible play. In the afternoon the village ladies used their brand new kitchen to cook a fabulous meal, with the whole community coming together to eat and enjoy fresh fish, vegetables and later, mountains of cakes, scones and pancakes!  The evening was spent sat around the grog bowl, enjoying Fijian dancing and Kava until 3am.

Leaving the village the next day was an emotional affair. We were due to leave at 9am. The villagers were up early and tried to prevent the team from leaving for as long as possible!  By 11am the team were all still dancing in the community hall.  As we said our goodbyes and our words of thanks for the community’s wonderful hospitality, we set off for the long walk to the boat. The entire village and the team set off down the beach to the boat. Halfway along an impromptu dance kicked off with Pai playing the guitar and everyone singing along, the Fijians led the conga and we stayed for a while longer at the end of Daku’s beach, singing and dancing – totally surreal!  

Led by the Ratu, the whole village walked the team through the next village of uluibau, and then through a swamp. Finally reaching the sea, the emotion overwhelmed everyone, singing isa isa and hugging their family and friends in the village with tears and sad goodbyes, it was clear what a huge impression the volunteer team has had upon the village, how much the local people cared about them and how close the volunteers had become to their Fijian families over the past few weeks…this is what is so special about Fiji!

A hugely emotional end to the volunteer’s experiences in Daku and after the tearful goodbyes it was back over to Caqalai and the afternoon, to greet the wonderful staff and enjoy an afternoon to relax and look back upon the past few eye-opening weeks.