Global Classrooms Blog

Monday- Naweni Primary, and quiet Fijian children yelling at trucks.

We have moved to another island called Vanua Levu, and are now teaching near Savusavu at a small school called Naweni Primary. It is much smaller, and more remote than where we have been teaching on Taveuni Island.

Although Savusavu is a larger city with comparatively more wealth and prestige, (Tony Robbins’ resort is here) the schools nearby are impoverished. As we do our first visit, I notice most of the building in which we are working is condemmed, but with no alternative, school is going on.

Lori, Genna, Margaret, and I enter the school while the kids are being led in morning devotions. This is common for Fijians, (who consider themselves a Christian nation) even for a public school.

The devotions are done in Fijian by the principal, Mr Ilisoni, who introduces us. As Lori is asked to address the kids, she stands and tells a bit about our plans for the week.

Because of our past experiences with Fijian children, and their habits of whispering at us in class, Lori jokes that we American teachers are a little hard of hearing, and asks them to please speak loudly enough in class for us to hear them. 

The principal then stands and says something in Fijian which causes an explosion of laughter. After a translation from Margaret, we learn he has told the kids that if we ask them to speak in class, they are to answer loudly….so loudly, that the trucks going by on the road can hear them!

Lori heads over to the kindergarten at an nearby school, Viani Primary, and Genna and I excitedly set off to our classrooms.

I am teaching classes 7 & 8 today, and I repeat my lesson on Fijian endangered animals, while Genna does her lessons on Stellaluna and “What is a Million” with the classes 3-6.

I end my day with asking my students if they wouldn’t mind singing the Fijian National Anthem, and they oblige me happily.

They sing in perfect unison, and harmony.

I watch one of my new students, Apenisa while he sings with closed eyes, and a large smile. I don’t think any country has a more beautiful song, or more compelling singers

……For Fiji, ever Fiji……

We’re He-re……

Well, mostly we’re here. After a great flight from LAX, then haggling with customs over our very over-weight boxes of supplies in Fiji, they decide to let us onto our seaplane to Taveuni- sans luggage. No worries, or in Fijian, “Sega na leqa” kind of a “hakuma matada” ( which incidentely has been playing in my head ALL DAY) at least my carry-on has all the crucial items thanks to some very fabulous advice from Lori.

We arrive at Maravu Plantation, which will be our home for the next ten days. Each of us is greeted with a coconut that is topped with a flower and has a straw sticking out of it. It’s so incredibly Fijian and beautiful that I want to carry it around with me forever. Okay, maybe I watched too many episodes of Gilligan’s Island when I was a kid, but to me, this is heaven. I’m going to really like it here.

Our hosts in Fiji are warm and have a glow in their eyes when they smile. They already know all our names. I’ll swear they must have our pictures taped up in the kitchen labeled with our names……how do they do this?

It’s Saturday, (we lost Friday somewhere while flying over the equator) and we decide to explore the local beach. We wonder where all the people are. Then we realize it is only about 8 in the morning. We meet a couple of expats from the US. They live in Australia, and have come to Fiji to dive. We tell them about our plans to teach in the local schools. The wife is a surgeon who also volunteers her skills in emerging countries. As they applaud our endeavor, I think of how lucky we are to be able to do this.

Since we have no boxes to organize, and it’s not a school day, we decide to spend the afternoon soaking up the Fijian sun and surf. Genna and Caroline find a kayak and entertain us with their imitation of Columbus and Magellan. Then the tide goes out and we are able to walk into the water and see the coral reef which is now just inches below the surface. And I thought I’d have to buy a water camera to take photos of fish! A huge blue starfish tempts us, but we try and remember the “don’t touch” rule of observing the reefs. We snap his photo instead.

On Sunday we take a drive to Bouma Falls and meet some of the students we’ll be working with. They take us up the falls and laugh at us Genna and I hold hands and jump. They are shy with us, but nonetheless, enchanting. We’ve made a connection.

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