Monday, July 12, 2010

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Baby Koala

After Bush Dancing

Petting kangaroos and wallabies

Another Great Day!

Day 19 July 10th

Today we woke up at 7:30 had breakfast at 8:30 and loaded the coach at 9:30. We first went to the Botanical Gardens in Cairns. We walked through the rainforest boardwalk and saw many interesting trees and plants. We saw tropical and equatorial plants as well as orchids and lots of exotic species of plants. We then drove 45 minutes to the Rain Forestation National Park where we had a build a burger lunch that the kids really enjoyed. We then tried our hand at aboriginal painting some with more success than others. We then watched aboriginal tribal dances from the Far North Queensland. From there we saw a demonstration on how to throw a boomerang and then we got to try to throw one for ourselves, some boomerangs came back and others were lost in the forest. After throwing the boomerangs we got to watch a demonstration on how to play a didgeridoo’s, it was very interesting to see and then we tried it out for ourselves. We saw how they threw spears. That was amazing that a little spear could go that far. We then got on a amphibious vehicle which took us through a guided tour of the rainforest where we saw many dangerous plants as well as plants that people used for medicine. It was amazing to go from driving on land then right into the water. It was very exciting and educational. After the ride we had a chance to eat ice cream and take a break. Then the most exciting thing of all we got to have our picture taken with a koala. Each one of us was able to hold the Koala which was soft and cuddly. They took our picture and we will be taking that picture home. The day even got better when they let us into an area where we were able to pet and feed kangeroo’s and wallabies. We had another exciting surprise. A mother koala had a baby a few months ago and it was awake and walking around. It was truly amazing. We then had dinner at the park and was entertained by an Australian Bush Dancer. We thought we were done but he made us get up and participate in the most fun and crazy dances ever. We had another great day. We are now back at the hotel and finishing up our journals and preparing for our final day in Australia tomorrow.

Another Great Day!

Day 19 July 10th

Today we woke up at 7:30 had breakfast at 8:30 and loaded the coach at 9:30. We first went to the Botanical Gardens in Cairns. We walked through the rainforest boardwalk and saw many interesting trees and plants. We saw tropical and equatorial plants as well as orchids and lots of exotic species of plants. We then drove 45 minutes to the Rain Forestation National Park where we had a build a burger lunch that the kids really enjoyed. We then tried our hand at aboriginal painting some with more success than others. We then watched aboriginal tribal dances from the Far North Queensland. From there we saw a demonstration on how to throw a boomerang and then we got to try to throw one for ourselves, some boomerangs came back and others were lost in the forest. After throwing the boomerangs we got to watch a demonstration on how to play a didgeridoo’s, it was very interesting to see and then we tried it out for ourselves. We saw how they threw spears. That was amazing that a little spear could go that far. We then got on a amphibious vehicle which took us through a guided tour of the rainforest where we saw many dangerous plants as well as plants that people used for medicine. It was amazing to go from driving on land then right into the water. It was very exciting and educational. After the ride we had a chance to eat ice cream and take a break. Then the most exciting thing of all we got to have our picture taken with a koala. Each one of us was able to hold the Koala which was soft and cuddly. They took our picture and we will be taking that picture home. The day even got better when they let us into an area where we were able to pet and feed kangeroo’s and wallabies. We had another exciting surprise. A mother koala had a baby a few months ago and it was awake and walking around. It was truly amazing. We then had dinner at the park and was entertained by an Australian Bush Dancer. We thought we were done but he made us get up and participate in the most fun and crazy dances ever. We had another great day. We are now back at the hotel and finishing up our journals and preparing for our final day in Australia tomorrow.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Remember to meet your kids at the Airport.

Hello parents, Our wonderful journey is coming to and end and I know you must be excited to see your wonderful kids soon. The flight schedule is:

Laura and Gay's group will be at LAX at 7:00am July 13th
Connie and Brian's group will be in San Francisco at 1:00pm July 13th

See everybody there. We have many awesome stories that we will be tell you for the rest of our lives.
Connie

A couple of our scuba divers

Snorkeling with our tour guide

Ready to snorkel the GBR

Great Barrier Reef July 10th

To all the families,

Today I woke up with the anticipation of swimming in the Great Barrier Reef. I have always heard about the GBR in the news and from school. It’s so massive that one can see the GBR from space. I learned that the GBR is actually not one singular reef but a collection of over 2900 smaller reefs; an interesting fact for sure. Anyway, the weather was not the greatest; cloudy skies with a forecast for a light shower and winds of 20 knots (about 22 mph). I remember our bus driver said that at 25 knots, snorkeling is an activity involving the ingested of copious amounts of salt water through a big straw. I knew it was a joke but it made me somewhat anxious about the trip. This bus driver, the one we had when we first arrived in Cairns, was nowhere to be seen when the bus arrived at the resort. I saw that we had a new bus and driver, whose name is Andrew. He’s definitely not as talkative as Daniel, our previous bus driver, but his bus is amazing; leather seats and blue night lights are a big plus. Upon arrival to the reef terminal, we waited as we received our boarding passes and I took a good look around. Our boat is a twin hull boat, designed to ride on top of the water in order to cruise at high speed across the open waters. Unfortunately, as I later learned when I and my peers boarded the ship, the high speed skimming of the ocean water also means the ride was very turbulent and bumpy. I don’t normally get seasick, but I did not feel 100% during that trip. However, some friends and I discovered some fresh air out on the top deck of the boat and passed our time having the wind blow our hair backwards on the top deck.

In the middle of the ocean, I saw a singular white platform amongst a sea of brown, green and blue. I soon realized that this was the platoon from which we were to snorkel from. It’s a rather large platoon and it was nice and comfortable, complete with a buffet line and bar. Of course, we were only allowed to have cokes or water. Since I was in the second snorkel tour group, I spent my first half hour eating from the buffet line. One of the things I saw was that the wetsuits they provided covered one’s body entirely, complete with a sort of helmet/head cap that made everyone look like black or blue ninjas. It was rather hilarious. But, I had to don one myself and I walked on over to the side of the platoon and got my flipper on in preparation for the snorkel tour. It was an amazing one indeed. I saw all sorts of corals and marine life. One of the most interesting types was a coral that had little tentacles that drew back inside when you touched it. Our snorkel tour guide put his hand on the coral and a small hand print was left on the coral. I even got to touch some of the soft coral and they felt like furry sponges. It was an interesting sensation. Once the tour was over, I couldn’t wait to get back in; however, there was a semi-submersible tour leaving about 10 minutes after my snorkel tour ended. The semi-submersible granted an impressive view of the GBR through thick glass panels at the bottom of the boat. In my opinion, being able to snorkel and get up close and personal with the marine life is a much better experience than viewing it through a window, albeit it is much more comfortable and certainly much less wet. When the semi-submersible came back to the platoon, I immediately embarked on my own snorkel tour with some friends and tried to look for some fish. We didn’t find a whole lot but it was nice to swim around the platoon. I had my picture taken though, which made the short second trip worthwhile. Our day ended with a dinner at a restaurant named after Red Ochre. Apparently, red ochre is a type of rock used by native Australians in a time long ago to make cave paintings and such. Back to dinner, I was treated to a delightful kangaroo sirloin dinner. It definitely didn’t taste like chicken, but rather more like a beef steak. It was nice and rare and was coated in a spicy BBQ sauce. I can now add kangaroo to the list of animals that I have eaten. After such a long day, I am glad to be back in the resort and type up this little endeavor for everyone.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Koala

The Cassowary Bird

crocodile Eating chicken heads

Cairns and the crocodile Farm

Day 18 July 9th Friday

We began our day with a 5:30am wake up call. We had breakfast at 6:30 boarded the coach by 6:50 heading to the airport. We arrived in Cairns at 12:30pm and went to lunch at a wonder pizza and spaghetti house. We then took a scenic drive around Cairns where we saw fruit bats hanging from the tree tops in very large numbers. We then had a wonderful 45 minute drive to the crocodile farm and on the way we saw sugar cane, wallabies, scenic rainforest and the mountain double island where the rich and famous stay for 20,000 dollars a night. ( we are not sure why we were not staying on that island). At Huntley’s Crocodile farm we were amazed at the prehistoric bird called Cassowary—look it up it is amazing!! Then we planted trees in the rainforest as a service project and as we were planting we noticed green ants on the leaves and decided to live the aboriginal lifestyle and pick the butt off of them and eat it. They say it tastes like citrus. Most kids loved them. We then went into the petting area where we were able to feed, pet and hang out with the wallabies and Koala’s. They were so adorable. The koala was sitting in a tree eating a leaves. So cute!!!!! We then got on a boat and did a cruise around a manmade swamp lagoon which was filled with crocodiles. We watched them feed the crocodiles chicken heads. The crocs jumped way out of the water to get the chicken heads. Very exciting. We then drove back to Cairns for an elegant dinner on the water of Cairns Harbour. The students are now at the resort where they got to choose their roommates for the last 4 nights on this amazing adventure.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

We are in Cairns

Hello everyone, we have landed in Cairns and ready for a super adventure. We will be with the crocodiles this afternoon. Check the blog soon for some awesome pictures.

Surfing at Bondi Beach Australia

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Sydney Opera House a

Sydney Opera House a

Sydney Opera House and Surfing At Bondi Beach

Day 17 July 8th

Today we got to sleep in until 7:30 am we had breakfast in the hotel and we were off to the Sydney Opera House. On the way there we had a tour of historic buildings and parks in beautiful Sydney. We had a one hour tour and they described how the opera house was built, designed and paid for. We also got to hear an orchestra practice in the largest concert hall, the acoustics were incredible. We had the opportunity to take some wonderful pictures outside the opera house as well as the Harbour Bridge. We then loaded the bus for a 20 minute ride to Bondi Beach. We all got into wet suits and had lessons on the beach then we ventured into the ocean for some surfing. Even though it rained it didn’t dampen our spirits it just added to the incredible surfing experience. We are all going to take up surfing in the states when we get back. Tonight we are having dinner at Darling Harbour in Sydney and then a little shopping time for anyone who still has money left. We will be flying to Cairns tomorrow.

At the Blue Mountains

A Wonderful Day in Sydney

Day 16 July 7th

After a great night sleep at the beautiful Menzies Hotel we had a wonderful breakfast and loaded the bus for the town of Katoomba. Once there we went to the amazing Blue Mountains. We boarded Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest incline railway in the world. An incline of 52%. We were all amazed at the beautiful mountains. It is like the Grand Canyon but filled trees, rainforest and sandstone. Once off the railway we hiked into the 180 million year old rainforest. It is indescribable. (See Video) We then took the skytram back to the top. We had lunch at the café in the Blue Mountains and then we on our way back to Sydney. We then went to the opal factory where we learned that Australia mines 95% of the gem quality opals in the world. They show us an opal worth 1 million dollars. The most valuable black opal in the world. We went back to the hotel and changed for our 2 hour private Sydney Harbour dinner cruise and dance. The kids had an awesome time. To finish off the evening we had a wonderful 30 minute walk through Sydney back to our hotel. They are now tucked in for the night so they can be fresh for surfing Bondi beach tomorrow.

Blue Mountains




What a beautiful site! It was awesome.........

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Students learning the game cricket

At the Olympic Stadium Sydney

First Day in Sydney

Day 15 July 6th

We landed in Australia at 10:30 am Tuesday. We were greeted by our delegation manager Zach and bus driver Ray. We then drove around the beautiful city of Sydney. We stopped for lunch at the Olympic Stadium and ate in the beautiful park. We then learned the game of cricket where the students had the opportunity learn skills and play a game of cricket. We then toured Anz stadium which is the Olympic Stadium. We got to go onto the field as well as stand on the medal stand which were from the 2000 Olympics games. We toured the locker rooms and warm up rooms. From there we went to our hotel in Sydney which is incredible. It is very posh. At 6:00pm we meet Zach and walked to dinner on the circle quay which is on the harbor and allowed us to see the Sydney Opera house and the Harbour Bridge. After dinner we took a beautiful night walk and saw the city lights and learned more about the city.
We are back at the hotel and the kids are swimming and having a great time. Just a side not: as we excited the plane the crew said to the leaders that these kids were the best group they have ever had on their plane. They were polite’ quite and very well behaved. Yeah!!!!

Tune in tomorrow of our trip to the Blue Mountains and much more!!

Monday, July 5, 2010

We are at the airport Tuesday July 6th

Hello Everyone, we are at the New Zealand Airport waiting for our flight to Sydney. All students were up at 4:30am and we were loaded on the bus by 5:30. The kids are getting food before the flight and they are all anxious to get to Sydney. During our checkin we had many bags that had the HEAVY tag on them. Yikes but they did not charge us. YEAH! Hopefully we will all slow down on our buying but it is so fun. I already had to buy a second bag. :) It is very chilly her in New Zealand we are all layered up and ready for Sydney which is suppose to be cold also. PTP has a full agenda planned for us when we get there. Have a great day in America and rest assure your kids are safe and having fun.

Connie

Home stay experience by one of our ambassador

Homestay experience from a student July 5th Monday

To all of the families back home:
My name is Darwin Nelson and I come from a simple family. I am glad to have met the Rasmussens, my home stay family. When I first came off of the bus into the frigid air to unload suitcases from the bus, the lady I first met was so kind and welcoming. I did not know then that would be Mrs. Rasmussen herself. I assumed that she couldn’t be since I figured it was unlikely for me to stay with the home stay director. As I waited for the first names to be called off, I became dismayed when the first five boys’ home stay families had not yet arrived. These poor souls were relegated to stand in the “homeless” corner in front of the bus. I felt a little better when finally Aaron, one of the other boys, actually had his family arrive on time. As my name is called, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had the director as my home stay family. I didn’t mind personally, as I could tell from my first impression that she was a very kind lady. Her son, Ryan, was tall and quiet. After the half hour we waited for the other families to arrive, Mrs. Rasmussen, her son and I drove back to their home in a city, which I cannot spell correctly. Their home had a very modest front yard, so modest that they posted red reflectors, or cat’s eyes as they’re sometimes called, on their mailbox to make it easier to find their entrance in the dead of night.
The home was well lived in, with various trinkets and objects scattered about the living room. The boys Ryan and Michael, 15 and 17 years old respectively, had many toys. And by toys I mean the good ones; they had a racing seat for games, a large flat screen for their Xbox 360 and Modern Warfare 2. What I liked personally was their cute little cat. I have one myself. After the father Steve and Michael came home, the family treated me to a dinner at a Thai restaurant. The food was amazing and they graciously offered to pay for my share of the bill. We then packed our things and headed off to Hampton Downs, where the family has an apartment rented adjacent to the Hampton Downs race track. Of course I asked why and the father has a race on Sunday. I was impressed; rarely do I see actual racecar drivers. Upon arrival, I could barely make out the racetrack through the fog, but I had to prepare for bed. But, I watched a classic James Bond movie (The Man with the Golden Gun) with my family before so.
The next day, Saturday, the family took me out to a nature walk in a park, which has a name that I cannot recall. I saw a model dam used in the olden days and went up a hill to a location called “Outlook 76” and I was treated to an amazing view of the Mountains, Forests, River, and… a very large power transmission tower. The tower was an eyesore but the pictures I took look great. We went back down and shopped around the street venders in downtown Thames. I wasn’t too interested in any of the merchandise but the mother bought some cheese for cooking later that night. When we got back to the apartment in Hampton Downs later that night, I had some cheese crackers and soup for dinner with the family. We watched another movie (Employee of the Month) that night. I loved that movie and had a great many laughs with the Rasmussens.
Race day, Sunday, came cold and foggy that morning. I had some cereal with Ryan and Michael. When the fog began to clear, Mrs. Rasmussen, Ryan, and I went down to meet Michael and Steve who were already in the pit stop. As I stood out in the cold and watched them change tires on a car, the announcer came on and stated that the next will start shortly. Mrs. Rasmussen, her son and I went over to an outlook and watched as Steve went round the corners. He didn’t win the first race, but after we went back inside to keep warm we saw he had won his last one so he came home in a happy mood. I loved how one of the races included 30 go-karts going like 150 mph around the racetrack. They definitely were making some noise on that track! We had a quiet dinner and we all went to bed.
The next morning, I had to say goodbye to the Rasmussen and I left them a small memento of my stay so they won’t forget about me. And I definitely won’t forget about them. I miss the Rasmussen already and it’s only been a few hours. I hope everybody else does too.


We are heading to the airport tomorrow and flying to Australia. I will write the blog ASAP. I don’t know about internet access yet. I will call my husband and have him email all of you when we arrive or Marlene will post it on the blog.

We will talk soon
Connie

Sunday, July 4, 2010

July 5th Leaving our homestay

Day 14 July 5th Monday

All students are back on the bus and are heading towards Auckland to pick up Priya and Connie from their homestay. We will then tour around Auckland and be able to shop for awhile. We will be at the Kingsgate Hotel in Auckland tonight and then leave for Australia tomorrow. I will try and blog from the hotel and let you know how their homestay experience was. It is very rainy, windy and cold here. It is about 49 degrees here 21 celcius. Have a great day in the States.
Connie

Priya, Pheobe, Lachlan

Blog from a New Zealander

Hello my name is Phoebe and I am hosting not 1 but 2 American home stays Connie and Priya. What a day we started off with flat pancakes, crepes again but only because they were so good filled with lemon juice and sugar. Next we went to Sylvia Park, that is New Zealand’s biggest shopping mall. We went to a shop called ‘sweets’ and sadly we never saw any hard candy being made but we went to ‘The Warehouse Extra’ and got packets of pineapple lumps, Crunchies and Minties and my home stays loved it. Crunchies are hard hokey pokey covered in chocolate. Hokey pokey is a mixture of golden syrup (like maple syrup) and baking soda combined. Pineapple lumps are chewy pineapple flavored lumps covered in chocolate and minties are hard and very chewy mint flavored lumps. My brother Lachlan showed Priya a shop called Smiggle and she fell in love, and she was thinking of buying the shop and opening it up in America and earning her fortune. Smiggle is a shop filled with scented erasers (rubbers) colour co-ordinated stationary. “A shop for all teachers as well”, My home stays are leaving tomorrow to explore Auckland and then off to Australia.
With cooking and tasting a variety of NZ food in the kitchen their taste buds have been challenged, and set on fire and new experiences had by all.
Thank you so much for this opportunity and we look forward to hosting again and exploring our country with you. We are sad to see Connie and Priya go.
Thanks Phoebe.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Number Plates that Connie collects

New Zealands Drink L & P ...Tastes like sweet sprite

feeding Patty the deer

Home stay experience by one of our ambassadors

Day 12 July 3rd

Homestay from a delegate:
Today I got to sleep in!! I woke up at 8! YES! Breakfast was pancakes made by my homestay mother, Sarah, which were flat and super delicious. Lemon and sugar taste good on pancakes, surprisingly. I learned that from our other family members, Phoebe and Lachlan. They also have an adorable black Lab named Benson, who rocks. After breakfast we packed our beach bags and drove to three different car wrecker shops to find New Zealand license plates, which Connie collects. We ended up with eight of them. Then we drove to a beautiful beach with black sand and walked around, climbed rocks, and picked up shells. It was so cool! The sand was fine and really black, embedded with the kind of shells you see in the movies and in overpriced souvenir shops. Benson had a blast splashing through the water, too. After the beach we had lunch, which was composed of Crunchie bars (chocolate-covered hokey pokey), pineapple lumps (chocolate-covered pineapple deliciousness), L&P (iconic NZ soda that tastes like sweet Sprite). After that we went home and had a real lunch, though. L & P It was still tasty. After our proper lunch we relaxed a bit at home and played Band Hero. Then we got to visit the dairy farm their family owns for the daily milking of the cows. I was envisioning a lone man plunging at cow udders, but instead there was this massive rotating device that the cows got on, had things attached to their udders, and were fed in the front. It was really cool and efficient, too. We also visited the calving area, which was full of sweet baby cows, and the family’s pet reindeer named Patty. I got to feed a reindeer! Then we drove off to a natural geothermally heated pool and had an evening soak, which was very relaxing, before heading home for dinner. It was a pretty awesome day! I hope everyone else is having just as good of a time with their homestay families!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Families picking up our students

Zorb

Lunch at Blue Baths

Rotorua New Zealand July 2nd Friday

Day 11 July 2nd

We had breakfast in the hotel. Put our luggage on the bus and then we walked to the marina where we boarded a boat for Mokoia Island. We had a guided tour of the island where we learned about plants and their medicianal value. We also learned about the forklore of the Maori people. They got to see the torture stone. Some students walked through the geothermal bath called Hinemoa. We also tried some bread and dip made from the kawa leaves. We boarded the boat and went back to Rotorua where we had high tea at the blue bath house near the museum. Then we went shopping and then we gave the students an opportunity to zorb. Many students got into the giant ball and rolled down the hill with 3 other kids in the ball. They had a great time. We are now in Hamilton and each student is going to their homestays. They will be there for 3 days. Good news I have internet but I am not in contact with your children but I can tell you all of them are now with their families and they have my number if they need us. They were all happy and all the families seem wonderful.
Connie

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The fearless leaders on the luge

Happy Birthday Jeannette 16

Skyline skyrides Rotorua New Zealand

Rotorua New Zealand

Day 10 Thursday July 1st
Today we ate breakfast at the Full On Tui Ridge where we spent the night. We left for Rotorua which was a one hour drive. We went to the city council of Roturua. Where we sat in the council chambers and discussed cost of living, educational cost, imports and exports and we learned the 2.5 percent of the milk produced is consumned by new Zealand and the other 97.5 percent is exported. We then went to the Rotorua Museum where we learned more about the Maori people and the original bath house. We also experienced the earthquake and volcanic eruption of 1887. We then went to the Skyline Park, where we took the gondolas up the mountain to a spectacular view of lake Rotorua and it was breathtaking. We had lunch and tasted our first pavolova in New Zealand. After lunch we had the opportunity to luge the mountain. The students had a wonderful time. We then went to Waimangu which is a volcanic valley where geothermal activity can be witnessed. We touch water that was 118 degrees. We then went to the bubbling mud waters and saw mud squirt up into the air. We then celebrated Jeannette Arrabit 16 birthday. Finally we arrived at the Millennium Hotel and are about to have dinner. Tomorrow we will begin our homestays. I may not have the opportunity to blog for 3 days so don’t worry your kids are safe.
Connie Laura Brian Gay

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Full On Leap of Faith

Full On Experience

Day 6 Wednesday June 30th 2010

We woke up at 5:30 and had breakfast at 6:30 in the Maori. We loaded the bus at 7:30 for a one hour drive to Rotorua where we are going to participate in a Full On experience. We had tea and fruit on arrival and informational speakers gave us wonderful and positive information. We had a short walk to the High Ropes course. We all put on harnesses and divided into 4 groups. There were 5 high elements. 1st was partners tight rope where you had to balance on a high wire while helping your partner balance and grab the next rope. 2nd was the obstacle high ropes where you had to climb a ladder which was hooked onto a tire then another long piece of wood then another tire. It is 35 to 40 feet off the ground. We are hooked to ropes and were very safe. 3rd was the giant ladder where the rungs get further apart as you go up and they are swinging at the same time. You do this in partners so you must help your partner before you go higher. 4th was high rope where you hang onto another rope and move across the bottom wire which is 35 feet off the ground. The most exciting, daring, scaring and breakthrough challenge for most students was the Leap of Faith!!! It is a telephone pole 40 feet high, metal footings all the way to the top then you STAND on top of the pole which is only 10” wide. From there you jumped 6 feet to the trapeze bar, grab it and then rely on the student to balet you safely to the ground. Most kids did this and some were scared but believed in themselves afterwards. The students and leaders conquered their fears of heights and jumping as well as trusting their friends to keep them safe. It was an awesome day for all of us. We then went to the dining hall for lunch. The Full On group gave as an uplifting and motivational talk about how to take more responsibility for our lives. We had time to ourselves, we played games, had dinner and now we are watched Finding Nemo as a group.
Day 5 Tuesday June 29th 2010

We woke up at 3:00am already packed and loaded our luggage on the coach, had breakfast at 3:45 and we were on our way to the Nadi Airport in Fiji. It was a 2 hour bus ride to the airport. Our flight to New Zealand was 3 hours long. We loaded the bus, met our DM Anita and our bus driver Michael. We went to the butterfly creek for lunch. The food was great. We had a 2 hour bus ride to Paparoa Marae. by the Maori. We are in the Tauranga Region. On arrival we were met by Maa and she explained the Maori culture. We entered the Maori and the chief explained it in his language and then in English. Our chief was Aaron Motley and he gave a PTP speech. They sang us a song and we sang “We are the world” we practiced for 2 hours and we were good. We then had dinner provided by the Maori which was beef, chicken, lamb, salads and bread. The kids enjoyed the food. After dinner they put on a concert for us by the Maori children and we all got up and participated. After the concert we all entered the” Maori Wharenui” Whare means house and nui means sleep. A sleeping house. Boys on one side and girls on the other teachers in the middle. We are all laughing and telling stories and eventually we will sleep.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Today we had a great breakfast at our hotel, loaded the bus and began our 1 hour ride to beautiful Pacific Harbour we stopped at a place called Arts Village in Pacific Harbour for the students to shop and take pictures. We then got back on the bus and drove about 5 minutes to a house where they had snacks waiting for us. The people came with us and we drove about 5 minutes to a little town Navua. There we got on our life jackets and boarded “long boats”. These boats are very long, there is a captain and he uses the outboard motor to drive. We had 5 boats. We boated down the river where the movie Anaconda was filmed. Don’t worry there were no snakes. After about 40 minutes we stopped at a village. We all put on our sarongs and boys put on their sulu’s. We entered the village chief first, then spokesperson, boys then girls. We were greeted in their getting house where they welcomed us with a Kava celebration and performed dances. We then walked the village and visited their school. We came back to the greeting house for lunch. They performed more dances and we all danced, and it was time to board the long boats again. We boated for about 20 minutes and half of us walked through the rainforest to a beautiful waterfall where we jumped into the water and swam around. Then we went and got on a raft that they use for going to the market and rafted down the river for a few minutes. We joined our other groups and began our journey back up the river in our long boats. It was another awesome day. Tomorrow we leave at 3:00am for the airport to fly to New Zealand. I will try and communicate ASAP with you but do not worry sometimes internet is hard to find. We will take good care of your wonderful children.
Connie and Brian

Tree of Soles

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Fiji National Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes National Park

June 27th Sunday 2010.
After a wonderful breakfast at the beautiful resort we boarded the bus for a 1 hour journey to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park. We were greeted by an enthusiastic team of rangers and they explained the course we were going to take. There wasn't much cloud cover today so it was pretty hot and humid. All students bought water yesterday when we stopped at the local store. We began walking the beautiful trails to very spectacular views from high Juvonuleva (Turtle ) Lookout. We arrived at a location where each person was given a tree to plant to keep the forest thriving. After planting our trees you had the choice to take the 1 hour scenic walk or the 2 hour walk. Most everyone took the 2 hour walk. We had to climb a steep hill of sand to get to the ocean. What a view! We then walked along Fiji's beach while learning Fijian Culture. We took pictures along the way. We then went into the forest and had a story about tree hugging and we made a tree hugger.( sticks, vines, leaves for dress and coconut for the head) After that we ventured further to the tree of soles. While on the beach we picked up any flip flops that had washed ashore and we hung them from a tree know as the "Tree of Soles" People wrote on their soles and we saw one from PTP New York 2004. After sole searching we went back to the ranger station and had lunch brought from Mcdonalds. After playing Net Ball (Volleyball) we boarded the bus for Fijian shopping. Now we are back at the hotel swimming, snorkeling, Kayaking, relaxing before dinner.
Connie

We are in Fiji at Mystery Island

Mystery Island Transportation

Mystery Island

Sailing to Mystery Island

Bula Bula to all our American Friends,
Today after breakfast we boarded the motor coach and left our wonderful Warwick resort to experience another wonderful day. We had a 2 hour drive past Sigatoka, Natadola and Nadi to a resort town Denarue where Bill Gates owns many houses. There we boarded a beautiful Tall Clipper Sail boat and begun the 1.5hour cruise to Mystery island (Tavua) just past the island where they filmed the movie Castaway. They boat got close to the island and then a little boat came and took us the rest of the way. We then got into the water and walked the last couple of feet. Once on the island we had a choice to relax (Fiji Style) , get a massage on the beach, go snorkeling, Scuba Dive for our certified students, Canoe around the island, play beach volleyball or sit under a hut and enjoy the view. At 1:00 they played loud drums and they served us lunch on the island. We then enjoyed all those same activities until 3:00. We boarded the little boat which took us out to the clipper boat and we sailed back while the guide told us about culture in Fiji. Once we arrived at the port we got to go to Hard Rock Cafe and purchase shirts. Some kids ate. We then boarded the bus for our hotel and ate Indian Food. The students are now enjoying our wonderful entertainment at the resort. A very spectacular day in Fiji. Tomorrow we go to the Fiji Sand Dunes. Pictures are coming soon.
Bula Bula

Friday, June 25, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

journal writing from a delegate

Today we woke up at 7:00 got ready and went down to meet our group for breakfast. We boarded the bus for a Fijian School. Zach, our delegation manager briefed us about what schooling was like here. There is a primary, or elementary school, secondary or high school and then the university. you have to pass an exam to be able to qualify for a university. when we got to the school, one of the teachers came and got us to take us to the greeting room. The principal then welcomed us and he said a prayer. Then we split into 4 groups and had a tour of their school with some Form 5 (seniors) students. After the tour, we went to have a snack and said goodbye to our tour guides. We went to the classrooms next and I ended up in an art class. They showed us how to make bracelets and other jewelry out of some kind of stuff. Then we had lunch, then went outside for rugby and volleyball and games with the little kids. we did the hokey pokey and sang. After singing we played more games. We went to get our school supplies off the bus. Mark and Rebekah did a presentation of the gifts. They sang for us and we sang for them, We said a prayer shook their hands and hugged them. On our way out they kids chased the bus and waved at us. we had a awesome day.

Fiji School Day

Hello to everyone, Our day began with the opportunity of a lifetime. We had the opportunity to spend the entire school day with a Jr. high school in Fiji. The students were welcomed to the school by the principal and some young ladies. Our students were divided into 4 groups where they went with the students from Fiji into their classrooms to see how daily life is the same at home as well as how different it is. From their our students were welcomed with some food from Fiji including coconuts with reeds for straws, yellow watermelon, sugar cane, and much more. They continued with the students and they saw their computer lab 1993 computers (4 of them) their library (no more than 100 books nothing new). They had the opportunity to experience PE with them where they played rugby (muddy) and volleyball (muddy) they all loved it. They also had a couple of hours to interact with the primary children and they taught them the hokey pokey, a new dance??? and red light green light. You would have thought all of these kids knew each other for years. They really bonded. They had a good bye ceremony for us and they sang songs and then we sang songs.. They are much better singers than us :) We then gave them the gift of school supplies that they so desperately needed. We got on the bus and reflected on our day. Our students comments this way:
"we need to do more to help these students, they have nothing!"
"It seems like they have nothing yet they are still happy"
"there was no air conditioning just opened windows"
"They seem to treat everyone as equal, their are no groups like our schools"
"I need to be thankful for what I have"
This experience opened their eyes and their hearst to different cultures of the world"

You will hear more from one of our delegates tonight. Someone volunteered to let me put their journal writing from today on the blog. Check back soon.
Bula Bula to all of you in America
Connie

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

View From Our Resort

We are in Fiji

Hello everyone, We made it to Fiji. Our flight was great. We have not had any problems. The students are wonderful, our delegation manager's name in Zach and he is wonderful. Once we cleared customs we all got on a nice bus and we began our tour around Fiji. We say lots of villages within the island. We then went shopping in a little village where most of the kids bought surongs and sulu's. Then it was off to a Eco Park within the rain forest and it was very interesting seeing all the different animals. It is beautiful, hot and humid. We then check into the resort. Go online to the Warwick Resort and spa in Fiji it is AMAZING! the kids are now snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, playing beach volleyball and getting to know the other delegation. It is difficult to post pictures now the internet is really slow. Having a great time. I will check in soon. Love you all
Connie

Saturday, June 19, 2010


This was our game "Birdie on a Perch" at our Bon Voyage Party.

Connie

This is our game from today at Lodi Lake.

Connie

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great time today. I will meet you at the airport at 3:00 Tuesday. United. Domestic. See you there,
Connie

Friday, June 18, 2010

Bon Voyage Party

See you all tomorrow at 1:00 in Lodi

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Bon Voyage Party

I will see all of you at our Bon Voyage Party this Saturday. 1:00 Lodi Lake

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The South Pacific

Hello everyone, We will be leaving soon for the South Pacific and I want us to be able to communicate.

Connie