Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Bula sia tribe!

I am back on Vorovoro after 6 months, I was last here for 3 weeks over Christmas and New Year, and am now back as chief.

After only six months I didn’t expect too much change on the island, but I was pleasantly surprised at all the good work that has been done in this time. There is a new vale, second floor to the treehouse, solar shower by the beach, whale bones are displayed by Poasa’s house, new ecotricity hut, common duties sign-up board and island map, and a beautiful big new bure for Team Fiji. Apart from the new buildings, the staff has things well organized and running smoothly and the island vibe is harmonious. The landscaping has been taken to a whole new level and new societies have formed [Hammock Society and the Pontoon Platoon] creating a very happy island.

On the other hand, some things have not changed: laughter fills the air, the mozzies bite, the grog is still served in epic sessions, Tui Mali is still giving the most eloquent and meaningful speeches, the music is amazing, the isa lei’s are emotional and overall we are one big happy tribe.

On Tuesday we had our chief handover and Tui Walu [Tom] handed over the island to me in fantastic condition. Everyone is happy and there are no overdue projects, it was an honor to participate in the ceremony and to be handed the role of July chief with such great momentum behind it, much of it due to Tui Walu. Vinaka vakalevu Tom.

As always Tui Mali had some wise words for us. He said that in this time of uncertainty in the world, we must face all of our challenges as one, we must hold hands and not go it alone, and if we all hold hands and work as one everything will work out just fine. The tribe and team are all working very well together right now, so we are fulfilling this statement so far. Vinaka tribe for the opportunity to participate as July chief; keep an eye on the website as many good plans are in the works for the month and I plan to post as much as possible to keep the online community in the loop.

So for more details on recent happenings:

The new vale is fantastic, it has raised wooden floors thanks to Chief Tom [June] and has room to sleep 12 very comfortably. To finish the vale, beds are on the list to build this month. Including a tent and sleeping hammock, almost 30 can now be housed in all of the buildings without needing to use the grand bure for accommodations, a big goal to achieve.

The Team Fiji bure looks great and is completed and a second bamboo skin for the building is planned for this month. We’ve found that it works well for informal grog sessions as well as sleeping. 

Morning meetings outline the projects going on that day and allow for tribe members to contribute to the island and plan projects with the talents they bring to the group. These seem to keep things very well organized.

A lot of discussions have gone on already about plans for the month, and while there isn’t something big and tangible that we need like another vale or bure, many smaller projects are on the list for the month. Here is a short list of the larger projects for the month, with more details to be worked out in the coming week:

Beds for New Vale
Move to vote on showers [and carry out final decision of vote, new post on that coming by next week]
Expand the gardens [so we are more sustainable and can have more Vorovoro days]
Improve water catchment [so much more potential, and still raining!]
Second bamboo wall for Team Fiji bure
Add more roofing to leaky buildings with reed roofs
Get Fijian lessons and videos online
Better communication between on-island and on-line staff

It is great to be back and I’m excited to get started. We have great momentum right now and it is an exciting time to be on the island. Will have more details about July projects and progress posted soon.

Moce mada,
Mariah