Tribewanted: Vorovoro

James Week 5 Blog
Bula Sia! Another fun week on Vorovoro!
Everyone has still been talking about our Meke at All Saints last Friday. Tui Mali mentioned during the week, that the 900+ students would have all gone home and told their families about the crazy white people they saw dancing at school that day. A few tribemembers were even recognised walking down the main street of Labasa the next day!

This week on Vorovoro Leavi has been totally transforming the gardens with the help of tribemembers. He has been planting lots of new flowers and vegetables, including Chinese Cabbage. We have also had our first Avocados harvested for the year. I was asked to present the first one to Tui Mali. This was quite amusing as the avocado was shaped like something quite rude!

Tevita has also been working very hard and has built brand new gardens down in the Village around Tui Mali’s house and all through the village. It looks like a bit of a maze down there but it looks incredible!

We are also attempting to count the coconut, paw-paw, banana and breadfruit trees on the island. So earlier in the week a group of us started to count all the trees between the volleyball court and tanoa park. So far Paw-Paw trees are leading the count!

My friend Matt from home left this week but me, him and a tribemember vanessa have had a really fun week taking lots of photos all over the island. Sadly Matt left on Wednesday and vanessa is leaving today so im going to miss them both dearly. Matt wrote an amazing song and performed it before he left – appropriately called 1000 Photographs!
Sevu-sevu on Tuesday went really well on Tuesday. Was great weather so was nice to sit outside.

We’ve also been working on the dam again this week. We are going to start plastering the wall early next week so we have been carrying sandbags up to the dam all week.
Again I’ve been spending lots of time in the toolshed this week. Have built new shelves and painted some signs. Having lots of fun hanging out with Marau.

I was really excited to go on my first reef trip during the week. I was quite nervous about the possibility of seeing a shark. But at the same time quite excited. So anyways I did see about a 1 metre reef shark swim quite close in front of me and panicked a little. By the time I stuck my head up and yelled shark to the other tribemembers, it had swam away pretty quickly.

We’ve been filling in our time here this week with games of 40/40 and hide and seek which has been really silly. Vanessa and I also had a lovely mud bath where we covered each other head to toe in mud! Was very theraputic!
Earlier in the week I decided to try cooking some hot cross buns in the kitchen. Not as easy as I thought they would be – they tasted great though and with a few more weeks before easter I can practice some more.

Save and Tale have done a great job this week with Cultural Classes teaching the tribemembers some fijian songs. We have learnt Daru Mai Lele and Sa Bera. 2 great songs to sing along too!

I’ve also been teaching some more tribe members the rubix cube this week. Save now has it mastered!

We were back at the Mali District School yesterday which was great fun. Very tiring! But always the highlight of my week!

And finally this week was the 1 year anniversary of The Hammock Society. So on Monday night Jim gold us all the story of the hammock society and all about it’s arch enemies over the past 12 months – Queen Pulse, Dr P.E.
So in conjunction with the anniversary I have made a huge decision. In a few months Amy is going to complete the Iron Maiden Challenge on Vorovoro – which involves running the 4 Peaks of the island followed by swimming a complete lap of the island. Giles and Ben completed the first Iron Man Challenge in 2008 and Amy has decided to complete the first Iron Maiden Challenge. I have decided to join Amy, and attempt to complete the Iron Man Challenge as well. We will both be raising money for charity, and we will be sending out more information shortly.

Amy has a strict daily training schedule.. I am undecided if I will begin.. But I think it’s a worthwhile cause and a great goal to set for myself so I’m very much looking forward to it.
I must be off to hit the shops in Labasa.

Vina’a va’a levu.
Semesa.
wavu@tribewanted.com