Children of the Highlands

Itinerary

Itinerary
Children of the Highlands
Summer 2010

Day 01 - Tuesday
Depart the USA
Rustic Pathways typically uses Air Pacific, the national airline of the Fiji Islands, for our group flights departing Los Angeles. This flight is non-stop to Nadi International Airport and is escorted by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader.  The flight departs Los Angeles in the late evening and takes about 10 hours to get to Fiji. During your flight, take the time to get to know other students, get some sleep in preparation for your arrival in the South Pacific, or relax with a movie or two and start to settle into the easy-going and friendly nature of the Fijian’s and their legendary hospitality.     

Day 02 – Wednesday        
In transit 
Today is “lost” as you cross the international dateline, but don’t worry too much… you will get it back on your way home!     

Day 3 – Thursday
Bula!  Welcome to Fiji! 
Upon clearing customs and immigration, you will be greeted by Rustic Pathways’ Fiji staff. You will have breakfast and orientation and then head to the beautiful Fijian beach and tropical waters of Natadola for a picnic lunch before gathering last minute supplies for your trip to the Highlands. 

You will travel by truck or four drive vehicle to the Nasouri Highland region. The journey normally takes about two hours with several opportunities to stop along the way for photos and a chance to say “Bula” to the locals that you pass. This area of Fiji has remote villages nestled in mountain valleys where locals live off the land and have strong ties to their traditional culture. The need for service in these remote parts is great, and villagers here will welcome you with big smiles and much appreciation.

Your first nights stay will be at the Rustic Pathways Farm House, part of our Highlands Immersion Base, located on the banks of a picturesque river and surrounded by papaya tress, pineapples and vegetables growing on local farms. Take a swim in the river and start to soak in the warm hospitality of Fiji. You will receive and in-depth cultural orientation tonight and will begin to learn about the traditional way of life in the Highlands.
    
Day 4 – Friday
School Service at Wouosi Primary School
After breakfast at the Farm House you will sit down with your group to prepare for the educational service projects you will undertake during this program. Then, you will gather you things and depart for Wouosi Primary School just a short distance away.  Here you will provide important enrichment activities for students as you facilitate art classes and tutor students in English and reading. In the afternoon, you will participate in sports programs and get involved in a simple construction project to help improve the school’s facilities, such as tiling or painting classrooms.

In the late afternoon, you will depart for the Village of Nasivikoso, just about 20 minutes away. When you arrive in the village you will take part in a formal sevusevu ceremony, a traditional way to welcome you into the village.

Then it is time for a village tour and introduction to our Base house here, the Nasivikoso Village Bure. This village is like a second home for us in Fiji and we have deep ties and friendships with this community. The Village Bure is the meeting point for your group’s activities and meals. It is a traditional Fijian home, with some upgraded amenities to help you settle into to village life. At night, you will sleep in small groups in the homes of local families. The houses here are all very close together and you will find it easy to find your way around and you will quickly feel like part of this incredible village community.

Day 5 – Friday
Kindergarten and Village Service
During your stay in the Highlands, you will be involved with local development projects around the village as well as tutoring and enrichment projects at local primary schools and in the Nasivikoso Village Kindergarten. Your Fijian friends are always around to lend a helping hand and their involvement makes the days all the more enjoyable. Today, you will share time in the kindergarten and support the education of the youngest members of the village. In the late afternoon, you join our weekly volleyball tournament. The villagers and the students both get a kick out of the weekly village vs. Rustic Pathways student challenges. It is always a close contest.  In the evenings, you will share time with your group and village friends at the Village Bure before heading to your host family for a much needed rest.

Day 6 – Saturday
Village Service in Nasivikoso
After breakfast at the Village Bure this morning, you will get to work on construction projects around the village. Each year, we sit with the village chief and elders to determine the service project your group will undertake. Over the past several years, we have constructed flush toilets, built pathways throughout the village, tiled the church and much more. Your interaction with the people and the projects you contribute to continue to facilitate a wonderful brotherhood between the village and Rustic Pathways’ students, a relationship that has been growing for over a decade.
 
This evening is a night of fun, laughs and social gathering. Your group will learn local dances and join in as the village puts on a traditional meke entertainment show for you in appreciation for your service. This always ends up being a very entertaining evening with a lot of laughter!
    
Day 7 – Sunday
A Day of Celebration and Feasting
Sunday is a very ceremonial day in the Fijian culture. Fiji’s native people are predominantly Christian and Sunday’s are observed as a day of rest. Your new friends in the village will get you dressed in traditional Fijian clothing and lead you to their church. This is a wonderful occasion where the whole village gathers – elders, parents, teenagers and young children alike – for a morning of singing and respectful thanks for the wonderful environment in which they live. It is impossible to not get caught up in the pure enthusiasm and open delight villagers show towards each other and their surroundings

After the morning’s activities, you will walk back to the Farm House for an afternoon relaxing by the river, maybe a game of river rugby and some laughs with your group and new Fijian friends. Pick some vegetables from the farm and lend a hand in cooking dinner. The relaxed and open atmosphere here is perfect for a Sunday afternoon and the entire scene makes you think that no one, including yourself, should have a care in the world. This is a place that is very easy to get used to and one that is incredibly hard to leave. You will head out into the fields to gather some fresh vegetables for dinner, and settle in for the night. You will sleep at the Farm House tonight.

Days 8 and 9 – Monday and Tuesday
Service and a trip to the Waterfall
Your next few days will be shared between work on the village construction project that is underway and helping at the kindergarten. You’ll share much needed art materials and books with the students while you help them to learn their ABCs and new songs and games. On Tuesday afternoon you will take a break at the spectacular waterfall just outside the village before sharing your last evening with your new friends in Nasivikoso. Soak in the beauty of time shared around the tradition of kava, listen as villagers play guitar, tell stories and laugh the night away.

Day 10 – Wednesday
School Service and Fun
This morning you will say farewell to Nasivikoso. Needless to say your final goodbye can be very emotional as you so quickly become close to the villagers here. Many of our past students have formed strong relationships within the community and continue to communicate with friends here after they have returned to their homes in the USA.  Students often return to Fiji after their first summer as close family friends.

After departing Nasivikoso, you will spend a few hours at the Bukuya Primary School. This school is located in the ‘chiefly’ village of the region and it is an honor for our local staff to be ale to share your time and energy with their High Chief. You will contribute a few hours of service as you continue our efforts to maintain school facilities here. 
    
And then it is a return to the hustle and bustle of town life as you arrive back into Nadi. You’ll have dinner in a local restaurant and head to a small hotel for your final night, giving you a chance to reflect on the amazing experience in the Highlands.  The humble surroundings you experience coupled with the unbridled passion for life here leads many students to take a good look at their own lives and re-evaluate their priorities.
 
Day 10 - Thursday     
Farewell Fiji
Spend your final day in the town of Nadi, a main tourist center in Fiji, shopping for souvenirs and exploring. If you are departing to the USA tonight, after a final meal with your group, you’ll travel to the airport and bid Fiji farewell (until next year perhaps). You will be escorted to Los Angeles by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader.  For those students who are continuing to another Rustic Pathways program you will commence your next program this morning.

An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

In addition to the general Fiji Islands packing list available at www.rusticpathways.com/packinglists  all students should review the following information specific to the Children of the Highlands program:
• Due to cultural rules in Fijian villages, it is customary for females to have their shoulders and knees covered at all times. While you are outside of the village you will be able to wear tank tops and shorts, but for the majority of the program female students will need to wear t-shirts or other sleeved shirts. Women must also wear sulus (sarongs) when in villages and at traditional ceremonies. Typically our students wear light shorts under their sulus. We will provide the students with a sulu on their arrival, and they may wish to purchase an additional one during their program (about $4). If you have a sarong already at home you may want to bring it along. You may also wear a long skirt that covers your knees instead of a sulu. Please pack with this in mind!
• Please make sure you have the following items:
o Flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
o A water bottle – water bottles with an internal filter device are useful but are not required.
o Sleeping bag
o Long sleeve t-shirt and heavy sweatshirt (It can get cold (60 degrees) in the Highlands at night in June, July and August)
o Extra camera batteries (optional) -- due to limited access to electricity, re-chargeable batteries for items such as digital cameras can often not be charged. You may want to bring an extra, charged battery with you.
o Work Gloves
• Laundry is washed by hand in the villages and your host families will help you to do this. Please pack with this in mind, as you will be able to wash some items during your travels.
• In the Fijian tradition of sevusevu, it customary for visitors to present a gift to any village or home they visit. We ask that you bring 3-4 small gifts for host families and friends in the village. (Please click here) for a link to Suggested Gifts for Host familie
• A Special Initiative: Rustic Pathways is seeking to directly help the communities we serve with donations of items to support schools, health centers and other local organizations.  Donation lists have been created by the local schools and communities with whom we work and we encourage students who participate in this program to bring 2-5 items to donate along with them. These items will be donated at the site where they are most appropriately needed.

Sevusevu:
Suggested Gifts for Your Fijian Host Family

In the Fijian tradition of sevusevu, it customary for visitors to present a gift to any village or home they visit. We ask that students in our Children of the Highlands and Growing Within programs bring a few small gifts to present to their family as part of this custom and in thanks for their hospitality.

While any gifts are deeply appreciated, we ask that you follow the suggested items below, which we have developed in conjunction with local villagers based on needs they have identified. We suggest bringing three to five items for your family, keeping in mind that these gifts are shared with all ages. Gifts can be gently used items that you have at home.

Suggested Gifts for Host Families

T-shirts (short or long sleeve)
White collard shirts for children (used with school uniforms)
Long skirts for women and girls
Sweatshirts or jackets
Raincoats or umbrellas
Towels
Flashlights and batteries
Sneakers, boots and flip-flops (and socks)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Ball point pens and pencils
Button-down shirts for children (they wear these to church)
Sports equipment (rugby ball, soccer ball, volleyball)
Baseball hats
School supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens and backpacks)

You may, in turn, receive a small gift from your Fijian family to help you remember your time in Fiji, so remember to save a little room in your packs for this on the way home.

Frequently Asked Questions
Children of the Highlands
The Fiji Islands
Summer 2010

1 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
Students will stay at Rustic Pathways’ Highlands Immersion Base during this program. Our Highlands Base comprises two unique accommodations in and around an indigenous Fijian village, the Farm House and the Village Bure. This Base provides upgraded amenities for our students while enabling an incredible immersion into the local culture and community here. The Farm House is located about 20 minutes walk from the village itself and sits at a bend in the river with breathtaking views of the jagged mountain peaks that surround you. The Farm House has a simple large dormitory with bunk beds and space for meals and activities. There are flush toilets and cold water showers just outside the main house. The Village Bure is located inside the village itself. The Village Bure is based on a traditional-style Fijian house made with bamboo walls and thatched roof. There is a kitchen and space for meals and a cold water shower and flush toilets just outside.  This Bure is the focal point for your stay here and you will find yourself playing games, listening to locals playing guitar and sharing lots of laughs here as a group late into the night. At night, you will sleep in small groups of 2-4 students in a local family’s home. Homes are typically made of concrete or wood and tin and families provide a bed or a mattress on the floor for you. There are flush toilets located next to or near host-family homes. There is no electricity at the Highlands Base and a mix of lanterns and generator power light the way at night. Students typically spend two nights at our Farm House and four nights in the village during this program. The final night is spent at a hotel in the Nadi area with simple dorm-style accommodations and shared facilities.

2 - Will the students be drinking bottled water?  
Students will drink filtered water on this program. The water is run through filters by our staff and it is available for students at all times at the Highlands Immersion Base houses.

3 - What kind of food will we be eating?
Students will eat a combination of local Fijian dishes and more western-style dishes prepared by cooks at the Highlands Base houses. Breakfasts typically include cold cereal or oatmeal, freshly baked buns and scones, and fruits. Lunches and dinners range from traditional Fijian feasts of cassava and dalo (root crops similar to potatoes), chicken and fish, to noodles and pastas, curries and stir-fry. Peanut butter and jelly are often found as are delicious Fijian pancakes, roti bread and local fruits. We can easily cater for vegetarians.

4 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
On average, our programs in Fiji are 70% female and 30% male.

5 - How does this program connect to other programs?
All programs in Fiji connect easily together. On the final day of each program, students will go to the airport to connect with the staff, arriving students and other connecting participants for their next program.  Students can also easily connect this program with our programs in Australia and/or New Zealand. Students interested in combining this program with a program in Australia must do their Australia program first.

6 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
 A flight leader will accompany students on the group flight to Fiji from Los Angeles. Students will meet their flight leader at the departure gate in Los Angeles. Our program staff will greet students when they arrive at the Nadi Airport in Fiji. Students connecting to this program from Australia or New Zealand will not be escorted on their connecting flights between countries, but will be chaperoned for check-in and then met by our staff in Fiji on arrival.

7 - How long is the flight to this country?
Fiji is 10 hours by air from Los Angeles. Flights from Australia and New Zealand are 3-4 hours.

8 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
US citizens do not need to make prior arrangements for entry as a tourist into Fiji. On arrival into Fiji, immigration will issue US citizens with a tourist visa for entry into the county. No prior arrangements for US citizens are needed

9 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
All Rustic Pathways students are required to have an up-to-date tetanus shot. We suggest Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid vaccinations and recommend that you consult a doctor regarding immunizations for travel to the region. You can find additional information on immunizations for travel from the US Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov.

10 - What costs are not included on this trip?
The only items not included in this trip are souvenirs, snacks and small donations that students may opt to contribute. There are very few opportunities to purchase snacks or souvenirs until the final day of the program. Students may choose to give a small donation to the village church at their Sunday offering (anywhere from $0.50 to $5 is appropriate and nothing is required). Students will also have the option to go sky diving on the final day of this program at an additional cost. Sky diving ranges from $250-500 USD and parental permission is required.