Growing Within

Daily Itinerary
Growing Within: Advanced service and immersion
in indigenous life and grassroots development
The Fiji Islands
Summer 2010

Day 1 - Tuesday
Depart the USA
All of Rustic Pathways scheduled group flights to Fiji depart from Los Angeles.  Typically, our carrier is Air Pacific – Fiji’s national airline.  The flight each week is non-stop to Nadi International Airport and is escorted by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader. The flight departs Los Angeles in the evening and takes about 10 hours. 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 2 – 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
Welcome to Fiji
Upon clearing customs and immigration, you will be greeted by Rustic Pathways’ Fiji leaders. 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, sulus and kava 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 and you will pass through 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 many thanks.
 
By late afternoon you will arrive in the village of Nasivikoso, where you will instantly feel welcomed by the native Fijian villagers here. You will present the traditional kava root to the village chief and take part in a sevusevu ceremony that opens this village to you and welcomes you inside.  In small groups, you will stay with families in the village, and share your first village meal with the rest of your group in our Nasivikoso Village Bure, part of our Highlands Immersion Base. This is your introduction into the culture and traditional ways of these parts and is a very special experience that is not soon forgotten.

Day 4 – Friday
Life at the Farm House
A short walk from the village of Nasivikoso is the Rustic Pathways Farm House, which together with the Village Bure comprises our Highlands Immersion Base. The Farm House sits next to the home of the grassroots business initiative of four brothers from the village. With the desire to earn a greater income to support themselves, these brothers started a savings group to collect the funds to purchase bulls to plough their fields and expand their farm and their income. With a small loan from a friend, they were able to begin a farm that will enable them to grow far more and earn a much larger income than they could have afforded on their own. Micro Finance is one innovative solution to overcome the challenges faced by villagers around the world and this program will explore this first hand as you work with these brothers to support them in their efforts.

You will live at the Rustic Pathways Farm House for much of your program, which sits along a bend in the river and next to the fields that grow papaya, bananas, pineapples, lettuce, beans and more. Each member of your group will have a daily task as you work together to gather food for meals and share in life here. You will take overnight excursions to ancient caves, the bustling town of Nadi and back to the village of Nasivikoso from the Farm House.

Today will be filled with an overview of the projects you will be involved with and a chance to get to know the families here. By late afternoon, you will find yourself learning how to water the crops, share in the cooking, collect firewood and your immersion into the rhythms of life here will be underway. As night falls, you will spend time with villagers as they play guitar, sing traditional songs and drink their traditional ‘kava’ late into the night.

Day 5 – Saturday
Village Culture and Entertainment
You’ll wake up early this morning and help out on the farm. You may help to construct a fence, build a greenhouse or get involved with other small scale construction projects to help support this initiative. Locals here finish work on Saturday afternoon and head home to the village for social time with friends and family, and you will too. You’ll return to the village where you spent your first night to get ready for the traditional meke dances and entertainment that the villagers put on as a show of appreciation for your support to their community.  You will stay the night in groups with a local family and share meals and activities at the Village Bure tonight.

Day 6 – Sunday
Feasting and Celebration in Nasivikoso
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 the group. 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 settle back into the Farm House tonight and get ready for the busy week ahead.

Day 7 – Monday
Rural Education and Service at Wouosi Primary School
As you work to understanding the way of life in these parts and the challenges or rural communities, a visit to a local school is an eye-opening experience. This morning you will travel to the local primary school and lead arts and sports enrichment activities as well as English lessons for the local students. Schools here have very limited resources for activities like art and students always look forward to your visit. Your service today will bring smiles to many a child, and will be an experience that you will surely not forget. Then, it is back to the Farm House for a swim in the river and to get ready for a dinner.

Day 8 – Tuesday
Harvest Day
Today is a big day on the farm as crops are picked and packed and ready for shipment to town. Your help is really needed today as this is the busy season for the farm and extra hands enable them to produce more than they could otherwise.  Jump in and get ready for a hands-on day of service and some serious fun – Fijians can’t help but play, laugh and joke as they work. There seems to be a philosophy here than nothing is worth doing if it is rushed or not enjoyed. In the late afternoon, take a walk to short hike into the hills to watch the sunset over the valley. You will sleep at the Farm House tonight.

Day 9 – Wednesday
Nadi Market and Town Day
This morning you will pack the truck with the crops for market and then hop in yourself as you depart the Highlands and return back to Nadi Town. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will join the women of Nasivikoso who sell the crops in the local market and lend a hand as they bargain their prices and seek out customers. You’ll also have a chance to shop yourself in the local handicraft market and explore the town of Nadi for a few hours.

Tonight, you will stay in a small hotel, soak in the sunset near the waters edge and re-energize yourself for the next part of your journey. Take a minute to check in with the western world, read your email, make a phone call home and reflect on your first week in this amazing place.

Day 10 – Thursday
It’s back up to the Farm House today. You will help gather some supplies in town and then get on your way. Get back to work on the farm by afternoon, continuing to small construction projects designed to help the farm grow. You’ll sleep at the Farm House tonight.

Day 11 – Friday
Traditional Medicines and Ancient Caves
Pack an overnight bag this morning, as you are heading out to the bush for the night. Villagers here keep farms in the mountains that surround the area to grow kava, their most valuable crop. Today, you will hike about an hour to one of the brother’s kava farms to see what this root is all about. On your way, learn about traditional foods and medicines that grow wild in the bush, from fruits to leaves to eat to plants used to heal broken bones or calm a stomach ache and much, much more. Tonight, you will sleep near the kava farm in a cave hidden deep in the mountains and used by this family for generations.
               
Day 12 & 13 – Saturday & Sunday
Visiting Friends in Nasivikoso
It’s back to the village today after a morning of projects on the farm.  Take a hike to a local waterfall along the way and spend the afternoon swimming in the cool waters there. Then, return to your host families for the night and join in the meke performance. Sunday is back to church if you wish and a chance to relax, play some games with the children or read a good book. Say goodbye to your host family before you go, as this will be your last stop in this incredibly special place.

Day 14 – Monday
Rural Education at Navosa Central High School
Travel today to the village of Keyasi and the only high school in these parts, Navosa Central. Just about 50% of students in Fiji continue on to High School and most all students have to travel far from their villages to attend. Student here are excited to see you and you will spend the day providing tutoring and enrichment activities and may also help with some basic constriction to help maintain the school facilities. Talk with teachers here to learn more about the challenges they face in this remote area, and perhaps you will be able to make recommendations for future Rustic Pathways projects here.

Day 15 – Tuesday
Harvesting & Projects
Another day to harvest the crops and your last chance to finish up the projects your group has undertaken, this is your last day in the Highlands. It will surly be hard to leave this magical place and all of the close friends you will have made. You will have a big send-off tonight, with music, laughter and fun at the Farm House for your final night.

Day 16 – Wednesday
From Farm to Market
Pack up this morning, load your luggage and all the crops into the truck and return to Nadi by the afternoon. You will stay at a small hotel tonight and take the time to reflect on all that you accomplished and all that you have learned with your group as you watch the sunset over the tropical waters.

Day 17– Thursday
Beautiful Beaches
On your last day you will take in the cool breezes and incredible views as you spend the day along the coast. In stark contrast to life in the Highlands, you will experience this other side of Fiji and have some final laughs with your group. Buy some souvenirs in Nadi and have a final dinner before boarding the plane home.

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

Growing Within

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 Growing Within program:

Frequently Asked Questions
Growing Within
The Fiji Islands
Summer 20010

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 will typically spend two nights per week in the village and thee to four nights at the Farm House. Students will also spend one night camping and two nights in hotels in the town of Nadi 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.