We're going to Vatulele!

After weeks of antagonizing anxiousness, we finally found out where we will be spending the next two years! The Peace Corps staff set up a large map of Fiji on a big field with rope, and put little trees on each site where each of the trainees will be going. Slowly, one by one, they called our name and walked us to our little tree and gave us a sheet of paper that describes our job description, and village. We were ecstatic when we found out we will be living on a small island called Vatulele, famous for its bright red prawns and beautiful tapa cloth. We will be the only volunteers living on this island in a small house recently built just for us. There are only 4 villages on the island, one resort, and roughly about 1000 people. The island is a one hour boat ride from Sigatoka town on the southwest side of Viti Levu the biggest island. Also, we found out that it is only $25 for family and friends to fly to this little island from Nadi (the international airport). Drew will be working on an ecotourism project, monitoring the coral reef, and doing environmental education in the village. Melissa will be working in the only health center on the island with nurses promoting health, and also counseling single moms, teens, and people with long term diseases. We will be arriving on site around the 14th of August after our official volunteer swear in date on August 12th. Congratulations Scott and Dana! Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad Styles!

Back from Beqa

Think long sandy beaches, palm trees lining the sea, and a small village on the water front with beautiful green flora rising up the mountains. This is Bega, the island of the firewalkers. This last week we spent 3 days with a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) living in a beautiful two bedroom home on the western oceanfront of this small island. Beqa only has 9 villages, 4 resorts, and no cars in sight. The people live off of the land and the sea, and they truely seem to embrace the beauty that surrounds them. During our stay we got to visit the school that the PCV is a librarian at, we snorkeled the beautiful coral reef that surrounds her village, and we even got to hike up into the mountains to the villager's gardens. Drew also learned how to harvest cassava plant with the village pastor. This was truely the Fijian Peace Corp experience we imagined. The visit was such a nice break from our host family and language classes everyday. It is becoming more of a challenge everyday to not have privacy, cook what we would like to eat, and to babysit several children all the time. We are truely looking forward to living on our own. Only 4 more weeks!