Ok, so I just return back to the village after spending a few days out for Thanksgiving to a village hosting a group of 26 Australian college students! I step off the boat and everyone is calling me in to their houses to meet their "visitors." I step into the first house (oh, and I'm soaked from a rainy boat ride, but not allowed to change yet), and find that the Australians in the first house already know me. They say their host family already told them all about me, but then I see a copy of my blog lying on the floor!!!
I'm very embarrassed, not just because the students literally know my daily schedule (from the stories of their host families), but also that my blog was presented to the class as background reading material (without my knowledge)!
I guess it was just a reminder of how public the internet is. I thought about making the blog private, but then remembered how helpful it was to read other Peace Corps Volunteers' blogs before I came. So, it will remain public. Maybe a little censored, but still public!
I think 12 days of homestays was very much a learning experience for the students, the village, and myself. We (the village) didn't really know very much about the group before they arrived and nothing was planned for their stay. They luckily got to experience a wedding during their stay, which was fun, but I felt that we could be doing a little more for them. So, I proposed we arrange a sort of "Fijian field day," with some contests and traditional dances. It was a hit!
The spectators
Introducing the competitors in the coconut scraping contest
Coconut leaf basket weaving
Husking coconuts
I don't remember if I've mentioned it in the past, but Fijians are very competitive people. So, they all wanted their host student to win (you may be able to spot the "helping hands" in the photos)!
Overall, the experience was a good one, but we definitely learned ways that we can improve our services in the future.
Overall, the experience was a good one, but we definitely learned ways that we can improve our services in the future.
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