Live life and help others

Today at school we continued working with all age groups in reading and becoming fast friends with the kids. Our entire group feels very comfortable with the teachers and routine of the school. Smiles of recognition and happy hellos keep us delighted. Barb, Olivia, Alex, and Gary went to town on some errands and I went swimming at the Kii Kii pool. It’s hard to believe that soon we will be saying goodbye as Friday is our last day at school. 

This afternoon Debi and James picked us up for a fundraiser event where we all joined in a power workout led by Debi and her friends. It was very fun and energizing. Barb helped to sell coconuts to help everyone hydrate. Back home at the Kii Kii we are relaxed and contented after a busy day.

Entry submitted by: Terry

Message of the Day: “Live life and help others.”

A wonderful day at Takitumu school

We had a wonderful day at Takitumu school. We were greeted with many “hellos” and “good mornings” as we made our way off the bus. All of us spent time reading with the grades five and six while Jack spent time in his class. When we were done with the older children, we moved on to the younger classes. During lunch we had fun playing whiffle ball, frisbee, and netball as well as tag. It seems we have all gotten into a routine. I was able to read to Jack’s class as well as play a few games. A highlight of my day is putting the toothpaste on the children’s toothbrushes after lunch. After school we headed to town and much to our delight we had our favorite bus driver who has entertained us with his singing and jokes. We had an enjoyable time at Trader Jack’s while Terry had some alone time in town. In the evening we spent time at the Whale Research Center with Nan Hauser. It was a great experience. After we had a nice dinner at Boogies where we spent some more time with Nan/Debbie and one of Nan’s interns. Overall, it was a great day and I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday and our trip is almost over!

Entry submitted by: Barbara

Message of the Day: “A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives.”

I will miss this island

After a day of rain we had a beautiful day of sunshine and 24 degrees Celsius. The children at school were glad to be able to get out on the field and play. I really enjoyed the day, especially being able to read and do math and art with eight students ages eight to eleven. I ate lunch with the five-year-olds again. They always energize me. James and Debi and grandpa showed us the many forms of coconuts from young to old. They all tasted great. I love their home! They also have the Matutu brewery in their front yard – many of my friends back home would be in heaven. 

The black pearl jeweler, Colin Rattle gave us an intro to pearls and how they are formed. 

My highlight of the day was spending time with Sahi at St. Paul’s Church from 2:30 to 4 p.m. working on her math division and reading and, of course, the great chocolate cake that mother Margret made for us! However, my legs are still sore from the Sunday hike so I was not running very fast during the frisbee sessions at school. I will miss this island. 

Entry submitted by: Gary

Message of the Day: “Joy blooms where hearts and minds are open.”

Playing with puppies in Rarotonga

Today we went to the school and we had a lot of fun. All of us helped the kids to read. I helped with math and then lunch time came. We played under the school overhang because it was raining. It was fun because we played soccer. My mom and I learned a new game called foo ball. My mom read to my class.

After school we went to the animal shelter (Esther Honey). We played with the dogs and the puppies. The puppies were very small and cute. We took the big dogs on a walk on the beach. My day was very fun. My favorite was playing with the little puppies.

Entry submitted by: Jack

Message of the Day: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Weekend adventures

Our adventures for our weekend included taking in the sights and sounds of the saturday market for me. Gary went deep sea diving on a chartered boat and Barb, Jack, Olivia, and Alex flew over to Aitkin for the day. We all went out to dinner with James and Debi to the Edgewater Resort and were treated to the sounds of traditional drumming and dancing. On Sunday morning we began our hike across the island through the interior and up to the mountain. The highlight was getting to the top. We carefully made our way back down the way we came because it was rustic and slow going. Back for some dinner at the Vaka lounge for a great dinner. We are looking forward to getting back to school on Monday.

Entry submitted by: Terry

Message of the Day: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Feeling welcome in the community

We had another amazing day! We went to school and had a great time with the children. After just three days, it is surprising how comfortable the children are with us and we are with them! Many of them greet us by name and remember some of the things we have taught them! We (Olivia, Barb, Terrym and Gary) spent the day helping the children with their reading. Jack and Alexandra were lucky enough to go on a field trip with the younger grades. My favorite time of the day is lunch when we get to spend time playing with the children. After school Olivia and Alexandra were invited to a friend’s house for a play date. They had a wonderful time and have been invited back. It is such a friendly warm place and the people here have made us all feel so welcome. Tonight we had a lovely evening with our group and James and Debbie. It is really nice getting to know everyone on our team as well as James and Debbie. Overall, I cannot believe it is almost Friday and that the days have passed so quickly. Thank you, Terry and Gary, for being so kind to the kids.  

Entry submitted by: Barbara

Message of the Day: “Help others to help yourself.”

A day filled with lots of fun

Today was an amazing day. It was filled with lots of fun. I’ll tell you all about it. Once we got up we got dressed and went out for breakfast. It was delicious. After that we went to the school. The principal came out and told us what we were going to do. She told Jack and me to go and help in the third grade. All the kids welcomed us and we started the day with worksheets. Then I started to color and all the kids wanted pictures from me. I did a lot mostly for my friends Kimberly and Shonel and a few others. After that we had lunch. I ate with Olivia, Jack, and Terry. Then it was time to play. I gave piggy-back rides and horse rides and spun them around. That was a lot of fun. Then we went back into the classroom and I colored more. I also did a few races and Gary started us off. It was a workout, but I love to run! Then we went back and cleaned up. That was a fun day. I can’t wait to go tomorrow. 

Entry submitted by: Alexandra

Message of the Day: “Be good to the earth and it will be good to you!”

Making friends at Takitumu Elementary

Tuesday we went to Takitumu Elementary. We met the principal, Engia Pate, and then were assigned classes to help kids read. We then went to the classes and read with them.  All the students were so sweet and friendly. Then we had lunch and played soccer. I made a lot of friends, one being Jette. She even invited us over to her house. We began reading again. After that we had free time and played in the classroom and got to know each other. We then said goodbye and headed to St. Paul’s Church. We helped some kids with their homework. I helped a young boy with spelling. We left and went to a dance practice. I thought it was very interesting and fun. The music was so cool. It was a workout! We left and had dinner. Today was a great day! 

Entry submitted by: Olivia

Message of the Day: “By helping others become better we become better.”

Meeting our team in the Cook Islands

Wow, I can’t believe that I just landed this morning from Los Angeles. James met our group at the airport. There are five of us – Barbara and her three wonderful children - Olivia, age 12, Alexandra, age 10, and Jack, who is 7 - and me, Gary. They all live in San Diego. I live in Las Vegas. One more lady will join us tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet Terry. She is from Detroit.

We had breakfast and our first orientation of the day. We then had time to explore the island and meet some of the local people. James’ wife, Debi joined us for the second orientation. We set some personal and team goals and talked about characteristics of an effective team. I especially liked the input from Barbara’s children. They were enthusiastic and creative. We are all excited about tomorrow’s day at the elementary school.

Entry submitted by: Gary

Message of the Day: “Judge success not by the harvest that you reap, but the seeds that you sow.”

Truly a sight to behold

Tomorrow is our last day at the school. We were able to work with the children for about an hour today then the K-3 watched a movie and the 4-6 planted plants and did other landscaping projects around the school. It was a truly a sight to behold - the children working so hard and one even wielding a machete. It’s great to see them take pride and have a sense of ownership about their school. We left a little early to go to a career expo at one of the high schools. It was a long walk on the back road, but the expo was interesting. Barb spoke to a nurse there who said that in 2008 the nursing program stopped, but that this year it is being restarted. Also, she said that to volunteer here as a nurse one only needs proof of current license in their home country. After our long walk, we took a taxi home. We were very grateful for that. In the evening we partook of an island progressive dinner. We were picked up by a bus and proceeded to the other hotels to get the rest of our group – twelve in all. We started out with sparkling wine and appetizers at Danny’s home. He showed us their lovely garden and told us about the fruits and vegetables growing there and about the history of the land and the family. We were entertained by him and two other musicians and two of his grandsons, one three and the other five years old. We then proceeded to our main course, which was spectacular, then to dessert – again, wonderful. All the while entertained with music and singing. It was a wonderful time and such a treat to see the homes of our hosts.

Word of the day: Soursop

The sun returned to Rarotonga!

The sun returned to Rarotonga! Things are beginning to wind down as our last few days at Takitutumu come to an end. We are both continuing to support the children with their reading and writing skills. We were lucky enough to enjoy the children playing rippa (rugby) and took several pictures and videos. Several of the children are extremely fast runners and it was impressive to see this in action. Steph enjoyed singing with both the preschool children and grade one class today. During one of the songs the children can get up and dance which included both “jumping up and down” and a few who showed off their traditional Maori danced skills. We were lucky to be taken to see a local pearl jeweller and purchase pendants which are made with mabe pearls. Beautiful and unique. We had a yummy dinner at the Rickshaw for a Japanese-inspired meal complete with sticky toffee pudding. A late night for us – 8:37 p.m.! Party animals!

Message of the Day: “If you think you can you can, if you think you can’t you are absolutely right.”

Words of the day: Mabe and pineapple lumps = chocolate-covered pineapple

Starting the spelling programs

It was a very rainy day today, but luckily we got rides to and from school. Steph continued to read to the children and Barb started the spelling programs on the Nessy program. Engia brought in jackfruit for us to try – sweet and delicious. The kids had fun taking pictures with Barb’s iPhone camera. Tomorrow’s sports competition have been cancelled due to the rainy weather – too bad since we were looking forward to that. Tonight was our last of Napa’s yummy catered dinners. We will really miss the passion fruit! We whiled away the rainy afternoon playing cards in Barb’s room. The forecast says one more day and the sun will return.

Message of the Day: “People may forget what you said, people may forget what you did, but people will always remember how you made them feel.”

Another day in Rarotonga

Another rainy day in Rarotonga. Today at school we had only a half day as the teachers were meeting with the parents and reviewing the children’s portfolios. Barb was able to continue her work on the computer as the keys were returned. She also demonstrated to the children how to make origami boxes which was a huge hit. Steph assisted Engia with formatting the children’s reports and began work on a booklet to support the preschool children’s visit to Captain Tama’s. The grade 4 children also were able to take some pictures using Steph’s camera. After school we went to the printer in Avarua to print a final draft of the 50^th invitation. It was wonderful having one of the employees support us with formatting – this would never happen back home. We had a delicious lunch at Café Salsa and headed back to the KiiKii. A quiet few hours before our dinner. Time is beginning to go by too quickly.

Message of the Day: “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”

Words of the day: tiare = flower  puka = book

Lagoon Day at Takitumu school

Today was lagoon day for the fifth and sixth graders at Takitumu school. We accompanied them on the bus to the market in Avarua where it was held. It was very well organized and covered all things relating to keeping the lagoon healthy - everything from proper disposal of light bulbs to worm farming to identifying fish to creating laws to protect the lagoons of the Cook Islands. It was all very informative – I know we volunteers learned a lot. All the school children of Rarotonga had created sea creatures out of rubbish and they were all on display there. It was an amazingly beautiful display. We then had a free afternoon to explore on our own as the children returned to school. We went to a local beach and spent some sun, sand, and sea time. Our evening was a trip to a restaurant in Avarua. Early to bed for our trip tomorrow to Aitutaki.

Word of the day: vegemite sandwich = knuckle sandwich

More reading time

Today at Takitumu school things began a bit slowly. The keys to the library were misplaced so Barb was not able to continue with the computer program. This allowed more reading time with the children. Steph was able to visit with the preschool centre and was invited to attend a local ECE conference. The attendees graciously allowed her to participate and even translated the workshops for her. Dinner was at High Tide followed by a practice performance at the National Auditorium in the Manuke hostel. As always the dancing and singing was a highlight of the day. We are off to lagoon day on Friday!!

Message of the Day: “To understand the culture, study the dance. To understand the dance study the people.”

Words of the day: tamariki – children

Making paper airplanes

Wednesday at Takitumu school! Steph continued reading with the children in pairs while Barb worked with them on the Nessy computer program. We are nearly ready to move on to spelling in that program. At afternoon playtime the children were very excited to be making paper airplanes and trying to fly them in the wind. Many of them landed on the roof. One can feel the excitement in the air since the school term is about to end. One of the teachers brought in cooked banana for us to try – it was very sweet. Engia baked bread so we got to try that, too. After school we walked back to the KiiKii on the back road. It was a lovely walk past many fields of mango, pawpaw, bell peppers, and other crops. It was very quiet with a beautiful backdrop of palm trees and Rarotonga’s majestic mountains! We even saw and old ceremonial airai-tonga site where the investiture of an airiki chief took place.

Words of the day: biscuit – cookie    rori - sea cucumber

Your basket and my basket will feed the nation

A rainy day in Rarotonga! We shared our work on the 50^th anniversary invitation. Engia was pleased and requested a few changes to ensure the photos included all students and teachers. Positive feedback was also received from the teachers. Steph began the day singing with the grade one class – always a highlight for her. The children are progressing well with the Nessy computer program and Barb noted even the children whose letter-sound recognition is not as strong as others’ are doing well. We managed to miss the bus once again and took the anti-clockwise bus down to the homework center. We supported two young children who are new to the center and have not spoken yet there. We were lucky to receive a ride home from Jane, who shared a bit of the history of Global Volunteers.

Message of the Day: “Your basket and my basket will feed the nation.”

Words of the day: Oroenua – horse

Today's reader, tomorrow's leader

Monday! Today Barb started working with the students on the reading and spelling computer program Nessy. It’s definitely a hit with the children! They are progressing well and will continue to work on this for the remainder of the next two weeks. Steph continued to read to the children in groups of two and read to the fourth- and fifth-grade class. We talked politics and history with the 6^th grade teacher, Puti, and were given a lesson in Cook Island political structure and history. Some of the children mentioned that they saw us pedalling around the island on our green bicycles on the weekend.

Message of the Day: “Today’s reader, tomorrow’s leader.”

A spectacular school assembly

Our first week at Takitumu came to an end; the time is flying by too quickly. The school held their assembly in the morning which was a spectacular sight for us to experience. The children sang many traditional songs including our first experience with hearing the Cook Islands national anthem. Their voices and spirit were both inspiring and emotional for us to hear. We continued our reading time with the children and tried our first ice block. Barb will begin to support the children on the Nessy computer program next week and will complete the 50^th anniversary invitation for the school. The day ended early as the children would be practicing sports in preparation for the end of term island competition between schools. We took advantage of our free time on the beach by the KiiKii. We enjoyed a fish dinner at a local restaurant where the local beach cat bullied his way into a few bites of fish.

Message of the Day: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

Words of the day: chip butty = French fry sandwich

A successful day at Takitumu!

A successful day at Takitumu! We are both feeling like we are getting in the groove of the school and the children. Steph had an opportunity to observe the grade one classroom, sing songs with the children, and spend time individually with them. We continue to work with the children in pairs on their reading and to read aloud to them as a class. We joined them in their afternoon break running races across the field, frolicking to and fro in the wop wops! After school we toured the circumference of the island via the bus, pinpointing future excursion destinations. After rest time we were treated by GV to a lovely beachside dinner at a local restaurant where we were so lucky to observe a whale breaching.

Message of the Day: “Don’t judge success by the harvest that you reap but by the seeds that you sow.”

Words of the day: wop wop = boondocks  ice block = popsicle