Ricky Kresslein

My Brother’s In Fiji!

2017-02-28

On March 13, my brother, Sam, came to Fiji. Sam is my eldest sibling, two and a half years younger than me. He is the fifth of my six family members to visit and he will be here for a whole month.

He flew in to Labasa and I showed him around town for a day. The following day we went to Daku Resort in Savusavu. We shot some video and photos for a few days. As much as we could, at least, as it has been raining almost every day for over three weeks now.

When the rain let up one afternoon we paddle boarded and kayaked on Savusavu Bay. Daku has a pontoon floating on the bay that we rested on and jumped from. We had a great time.

On his fifth day in Fiji, we rode the bus for four hours to Wainigadru village and hired a boat for FJD $50 to my village, Tawake. It cleared up the next day and we were able to snorkel and climb a mountain overlooking the village and sea.

Unfortunately, the following day it began raining again. We went to the school and I taught my first literacy class of the year.

Since then we have mostly stayed inside, playing cards, repairing my roof, and trying to stay dry.

A tropical depression blew through on Tuesday, February 21. I took the solar panel off of my roof when sheet metal and tree branches began flying around the village. Some people boarded up their windows.

Fortunately, it passed quickly without doing any harm. Now it has formed into a cyclone well east of us. That wind has passed but the rain continues. We hope it passes soon, though it looks like we may have another week of it.

From here we plan to take a trip to Taveuni, and Sam wants to get dive certified. More on those adventures coming soon.

Also, check out my latest vlog, about the death of my village’s chief and his funeral.