Come sail with me on a virtual cruise on Majestic Princess to Fiji!

[ellie1145]

Dravuni Kindergarten

 

 

 

When children reach secondary school age they must travel to a bigger island to continue their education, and that must be a wrench for their parents.

 

DH and I leave our gifts on a table where others have placed items, and we walk across to the kindergarten to the left of the main building. 

 

 

It’s incredibly spartan, with an old TV on a stand and none of the toys our children enjoy in British nursery schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But outside we are introduced to some of the young pupils and they are delightful happy, friendly little people.

 

[ellie1145]

1 hour ago, winifred said:

ellie,  “ Time for bed “is from the Magic roundabout with the springing zebedeee! What an amazing day and what an amazing school.  I love the teacher  posters, this one is so very true!  

 

You are absolutely correct, Winifred. My children used to watch the Magic Roundabout each night, and it was Zebedee, with his spring leg who used to say that phrase. And some days, after a very hectic time with 3 young children it was music to my ears! 🤣

 

Glad you enjoyed our school visit. There is more to come!

 

 

[cnd crsr]

Hi Ellie,

What a delight arriving in Dravuni! So glad we stopped at the school first and that I kept another "goody bag" the the children here! Talk about bare basics, the teachers there have so little to work with. The posters they have displayed in the school not only give inspirational messages  for the children but help brighten up the  classroom. 

 

Gail

 

[AF-1]

ellie1145; I have a trivia question for you.  What is on the Big Mac Sandwich.  In the US; McDonalds had a jingle which included all the ingredients;  so go for it.  Good luck

[ellie1145]

6 hours ago, cnd crsr said:

Hi Ellie,

What a delight arriving in Dravuni! So glad we stopped at the school first and that I kept another "goody bag" the the children here! Talk about bare basics, the teachers there have so little to work with. The posters they have displayed in the school not only give inspirational messages  for the children but help brighten up the  classroom. 

 

Gail

 

 

Glad you are enjoying it. It’s pretty shocking really, especially the Kindergarten, and it makes me realise how very lucky our children and grandchildren are. 

 

Despite the lack of equipment etc. the children were animated and exuberant, and full of life, so maybe we underestimate the benefits of living on a tiny but beautiful island.

[ellie1145]

4 hours ago, AF-1 said:

ellie1145; I have a trivia question for you.  What is on the Big Mac Sandwich.  In the US; McDonalds had a jingle which included all the ingredients;  so go for it.  Good luck

 

Hmm, AF, that is really ‘food for thought!’ I’m going to have to give this some thought....I might even have to ask my friend Mr G. 😉

[voljeep]

4 hours ago, AF-1 said:

ellie1145; I have a trivia question for you.  What is on the Big Mac Sandwich.  In the US; McDonalds had a jingle which included all the ingredients;  so go for it.  Good luck

2 all ...

 

you could have asked what's included in a chili 5-way to give it some local color to where you live ...

 

but I digress ... trivia questions belong in the Float-away lounge ...

[ellie1145]

The Kindergarten

 

Seeing the kindergarten reminds me of my own little grandson, who attends a big nursery school whilst his parents work. It is full of toys, with a huge outside area bursting with climbing frames, sand pit, a mud kitchen, and lots of ride on toys. Inside there are art areas, sleeping pods, little toilets and endless and varied toys and games. How different this kindergarten is. But how enchanting the children are, despite having so little. I guess the beautiful island is their play area.

 

We peep out of the window and see chickens running about, and lots of shacks where people live.

 

 

 

There is a washing machine outside on the veranda.

 

 

 

They have a large sandpit outside which we see them playing in happily later. 

 

Seeing this island and all the happy children, despite their poverty stricken life, reminds me how lucky we are, and how it is possible to be content with very little in the way of material things. We are truly blessed to have been able to visit this island, although it is a little sad that civilisation seems to be catching up with them very rapidly. 
 

 

 

 

Back outside, some children are playing football. 

 

This little lad spies a coconut in front of one of the passengers.

He cannot resist it! 

 

 

 

Our visit to the school over, we make our way back to the beach.

Edited July 26, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

5 hours ago, AF-1 said:

ellie1145; I have a trivia question for you.  What is on the Big Mac Sandwich.  In the US; McDonalds had a jingle which included all the ingredients;  so go for it.  Good luck

 

I’m guessing it’s the same as what’s in a Big Mac here in the U.K., so it’s a sesame bun with 2 beef burgers, shredded lettuce, Big Mac sauce, pickles, chopped onion and cheese?

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

On 7/24/2020 at 4:00 PM, cnd crsr said:

Hi Ellie,

 I really got carried away at the market.... I ONLY  planned on picking up flowers for the cabin. Now where will I store all of those bags? I might have to buy another piece of luggage to trek all that home!  Hope I can do that without my DH noticing!!!!

 

After enjoying the children singing before boarding, and lugging all my shopping to the cabin, I just had time to clean up for dinner. The Lobster Bisque and  Spring Chicken were delicious.  Now I want to head up to the White Hot Deck Party  before retiring for the night?

 

Yay, another relaxing sea day coming up.

 

Gail

 

I somehow missed your post. I’m so glad you managed to do all your shopping before they cleared the market away! You certainly got your money’s worth, those poor staff, lugging all those bags to your cabin! No wonder we were late leaving.....

 

Was the White Hot Deck Party good? 

 

Thank goodness we had a sea day after all that shopping, it really takes it out of a girl.

 

PS did DH notice all those bags or were you able to hide them under the bed before he saw them? 🤣

[AF-1]

3 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

I’m guessing it’s the same as what’s in a Big Mac here in the U.K., so it’s a sesame bun with 2 beef burgers, shredded lettuce, Big Mac sauce, pickles, chopped onion and cheese?

 

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.   That was the jingle they played in the commercials here in the US.  But your answer is good

[AF-1]

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

2 all ...

 

you could have asked what's included in a chili 5-way to give it some local color to where you live ...

 

but I digress ... trivia questions belong in the Float-away lounge ...

I could have gone with the chili question; but I will just leave trivia to her.

[cnd crsr]

11 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

I somehow missed your post. I’m so glad you managed to do all your shopping before they cleared the market away! You certainly got your money’s worth, those poor staff, lugging all those bags to your cabin! No wonder we were late leaving.....

 

Was the White Hot Deck Party good? 

 

Thank goodness we had a sea day after all that shopping, it really takes it out of a girl.

 

PS did DH notice all those bags or were you able to hide them under the bed before he saw them? 🤣

Yes, I managed to get all the shopping under the bed, however, DH has commented on how the bed looks to be about 15 cc higher than it was when we moved in.

 

The White Hot Deck party was very well attended and a good time was had by all.

 

Gail

[ellie1145]

15 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.   That was the jingle they played in the commercials here in the US.  But your answer is good

 

Thank you for your trivia question, AF-1. Thank goodness I didn’t have to ask Mr Google for that one! 🤣

 

Interesting that in the US you call it ‘special sauce?’ We call it Big Mac Sauce. 

 

[ellie1145]

6 hours ago, cnd crsr said:

Yes, I managed to get all the shopping under the bed, however, DH has commented on how the bed looks to be about 15 cc higher than it was when we moved in.

 

The White Hot Deck party was very well attended and a good time was had by all.

 

Gail

 

Hmm, you will have to ensure DH doesn’t look under the bed, then. I dread to think what he would find! 🤣 Let’s hope he doesn’t drop something on the floor and inadvertently see your hoard! 

 

 

[ellie1145]

Apologies for the lateness of our beach sojourn.

 

We had to go to London to get DH a Covid-19 test prior to an op on Wednesday. Traffic was horrendous and parking even worse. 😲 Central London was heaving.

 

I may be awol on that day (Wednesday). 

[TeaBag]

Hope all will go well for you and DH on Wed, Ellie, and that he gets a negative for COVID, so his op can go ahead.

[Roger88]

When I see these pictures of how the islanders live and spend their time it makes me sad in a way but at the same time I understand that these people are experiencing more freedom than any of us. The only downside is that they have to live in homes made of leafs.. 

[ellie1145]

Time for a swim!

 

 

 

It was a real honour to share the school day with these children, albeit for a short time. It also highlighted how poor the school is. We are very lucky in the UK that our children have every possible piece of technology, plenty of books, and resources, and access to unlimited internet.

 

Whilst the poverty of the island is very thought provoking, so, too, is the friendliness and sheer joy for living that they display. They have very little but they seem content. After all, once we have all left, they still have the most beautiful island to live on. But how long their way of life will exist, and with the advent of the internet, how long before the children will want more, I do not know.  

 

Now it’s time for a swim. In the distance, Majestic Princess moves gently at anchor, changing position.

 

 

 

We walk back to the beach and find a shady spot under a tree. DH, as you know, is not a swimmer, more of a paddler, so he relaxes on the beach, on bag watch, while I make my way into the wonderful warm water.

 

 

 

It’s absolutely amazing, it’s so clear you can see right down into the water, and I spend an hour or so swimming and floating and just enjoying this truly stunning place. It is a real tropical paradise as the beach is simply beautiful.

 

 

The locals are offering short boat trips round the island and there is a steady flow of people taking advantage of this little tour.

 

 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

14 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Hope all will go well for you and DH on Wed, Ellie, and that he gets a negative for COVID, so his op can go ahead.

 

Thank you TeaBag. 

 

We expect it will be ok as we have been self isolating for weeks and taking great care, but it has to be done before they will allow the op to go ahead. 

 

Thank you for your good wishes. The worst bit is that I cannot be beside him. Having had several operations in the past few years, and having had my DH and children at my side, I am naturally sad that I cannot be with him, but that is how it is at the moment. 

[ellie1145]

5 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

When I see these pictures of how the islanders live and spend their time it makes me sad in a way but at the same time I understand that these people are experiencing more freedom than any of us. The only downside is that they have to live in homes made of leafs.. 

 

That is very true, Roger88. 

 

Once all of us passengers from Majestic have departed, the island once again becomes a little bit of paradise. 

Edited July 27, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

Watch out for those coconuts!

 

I love watching Majestic Princess as she sits offshore. She looks beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would love to take this driftwood home but I don't think it will fit in my hand luggage!

 

There is plenty of shade from the trees along the beach. It's really not crowded considering how many people are onshore. 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cnd crsr]

29 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Thank you TeaBag. 

 

We expect it will be ok as we have been self isolating for weeks and taking great care, but it has to be done before they will allow the op to go ahead. 

 

Thank you for your good wishes. The worst bit is that I cannot be beside him. Having had several operations in the past few years, and having had my DH and children at my side, I am naturally sad that I cannot be with him, but that is how it is at the moment. 

I am with Teabag wishing for a negative result on your husband's covid test so his surgury can go as planned.

Gail

[ellie1145]

A Robinson Crusoe Moment...

 

 

After my swim I walk along the beach, right to the end, where I am completely alone. How amazing that, despite there being hundreds of passengers on this island today, I am able to find a part of the beach which is completely unspoilt and empty.

 

It is a Robinson Crusoe moment. There’s just me, the rocky shoreline and waves lapping on the stones..

 

 

 

 

It’s completely peaceful, and further out at sea I can see the beautiful Majestic Princess, lying at anchor, and reminding me that she is there ready to welcome us back to her comforting coolness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by ellie1145