Sending A Care Package?

 

Care packages and letters are one of the simplest and most cherished thing to Peace Corps Volunteers. We relish in receiving packages and letters from home so that we still feel connected to the United States.

Sending these care packages or letters comes with many questions; What do I send? What can I send? What does the volunteer want? Well have no fear! If you are wanting to send a care package my way, I have prepared a list of things that I would love to receive from the states! However, if you want to send a care package, I do ask that you email me (tdoak08@su.edu) before doing so in-case there is something that I need, or do not need. If you want to get fancy and creative, you can do a "Themed Package". Again here is my mailing address:

Mr. Timothy Doak, PCV
Post Office Waiyevo
Taveuni, Fiji Islands South Pacific
Attn: Kioa Island

Things I would like: 
Stationary items:
iTunes Gift Cards
Sharpie's 
Papermate Flair Pens
Crayola Crayons
Crayola Markers
Stickers

Home Essentials:
Pictures of you and home
Books
Bandanas/Buffs
Baby Wipes 
Facewash (preferably Targets Apricot Scrub)
Neutrogena On The Spot cream
DVD's

Food:
Ground Coffee
Powdered Gatorade
Beef Jerky
Candy - M&Ms (regular, peanut, pretzel, peanut butter)
           - York Patties
           - Gummie Bears/Worms
           - Twix
           - Hershy's Cookies and Cream
           - Reese's 
           - Reese's Pieces
           - Butterfinger
Cheez-Its (regular, & white cheddar)
Tositoes Hint of Lime
Any type of chips or crackers
Ritz Cracker Sandwiches 
Boxed Mac & Cheese
Spices & Mixed Spices 
Any type of snacks!!

If there are any questions about what things are, you can Google the items and see a picture. Everything can be found in Walmart, Target, or any grocery store. If you send a package, you will need to claim the items that you are sending. DO NOT go over $200 or else I will have to pay a very big fine on the package! Please also include a list of items that were sent inside the package in-case things are taken out. Thank you all so much if you do send a package or letter.  I promise that will not go wasted and will be cherished for as long as my cravings will let them ;-)

Peace Corps Cribs - Fiji Style

Talofa! It means "Hello" in Tuvalin which is the language that my island speaks.

Not much has happened since my last post. But today I did create a video called "Peace Corps Cribs - Fiji Style". I recorded myself showing my house here in Fiji to give you a glimpse of how I live. The link is below and I hope you like it! I will also put the pictures link again because I have uploaded some new pictures since the last post as well!  

Peace Corps Cribs link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59mkxQD8law

Pictures link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201066478328760.1073741828.1372260143&type=1&l=f1850ce443 

Home Sweet Home

Well here I am, writing in my own home in my village that I will be living in for 2 years! What I have worked toward has finally become a reality.

Before I get to my village however, I want to tell you all about Swearing In! The ceremony was absolutely stunning.  It was like nothing that I was expecting or even could imagine. The Minister for Health of Fiji, and the Ambassador of the United States were present and both gave little speech about how thankful they are that we are serving the people of Fiji. The actually swearing in part is encompassed into 4 steps; 1. Be recommended by our Training Manager 2. Be accepted by the Country Director to be sworn in 3. Take the oath given by the Ambassador of the United States (similar to the oath that Presidents take) 4. Be accepted into the country that you are asked to serve. All 4 steps were done and 27 new PCVs are now working all over Fiji. During a portion of the ceremony a Cultural Item takes place, where the new PCVs perform a traditional item and this year the men performed a “Toa Meke” – Dance of the Chicken. The crowd went wild with how we danced and by me yelling “Vakrou! Laga! Meke!”

I stayed in Suva for 2 more days before leaving for my village in the north. I had to fly from Viti Levu, to Vanua Levu by myself. Normally I am fine traveling alone and not worrying at all about really anything. Well, I ended up on the wrong flight and almost ended up in a completely different place! Thank god for the nice women who came onto the plane and told me that I was on the wrong plane. The airports here are nothing like the ones in the states! Its more like a regional airport back in the states.

I moved into my new village about 2 days ago with the help of JC (PC staff member) and Caitlin (PCV). We took the truck with all my stuff on a road that started out pavement, then turned to rock, then turned to dirt, and then turned to mud before reaching where my boat would pick me up to take me to the village. My village is only accessible by boat.  When I arrived, many men and boys helped me carry things to my house. 

It has essentially two rooms; 1 main room, which is my sleeping area and cooking area, and then the washroom, which is my bathroom and shower room. 

The reason why I am here is to work with the Ministry of Health in assisting on education and awareness of Non-Communicable Diseases. I am working in two different places here in the village. Three days a week I am working in the Nursing Station, and 2 days a week I am working with the Council. The council is the local government structure here. Normally in Fiji a single person runs a village, but my village is of Polynesian decent and still structures their day-to-day lives on that culture.

Well that’s all for now! I will keep writing when I learn more about my village and the culture here. Be excited because it is a completely different culture on this little island from all of Fiji!

I also now have a new address which is: 

Mr. Timothy Doak, PCV
Post Office Waiyevo
Taveuni, Fiji Islands South Pacific
Attn: Kioa Island

Pictures of everything that I described are at the links below:
 (New Village)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201066478328760.1073741828.1372260143&type=1&l=f1850ce443

 (PST/Swearing In)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200815283809054.1073741827.1372260143&type=1&l=77a89f4588