For our student directed travel time in Fiji, we stayed in a house on the coral coast and relaxed after our village homestays. The house had an amazing view of the ocean and plenty of room for activities.
After leaving the house we said “Moce” (goodbye) to Fiji and hopped on a plane to Brisbane! After a day in the city, we hopped on a train Chenrezig Institute for a relaxing week of reflection, meditation and mindfulness. We were lucky enough to be able to participate in both a Tara and Guru Puja, two buddhist ceremonies that honor the twenty-one Taras of buddhist mythology. We helped with grounds keeping and maintenance, and even got to bake delicious cakes. We helped decorate the cafe by making pictures inspired by our stay at Chenrezig.
During our stay there, an aborigine named Brent taught us about his indigenous culture. He brought with him tools that were commonly used by his tribe and how he still uses them in his everyday life. We even got a private didgeridoo concert and learned how to make rope with tree bark.
After we said goodbye to Chenrezig we traveled to Noosa where we enjoyed surfing, relaxing days on the beach, and great food with ocean views. We are currently in Cairns and look forward to an exciting week in the Daintree at an ice cream company. Yum!
Lots of love
-Emma, Halle, and Sam