All Our Bags Are Packed...

...and we are most definitely ready to go! Our four check bags are weighing in just under 150 (collectively), which gives us about 10 pounds to spare.

Today is the day! We can't believe it's finally here! We're leaving this morning for PDX to catch our 11:20 flight to L.A. We'll spend tomorrow (Tuesday) meeting our fellow trainees and preparing to leave the country. Our trans-Pacific flight is at 9:30pm TOMORROW!!! Once we arrive in Nadi, Fiji, we'll have a 5 hour bus ride along the coast to Suva where our training will begin.

During the first 5 days of training we will be at a vocational training in Suva. During these 4 days we'll start our language and cultural training. On May 25 we will split up into groups of 5-6 trainees and live in villages in the Tailevu area with host families. We'll have formal training Monday-Saturday, and will be able to structure our own learninng and spend time with our host families on Sundays. Week 5 of training we'll find out where our site will be for the next 2 years and we'll get a chance to meet our community contact!

It sounds like our first 10 weeks in Fiji will be packed and we may or may not have access to Internet until July. We'll post blogs if/when we can, and try to get some snail mail out if we are unable to post.

Feel free to write us. We'd love to hear from you!

Our name(s), PCV
Peace Corps/Fiji
Private Mail Bag
Suva, Fiji
SOUTH PACIFIC

Thanks for reading!
Nan and Chris

Bon Voyage Dinner

While Kevin was in town, Chris Z. and Karen treated us to a bon voyage dinner at Portland's Greek Cusina. On a typical night at Greek Cusina, the house is packed and diners are entertained by traditional Greek dancing, plate throwing, etc. Volunteers are pulled from the crowd to become part of the show for a few minutes, and then retire to their dinners to enjoy the rest of the evening. When we happened to go it was a cold and rainy night in Portland (no kidding!), and we were the only guests at the restaurant. So instead of being entertained, we were the entertainment! Chris Z., Karen, Kevin, Chris, and I danced until our feet were sore. We counted to three in Greek, yelled "Opa!", and broke plates. Chris and I sat in chairs while the very Greek owner of the restaurant poured Ouzo into our mouths. It was a fun, and exhausting night. Too much fun. (Check out the pictures below!)

Nan (and Chris)

Me and the owner of Greek Cusina

Chris drinking Ouzo Greek Cusina style

Owner of restaurant teaching Chris, Kevin, and I a traditional dance

Chris Z. doing a little solo dancing

What does one take to Fiji for a two-year stint?

With only 4 days left in Sandy OR, the time to start packing has arrived. After a few requests, we are including a photo of what we’re taking in our 160 pounds (80 lbs each). We, by no means, claim to know what would be best to bring. This is only what we are bringing. We used input from the Peace Corps official packing list, the revised list from PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) already in Fiji and input from PCVs and RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) via our Facebook group, "Peace Corps Fiji". Note: we are, of course, not taking the bed, the bedding, the art on the walls, the bedside tables, or the lamps.


This is a list of the items in the picture. It roughly goes from left to right and top to bottom. I stress roughly!

• Snorkeling gear sets (2)
• Camping pillows (2)
• Bag/purse (made by Mom and Karen from the scraps of my homemade, ankle-length skirts)
• Inflatable globe (to show people where we’re from or give as a gift)
• Stuffed animal monkey to keep us company
  
• Power adapter
• Sunglasses and cases
• Asis Eee PC Laptop computer
• Non-stick pots and pans
• A really good can opener
• Silicone spatula
• Camping bowls and cups
• Light My Fire all purpose utensils (It's a knife, fork, and spoon all in one!)
• Cheese powder from Kraft Mac and Cheese (for a homesick day when we just want some junk food from the USA)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mini globe ball
• iPods
• Alarm clocks
• Bag of batteries (AA and AAA)
• Digital camera
• Small cord (for clothes lines and other times that we’re sure we’ll be glad to have it)
• Carabineers
• Really good scissors
• Shortwave radio (Primarily in case of emergency, but also in case we don’t have electricity in whatever type of home we have. We have to have music!)
• Headlamps
• Pocket knives (assorted; Jonathan and Megan, we like yours the best!)
• Duct tape
• Books: Journal from Josh and Meg, sketchbook, Lonely Planet‘s South Pacific and Micronesia, God: A Brief History, Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, Obama’s The Audacity of Hope, Lonely Planet‘s Fiji, Map of the South Pacific Islands, Wellspring journal, "The Calorie King", Fijian Phrasebook, Webster’s Pocket Dictionary, The ADA Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, How to Cook Everything cookbook, two small photo albums of winter scenes and most of the people we love
• Fancier digital camera
• Headphones
• Gameboy
• Hair clippers (I’ve learned to cut Chris’s hair for him, but I think I’ll just let mine grow)
• Electric shaver
• iHome speakers (in little black bag)
• Games: Uno, 2 decks of playing cards, Dominoes, Quiddler (Tim and Debbie, we love this game! Thanks!), Zigity, set of dice, SkipBo, Phase 10, and Bananagrams
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• MSR micro fiber towels (4)
• Ziploc bags (200; assorted sizes)
• Beaded bracelets that change color in the sun and Obama buttons (gifts)
• Tent
• Kitchen knives and knife sharpener
• Stationary
• Calculator
• Water bottles (a few of which are not PBA free, but we‘re hoping the BPA scares away the worms!)
• D-link portable wireless router (for use when we have Internet access, however often that may be)
  
• ShedRain umbrellas (2)
• More calculators (gifts)
• Bag of pens, pencils, and Sharpies
• Frisbee
• Raincoats
• Nan’s clothing
• Cubs hat
• Beanie for cold nights
• Nan’s shoes: Chaco sandals (2), flip-flops, trail runners
• Chris’s shoes: flip-flops, chaco sandals, trail Runners
• Chris’s clothing
• Cardinals hat

Not pictured: toiletries, inflatable sleeping pads, the few items of clothing that we are presently wearing or are in the wash, and our silk sleep sack. We opted to leave the 20 degree down sleeping bags in the states, and instead will use a thin silk sack for camping and overnights at any questionable hostels.

Now if we can just get all of this stuff into our four bags and distribute the weight evenly enough so that no bag weighs more than 50 lbs. Oh, and we'll also need to pack the bags so that 2 of them have everything we'll need for our first 10 weeks in country. We'll have access to the other two once training concludes. This may take some serious strategizing!

Nan (and Chris)

Victoria Trip

Neither of us, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, had ever been to any part of Canada. We decided since we were so close we should fit in a trip before heading to Fiji. After a short drive north in our styling PT Cruiser rental car, we took the ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, British Columbia, and had a fantastic three day visit. We stayed at this really cute hostel- The Ocean Island Backpacker Inn- and even had a private room and bathroom! We were close enough to downtown that we could walk everywhere. We walked almost 12 miles on Friday and another 6 or so on Saturday seeing as much of Victoria as we could.

At the Bug Zoo we held a 400 leg millipede and watched a school group of 5-year-olds put it on their faces. We also saw the biggest ant farm either of us have ever seen. It may not show up in the picture, but the bottom left cube of the ant farm is filled with dead ants- the "graveyard". We also checked out the Miniature World, which is a museum with dioramas of everything from World War II to fairy tales to dollhouses to the heartland of the USA. One of the highlights of our trip was taking a walk out on the breakwater. We saw an otter, watched float planes take off and land, and watched scuba divers doing their thing. We took a lengthy stroll through some random neighborhoods and ended up at Beacon Hill Park, which was in full blossom! We got to Victoria just in time to see the end of the tulips. My favorite! We continued our walk on Dallas St. along the coast. It looked like it might storm any second, but never did, which was great because we were ill-prepared for a downpour.

Though I'm not entirely sure Victoria is known for their food, we had some of the best sushi on Vancouver Island, the tastiest (and greasiest) fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf, and real Dutch Pannekoeken at De Dutch!

When we got back to Sandy, OR, my brother, Kevin, was here. We've been hanging out with him for a couple days. Yesterday we hiked Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls. Beautiful!

More Peace Corps info to be posted soon!

Nan (and Chris)

Room at Ocean Island Backpackers Inn

Dinner at Azuma Sushi

Chris Walking Through Beacon Hill Park

Houses at Fisherman's Wharf

Victoria's Coast

Shaman, the Street Performer, on the Skateboard of Death!


Nan Sitting In a Big Tree At Beacon Hill Park

Millipede with 400 Legs! Ewww...

Giant Ant Farm at the Bug Zoo

Kevin and Chris at Wahkeena Falls

Two more weeks stateside...

Hello everyone!

Today marks a mere 13 days until we finally leave for our adventure. It has been a long wait and as the actual date draws close we find ourselves double checking all of our preparations. Move out of apartment: Check. Sell car: Check. Quit jobs: Check. Fly back to Tulsa/Kansas for one last final goodbye: Check. Frantically run around purchasing last minute items: Check... but we'll probably do that again on the evening of the 17th. The most common question asked of us right now is are we getting excited yet... and finally the answer is YES. We've both packed our bags to make sure everything will fit. We've read and re-read our orientation information and can't wait for the next two weeks to pass.

So, here's the update on what we've been up to for the past month since we last blogged. The Currys came to visit. Well, almost all of them. Bob, Sheri, Michelle, PJ, Haley, and Parker came to visit a few weeks ago. Their visit was full of visits to the zoo, fish hatchery, and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. The adults also made a trip to Marakesh, a Morrocan restuarant in downtown Portlant. There we sat on cushions on the floor and ate many different Moroccan dishes. Loads of fun!

Nancy and I also made it down to McMinnville for a day to visit some friends from North Carolina that have moved out here. Megan and Jordan worked with us at Wellspring Adventure Camp two years ago. We were their daughter's, Molly's, very first baby sitters. She's so big now and since they've moved out here they've added one more to their family. Welcome Katie! Congratulations Jordan and Megan!

We also had another visitor recently. Jess Thomas, one of the officiates at our wedding (and my college roomate) came out to spend a weekend with us. We spent the weekend snowboarding and skiing, playing board games, and enjoying Sandy, Oregon's happening night life. Oh, and by 'happening night life' I mean the two bars here in Sandy, which are mostly full of older cowboys... We had fun and it was great having him here.

This last weekend we flew back to Tulsa. We drove up to Wichita, KS with Nan's mom to spend some time with the KS sect of our family. We spent the day visiting with Nan's family (Grandma Betty, Kara and Kirby, Linda, and Al and Marilyn). It was really nice sitting and visiting with them for a day. We then headed back to Tulsa where we spent an evening with my family. Nonny and Poppy, Lauri and Ian and my parents all got together for a big family dinner. Later that night, Jeff and Erin (Jeff was in our wedding... Erin, his wife, was in the audience) came over to hang out and catch up. The whole trip was a whirlwind of visits and errands, and goodbyes, as trips home always are.

So now, we're living at the Zorn household, with Karen, Chris, and Baby Olivia. We are driving a rental car (PT Cruiser!) and gearing up for a trip to Victoria, Canada. We'll spend a few days there for one last vacation before we spend two years in service with the Peace Corps. When we get back, Nan's brother, Kevin, will be here for about a week. And after that, we leave. Our time right now is by no means empty, but hopefully we'll find some time to relax before we head out. For now, though, our May 18th leave date is careening toward us.

Thanks for looking in on us! This month marks the 1 year and 2 month aniversary of the creation of this blog and this month we will finally leave. If anyone mentions to you that they are thinking of joining the Peace Corps, give them some good advice. Tell them to go ahead and apply and decide later if they actually want to do it. As of today, it has been 643 days since we turned in our Peace Corps applications. What an adventure!

Chris (and Nan)