Today we woke up to a change of plans. We would now be snorkelling at 9am. We were supposed to begin by working on the kindergarten started by St Leonard’s last year. However, the tide altered our plans so instead we started the day with a snorkel on the reef.

We took the boat out to the wreckage of an American WW2 fighter plane. The plane was extremely decayed; however you could still make out the cockpit and fuselage. Fish use this wreckage as protection from predators and have made a home in the corals nearby. Some of the snorkelers were able to duck-dive down close to the wreckage and observe the fish. On the way back we stopped again at another section of the reef and observed larger fish and even saw a smaller reef shark (and in larger amounts too).

We returned to the village to work on the kindergarten, but unfortunately the builders weren’t ready and the weather was against us. It began to rain so we were unable to complete the toilet block. While we were waiting, some of the villagers killed a pig. Most students chose not to watch and left until it was over. The pig was then cooked over burning coals and leaves on top which spread the fire.

That night was a celebration of our stay and a farewell to all those involved with St Leonard’s over our stay in Malevu village. Our families had made special sulus and shirts for us to wear to the evening celebration. The celebration kicked off with a speech expressing the village’s gratitude for donating the kindergarten. Most of the villagers sang songs for us and Dima was treated to a “Happy Birthday” and a small bowl of kava.  We then all indulged in a buffet dinner and took part in traditional Fijian dancing.

By Deklan C and Max T