Fiji Fun Facts
- Fiji is made up of approximately 333 islands, but only about a third of those have people living on them. We’re staying on Malolo Island.
- There are two main seasons in Fiji: Wet and Dry. We’re here at the end of the wet season, which goes from November – April.
- Fiji isn’t too far from Australia (about a 4.5-hour flight (ours from San Francisco was 11 hours!)), so a lot of Australians vacation here. Fiona’s been hanging out with some of them, including Alfie (3), Daisy (5) and Jack (7).
Fijian Language
There are two important words we’ve learned for our stay here:
- Bula: hello/welcome/life (everywhere we go, people say, “Bula!” or “Bula bula!” or “Bula, Fiona!”)
- Vinaka: thank you!
An Interview With Fiona About Fiji
What’s the weather like in Fiji?
It is very hot. But at night it can be very stormy and rainy. The rain usually rains in the evening or near to nighttime. What’s interesting about it is that it’s very warm no matter what happens! It’s warm rain!
Tell us about the place you’re staying.
I like the restaurants here because they make really good food. There’s a grown-up pool that kids aren’t allowed in, but I like the kids’ pool.
What’s the food like?
The food at the breakfast place is really good. I’ve tried it twice already. There’s pineapple and papaya (which is kind of like watermelon). There’s also apple juice. Apples here are so delicious! We usually eat lunch and dinner at the beach bar. You can see the sunset there and you can see the ocean and sometimes there’s a golden pathway across the ocean that fairies can dance along up to your window and grant you a wish.
Tell us about the people who work here.
They help you. They show you where your house is, and sometimes they light torches! They’re little holders for fire, and you light fire on them so you can see your way home. They help you with kayaking, with hiking. They all say “Princess Fiona!” when they see me.
Tell us about Kids’ Club!
Kids can go to the kids club and there’s lots of fun stuff for you to do. I made shell bracelets and necklaces and a grass skirt.
What have been your favorite things?
I’ve been liking doing swimming class in the pool and lying in the hammock with daddy. I like it when daddy reads me a bedtime story. And I also like looking at the [hotel] logo. The name of the [island] is Malolo! I like how the logo shows that it’s always sunny, and how it has a smile on its face so that it shows that it likes being out.
Is there anything you don’t like about Fiji?
Basically the only thing is the mosquitos—they’re always biting me! And I’m worried about sunburn.
Have you tried anything new in Fiji?
I tried snorkeling and kayaking and a stand up paddle board and I tried drinking out of a coconut.
The Johnslingtons 
Amazing Fiona and family!! I love to hear about your trip and I’m learning so much about Fiji.
Can’t wait to share with your friends at school tomorrow. It’s Sunday now, while I’m reading your post. Tomorrow, Monday, we will for sure share your stories.
I looove drinking from a coconut! I’m from Brasil and we have lots of fresh coconuts in the beaches in Rio, where I’m from. We also have warm weather 🌞 and warm rain, and beautiful beaches, not as beautiful as the ones I can see here on your post. Oh yeah, we also have mosquitos in Rio 😩, so annoying!
We’ll thank you for writing and sending photos and videos. We miss you! Enjoy!
We’ll keep in touch
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Just watched the video too. Just beautiful…such great discoveries in the ocean and beautiful dancing and music! Can’t wait to share it with your friends tomorrow.
Much love to you Fiona and your family! ♥️
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Love, love this interview, especially about the fairies walkway. I hope you brought mosquito repellent. The pictures are spectacular – keep ’em coming.
David ________________________________
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Bula, Fiona! Vinaka for all the interesting information in your interview. You are having so many new experiences in Fiji. I love that Teacher Maria will be sharing your stories with your class back at Friends of Saint Francis. Sending soooo much love, Grandma Shirley
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Oooooh, Video? Too big to send out generally? We are still having cold mornings but some warm afternoons. Looking forward to seeing how well Fiona can swim when she comes to visit again!
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Bula! Fiona.Vinaka for sharing your experience with the class. The entire community classroom both Sunflowers and Buttercups were excited to look at both the blog and the video. They really loved seeing you dance and hearing about your snorkeling experience. You have given us alot to learn about. What interesting weather! I would love it if San Francisco was warm all the time.
No matter what they were most interested in, everyone was excited to see and hear from you. They are also excited about our next steps. Some children want to learn more about sea turtles and stings rays, others want to learn more about the foods you ate. We all liked hearing about kid’s club and your hotel. I especially liked the story about the fairies.
I am so glad you are having fun and so greatful I can experience all of these places through you. We have decised that we are going to make a book about this shared experience. We will keep you posted each step along the way. And we look forward to your next post! I am so proud of you!
All of the children wanted to send you a message so I’ve listed what they said below.
From: Andy,Theo, Amaya, Adrianna, Dylan, Kenet,Kian, Nora, Lyla, and Ada: “I miss you”
From: Leo, Preston, Zoe, Ben, and Emma: “I love you!”
From Mia: “I miss you and I love you. I wish you could come back to school again”!
From Alaia: “We miss you. When are you coming back?”
From Julian: “I miss you and I love you. We’d like to know more about the games in Fiji”.
From Conner: “Good Bye! Thank you for the pictures”
From Bedford: “I love you and We miss you SO MUCH”!
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Mind blown by the golden fairy pathway across the ocean.
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