Peace Corps Fiji I
Welcome to the Peace Corps
Fiji I 1968-69 site. As a member of that very special
first PC program in Fiji, we all felt a special bond,
pride and camaraderie in being a part of it.
Government Buildings in Suva
Even after some 30
years, our individual and collective experiences are
still very much a part of us. And while we all served
in different areas of Fiji, doing different jobs, we
still felt a sense of belonging.
The success of Fiji I paved the way for many later
Peace Corps groups and we are proud of our
achievements, accomplishments and contributions.
Venerable Metropole Hotel, Suva
That spirit of camaraderie and bonding began in the early days of training in fall, 1967, at Ninole on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was instilled in us by the warmth and enthusiasm of our Fijian and Indian language and cultural instructors. Those feelings carried us through our various assignments and experiences in Fiji during 1968-69.
Nadi plain and hills, Nadi, Fiji
This Fiji I site is
meant to be a vehicle to reconnect us to each other,
to reflect and remember the experiences we had in our
young lives so long ago and far away in a special
place called Fiji.
We hope you enjoy navigating your way through this
site and reconnecting with old friends. We've done
our best to update our address/contact list and hope
we can eventually reach and invite every Fiji I
member to participate.
Waimanu Road intersection just
below the
Peace Corps office in Suva
Just to get you in the
mood, you'll find a couple of "Before" and
"After" photos below. We hope these might
rekindle some pleasant memories for you as you take a
stroll down memory lane through your days in Fiji so
long ago.
So, take a look through this site and let us know
what you think. We'd especially like to hear from or
about those who are "missing"
addresses/contacts.
In Memoriam
This site for Fiji I
is dedicated to the memory of John Pohlman our
fellow PCV who was drafted out of Fiji into the
military and sent to Viet Nam where he made the
supreme sacrifice sometime in 1970. We won't forget.
We also remember Fred Schuierer of the Peace
Corps Suva office staff who passed away a few years
ago.
Ni sa bula mai!
John Penisten
Click here to Contact John Penisten by email
Click on photos below to see full size. Large pictures are slow to load, as you know, but you can see every face! Hit your "back" button to return here.
Fiji I Peace Corps group in
training program,
Ninole, Hawai‘i, fall, 1967. Slow to load.
Fiji I group at termination
conference,
Nadi, Fiji, September, 1969,
now caption has names of members
click on photo to see all that!.
More Fiji Fotos?
This section or another page will include any photos of Fiji you'd care to share with the group. These could be images you have from 1968-69 or from return visits you've made since. If you can send digital images, send them directly to Bill Eger via email billeger@gte.net with appropriate identification and caption info.
Otherwise, send your photos (prints or slides) with identification info to John Penisten, 570 Iwalani St., Hilo, Hawaii 96720; you can also email them to John at: pacpics@aloha.net . After the photos are scanned etc. they will be returned to you.
Find friends: Go to Fiji I staff and volunteer directory
NEW! Get the latest news on Fiji's
political crises
News from various sources via
Pacific Islands Report, Center for Pacific Islands
Studies, East-West Center at UnivHawaii:
http://pidp.ewc.hawaii.edu/PIReport
News updates: http://www.fijivillage.com
http://www.fijilive.com
News updates from the Fiji Times:
http://www.fijivillage.com/news/fijitimes/2005/index.shtml#top
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