Nate in Fiji

And now for your reading pleasure, the Nate popping up in Fiji story, because that is the #1 thing I have been asked about since I have been home. (and I don't mind, it is a wonderful story, I love telling it)

Here you go:

 

The entire time I was in Fiji I stayed at the triple C (club coral coast). A little small resort, with only seven rooms, run by four people… one of them being the owner, a 70-year-old japanese woman, who spoke very little English and played a lot of golf.

 

The first week there, Mary and I were basically the only patrons of the resort, and before the kids got there we had time to check our email. On one such occasion, checking my email, I was excited to see Nate online and began chatting with him. I told him Fiji was perfect, and that I was going to save up money the rest of my life to get everyone I loved there. That must of have convinced him to come, because he said he was going to start swimming over. So before I signed off gmail I told him.. “see you soon then, I am in Pacific Harbor at the triple c”

That was it. I thought it was a big joke. Who would ever just fly to Fiji? Oh, Nate would.

 

Four days later I was walking back from Arts Village in town with some of the kids and ran into Mary headed up the drive, “Whitney, you are going to poop your pants!!!”

She handed me a note, the best note I have ever received, which read:

Whit (Mary)

So I ended up in Fiji.

Meet me at the restaurants in Pacific Harbor tonight. If you can. 9?

-Nemo Maclean

I was confused at first, thinking it was some boy that Mary and I had met on bus earlier that week on the way to Nadi. Then the name clicked in my brain! I think the first thing I said was “that son of a bitch, he’s here!” (I know, I am real lady like, and a real good youth leader)

 

Mary must have not believed it was really Nate, because she had asked Yoko (the old Japanese woman) what the young man looked like that had dropped by. Yoko replied that the boy who wrote the note was. “not big… not small… good body!”

 

Unreal. I just kept giggling all night long thinking that Nate was in Fiji. We actually were too busy to meet him at the restaurants that night, so Nate slept out on the beach and was munched on all night by bugs. When we finally did see him it was the next morning at the resort during breakfast, I turn around and Nate is walking into the bure!!! 

 

Crazy! I am so glad he came, it was so epic!

So that’s the Nate story. Just one of a million reasons why Fiji was magical. I love Fiji, it’s paradise. It literally broke my heart to leave Vunibau. I cried all the way home. I shouldn’t have come home. These are some of the villagers saying goodbye:

Traveling to Fiji I lost June 7^th… I just never had that day, I went straight from the 6^th to the 8^th. And traveling home I got two June 25ths… which was really just the longest day of my life, and one of the best. We said goodbye to Vunibau (the village that we did the toilets for) that morning.. which ended up being the most insane party I have ever attended in my young life! The party included me offending the chief of the village, and an incident that will go down as the most shocking, funniest thing I have ever witnessed to date. I wish I could expound more but this entry is lengthy enough, and the background info you would need to understand is too overwhelming to write.

After the party, and saying goodbye to the villagers, we drove to Nadi, went shopping, ate pizza, and then boarded our plane at 10:00 pm. The plane ride was 10 hours and 20 minutes which landed us at the LAX at 1:00 pm on the same day. It blows my mind if I think about it too much.

I took a shuttle to the long beach airport. And then spent 3 hours with Megan Homer at the In n’ Out in Long Beach eating delicious food, and laughing my guts out. That girl makes me laugh so hard. (best layover I have ever had, I love having friends in big cities.)

It was there in LA when I received McKay’s frantic phone call, telling me MJ was dead. How horrible, on the day I return to the states even!

I boarded my plane around 7 at long beach. Got home 10pm in Utah. My parents and I went and got drinks and French fries at a late-nite diner, then went and picked Nate up at midnight from his flight.

At home, Max and Andie were excited to hear about our adventures so Nate and I did a picture slide-show and told all our Fiji stories. And I really can’t think of anything better than a family who is excited to see me, and hear all about my trip in the middle of the night, PLUS a friend who is just as excited to help tell all about it. It was a good welcome home party.

I love my family.