The Huge Snowman - Easton

This is the note that we sent to Principal Rosell from the kids school. He had a extra credit "Writing Challenge" to do on his trip. Here is the note that we wrote to his teacher and the story as well. It was sent on January 7th, 2013 (Fiji time).
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Mr. Rosell -

Please accept this story below from Easton Kreshel.  He is currently in Fiji on an extended holiday with independent study, but wrote a story as a part of the winter break Writing Challenge.  He did write this story out on paper first, but we helped him type it up so that we could get it to you in California.  Easton is in third grade in Mrs. Schwartz's class and will return to school on January 23rd.

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The Huge Snowman

Once upon a time there were two kids named Snowy and Cho. They loved snow. But there was a bully that did not like snow. One Christmas, Snowy and Cho built a giant snowman. Cho and Snowy were in front the bully, who was behind the snowman. The bully kicked the snowman and the snowman began rolling down the hill. The ball of snow was rolling down the hill gathering more snow and was about to suck up the whole city.

Everybody ran away, except for Snowy and Cho. They had parents who were scientists, so they knew what to do.  They ran home and got a big vacuum.  They used the vacuum to suck up the big ball of snow from the snowman and chunk it up into little pieces and threw the little pieces of snow out.   Everyone in the city was happy and they made Snowy and Cho's Dad the  new president because of his kids. Their mom was First Lady because of her kids. And most of all, the kids were famous because of themselves.

Helping @ the House - Creighton

This is a quick blog post that Creighton added when we went to work on the home for wayward youth. Both he and Easton were a great addition to the project. It was written on January 8th, 2013.
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Today, while my friends were at school... I went to a house to help people. I built a cabinet for the kitchen. I also used a vacuum to get the dust off of the boards. Additionally, I entertained the kids by playing Monopoly Junior.


At the house there was also a pet snake and a pet bat.

Frogs - Easton

This was a post written by Easton about finding frogs at the resort on January 15th, 2013, but it didn't get posted.

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Frogs are cute animals. The Baby ones are the cutest. They are all around Fiji. I have seen a lot of the at the Fiji Palms Resort. Frogs are lovely until you find one smooshed in the street. I was able to catch one and pick it up. It was black and gray. I love frogs.

Cinder Blocks and Stilts - Jay

As we traveled by bus from the "big" city of Suva, Fiji through the town of Sigatoka, to the village of Vulavutu, I noticed a commonality amongst the structured homes, schools, shops, and churches: Cinder blocks and stilts.

Most all of the buildings were built from a combination of cinder block walls and a custom cement mixture. The blocks are the typical blocks you might find anywhere. They are used for strength and insulation against the whipping winds, beating heat and pounding rain. Stacked up with the cement, they create a barrier to protect the families there within.

Often times these structures are built on short or even high stilts to get the buildings off of the ground. Keeping the homes off of the ground is vital during high tides, over flowing rivers and heavy rains. Elevation allows the water flow underneath the homes toward their inevitable path. Even the taller buildings have ben built on stilts.

Often times, though, neither of these building approaches saves homes during the major storms or cyclones. Cyclone Evan, for example destroyed many homes in Fiji. Winds knocked them down and water washed them away.