I have started, stopped, erased, and restarted this post four times now, and so while I don't even really know where to begin, I'm just going to jump in, start putting thoughts down, and see where it goes. :) It's been quite a while it seems since the last time I was able to sit down and just write. In that time, so much has happened that playing catch up seems like such a daunting task.

So, to begin, here's the five minute recap to get everyone on the same page:

The weekend of February 15-16, our group was honored to have the opportunity to go back up to Maroto valley and stay at Fare Hape for their 20th anniversary celebration. The weekend included commemorative ceremonies, group meals with local favorites (including uru, taro, and Fafaru -- Yup, I tried that :) but I think it must be an acquired taste), late nights listening to ukulele music and trying to sing along, and lots of time spent hanging out and "talking story."

The following Wednesday, after quickly washing clothes and regrouping, we boarded planes bound for the island of Huahine. The 35 minute flight took us from bustling Papeete to a landing strip in "paradise." As we walked across the tarmac to the truck/bus that was waiting to pick us up, the sun was dipping into the ocean and bouncing light off the jagged mountains behind us: we saw our first glimpse of what Papa had described the "most beautiful place in the world"... Looking back now, I know he wasn't exaggerating.

We spent a week there, staying in the Haapu community for several days, and then at Papa's beach-front family property. The time spent with the community of Haapu made a tremendous impact on all of us: learning how their village tries to live in balance with, and protect, their land and lagoons, and how they work daily to preserve their traditions and language by teaching younger generations. We were blown away by their incredible hospitality and generosity, and how they welcomed us into their community, not just as visiting students or guests, but as family. Some additional highlights from our time on Huahine include:

The welcome ceremony the Haapu put on for us the evening we arrived, including food, dancing, music, and welcome speeches from community leaders and elders;
A boat tour around the island to see the beautiful lagoons and valleys, snorkel, and BBQ on the beach;
A service day spent planting uru seedling trees throughout the region OR fishing and collecting shell fish for our meal together;
My first night diving adventure, which after my initial nervousness disappeared, turned out to be ridiculously fun;
Multiple afternoons spent playing with the kids from Haapu, splashing in the lagoons and laughing at our new hybrid French/English/sign language.
And more... I could probably go on for pages!

There were tears and hugs and kisses as we boarded the planes this past Wednesday, planes that would take us to our home away from home on Tahiti. While it's always hard to say goodbye and close a chapter in life that has been so transformational, I think the memories and stories we shared will accompany us for a long time to come. There's so much more to say about all that we learned during our time on Huahine, how it changed our understanding of Tahitian culture and traditions, but perhaps even more so, how it changed us as individuals and as a group. More on all that coming soon...

Our deepest thanks to the people of Haapu for opening their hearts and home to us, and to everyone who helped make our trip to Huahine possible. Mauruuru Roa.