About Me

Dressed for Diwali

My name is Milli Chennell and I'm a United States Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Fiji as an Integrated Environmental Resource Management promoter.  I'm originally from Oregon but have lived in California and abroad.  I've wanted to be a Peace Corps Volunteer since I was little - my mother's Quaker values must have gotten to me.  Now I'm finally here and loving it, though it's nothing like I expected!

I arrived in Fiji in May 2011, had nearly six weeks of pre-service training in the Nausori area of Fiji on the island of Viti Levu.  This was a fun and fast paced time leading up to service, which is by nature very slow paced.  In July 2011 I departed for my site, a small rural village on the southern coast of Vanua Levu.  I'll be at site for approximately two years before returning to the United States. 

The first year in Fiji has been a lot of getting to know the country, the people, how things work - and how things don't work.  I'm happy to say I'm finally getting into the swing of things, but it's taken time and effort.  One of the most important things I've learned is detachment - a hard concept - but key to development work in which the results rely not on the volunteer, but on the community.

Feel free to ask questions about Fiji, comment on stories, or send me mail (see Contact Me).