My too brief time in Hawaii is almost over. We head out for New Zealand this evening. Yesterday, we got a brief orientation to Mongolia. It sounds like we have some amazing experiences in store for us including building a ger (a Mongolian style house), making felt, and participating in a horse race. Yesterday evening we shifted from Mongolia to New Zealand by going to a Polynesian dance performance. Polynesia covers a vast area in the Pacific Ocean and includes Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand. There are strong cultural ties between Polynesian nations and it was interesting to see these connections through the various dances. One of the most famous Polynesian dances is the Samoan fire dance, also known as nifo oti(see picture) . Today, we learned about the migration of people through Oceania. We also got a chance to meet with the mayor of Honolulu. Did you know that New Zealand was the last area of the earth where humans settled?