Anonymous wrote:Solar battery charger

Excellent idea. Useful and small.

Anonymous wrote:Take her out and pay for her dinner. Don't give her a material gift because then it's annoying to pack it, store it or get rid of it.

I agree with that. I have a stack of gift cards I don't know what to do with, some 15 years old, especially iTunes.

OP, while these suggestions are very thoughtful, I would not do any of this. I move a lot for work, and all of these GIFs would really annoyed me because I would have to deal with either storing them for packing them. I love the sentiment, but it would be a burden to receive most of these things. I travel journal? No thank you. It’s just another thing to store or add weight to my suitcase. Of all of these, taking her to dinner is the most practical, but even that is a bridge too far. Whenever I am preparing to go out of town, I have so much to do, and sometimes honestly the offers to get taken to dinner or lunch actually end up stressing me out because I need those times to pack and get ready. I would give her a nice handwritten card with a nice note in it, and also include an Amazon gift card. She can add the gift cards to her account balance immediately, so that she does not have to keep track of the gift card for two years. She has the flexibility to use it either now for ordering her needs related to her upcoming trip, potentially in the country depending on what arrangements the work place has made for her to receive packages, and after she returns she can use it as well. In the alternative, or in addition, if you could get your hands on some Fijian dollars to put in the card, that would probably be really awesome. And definitely definitely send her care packages while she is overseas. That is going to be appreciated far more than any travel gift or dinner. You sound like a very nice friend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A necklace with a charm of her home state, or something that references home.

+1

omg no so tacky!

Google Books gift card so she can buy books to read on her phone and digital magazine subscriptions too.

Anonymous wrote:A necklace with a charm of her home state, or something that references home.

+1

Solar battery charger

Rechargeable batteries and charger

Hand crank radio

Gift card for Amazon digital -- she can download books, movies, etc.

Turkish towel -- they are lightweight and easy to carry around; useful as a towel, a wrap.

If she doesn't have one- a Kindle? Super lightweight and small, and you can download books for free from the library. Uses very little batteries so great for long trips. Much better for long reading on than an iPad/tablet.

When my friend was despondent about living in a foreign country she had not wanted to move to, but did so that her husband could have a promotion, I sent her a basket of little American tidbits, including Bill Bryson's book, "I'm A Stranger Here Myself". It's an easy read, because it's a compilation of a newspaper column he wrote. It's well written. It's really laugh-out-loud and funny. During one passage I actually fell out of my chair! And it talks about coming back to his native US after living 20 years in the UK, what's changed for him, etc. Interesting for an expatriate.

Anonymous wrote:the best gift is to visit her. living abroad is great but having visitors is better

oh my gosh - yes, if you can swing that! i LOVED when people came to visit me when i was living in micronesia.

Anonymous wrote:A return ticket! I can almost guarantee you that she'll never fulfill that 2 year contract. Yes it's beautiful but after awhile she'll be tired of how she's treated not to meation being home sick and have island fever. The islands there are very small and unless you grow up there it's not paradise after a short while.

Even most teachers that move to Hawaii come back quickly and Hawaii is much bigger and more like the mainland.

Ummmm - I lived in Micronesia for 5.5 years and this is not the case. Some people suffered from homesickness, but many of us there - including many teachers - had a great experience. I knew folks in Micronesia who'd also spent time in Fiji. Seemed about the same.

It is really thoughtful of you to get your friend a gift, OP. Do you want to get her something durable or something consumable? You could buy her a great pair of outdoors sandals if she doesn't have them, a fantastic raincoat. Get her a lovely necklace if you'd rather buy her something sentimental than practical - I'm sure she'd appreciate it.

Get her a case of her favorite snacks to bring along - or send them to her there. Most goods are imported in the islands, so it'll be hard for her to eat the junk she likes in the US.

Take her out and pay for her dinner. Don't give her a material gift because then it's annoying to pack it, store it or get rid of it.