Never did I think that mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, could be the catalyst for the best summer of my life. A sponsored Think Pacific video, promising 4 weeks of new experiences, fresh challenges and lifelong friends was simply another thing to add to my never ending (and rarely completed) bucket list. Taking the first step out of my comfort zone, was attending a meeting at my university a couple of years ago, with partner in crime and fellow adventure chaser Alex. The enthusiasm and pure love of Fiji, and its people, was enough to fuel my determination to complete this project. I am so very grateful to the 4-minute video that popped up on my newsfeed. It led me across the world, and allowed me to be immersed in a culture that anyone rarely gets to appreciate.
My 4-week project was based in a small village, named Naituvatuvavatu, full of people with big hearts. Myself and the rest of the team were taken in by families and truly made one of their own. My Fijian mum’s first words to me were “you are my daughter,” followed by the most wholesome giggle I have ever heard, I had been accepted as her own flesh and blood before this woman even knew my name. I knew for the next month or so I was in a home away from home. The 4 weeks weren’t without their challenges, and every individual faced their own, but small shows of appreciation from the children, the families, even each other, put everything into perspective. The leader’s on my project introduced me to the idea of ‘small wins.’ So, every day in school I did not go in search of life changing teaching that would shake the world, because that was unrealistic… I looked for a young girl who struggled with English, to use an adjective without me having to suggest it, or a shy boy coming out of his shell just enough to answer a question correctly in front of his friends. Soon enough these ‘small wins’ started to feel like pretty big ones. Think Pacific have a famous quote… “With a big enough why, you can overcome any how,” these wins became my why and I no longer needed to question my how.
As well as the opportunity to help improve the children’s learning in the classroom, we were also granted the chance to plan and execute some pretty high energy sports sessions. Whilst they left most of us volunteers exhausted, and in search of the closest quiet area for a nap immediately afterwards, these sessions radiated passion from both volunteers and students every single day. Whether it was a lively multi sports session with year 1 and 2, complete with a lot of dancing and acting crazy. Or an enthusiastic and competitive session of ‘non-contact’ rugby with the year 7 and 8’s, there was always the same level of effort and number of laughs. One memorable Zumba session with some of the younger children ended in a school dance off around a speaker on the field, complete with Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers blasting in the background, and this remains a memory I know is with me for life.
Having the chance to be fully wrapped in Fijian culture and traditions 24/7 is an experience I know I am lucky to have had. Evenings dancing with the village, learning how to weave mats with the women or visiting plantations and farms, are only some of the few things that our families were desperate to share with the volunteers. We could be sitting eating dinner and our Mum would suddenly decide that we had to be taught how to count in Fijian, and to be given the chance to learn from those that were so willing to share their knowledge, and even more enthusiastic to learn from you too, was a privilege. I completely fell in love with the Fijian way of doing things, and their easy-going nature. Our families in the village, and almost every Fijian I was lucky enough to meet on my travels, introduced me to the beautiful saying “sega la neqa,” meaning no worries. This phrase greatly represents the ideals and personalities of the Fijian community, they are truly relaxed, friendly and easy-going people and I am so grateful for the opportunity I got to work within one of their villages. I have been left in awe of the bonds created with people, I only had the chance to know for such a short period of time. A very cheesy, but relevant, and completely accurate saying from my project encapsulates my time in Fiji… “We met as strangers, and leave as family.” It was extremely difficult to leave this newfound family on the opposite side of the world, but as a group we decided it was not “moce” (goodbye) but “sota tale” (see you later) and we would one day return to the village that stole a little piece of each our heart’s.
So, if you happen to be scrolling through Facebook and encounter the same 4-minute video I did, I urge you not to simply like it and go about your day. But, to push yourself out of your comfort zone and apply for the best summer of your life… because “If not now...when?”
I am closing this post with the above video of the children of Naituvatuvavatu filling my heart with love, through their singing voices..
Vinaka Vakalevu (thank you very much) for reading,
-AA.
*The beautiful film photographs that I have included within this post, were taken by the very talented Ian Parsons... a good friend and fellow Think Pacific team mate.