Fiji Experience

The End of Another Journey

Before I knew if June 24th was here. I was not ready for this day to come. My heart was torn between being excited to see my family and friends from home in the US to leaving my new family and friends I made in Fiji. The last three weeks in Fiji was spent trying to study as hard as I could for exams as well as spend as much time as I could with my friends. I finished my exams the Tuesday before I left on a Friday. I spent the last couple days with friends at any opportunity I had. Sleep was last priority as I figured I could do that on the plane or when I got home, needless to say I was quite sleep deprived come Friday afternoon. Fiji is a beautiful country filled with beautiful loving people. The hardest part of leaving Fiji was leaving my friends, especially my Fijian friends, not knowing when/if I will ever get to see them again.

As for my study abroad experience in Fiji:

Throughout the last week I have been able to process through how blest I was with my study abroad experience. From the classes I took, to the places I visited, the activities I did, and the people I met. Overall the experience was one of the many journeys in my life, and a great one it was. Classes turned out to be a lot harder than I expected. Although the grading scale made it look like it was going to be a piece of cake, I was easily mistaken. Art was quite enjoyable. I discovered my talent of drawing that I never knew I had! Plus, it was fun and relaxing to draw as well. My history class seemed just as boring as any other history class I ever took in school. History is just not my cup of tea. Physics, oh physics, was the most difficult. From trying to understand my seven different teachers to teaching myself the material that I did not understand was not easy. In the end, I had to give myself credit for trying my hardest.

While in Fiji, everything seemed beautiful all the time. The most beautiful place I visited was the Yasawa’s during mid-semester break. It was absolutely gorgeous including the ferry ride to and from the island, the view from the island, the sunset from the top of the mountain, and all the little small things that add up. The bus rides from Suva to Nadi or vis versa during the day were also amazing! Although the bus rides were long and usually crowded seeing the beauty of Fiji for 3-4 hours was worth it! The resort on the coral coast such as Uprising and Mango Bay were beautiful, fun, and relaxing. If I had more time and money, I would have gone back to the coral coast more often!

Sunset at Mango Bay Resort

While looking back at my pictures and journal I realized how many things I got to cross off my bucket list as well as things I got to do that I added to the list while there. The first week I was there we went to a village, which was an amazing experience, I wish I could have gone back to another village but I did not make the time. Instead I got to volunteer some time at the SPCA (animal care center) and St.Christopher’s (an Orphanage). Amazing activities I got to do: Ziplining through the forest, snorkeling, scubadiving, caves, parasailing, paddleboarding, sandunes, and skydiving. Every activity I did was a little leap of faith that helped me to grow out of fear and experience life to the fullest.

Skydiving

Parasailing

Last but greatest experience of my experience was the different culture and the different people. I made friends that became my family. I never knew that I could get so close to people in such a short period of time. In Fiji I was known as “momma’ because I had about 12 kids (friends) that I looked after and the motherly instincts in me came out quite frequently. Halfway across the world or not I will never forget the people that have touched my heart so dearly. They will always be considered a friend in my book.

Fiji Family

Things I miss from Fiji:
Fresh fruit and vegetables from the market, bus’s without window’s, DVD shops, Village 6, sunsets, food (McDonalds, Copper Chimney, Bad Dog, Victoria Café, Joji’s, Pap Jo’s, MHCC), O’Reily’s, Traps, Wesley Church, Butt Street, Sea Wall, Helping dogs found on the street, lazy days, movie nights, and the list could go on and on.

Things I learned:
In Fiji I learned how spoiled we are in the use. Everything in Fiji such as Internet, TV, phones, electricity, running water, ect is such a privilege to have where here in the US we take it for granted.
Before I left for Fiji I was not really sure why I was sent there, I knew I was going to study abroad but I felt there was a deeper meaning as to why I was going to Fiji out of all other places in the world. I prayed a lot about it and through books I read and messages I saw and heard, I felt God had revealed to me the reason he sent me there. I have always had a heart for helping and a heart for others but on this journey of my life I felt God wanted me to LOVE others. Not just to love people, animals, or things I wanted to but to love everyone and everything. This was not always easy but was most definitely rewarding. I found a new love and that was to truly love others for who they are and accept them for just that. I love Fiji and I love my experience I had there. I pray I can continue to extend this new love to everyone and everything in the US as well.

It was more than difficult to leave Fiji and I felt a piece of me was being torn away. But I know that my Fiji friends and family with always be there for me when, God willing, I return to visit. So all in all, Fiji was the best journey of my life!

3 years ago my journey was with People to People to travel through New Zealand and Australia. Last summer my journey was going on Summer Project through Athletes in Action in Colorado. This spring my journey was to study abroad in Fiji. I am excited to see the next Journey God has planned out for me in my life!

God Bless!

Love Life

Time is flying here in Fiji but I am enjoying every minute of it! The month of May was sure a good one! I have done many fun and memorable things! Let me share with you what. First memorable event was one of the best weekends of my life, which was spent in the West. I went skydiving, to a jazz festival, and to the sandunes. The last couple weekends have been spent volunteering. As far as school goes, school is school. It is going well but the highlight of Fiji is definitely enjoying the people, the scenery, and all the other fun things to do!

Weekend in the west:
The second weekend in May was spent in the west. Caitlin and I went down Friday night on a completely crowded bus that broke down not even about a third of the way to Nadi. There was smoke coming from the back of the bus and all I could think of was that the bus was going to break down! What a great way to start a weekend, right!? Well, they got the bus fixed and we were on our way. When we got to Nadi we were told that the place we were going to stay was booked so we had to stay at the place next door. As soon as we walked into our villa we see a cockroach on the counter. Then we went into the bedroom and there were stains on the comforter. To say the least the villa was a little sketchy, but we were both exhausted and passed right out. We woke up early Saturday morning to get to the skydive place! There were 8 of us total that went skydiving that day. Caitlin and I were the last ones so we got to watch everyone else fall from the sky before we went. Finally around 11:00 it was our turn!!! I was both excited and nervous! We got dropped off at the airport and put our harnesses on. The plane was absolutely tiny! It literally fit the four of us and the pilot. The view from the plane was AMAZING! We saw outer islands. Cloudbreak reef, the mainland, developing islands, clouds, and miles and miles of water. As soon as my skydive instructor opened the door of the plane I started freaking out. When I put my put out of the plane there we went!! 14,000 feet in the air we were doing somersaults and free falling for a good m60 seconds or more! When the instructor pulled the parachute I got the opportunity to steer for a while which was a lot of fun! We landed on the beach right in front of all of our friends. I was on a high the rest of the day. We spent the rest of the day lying in the on the beach. Before going in Andrea and I got to try paddle boarding! It was a lot of fun but was definitely not as easy as it looks! Once I got my work out for the day it was time to go get ready for dinner in Port Denarau. That night was the Jazz festival in Port Denarau. So we had some delicious pizza as we listened to some Jazz music! What a way to end the great day! Sunday morning we woke up and headed to Sigatoka to go to the sandunes. Leah, Bettina, Andrea, and I took the one-hour hike through the sandunes. It was absolutely beautiful! When we got to the tops we could see for miles! On one side was hills and tress and the other was more sandunes and the ocean. We made our way through the hot sand to the ocean. The undercurrent was really strong but we still went in knee high and were jumping waves! Oh how much fun that was. That concluded one of the best weekends of my life!

Skydiving!

Sandunes!

Volunteering:
After going through a tough week of being sick we, the USP international students, got the great opportunity to volunteer in the community. On Saturday May 21st I volunteer at SPCA. SPCA is like a veterinary clinic or a place where people can bring dogs/cats without homes. I have found in Fiji more than ever my love for animals especially dogs. The dogs here are not treated well at all. Walking on the streets you will see many stray dogs with no homes and very unhealthy. At the SPCA we got to clean wash the outside of the building as someone had donated paint so the next group of volunteers would be painting the building. Then we got to feed, walk, wash, and play with the dogs and cats! It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning!
The following weekend, Saturday May 28th, our international student organization had the opportunity to volunteer at St.Christopher’s Home. St.Christopher’s is an orphanage right outside of Suva. I was part of the cooking committee so we spent Friday night making cakes and all morning/afternoon cooking a wonderful meal for the kids. We thought we would do an “American meal” for the kids, as they do not get big meals often. We made hamburgers, hotdogs, spaghetti, garlic toast, fruit salad, and veggies. It was an awesome meal I must say. When we first arrived at the home we were greeted by song from the kids. Then we went out side and got to play with them. We played soccer, rugby, netball, and volleyball. We also brought bubbles and face paint, which the kids had a blast with! All in all the day was wonderful! Volunteering was a great way to give back to the community half of what they have shown me while I’ve been in Fiji.

SPCA Dogs.

As time flies by my emotions are mixed. I am getting ready to see my family and friends back home but am already sad and missing Fiji, my second home, that I haven’t even left yet. June 24th will be a bittersweet day but God willing I will see all my friends from Fiji again someday. For the last month I will be taking in all I can in this beautiful country as well as studying hard for my exams!

Kids!!!

Ester and Me :)

God Bless!
(More pictures are updated on Facebook)

Life is a gift..

Once again it’s been far too long since I have updated on my life in Fiji. The last two weeks have been very relaxing! Last week we had our mid-semester break (like spring break back home) and this week we had Friday and Monday off for Easter! But now I guess it’s time to kick it in gear and get back to the books. It is weird to think my friends back home are studying for their finals and are down with school for the year in a couple weeks, when 4 weeks left. I’m not complaining though, I’m not ready to be done with my time here in this beautiful country. School is going great, just getting busy with presentations, assignments, and tests! My friends are great! I have been blessed to meet great people on my new adventure who have found a place in my heart that will stay with me forever. Life is Suva, is just “home”.

Mid-Semester break:
For mid-semester break I went to the outer islands called the Yasawa Islands. I went to a resort called Coralview, which is the furthest north island in the Yasawa group. I stayed in Suva for the first weekend and then traveled to Nadi Sunday evening to stay with my friend Neal’s family. My plans changed Monday as I missed my ferry to the Yasawa’s but it all worked out just fine. I went back to Neal’s house for the day and hungout with his family and made sure I was up extra early on Tuesday to catch the ferry. The ferry ride out to coralview was beautiful! I didn’t have my new camera at this point in time so description is the only picture you can get. Leaving Port Denerau we rode through the clear aqua water. Closer to mainland we passed by many small islands but the only way to get to those islands from the ferry was by water taxi. I rode on the top of the boat and looked at the beautiful scenery around me. Ahead was water for miles and miles, it was never ending. From the left to the right were islands with big mountains, filled with green trees, palm trees, white sandy beaches, and most with a small resort. The clouds looked so low, I felt as though I could stand up and grab them. Later during the ride we ran into some rain and ahead was a huge black cloud that literally looked like it was touchy the water and the waves were getting bigger but we rode right alongside that cloud and barely got rained on! Once I got to coralview I dropped my bags off at the dorm and headed right for the lounge chairs by the ocean! What a life! I did a lot of resting out in the sun during break but I also had some very fun adventures. I went scuba diving, which was amazing! I dove for 25 minutes and went 15 m. I saw lots of coral and colorful fish! I went to the caves one day, which was soo cool! When we went in the first part was a pool of water and the cave went way up high! Then we went under water through a tunnel and when we came back up it was pitch black! The only way we saw anything was by flashlight. It was scary but also such an adventure. One evening my friend Kenzie and I hiked up the super steep mountain to watch a gorgeous sunset! The village people working at this island resort were wonderful! They welcomed us with song when we got to the island, sang to us during lunch and dinner, and sang to us farewell. They were very good at making us feel welcomed and enjoy our break! All in all I had a great relaxing week in the Yasawa islands.

Easter Break:
It was tough to head back to school and actually concentrate when I knew there was another break ahead of me, but the week flew by off to Easter break I was. I went to Denerau with my friend Caitlin (who is also from Minnesota). We spent Friday and Saturday with her family before they went back to the States. Friday we spent the day at the pool. Caitlin and I went parasailing, which was amazing!! It felt like I was in a giant swing, flying over the ocean. It was incredible! We went to dinner down at the Port and ate at a bar and grill called Lulu’s. They actually had Taco’s and Burrito’s!!! We were soo excited to have some Mexican food! As well as live music to entertain us through dinner. Saturday we went to Natadola beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Fiji, or so they say. It was beautiful but I don’t know if I would say one of the most beautiful. Saturday evening we left Caitlin’s family and headed to Pac Harbor where we stayed at the Upraising Resort. We spent Sunday by the pool again taking in the last couple days of break before heading back to the books. We were going to head back to Suva Monday afternoon but our plans changed. By Sunday afternoon we were more than ready to be “home”, so we went back to Suva and our last day of break relaxing at home. Easter break was wonderful and I was so blessed spend it with Caitlin and her family.

Caitlin and I Parasailing

Sunset at Resort

Natadola Beach


As for now it is back to the books! Time to get back to the reason I came to Fiji!

Live Laugh Love

It’s been far too long since I’ve updated on my wonderful life in Fiji. Three weeks ago I played in a volleyball tournament here in Suva. I was the only international student to play on the team which was intimidating but also exciting at the same time. The game of volleyball over here is not exactly like back home. It is much slower paced which makes it harder to play. We lost in the semi-finals but I got a lot of playing time throughout the day so it was a good day! On Sunday I went ziplinning through the forest. It was absolutely incredible! It was about an hour long zip. There were 8 different platforms we went to. The first and the last were my favorites. The first zip we went over a river and into the forest and the last was vis versa. God always seems to take my breath away by the beauty he has created. I am hoping to go again sometime during my stay in Fiji!

Update on life in Suva:
• As far as classes go I think I am finally fully adjusted. The system of how everything works is definitely still different but I think I have it down. I have started to make lots of friends in my classes! It makes it much more enjoyable to go to class now!
• The past 3 weekends I have stuck around Suva. I have made a lot of friends here so I find I usually don’t want to go away to resorts on the weekends! Unfortunately I came down with bronchitis and a sinus infection last weekend and am still fighting it off! Oh well, tis life and you just have to push through!
• In a couple weeks is our spring break! I am most likely going to the outer islands to spend a week on the beach and in the sun! Gotta live life to the fullest while I’m in Paradise, right!?
•Bummer news is my camera is missing. It’s either lost or stolen, but a replacement one is coming over spring break. (Thank you Leah’s mom!) So I will not be able to upload pictures until then, but they’re coming!

Home Sweet Fiji!

Suva, Fiji has become a place to call my “temporary home” rather than the feeling of being of a long vacation. It is as gorgeous as ever. It is so nice to see green everyday as well as random flowers everywhere. Most days there is a bright blue sky to wake up to but occasionally we get a 2-3 day rainy/gloomy period. With the sun so intense here those rainy periods are sometimes a nice time to cool down! But as of now life is Fiji is great!

Classes started two weeks ago and are going good so far! My art class (Intro to Design and Cadd) is actually fun. I can’t believe I am saying art is fun. For the first few weeks we are designing logos and chart with WordArt! History ( Contemporary World History) on the other hand has been interesting. My teachers switched from the first week to the second so hopefully they have that set for who will be teaching the class. It is fun to sit in those lectures because we have been talking about Europe and America. To all the Fijians, of course learning about “America” is so foreign to them but it helps me cause I actually know what they are talking about most of the time! Now Physics is a whole different world. It is definitely not the physics I took in high school. Fiji physics seems to be done differently than back home, but I’ll get the hang of it. In my physics class I have many different teachers. I have one for the first 6 weeks, then one for another 6 weeks, then another for the last 4. It should be interesting! I also have a different teacher for my lab and a different teacher for my tutorial. Tutorial’s are an hour class period where you meet and talk about what you’re doing in your lecture classes. They say it is a time to “understand” the material and ask questions. It is mandatory to attend tutorial’s. They are quite interesting, but a cool experience to learn how other cultures run their classes. The grading scale is quite different here!
Grade Scale:
A+ 100-85
A 84-78
B+ 77-11
B 70-64
C+ 63-57
C 56-50
D 49-40
F39-0

In most classes we are graded on continuous assessment such as assignments and tests an then the majority of your grade is the final exam.

As far as other activities around USP I have gotten involved in. I joined the USP volleyball team! It’s been a lot of fun. It’s not as intense as back home but it is so fun to play again. I made the team of 15 to play in the National’s Tournament next weekend! National’s here is most definitely not like national back home , but it is a huge tournament for them here. We have been preparing hard for that! The girls on the team are all great. A lot of time they start speaking Fijian though and I have no idea what they’re saying so I just act like I do. Also a tradition for them is to pray after practice which has been really cool to see! It’s been great fellowship for me to be around those girls. I have also started to take part in student life here at USP. It is a group of Americans who are on S.T.I.N.T through campus crusade for Christ. It has been great to have a place to go worship and have fellowship with others. I am currently looking into volunteering opportunities with children and/or animals! So we will see what I hear back on that!

As for weekends in Fiji… Last weekend four of use went to a beach resort called “Upraising”. To say the least it was GORGEOUS! It was only about 45 minutes away from campus and an inexpensive weekend away from campus. We laid on bean bag chairs on the beach looking out over the ocean for most of the first day. I laid by the pool looking over the beach and ocean the second day. We had two beautiful sunny days. It was great! To say the least I got the tan I’ve been waiting for!

We got to meet people who were traveling with the “Fiji Experience” group. The Fiji experience is where people pay a flat fee and can travel around fiji and just stop and stay places and stay however long they wish than get back on the bus and travel to the next place. There were a lot of people from England and one from Holand! So the weekend at upraising was very successful! As for this weekend most of the international students went to rakiraki to get scuba certified. My roommate, Bettina and I decided to stay back and lay by the pool instead. Oh and watch the big rugby tournament going on!

So life is good!
God Bless!

Psalm 105:4 “ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”

Village Outing

So far so good. Getting to know the culture of Fiji is so interesting!

On Thursday we started our international orientation. There is a group of about 10 from a program called Australearn which most of them are from the US. There is an other group around that size from UWP (a Wisconsin Program) all are from the US but not all are from Wisconsin. There are also a couple people from Australia, Japan, Canada, French Canadians, and Africa. The diversity is so great to see and it has been fun getting to know people. I’m looking forward to the next 5 months of my life!

We started orientation with speakers from the campus informing us of what is going on at campus as well as safety and things to do off campus. Thursday night we went to a Chinese restaurant for a buffet, it was soo good! Yum!

Now, to what I really want to talk about. Yesterday, Friday, we went to Vusama Village. It is the earliest known village to settle in Fiji. So cool! The drive to the village took about 3 hours from USP, but what a drive it was. Words cannot describe how beautiful this country is. Fiji is a developing country but a gorgeous country that’s for sure! Sadly I didn’t get pictures because I was on the inside on the bus and it was raining almost the whole way. But to try and describe it, hmm.. It was green hills everywhere! There were so many different kinds of trees that fill up the hills with different leaves and figures to make each tree look special. Then about an hour into the drive there was green filled hills on one side and the ocean on the other. At the time I was listening to my ipod on my Christian playlist and it fit perfectly. It was such a good reminder how amazing our God is. The scenery is just a tiny piece of God’s artwork on earth. The thought for the day in my journal today read, “ Savor little glimpses of God’s goodness and His majesty, thankful for the gift of them: winding pathways through the woods, a bright green canopy overhead, and dappled sunshine falling all around.” It fit these last two days perfectly.

As for the Vusama Village. When we got there we had a traditional welcoming ceremony in their main meeting room. It was all in Fijian so I didn’t understand it but it was still fun to experience. Then we had to try Kava which is… not good! Kava is where they pound roots from the ground and use the powder to mix with water. So basically it is dirt water. It is “disrespectful” to say no when they come to you to drink it. I drank it twice but I had to politely say “no thanks” after that! Friday night we danced. If a guy came and touched a girl that meant you had to go dance with him and vis versa if women touched a man. They dance and drink kava till about 4:30 in the morning! I did not make it that long! On Saturday we were supposed to go on a tour of the village but the rain put a kabash to that. It worked out great though because we got to make handmade arts and crafts all morning/afternoon. We had 3 meals while we were there and they were interesting to say that least! I have to say I am not a fan of being able to see a fish’s eye while eating it! But Rice was always a safe bet along with some noodle dishes! As for my FAVORITE part of the village. It was the KIDS! (Go figure, me loving kids.) Oh, they were precious. The most definitely stole my heart from the beginning. They loved getting their pictures taken and taking pictures then looking at them! They learned my name quickly and would come up to me and just say my name and smile. Hearing them yell my name from far away just to wave made me smile. The village was most definitely a success!

My Bed at the Village ( mosquito net above my head)

Dinner table ( It is on the ground)
I forgot to mention when you are in the meeting you room you always have to sit indian style.

Me, Andi, and Christine ( spelt differently on Fijian)

Me and the Kids

Last night we had our first cockroach in the house! Ick!! The geico’s, ants, and some spiders I can deal with but getting used to coackroach’s may take a little while!


Reality check in Fiji:
As for what I have experienced in Fiji so far has made me appreciate the United States more greatly than I ever thought I would. Having internet is a privelege hear and we only get so much free internet. At first I felt like it was a joke to only have so much internet per month but that really makes a person appreciate the capability of getting to go on the internet. I have also learned it is a huge privilege to TV especially cable TV. Although I didn’t watch all that much TV at home it was nice to be able to turn it on. Here having 4 channels and 2 working channels, it is quite a difference but a good change! The biggest reality check for me was going to the village. They have so little but make so much of what they have. They are the happiest people just because they have each other. It makes me that much more thankful for everything I am fortunate to have in the US. Fiji has been and eye-opening experience but a great on indeed!

New word from Fiji: Tuolo ( Ch-oo-low) Meaning: Excuse me

God Bless!

P.S. You can find more photos on Facebook!

Arrival in Fiji!

Bula! (hello in Fijian)

Well I made it safe and sound! Besides the travel time getting long and getting little sleep all my flights went as smoothly as possible! With a 19 hour time difference from Minnesota, I arrived in Nadi, Fiji at 4:50 am on Monday Febraury 14th. I was very thankful my luggage came in right away so I was able to catch my connecting flight to Suva where an international worker came and picked me up from the airport. So all in all the traveling was pretty good! I am unpacked and fully moved into my place at waukala flats. It is supposed to be like an apartment but it almost seems more like a house. There are 3 bedrooms on the main floor ( 1 is mine) and a toilet room and a shower room. Downstairs is another bedroom, a living room with 4 chair and a tv ( with 4 channels, 2 working ones- Australian network and London something or other), and a kitchen and kitchen table. They are also air conditioned so that is very nice! A good way to escape the heat! The part that makes me feel lazy and spoiled is it is someone's job to clean our house everyday! She's cleans, empty's garbage's, makes our beds, and washes our dishes! It's crazy!

As for the heat! It’s been mid to high 80’s since I’ve been here. It feels good compared to the negative degrees in Minnesota but is also very warm! I haven’t got my tan on yet but I’m sure it will come quickly with this heat. Sadly the beach is 45 minutes away but that makes for good weekend getaways! Bus rates are good so that should be very manageable!

My Fiji experience thus far:
The first day I was quite jet legged and sleep deprived so once I got settled into my room I took a nice nap! My first evening here my roommates Jess (from North Carolina) and Bettina (from Norway) and I went to a place called Raintree Lodge about 20 minutes there and stayed in dormitories. It felt like camps I went to when I was younger! That night we just hungout at the Lodge and played games! We played “funny ludo” which is like the game sorry back home but with a few different rules. We also played scrabble which I’m usually not very good at but I tied with Bettina so that was fun! Tuesday morning we took a hike up Forest Lake Park. It was soo beautiful walking through the forest and there were beautiful waterfalls! We were going to go swimming in the pools from the water falls but Jess ( being a biology major) said it wasn’t safe with all the mosquitos surrounding the water. Speaking of mosquitos, they are everywhere! It’s like Minnesota summers! Thankfully they liked Jess and Bettina’s blood better than mine so I didn’t get eaten alive but they still aren’t fun! Oh and in our flat we have tiny ants and geico’s! To say the least, I’ll be getting used to bugs!

I will be getting another roommate, Leah from Canada. She will be coming tomorrow! I am excited to meet her! All of my roommates are very nice which is so comforting!

Tomorrow we start orientation so we will get to know our way around campus better as well as the city of Suva. Tomorrow we stick around campus for orientation. Friday we will be going to a village and spending the evening there. Saturday we will head to the beach! Monday classes start!

I did get the internet configured with my computer and we are supposed to have wireless at our flats but we currently don’t! So I will try to keep you all updated as much as possible!

I hope all is well in the US!
Prayer request for a quick adjustment for me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks much!

God Bless,
Hannah

PS I will soon upload more pictures on facebook!