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)
