This past week was our second week living in the rural Fijian village of Nasolo. After completing our community service project of revamping their community hall, we had four days where we were able to learn more about the activities and jobs that make up their every day life and build strong connections with members of the village. This week included activities like prawn fishing, weaving, going to their private beach, and hiking. This time to really connect with the villagers allowed me to build relationships with members of the community that I never thought could be so strong and meaningful after only two weeks. As we departed from the village on Saturday morning, it really struck me how beautiful the bonds I built with the people were. Later that morning, I wrote in my journal…
“Life is a balance between hello’s and goodbyes. Everything eventually has to come to an end but knowing that means you can really appreciate every moment you have. During my time in Nasolo, I said “Bula” to almost every one in the village everyday. There were multiple points of saying this – common courtesy but also reaching out to one another and sharing the love. So much love can reside in the world hello. When we left the village this morning and I watched tears trickle down faces while hands waved to us through the back of the truck, I realized all the love that had resided in those hello’s. That love made the goodbye wrench my heart as we rolled away from our Fijian families on the other side of the world. Every hello made a love grow in my heart that will never die off. I am so thankful that I built a bond through hello’s that made it so hard to say goodbye.”
– Alana