Fiji,
What an amazing country.
We started out in Nadi, staying at Bamboo Beach. Serving as a baby step by teaching a few cultural traditions and Fijian phrases, Bamboo Beach was lots of fun. Nadi was very chaotic, with the food markets, lots of kava and loads of souvenirs.
Free travel begins. We stayed at this beautiful resort called the Beach House. The best way to describe it was 4 days of paradise; Chillin’ on the beach, playing volleyball, and hanging out. The biggest decision of each day was what to eat. I can’t forget our island day excursion and shnarkeling (shark snorkeling).We left the beach house and traveled to Suva, which seemed more developed than Nadi. We were given some freedom to explore the city and see what we wanted to see.
Then we journeyed for hours arriving at Nasolo Village. Our 2 weeks of home stays began. We were all so nervous at the start until we met the people of Nasolo. They are some of the most wonderful people we have ever met. Although they didn’t fill their homes with objects and other stuff, they filled them with warm hearts and open doors. The people of Nasolo are so happy, caring and loving to have let us into their homes and hearts for the 2 weeks we stayed there. They would have given us the entire world if they could.
We completed our service project early, paving streets and sidewalks and bridges. A lot of the time we were just hanging out with our families and community, sharing stories, laughs and smiles. We were very lucky to be able to witness Fiji win Seven’s Rugby annual tournament in Hong Kong with the Fijian community. We also experienced a lot of great food, courtesy of our nanas (moms), beautiful gifts (brooms, hats, fans, and coconut oil), recipes, skills and so much more. Words can’t describe the impact that we both created in each other’s lives. Many of the group members believe that it has been the most memorable experience so far on the whole trip and we will all take it with us for the rest of our lives.
After tears and many hugs, we left Nasolo and traveled for an entire day to get back to Nadi. Tomorrow we leave for Australia, excited to continue our adventures but also very sad to leave Fiji.
Vinaka Vaka Lavu Fiji, Bula Moce!!!!
Thank you very much Fiji, Good bye!!!!
-Conrad and Jason
