I'm finally getting started! I have kept a journal with me in Fiji and Sydney, so I was able write down my thoughts and experiences each day. I'm going to rewind back to December 30.
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| This was on the door when I got back from Norway. :) |
My mom, Randy, and Jake dropped me off at the airport in the morning. My week at home went by fast, but it was good to see my family again. I had a stopover in Chicago on my way to L.A. to catch the group flight.
I had Internet service for just 10 minutes at the airport, and I saw the pictures that Stepan tagged me in. They made my day! :) I miss the Erasmus students from Norway so much, and I wish they were with me in Australia!
When I got to the L.A. airport, I met up with a few other students going on the trip, and we grabbed some dinner before heading to our gate. Almost everyone came with at least one other person that they knew...this has made for a different experience than last semester. It made it harder for me to get to know them, and in my opinion, the others are not gaining one of the best opportunities of study abroad: being independent and branching out to meet new people! I felt intimidated at first by everyone sitting and talking with the people that they knew.
In Norway, our international group bonded so quickly since everyone came independently. However, being forced out of my comfort zone has been a good for me.
I wrote this while laying on a hammock in Fiji. Palm leaves shading me... looking out into the ocean... listening to the waves crashing into the shore. It really is paradise in Fiji.
The plane ride! Segment from L.A. to Nadi, Fiji was the best flight I've ever been on. We were in the air for New Years Eve from ~ 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Fijian time. All the flight attendants were Fijian, and they were wearing awesome tropical shirts with flower necklaces and top hats. They decorated the plane with "Happy New Year" signs and decorative things hanging from the ceiling. At ten minutes to twelve, the captain came on intercom to tell us we would be doing a countdown. The lights came on, and the flight attendants apologized to those wanting to sleep because we would be making some noise for a while. They handed out drinks to everyone and kept coming back to see if we wanted a refill.
They were doing line dances up and down the plane to Fijian dance music being played over the intercom. I was seating in an aisle seat, so I was pulled up to join them, and it was fun. :) I have a few videos of this, so I will be able to show you when I get back. I don't know if it's tradition or not, but they shook baby powder on everyone in the line as they walked by. At around 1:00, they had to quiet the plane down again and turn down the lights. The flight went by super fast between sleeping,celebrating, and watching a movie.
We arrived to Fiji at about 5:00 in the morning. We met Matt, our program director, at the airport. The Fijians welcomed us with music and gave us all shell necklaces. Most of us had our winter clothes on still, and we were dying of heat when we got there haha. We were able to change in the bathroom, and transfer our things for Fiji into a small backpack. The rest of our luggage went to a hotel on the mainland to be stored until we arrive there for our last night. By the way -- I had a pretty bad cold before I left on the flight to Fiji, and when I arrived, it was completely gone. :)
When we arrived our our island (Naviti), another boat came out and picked us up from the main boat. As we arrived on the island, we were greeted by music and singing and given flower necklaces. We were guided to our rooms; all of the girls were together in a large, dormitory style hut with underwater theme inside. I slept on the top bunk right underneath a painting of a giant shark. Jake would love it. :)
In Fiji, time doesn't matter. Nobody wears a watch or knows what time it is. I found myself wondering what time it was quite often the first couple of days, but then it just didn't matter anymore. Everyone staying on our side of the island eats together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals are served when the drum beats. :) The food was interesting...a lot of unique foods. Some of them I didn't like, but most of it was great! It was cool to try their native, homemade foods. Also, everyday around mid-afternoon, they beat the drum for us to come in for afternoon tea and a snack.
On the first day, a group of us went searching for some green coconuts. Sana would cut it for us so we could stick a straw in it and drink the coconut milk. I didn't like it much, but it is an excellent source of electrolytes.
Everyone eats the same meal. It was so neat to watch them prepare our meals in the ground! I have videos to show you once I get home. I tried uploading them, but it isn't working right now.
I got to know quite a few of the locals, especially Sana (left) and Solo.
On the first day after getting settled in and eating lunch, Luke, Caitlin, Roger, and I went out snorkeling! This was my first time, and I really could have stayed out there all day, everyday. I LOVED IT!! All of the colors, reef formations, different kind of fish...it was amazing!!
Unfortunately, because it was so amazing, we didn't want to come in. I ended up burning my back quite badly, but it was worth it. :) Matt joined us later on, and showed us some really cool things. He swam down and touched a huge clam, and we got to watch it snap shut. There were also these little round things on the coral...they were white and if you make noise (Matt snapped his fingers), they shut close.
We saw some huge spiders!! Although we were told that none were poisonous, we saw some big black ones that looked just like Tarantellas! But this one in the picture was the coolest looking one. :) I think Jake will like this!
After dinner, people from the main village came over to perform a dance ceremony for us. It was interesting and cool to watch! Many of us were pulled up to dance with them, and we had fun with that. Here's a picture of us doing a line dance. :)
Tribal club dance.
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