Cheryl undertook a summer placement with Think Pacific in Fiji. Read on to hear about what she got up to in Fiji.
Before I stepped off the plane into Fiji, I really was unsure of what to expect. Truthfully, all I knew was that I was going to teach children in a Fijian school and that alone was exciting enough for me but little did I know how much of a life changing experience my month with Think Pacific would be.
The village that welcomed us with warm hugs on a cold, rainy, Friday evening was called Namuka in Tai Levu. I rode the journey from Suva to Namuka with a knot in my tummy and a lump in my throat but once I was embraced by these strangers, who I’d soon call family, I knew that I was safe and I had nothing to worry about. At briefing, we’re informed about family life, about how they will feed you endlessly until your sulu needs to be loosened, how they will go to great lengths to ensure your happiness and you question how it’s possible for a community to be that friendly to a bunch of people who they’ve never met before but it’s all true!
There was one Sunday after church where we went to our cousin’s house for lunch, where we were greeted with the biggest spread of chicken, kasava, potato salad, curry, roti and to be finished off with coconut buns and freshly baked chocolate cake. We eventually ended up on the sofa falling asleep to “Rambo: first blood”. Next thing we know, our cousin has dragged her mattress out of her bedroom and into the living room for us to sleep on and laid down a mountain of blankets.This was one of many moments that made me feel so incredibly loved and special to this family and insanely lucky that I now have a place on the opposite side of the world that I can call home.
By: Cheryl Li.
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