Deanna J - Suva, Fiji - Spring 2015

Well, getting here was a pain in the butt (I’m talking over 48 hours at airports or on planes) but I was thrown into the amazing culture here immediately upon arrival. I was greeted by a trio singing a welcome song after getting off the plane, and ISA’s site manager gave me a warm hug and kiss on the cheek; there’s certainly a reason why Fiji has been dubbed as the friendliest nation. You can’t walk anywhere without a loud, “bula” and a wave from the people you walk past (even if they’re on the other side of the road on their porch). So the people here are wonderful, and so relaxed. The islanders have something called “Fiji time” where everyone just goes at a slower pace. While traveling on a different island our group went out to eat at a restaurant. We were the only people in there but it took a solid two hours to get our meals after ordering. Lateness is just very much a part of daily life here, which has been a huge change for me; it was definitely frustrating at first, but I adapted. And there’s so much beauty everywhere on the island. I’ve seen reefs, waterfalls, jungles, swimming holes, mountain tops, and so many other crazy things. But it's not all rainbows and butterflies (even though I’ve seen those too). Fiji is not America, so there are a lot of things that took some getting used to. The lack of readily-available internet anywhere you go, the lack of air conditioning, the way food is prepared/stored/eaten/etc., and the roaches/centipedes/millipedes that find their way into my flat all threw me for a loop. I think that pretty much no matter where you go things are gonna be different. But that’s sort of the point of going abroad, right? If you can move past how uncomfortable "different" can be, then you’ll be able to enjoy your experience so much more.