Tell us about your experience on this programme
This was an amazing experience that definitely exceeded my expectations! Learning about the Fijian traditions and customs while being fully immersed in the culture was truly humbling and greatly interesting. The persepctives I gained were to be more open to new experiences while also being grateful for the things I have. Though the community we were part of had a lot less materialistic things than I’m used to, they were some of the happiest people I’ve ever come across. The personal highlights for me were seeing the similarities between my culture (Tongan) and the Fijian culture. I also have ties with Fiji through my great great grandmother so it was very special to be fully welcomed by our community, Drauniivi and treated like family. The challenges I encountered were the heat and being away from my family, though the scorching weather was not overcome that much the relationships I cultivated with the other volunteers, the project leaders and the people of Drauniivi helped me overcome being away from my own family and are bonds that I’ll cherish forever.
The accomodation was really good. Smugglers Cove was bearable but not amazing as it was a shared hostel room however it was only for one night, our next resort which we stayed in for a couple nights called Uprising was very well suited as all us volunteers stayed together in one room which brought us closer and the facilities were quite nice also.
My advise to future students looking to engage in this programme is to do it!! Its a once in a lifetime experience that can’t be read you really have to take part in one yourself to understand how fulfilling and impactful a trip like this can be.
Were you satisfied with the cross-cultural experiences this programme provided?
Yes the cross-cultural experiences included learning the various aspects of the community lifestyle including its history, kava ceremonies, weaving, and preparing and cooking food in the traditional Fijian way. These culture courses were very eyeopening and showed us how resourceful they are in that they use all the materials around them to advantage. Everything has a meaning to them. Simply living wiht our host families was also a culture course in a way as we got to live exactly as they do and witness and partake in the hardwork that they do which is completely normal to them such as how they do their washing and even the shower and bathroom situations. The cross-cultural experiences showed me what a humbling culture they have.
What skills do you think this experience helped you gain, and how so? How might this differ from the experience you could otherwise gain in New Zealand?
Running workshop sessions definitely helped with my leadership skills. Within these workshops and in the village life in terms of the many children that would be around, my patience was also tested as they could sometimes be overwhelming. The language barrier at times could be difficult so my comminication skills improved also. This differs to experience otherwise gained in NZ because Fiji and especially the Drauniivi village we were part of is hugely different from life here in NZ and part of our challenge was to adapt to the village life where things are much more slowed down and in many ways different. This international change in ways is not something you’d get in an experience in NZ.
Did you encounter any particular challenges in preparing for or during this programme that might be important for future students to be aware of?
When preparing for this programme I found it difficult actually knowing what this programme was about and what it entails. Now that I’ve taken part in one I realise that programmes are extremely hard to sum up into words. There were many videos and information given to us by Think Pacific but a lot of the time it was quite overwhelming to actually sit down and watch/read through it all.
You rated this experience as one you were “highly likely to recommend” to a friend. Were there any particular factors that informed this rating?
Its a once in a lifetime experience that if given the opportunity I definitely think you should give it a go!