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Published: August 17th 2007
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soccer at nabila primary
here we are playing a game of 20 vs. 20, pretty crazy So our time in this spectacular place has finally come to a close. I can't believe it's already over. It seems just like yesterday we woke up at 1:30 in the morning to catch a flight to LA, and on to Fiji. Looking back over the past two months it is unreal how much we've both experienced, learned and changed. What a new perspective a place like this allows you to have on the rest of the world. I like to think that we've left our mark on these little islands in the South Pacific as well... but then again, not nearly as much as they've left theirs on us. The excitement ahead is the only thing keeping this departure from being a little to hard to handle. For so long (or so it seems) these people, their schools, their children, their culture... its all been our lives, and now, when we leave, it'll keep on going without us. and we'll keep on keepin on with out them. what a dramatic shift in life styles!
joe-
After two weeks of "escaping", it was nice to get back to the basehouse for awhile. and it was really nice to have two
weeks of soccer! My group consisted of eight girls, all from the states, and two Italian boys, Pietro and Giacomo. And let me tell you, it was more of a riot than it might seem. We had an awesome time doing all of the other community service projects and the rest of the time either working with the children in the villages and playing local teams with all varieties of skill levels. The kids in my group were so cool and very skilled in the sport. They loved to play soccer but were so lazy when it came to work. I'd give them a paintbrush, walk around a corner, and as soon as I turned my head they'd be laying down, sunbathing, talking and listening to music. But I sure loved them! Now don't get me wrong, they were good workers, but they sure liked to hang out and do nothing. All in all we had a great two weeks and I could not have asked for a cooler group.
My last week was spent escaping with a new group. It was really nice to get away and see the different places before I left for good. I had
a huge group as well, 16 kids! They were a lot of fun and we had no problems. That's my kind of group. This last week was sad though. Unlike any other escape group, when I left a place, I told them I would not return as far as I knew. But I also told them that if I ever did, I promised them a visit! I love the people there so much and I'll never forget them. All of the guys at Robinson Crusoe, the Seashell staff, the Sky Lodge staff, they made such an incredible impression on me.
I had one more night at the basehouse before I left. I was able to say goodbye to the Fijian staff, Jigga, all the other US staff, and all of the kids that were still hanging around. It was cool, pretty low key though. The next morning Anna and I rode to the airport with Apeli, he wanted to drive me as I requested him. I didn't let them follow me into the doors of the airport because I figured it would be easier that way, and much less heart wrenching, and that was it, goodbye Fiji!
lenny-
Nawaicoba Farewell Ceremony
This wonderful Primary school put on a ceremony for Joe, Heidi and I at the end of the summer to say thank you. we took the opportunity to say thank you back. The kids put on quite a production (Fijian and Indian traditional dances, kava, speeches, lunch....) Ok, my turn. lets see... its was a wierd, surreal fealing when i started counting my final days in fiji. It seemed like no time at all between the three week point and the three days point. My last week was sort of ironically made "easier" by a pretty serious case of Fiji Belly- pretty much means i couldn't leave a 5 foot radius of the bathroom. Alot of my schools' happened to have their exams fall on my last week of work so I was planning to tag along and help out the other service programs where i was needed/bring Rachel along with me to the schools that were still having normal class and "train" her, but mostly to let her get furmilliar with the kids and admin at the schools (Rachel is the awesome British girl who was going to be installing a music program at my schools in place of my art program after i left, we got to be good friends before i left). Instead, i endedup spending all of one day in the kind of rough bathroom at one of our schools and then staying home for the next few.
I was finally
skydiving
yes, this is me falling from the sky all better by my last night. There were mild festivities for my farewell which was nice. Honestly, there were, more than anything else, completely mixed feelings about leaving Fiji for me. GOD was it rough to say goodbye to those people! I couldn't stop thinking about how once i left i was going to be going to more exciting places and then back to the states. back to my "real" life. but everyone else in Fiji that i had been living and working with wouldn't be going any where. they'd be right there still, same thing for them, except i wouldn't be there. its really hard to say good bye to people when your pretty damn sure you'll never see them again. but then again, i guess thats the thing about traveling... if i'd never gone i'd never have met such amazing people. Better to add people to the list of people to miss i guess. after all, they've all changed my life more then i think they'll ever realize. at least i knew them at all.
So, i HAVE to include a little something about my travels once i left Fiji. what a trip! Our company booked our
brisbane!!!
two first-timers, we found a bar with a manchester united game on, not a bad layover tickets for us out of Fiji. the deal was that they'd get us as far as Brisbane Australia and we had to pay our way the rest of our travels. whatever, we took it. all in all, its a hard offer to pass up when your getting a free flight and a job in Fiji! Something wierd happened and i had to fly out a day earlier than Joe. but we were catching the same flight out of Brisbane and traveling together the rest of the way to Vietnam. So... i went to the airport with Jigga, Afros, and Summy (AMAZING guys and our friends/staff members). We said good bye and i tried to pretend it wasn't really good bye, it worked until i got on the plane. I arrived in Brisbane airport and was in imidiate culture shock. I had over 24 hours ahead of my before i'd be leaving the airport so i had my mind set on making my self comfortable. instead, the drug dog in the customs line took a liking to me and caused me like 3 hours of bulllshit. it took them that long to realize i didn't have anything on me. My bags
Moala School
kids in class one doing self-portraits got lost, but after all of it, i was able to sit down and order a glass of wine for the first time in months and most of all, since i'd turned 21 in June! it was awesome! there was airconditionaing, leather couches, TVs and alcohol... it had been a while since i'd encountered any of those. i slept on a couch in a restaurant in the airport and then waited for joe's flight to get in in the late afternoon the next day (in the mean time i bought and read an entire guide book on Vietnam and Cambodia).
When he FINALLY got there we ended up jumping on the subway and exploring Brisbane for a few hours before our flight. it felt amazing to be free at last! AND in australia for the first time!
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