One

               Let me start by saying that July 25th lasted exactly 43 hours for me. I drove through the rainforest, watched the sun set, flew for the next 12 hours, landed in the desert, and watched the sun set again. How cool is that?! On top of that, I developed a sleep schedule (which included three cups of coffee, thank you very much!) to prevent jet lag as much as possible. I'm proud to say that I successfully avoided all forms of jet lag which I consider to be an awesome feat!
               ... And that's how I've been able to get several full nights of sleep in the desert that I'm referencing, which is also known as Las Vegas.
               Is it possible to experience culture shock in your own country? After visiting my sister here for the past four days, I am going to go with a firm YES. Having never been to Sin City before, I was mesmerized.
               Las Vegas is a huge city that literally jumps up from nowhere in the middle of the desert. Three things struck me about this: 1. I knew that it was very hot and dry in Vegas in July, but for some reason, I wasn't expecting the vast amount of dryness everywhere! 2. I kept asking my sister questions like, "Who do you think decided to walk into the middle of the desert, stop, and randomly decide to build a city there?" I'm sorry, but that's so weird to me. WHY ISN'T THERE ANYTHING ELSE AROUND HERE?! 3. The amount of tourists. Let's just say that I saw a lovely dose of shallow Americans, touristy Americans, and annoying Americans in a short amount of time (but I do love my country!).
               FORTUNATELY, my sister doesn't fit into any of the categories as she is incredibly considerate, kind, and loving. She picked me up from the airport, hosted me in her beautiful home, and was basically catering to me during my four day stay here. I complained about my nails being gross, so we got our nails done. I said that I missed Mexican food, so we had tacos. I said that I wanted to go to a show in Vegas, so we went to an AMAZING Cirque show, One, which is set entirely to Michael Jackson music. (Thank you, Mitch! You truly are beautiful on the inside and outside! I had SO much fun hanging out with you and miss you already!)
               Now, I don't mean to sound sappy or anything, but this show was top-notch. The dancers, the performers, the music... It was all amazing. With the addition of Michael Jackson quotes and messages, I found it incredibly inspiring. After all, according to Jon (my sister's boyfriend), the show is called "One" because it shows MJ's desire to have all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, economic status, or nationality, to be treated equally... as one. Not for anything, but I found this to be a perfect message to end an incredibly eye-opening, humbling, and beautiful trip!
               Thank you to everybody who provided encouragement while I was gone in one way or another. I loved receiving your e-mails as they always put a smile on my face and know that your prayers were incredibly encouraging and are much appreciated! I hope that by reading my blog this summer, you were inspired, excited, encouraged, or interested in one way or another. Like I mentioned from the beginning, I love writing. I love telling stories. I love sharing my experiences. I hope that I was able to successfully share many of the things that I had encountered, but know that you'll probably be splashed with many more stories verbally in the near future. :-)
               Over the next couple of weeks before school starts, I'll be putting together a video which compiles all of the projects, adventures, and trips that I've experienced this summer. Although it's primarily a memoir for me, you can expect to see it on here in the near future as I've found (after last year's video) that others appreciated it and found it inspiring, also. Check back sometime soon to see it... and in the meantime, allow me to close with a beautiful Michael Jackson quote which was displayed at One and, somehow, captures everything that I've been trying to say over the past several weeks perfectly.

"In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.
In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort.
In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream.
And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe."

I pray that you hope, comfort, dream, and believe in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. God bless!

Bula Life

Although "bula" means "hello" in Fijian, I've learned that the direct translation of it means "live". So, as you greet people, you're telling them to live. If you sneeze, others are giving you well wishes by encouraging you to get better and to... live. Now, perhaps you understand why the word is so commonplace here as it's literally what people do... LIVE.

I've been so fortunate to "bula life" here for the past several weeks as Fiji is a beautiful place in every sense of the word. I will forever cherish my weeks there as I have grown, experienced, and appreciated so many things in such a short period of time. I will miss so many things about this country so, without further ado…

Top 10 Things I Will Miss About Fiji (note: this list, apparently, is an annual one that changes for whichever county I’ve visited)

1. The friendliness of people. I find it amazing that I walk down the street and every stranger that I pass smile and says, “Bula!” In addition, people actually take the time to get to know complete strangers and to truly make them feel welcome. In fact, I was so welcomed, that if I were to ever return, I would easily have a handful of places to stay, a cab driver that will drive me around the island for half price, volunteer work to jump into, and an endless amount of kava ceremonies with Vili. (He invited us all “home” for a goodbye kava ceremony on Wednesday night. Because of the craziness of the past couple of days, I had to decline… but how awesome that he, like Naomi from the village I stayed at, welcomed us “home” as if we were family despite having only known us for a short period of time!)
2. The natural beauty. Fiji is only slightly larger than the state of Connecticut, yet there are both mountains and beaches, palm trees, rainforests, and lush green scenery everywhere. How could one not appreciate this?!
3. The fact that everyone thinks I’m from Australia or New Zealand. Although I love the U.S., you have to admit that it’s kind of cool for others to think that you’re from such a sweet place. In fact, I thought it was so awesome, that I just started telling strangers that, “Yes! I’m from Sydney (or Auckland, Melbourne, Queenstown… you get the idea)! How did you know?!” My personal favorite response is when I get a very excited, “It’s your accent! I can tell from your accent!”
4. Reggae beats. If you can find a song that can’t support a Reggae beat in the background, then I’d hardly call it a song because trust me… It’s possible! Don’t believe me? Here’s one that they played all the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmcKBBHeo1U and here’s one that I about died laughing over when I heard it on the bus because I, like you, didn’t think a Reggae beat was possible for a song like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waPhXBv_oNk. You’re welcome.
5. My work. The workshops and professional development sessions were very well received. As I was speaking, I would see many teachers smiling and nodding along. Several would come up to me afterwards and ask questions, provide support, or share positive opinions. One principal even sent me an e-mail to share that her staff is now required to use motivational techniques (primarily movement) in their lessons to help students learn. It’s amazing to me that I have been so well received and have been able to share so much to a country with very traditional ways of running schools and classes. Without a doubt in my mind, I know that I’ve made a difference among 40 schools, 142 teachers, and countless students (which is nearly three times more schools, teachers, and students that I had anticipated working with! God is SO good!)
6. The people here that I’ve formed lasting relationships with. I think this one has been made pretty apparent throughout the summer, but I will say that the only time that I cried was shortly after saying goodbye to Mere at FENC. She had tears in her eyes while she was saying goodbye and said beautiful things about how much she’ll miss me and how much of a difference HELP volunteers have made (and are still making!) among the students that we have been tutoring there.
7. Fresh bread and exotic fruits. I’ll be honest in saying that traditional Fijian food isn’t my favorite; however, the bread and fruits will truly be missed. After all, I can’t get a loaf of freshly baked, Fijian home-made bread or locally grown pineapple and papaya for next to nothing in the U.S.!
8. The simplicity of life. For example, when my bag didn’t fit into the overhead bin on my flight from Suva to Nadi, the flight attendant took it to “lock it up in the back”. Please see the picture below to see where I picked my bag up from. Enough said.

     9.   Fiji time. Lord help me! It's such a double edged sword, but without it, I wouldn't have felt so relaxed and so carefree for the past month and a half. Without it, the Fijian people wouldn't be so friendly, so welcoming, or so kind. By living without time constraints, they stop following their own agendas and, instead, do little things to make others happy. What a beautiful thing!

     10. Fiji Meghan. Can a few weeks change somebody? Absolutely, and I like to call these changes "Fiji Meghan". This version of me makes time to do more of the little things that make me happy, appreciates living and loving simply, and (I think) is kinder and more friendly. I'm looking forward to being back in the "real world" and to bringing as much of Fiji Meghan as I can with me. I suppose that the first challenge will be making this work in Vegas as I visit my sister! (I'm planning on making a Vegas blog post in a few days as I consider it the "finale" of my trip!)

               So, in a nut shell, what I've learned... Slow down. Appreciate the little things. Smile. Say hello. Serve others. Be kind. Share. Ask questions. Be grateful. Praise God. Have fun. Be flexible. Be thankful. Recognize beauty. Balance work and play. Love life. Bula.

So Close

               I'm so close to boarding a plane and heading back home. I'm so close to saying the last of my goodbyes here in Fiji. These realizations are truly bittersweet, but I'm not QUITE ready to write a "see you later" post, so instead, please enjoy my random compilation of recent "So Close" stories!

• While co-teaching in Class 1 today, I told the students that I lived near Washington D.C. The teacher asked if they knew who lived there (they didn't). Then, she asked if they had heard of Barack Obama before (they said they did). When she asked if he had "fair skin like Ms. Meghan or brown skin like me," they chorused, "FAIR SKIN!" ... So close!
• In the same class, the teacher asked students what they saw last week that is big, red, and has a ladder. The answers that were given? "Australia!" "Dog!" The poor teacher then apologetically explained to me that English is their second language. Although I completely understand this, I couldn't help but smile because they were so close.
• It's been cold here recently, and by cold, I mean like 70 degrees. Because of this, I've seen many people in sweaters, fleece, scarves, and hats. Carly asked a local when it will get warmer. He said, "Maybe tomorrow?" I asked another. She said, "Maybe September?" Clearly, they don't know, but I can tell that warmer weather in Fiji is so close.
• The students that I tutor at FENC, the FENC staff, the Ministry of Education employees, and Dee (one of the teachers that I co-taught with this morning) are all partners that I truly feel like I've become so close with in a short amount of time. I know that I will continue to have relationships with these people through technology and, hopefully, can see them again at some point in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that I'll be incredibly sad to say my final goodbyes!
• Speaking of people in Fiji that I will miss, I truly have become so close with the HELP team. Although I was able to form a lot of great relationships during the first month, I've truly learned to love and appreciate every single person on the team over the past couple of weeks since there have only been a handful of us in the house. We've had several "technology free" nights, lots of down time with each other, and wonderful, down-to-earth conversations that have really helped to build lasting friendships.
• Lastly, Sarah and I were fortunate enough to conduct 5 workshops for teachers at various schools in Suva this week. Most of them went fantastically and the staff were so excited to implement these ideas and resources into their own classrooms. Sarah and I even got to help teachers do this at one school today which we both found incredibly rewarding and fun. (I taught some multiplication tricks to Class 4 -- see the video below. I don't think they've ever had so much fun learning!); however, after doing an entire workshop on ways that teachers can motivate students at one school, the principal thanked Sarah and I by saying, "We learned a lot today; however, teachers don't have time to do this because we have a lot to teach. But thank you!" Good thing I'll never get that hour of my life back. Hey, you win some... you lose some. It's too bad for these students that they'll never be introduced to our awesome motivational techniques (approved by Ms. Puckli's 5th grade class). They were so close to having them though! #sorrykids

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               I'll write in a couple of days to give my proper goodbyes and to tie my summer in Fiji together with a nice little bow, but for now, I'll continue to cherish every moment until it's gone as I'm so close... so close... so close.

Stand Out

              In case I haven't made it clear enough in previous posts, I stand out here for pretty obvious reasons. Because of this, though, people recognize me and I'm starting to feel like I, in a weird way, belong here. For example, when I went to the flea market the other day, one man said something to me like, "You look familiar... In your face. Do you live around here?"
               You may be wondering how I can be so confident that I was the person that he had seen. Well, if I'm being totally honest, there's literally nobody else here that looks anything remotely close to me. In fact, one of the teachers at Hilton was talking to Carly (one volunteer) while trying to remember another volunteer's name. After providing a brief and vague description (by saying that the girl looked like a taller Lucy. Awesome.), Carly still had no clue who they were talking about, so she started listing off names. When she said my name, apparently the teacher said, "Oh no no. Meghan looks very different than the rest of you."
               Like I said earlier... I stand out.
               On Friday, I was walking through the streets of Suva when I felt somebody poking my back saying, "Bye, Meghan!" I turned around, only to see Martin, one of the boys that we tutor every Tuesday and Thursday at FENC who recognized me from a good half-block away. (It must be my stir-fry hair...)
               On Saturday, six of us decided to go to Colo-i-Suva park. While there, we were able to hike through the rainforest, see several waterfalls, and at the end of our hike, jump off of a rope swing into a natural swimming hole. As soon as we walked up to the rope swing, Ledua, another student that we tutor at FENC, was there, waving at me excitedly. It took me a good minute or so to figure out who he was, but I, being the clear stand out that I am, was easily recognizable. (In case you were wondering, the rope swing was a lot of fun and the hike was amazingly beautiful. What a neat experience to be able to do all of this in the middle of a rainforest!)
               Today, a few of us traveled to Warwick (a resort a couple of hours away) to enjoy some beach time. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading, napping, and relaxing all day. The highlight of my day trip oddly came on the bus ride home. Four of us took a smaller bus back to Suva and, after an hour or so, were the only people on it. The bus driver started yell-talking to us to get to know us better, but kept having to look back in order to hear us better. Finally, he said, "How about one of you comes and sits up here so that I can hear you better?"
               ... And that's how I ended up sitting shotgun on a bus in Fiji.
               I spent the next hour talking to this man about literally everything: hopes and dreams, the past, present, and future, religion, family, friends, perspectives, the weather... you name it. My favorite part of the conversation was when he asked why I wanted to be a school teacher. When I explained to him that it's something that I've always known I wanted to do, he told me that he completely understood. He claimed, "When I was a little boy, I thought, 'How neat would it be to drive?' I knew then that I wanted to get my license and drive one day for a job. Look at me now! I'm the only member of my family that can drive... and I get to drive a bus every day! I'm so lucky!"
               This comment truly humbled me. This man then spent the next 10 minutes, verbally explaining to me how to drive, assuming that I, like his family, didn't know how to. I didn't have the heart to tell him that driving is an expectation in the United States. I didn't know how to say that I would be in the minority of the population if I didn't have my license. I wasn't sure how to explain that I actually complain about driving long distances, about having a 25 minute long commute, or about having to sit in northern Virginia traffic. In those few minutes, none of these things mattered as I honestly had tears in my eyes as he (in a very complicated way, mind you) gave me the play-by-play of how to operate a motorized vehicle. As he was talking, I was nodding along and saying, "Okay," and, "Yeah," at the appropriate times, but my mind was wandering as I recognized how easily we take something like this for granted on a daily basis. I only hope that when I begin to complain about things like driving in the future, that Raji, our bus driver from today, will stand out in my mind. I pray that I can remember the pride in his voice as he told me that he was living out his childhood dream and how happy he was making his family by doing so. I want to forever remember the fact that he was excited to work 14 hours, day in and day out, because he was doing what he loved... driving a bus back and forth on the same road, several times a day, on this beautiful island.
               God bless the simplicity and beauty of this world... and may this humbling mindset continue to stand out for me in Fiji, in the United States, and beyond.

"Tuna and a Smoke" Kind of Birthday

                My life? Ridiculous. The Fiji team? Ridiculous. My birthday? Ridiculous. And this birthday was nothing short of amazing and definitely one for the books. In fact, I would consider it a strong contender for “best birthday ever”…

                I began the day by getting up early… like usual. As I walk into the main living area, our cook’s kids are singing Happy Birthday because they see a birthday banner hung up. Although they had no idea it was my birthday, I considered it a pleasant touch as I looked at the beautiful note and homemade “You Are Special Today” birthday plate that Brittany made. (At dinner the night before, Lucy had everybody share one birthday tradition that their family has. I talked about the birthday plate. How thoughtful of Brittany to do something little to uphold this tradition!)

                Like my birthday last year, we had delicious French toast for breakfast (despite the fact that it was not made in a wok in Thailand) and then I was able to start my work day. I travelled to the Ministry to figure out why I haven’t had any more school professional development sessions set up yet and was able to sit down with Vili, the sweet man who has been helping us recently. He went up a few notches on my “most liked Fijian” list when he literally had us sit there while he called every school in Suva that was scheduled to have me. Then, he would hand me the phone as, “They want to speak to you because they like hearing your voice. Your accent.” Good news: I have 5 different schools that I’ll be visiting in the next three work days that I’m here!

                At one point during our conversation, Sarah (another volunteer), turns, looks at me, and says, “I’m going to embarrass you right now.” Then, she turns to Vili and says loudly, “Guess what? Today’s Meghan’s birthday!”

                Not only was he incredibly excited, but he guessed how old I was turning… 17. When I told him 26, he was floored as, “I really didn’t think you could be older than 20!” (Why he would be allowing a 17 year old to conduct workshops and train teachers across their school district is beyond me!) Allow me to also include here that I think Sarah used my birthday as an out from her conversation, where Vili (who we find very difficult to understand) asked her if she liked McDonald’s. She responded that it’s very humid here to which he replies, “Yes. I just don’t understand. It’s bread, sliced in half, with some beef in the middle. Why do people go crazy over it?”

                I’ve never been more satisfied to be an outsider, listening in on a conversation in my entire life. Here I am, listening to Vili talk about the simplicity and stupidity of hamburgers while Sarah talks about Fijian weather. I have no idea how this happened, but it was quite possibly the best birthday gift I could have ever received!

                After lunch, I was able to go to the handicraft market and flea market to buy souvenirs. Alex, another volunteer, made it a point to constantly tell people that it’s my birthday just to see what they would do.  (In case you were wondering, I got a free gift at one stand and had a “special deal” cut for me at another. #birthdaysforthewin)

                For dinner, the entire team went out to eat at Nando’s in Suva. While at dinner, Alex decided that in honor of my birthday, everybody should share their favorite memory of me thus far. The only thing that you need to know about this exchange is that Yen Shun, our only non-U.S.  volunteer, said that his favorite memory was the first time that he met me… because he realized that my hair looks like stir fry noodles. Rather than me commenting anymore on this, I’ll allow you time for this to sink in for a moment.

                …………………

And now I can continue with the rest of my day.

After dinner, we walked across the street to the University of South Pacific to see a cultural performance of the evolution of men’s dance. They had tribal dances, rapping, a “Stomp”-style drum line… It was honestly one of the coolest things that I’ve experienced in Fiji thus far. We went crazy over it and didn’t want it to be over when it ended! (Video coming soon!)

As we were walking out, I received a phone call from Vili, the man who works at the Ministry of Education. Remember when I mentioned earlier that he was very excited about my birthday? Well, he was so excited that he had already sent me a very sweet e-mail (“May the 26^th year of your journey shine like a midday sun!”), called me twice at dinner, and texted me. The phone call after the dance was the 4^th or 5^th time that I had heard from him that evening as he and his family wanted to prepare a birthday kava ceremony for the team and I. (I’m sorry, but how can you say no to that?!) Right before I was about to hang up, he said, “Can you bring tuna and a smoke with you? Moce!” (‘Moce’ means ‘bye’ in Fijian.)

Allow me to remind you that Vili is difficult to understand a lot of the time. At this point, I say out loud in the cab, “He asked us to bring tuna and a smoke…?” to which everybody about dies laughing over. I asked the cab driver what this means, to which he replies, “Well, tuna is a type of fish…” Thank you, cab driver. Thank you.

I, Meghan, am proud to say that I’ve never purchased cigarettes in my life… until my 26^th birthday. We stopped at a gas station and asked a random customer and the clerk what “tuna and a smoke” means. They, like us, had no idea, but assumed that Vili meant tuna and cigarettes... So that's what we went with. Who knew that cigarettes here can be purchased in a pack of 20, 10, or just by the single cigarette? With no rhyme or reason (and no idea if this is what I was supposed to be purchasing at all for that matter), I chose the pack of 10.

When we arrived at the house, I was given the responsibility of presenting our gift to Vili. Good news: he did actually want tuna and a smoke for reasons beyond me. I think his gift (for having us over for my birthday, mind you) was perfect! YEESSSS! (As Shawney would say, “Happy birthday to me!”)

Vili instructed me to sit at the head of the circle in his main living area (That’s right, Ben. I GOT TO BE THE MASTER CHIEF!) while everybody else sat around. He then taught us about the kava ritual and, when we ran out, how to make kava (he especially taught this to one volunteer, Natalie, who was serving everybody because she was the youngest. I should really start applying this principle to my everyday life. Mitch – Are you ready to serve the rest of the family!?) We spent the next hour and a half or so drinking kava, talking, and having a good time.

So, what makes it “birthday kava”? Before anybody could have theirs, they had to say something kind to me. BOOM. Cultural birthday celebration for the win!

When we left, we went dancing, of course. We had so much fun doing absolutely ridiculous dance moves and just being totally carefree. Lucy made me a delicious dessert (at like 2 A.M., mind you) once we made it back to the house. As I was enjoying her unnamed banana, oats, and ice cream concoction, I was honestly thinking about how my birthday was absolutely perfect. I was able to both work and play. I experienced both American things and Fijian things. I felt incredibly loved by and had so much fun with those around me.

               ... And then it hit me: MY BIRTHDAY IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING IN THE U.S.!

I love my life.

Surprises

               Over the past couple of days, I've honestly been just "going with the flow" of things. My schedule? Not clear. My day? Who knows what will happen. My plans? They'll probably change once... or twice. Allow me to explain.
               I met with the Ministry of Education on Tuesday to discuss a plan of action to get me back into the schools. I was under the impression that they would send out an e-mail to the schools that they would like me to work with. Then, I can travel around to work with the teachers in the classrooms, helping them to incorporate the concepts that were taught in the workshops.
               Wednesday rolls around and the e-mail still had not been sent. After talking with them on the phone, they inform me that it will be sent out soon. Two hours later (keep in mind that we're working under Fiji time), I receive an e-mail that I am to visit two primary schools... later that day. 45 minutes before I'm supposed to leave, I receive another e-mail, informing me that I will not be working in the classrooms with teachers. Instead, I'll be conducting professional development sessions at both of these schools for their staff. AWESOME! (Please note that I was very excited to do this, but was freaking out a bit due to the time constraints!)
               Fortunately, it all worked out. In fact, it worked out really well. There was one teacher at both schools that had attended the workshop, so rather than me trying to scramble around and stress out (well, I did... a little bit...), I decided to have them help me present the information from the workshop which, it turns out, was the best thing that I could have done. It was amazing to hear these teachers share strategies that they learned (some of which they had already tried in their classrooms!) with their coworkers. My personal favorite story came from Raichel, a Class 6 teacher who said, "Just because I made a kinesthetic activity for phonics, ALL of my students, whether they need the review or not, want to participate in my phonics lessons now!" That comment in and of itself made my day as it proved that I've provided suggestions to make a small difference in her classroom and now, she can (and did!) share these ideas to her coworkers. Hopefully, this small difference will spread to make a bigger difference among the students and staff at her school. I'm even more hopeful that teachers at other schools were inspired and are beginning to impact the education in their own classrooms and schools, as well. Sustainable project? I think (and hope) so!
               Side note: you may be wondering how I was able to conduct 1-hour long professional development sessions at two different schools in one day. Oh, that's because the headmaster of the first school called a school-wide recess so that all of his staff could come to my PD in the middle of the day. No big deal. At least the students enjoyed my visit! (I think the teachers did, too -- but I felt awful that I was sent there to interrupt their school day! Oh, well!)
               Today, I was instructed to wait for e-mails back from the remaining schools that the Ministry would like me to visit. Of the 6 that I contacted, I heard back from a whopping 0. Fortunately, I still had a very productive day of compiling and organizing materials at the house, but I suppose that I'll continue to just "go with the flow" with this project for now. Ahh, Fiji time -- a beautiful blessing and an awful curse!
               Lastly, I'd like to share that I was also was surprised when making baked oatmeal for the team at breakfast yesterday morning. I was the only person in the house awake and the cooks didn't know how to make it, so I looked up a recipe and offered to do it (I mean, why not?!). As I was pouring the ingredients into a bowl, I felt something on my leg. I turned around, only to find a cat biting me. Yes, I was bitten... by a house cat. Fortunately, I was quick enough to shake it off of my leg which then made it scramble away. And fortunately, it was a very tender bite and I was not injured in any way whatsoever... But you can only imagine how surprised I was at this early morning fiasco!
               In case you were wondering, the cat's name is Biscuit. I'm not sure which is more hilarious: the fact that I was bitten by a cat in general or the fact that I was bitten by a Biscuit. You can decide.
               ... And that's why I hate cats.

Goodbye & Hello

               My time in Fiji is quickly coming to an end... and that's a sad realization. Although I still have a little over a week left here, I hate that I can now actually SEE the end. It bums me out that the Ministry already asked if I was having a farewell party or that Brittany (one of my country directors) said, "I can't believe that you're leaving so soon!" I think this realization is hitting me primarily because so many volunteers left this past weekend. I mean, I was living in a house with 18 people and half of them have now left! Although I'm an introverted person, the house now seems eerily quiet and I'm definitely missing the presence of some of those that left (yes, that includes you, Ben!). With that being said, I'd like to say goodbye to a few things where the door is now, sadly, officially shut...
               As for volunteer work, today marked my last day of doing remedial reading tutoring at a local primary school. I had been going there twice a week to teach letter names, sounds, and sight words to several adorable children. In addition, I've formed a great working relationship with Mary, the remedial reading teacher there. I've been able to teach her about phonics instruction, how to conduct running records, and provide her with some ideas and resources to make her instruction a bit easier. In return, she's given me valuable knowledge about the Fijian education system as she has earned her teaching certificate, taught for 10 years, and is now in the minority of Fijian teachers as she is going to college ("university" as they say here) to get a teaching degree. I'll miss working with Mary and these students, but I know that I have a lot of other things to do as far as projects go... Especially because another "goodbye" should be given to what I now call "my baby" -- the teacher workshops. In case you were wondering, I've worked with 57 teachers in 33 schools so far which are numbers that even I find impressive. 25 of these teachers have attended a workshop that I conducted and are now (hopefully) sharing ideas with their staff and motivating students to strive for success in both Reading and in Math. For the remainder of my work days here, I'll be helping the teachers that I've worked with to implement these motivational strategies into their classrooms. I'm excited to see how they put these ideas that they were so clearly on fire about into practice!

               Now that the depressing part is over, let's get on to the more upbeat section of this post. Really, I can sum it up in a nutshell... Hello to: a quiet house which means a more productive Meghan, more quality time with volunteers which includes secrets, pranks, and good conversation (this may or may not involve building a fort in the living area and removing mattresses from beds...), and my upcoming birthday. This past weekend, several of us went to Nadi for some beach time. On Saturday night, we went out to eat when Ben decided to share that my birthday was coming up. Not only did the staff make me stand on a barstool in the middle of the restaurant, but they sang Happy Birthday to me. The best part was that they wished "Maggot" a "Happy Sweet Sixteen"! Lucy is convinced that they didn't say this, but I heard it and thought it was hilarious... And this is my blog, so I'm sticking to it. #sorryboutit HAPPY (ALMOST) SWEET SIXTEEN TO MAGGOT!
               I should also say "hello" to the many other hilarious things that occurred on Saturday night -- many of which were new experiences for me -- which include karaoke, cab drivers, dancing, and golfers. These stories are ones that you'll have to e-mail me about or wait for me to tell you in person if you're interested though. I mean, I can't give away EVERYTHING that I do this summer on my blog, can I?!
               ... I guess a hello is also necessary for a Meghan that is too bored and tired to elaborate further. You're welcome.

Just Love

               True confessions: I'm selfish. In fact, the longer I'm here, the more I realize that MANY Americans are selfish. Heidi, another volunteer, and I had a long, in-depth conversation about this yesterday afternoon.
               Heidi, along with 9 other volunteers, is leaving this weekend. She had the privilege of visiting a local village yesterday and donating the majority of her clothes to a sweet woman there. Heidi was floored by the gratefulness and kindness that this woman showed towards her despite the fact that she literally has next to nothing. Why is it that Heidi felt like she received more when she was giving nearly everything that she brought with her away? Perhaps the better question: why is it that the gift of giving is so much more humbling and rewarding here than it is in the U.S.?
              We've developed this theory. In the U.S., many people have expectations which, whether we realize it or like it, causes our lives to revolve around money, greed, and selfishness. We expect gifts, favors, and kind gestures. When we don't receive them, many people get disappointed, upset, or angry. Here, Fijians are happy to just live and to love. Because so many people don't have money or resources, these expectations haven't necessarily been developed yet. Then, when they do offer you a compliment, a cup of tea, or some hospitality, you see the huge sacrifice that is being made for such a simple offer. That makes it even more worthwhile and meaningful.
              Heidi's cab driver explained the Fijian mindset to her perfectly. "If I can offer you one piece of advice," he said, "it's to just love each other. Everything else will fall into place if you just love!"
              Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where we realize that this is the key to happiness? That money, selfishness, greed, and expectations aren't necessary because others, out of the goodness of their hearts, will show you kindness, favors, and gratitude through their love?
              If nothing else, I feel like I will come back a changed person because, for several weeks, I've lived in the day-to-day mindset of Fijians and their simple mindset to "just love." I hope that I can show and exemplify this love to others, not just to those that I know, but to strangers, as well. Perhaps then, a chain reaction of love will begin. I challenge you to try it and to see what happens!

             ... In other news, I've successfully completed Teacher Training Workshop #2. I received wonderful reviews from the participants and had several volunteers help me and/or come watch. My personal favorite comment was from Brittany, one of my country directors. "Watching you was like watching an animal in its natural habitat!"
            Thank you, Brittany... I think?

            Until next time... JUST LOVE!

Infinite

                “And in that moment, I swear I felt infinite.”

                This quote, from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is one of my favorite quotes ever… And it basically sums up my weekend. I thought last weekend was great, but my time in the Yasawa Islands was truly over the top. I apologize for continuously sounding like my trip has reached its’ peak as far as joy and excitement levels go, but I’m somehow constantly outdoing myself! What a wonderful problem to have!

                Eleven of us volunteers decided to embark on this adventure, so we all boarded a bus that would drop us off in Lautoka, a city about 5 hours away on the other side of the island. From there, we stopped and had dinner, then boarded a fishing boat which departed at 10:00 P.M. and would arrive at the island that our resort was on about 6-7 hours later. It had two levels (but only seating on the bottom level) and some of us thought that it’d be cool to hang out at the top for a little bit.

                It. Was. Beautiful.

                I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. Here I was, at the hull of the ship, with my legs dangling over the edge, just staring out into the Pacific. Since it was dark outside, you couldn’t tell where the ocean ended or where the midnight sky began. When I would lie down, I looked up at a sky that was twinkling with more stars than I had ever seen in my entire life. I ended up falling asleep while looking for shooting stars (In case you were wondering, I saw twelve that night. TWELVE!). Each time I woke up, I felt like I was still dreaming as I would open my eyes and feel like I could see the entire universe. It was incredibly peaceful, calming, and magical. Not only did the sky, the universe, and the stars seem infinite, but I felt infinite, also. 6-7 hours turned into 8 ½ hours. I slept terribly on the hard surface of the boat, but I didn’t mind the time or the lack of comfort because I wouldn’t trade that view for anything!

When we finally arrived at our destination at 6:30 A.M., the staff greeted us with a song and served us breakfast. After putting our belongings down in the room, I spent the rest of the day reading and dozing in and out while lying out on the beach. At one point, when we were on a “private beach,” several local small children ran up to us and randomly started playing with our hair without saying more than three words. I thought they just wanted to touch our hair since they’re not used to the texture of it, but I soon had a full head of mini braids. While the girls braided our hair, the boys were twirling sticks and playing games. After saying goodbye (mainly because we were so exhausted that we couldn’t continue to entertain these adorable children), we went to a different beach to continue with our agenda of doing nothing.

That night, the resort put on a show featuring Fijian Fire Dancers. I loved seeing something so different and cultural, and was especially surprised when two of the little boys from the beach earlier were participating. (Yes, they were practicing twirling sticks because they were performing an act later that day… with fire burning on either end of the sticks. I suddenly felt stupid for commenting on how talented they were earlier because it was nothing compared to the show!) As soon as it ended, the Fire Dancers went out into the crowd and grabbed people to dance as current hits started to play. Next thing I know, I’m whisked away, having a Fire Dancer teaching me Fijian dance moves to very American music. (The hilarious irony of this situation kills me!) Soon, all of the volunteers were dancing with the kids from earlier in the day and with each other until very late in the night. It was fun, hilarious, and incredibly carefree. I made an awesome game of showing everybody ridiculous dance moves just to see if they would actually do them, and I don’t think I ever failed! At one point, I realized how much power I had when I suggested playing the Dance Game (shout out to the post-college Beach Week crew!) and the entire dance floor started playing. I have no idea what happened or how I gained so much control of everybody, but it was awesome and hilarious!

On Sunday, I spent the majority of the day reading and laying out again. Ben, Lucy, and I decided to go on a snorkeling trip which was beautiful and then several of us took a sunset hike to the top of the island. It took about 45 minutes of travelling through tall grasses and overgrown weeds, but when we finally got there, it was breathtaking. I was at the highest point of the island and, by doing a 360, I could see the entire island and several surrounding ones. On one side of the island, I was watching the setting sun glow over the water. On the other side, I felt the wind blow the tall grasses towards me. I was so awestruck, that if I closed my eyes and lifted my hands up, I honestly felt like I could have flown. That’s about the best that I’ll be able to explain it, but just know that this moment was beautiful, perfect, and wholly mine. I’m not sure if or when I’ll ever experience something like that again, but it was another point in time when I felt completely alive, free, and “infinite.”

We left the island early on Monday morning and took our long boat ride back to the main island. Despite the fact that this one was during the day, I remained in my “spot” on the top deck. It was incredible to be in the exact same place, but to this time see the water, the islands, and the rising sun dance across the water. The highlight of our boat ride back was the 5 minutes or so that two dolphins raced along the side of the boat. How cool!

Today, I took my last vacation day of the trip to go on a shark dive. That’s right -- I was swimming with sharks! I thought I’d be terrified, but, for some reason, it was oddly calming and majestic as the sharks didn’t even seem to take notice of us. I literally could have reached out several times to touch a bull shark that was swimming in front of me or over my head and there were DOZENS of them swimming around, but I was more fascinated than anything else. Here I am, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, watching sharks (many of which looked frighteningly similar to Bruce in Finding Nemo!) in their natural habitat. What a cool experience… and one that is now up there on my list of craziest things I’ve done. Good news: I survived!

Overall, you can tell how fantastic my long weekend was. In fact, Ben started making fun of me for the number of times that I said something like, “I’m SO HAPPY right now!” or “I’m absolutely elated!” over the past few days. Honestly, I don’t blame him though. I’m seriously loving everything about Fiji… The small moments, the big moments, the volunteering moments, the trips, the people, the moments where God’s presence is so apparent, and the times where I feel infinite. Why wouldn’t I be happy? Why wouldn’t I feel elated? And why wouldn’t I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate for all that God has blessed me and for how big He is?

Fiji is my euphoria.

Who I Am

               Since being here, I like to think that I've made a good impression on both the locals and the other volunteers. Here's some proof that I'm really becoming something here:

• The Reading resources that I printed for the tutoring classes were being used today! I haven't been there in a week or so since I've been so busy, but I was so happy to see that the kids were using them and LEARNING from them. How awesome!
• I stopped by a school to look at their curriculum for Reading. When I introduced myself to the principal (who I hadn't met yet), she exclaims, "Oh, Meghan! You're the one doing the workshop on Friday, aren't you?!" It easily made my day yesterday. (In case you didn't already know... I'M SO EXCITED TO HOLD THIS TRAINING TOMORROW!)
• I stopped by the electronics store down the street to purchase some blank CDs to burn resources onto them. They cut me a deal for buying them in bulk, but I was about to run errands and didn't want to carry multiple CDs around with me. I asked if they would remember me if I came back later. They looked at my like I was crazy. That's when I remembered that I'm the tall blonde girl in Fiji... BUT AT LEAST THEY KNOW ME!
• We played a game called "Superlatives" last night. Basically, everyone writes down ridiculous superlatives, puts them in a bowl, and then we all vote on the winners. You'll be happy to hear that I won "Most Likely to Marry a Dwarf," "Most Likely to Sneeze Next," "Most Likely to Get Electrocuted in a Lightning Storm," and "Most Likely to Become a Carpet Salesman." I don't get it either.
• At Hilton, where they've nicknamed me M Smile, my name has taken a new twist. Instead of signing M Smile (by forming the letter M and then pointing to your smile), one student misinterpreted and thought it was M Fishhook. Now, whenever I show up, many students call me M Fishhook. #winning

               Happy 4th of July! We celebrated it here in Fiji by donning red, white, and blue clothing, having banana chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and enjoying a delicious dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, and watermelon (thanks, Lu!). (In case you were wondering, Lindsay, I did also play the traditional July 4th iTunes playlist which consists of any song in my library with the words "red," "white," "blue," "independent," "America," and "U.S.A." Ahh, memories!) This weekend, we're travelling to the Yasawa Islands of Fiji for a long, relaxing weekend on the beach. Google image Yasawa Islands in between spending time shooting off fireworks and eating American food. Enjoy!

               Lastly, I'm proud to say that I successfully executed my workshop today. I was in my element and loving every second of it! I had 12 of 15 teachers show up and we had great conversations and discussions about how to motivate students, various learning styles that people have, and how to incorporate some easy resources into everyday teaching. I'll consider it a win based on the fact that I was given two rounds of applause from the attendees afterwards, received very positive feedback on the post-evaluations, and was asked to hold another workshop next Friday. In addition, a couple of teachers asked if I would be willing to come and speak to the staff at their schools. So, I guess you could say... COMING SOON: Fijian schools where students are playing games and singing songs. Fun learning for the win! I LOVE FIJI!