Fiji Blog 9 + 10 - Wilson

Wilson

Day 9 + 10

 





After sleeping in and getting some much-needed rest, we all piled in to the back of a truck and set out for the nearest town, Ba. After about 30 minutes in the car, we arrived at a gas station which was our first opportunity to buy our necessities, which included a lot of peanut butter as well as some chocolate milk, ballons, and toys for our families in Nanuku. Once everything had been purchased, we hit the road again and quickly arrived at the rugby fields in Ba. We were all excited to watch our family members and friends in the games, and some of us even got to suit up and sit on the bench. We all watched as our district’s girls team dominated and continued their undefeated season. In between games we all circled up to show each other magic tricks, play card games like go-fish, and chat about our lives back home.

After all the rugby games finished, we went to a market and stocked up on even more snacks that got devoured almost immediately. It was such a cool experience to be able to see where everyone sells their products and I was simply in awe as I saw how quickly everyone rushed over to help when someone dropped their egg carton. Everyone in the market was so eager to talk to us and practice their English with native speakers. We went back to watch one more game and even got an opportunity to meet a senior at O’Dea who lives in Fiji in the summers. When we finally got back home we were each greeted with a delicious feast from our Nenes.

This morning, we all went to church with our families. We all gathered in the church and sang hymns and listened to the sermon. Although we couldn’t understand everything that was being said, we all admired the passion and energy that everyone worshipped with. Sundays are the only day of rest for most of the people in the village, so most of the locals spend the day napping, eating food, and watching rugby. Our first week in the village was full of a lot of new experiences, but each one has been vital to our development as people and as global citizens. We have learned so much about what it means to be kind and have all changed so much as people even in just one week. We are so excited for three more weeks of this trip and can’t wait to see what happens next.



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