On Fiji Time

BULA

No picture, no video and no story could ever describe what the paradise of Fiji truly is.  How do I describe things that are so simple, yet in the grand picture are the reason why paradise is paradise.  When theres so much beauty in such a small place its hard for the eye to see how simple paradise is.  My amazing and humbling experience in Fiji all started with the renowned Fijian greeting "Bula." 

Bula comes from the Fijian culture and means anything from hello, goodbye, welcome, love and more. It means LIFE. The saying quickly caught on with our group of 25 students and we were constantly saying it. Every moment in Fiji was an expression of Bula.  Here is an example of a day living with Bula on the mind:

We first would wake up to the morning sun.  Most of us restless from our late night activities, or the fact that all 25 of us were living in a one room hut with bunk beds.  To say the least we got to know each other really well, pretty fast.  My personal favorite part about our hut was that the ocean was at our door step.  The sounds of the rising swells and changing tides were one of the most calming and relaxing sounds I've ever heard.  Our group leader Christian was typically off relaxing on his own, leaving all of us free to do as we pleased. There was no reason for him to worry about us though because once the sound of the drums came, all 27 of us would assemble one by one to meal time.  We came to love that sound, considering it came only 4 times a day.  Once for breakfast, lunch, tea time! and dinner.  And did I mention the food was all fresh from the island?  Doesn't get any better than fresh caught Spanish fish and coconut milk sauce.  In between meals we were free to roam the island as we pleased.  Snorkling, swimming with mantray, kayaking, climbing trees for coconuts, beach volleyball vs the Fijians (yes we did eventually beat them) hiking and basically anything we could think of.  Rough life huh? 

 For the first time in a very very long time I felt like I was breathing again. The American fast pace culture has it all wrong because there truly is nothing else like Fiji time. 

 The Fijian people had a huge impact on my heart.  Their kindness was never ending.  For example, I decided that drinking Fiji tap water would be ok considering Fiji water bottles are still expensive even in Fiji.  Well I soon after learned the hard way that just because its Fiji water doesn't mean its like the Fiji water bottles. Employees at our small resort by the names George, Moses and Missy didn't hesitate a moment to help me once I reached out to them for help.  George actually brought me on a private hike to teach me about all the plants they use for healing.  Anything from a tooth ache, birth, migraines, fevers, cuts and in my case... digestion problems.  Made me think about the Nutritional Weight and Wellness community back in the states!  I collected a few of the plants and have them in my journal in hopes that they will be of some use to my future research in the health care field.  You never know!

Fiji alone was unbelievable, but the group of students I got to experience it with were what made the trip unforgettable.  All the way from west coast Cali Jack to Long Island Dory.. I mean Cory, we all clicked pretty quickly.  Actually a guest staying at the resort that wasn't apart of our program made a comment asking if we were on a reunion from from how good of friends we seemed.  That comment was made on Day 1.  It amazing how a group of such different people, from all different backgrounds, could have so many things alike.  We all came to study abroad for our own personal reasons, but in so many ways those reasons are very similar.  I'll always hold my American Fiji family close to my heart and thank them for helping me remember how important it is to recognize and appreciate the little things again. BULA!

Keep it simple and keep smiling