I'm On Fiji Time

When I signed up for this nursing trip, I signed up to go to Tonga and Tonga only. But the way our flights ended up being scheduled, we had about a three day layover in Nadi, Fiji. Thinking about it now makes me feel silly, but before we left I had the mindset of, lets just get through this Fiji layover and get on to Tonga where we're actually supposed to be. It did not take long at all for that way of thinking to change. Within hours of our time in Fiji, we all just knew we were supposed to be there. The three days there felt more like ten, and I could have come straight home from Fiji feeling completely fulfilled (but i'm so thankful we still had three full weeks left in Tonga!). At first we didn't think Fiji would be much of a big deal, but now we all agree that it was definitely a highlight of the entire trip, and we wouldn't trade our time there for anything! It was the perfect way to kick everything off.

After the long flight... BULA AND WELCOME TO FIJI!

This is where we stayed. Holy moly, definitely a titch nicer than what we were expecting!

Immediately after we arrived and before we even checked into Smuggler's Cove, we headed out for our first big adventure: island tour, cave hike, and kava ceremony.

Ready for adventure!

Here is our mode of transportation across the river...

This here little bamboo structure is now endearingly referred to as spider raft. As we sat there, suddenly big spiders started crawling up through the cracks and all over us. I'm talking like A LOT of spiders. Some of us handled the surprise better than others... but it certainly made for some entertaining memory material on our very first day! :)

We hiked through a cave that was once inhabited by about 100 Fijians hiding from invaders of the island who were out to kill them... we learned quite a bit about how it was a cannibalistic society at the time. Gross.

Yup, theres the human oven.

On our way back, some of us opted to swim across the river than have another go on spider raft. We were assured there were no snakes or piranhas or anything else deadly in the water, and it ended up being a highlight of the day!

Kava ceremony time! For those of you who know what kava is, just know that we had VERY little sips of it. For those of you who don't know what it is, just know that it tastes like dirt and it makes your tongue go numb.

Not the most exciting video in the world. Just a little bit of the ceremony.

They fed us lunch. And this is where I made my first very grave mistake of the journey: I ate it.

I'm not positive, but it is very likely that the consequence of trying a bite of everything here is what led to my very unpleasant episodes of puking my guts out later this night... Not exactly the most pleasant way to wrap up the first day.

Without a doubt, a huge factor in what made Fiji great for us was the LDS ward there. After knowing them for a mere 48 hours, we felt as though a forever bond had formed. I've never felt so much love from strangers in my whole life. Their kindness and service will never be forgotten. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of them!

The women and children made these necklaces for each of us to honor our presence and thank us for being there. We were the ones who were really blessed to be there with them.

Church in Fiji :)

We spent most of Monday holding a clinic for the Navaki community in Nadi. For hours we measured heights and weights and took blood pressures and blood sugars with the help of the ward there and a few of the local community nurses. It was HOT, but it was a wonderful day. We were told that usually an event like this attracts six people. In a matter of about four hours, we screened 76 people! In fact, we are even famous now! :) An article was written and published about our visit there. Read all about it HERE!

Okay sooo... Fiji also had some serious party time for us. It was so fun!

Probably one of my favorite things from here was "Fiji time." People are constantly saying, "I'm on Fiji time." AKA, take it easy, go slow, when you mean one hour you really mean maybe two or three, but it doesn't matter because we are easy-going and time doesn't really matter or apply at all... I miss being on Fiji time.