Anyone who reads my blog knows that I am a cheeeeeeesy person. I can't help it. Its who I am. I get sentimental and nostalgic and sappy and cheesy. I love it. Sorry if you don't!
The number one miracle about my trip to Fiji and Tonga were the people that I went with. Picture this: 13 college-aged girls. Nursing students... aka a bunch of headstrong, type A personalities. Some married, some engaged, some dating, some single. Together 24/7 in very close living quarters for almost a month. Doesn't that just sound like a recipe for disaster or drama or cliques?! Here's the miracle: EVERYONE GOT ALONG. Not only did we just get along, everyone genuinely liked and enjoyed the company of each and every other person. It didn't matter who you sat next to on the bus, who was on the bunk bed with you, or who wanted to chip in to share bread and bananas. Its not just that I like and have a tolerance for these girls. I love them. I now consider them my sisters. I know some of these girls better than I know girls that i've lived with for an entire semester. Every single day there were either one on one or group conversations covered every topic in the book. We talked about literally anything and everything. Seriously, I think they all know now every story i've ever told. I feel like I know their families and significant others personally just from everything we've chatted about. I consistently came away from these conversations feeling uplifted, inspired, and/or entertained. I'm pretty sure my abs are significantly stronger now just because of how much they made me laugh on a daily basis. This experience would not have been nearly as wonderful if it hadn't been for these girls. Throw in a few incredible instructors that were just as friendly and fun, and our group was unstoppably awesome. I am so thankful for each and every one of them and look forward to our continuing friendships!
Debbie. Debs. Deb-step. She was our instructor for this trip, but she was so much more than that. This woman knows how to be a leader. She would give direction, then step back and allow us take the lead in our various activities. She let us find our own rhythm and our own flow. She was flexible and didn't try to dictate or dominate over the group. Very quickly she gained our respect and our love. It is clear that she has a heart of gold and is a wonderful teacher as well as wife, mother, and grandma! We would do anything for our fun, adventurous, caring Debs!
Gary. Our Gar-bear! Gary is Debs' husband, and he didn't originally want to come on this trip, but she insisted that he come to help her out for the first few weeks. Having Gary there was the BEST. He was the daddio of the group! Watching him interact with the people in the environment was so great. Whether he was taking young mens' measurements to pass onto the BYU football coaches, showing teenagers pictures of snow on his iphone, or engaging in fun with the little kids, he was working hard to learn and grow and develop a love for the people and places we were at. Having a priesthood holder with us was comforting and useful. We are so grateful for his sacrifices in lifting lots heavy things, putting up with our endless girl talk, and leaving his comfort zone in order to embrace the experience. We are convinced that by the time he went home, he loved us just as much as we loved him :)
Casey B... Bur...Barker.... No no, its Casey Bunker! ;-) No one has never made me love sarcasm so much as this girl. She is full of it in all the best ways and she always keeps me laughing. She is way too fun to tease and has the best one-eye-closed laugh ever.
Miss Emily Plowman. Somehow, Emily was always looking pretty and cute even in the middle of a hot, sticky, busy Tongan day, which the rest of us definitely found to be a challenge. With her entertaining comments and quirky personality, she was so fun to have around.
April. Our dietetics student add-on :) I'll admit, I was jealous of her when we got to Tonga because she lived there in high school and knew the lay of the land and the language and all that. Turns out this girl is so awesome. She is so smart and such a good example of everything that a good person should be. We were so grateful to have her with us to help us adjust and learn the ways of the Tongan people.
Brittni. Despite the fact that she is getting married in a month, she was happy to be there and contributed to all the fun. We are so excited for her to be married to her boy soon! She was great on this trip because she just took everything in stride and didn't let anything get her too down.
Then there's Courtney. I had to choose this picture because of that little boy looking up at her. Courtney has to be one of the sweetest, most loving people in the world, and the kids loved her. She has a talent for knowing what to say to people, and how to say it in a way that ends up having a real impact. Her words struck me more than once and were always uplifting and made me feel good. And I have to say, she has some unexpected traits about her that always took me off guard and got a real good giggle out of me.
I don't even know where to begin with Anna. All it took was a few late night conversations with this girl to develop a serious love for her. She has such an optimism and joy about her all the time. And she is funny as heck. No doubt many of her quirky mannerisms have already been incorporated into my personality.
Mallory. My Mal-pal. This girl came out of nowhere. It all started on the day we were in the OR together (notice her awesome OR scrubs featured below haha). Nothing bonds two people together like watching thigh skin get sliced off with a human cheese grater and being grafted onto a foot without any toes! But seriously, thats what did it for us. I think maybe in many ways she and I are a lot alike and thats why we meshed so well. Together we remembered that "its all part of the experience" and we just needed to "embrace it." Love her to pieces. And so excited that we are both from Sea-town so that we can keep this newfound friendship going!
Oh Rachel. If there is one thing she'll be known for on this trip, its that she was always prepared for anything! Does anyone have a bandaid? Rachel does. Does anyone have any Neosporin? Rachel does. Does anyone randomly happen to have an otoscope in their bag? Of course, Rachel does! Her preparedness saved us and helped us out on several occasions. She is going to be such a great nurse!
Erica had me laughing so hard I was crying before we even took off from the SLC airport. Her storytelling was always something to look forward to. Plus she is pretty much the fittest and healthiest person i've ever met, and I aspire to be a little bit more like her. She speaks her mind and isn't afraid to be herself, which again sometimes had tears of laughter rolling down my face!
Angela, trip nickname "Gela", beholder of stickers and candy and games for the little children! She never ignored or forgot anyone. Without any effort she expressed and served everyone around her. She didn't turn down any opportunities to learn and grow and embrace the Tongan experience. I admire her spirit of service and love.
Sarahhhh! My twin. Okay so not in appearance, but i'm pretty sure our brains work the exact same way. I cannot even count the number of times that we would say the exact same thing at the exact same time or instantaneously start singing the same song and other things like that. We freaked out the first few times it happened, and then it got so regular that we'd just nod our heads and fist bump every time. So legit. Plus, she was so obviously born to be a quidditch player (unlike that other weirdo chick flying next to her).
So now we are all back home. We are spread out around the country, reunited with husbands and boyfriends and families and old friends and school and jobs. How do you take relationships that were built around being together all day every day for a month and keep them thriving from a distance? It will be difficult, and I guarantee that the closeness we shared will not always exist to the same degree, but I have faith that if we make an effort to stay connected, we can be friends and sisters for life. I am so looking forward to our September reunion when we get together and have another day of fun as we reflect on our trip and remember the good times! I love you all!
YOU KNOW CASEY BUNKER!? Oh my gosh, I love that girl so much. no wonder you had such a great time. All I've ever wanted is to be her best friend. hahaha, ok. But seriously, it seems like you had such a great time. I love all the pictures. You look beautiful and happy!
ReplyDeleteps. If I ever need skin grafted to my foot, I know who to call.
DeleteWait how do YOU know Casey?!
DeleteWe were in the same ward last year! We went on road trips together and to the pool and wedding showers...and that good stuff. Basically I tried to spend as much time with her as possible.
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