Fiji is a blooming garden of happiness, music, love, laughter and life long friends
December 12, 2019
The Green Lion
Fiji is a blooming garden of happiness, music, love, laughter and life long friends.
My names Beth, I’m from New Zealand, I’m 19 years old and I joined the Green Lion projects in Fiji for 12 weeks. Over the 12 weeks, I did one week of introduction, 3 weeks of construction and 8 weeks of kindergarten. I also did tutoring in a village for 12 weeks.
In construction, we laid cement and cleaned and painted a classroom. The children in Narere Community Kindergarten were the light of my day. Their faces light up when you walk into the room, it doesn’t get any better than that. Often the children just need a bit of one on one time for extra help. It does take a bit of patience and time. But when they understand, smile and strive on from your help, it is one of your proudest moments of the day.
I was lucky enough to attend their graduation, teach them songs for it and give a speech. That morning one of the boys, Malakai, ran up to me. He wrapped his arms around me, looked up at me with his gorgeous eyes and said “Please don’t go teacher Beth, stay. Don’t go, just stay.” That is a moment I will never forget.
I cannot recommend enough to tutor the children at Kinoya Village. I got to know them so well over 3 months. You learn who needs help with which subjects, but also about their culture and their family. On the last day they wrote me notes, they love having us there as much as we love being there. Those kids will always have my heart.
For the weekends I got to see a lot of Viti Levu. I stayed on the Coral Coast, in Nadi and did island trips, on the East Coast at Eco Lodge and at the very top on an island called Nananu-i-ra. I did heaps of activities like hiking, kayaking, covering myself in mineral mud and snorkelling with sharks. There was a great balance of work and play.
I learnt so much from my experience in Fiji. It was very eye-opening. Some families can’t afford medical care, sometimes the children couldn’t make it to school just because of the weather and the children saw stickers as we would see a new phone. I’ve learnt not to take things for granted, be patient, be grateful, be kind, be aware and always have an open mind.
Vinaka Fiji.
The Green Lion
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