Janina’s Time in Fiji
December 14, 2019
The Green Lion
Experience of Janina Gerlach from Germany
My name is Janina. I‘m 18 years old and I’m from Germany. I’m in Fiji for 11 weeks, but the time runs very fast and now I only have 2 weeks left. It‘s my first time traveling alone, but here in the centre they are so friendly and welcoming so it feels like we are a big family now.
In my introduction week, I experienced so much. Myself, 2 other new participants and one coordinator went to Suva, the Mosquito Island, the national museum and one waterfall. We’ve had a cooking class, language class, weaving class and a dance class. It was so much fun to try everything. Because of the activities, I experienced when I arrived in Fiji, I felt more comfortable and got really close to the other participants, who arrived with me.
The food is always delicious. One highlight is Thursday dinner fried cassava. It’s a typical vegetable here in Fiji. And on Friday you get pancakes for breakfast. There are two houses and I love living in the rose house because all the participants that live there are very close to each other and every time we come back from our weekend trips it feels like coming home.
On the weekend you can do trips for example to Beachhouse, where I did shark snorkeling. This was a really incredible experience and I’ll never forget it. I went hiking for one weekend, which was very adventurous and exciting. I was also on Malamala island and Schooner island. There I was paddling, kayaking and snorkeling. Sometimes the fish were so close that they touched you. This was amazing. Another highlight in Fiji was the mud bath and the hot springs. You put mud all over your body, leave it to dry and then you can wash it off. After, you can go into the hot springs, where the water is naturally very warm.
I was in a Hindi kindergarten for 9 weeks which was very close to my accommodation. Along with this, I saw the children from the kindergarten on the streets or in the supermarket and they were always so happy to see me and say hello. This was such a fantastic feeling and always made my day. In kindergarten, I prepared worksheets for the kids every day. In the beginning, it was a little bit hard to figure out what the kids can and can’t do. But the coordinators helped me so much and I really enjoyed preparing the things for the children. The teachers in the Kindergarten involved me a lot and there was always something to do. Every day I looked forward to going to the kindergarten and I always walked out with a bright smile.
From now on I will be in the construction project for my last weeks as the Kindergarten is on school holidays. While they are away there is a Kids club which is quite similar to kindergarten. At construction, I learned to mix cement and I paint a lot which was always cool.
In my time in Fiji, I have celebrated Fiji day, Diwali and the graduation of my the children from my kindergarten. I could also celebrate Diwali at the kindergarten teachers house which was so beautiful.
The Green Lion
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