Beachcomber Island

This past week a new batch of volunteer arrived bringing the total number to around 30 in Suva alone. I was extremely happy to see that two of the new volunteers were from that states. Though I have had no trouble making friends with the Aussies and the Germans, each group had a tendency to keep to themselves from time to time. It has been nice having someone to talk to about home.

This weekend we all went to Beachcomber Island. This little slice of paradise was no more than 400 yards in diameter and only took about 15 minutes to walk around. The beaches and water were so pristine it looked like something straight out of the tourism guides. I have never seen such undisturbed landscapes in any of the places I have traveled. A few of us were attempting to dive on the reef around the island but the dive company operating on the island was less than professional. In most of the tropical places I have been, the lax attitude it typically referred to as Mexico time of Hawaii time, but the Fijian have taken the concept to a whole new level. In Hawaii or Mexico, it is only about 15 minutes give or take from the promised time of departure to the actual, but in Fiji it is well over an hour. The dive company we were attempting to go with made us wait around their shop for about an hour and a half before we got frustrated and walked away. Oh well, better luck next time. Though I was disappointed that I was unable to dive, we spent out afternoon hanging out on the beach, playing a bit of volleyball, and working on our tans (or in my case, working on my burns). Despite using the strongest sunscreen I own, my shoulders still look like lobster shells.

After our weekend getaway, we all headed back to the mainland. At this point I had the misfortune of seeing the second half of the Saints vs. 49ers game on TV followed by the Broncos. While the rest of the group decided to take the 4 hour trek back to Suva from Nadi, the other American and I decided to stay in Nadi and watch the games. As much as I like having another American around, for these few hours I wished she had stayed in the States. Hannah is a nursing student from Boston and is an avid patriots fan. Her family has had season tickets for the pats for as long as she could remember. That meant I was stuck watching Brady destroy my beloved team for the entire first half before I decided it was time to leave and head back to Suva. As any true Boston sports fan would, she rubbed it in my face the entire 4 hours back to our homes. Despite watching both of my teams lose this week, it was still an amazing weekend with great friends. I knew that I would meet people and make friends while I was here, but I never imagined that the relationships would develop so quickly or become so strong. It has been an amazing experience so far.

That is all I have for you all, but there is more coming! I hope everyone is doing well back at home, and I can’t wait to see you all again soon. Check out the pictures I have posted, there are some good ones in there! They are a collection of all that I have experienced so far including my adventures from two weekends ago at Beach house and Nadi as well as this last weekend. Enjoy.

-Jason