Fiji!

Sorry for the delay in my blog posts, but I have just came back from being in Fiji for 3 weeks! Yes, that is correct, I travelled with my cousin to the furthest place you can get from the UK (that's 22 hours travel) to do some volunteering in a small village called Naboutini. It was an absolutely fantastic experience and a massive eye opener to 'how the other half live'. The villagers were all so lovely and most of all welcoming. Each and every one of them had fascinating stories to tell - not to mention a wicked sense of humour!

The completed community hall!

The view!

Our project was basically to paint a whole community hall, and do some work on the ceiling. It was hot and humid and sometimes I just wanted to curl up in bed with some tea, but with projects like this, you just have to keep going. We were doing it for the under privileged villagers (try saying that fast), and knowing I had access to so many things back at home, I wanted to do it for them. They didn't have iPads or blogs or makeup, but they were living their lives to the full, which I found so admirable. Who could blame me for wanting to give something back to them?

Me with one of the funniest villagers!

To say I haven't changed slightly after that trip would be a lie. The fact that the village people scraped by on the bare minimum, yet were the happiest people I've ever met, really struck a chord with me.

I hate to go all cheesy on everyone, but the whole experience really levelled my head and cleared my mind about a lot of things. Most importantly, I feel like I'm much happier now. I've had my low points (hasn't everyone?!) and my issues and my problems, but right in this moment, I'm focusing on the now. If you get kicked down, get straight back up again. These people find happiness in the littlest of things, and I am striving to do the same. Thank you Naboutini.