One of the most amazing experiences

last summer I was part of the most incredible experience with Think Pacific, a foundation set up to improve education, sports, and sanitation in Fiji. Myself and others from various universities spent three weeks teaching English and organising sports and youth activities in two schools. Each day we were faced with children who were eager to learn, whether that was English, Maths, Science, or the sports, drama, singing, public speaking in our daily House Cup events. Whilst we were there we had children's parents calling up to tell us that their child had started reading at home, we watched the children start to recognise the letters of the alphabet and numbers and we had the teachers praise and gratitude for the much needed help and resources we all fundraised for.

Each one of us stayed with a different family from a little riverside village called Mavua who not only accepted us into their homes but also made us a part of their family and community. It was in this village that we learnt the true meaning of family and community; we learnt traditional Fijian customs; we learnt how to live alongside pigs, chickens, horses, cows, and mongoose (literally- we had a chicken living in our house and a mongoose in our room); we learnt the true meaning of Fiji time (nothing ever being on time); we experienced what it was like to wash in a river day in and day out (we experienced some incredible sunsets whilst bathing); we learnt to live life without social media and phone signal; we learnt to appreciate little things like tables and chairs, knives and forks, and mostly for me - coffee and milk.

Volunteering with think Pacific was an amazing experience and I will be coming away from it with a new set of friends and family.