Fiji: Sun, Sand, and Island Service with Rustic Pathways

Rustic Pathways does an excellent job in bringing groups together to have fun, learn, and ultimately give back to those who really need it. There service programs in Fiji help the country in a variety of ways. On the Sun, Sand, and International Service trip, there is a perfect combination of fun cultural activities and service-intensive projects across a sixteen day span. Your group arrives to Fiji as nervous strangers, but you depart Fiji not wanting to leave the memories you made with your best friends in the country you fell in love with. It’s a trip that will change your every aspect of your life, from perspective and the lessons you learn. This is now my second year being involved with Rustic, and I am going to Tanzania next summer, but there is a reason I keep coming back. The organization offers a rare chance to experience new things and learn about yourself. You learn to use the tools you are lucky enough to have to give back to others. These endless life lessons can’t really be achieved in other ways, making Rustic so unique. I highly recommend signing up for a Rustic program, whether it’s in Fiji or their other wide selection of countries, because it will change your life in unexplainable ways.

As a student traveling on the Marine Service and Adventure program I was immersed into the insanely beautiful marine world of Fiji and learned all about how the reefs function and what we as a society can do to help. Before each service project we had a lesson on our task and the impact it would make. The students I traveled with bonded quickly and developed strong friendships that lasted long after the trip ended. It was amazing to experience a different culture and partake in their traditions. Even after being there for a few days each night the sunsets were just as beautiful and brought us all together. This program allowed me to have experiences I would have never been able to do, like diving with bull sharks. From the time we stepped off the plane we never stopped smiling.

My experience with Rustic this year was amazing. I was surrounded with some incredible people both Fijians and students. I cannot even put into words how incredible the culture is. Never in my life have I been surrounded by such pure happiness. Flying across the world is terrifying for some, but the kindness and hospitality you feel once you are there is incomparable. I made the choice to travel to the highlands during my stay. I had a mom and dad and siblings, and for the short period of time I was there I truly had a second family. The Fijians are some of the most pure hearted and loving people you will ever meet. They want nothing but the best for you. I highly recommend doing a service trip, there is something special in helping while there. You get to see a side of the world very few will ever get to see. Remember to say Bula (hello) to everyone and drinks lots of Kava!
Sari Goldberg (16) Chicago

During the summer of 2019 I traveled to Fiji to live and work for month. I worked with kids, built houses, cooked food, stayed with a host family, snorkeled, hiked and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I saw more stars then i’ve ever seen before, watched countless sunrises and sunsets, jumped out of a plane at 14,000 ft. I danced and sang and drank lots and lots and lots of Kava. This trip changed my life for the better and I’ve fallen in love with Fiji and all the people this trip allowed me to meet. Rustic Pathways was incredible throughout the entire trip. I had the most amazing group leaders and a wonderful group. Without Rustic Pathways, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to live with a Fijian family which is an experience that I am extremely grateful for!

My experience in Fiji was more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. Fiji is a beautiful country and everyone you meet is so kind and welcoming. From this trip I made lifelong friends and many memories. The service projects are community focused and works in partnership with the village on their specified projects.
The most amazing part is the immersion you have in Fijian culture, living in the village you become a part of the community. My host family warmly welcomed me and my host sister and were so generous to us, we shared many laughs and good times while I was there. Like they say you really do “experience the real Fiji”, learning about the culture, history, and traditions of the community. My favorite times were playing tag or dancing with the children, and playing cards each night with my host family. Some of the best parts of the day are tea time and sitting on the ground for delicious meals! This trip is amazing for everyone, you become connected to the community and become very close with your group.

It was my first time traveling abroad completely on my own. At the time I was a foreign freshman in an American high school, and this trip to Fiji somehow felt more challenging prior to departure because I had to plan the whole trip and convince my parents without being completely sure about how this trip could go. Over the two weeks in Fiji, I had some of the best time in my life. For the first time, I was able to meet people outside of the state my high school was in that year(exciting! lmao). There were just so many cool things. As a boy, I was able to do all the adventurous stuff I wanted: I jumped over huge sand dunes, climbed up many many hilly mountains(challenge accepted!), and went scuba diving. I came to develop really long-lasting friendships over these times spent on the beach, community home, and service center. These memories still make me very happy, so just try and go enjoy it.

I could not have been happier with my trip to Fiji, the food was amazing and the service was rewarding. The trip was a truly aversive experience and is meant for anybody that wants to learn about Fiji and experience "the real Fiji". I believe that doing the homestay was the best way to understand and learn about a community and gives you an up-close view into the way that people live outside of the united states. This trip has left me wanting to make more change in the future because of the connection I made with the community. I would tell anyone that wants to take a service trip to take on this adventure because of the endless memories that you make and the rewarding experience during the homestay and during service well living in the village.

The Spring to Fiji program had a great balance of tourism, community service, education, and activities while keeping absolutely every aspect of the trip fun and meaningful. The program leaders were charismatic, helpful, and funny; having them as guides made the trip way more enjoyable. There we about 18 kids on my trip who were divided into two groups with two program leaders each, everyone would do the same things just on a switching schedule. The Rustic Pathways value of inclusiveness made the group dynamic between students completely nonjudgemental and everyone was completely accepting and understanding. I made some of the best friends on that nine day trip because we all came into the situation of being away from familiar surroundings and let our guards down immediately which allowed for us to become very close to each other rather quickly. The other kids on my trip came from all around the world; learning from them about their different cultures, political outlooks, and general perspectives of life enriched the trip for me even further. Every night after all of our different day activities, our group of kids would all hang out together outside the dormitories to share stories and hang out, which was the best way to keep communication with the other half of the group. I went on the trip with the objective of obtaining the community service hours required for my school, without really caring about what kind of work we would be doing. The services we performed were cooking for a women's shelter and a children's home, and constructing a cement walkway to a bathroom in a nearby village. Giving community service always make me feel good about myself, but these services directly impacted people who never failed to show their gratitude. I have never felt a greater reward than the thanks that we got for the services provided in Fiji. The women at the women's shelter were gracious and interesting to talk to, while the kids at the women's shelter were a lot of fun to hang out with; we all played with spare tires, played rugby, and picked flowers to make flower crowns together. As we were leaving, all of the kids were giving us high fives, so in return we gave them our ball for rugby. The kids at the village where we were laying down cement were very sweet and showed us around their houses proudly, showing us the pigs, their bedrooms, and the various things that they liked to do to pass the time. Sharing the experience with them made the service feel more fulfilling since I knew that our work was going to help people that really needed and deserved it more than anything. We all learned a lot about Fijian culture while spending time in the villages and with the people at the women's shelter. Since our program leaders were familiar with the area, they were well informed on Fijian culture, integrating it into our daily routines. Upon arrival, we were all greeted with traditional songs and kava(a root mixed into a drink that is a traditional Fijian delicacy), classic local food, and the cutest dogs on the island! Being immersed in the culture made us all feel completely connected to our surroundings which allowed me to let this trip be a separate experience from anything else I have ever done. Leaving Fiji was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. On the last day of the trip, everyone was in a state of denial, not letting themselves accept that we were actually going to leave. I legitimately asked one of the girls who worked for Rustic Pathways if she could legally adopt me in order to keep me there for just a little bit longer. On the way to the airport we were all singing songs together while simultaneously bawling our eyes out. When we had to say our final goodbyes to our program leaders, I actually started to have a full on melt down and was on the verge of hyperventilating, it got to be so much airport security workers started to look at me weird. I got so attached to those wonderful people, that the thought that I might not ever see them again ripped my heart into a billion pieces. Saying goodbye to the other kids was no easier, with them living all over the world I don't know when I will ever see them again. Once I got home, it was hard to talk about the experience since I really wanted to keep it to myself and not let it be touched or tainted in any way. I have been able to keep in touch with everyone from the trip, even the program leaders, ever since. I would not have done one thing different regarding that entire experience, it is probably the only thing I have no regrets about. Spring to Fiji is definitely worth it.