Sota Tale! It's not goodbye - but a see ya later!

In the summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to join Madventure in an individual community-service trip to the small village of Naboutini, Fiji. I had multiple friends who had been on the trip before that spoke very highly of their experience, so I made it a point that I go. There were 2 parts to this 2-week stay: (1) working on the community-service project (2) learning about everyday Fijian life. The community-service project included finishing up the community hall that Madventure had been working on for a couple of years, this included repainting the outside of the hall and building the cabinets for the nurse's room and serving room. By immersing myself in the Fijian way of life, I was able to learn a lot about the culture, gender norms, and education, as well as build strong relationship with some of the villagers. My experience in Fiji was so great that when I returned to the US I began planning a group trip with California State University, Fresno. The following summer in 2016, I as well as another student, led a group of 24 students and faculty on this amazing experience. During their trip we had a few projects going on at the same time that included building a community kitchen, visiting the local primary school and teaching lessons, and a water project that would help with villages limited water access. Aside from their community service the group also engaged in everyday Fijian life and culture. As part of the Service-learning course they also had set aside time for reflection and discussion of their experiences. This trip is different from any other trip that I have experienced because not only do you engage in community service, but you also get to immerse yourself into a new culture and learn about their everyday life. Definitely a trip I would recommend and I can't wait to go back!