One of the best things I've ever experiened

This past summer I visited Fiji on the sun, sand, and service program and going on this trip was probably the best decision I have ever made. Before making my decision to travel abroad to Fiji, I had my heart set on Laos. Unfortunately things fell through so my parents had forced me to pick another program. I chose Fiji as the country I wanted to travel to. Flash forward to embarking on my journey, The staff at the airport were super helpful. I did arrive 12 hours early for my flight, but in no time I found another rustic person rocking the green shirt.

Now for my time in Fiji. Fiji is a beautiful place with beautiful people and I hope that one day I can live there and help people with more time. The staff at the base house were great! I loved my program leader so much they became my favorite people ever. I had Sam and Wane. If you don't know if you like service or not, do not stop yourself from choosing this program with heavy hours. The website says 60 hours, but really it feels like 10, because you'll be having so much fun it wont feel long at all. There were only a couple of things I didn't enjoy while at the base. The food. I went in expecting that the food was not going to be like America but some days the food just looked so unappetizing I couldn't eat it, but I'm not saying that all the meals were bad. One day they made spring rolls and I ate so many. Another issue I had was when the water would shut off or we would just run out. The toilets, sinks, and showers wouldn't work all at once and somedays that really stunk. But many of the program leaders at the base say that the water situation never happens so I'm sure it won't happen to you. I stayed at the base house for two weeks and these were the only two things I could find wrong with it. For service in general, I really enjoyed every project I did. You have to be ok with getting dirty. The only thing I didn't like was how they split up the sun sand group into two, but in the end we all bonded and made really strong ties.

If you do choose to go on a weekend side trip I highly recommend Highlands. When visiting the Highlands the culture is extremely different than anything you're probably used too. I really enjoyed immersing myself in a totally different culture.

If you are thinking about going to Fiji in the future with Rustic do not hesitate to choose a base house program. You will meet people from everywhere. Another thing I want to tell you is to read the itinerary for your trip but just know that your trip is going to be very different than what they say on the website. Every day was something new and I loved it. Also the packing list. Follow it or don't. I personally followed it word for word and I felt like I needed more things, so bring whatever you think you will need. I have friends who didn't follow it and some didn't have the right clothes and others did so it's completely a you thing.

One last thing is go in and have fun. Meet new people. Sometimes your not going to like everyone and thats ok but if I were you, just keep it to yourself until the end of your trip. My Rustic trip was amazing and really impacted me.