Sunsets on Caqalai
What inspired you to go abroad?
When I was 10 years old I was fascinated by watching documentaries about other countries. I wanted to become a marine biologist, and after I did my open water diver when I was 15, I knew that I wanted to do diving for the rest of my life. But, Germany is not the right place to do so, that’s why I decided to go to Australia for five months after I finished school.
Why did you choose GVI?
GVI offered exactly what I was looking for. I didn't just want to do my divemaster or my instructor, I wanted to experience and learn about research diving. The marine conservation program was perfect for me. I did my coral reef research diver course and learned so much about marine conservation and community work.
What was your favorite part about Fiji?
I am fascinated by the way of living in Fiji and the setting, such as the popular "Fiji time." It seems like Fijians just enjoy every day and they are not that focused on their future. Most people in Germany are so focused on earning lots of money and consuming that they actually forget to live. In Fiji, you are respected when you are doing what you love and can afford to pay your own living expenses.
What made your experience abroad unique?
All the experiences I had, all the places I was able to see, and all the beautiful, mindful people I met.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
I have so much respect for the whole GVI team; they are doing an amazing job! There was always someone I could ask a question and everyone was happy to tell me more about what they do every day when they realized I was really interested in learning more.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
There is no one thing I really regret doing during my traveling, but I was really sad when I dropped my mask on a boat dive. Hopefully the team on Caqalai will find it one day during a dive!
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
We woke up early in the morning at 6:30 a.m. and started with the duties for the day: boat, galley, grounds, and waste. We had four duty groups, so every day of the week we had to do another duty with the people in our group. This was also an excellent way to get to know everyone.
The boat had to be setted by those on boat duty every morning. For example, the emergency oxygen and the life jackets must be carried to the boat, the dive shack had to be cleaned, and the water buckets had to be filled up. Those on galley duty had to make breakfast, and later on prepare dinner. Grounds duty meant you had to clean the toilets and sweep all the floors. If you were in the waste duty group, you had to recycle and burn the toilet paper (we were not allowed to put paper in the toilets, because it blocks them).
At 7:00 a.m. we had breakfast time and at 8:00 a.m. the day would begin, which meant going on dives or snorkels, doing data entry, and on some days, doing community work building compost toilets. Noun was lunch time, and then in the afternoon there were more dives, surveys, beach clean ups, and lectures. Usually at 4:30 p.m. everyone had free time for half an hour, so that was the time for workouts, volleyball, or just time to read a book.
At 5:00 p.m. there was duty time again, but just if you were on boat or galley duty. There was, of course, some free time in between the daily program activities, so I had some time to relax after every water session or lecture. At 7:00 p.m. we would have dinner and then the briefing for the next day. After 8:00 p.m. we had free time (but, to be honest, after a long day of diving, everyone went straight to bed).
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
I often read books or laid in the sun, but I also enjoyed afternoon swims and workouts. Also, there was always someone to talk to.
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
We lived in wooden huts with a roof out of reed. I really liked that there was always a nice temperature in the huts. It was nice to lay in your bed and read a book during the hot day.
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
You should not have special expectations, just be open minded about everything and take everything as it comes. Yes, sometimes it is really hard when you are used to different things, another way of living, different accomodation, different food, but just try everything; try to experience everything from this adventure. There will be some things you love about the way of living during the program and some things you had at home that you’ll really miss.
Just try to make the best out of your time and enjoy every day, because you will definitely miss it when you are back home.
Has your time abroad impacted your life back at home?
Yes, definitely. Sometimes I feel really lost here in Germany. My time abroad really opened my eyes to what is important in life, and how I want to live as well as what I want to do.
Would you recommend GVI’s program to others? Why?
Yes, because even though I did not have special expectations, GVI exceeded everything I could have imagined about how this program would be.
