Involvement Volunteers International

I spent two weeks travelling around Fiji where I stayed in Lautoka, Suva, a village, and a resort – so lots of different accomodation styles. I was very lucky to have had such an amazing team to work with – they went from being a team of strangers, to becoming like a second family to me. We received training on how to perform blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and how to take height, weight, and waist measurements correctly. The first week of the project was spent living in a village. It was a huge culture shock at first, just a completely different way of living to what we have back home. But it was one of the highlights of my trip because never have I felt so welcomed, accepted, and taken care of by such lovely and friendly people. Our host family were wonderful, making us feel so at home and giving us the opportunity to really immerse ourselves in the culture. I learnt so much from them – Fijian phrases, what they typically eat, how to tie a sulu correctly, their history, what a typical day in a village is like, the etiquette, etc. By the end of the stay I really did feel like a local. This was a truly eye opening and rewarding experience, being able to put a smile on each individual’s face when we performed the health checks and knowing how much it meant to them was such an amazing experience to be apart of. The second week of the project was spent at Nanuku resort. This was a completelty different contrast to what we had experienced the previous week. But again, just like the first week, we were warmly welcomed and just our presence was so highly regarded by the Fijian people. A highlight for me in this week was hearing how some of the ladies had consciously made the effort to increase their exercise and watch their sugar consumption, leading to lower weight and waist measurements which came primarily down to the fact that they had listened to our education talks the last time we had visited them. So hearing this only reinforced why this project is so worth becoming involved in, knowing that you truly are making small differences in peoples lives.

The experiences we had were amazing. It felt like a very worthwhile project where we were making a difference. We learnt that Fijians usually only seek medical assistance when something is going wrong. So the preventative checks that we were doing on blood pressure and blood sugar are usually neglected. The education side was also basic for us as Australians but was enlightening for the Fijians. We came across Fijians that had made a significant change in their lifestyle since the last team visited and can only assume that some significant changes would be made after our team’s visit. We could see how lives could be saved as a result of this program. We were fortunate to have a diverse set of experiences including visiting villages, visiting a primary school, visiting a high school and assessing the health of staff in a resort. I lead a couple of dances at the primary school which was a real highlight. Over our 2 weeks we circumnavigated the main island of Fiji, stayed in a village, visited a waterfall, were given a tour of a deep cave, participated in Kava ceremonies, watched fire walking and stayed in a resort. The Fijian people were incredibly friendly, had a good sense of humour and were extremely thankful for our visit. The local team of Masi, Mary and Lessie were amazing. They provided a necessary link between the volunteers and the Fijians as far as interpreters and our adherence to local customs. All were incredibly friendly and personable. They opened their home to us and drove us around in their cars. The food was excellent and catered to the different dietary requirements that existed in the team. The accommodation was all very good. Obviously in the village, the accommodation was a little more primitive (all of the team sleeping in one room and cold showers) but that was real and to be expected. Carrun’s concern for the Fijian people was obvious and she was particularly good at the relationships between the team and the various village or corporate leaders. She also cared for the team and kept us informed of upcoming requirements.

Greece was an incredible experience for me and it really opened up my eyes to everything that is happening in Chios and the overall Refugee Crisis. Toula is incredible and her team are amazing! I have actually found returning very difficult and I would love to go back to be honest haha. It was incredible! The highlights of the trip for me is actually how much I learnt from the Refugees, I don’t think you actually know what these people have been through until they tell you and you see it. I think a lot of things we are hearing in the media is always misleading, so actually seeing the refugee crisis and being a part of the boat arrivals was incredibly sad but also very moving. Because you know that by doing this work you are actually helping and making a difference. The volunteers truly made my experience as well, I love Anushka and I was blessed to have her as my room mate. She is amazing and we would have de-briefs in the evenings which was super helpful after having such intense and full on days. Since being back it has motivated me to keep fighting for these people as well and their human rights. Which for me is a huge highlight because it grounds you to know that these people are beautiful and warm people who are just looking for a better life, so it is a highlight that I feel motivated to keep helping them. I found the food in Greece incredible. I loved the famous cheese “Mastello” and the local places near Sun Rooms were amazing as well. The food is so fresh and delicious and cheap as well, mastello pita wraps became a big favourite to be honest. I also loved the Greek Yoghurt, so sweet and creamy. Amazing! Toula and Sun Rooms was awesome and right next to the beach which was so nice for early morning swims! I love running in NZ but I soon change to swimming when I realized how hot it is. I found the process through IVI awesome and super helpful and thank you for your endless support as well Lauren!