Fiji- Phase 20- Week 1

The 19th of January soon came around for all of us and we met up, the majority, in Labasa where we were greeted by the smiling Debs. Once together we were told the plan for the next few days and then we were given the ultimate team building exercise of a Fijian truck ride, one I will never forget! We arrived in Savusavu and ended the day in the best way possible, a steak BBQ.

We woke on the 20th for the shopping trip in Savusavu where we all bought last minute essentials and the custom Fijian dress that we needed for the villages we would be visiting. The lads all bought the traditional Sulus and Bula Shirts, the girls then bought their Bula Dresses that they would wear on our visits. Our last meal before camp was a banquet of Pizza, something I never thought I would crave, God I sound like I’m pregnant!!!

21st, the first day of camp but probably most remembered for the breathtaking ride to our Camp. At the end of the road Paul was there to meet us to help unload the trucks into the boat Up and Under. The views across the bay to our island was spectacular and to think I will be spending 10 weeks here with sun, sea and beautiful views as standard! As we arrived on camp we unpacked and were placed in the Bures that would be our apartments for the next phase.

On the 22nd we started our jobs with everyone pulling together to get camp up and running. Then most of us went to check out the house reef which compared to the UK waters did not disappoint! Saturday was probably the best day of the week; the qualified divers went for a boat dive on the outer reef. As we went down the visibility was so good I felt like we were stepping into a David Attenborough documentary. The pristine coral and the amazing colours we indescribable!

In the afternoon we went for our Sevu Sevu which was the welcoming ceremony performed by the village chief. The village is so friendly and we were put into our families who will look after us while we are here. We were also given our first drink of Kava. It is a root of a plant ground up and mixed with water and is a uniting drink the whole village take part in. Sunday was a day of relaxing as we didn’t attend church, instead we sunbathed.

Monday saw the qualified divers visit Kinder to become play toys for kids of the village. Whilst we were away the divers who were starting their dive training had a fun filled day of dive theory. So the first week has flown by and I hope the phase continues to be great fun.

Nat