While reflecting during my last few days i've chosen some photos that represent my life living in this tiny dusty little sugar cane town in Fiji. There were days where I lived effortlessly, flowing through my daily simple routine with ease and grace. And there were days, where I wanted nothing more to do with Fiji. Living through those days knowing there were 22 months to go were the hardest. However, learning what I needed to be happy without all the external influences that the U.S. offers was a huge personal accomplishment.
There are a few things I've come to understand while spending two years far from home. While traveling there are an infinite amount of tiny nuances that a person misses. Traveling is "oh its so beautiful", "wow look at this", "what a great experience" but living in a different culture can be shocking and difficult yet deeply personal and life changing. My experience living here will forever remind me that short term travels can rarely ever reveal the truth of a place, the truth is in the daily life and workings of the people and it is only though your repeated interaction with them that you can see the reality of their existence. Although my service was not perfect- it was full of mistakes, and there many days where I just wanted to leave and go home- having the ability to see the reality of Fiji and more specifically, the reality of Labasa was a life-changing experience.
My departure from Labasa is in 13 days and my arrival home is in 18 days. I am so excited to return home, visit with friends and family and experience life in U.S. I'm not sure where I'm going to go after this, but I do know that I am ready to "see the reality" of a new place again. Apart from California, there is the entire United States that I don't know. There is a whole world. The opportunities are endless.
So back to the photos, here are snapshots of people of Fiji. Reflections of my visions.
Hopefully I'll be seeing you soon.
And we can talk more about the beauties of life.
Love Dearly and Infinitely,
Monica
