Fiji Cultural and Education Experience

Alyssa Murphy had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2014 ‘Fiji Cultural and Educational Experience’ from 16 September to 8 October organised by PDG David and Judy Lee. The Lees travelled with Alyssa to Nadi and then to Naviti where they stayed with long time friends, Mr and Mrs Naciriyawa for 4 days. The Lees then took Alyssa up to Niayala High School—a 3 hour drive from Naviti.
For the next two weeks Alyssa stayed with her host family, the Tawakes, and attended school with the students; sitting in on Maths, English, History, Chemistry, Agriculture and Home Economics classes. Each night she attended study with boarding students from 7 till 9 pm helping them with their Maths home-work. Each morning Alyssa was awoken to the sound of the Lai Li drum, at 5.30am!! .
Alyssa provided insightful examples of her stay such as: "I met the Third Secretary of the Australian High Commission in Fiji, as well as a past Fijian Prime Minister, Mr Sitiveni Rabuka. I have been swimming in a waterfall, ridden in a bus with no windows (this caused a great deal of frustration when it came to brushing my hair), visited a Hindu temple, visited small villages which do not have electricity, walked through limestone caves, eaten cassava and taro, attended an Indian function called ‘Pooja’ where I was dressed in traditional clothing, witnessed the swearing in of a new government, and showered in cold water for the duration of my trip".

"Seeing how some of the poorer people live in a developing country has made me thankful for the little things many of us take for granted: such as hot water, our opportunities in education, sport, and life, technology, and transport. I have always been taught, by Mum, that you don’t need to have the best of everything. In today’s world we are all obsessed with having the latest iPhone or the most expensive clothes, but these things shouldn’t matter. What matters is family and being with those you care about. Experiencing the Fijian culture definitely reinforced this for me and I am extremely grateful for this lesson.
I am very thankful to the Principal and staff at Naiyala High School, my host family, and all the wonderful people that made my experience so enjoyable and memorable in Fiji. I would also like to thank my own family for supporting me . I wish to acknowledge the Rotary Club of Stanthorpe for sponsoring the Fijian students and for the opportunity to participate in this “Reciprocal Cultural and Educational Guided Experience.” A large thank you goes to Mr and Mrs Lee for chaperoning me and guiding me through this life changing experience. Congratulations, Alyssa.