See you later
It didn’t really hit me that I would actually be leaving so soon until I phoned Kate on Sunday morning. She was due to fly out on Sunday afternoon, and I wanted to see her before I left, so I was just calling to find out when she would be heading to the airport. One of the first things she said was “I can’t believe this day has finally come”, and I realised then that my time is also running out fast. After I put the phone down, I started crying like a little baby. I mean full-on, tears-streaming down my face, snotty-nose, drooling crying. For nearly an hour I couldn’t stop; “Waaah Kate’s leaving and then I have to leave. Waah”. But finally I managed to pull myself together. Bill and I went with Kate to the airport, and there we met up with Emma and her friend, and also Saula. Kate had a little visa-difficulty (she didn’t have one), but this was soon sorted out, and away she went to Melbourne. All of us were really sad to see her go. These past seven months, Kate and I have been through a lot together – both good and bad – and I will really miss her. Luckily I didn’t embarrass myself by crying again at the airport – I think I had run out of tears by then!
Since finishing at Red Cross, I’ve been spending quality time with my Fijian family, preparing to leave, saying my goodbyes and buying souvenirs. Last week I had to go to Suva to get a visa so I can visit China on the way home. I was there for two nights. On the first night, we visited the 2008 Hibiscus festival, which was taking place in Albert Park. The Hibiscus festival is like a big fun-fair; there were rides, food-stalls, candyfloss, music and live performances. The festival is a big deal here, with many companies sponsoring individuals to run as candidates for various Hibiscus titles, such as Hibiscus King, Hibiscus Queen etc. The judging of the these candidates is even televised! It was great to experience the atmosphere of the Hibsicus festival first hand, even if it was only for a short time.
I divided the rest of the week between attending the church conference and moping over my boils. The church conference was pretty spectacular. Members of AGOFI churches (Apostles Gospel Outreach Fellowship International) from all over Fiji and even further afield to attend the conference here in Lautoka. Each evening, from Tuesday to Sunday last week, they came to the church to watch various performance items, which were then followed by a sermon and then alter-call. A different colour was allocated for each day (for e.g. red on Wednesday, Purple of Thursday), and it was lovely to see so many people wearing different outfits of the same colour. It was great fun to watch the performance items (mostly dances) each evening. There was a group from the Cook Islands who were particularly good! On Thursday evening, the Natakawaga Youth once again performed our meke/action song. This time we had matching t-shirts (which were screen-printed by some of the boys and looked very professional) and purple sulus. I don’t think I made any mistakes this time!
Preparing to leave is very hard. Fiji feels like home now, and it is scary to think that in a few days I will drive to the airport, board a plane, and be gone. Its hard to think of life going on as usual here without me. A lot of stuff happens in seven months- if someone had told me back in January about how everything would pan out, I probably wouldn’t have believed them! I have always kept this blog very optimistic, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been bad times. There have been times when I felt frustrated, lonely and even scared. There have been days when I just couldn’t stop crying. But never, not even at my lowest point, did I ever feel like packing it in and going home. The challenges that I have faced have made the experience more memorable, and the support that I have received has been amazing.
Moreover, there have been many great things that I never found time to write about on this blog. There was Alesi’s 16th Birthday, when we had barbecue chops and sausage for dinner, and a huge cake. There was my trip to the village Namara, where I went riding on Tamana’s horse, taking it right into the river for a swim. On the way there, I had two hot chocolates at a cafe in Rakiraki, and they were the best hot chocolates I have ever had. There was my trip to Suva with ‘Young Men’s’, a Christian dance group. They performed a concert and then we had the most carb-laden dinner ever – dalo, cassava, noodles and potatoes (and meat). Then there were Kate and my secret outings to have cake and coffee… and the time we got busted! I could go on for hours. The point is, my trip to Fiji has been an unforgetable and amazing experience, and my love goes out to all who have made it possible. Its not ‘goodbye’, its ’see you later.’
on August 28, 2008 on 4:19 pm
Very best wishes for the final stages of your journey … and love from all those who are looking forward to seeing you back in Europe.
xxx