Involvement Volunteers International Hi Lauren,
Thank you so much for helping me with my volunteering adventure, I had a great experience! I have given some feedback below, hopefully you will find it helpful.
Fiji:
Highlights:
The highlight for me was the home stay option, being able to stay with a family and make a real connection was the best experience. I was so sad to leave the first family, only to be greeted by another really nice family who welcomed me into their home. It was great to see how they lived including eating, sleeping and everyday chores.
Team, food and accommodation:
Masi, his wife Mere and their son Marika were so nice! Marika was there waiting for me at the airport. They made me feel very welcomed (even had Mere check my hair for head lice). The accommodation with them was very nice, clean house, very comfy beds and I felt safe. Also a great location, easy to walk to town and back. Mere made nice food for dinner every night.
The food at the first accommodation was really good and traditional, getting me to try a lot of local cuisine. My room was nice and the bathroom was also nice, very clean house.
The second family on the island also provided delicious food and plenty of it! However I definitely was missing fruit and greens. The bathroom could do with some work but I understand with a large family and children it can get dirty very quick along with the rest of the house. My bedroom was the computer room next door and was clean and big.
Improvements:
I originally had put down renovation, however that didn’t happen. I should have talked about it more with Masi however I felt I should just do what I was told to help the community. So maybe clarifying with the volunteer with what they had originally put down and trying to make that work as a first priority and then offer other options. I also had some money that I wanted to donate, Masi told me to talk to the first family and I ended up spending it on some prizes for the kids who did well in a contest. Although I thought that perhaps the money should have gone to something more worthy. Perhaps Masi could have a list of things requested by the community that need help?
