Today has been the second day of emotional goodbyes. Right now there are only ten of us left; the other six have parted ways. I just spent the last of my Fijian money on a steak that was overcooked but since today is the last day I decided to let it go.
About a week ago I picked up a flyer for skydiving and since it is something I have wanted to do my whole life, I knew I was going to do it. I asked everybody else if they wanted to join me and to my surprise, eight others did. We jumped out of a perfectly good plane strapped to someone we only just met at the insane height of 14,000 feet up in the sky. One of the best parts was watching Joe go first; as soon as he jumped out I looked over the edge of the plane and he just disappeared. It was my turn to jump but I didn’t really have a choice, the man with me just pushed me out of the plane. Either way, it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done and it’s something I can say I’ve done. In the past ten days I have gone on a zipline, jet-skied, white water rafted, and skydived. I have paid dearly for it but you only live once and I have no regrets.
Yesterday in the debrief it really hit home that we were actually leaving Fiji. It was very emotional to leave Naicabecabe and now we’re leaving the country. The day we left the village just about everyone cried, even the biggest toughest Fijians. The relationship I had with the village and everyone in it was the highlight of my trip. Some of the villagers gave us things to remember them which was amazing, I got a necklace from one of the girls Helen and she has the same thing just in a bracelet. I was so touched when she gave it to me, Im going to have it for the rest of my life and it is full of so many memories. When someone says, “Chris where did you get that necklace?” I’ll begin a long and amazing story of how I got it. She put it around my neck the day before we left and I don’t plan on taking it off. Even for airport security. I gave one of my really good friends the shoes that I bought because he always commented on how much he liked them. I think I should have given him something else because now I have no sneakers (“trainers” for everyone in England) but I’m sure he will appreciate them and I can just buy a new pair when I get home. The goodbye in Naicabecabe was not just a goodbye to friends, it was a goodbye to family. The families we have stayed with have been so caring; they have treated us like their own children. The village was one big family and I am so privileged to have been a part of it. Naicabecabe is a second home for me and I will most definitely be coming back.
Tags: gap year
