DAY 2- getting started

The day starts off with no power. As bloggers, photographers, and most importantly, teenagers, it’s a bit of a shock. That shock was easily replaced with weariness, since we woke up too early for our comfort (6:27 to be exact). Nonetheless, we still had to drudge out of bed and get ready. We were lucky that breakfast was pushed from 7:00 to 7:30, since 6:27 proved to not be early enough. We throw on clothes and pack for a hike to a waterfall, which sounded more than appealing. Breakfast was the same as the day before, yet it somehow seemed even better now that it really felt like the morning. We had a little discussion over culture (leaving some of the boys alarmed as they learned they too would have to have sulus) and then another teaching photography.

After those meetings, we learned that because of all of the talk about the primary school championship rugby games, that we would be practicing moving subjects there first. Though I’m not one to be all that excited about watching sports, especially having to try to capture them in photos, I was assured that it would be well worth the trip. And let me say, that was right. After splitting into groups based on photography knowledge, then splitting again into even smaller groups, we set out. The thing I had to focus on was interaction; making friends with the crowd so I could capture them in the excitement of the game. This proved to be easy, yet difficult. The children were more than happy to be friends. I became close with two kids within the first 5 minutes. It got to a point where they were leaning on me and holding my hand (which was probably the cutest thing ever). Trying to photograph rugby proved more difficult than any other sport I’ve taken pictures of, since I have no idea how it’s played. I made my way from game to game, interacting with more and more of the children watching. They were so sweet, and so willing to learn your name and see their photo after it was taken.  It’s a heartwarming experience, knowing that the kids are so much happier than the ones we know back home, even though they have less materialistically. It makes me wonder if material objects can gradually decrease the overall value and experience of life.

As the games settled down and the rain settled in, we headed over to a little part of town to buy sulus. Luckily for the half of us who took the first flight on the mini planes, Lisa was willing to pay for our sulus and wait until we had Fijian dollars to pay her back. Once we took our short stop for proper attire, we headed towards our original destination; the waterfall.  I’m naturally drawn towards nature and landscape photography, so the anticipation for this hike was killing me. Though the drive was an hour and a half, it was definitely enjoyable. However, the worst was yet to come, for after all of the time it took to lead up to this hike, the road was flooded. It was too much water for our vans to trek through (plus, who would want to hike on a flooded, muddy trail?) so we went back home.

The next activity, which was tied with the rugby game for my favorite of the day, was Brett and Lisa introducing themselves as photographers to us. Both of their presentations were awe-inspiring. Brett is a marine biologist who was turned from using his knowledge to write essays that the world didn’t get to read, to using photography to grab the world’s attention and capture the issues from his studies. Lisa is a photographer who grew up not realizing what she could make of her hobby, then turning her life around to dedicate herself to showing the world stories through still photos. Both of their presentations showed so much dedication and emotion, and left me thinking, “I want to be them when I grow up.” There wasn’t a single person in the room who wasn’t captivated by both of their works (especially for Brett’s story of a shark biting his camera).

After some chill time, we went to dinner. The trip itself was a slight adventure to me, since the windows were fogged up and I couldn’t see where we were going. It was a little cliff side restaurant, with a string of lights running along the roof. We sat on the mats and drank cava, which ended up not being as bad as the Internet made it sound. Sure, my mouth and tongue did go temporarily numb, but the taste reminded me of cucumber water. Though Bora may protest, Claire was most definitely the kava queen. Every time they offered it, she took it like a pro. She followed the tradition of always saying “yes” in Fiji. The rest of the night was filled with music and laughter, making it the perfect way to end this day. Everyone wore out relatively fast, so heading back to the bungalows was a bit of a relief.

Our final activity of the day was the meeting to discuss our highs and lows of the day. Most people agreed that the best thing was the rugby game and the kids there, while the stormy weather was the low. Personally, my low was falling out of the van at the rugby game (which was actually hilarious). The next day has church and hiking scheduled, so stay tuned.