Sun, Sand, and International Service Fiji

When signing up for my Rustic Pathways trip, I had extremely high expectations. My sister had gone to Costa Rica the summer before and she had the best experience of her life. I thought that it would be the same for me. Little did I know, my extremely high standards were completely topped. I do not think I could have prepared for the amazing experience I was about to have. On the first day of arrival, I was placed in a group with ten complete strangers. By the first night, we were already staying up past curfew getting to know each other. Every single day we were given an opportunity to not only see a new part of the amazing country that we were in, but to form connections with the people of Fiji through service. Of course, improving someone's home or building a chicken coop is extremely meaningful, but when you get to meet the people that you are helping, it is a truly incredible experience. By the end of my trip, the girls in my group had become my best friends. Our dramatic goodbye in the airport and the entire trip itself seemed to be something straight out of a dream.