When I first arrived in Fiji, I did not speak any Fijian and probably knew as much about Fiji as all of you. I knew that they are famous for the Fiji premium water bottle brand and that in 2016, Fiji won the Olympic Gold medal for Rugby 7's. Other than my own research that I did on my own, I had no idea what I was getting myself into or even where in Fiji I would be going. Fiji is made up of more than 300 islands, and each one is different than the last. Peace Corps volunteers are meant to serve 27 months in their respective villages, and I knew that if I were going to last the full term of the service, I would need to integrate into my new community.
Throughout my first two months in Fiji, I was in training with the Peace Corps Staff. The training program included 85 hours of formal language training, 115 hours on technical and global core sessions, 16 hours on medical and personal health while in Fiji, 12 hours on safety and security and ten hours on Peace Corps procedures. This was integral to my success while in Fiji.
During my training, I lived in Ovea. Ovea is a beautiful village that is in Tailevu province. There are 14 provinces in Fiji. One of the most important islands in all of Fiji was actually right off the coast of Ovea, called Bau Island.
