Over the winter holidays I attended a two week volunteer trip in Fiji which I did through the Projects Abroad organisation.

I was situated in a village called Vitogo Village which was an hour and a half drive north from Nadi. I stayed with an amazingly welcoming and friendly host family and during the two weeks attended the local school where I completed various community projects. This included printing t-shirts for the children, painting murals in the library, decorating exterior features in the school and creating a playground area for the kindergarten children with consisted of building a fence, levelling out the ground and putting in a water trough and sandpit. We also got to play, teach and interact with the kids. 

I was with a group of seven other volunteers who were from England, Scotland, Germany, America and Canada and were all my age and we all got on so well. It was equally amazing to learn about their lives and cultures as it was to learn about the Fijian culture. I can honestly say it was one of the most challenging and difficult, yet  amazing and fulfilling experiences. I learnt so much about myself, other cultures and was able to meet so many incredible new people many of who I am still keeping in contact with. 

The organisation which I did the program through is called Projects Abroad and they offer volunteer trips to a lot of different countries all over the world for high school students as well as adults and professional staff such as doctors and teachers. I really encourage students to look into the Projects Abroad organisation and the opportunities it provides for Secondary School students.