Whilst many people were enjoying a typical kiwi summer, and the luxuries of what New Zealand has to offer, I was entering a totally different sort of adventure, one which took me and 21 others to the midst of the Solomon Islands on a “Mission apprenticeship” with an organisation called Teen Missions.

Now this certainly isn’t your typical “summer holiday”. I wouldn’t actually call it a holiday at all, rather, a “change in scenery”.

I spent the first two weeks in Australia at a boot camp (and yes my whole summer was spent wearing construction boots!). The drill: Up at 5:30am ready to complete an obstacle course, then an entire day of classes: music, puppetry, bricklaying, and concrete mixing, building trusses, carpentry, and bible classes are just a few examples. We stopped at 9pm. Collapsed. Slept. Repeated the next day. Our living facilities included bucket showers, hand washing our own clothes and tents. We also had to sleep in the next day’s clothes as there was minimal time to organise oneself. These were a gruelling and intense two weeks, but little did I know that this was only the start of the adventure!

Our project while in the Solomon Islands was to build a Kindergarten. We arrived to find the posts already done (it had been in that state for two years as they didn't have the resources to finish it). The aim over the three weeks was to help the locals put the roof up as that was what they absolutely couldn't do without assistance. It was awesome and heaps of fun to work with the locals and together we were able to complete so much!

What we achieved: the digging of the trenches around the posts, making of the bricks by hand, the bricks being laid for the foundation, building of the trusses, putting the roof on, spreading the gravel out for the foundation and mixing and laying the concrete floor (18 x 11m) by hand. It was a massive job, completed with very basic equipment but, as a team we were all so proud of how much a bunch of unqualified teenagers had been able to achieve and that a usable building was the final product.

However the highlight of my trip was definitely the locals. The way they live is such an inspiration. In absolutely everything they do, they are joyous. Always happy, always smiling, and so incredibly generous even though they don't have much. And their wholehearted faith in God was really admirable.

We had some amazing times with them. The day we arrived we were "welcomed" with yelling boys and men in traditional warrior outfits charging at our trucks. We also had several community events: a community sports day (and awesome water fight), a day at the beach and also a community "talent" show on one of our last night’s there. Being able to experience how they live and to be a part of their lives for a short time, was an incredible privilege and one I'll not forget for a long time.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend going to another country (particularly in the third world) and immersing yourself amongst the people and their culture as you can learn so much. You learn not only about them but about yourself too – and you’ll come back richer because of the experience.

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” - Unknown

Alana Donkin 13Dr