A New Adventure

BULA!

Will be my preferred greeting for the next 12 months. Humidity will surround me for most hours of the day and as I move into "Pacific Time", those hours will lose their rigid boundaries. Kava will linger on my taste buds - or otherwise numb them and I will become amphibious with the amount of diving I plan to do.

I am about to embark on a year long journey to Suva, Fiji. I will be volunteering under the title of "Occupational Therapist" at a special school in Suva and working closely with a Physio-aide counterpart who is the school's sole Allied Health worker. By the end of this journey, I will be expected to have upskilled the Physio-Aide, write progress reports on 84 students, provided professional development to teachers and parents and assist in equipment modification - all in one year. When people think about Fiji, they think of paradise. When I think of the Fiji I'll get to know and the tasks I'll be performing at this school, I think I'll wet my pants - and it won't be the Pacific Ocean that's making things damp down there.

The good news is that I won't be on my lonesome for this adventure. A skeletal Allied Health team are on board - A Speech Pathologist, a Physiotherapist (myself) and a REAL Occupational Therapist. To break the monotony of "healthcare", a fourth will be on our crew - a Communications Officer. I'm also taking you, my readers with me. I will call upon you for advice and emotional support (hopefully this will be kept to a minimum). In return, I hope to give you an insight into my journey - the ups, the downs, the quirky and the numbness that comes with far too much Kava.

13 days until take-off....

Fast facts about FIJI:
Population: 828, 000
Official languages: English, Fijian, Hindu
332 islands, >500 islets covering 18,300 km2
Capital city: Suva