By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
Graduating high-school, all my closest friends already had their next 4 years of their life planned out to the dot. Where they were studying, who they were living with, what they were having for dinner three months from now, and what they wanted to do with their lives. I was the ugly duckling out of my friends. Having no idea where I wanted to go to school, much less what I wanted to study. There’s so many amazing and inspiring things people can choose to grow up to be. I do not understand how people only pick one. How are they satisfied knowing that whatever they study will be what they do for the next 40-50 years of their lives? That’s insane. But time was running out and I had to apply and choose my next four years of my life. I only applied to one school l: San Diego State University. I was accepted. However, besides the fact that I was not sure if I was even going to be able to afford such a school in California, it just didn’t call to me. It’s not what I wanted to do. Some more weeks go by and the weeks turn into months. I come across this website called IVHQ, an acronym for international volunteer headquarters. I spent hours and hours going through all the different programs they had to offer. Then I came across one that I immediately knew was the one. Fiji. I realized I wanted to take a semester off of school and attempt this adventure as I knew it was most likely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, I applied and got accepted and I was scheduled to leave for 6 weeks to a tiny island 6,800 miles away from my hometown. I was excited and terrified. My arrival date was getting closer and closer. As It got closer, I started to doubt everything. I was scared. I was about to travel by myself to a country where I knew no one and knew nothing about. After some heavy debating with myself. I shook off the doubts and told myself to grow up and realize if I didn’t do this now, it would never happen. Next thing you know I’m on a plane headed to Suva, Fiji. The next 6 weeks were the greatest 6 weeks of my entire life. I say that without exaggeration. I met people all over the world. Made friends for life which I still keep in contact on a daily basis. Hiked beautiful mountains to see the bluest and clearest ocean I’ve ever seen reflect the burning sun. I learned things about a completely new culture and interacted with natives and even taught at a local kindergarten. I was able to not only teach but learn so much from these 5 year old children who taught me so much about happiness. I learned about cultures from all over the world while interacting with other volunteers. From Germany, Australia, California, France, Canada, New Zealand, and so many more. I discovered so much about myself. I realized even though my friends already have their life planned out and realize what they want to do with it. I found my passion and what I want to spend my short time on Earth doing. I want to learn. Not just from a classroom, but from real life experiences. Some things you cannot learn from classrooms. I want to interact with people from different cultures and learn about people’s stories and their different travels. My trip to Fiji made me realize one thing. There’s no better way to achieve and learn all these things than by traveling across the world and meeting people yourself. To think how I almost gave up this opportunity because I was scared. This trip also gave me a new motto that I would love to live by and hope I stick through with it. A motto I learned and have seen that allows you to grow your knowledge of the world and also yourself as a person. A motto of two words: Seek Discomfort.