Amber Torris

Yesterday I had a really hard time at work. I work at a restaurant. After being in Fiji I try my hardest not to waste anything especially food. But yesterday I was continuously having throw away full plates of food. Perfect food that all those villagers, the elders and children can only dream of. And here i am throwing it in the garbage. I never really thought of it in that way before Fiji. I think you really have to walk in there shoes to realize how lucky we are. Us north Americans are so wasteful and we don’t even realize it. It’s scary how it takes a 42 hour journey to realize this. I just wish I could teach the people around me what I’ve learned but t so hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it yourself.

It’s almost been a month since we returned back to Richmond from our undescibalbe trip to Fiji
I have face ally of struggles since returning. I feel as though a lot of people I intract with from day to day just don’t understand me. Foe me it’s hard to explain the impact Fiji has pit on me so I tend to keep my frustration to my self. It’s little things like throwing a water bottle in the garbage or leaving a light on. The Fijians would never do anything like that. Interacting wig the people at school is hard. The little things people complain about mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Some times I have to just walk away because I just can’t handle being around it. I know my Fijian family will always be there for me when the going gets tough. I miss Fiji every day. Lobe you guys

Things are good “my” sunglasses are still in one piece!! Yesterday was amazing. We had a day off since it was Sunday. Sunday here is a really holy day so no body works so since the workers werent working we had a rest too. Well rest is a little bit of an understatement. Our day was still jam packed. First we witnessed the sacrafice of a goat. I couldnt watch. When that was finished we went to a celebration. The celebration of color. Long story short they throw color powder at us and rub it on our faces. After that they spray you with water!! it was a lot of fun. I am really greatful we got to be a part of it. Such an amazing cultural experience.

We also hiked up to the top of a mountain. I was walking with one of the girls from the celebration. She told me that when they got the tsunami warning from japan they ran to the top of the mountain. This wasnt a small mountain. It was steep and bumpy. Also the warning came at 130am. I cant imagine the thoughts running through their heads at that point. They were literally running for their lives. Stuff like that never happens at home. Its hard to understand the fear chasing behinde them. At home we dont face this but here its not very  foreign.

The veiw at the top of the mountain was breath taking. I felt like I was in a movie. Most of the time I dont believe my eyes. Ive never seen anything so beautiful before. It is a moment and a veiw I will remember for the rest of my life. While we sat there in a way I felt guilty. My Mom worked really hard to make this trip possible for me and I know it was not easy. She deserves to be here just as much as I do, if not more. I wished she was sitting there next to me. She would have been blown away. I know she would have. Maybe one day her and I can come back here. I know she would love it. She would love the way you can walk in the back and pick guava and bananas. The wilderness in bc doesnt compare to the wilderness here. Its on a completely different level, she would be completely blown away, amazed just as I am. I’ll bring her back to Wavuwavu, to see the project. Her and I will hike that mountain and then I will get to share that veiw with the person I look up to the most. Being in a community like this makes me really apprecaite my mom. Im am so lucky she is healthy and well. She means the world to me and it would kill me if anything ever happened to her.

Today was our 4^th work day. I spent most of the day painting. I love painting. I cant wait till it is all finished. Its going to look amazing!! today has been really hot. The heat rash on my hand has gotten really bad. Gingers dont do so well in the heat.

Im really starting to feel this whole family thing everyone has been talking about all year.  We arent just a class we are family. I have connected with a lot of people I didnt think I would ever connect with. I cant wait for whats to come. Each day surprises me more and more!!

well thats whats up

hope all is well at home

miss and love you all xoxo

Today started off differently. When we got to the village they sacficed a goat for us. I personally could not watch. I went over after and watch how they skinned it and cut it into pieces. I have a whole new veiw on meat now. Last night we had a very interesting conversation. Talking about how coming out here to to this you learn a lot more than you would sitting in a class reading a text book. I strongly agree with this. I feel the physicality of it is a major learning experience. We are making change in the worl. The most rewarding part of this it to see how greatful the people truly are. That to me is a key part to this experience. Nothing compares to the looks on their faces everytime we get a little bit closer to finishing this project. Seeing these peoples graditude gives me pride and a feeling I can not describe. The only way to feel it is to experience it to breathe it to live it. I am so greatful that I get a chance to do so. It truly changes the way you think. People always told me this would happen but I dont think I really believed them. But now I see what they were always telling me. Ive noticed in our short time here the happyness level is through the roof. Compared to us at home these people have nothing. I look at them and im jealous. Jealous of how simplistic their lifes are. Im starting to understand the term money doesnt buy happiness. Ive come to learn that money is a demond in the wrong hands. Money aids in developing horrible habbits which can distroy your whole life in an instant. Ive noticed most families are still together unlike how common broken families are back home. Family is everything to the people here. Families and people in general I think are better off with just enough. Just enough for the essentials and nothing more. But at home society brain washes all of us.I wish life was like this at home. It would make a big change in society. Well we are about to head for a hike now in the killer heat. Thats whats up!! Miss you all xoxo

Waking up at 4 am on tuesday was really hard. This whole trip didnt really kick in for me. Its still all so unreal to me.  It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at home nervously waiting for that email.  Now we are all packed and ready to go. Little did we all know it would take a long 42 to get to our destination. Ive never been so tired in my life. Sitting in on place for over 10 hours is a lot harded then you think. The tiredness starts to take effect and you get silly. Laugh attacks where very common and most of the time the cause of them was unknown. When we finally arrived in Fiji I was amazed. Felt like I was in a movie. I had never seen a place like this before. Amazing.

But our journey wasnt over we still had a hour long bus ride to the work site. The road was not smooth at all it was interesting. Once we got to the village everyone was so welcoming. It was really nice since we are all so far away from our homes and families. It was comforting to have this kind of welcoming. We couldnt stay at the village long we had to leav before dark. The bus ride back to our hotel was very comfoting. Finally time for bed. Soooo many throughts rushing through my head.  Today I am working with the dentists. It amazes me to see these peoples teeth. The amount of decay is crazy. I hope my teeth never get like that. The people are so greatful which gives me a warm feeling inside. This is such a little thing for us to do but it means everything to them. In the morning we treated a little boy, he was   4.  already most of his teeth were rotten and turning black.  He was terrafied of us, crying and screaming. It broke my heart, almost made me cry. The kids here are addorable. I wish I could help them all everyday. There was also 2 little girls 4 and 5 who have attached themselves to my hip. They  are cute, they are amazed by the simplest things. I let them use my camera and we tought them how to brush there teeth. Each kid here gets a tooth brush. She is sitting next to me as I type pushing random bottons and talking to me I wish I could understand what she was saying. Haha there is a cow here every so often in the background you hear a moooooooooo! I love it. Well I better head back to work now. Not going to lie I miss home. This place, Fiji is not like home at all. It is beautiful here. Everytime I turn my head I am amazed over and over again. Miss you all and Hope all is well at home love you all xoxo

every day after school i go home to china

my version of this quote is everyday after school i go home to canada. when i go home i dont leave our country like most kids in my class do. my parents both were raised in canada. the way they were brought up was in canadian society. rules ethics expectations and standards. the way my parents were raised is the way they are raising me. to think there is something different than that is weird to me. to me this is the way life is. not saying those other ways are wrong. im just not use to them. my class mates and i are all very similar when it comes to school and global perspectives but once we walk into the comfort of our homes everything changes. in my family we were raised with trust. which means i have a lot of freedom to be my own person to try things out and make mistakes while learning along the way. but for a lot of my fellow class mates this is not the case. their parents control their every move. they try and teach their children from their own mistakes. in many cultures this is a fact of life its just how things work. it all seems very strange to me just because i am not brought up this way. not saying one way is right or wrong, they are all justified by culture and where their parents were bro

in class we have been talking lately about packing for our journey. it seems kind of weird since we still have a month and a bit before we leave. i guess i dont really know how this process works being such an inexperienced traveler. knowing we only have 33 pounds in luggage is kinda freaky. i guess thats why we start now. trial and error work out all the little nics before its crunch time. im so excited to go through this learning process. i plan to travel lots after high school and this trip will really help me with that. maybe even one day i shall return to the community center and re visit all

and thats the wonderful thing about family travel; it provides you with experiances that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.- david Barry

family. even though none of us share blood we are a family at heart and always will be. in the 16 days we all spend together, the good and the bad will stay with us forever. and because of that we will always be linked together.

there are two emotions in a plane: bordom and terror-orson welles

as the departure date quickly arrives i start to worry more and more about the journey there. i myself have never left north amarica. 4 hours is the most i have

Today’s class made me realize how blessed I am to be in this program. It seems as tho slowly but surely my class mates around me are disappearing. Weather its education, family or health these class mates of mine are losing this incredible opportunity. I feel horrible for them. Especially in the most recent case which had to do with grads. This student is so hard working. And seems to always be focused on their school work. And then there is me I haven’t been trying my best in school but I am still sitting in this class. How is this fair? Something needs to change. Its time to stop taking this opportunity for granted.