Nicole Wong

first blog of the post ib exam madness. so life post ib is a little strange. we’ve been talking about how its funny because it feels like after two years of blood, sweat, and tears (actually), there’s an empty void where ib used to be. and its sad in a way, because it signifies that like with everything else, we are moving on and away from this chapter of our lives and onto something new.

enough about ib. i’m glad that we’ve gone back to our regular global classes, and its nice to see everyone again, and be in such a relaxed and welcoming environment. lately, there’s been quite a bit of reminiscing back to fiji, as well as looking to the future, with the picture assignment, where we each choose a picture that speaks volumes to us from our trip, and writing a letter to our future 10 years older selves to place in a time capsule. each has not been an easy task. it’s not been easy, discussing all this moving on and growing up stuff, because i think that these two projects have this in common. it was hard writing and choosing one particular picture to encompass our trip to fiji, and knowing that that part of our journey was over, and a  new chapter had been born out of it. it was equally hard writing to our future selves not knowing exactly where the future would take us. to be honest, it scares me thinking that far ahead, because the trip to fiji taught me that sometimes, things don’t go exactly according to plan, but by no means does that mean that the journey was any worse.

in other news, the sun makes me incredibly happy, because it reminds me of fiji. i still think the sun connects us to the amazing people we met in fiji (which i said quite awkwardly in class), and today, at the beach down in vancouver, i couldn’t help thinking of the beaches in fiji – the white sand, warm water, and reflection time. and guess what? the sun, which was warm today (yay!) allowed us vancouverites to finally get the chance to spend a nice afternoon at the beach.

thanks, sun. everything that you symbolize makes my heart tickle.

hello world. so i remember in the beginning of this whole blogging thing, i was a little apprehensive since i don’t like writing down what goes on in my life and all my attempts at journals have failed since i was about 7 years old. but now, taking a little break to just sit down and do something that isn’t chemistry, or math, or history is nice. so even though communism in china and the ussr is really interesting (no really, it is), i thought it would be nice to take a little break and just have some time for myself. i mean, it’s been a little crazy the past week and a bit, and it brings me back to a discussion we had in class about procrastination, and how sometimes, you have to give up somethings for other things, like tv for school. even still, it’s hard to concentrate sometimes, but then i feel guilty whenever my eyes aren’t glued to a page of notes somewhere. but i think even with all this stress/cram studying spending time with my family is still pretty important, seeing as years from now i probably won’t care what i got on my ib diploma, but my relationship with my family will matter. i don’t know, i guess i’m finding these exams a little frustrating, because even for all the studying and the 2 years of hard work we put in, its all up to your performance for that one topic on that particular day, all or nothing style. i don’t know, times like this, i really miss fiji. and normal sleeping patterns (but that’s not important) anyways, fiji feels like it was years go, when its only been almost 2 months now. thinking about the difference in being where i was two months ago and where i am now just adds to the frustration. ahh. nevermind. therapeutic blogging session is now over. time to get back to work i guess.

hi world. so its been awhile, and a lot of new things have happened since my last blog. i guess the biggest change is the introduction of 30 new  people into our family. hi colts to botswana 2012, welcome to the family, i know you’ll be brilliant! it was funny, watching the colts to botswana go though the very same process as we did a year ago, and it was really interesting seeing things from a different perspective. i mean, i remember the sheer excitement and exhilaration of hearing “colts to fiji 2011″ for the first time, but this time around, the emotions seemed so much stronger, if that’s even possible. i mean, i think all us fijians were feeling about 50 different things at once. intense happiness and excitement for the new group, a wanting to go on another trip, a wanting to go back to fiji, and a sadness because this leg of the journey seemed to finally be truly concluded. and i think we still struggle through those feelings every day. its been hard to concentrate on things like school, or get motivated over something. those 2 weeks in fiji seem to have happened in a blaze of colour, and now everything seems to have faded to black and white. but it’s okay, because there are 27 other people i who will understand the situation, when no one else does. i guess thats why we were so excited for the next year also (sorry if we scared you. we were acting a little stalker-ish). because even though our experiences won’t be exactly the same, i think that just having a taste of what’s waiting for you out there, the endless possibilities, makes everything so much better. it’s already been over a month. and i didn’t really believe anyone when they said that the year would pass by quickly, but it has. and it scares me, because it seems like all this change and adversity we have to overcome seems thrown at us all at once, to the point of being overwhelming. we went to fiji. we came back from fiji. next comes university stuff, exams, graduation… then who knows what next? and although the concept seems super scary right now, and i don’t like the idea of change at all, life continues. things change, and that change is adversity, in a sense. and as we’ve been talking about, it’s how you deal with that adversity which is important. i would love to pack a bag and go back to fiji right now, but i guess the world just doesn’t work that way. and once i get though this part of my life, i can go back, and see things though different eyes again, because i wouldn’t change what i’ve experienced, adversity included, for the world.

back home now, and i decided to wait a bit to blog in order to take everything in. i mean, it really feels like i left a part of myself back in fiji, and now i’m fortunate enough to call two countries, across the world from each other home. i am happy to be back home. i missed my parents, and at that moment in the airport, seeing my mom and dad, and even my brother, who i didn’t think would come, it really drove home everything i was thinking about concerning how i take my family for granted and how the importance of our relationship was made so much stronger. i think that that really, nothing needed to be said and our silent hug spoke volumes.

even though its nice to be back home, in my own bed, there are still reminders of fiji everywhere, and with that comes the sad realization that this chapter of the story is over. i woke up to silence, which was strange. no coughing, whispers, or rooster noises. any time i hear the word blitz it makes me both happy and sad at the same time, since they are the best ice cream bar in the world… and basically impossible to get in canada. even in chem today someone mentioned blue… something, and joy and i looked at each other and started laughing, because it reminded us about blue gas. and the pictures of the village, the children, our group…. it already seems like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, i can remember things like they happened yesterday. its funny though, thinking that no matter where you are in the world, life continues. i mean, even in richmond, after 2 weeks there were changes. and even as i type this right now, in a small village in fiji called wavuwavu, people are going about their business and living their everyday lives, and to me, i guess… the importance is in the individual and how they choose to apply their knowledge and their new experiences. because life continues. i still go to school, eat, sleep, talk with friends and family, but now i carry with me the experiences i found in fiji and the knowledge that there are 28 other students who understand this feeling. and i guess its up to me to apply what i’ve learned and to really take the lasting lessons learnt in fiji and apply them to my life in richmond. and in this way, “fiji withdrawal” is bearable, knowing i still have my memories, i still have my friends who understand the inside jokes and will give the best bro hugs in the world. do i get sad thinking about fiji and how our time there is over? yes, of course, but at the same time, it makes me happy knowing that i am lucky enough to have made those connections and have those memories. it makes me happy being thankful for my family, not only my parents, brother, relatives, but my fijian family even more so than before,

i think this quotes been thrown around a bit, but i came across it awhile ago and i feel compelled to post it:

“don’t cry because it’s over. smile because it happened.”

thank you fiji for giving me something special.

So today is our final day on the work site, and the community centre is so close to being finished, and so far, it’s amazing. At the same time however, it’s sad knowing that this portion of our trip is coming to the end. Jumping back to yesterday, since I just remembered what I wanted to talk about, we went and visited the Wavuwavu Elementary School. There are about 100 students and 4 teachers, and it was quite a different experience than what we are used to. And it really speaks to the importance of education, since some of the kids walk over 5 kilometers to go to school. The kids were amazing and so happy to see us, and I really wished we could spend more time with them, since I think they could teach us so much more. Looking at what the kids were learning and the posters on the wall was particularly interesting, since we remember learning the same things and I think there was a connection there. Moving back to the work site, things have been doing well and moving along nicely. It’s the end of the road and we’re getting tired and a little sick, but I think that everyone wants to finish the project. At the same time, however, I think that we don’t want the project completed because that means that it is time for us to leave, and I know that personally, I’m not quite ready to leave. Just this overall experience has been so mind blowing, and we have made such important connections with the people in the village that I don’t want to leave. I think overall, this experience has really made me think a lot about my life at home and how I want to change my life at home. That’s all for today I guess!

Fiji – Day Something (03.21.11)

How to combine the events of 3 pretty amazing days into one short little blog? Ok. So on our 2^nd day on the work site I felt like we really bonded with the workers and the kids who helped us on the site as well. The day was hard work, but I feel like we really bonded as a team. This was particularly interesting, since, like Matheny said, in the end of the day we were basically gathered digging around a “poo hole”. The funny thing was, I didn’t even think of it as a “poo hole” until he said it. This probably sounds really strange, but I think that this is a moment we’ll really remember, especially after we heard that we’d have to dig another one. Ok, so on Sunday the 20^th, it was a day of rest for the workers, meaning we also got a day of rest as well. The day started with a lesson on where your food comes from. We had the honour of witnessing the sacrifice of a goat as a welcome into the village, and well, I certaintly woul not have the same experience back at home. For myself, it could be hard to watch at times, but I think that I learned an important lesson on the importance of food and how at home, we really take everything for granted. I never really thought of how my meat ended up in the supermarket until that moment. Knowing that the goat had a good life frolicking in the hills of Fiji, that the act was done with the least amount of suffering possible, and that not one part of the goat would be wasted helped me understand some of the details behind the goat. And in the end, I think I was able to enjoy the goat curry a little bit more knowing what I did about the origins of my lunch. Continuing on with the interesting day, we began our hike up to the top of the hill, and on the way we had the opportunity to participate in the festival of colours. It felt like we had really become a part of this village by being welcomed into their important ceremony, and it was a lot of fun at the same time. The people have just welcomed us with such open arms and I really appreciate all the time and effort they have put into making us feel at home.The hike itself was a great change of pace, and the view on top of the hill was… well, I don’t really know how to describe it. It may be unsatisfactory, but it was a “you had to be there type of moment”. A couple of us were talking about how if we were to die on that spot, it would be into total peace and contentment. And here I realized that I really do love Fiji, and the lush green that covers the landscape, the way the houses are all spread apart but the people stil maintain a tight community, and the friendliness of the people. And today, I got to work with the dentists, which was super interesting, especially since my dad is a dentist, and I was cool to observe the differences between dentistry here and dentistry at home. I guess I kind of took dental care for granted as well, but watching the dentists I think I really understand the importance of dental hygiene. And for me, going into this trip, I never had the desire to become a dentist, and since my dad’s a dentist, at times it felt like people expected me to follow in his footsteps. Working with the dentists was a great experinece and I found it really interesting, but it also solidified the fact that I don’t want to be a dentist. Even so, I’m glad I was able to try it before I totally dismissed dentistry althogether, and I am confident in my decision. It’s hard to summarize everything that’s happened in Fiji, but these are just a few of the experiences that really stood out to me. Talk to you in awhile world.

Oh, and you’re still my favourite dentist dad

wow. So we’re finally here! And honestly, it took me a long time for it to really sink in that we are finally in Fiji after about a year of preparation. So after a 10 hour plane ride, 10 hour layover, 6 hour layover… this is not in order and I forgot the rest of what happened. Basically it felt like 1 really really long day. So I’m on the work site as I type this. And to be honest, it really is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I think its the heat. I dont do well in the heat. ANYWAY. This is just taught me a lot about my own limits and how to surpass those limits. Ok so I’m going to jump around quite a bit because it’s hot, I’m sweaty, and I’m basically writing the first thing that comes to my mind. So when we went to go gather rocks for the worksite, the gentleman who was helping us, Vejay (like the golfer!) showed us the well that a bunch of the local people use. He said it was 20ft deep, it took 4 days to dig, and they did it by going down the hole, only using a rope, to haul the dirt out. And we got to try sugar cane, this cool plant-snot thing that I can’t remember the name of, and bush ginger. OK. So that is whats happening tody. Jumping back to the opening ceremony, I thought that it was extremely interesting to see the dynamics of the village. I don’t think I’ll see anything quite the same ever again. So we made friends with a little boy whose name starts with an R but I dont quite know how to say it. And he’s just like any 8 year boy who likes soccer and spiderman (NOT superman. ha.) what I found interesting was that he has a little sister, but she wasn’t present at the ceremony. And to have a group come whose mostly made up of girls– I wonder what he thought of us. So back to work now, I guess.

Oh yeah– and I got laughed at because I can’t hit a nail with a hammer, apparently my depth perception is really, really bad. But it’s ok, I already knew that.
Signing off from Fiji, Nicole

i’m still awake. its about 3? hours until we leave for fiji. i’ve checked and double checked my bags and it still feels like i forgot something.

to0 excited.

can’t sleep.

going to go try again now.

the next post is going to be from fiji! (or maybe an airport somewhere?) i don’t know it feels like it hasn’t really sunk in yet. ahhhh. ok. better.

g’night!

its been a crazy few weeks. so basically, school has us going until we leave for fiji, which is in 7 DAYS. am i excited? surprisingly, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. with tests and english orals and french orals and who knows what else, oh — university supplementals, scholarship forms… etc. its been more living day by day than looking at when fiji is. but still– i’ve managed to keep adding to my packing pile — which is part of the reason it looks like a bomb exploded in my room (one side is all books that i should return. the other is all clothes for fiji). and now, its so close. almost there. and with school, i find that no matter what happens, its done with and i cant cry over it. i’m also happy to get back into a regular blogging pattern, since my blogs have been suffering a little. it seems so close — but now, after about 4 months of lightning speed, time seems to have slowed down. waaay down.

why is that?

(oh as slow as the week is, nothing is quite as long as waiting for your orals all day. most nerve-wracking feeling ever. but its DONE!)

so this weekend has really been the weekend of bottle driving, starting on thursday and friday with collecting bottles and ending with sorting them on saturday.

i really found that once you start something, it is really hard to stop. thursday and friday were prime examples, as a bunch of us went out and basically spent all day collecting bottles. and i was really happy that we did, because there were some really great highlights that day. in steveston, fiona, victoria, and i managed to do what seemed like the longest street in the world. we could’ve stopped for food at one point, but we chose to finish instead, and were rewarded with a feeling of intense accomplishment. we also ran into some amazing people who were genuinely interested in what we were doing and wished us luck; we even ran into a former global student who said she was going on this year’s grad trip. there really was a feeling of togetherness, as after the 6 of us remaining went to go eat together and have a little bonding moment of our own.

all this led to saturday, where we counted and sorted all of our hard-earned bottles. and it was pouring rain. it was cold, and windy, and by the end of 2 hours it looked like i had jumped into the shower with all my clothes on. nevertheless, it was a fun and rewarding day, and we worked together to get things done quickly. i think it was great that even though everyone was soaking wet and probably pretty miserable, we were still able to laugh, have fun, and keep our spirits high. this day really showed me how far we’ve come already, comparing this bottle drive to our first one. we just seem to click now, and everyone knows and trusts everyone else. we all showed up in the rain, we all got it done, and we all walked away bettered by this experience.

and finally, the amazing power of a hot shower.

it really made me thankful for running, hot water, which is something i think i took for granted.