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Snorkeling in Heron Island

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My absolute favorite part about Heron Island was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. The statement itself sounds surreal to me, and I definitely never imagined I would ever be able to before I heard about this program. I remember the ferry ride to Heron Island was incredibly choppy, and I got seasick for the very first time. Once I saw the island from the ferry, I was immediately cured by the excitement that rushed over me. The water was a vibrant turquoise color and there was a huge shipwreck with snorkelers exploring all around it. I knew at that moment I could not wait to go out and snorkel. My friends and I chose to snorkel on the south side of the island for the first time mainly because of how close it was and we were just eager to get into the water. Before we even entered the water I saw a baby blacktip reef shark swimming around was thrilled because sharks are my favorite animal. Once we got in the ocean we saw huge cowtail stingrays lurking below us. I was scar
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Sevusevu Welcome Ceremony

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Last week, our program had the opportunity to visit a local village here in Fiji and partake in a welcome ceremony known as sevusevu. This ceremony is performed for visitors coming into and being accepted into the village by the village headman or Turaga ni Koro. Before we went inside for the ceremony, the Turaga ni Koro said a chant in order to announce our presence for the ceremony to begin. All of the students and staff then entered the building where the ceremony took place and removed our shoes before coming inside. We also all dressed moderately out of respect for the people of the village, and the Fijians were similarly wearing clothing that covered their shoulders and knees. We then all sat down on a woven mat before the Turaga ni Koro and the elder men from the village with Dr. Garton sitting before us as our representative. For this ceremony, a half bundle of waka is offered to the village which is the lower part of the same plant that produces kava. The Turaga ni
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Life After Pacific

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        My life since coming home from my study abroad has been nothing like I had expected. For starters, I was very nervous about coming home and seeing my friends and family. Before the Pacific Program, I had never been away from home this long. I thought my friends might have forgotten about me or that the dynamic in my friend group would feel different. I even thought that going to my own home would be different. Regardless, the desire to come home and be with loved ones trumped any nervous feelings I was feeling.         The trek home was long, tiresome, and emotionally draining. On the bus ride to the Fiji airport, music was blasting, and we were all loudly singing together. I couldn’t imagine not being with these people every day from here on out. These people in a sense had become my family over the course of the program, and we all have grown and experienced so much together. It wasn’t until we reached the airport that the reality of our final departures was settling in.
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