My life is about to change completely
In less than a week, I’m getting on a plane to Fiji. not only will this be the longest flight I’ve ever taken, but it will be the longest I’ve ever been away from home.
I’m joining a group of volunteers with an organization called HELP International. It’s a peace corps-esque organization focused on creating sustainable economic improvements in developing countries. I’ll be living in the city of Savusavu for the duration of the trip. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing yet, but in the past, HELP’s projects in Fiji have focused on education, public health, and and entrepreneurial development.
I’m incredibly thankful to be part of this trip, and thankful to have family and friends who are enthusiastically supporting me. I’m especially thankful that my girlfriend isn’t mad at me for flying away for two months.
To anyone out there who consistently reads my posts on here, thank you for reading. For the next two months, though, I’m not going to be posting my typical content. I won’t be talking about politics, tech, or business like I usually do.
In the past, I’ve let these external forces dictate the topics I write about. Because I’m establishing myself as a freelance writer, I’m on social media a lot out of necessity. Inevitably, the latest scandals will appear in my feed every day. The instincts I picked up in journalism school compel me to immediately blog about whatever piques my interest or sparks my outrage.
While I’m in Fiji, though, I’m going to focus on what’s right in front of me. I probably won’t even be reading American news that much while I’m gone. I’ve already cut down my news intake significantly — which I would recommend for anyone seeking a little extra sanity. Between having less WiFi and being occupied with the volunteer projects, it’s likely that I won’t even have time to keep track of all the news.
I want to keep blogging while I’m in Savusavu, though. I plan on learning as much as I can from the Fijian people and from the other volunteers. My main goal when I write is to help other people learn along with me, so I am going to share my experiences with you. I hope I’ll be able to help expand your understanding of the world.
Fiji is a very different country from the United States. That kind of goes without saying. It’s a chain of islands with a population smaller than Delaware’s. Also unlike the US, there is a higher rate of people emigrating from Fiji than immigrating to it. The most interesting difference between Fiji and us that I’ve discovered so far is the status of Fiji’s indigenous people in society. Indigenous Fijians own most of the land in Fiji and as a result have a much more clout in the Fijian economy. I don’t think I need to go into detail about how this is different from the situation in the US.
That’s enough of a crash course on Fiji for now. Once I’m actually there I will be posting much more, so stay tuned.
I also have a responsibility to uphold here. I started a GoFundMe to raise mosey for the project costs. I promised that I would personally thank anyone who donated a certain amount.
Here’s my first round of thank you’s: Annie Sumner, Richard Craig, Darby Brown-Kuhn, Margaret Cummings, and Kristine McGuire, thank you so much for your generosity. I’ve always been extremely uncomfortable with asking people for help, so it means a lot to me.
I’m not even in Fiji yet and I can already feel this trip changing me. This will probably be the most exciting chapter of my life so far, and I’m incredibly grateful for this chance. I’m excited to start this adventure, and I look forward to sharing everything I experience with you.
As always, thanks for reading. My GoFundMe will be active for the whole time I’m there, and I would be super grateful for any amount that you feel like donating. All of it will go directly to HELP International to support their volunteer programs worldwide. Next time you hear from me I’ll be on the other side of the world, so make sure you follow me on twitter @JeremyCummings3 or on instagram @so.tall.im.in.space to see where the adventure takes me.
