worth the wait

it took me a quick minute to get used to the lax atmosphere demanded here on the islands. everything seemed to be such a process. coming from the land of "faster, bigger, better" put me at a bit of a learning disadvantage. patience was not necessary in the society that i was engulfed in. and if something happened to be taking too long, one would complain and then be rewarded for it. odd concept to me now, but very much practiced just a few weeks ago. 

ordering lunch was a two hour adventure. but the friends i ate with never seemed to be in a rush. no one complained about the service, no one wondering where the food was. we were visitors on this island and for that we had to except fiji time. 

once i really got to thinking about it, i came to this obvious realization, this was their home. how could i just walk into it and expect them to adapt to my westernized ways. if i didn't like the way they lived, i didn't have to stop in. it was an understanding that everyone else seemed to already have known, and a lesson that i quickly learned. for a person who tries her best to practice patience, i learned how very little i had. but the relaxed attitude of the people around me, allowed me to exemplify the same. it was beautiful. 

by the end of my fijian visit i was never conscious of the wait. i was far too busy enjoying the sun and the surrounded company. 

xoxo - ShannonSmile

only live for today

the fijian gentleman, ali, that i met at the airport continued to be a close mate and personal tour guide for my brief visit to the islands. he and his cousin, smiley, picked alexandra, my dear friend now, and i up from the hostel and showed us around town. they rolled up to smugglers cove in their "pimped" out ride, bumping rihanna and usher, i felt right at home. dancing to the music that i know and loved, windows rolled down, cool wind running through my hair, gave me the ounce of home that i needed.

they took us to port denarau, the glamourous part of viti levu, where people with money came to experience fiji. =) alexandra and i weren't super keen on going there, but ali insisted. i think he wanted to show us the part of his home that he was proud of. i won't lie though, we indulged for a quick dip in a beautiful rock pool at one of the resorts. but our visit there was brief, i'm trying to experience real life in fiji, with no air-con, rough bedding, low water pressure and dirty feet!

a special thanks to ali and smiley for teaching me the fijian way, "only live for today."

xoxo - ShannonSmile

money can't buy happiness

i often refer to thailand as the land of a million smiles, fiji will now be called the land of music and love. to say that the fijian locals are kind would be an understatement. for people who have close to nothing, an onlooker would think they have everything. their smiles and their love is effervescent and quite contagious. a fijian would offer a stranger the shirt off their back, whereas allowing someone to switch lanes to me was considered my good deed for the day ;) 

funny how life's lessons tend to put things into perspective.

xoxo - ShannonSmile

"fiji time"

life on the islands of fiji is mesmerizing. many of the travelers i have encountered shared similar stories. they had come to an island, anticipated on only spending a few nights, but found themselves still there days, weeks, even months later. i had been strongly reminded of a book once read in high school, lord of the flies. i could see how easily one could get caught in the midst of the beauty, this mystical atmosphere created by the natives, enchanted anyone who dared to step foot in the warm white sand.

on these islands you are able to create a world of your own, a world of purity filled with peace and harmony. living by no established set of rules, but with a common understanding of respect that was never necessary to mention. natural bedding, open-aired showers, hidden spas, happy hour at noon, dancing and laughing throughout the night. everyone was on the same agenda and nothing was written on it. 

the turquoise colors of the ocean, the strong rays of sun dancing on your skin, the warm ocean water running all over your body, it was pure beauty. i was living in my own personal avatar. living with the world as one. no tele, no phone, no internet. the only means of entertainment necessary was of human contact and the earthly tunes that surrounded us.

nomads who started out as complete strangers to me and i to them, ended up knowing more about me than people who have known me my entire life. and its not because i wouldn't have shared my love of life before, its because honestly, no one really has the time to care. conversations rarely run so deep at a lunch in newport beach california. 

only one time existed on this island, it was a practice known as "fiji time."  roman numerals not welcomed. we lived only by the dial of the sun. 

xoxo - ShannonSmile

everything you need to know, you learn in kindergarden

my mom told me that when i was a child we couldn't even get into an elevator without me making friends. and by the time we hit the next floor, i had also felt it necessary to share with my new found mates my entire life story. 

as i stared onto the pool deck of smugglers cove, the hostel that was now my home, i realized how very daunting it is to make friends. traveling alone and being lost in a country was one thing, but remembering how to make a friend, quite another. of all times to be shy, a concept so foreign to me, why did i choose now to allow that quality to shine?  

i slowly stepped into the cool fresh water and apprehensively made my way toward four people at the far end. i figured my odds were better with a group, i was bound to hit it off with someone. i immediately introduced myself to the foursome. there were two english blocks, an english lace, and a canadian gal. both girls traveling alone, not a common thing to hear coming from the states, but seemed quite normal to them. instantly at peace with my decision to seek them out as friends, i remembered how much i had once loved engaging in conversation with people. i had been discouraged for various reasons throughout the later years of my life to practice this friendly nature, this is one specific quality that i had hoped to rejuvenate on my travels. it is something that once i gain back, i will never allow for anyone to discourage again. 

i was staying in a 40 person co-ed dorm, and there was nothing odd about it. the instant comradery amongst all of the travelers was just that, instant. nomads from 18-30 came together sharing the tales of their journey, hearing their crazy experiences often changed you as much as it had changed them. everyone seems to be chasing their own dream. we are all on such different paths, and yet with a similar love for travel and beauty, a common understanding of different cultures, values and customs was laced through us all. searching for the truth that we each saw fit, banded us together, stronger than i could have ever imagined. 

there was this underlying appreciation everyone had for each other, understanding that somehow, regardless how or why we arrived on this island, we were all facing the same world that lied around us. we eagerly wanted to learn about each others stories, knowing that we would only gain from the merit of each experience. 

as i reflected on my current situation, i noticed that the only qualities that mattered, the elements we all embodied that brought us all together, we had all learned when we were five. 


xoxo - ShannonSmile

sense of peace

as i sit here on the beach, breathing in the salty pacific air, sipping on an island coconut cut open by a local, i finally take the time to ask myself that inevitable question….what on earth am i doing? i just quit my job, rented out my apartment, totaled my car, and basically ran out of the country. am i insane?

i woke up one morning and seriously found myself questioning my every decision. 27 years old, amazing job, loving family, reputable social life, finances in order……every decision, every move i made, so well calculated and thoroughly thought out, that i had myself set up for nothing less than perfect success. i've been this way my entire existence. for as long as i can remember, everything has been so meticulously put together, every piece of my puzzle fits into place, and that's because i specifically placed it there. i planned everything to happen this way. 

why then, did i feel so lost? where on my path had i made a wrong turn. on paper, life looked great…..in reality, i could barely look at myself in the mirror and be proud. 

my first love once told me that i would never be satisfied, and for that, would never be happy. his comment has followed me through the years, and recently i've been thinking that maybe he had me right all along. i used to find his statement quite entertaining, knowing that just because I didn't want to settle, didn't mean i wouldn't find happiness. but, i question myself now. in a world made of various shades of grey……is happiness even attainable? 

had bear's words come back to haunt me? would i never be satisfied? i stood there with tears streaming down my face, not knowing the girl that stood before me.

so you ask, am i soul searching, am i looking to redefine my faith, am i looking for that guru to change my life, give me that jaw-dropping, life changing one liner that will determine my destiny? no, not at all. honestly, i just want to wake up, every morning, with a smile. i would like to believe that everyone deserves that sense of peace. 

and the angels will guide you

i arrived to nadi, fiji at 5:30am on january 18th, 2011. i exited the plane and the intense humid weather hit me immediately. it took me a second to adjust my breathing. i took my camera out of my satchel to quickly snap a photo of my starship that got me safely to my destination, but the camera lens fogged up so much, i could barely make out the plane. as i entered the nadi airport, the beautiful local tunes of the fijian people welcomed us to their country. how kind of them to allow us to borrow their homeland for the coming days. 

suddenly it hit me, i had no friend waiting to greet me, no driver holding my name up on a sign, no hotel booked, no boyfriend, no family, i had nothing. before i could really allow for the influx of emotions to take over, i quickly took in my surroundings and headed to the immigration desks. for whatever reason, that stamp on my passport calmed my nerves. this trip will not be one of fear, this trip will be of adventure and self discovery. my every thought, my every move, my every heartbeat would determine that. with my mind made up, and positive energy protruding through the island atmosphere, i exited the airport, ready to fight the taxi men and their high fares! 

outside the airport i happened to inquire a fijian indian local on the whereabouts of the nearest town. through our small talk i had come to find that his wife worked at a hostel nearby and with a click of his mobile phone, i had a place to call home and a free ride to get there. life was already on track. 

i saw a psychic once, and with a knowledge unknown to me, he said that i would be a world traveler, setting foot on many different soils, and touching the lives of various people. when i asked who i would be traveling with, he said i would go alone. shocked i fired back, "and who will protect me?" He answered simply with, "the angels of course!" That was good enough for me. 

xoxo - ShannonSmile