Fiji, I want to remember…

The fire lighting ceremony and the way the performers kept smiling at each other as they played their instruments.

The feeling of ecstasy I got after I took a photo with them by the sunset beach.

I want to remember stumbling across big and small moments of entertainment. Like when I saw a staff member dancing across the lobby to the music playing downstairs.

Or when I passed the Kama lounge and saw a group of holiday goers dancing around a Fijian guitarist.

I want to remember the look on the faces of the elderly couple who danced with each other. It was pure joy.

I want to remember the faces of the village women as they hugged us goodbye. I can still hear the shouts of BULA! as they welcomed us in.

I want to remember my delight when I saw three warriors greeting us on the shores of Vusama village.

And I want to remember my surprise when the three warriors turned out to be young boys, not grown men, peeking curiously back at us.

I want to remember the people who made my stay at Robinson Crusoe Island very entertaining. I cannot believe you forced a bunch of strangers to dance ridiculously with each other.

I want to remember the final dance on the sand when everyone broke out into their best moves and I’m glad that I turned around just in time to see that little boy killing it on the dance floor.

I loved riding back home on that small boat, in the dark, with the breeze blowing my sweat away and the ocean within touching distance. It made me feel like I was on the Nile river and that I was heading towards an adventure.

I want to remember all of that.