This August, I went to Mana Island, Fiji for the HOP Education Scholar Island Study Abroad. I had an amazing time and have a ton of stories to tell. Upon arrival in Nadi, I was greeted by a group singing and welcoming us into Fiji. The skies were clear, the sun had just risen, and I was ready for some fun. After around 24 hours in and out of airports, there was still a journey left. We had to take a bus for 30 minutes to Port Denarau. Then about an hour boat ride to Mana Island. The water was rough, but we made it and again were welcomed with song. That is the first thing I noticed about Fijians, they are very welcoming to tourists.

There were two sides to this program, the class, and the competition. I will first talk about the class. It was called “Pacific Worlds.” The great professor Wame taught this course. We learned about the Mata (eye) and how we pave our own paths. This is a key theme for Fijians. We talked about some history of the Pacific, as well as learned where everything is. The main part of the class I would say was about cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability. Taking this class with students from the University of the South Pacific made this experience a lot better. We got insight on what is happening in some nations, and what is being done to help. For example, in the Solomon Islands, foreign logging companies are depleting the forests. There is now a committee dedicated to fixing the corrupt government and making logging more sustainable. Also, we learned many traditions like coconut tree weaving, some Polynesian dances, a fire show, and we even took a trip to a local village. We also took part in Talanoa. This is the kava ceremony. Kava is a very important part of the Fijian culture. It is essentially the root of the plant mixed with water. It kind of tastes like chalky water. Talanoa is a ritual to drink kava. We all sat on a mat while 3 people mixed the kava, and when you were ready for a drink, you clapped your hands once. You were then handed a half coconut shell full of kava and drank it. Then, you clap 3 times. You can do this however many times you want to. We were there for about 2 hours.

Now for the second part of my story, the competition. We played Survivor for two weeks. It wasn’t exactly the same format as the show, but it was close. We were first randomly divided by rock draw into 4 teams of 5. The first challenge was announced and I was pumped. I am a huge fan of the show, and I run the Survivor Club at Michigan State. I trained all summer for this moment. Then, a catastrophe happened. About 10 seconds in, I dove into the sand for the first part and heard a pop. I finished an army crawl, and when I got up, my right arm was in pain. I had dislocated my shoulder. I went off to the side where I was tended to and eventually evacuated to the mainland. I went to Nadi General Hospital where my shoulder was popped back in. This experience was one of a kind as this was the first time I’ve been to the hospital. I was back on Mana after about 20 hours, and I had a decision to make. Do I continue and risk further injury, or do I stop and enjoy the vacation? The competitive side of me took over, and I realized that I trained way too hard for this to quit. So, I competed in a sling for the next 3 challenges. After about 4 days, I gained power and took the sling off. “Mana” means power, and I had truly felt that. The island itself is said to be magical, and I truly believe that it was. The second week started the elimination part of the game. I, being a Survivor fan, was way ahead. I was controlling the votes, all while not being immune. I even found both of the hidden immunity idols that were hidden around the island. I ended up winning the final challenge to secure my spot at the final vote and I was stoked. No matter what happens with the vote, I knew that I overcame so much

• Name: Kristian Chorkey
• Status: Junior
• Major: Actuarial Science
• Hometown: Plymouth, Michigan
• Program: Fiji: The Scholar Island