working in Fiji

There are many ways to describe my volunteer experience... now I can use the all encompassing words: 'civil servant.' I never thought of myself and my volunteer position as this until a celebration was held in honor of the work I'm involved with.

I received a call early in the morning insisting that I wear a specific shirt from one of the programs we had run out of the HUB Center (the reproductive health clinic where I am based). I followed my instructions and went to work sporting a bright blue shirt tagged with the Ministry of Health logo.

It was CIVIL SERVANT's DAY! People were huffing and puffing with excitement; there was a band, booths were set up for each sector, everyone was all dressed up. And as people queued up for the parade I realized that- sure, I don't mind being described as 'not deficient in common courtesy' (dictionary.com's definition for 'civil') and 'a person employed by the government' (dictionary.com's definition for 'servant'). In fact, when I write my description of service, I might just begin with 'In Fiji, I was a civil servant.'


Proudly marching through the streets of Lautoka