This is it

After spending 154 days in Fiji, I’m on my way back home to Canada today.
But sitting in the Los Angeles airport for a 10-hour layover, I’m at a loss for words – a writer’s worst nightmare.
It’s not that I don’t have anything to say; rather, the problem is I have too much to say. How can I sum up the last six months living abroad in a developing country? I promised myself I wouldn’t even attempt to do so in this final blog. After all, ending with a summary is reserved for academic writing, and I ain’t no academic.
And besides, my previous blog entries will tell my tale in far better detail than I could ever do in 500 words.
So instead, here are a few of the things I will miss most from Fiji:
My editor and mentor Dr. Robert Wolfgramm: Not only did Robert welcome me into his newspaper, but he also welcomed me into his family. Robert and I spent countless hours in cafes discussing everything from politics and sports to film and relationships. He will be a lifelong friend.

The food: From fresh fruit to fish curry to fiery chilli peppers, my palate spent the last six months in heaven – and occasionally hell (when I used too many chillies).

The scenery: Though I’ve made the four-hour, coastal voyage from Suva to the Nadi airport many times, I’ve yet to be able to read a single word during the ride, because I can’t take my eyes off the breath-taking view: the vast blue Pacific Ocean on one side and cloud-piercing mountains on the other side. It’s truly mesmerizing.

My dog, O.D.D: because a boy never forgets his first dog.

The Ocean: Growing up in London, Ontario, I never understood the power of an ocean. Now, not even a day out of Fiji, I’m already suffering ocean withdrawal. I loved swimming in the Pacific’s warm, salty waters, and watching the sun set into its horizon.

In closing, this was my first venture into the world of blogging, and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. At first, I constantly feared that I would run out of things to blog about or that nobody would be interested in what I wrote, but the exact opposite happened. My friends and family have been incredibly supportive, and your encouraging messages and comments mean the world to this young writer. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.