Wish for...

i am a producer and presenter for a community radio station. i am a year eleven student in suva. i am tired. for the past three weeks, including this one, i have been doing work, during my semester break. i do enjoy my work but because of the women we help, through either empowerment and providing them a space to voice their opinions, hardships and ideas, i feel that sometimes it is all too much. it was my first rural visit really. we went to nadi, ba, back to suva for a day, then savusavu and labasa. both main islands. the last place, labasa, was the most challenging for me. there were a lot more young people than expected. one young woman i had met was nineteen and has a two month old son; he was a beautiful baby, gray eyes and so cuddly. we interviewed her on air with a group of other young people. she was fine up until we asked everyone to say what they wished for, if that had one wish. there was one person who wanted to be a policewomen and stop crime, and one boy who wanted to be a solider like his father. then there was this young, very young, mother. she wished for a better education. she was forced to drop out of school so that she could stay at home and do the farming, by her stepmother. i was trying hard not to cry myself. her mother and father had been separated thirteen years, during which she was tormented, which might be too strong a word, but i feel this way, not her. we thanked her for sharing her story and reminded her that just because she didnt finish school didnt mean that she could start back up again. she was brilliant in my eyes as she spoke fijian, hindi and english well, whereas i can hardly speak anything other than english. after the visits i felt so bad and angry at some of the people i knew who are naive and spoilt. but it is not my position to judge.

i suppose i'll conclude with the hope that i'll keep writing.

The above picture is of the console on the suitcase radio, and below is a photo i took of the sky when we, my mother/boss and friend/colleague, were driving from ba towards tavua after rigging the first week friday.