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Life at 8

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Life at 8. At 8 years old, all I had to worry about was going to school and studying to get good grades. I swear I did live a life of adventure at 8, building a tree-house or making a secret hideout. My understanding of the world then was one of happiness, colors and all children just enjoying life. Now I am 21 and I understand that not every child enjoys the same privileges growing up. Some have to struggle twice as hard and some have to shoulder adult responsibilities at an early age.  Last Night as I was heading home, I came across 8 year old Josefa whose story is different from my version of life at 8. At 8 years old, Josefa tries to help his family make ends meet by selling roti curry parcels at Cost-U-Less car park. He is a class 3 student at a school in Suva and the 6 th eldest of 9 children. His older siblings are all married and have families of their own. Being the eldest now in the house he feels the need to help his parents out. Therefore, every day after school J...
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Lessons from a Hike

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Welcome back to part 2 of the Tali Magimagi series. Woven in this blog post is a story of courage and bravery. You may be looking at the title “Lessons from a hike” and be thinking what is so special about a hike? Well then read on! April 6, 2019 the much anticipated day. The day finally arrived after months of planning, mental and physical preparation, putting it off and rescheduling the hike. There was no turning back for Andrew and I. Andrew, my dear readers is a friend from the USP disability resource center who is visually impaired. He is doing foundation studies at USP and loves singing. ( Click here  to watch a video of Andrew singing "Walk On Walk Strong" by the late Tae Kami). April 6 was the day we attempted to hike up Mount Korobaba. Mt Korobaba is located just outside Lami town. Most people dread to hike up Mt Korobaba but put it off for reasons only they would know. Pictured: Andrew Rageci at the base of Mt Korobaba getting ready to hike up. We...
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The Walk

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Ni Sa Bula Vinaka and welcome to my space. I am known to be quite a story teller therefore I find it fitting to pen my thoughts down. These series of blog post titled "Tali Magimagi" is about pacific storytelling or Talanoa. In the past our ancestors used to share stories while weaving mats. So every strand of the woven mat has a story to tell hence a mat is very symbolic but not many people know this. This blog aims to weave untold stories and hope that many would share theirs.  In this first part of the Tali Magimagi series, I wish to share my experiences from a walk I participated in from Suva to Lautoka with the United Blind Persons. It all started from a casual conversation with my buddy Josaia who lost his vision at the age of 10 after a jack fruit fell and struck his head, damaging a nerve. Josaia is a USP student pursing a Bachelors degree in Economics and Law. One evening as I was guiding him home, he asked me to be his guide for the white cane-a-thon (White ...
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