Semester Abroad in Suva, Fiji!!

Bailey Bottoms Start Date: Feb 28, 2024 - End Date: Aug 27, 2024
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Suva, Fiji

My Travel Story

by: Bailey Bottoms Start Date: Feb 28, 2024 - End Date: Aug 27, 2024
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
My name is Bailey Bottoms, and I am in my fourth academic year at the University of Wyoming. I have dreamt of studying abroad for the duration of my academic career, and truthfully, for my whole life. The idea of going somewhere completely new, where I know no one and get to start fresh is slightly intimidating, but wildly exciting! I want to experience what it is like to be entirely on my own, being shaped by a culture that is completely different from mine. I hope to gain a cultural perspective that I did not know I was missing, and in turn achieve significant personal development. I hope to come out of this semester a more compassionate and openminded person after being exposed to this beautiful new place.
I have only done limited travel outside of the United States. My most memorable trip was to Costa Rica two years ago, and although I was just there for pleasure, I learned so much about what it means to connect with a culture other than my own. I know some Spanish, so I was able to connect with the locals and really learn about their culture. I loved this experience, and it just deepened my desire to study abroad.
Not only do I hope to grow personally, but I also hope to push myself academically in my final semester of college, and the courses I hope to take while abroad will most definitely allow for me to do that. The program that I have selected to attend for my semester abroad will be through the ISEP program, and will be at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. I will be here from June to November of 2024. I will be taking classes in marine biology while abroad that will absolutely push me out of my academic comfort zone, and allow me to experience an entirely new perspective on learning. I chose my destination to be Fiji for many reasons, one of which is my adoration for the ocean and desire to address the problems it is facing. I am currently studying biology, and the field of marine biology has always fascinated me due to this love for the ocean. The University of the South Pacific has an amazing marine biology program, and I am very excited to investigate this field. I am unsure what my career path will be after graduation, and I am hoping this experience will help me come to a decision! I have always gone back and forth between going into the medical field or pursuing wildlife conservation- particularly on marine life, and I hope to achieve clarity in regards to my future career path during this semester. I am also planning on doing a lot of volunteer work within the local community. There are so many people, animals, and ecosystems in need in this area, and I am hoping that instead of spending time working while abroad to fund the trip, I can allocate my time to helping those who need it most.
Not only am I planning on taking advanced coursework and complete many hours of volunteering, but I will also be completing a research project while in Suva. The goal of this project is to educate others on the impacts that climate change is having on not only the ocean environment, but the local cultures that depend on it. I would like to share what I find with my peers, and hopefully inspire others to make an effort to address this problem. The main question I will be answering is: How do the local residents of Fiji view the affects climate change has had on the keystone species coral reefs in the area? Supplementary questions I wish to answer are: From a scientific perspective, what is going on to cause coral depletion? How has it affected the biome/ ecosystem? How has it affected the resident’s lives (leisure, livelihood, connection with the ocean etc.) What can be done? What does the future look like according to the locals? For the methods of this project, I will begin with completing scholarly research in the form of literature review in order to develop a background information section for this and learn scientifically what is causing the rapid coral depletion. Then, I will seek out local expertise from marine biologists, fishermen, tourism coordinators, tribal leaders to inform me. My information will come from informal interviews, discussions, and conversations with these individuals. I will engage in local culture in an effort to understand how locals view climate change as a whole, and how it is affecting such a crucial species. I will also be using photographic documentation to demonstrate what I have learned, so I can achieve a multidisciplinary viewpoint for this project. The product of this project will be a website. This website will have the components of my journal article broken up into more tangible pieces, and will have tabs for each component I would like to address. There will be a tab for each of the following: background information, interview findings, photographs, a personal summary of what the trip/ research has taught me, and most importantly, a section on what can be done to address the problem of coral depletion. I plan to have links to non-profit organizations that work on coral depletion and would benefit from donations, and well as other actions that can be taken by people not only in Fiji, but around the world to help this cause.
This semester abroad will be the opportunity of a lifetime. I hope to make friends that I have for the rest of my life, and memories that I can share with my future family. Every aspect of a semester abroad excites me, even the pieces that intimidate me. I have done a significant amount of preparation for this semester academically, socially, and financially. In regards to my academics, I have been working closely with both my academic advisor and abroad advisor to ensure that the courses I enroll in will contribute to my graduation requirements upon returning to UW. As far as the social aspect goes, I have actually started to study the Fijian language in order to be able to further connect with the locals of Suva. I believe that there is a depth of connection with people that can only be achieved when you make an effort to understand what makes them unique, and my major effort has been this study of the language.
The financial aspect of preparation for this trip has been the most taxing. This scholarship would ease significant financial stress that has been caused by preparing. I have been working two jobs for the last year and a half to save for this. I am currently a waitress and have my own cleaning business, and any funds that do not go to my living expenses and tuition have been saved to pay for this semester. My self-employed parents have also generously been saving whatever they can to help me. This scholarship could make such a difference in my experience, and would allow me to be fully immersed in the culture of Fiji rather than worried about funding. I have applied to many scholarships, but so far I have not received any. I would be so grateful to have this opportunity granted to me, and I plan to do everything in my power to make it happen!
 
Thank you so much for your consideration,
 
Bailey Bottoms
  • Suva, Fiji