For Scott Fordyce, travelling to Fiji for his New Colombo Plan Scholarship has been a life-changing experience - and one that was unimaginable to him only a few years ago.
Now a Community Development graduate from Victoria University, Scott had already made a huge course adjustment in his life, moving away from a career in the gas pipeline industry to realign his skills and knowledge with his values.
As the first in his family to attend and graduate from university, Scott says it means a lot to have achieved his goals.
"I'm grateful that I had strong encouragement from my dad who supported my decision to go back to study," Scott says.
"Because of COVID-19, most of my degree was online and I also had my NCP program delayed for two years.
"There were more than a few times I thought I wouldn't get to do my program at all, so I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity to live in Fiji over the past 12 months.
"When I first decided to go back to university, I never thought I'd end up working on a climate change mitigation program overseas or learning iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian).
"I often reflect on what an amazing and humbling experience it has been."
While Scott is now undertaking language training, the first six months in his host location were spent interning at non-government organisation (NGO) Live & Learn Environmental Education.
"Researching a community and discovering how working closely together we can make positive innovations, come up with new ideas and programs is something I am passionate about," he says.
"I've had the opportunity to live in remote Fijian villages, work alongside communities, help to facilitate workshops, draft nature-based solutions and be part of creating resilience profiles for the communities, and to soak up local knowledge as part of development and education across the Fiji island of Vanua Levu.
"It has opened my eyes up to what is possible. I can see myself working for Live & Learn or another NGO in the Indo-Pacific. It's allowed me to see what avenues are available for my studies."
Passionate about addressing climate change, Scott says one of the most impactful projects he worked on was the Climate Resilience Islands Programme.
He worked alongside the community for the project, which is designed to help Fijians develop and implement nature-based solutions to climate change in communities, by using Indigenous and scientific knowledge to restore and protect critical ecosystems while building economic and social resilience.
Scott has also been a part of a range of events, from a domestic violence workshop hosted by Hello Cass founder at the Australia Aid base in Labasa to meeting Fijian Prime Minister, the Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka, at an event held by the Fiji Teachers Association.
"To work in community development, you need strong interpersonal skills," he says. "You need to be able to easily adapt to environments so that you can communicate with people easily and make them feel comfortable.
"This internship has pushed me to grow in this area even more. I have already learnt so much about Fiji, but I know I am only scratching the surface of what is a rich culture and history and that is exhilarating.
"I've also learnt to go with the flow more because 'island time' is a real thing. If you're rigorous with time and expect everything to run on schedule you won't have a good time, you need to adopt a more flexible mindset and go with it. It teaches you that you can't know everything all the time.
"Now I say yes to everything because every experience has value, and you never know what doors it can open."
Now one year into his NCP experience, Scott can reflect on living in Fiji - the first country he has set foot in outside of Australia.
"I feel like I did it in the best way, starting in the relatively big city of Suva - bright, busy, colourful, and green and lush - before moving to Labasa, a smaller inland town away from resorts and beaches," he says.
"What I've noticed about the smaller villages I have been to on Vanua Levu, is that they are very community orientated. Even the layout of the villages is structured for the community - almost set up as circles, so that gatherings are easier and there is always a feeling of being engaged.
"It is so different to Australian life. Here everyone does everything together and while they might not have the luxuries we have, they have all the necessities, food and water and a culture full of love, dancing, and games. You can always hear laughter."
While it hasn't all been smooth sailing changing careers, studying online during the pandemic, and navigating a new culture and language in Fiji, Scott is happy with the path he is on - and hopes others with similar backgrounds might also consider taking the leap.
"It's so rare to get an opportunity like this, to really push yourself," he says.
"I think about what the great David Bowie said: 'If you feel safe in the area you're working in, you're not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of…go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don't feel your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting'.
