“It’s past 5 a.m. I’m gazing at glorious clouds from my plane windows. The sun starts to peep from the skyline. I look down at a speck of illumined land. An upbeat music – sounds of feet stomping, hands swaying – enlivens the cabin. The purser announces we have crossed the international dateline. Welcome to our home. I look back at over 20 years of nomadic life. I say a prayer. I am grateful, tremendously grateful. – Aboard FJ 811.”
So goes my journal entry on Jan. 16, 2026.
Almost 30 years ago, Fiji was just a figment of my imagination. I learned about the island state in the Pacific when, while working for an Australian-affiliated company, our division head announced he was being seconded to Suva.
In July last year while on a homecoming, the hubby called to happily reveal he was being tasked to open the first Philippine embassy in Suva. When you’re living in the capital of the world, the melting pot of cultures and the center of amazing things beyond skyscrapers, the news of moving from New York to Suva could initially feel like a magnitude 7.5 quake. But when you’re quick to collect your thoughts, remind yourself of your itinerant, diplomatic existence and a new life journey that awaits, the idea of moving from North America to the Oceania no longer sounds daunting.
Upon returning to New York, one of the first things I did was to consult the globe resting in the living room, check the size of Suva versus New York City and visualize how the airplane would navigate from one continent to the other and over which ocean. Then I started drafting a “to do” list with tentative timelines.
I informed my friends of our impending move. They were thrilled; others were sad (the trouble with goodbyes), one was anxious about how I will adjust to the hot weather (forgetting I come from a tropical country), while one friend was blown away, overly excited about how I would be eating a lot of sushi, drinking more green tea and riding on cleaner, faster trains. When she was done gushing over my favorite things, I told her, we’re going to Fiji. We both rolled in laughter; “all along I had Mount Fuji, Japan in mind,” she said, amused at her confusion.
Confusion was not in my vocabulary in the short weeks of preparing for our relocation, especially when the movers started packing our stuff for shipment. When relocating, conscientiousness is the key. In between sorting and keeping our personal things, a task I don’t delegate to the professional movers (which they also refrain from doing), friends and the hubby’s colleagues hosted us to farewell (I call them so long) lunches or dinners. All these years, an excruciating part of leaving a foreign service post is having to say goodbye to friends who have become a part of our life. You bid them so long with tight hugs, blurry eyes, a grateful heart and with the uncertain question: when will I see them again?
We flew out of New York on an overcast afternoon, connected via Los Angeles and touched down in Nadi on a merry daybreak. The hospitable assistance of Richard and Sai, protocol officers from Fiji’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, were as warm as the sunrise. Nadi’s terminal was abuzz with tourist arrivals. Two men in flamboyant shirts warbled a joyful song accompanied by a ukulele. Nadi is a hub for tourism, relaxation and adventure.
We took a small plane to Fiji’s capital – Suva, the country’s political, cultural and economic center. On that 20-minute flight while cruising at an altitude of 9,000 feet, my eyes feasted on enchanting vistas of turquoise seas, emerald mountain ranges and pristine cloud formations blending with cobalt skies. When we landed in Suva, honorary consul Ariel de Asa and DFA’s landing team of four seasoned foreign service personnel cordially welcomed us. For the past two months Consul Emi, Dan, Sitti and Nilo have been laying the groundwork for setting up the embassy.
When President Marcos affirmed our government’s goal to strengthen diplomatic relations by opening embassies and consulates in strategic places abroad, Suva was one of them. According to a local media report, in April last year, the Fijian Cabinet had endorsed our country’s request to establish an embassy in Suva. It added, “the establishment of the embassy in Fiji will enhance the growing level of engagement between Fiji and the Philippines, particularly in critical areas such as labor mobility, agriculture, security, climate change, maritime and ocean affairs.”
When the hubby reported he has arrived, DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro said she was glad we had a safe trip and wished him all the best. She ascertained that “Suva is strategically an important post, and I know that you will do a lot of good things and put the Philippines in a prominent place in the Pacific.”
These days when Philippine Embassy Team Suva meets for working meals and I happen to be around, I hear about their enthusiasm or challenges. But most importantly, I see their readiness to serve the needs of our kababayans here in Fiji and eventually in other South Pacific countries, which will be under their jurisdiction. The task of establishing the Philippines’ first embassy in the South Pacific is formidable. But I also feel their shared optimism, the drive to get things done and the spirit to shine like Suva’s cheerful sun.
There’s a reason to affirm, “Bula!” The endearing greeting we often hear when we meet friendly Fijians along the long stretch of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, as we watch a rugby game at Albert Park, as we stroll by the unspoiled bay walk or attend mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Bula means a lot of things – hello, good morning, blessings, life, among others. Self-assured, I smile and tell myself, there’s a reason we are here.