A SCOTTISH scientist and inventor Alexander Graham Bell once said; “When one door closes, another opens — but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
While growing up Mereani Saukitoga wanted to be a flight attendant but financial constraints disallowed her from fulfilling her childhood dream.
But she did not let that get the best of her, nor did she focus on the door that was closed, a window of opportunity was presented and opened to her, and she grabbed it with both hands.
In 2008, a friend of hers invited her to work part-time as a masseuse at the Williams and Gosling Ltd gym.
“One thing I found that people actually enjoyed the massage, so it made me happy knowing that people enjoyed the work that I do,” she said.
It was this experience as a part-time masseuse that developed in to a passion that she loves dearly, and one which has been able to put food on her table.
For the past decade, Mrs Saukitoga allows herself to learn new traits of the fine art of massaging, and by improvising she has managed to deliver the best form massage, that her name is now synonymous to among hotel operators in the group of islands that make up the Kadavu Province.
A full-time employee for Oneta Resort on the island of Ono, there are times her services are required either at the Papageno Resort on mainland Kadavu, or the Koromakawa Resort and My Dive Resort on Ono.
“Sometimes, I do freelancing.
“There is no secret to what I do. This gift was no traditionally gift, I had to learn it by myself and until today I love what I do. I guess when I do things from my heart people actually love it.
“I really love this job as I get to learn new things and meet people from different cultures and background and get to talk to them,” added the mother of six.
Apart from being in charge of the spa at the Oneta Resort, Mrs Saukitoga also does other duties such as housekeeping and serving guests.
