By Meli Tulewa
Bula Vinaka. I am Meli Tulewa, a former Flight attendant with Fiji Airways.
When I was young, whenever Fiji Airways was hiring Flight attendants, one of my friends would bring the news and we would then share our exciting dreams of becoming flight attendants and create our own happiness with imagination.
Many people who knew me always thought that this was impossible because I was born with a medical condition or birth defect called congenital talipes equinovarus (commonly known as ‘clubfoot’) on my right foot which could result in me walking on the side of my foot. Thanks to my mother, Kelera Tulewa who raised me single-handed, she decided to put me up for surgery while I was only 8 months old. Since then, I walked without any issue even though my right leg was slightly thinner than my left leg. Growing up, I never liked to highlight or tell people about my condition unless they see it for themselves and ask me. I grew up being laughed at and people even made
Print
In her third state of the city address, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas first touted the beauty of Chula Vista, which translates to “beautiful view” and said the city is great because of its community.
Then she reviewed a list of city projects and events:
launch of an image advertising campaign
acquisition of the former Olympic Training Center
the opening of Gateway Marketplace
initial fruits of Proposition P, an infrastructure measure
The city launched “THIS is Chula,” in February to encourage countywide residents to shop, dine and play, and hopefully change any negative perceptions.
The city spent about $100,000 to promote the city with billboards showcasing the city’s growing craft beer movement, the newly renamed Mattress Firm Amphitheater where concerts are held, and SeaWorld Aquatica, the city’s waterpark and its bayfront opportunities.
The coronavirus pandemic, protests over the police killing of George Floyd, the Blue Ridge fire, lockdowns, and the closing of schools rocked the Chino Valley and the rest of the nation during this extraordinary year.
The devastation was matched by the goodness of residents who helped school children cope with social isolation, collected food and items for those hit hardest by the pandemic, and rallied around frontline healthcare workers.
Barely had the year begun when the coronavirus pandemic originating in Wuhan, China spread across the globe resulting in 334,000 deaths in the United States by the end of the year.
There were 11 deaths in Chino Hills and 70 in Chino, with 26 of those at the California Institution for Men in Chino and one at the California Institution for Women.