Adventures of Talei shared at Fiji memorial - Michelle Lam

Talei's memorial service speech - Michelle Lam

Saturday 20th August 2011 - Dakuibeqa village, Beqa Island, Fiji

I find myself still in disbelief that I am standing here on beautiful Beqa island for this sad occasion. When I think about Talei, I just remember what an amazing person she was to be around. She always knew how to have fun and enjoy all that the world offered her. On this occasion, I wanted to share some of the adventures we had together as a tribute to the wonderful life of Talei Aisha Jones.

I first met Talei in October 2004 at the High Holborn halls of residence in London. We had a great group of friends at the London School of Economics - Swarna, Nisha, Josie, Mikko, Monique, Shailey, Kwame, Amna, Rahul, Seb, just to name a few. Talei was a natural leader amongst us organizing nights out, hosting drinks and dinners. We went to music festivals at the Isle of Wight and Barcelona, attended exhibitions in London, had many fun nights out and of course many times we just sat, hung out and chatted about everything - music, funny stories, gossip, politics, boys … Talei was such easy company she made friends wherever she went and it was a natural gift of hers to bring people together.

In our third year at university, Talei came to visit in Hong Kong and we went to watch the Rugby Sevens together. We got up early to secure good seats in the south stands. She taught me to greet the Fijian team with 'Bula!' as they marched around the pitch, and she even pointed out the different rugby tactics the Fijians liked to use. I have to say I have been a keen supporter of the Fijian rugby team ever since.

The summer of 2007, after we graduated from LSE, was the best. Amongst all the other post-graduation celebrations, the six-week road trip we had in the US was easily one of the most memorable trips I've ever had. We explored stunning landscapes like the Antelope canyon and Colorado River, camped in the bright white sand dunes in New Mexico and even visited Graceland with all our hair done up in Elvis quiffs. When planning where to go and what to do Talei's attitude was always 'why not?' She was always fond of exploration and trying new things.

Two years later, in late 2009, I was surprised and happy to hear that Talei was moving to Fuzhou in China. She came to visit in Hong Kong every few months to sort out visas and for weekend breaks with the other English teachers. I was always so impressed at how much Chinese she had picked up - an intelligent girl as always. When she told me her Chinese name was 打雷 (pronounced: da3 lei2) meaning Thunder we all had a right giggle. In the end, we decided that 愛莎 (pronounced: ai4 sha1) meaning lovely was much more fitting to her beautiful self.

There are still many more memories of Talei as she lived life to its fullest. She had gone far too soon but she lived a wonderful and colorful life. In these few weeks, I have realized that life is short and life is so fragile, so Talei, my dear friend, I will remember to live in every moment and enjoy this wonderful world just like you did.

To all of Talei's friends and family - "In love she will be remembered, in memory she lives"