After watching films as a child, Brian Malani was inspired to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a doctor, driven by the desire to help people in a medical facility.
Malani, who hails from Nabukadra in Ra and shares maternal links to Tailevu, completed his secondary school at Marist Brothers High School in 2008.
At 19 years old, he was later offered a scholarship to study medicine in China.
Malani says he first studied the Chinese language at Tongji University before pursuing medicine at Southeast University.
He says one of the challenges he faced was learning Chinese and Mandarin within a short period of 10 months, which was an uphill battle for him.
Malani recalls attending his first class at the university, where he had hoped to meet other Pacific Islanders and fellow Fijians. However, he was the only Fijian in a class dominated by Chinese students, along with students from other countries.
The RFMF captain says learning basic conversations was critical, and he was fortunate to study alongside other foreign students, which made the transition easier.
He says he kept the students motivated by encouraging them to struggle together.
This inspired the group to learn the language within the 10-month period.
Malani says that after completing the 10 months of language study, the students were separated according to their chosen fields of study, including law, fashion and medicine.
He says his first experience in the classroom was an unforgettable one as he had to find ways to fit into a class where the students did not understand English and spoke only Mandarin.
Despite the language barrier, he tried his best to speak and greet his classmates.
Insert: Malani on first day of class 26th Sep
Malani says he studied medicine for six years in China before graduating and returning to Fiji, where he spent some time at Colonial War Memorial Hospital and worked alongside former Health Minister Dr Iferemi Waqainabete.
He says working at CWM Hospital presented another challenge because he had studied medicine entirely in Chinese.
Hearing medical terms in English meant he had to translate them into Chinese in order to understand them.
Malani says that after two years of internship, he gradually became familiar with the system and found himself back on familiar ground.
He says he joined the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in 2019 and later travelled to Iraq, where he served his duty as a medical doctor for the army.
When asked about his biggest motivation, Malani says his parents, particularly his mother, and his siblings were his greatest source of hope.
They encouraged him to keep praying, regardless of the challenges he faced.
He says he found comfort in talking to his mother.
Malani recalls opening his books and seeing everything written in Chinese.
At times, he would ask himself what he was doing there, but thoughts of his family pushed him to persevere and complete his studies.
His message to children is to stay away from drugs, continue to trust in the Lord and listen to their parents.
Malani is challenging children across Fiji to pursue their dreams, value education and leave the rest in the hands of the Lord.
