2/21/2012-Tuesday
On Tuesday we got up early for our day of
lectures, this is what we earned the 1 credit in Pacific Studies for. Our first
lecture was on the Colonization on the Pacific, then we had a Q&A with a
man who was going for his doctorate in Pacific Studies and grew up in the
Marshall Islands. This lecture was very interesting because he showed a side of
missile testing and international relations that is not always shown. Next we
had a lecture on global climate change, and then a lecture on Pacific art in
which we got to see USP artist’s work and ask them questions. After class it
was a girl in our group birthday so we went to a local bar recommended by our
host families, called O’Reilly’s.
2/22/2012-Wednesday
Wednesday was supposed to be a day for
“studying” but it actually turned out to be more of an excuse to give us
another day to study. The previous night at O’Reilly’s my camera was stolen so
we started the day off with a trip to the police station with the Volau’s daughter-in-law
Anthea. They sent me to the tourist police where they had AC and couches,
strangely nicer than the regular Fiji police. After this we went to the Holiday
Inn where you could swim in their pool if you bought food or drinks. It was
beautiful weather and even a Holiday Inn in Fiji had a great view and made you
feel like you were in paradise. We ordered pizza for lunch and just spent the
day lounging by the pool.
2/23/2012-Thursday
The next morning we woke up early for our
exam. It turned out to be a 2-page essay for each of our lectures. I finished
in about an hour and walked around campus before lunch. Lunch on Thursday was
one of my favourite meals, we had spaghetti and gravy like meat sauce, yummy
bread and roasted pumpkin which was delicious! After lunch we went to the Prison Art Gallery, which was actually
an art gallery of work done by prisoners. It was a great idea, the prisoners
were able to do artwork which they could sell in order to get money for a
second chance once they are released. They have something called “The Second
Chance Project” in Fiji, so that prisoners do not become repeat offenders. Part
of this initiative entails the inmates visiting their family before their
sentence is up so that they can reconcile. The artwork at the gallery was very
good as well! After the art gallery we went to Fiji’s one and only museum. It
was quite different than an American museum, but it was still very interesting.
They had an assortment of items ranging from a 3,000 year old pot to petrified
birds to a mannequin dressed in a blow-fish hat. Next the bus dropped us into
town and we had a look around the flea market. That evening we had dinner and
then met up with some friends at the movie theatre but the movie we wanted to
see was at a different time so we had to go to a political movie which my
homestaymate and I left early from because we couldn’t seem to stay awake
through it.
2/24/2012-Friday
On Friday we went to a Fiji village for an
authentic day in the life of a villager. When we first go there we participated
in a welcome “kavas” ceremony. Kavas is like a relaxing drug in Fiji that is
legal in many people participate in. It is a plant that is squeezed into water
and then drank. It numbs your throat and tongue and relaxes you if you drink
enough. While at the village we all had to wear “sulus” which are like sarongs.
We first walked to the lavo where they were beginning to cook our lunch. We
then saw how the women catch crabs. Next we went to the farming part of the
village where we saw the main crops they eat, taro- a potato like plant and
cassava, which means tapioca. One of the villagers chopped down a coconut and
we drank from it using a piece of straw as a straw. Then we saw the churches,
they had two a Methodist and Catholic church. They also had a kindergarten. The
houses that they lived in were 1-2 rooms with openings for doors and windows
and made of wood and tin. We watched them make and trap for mud crabs which are
like a mix between a crab in a lobster. For lunch we had taro, chicken and
cassava from the lavo, which gave it a smoky flavor. We also had the crab and
mud crab that they caught. After lunch we watched a performance that much of
the village participated in. A group sang while other villagers danced
traditionally in realistic costumes.
We got up and danced with them at some points as well. After the performance
they had a closing kavas ceremony. I only had about 3 small cups (made of
coconut) because I was worried about the water so I didn’t really feel
anything. During this time, though, the village men were very interested in us
and a few girls got marriage proposals and contact info. The men seemed very
sad to see us go. At night we went to O’Reilly’s
2/25/2012-Saturday
Today was a free day with our families. In
the morning we went shopping in town with our host mother. Then we drove up to
a national park that had a waterfall that formed into a pool you could jump
into from a rope swing. I swung off of it about a million times before we
headed home for our farewell ceremony at the university. We had dinner with all
of the host families and students and then we went to a performance at their
new building donated by the Japanese government. It was a traditional Maori
story told in a mix of traditional and contemporary called Vaka: Birth of the
Seer. The US Government helped fund the production that cost 17,000 dollars and
I ended up sitting next to the American ambassador! For our last night in Suva
we went to O’Reilly’s again.
2/26/2012-Sunday
On Sunday morning we said goodbye to our
host families and got on the bus to go back to Nadi After the drive back to the
hotel and stopping at Tabua Sands for lunch, I packed my suitcase properly to
fly to NZ and we had our last Fiji dinner at a local church made by the women’s
association.
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