Our gap year volunteers have been putting in lots of practice over the past weeks to learn traditional ‘meke’ dances. As the Fijian government officials arrived into Nasesara village this week, it was time for our gap year team to show all their new found moves! It’s was an impressive performance by all of the gap team who embraced Fijian culture to the full extent. Vinaka team!
The village of Mua is unlike any community I have ever experience before. It is that word ‘community’ that is important, as it has come to perfectly encapsulate every aspect of Fijian life that I have encountered during my short time here. Fijian hospitality is famous, but nothing can quite prepare you for the sacrifices that Fijians are willing to make to accommodate your stay, from the giving up of a bed to the sharing of food. It has taken just a matter of days to feel completely comfortable within the environment I now live, a testament to the family I live with, but also to the Fijians as whole.
For the past week I have been helping to repair the church building. Definite progress has been made, with large sections of plastering having been completed and old timbers removed. However much is still left to do, especially on the roof which requires giant wooden structures of scaffolding to be built which require a lot of time and energy. The building phase has been a baptism of fire for many of the volunteers, myself included, however most are starting to relish the new challenges as they progressively become more comfortable with the new skills and knowledge they are quickly acquiring.
The nature of the work means that the church has inadvertently become the centre of attention for the villagers, but it is important to remember that work going on in school and in kindi. At the end of each day the builders see exhausted volunteers walking back to the village being followed by ecstatic children, evidence of the hard work being done in both sections. Saki, the ten-year old that I live with, said that he loves having volunteers in the class as it makes school less boring, which I guess is exactly the point of why we are here.
The sports coaching has been a mixed bag of carnage and learning in healthy measures of both. Alternating days between the younger and older children, definite progress has been seen by the volunteers. I have been coaching rugby with Matt and Struan and we have been amazed at how quickly the children pick up some of the concepts. Simply by organising them into drills, a novelty for most of them, their natural talents flourish and we can coach them things they would have never have picked up on otherwise.
On a personal note, being able to play touch-rugby everyday with the locals from Mua and other villages has been a great to way to let off steam and bond with the villagers at the end of the day. Keeping up can be tough at times, where more often than not tactics are replaced with out-and-out flare, but it’s been fun.
Fijian customs are experienced everyday, from the saying of Grace to the drinking of Grog. Throughout however there has been the constant guiding hand of the Fijians. Both humble and helpful, it has been touching to see how eager they are to ingratiate us into society, always quick to explain procedures and to get us involved in daily activities. The past weekend saw members of the team cooking, line and spear fishing, visiting the copra plantations and celebrating Palm Sunday, all under the supervision of the Fijians.
I cannot think of how I could get more involved in the community, which is another testament to the way the Fijians treat visitors. Sinking to cliché, we are one big family, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Nick
What a welcome to Moturiki!!
After a morning spent packing up and relaxing on their castaway island, in the afternoon the team were onto the boats and on our way to Nasesara, their new home for the 8 week project phase of the expedition. What an arrival it turned out to be! Today was quite simply, like nothing we have ever seen before at Think Pacific.
As we came through the Moturiki channel towards the village by small boats, we heard the conch being blown by two men dressed in the traditional Fijian dress. It signalled the ‘cere custom’, the greatest honour a village can bestow upon a visitor, a custom that is usually only ever reserved for high chiefs.
We had been told that this would be planned for our team’s arrival and we couldn’t quite believe it - It is one of the most unique Fijian customs. No Think Pacific team or staff member has ever experienced a Cere before. It so so rare that villagers from far and wide visited Nasesara for the day to observe the ceremony.
With the Conch sounding, the TP guys. as per the custom, immediately jumped out of the boats into the sea. Every man for himself then swims as fast as they can for shore, knowing that the first to reach the beach would follow the conch and be led to a Fijian lady with a tabua, a whales tooth, one of the most traditional and coveted gifts to be offered in Fiji. It was James who claimed the tabua, a very special moment for him!
After hearing all about the Cere from a chief from Lakeba many years ago, I personally had always wished that I may witness it, but to have the opportunity to take part in it with this team and the community was one of the most special moments in my life so far, and the team clearly appreciated the enormity of the occasion with their enthusiam and emotion of the whole event.
It is now up to us as a team to repay this unbelievable gesture and welcome to the people of Nasesara and Moturiki.
After the cere was completed the team went into the shed and took part in an extremely traditional sevusevu, again this is something seen very rarely in Fiji and something to truly appreciate.
There were welcome speeches from the community, and a speech from Pate, a member of the Fijian Affairs Board, before I had my chance to say just how incredibly humbling the entire welcome had been, I don’t think my words could ever do justice to Nasesara and the wonderful people here.
It was then grog time, with people from Savuna and Navuti villages also here to welcome the team and join the celebrations. The guitars began, the Fijian people were on their feet dancing and the kava flowed, it was quite the party!
Bula to Nasesara village April 2011 team, it’s going to be a unique few weeks ahead.
Harry
Here is a little video footage from the past week in Yanuca village as our gap year volunteers performed traditional meke dances in front of the community and our visitors from the Fijian government. The team put in a great performance and looked absolutley fantastic as they impressed the Fijian crowds!
Immersing into Fijian culture is a big aspect of a Think Pacific gap year and our volunteers had the chance to learn some island skills as they enjoyed traditional mat and basket weaving lessons from the talented Uluibau ladies. Weaving is a skill passed down from mother to daughter through generations in Fiji, and it is was a great experience for our gap year volunteers to get involved and learn about this important cultural practice. The team mastered mat weaving techniques before making some impressive baskets, belts and bracelets. The evening was a huge success and allot of fun. All our volunteers are very grateful to the ladies of Uluibau for passing on their impressive knowledge and skills!
‘Kaiviti way’ = traditional life in a Fijian village.
Days are spent farming in the plantations, fishing on the reefs, pounding yaqona for an evening kava ceremony, and respecting the centuries old Fijian lifestyle and culture. Our January team have all been incredibly eagre to learn about Fijian skills, customs, language and dress, and adapt to their new daily routine. We are massively proud of the way they have settled so easily into the community. The local people have been quick to express how much they respect our volunteers for their enthusiam to experience the kaiviti way. Here are a few great photos of this weeks activities; from helping in the plantations, to putting on their Fijian sulus, from dancing the night away around the tanoa, to making new friends as they join their Fijian clan.
