Village Life in Fiji

I hoisted the young Fijian girl, Nabua, onto my shoulders with waves crashing and children laughing nearby.

When I first became a student at the University of Georgia, I never would have imagined that this university would allow me to spend part of my summer studying in Fiji, one of the most beautiful island chains in the South Pacific.

However, I was allowed to do exactly that, thanks to the amazing opportunities provided by UGA’s Study Abroad program.

Beyond Fiji, UGA offers many opportunities to study in places such as Antarctica, Australia, Belize, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. These programs focus on the ecology of humans and their natural environments.

My particular programs consisted of a three-week stay in Australia and an eight-day visit to Fiji, which included two days in a local village with a host family.

Our Fiji trip began on the main island of Viti Levu in the city of Nadi, from which we made our way on a scenic bus ride along the coast to the capital city of Suva. I’ll never forget the stunning views of lush mountains meeting crystal clear ocean waters.

Although the landscape was breathtaking, the poverty of the country was quite surprising. As we traveled, we passed countless villages consisting of basic concrete houses, usually surrounded by barefoot villagers waving and shouting “Bula,” the Fijian welcome.

Although the locals were very friendly, their living conditions involved unsanitary water, little electricity, and often heaps of trash nearby. Not surprisingly, this aspect of Fijian life is often omitted from travel brochures.

However, it was interacting with these poverty-stricken people, rather than the natural beauty of Fiji, that had the most significant impact on my view of the world. In the local village of Votua, I discovered the insignificance of material possessions.

Despite the fact that the families in this community do not have many possessions, they demonstrate a level of hospitality that is often absent in average American homes. It was truly amazing to be welcomed into the homes of complete strangers and experience such an overwhelming sense of love and belonging.

Although we, as American college students, had little in common with these locals, they eagerly welcomed us into their village of Votua with open arms and complete acceptance.

In Fijian villages, a traditional “yagona,” or “kava,” ceremony is performed as a sign of welcome into that particular village. The visitors present a bundle of “waka,” or dried pepper plant root, to the village chief with a brief explanation for their visit, a custom known as “sevusevu.”

The host receives the sevusevu, pounds the plant, and then places it in a cloth sack. Afterwards, it is mixed with water in a large, hand-carved wooden bowl, called a “tanoa.”

The first cup of kava, a non-alcoholic, tranquilizing drink, is then presented to the guest of honor, while the second goes to the master of ceremonies. Before receiving the cup, the drinker must clap once and again three times when the drink is finished.

Although Kava drinking is an almost daily social norm in Fijian society, it does not have the stigmas associated with alcohol consumption. The drink does not produce the effects of alcohol, but simply a slight numbing of the tongue and mouth.

After our initial yaqona ceremony, our group was split into pairs, each pair staying with a different host family.

While talking with Tabua, the host mother of our house, over breakfast the morning after our arrival, we discussed our own families and backgrounds as she described hers.

After declaring that she now considers us a permanent part of her family, she insisted that the next time we come back to Fiji with our own families, we should stay with her. In this way, our families can experience the real Fiji and prevent wasting money at the resorts.

I will never forget this incredible cross-cultural hospitality. It seems that open understanding and acceptance are often difficult to find in our world of social prejudice. However, the notion of equality among cultures is still a prominent factor in local Fijian society. If only American families were so open to new people and different cultures.