Fiji Time

My first month at site can be characterized by a pattern similar to what I experienced during training: excitement, culture-shock, homesickness, adjustment. After the flurry of meeting everyone, exploring my new village and moving into my new home, the initial elation gave way to a familiar anxiety and discomfort about living in this strange new way. I understood myself better having gone through all this during training. I felt that if I just held on, took my time and waited a few weeks, the requisite adjustments would occur. Most days now, I feel it has. Mind you, I expect this pattern to repeat itself innumerable times during the course of my two year service (current PCV’s assure me it will) but hopefully each time will be less jarring and I’m better prepared for each squall having weathered the previous storms.

The main difference between this acclimation and the initial one my first few weeks in country is the sudden lack of any structure. After the intensity of training, where every day was scheduled, my primary task for the first three months is simply to integrate. (Not that it’s easy). Although I have an assignment – the village requested a volunteer for a reason – it is broadly defined and my job is to work with the community on assessing their needs and then developing a plan or some projects to achieve some goals. All this can seem rather nebulous as times but there is a template that Peace Corps has provided and on which we were trained. It’s interesting stuff, for sure, but the nature of development work is very slow and we, with our American sensibilities of time management, goal orientation and muti-tasking, are confronted almost daily with frustration and boredom. While there is much to do, from our perspective, the pace here is relaxed and it’s best to embrace it.

I have yet to establish a routine and I’d be hard pressed to describe a typical day (for me) but my village has a certain rhythm to it that I’m beginning to understand – and groove to. We are not far from the Coral Coast and there are many resorts on that part of the island. My village is known as one of the few Pottery Villages in Fiji and we get tour groups from the resorts almost on a daily basis - coming to the village for pottery demonstrations. The sale of pottery is the primary source of income for many of the families. The clay is from a stream that runs along the edge of the village and apparently is unique to the area and ideal for this kind of handiwork. I’ve started to learn how to make some things. We do it all by hand – no wheels or machinery. I made my first clay turtle last week! It was hideous. Looked more like a fat cat with dwarfed legs – paws stuck on a round body.

My village is very small: just 3 extended families in about 20 houses. Population is around 75 and almost half of them are children. I started a homework camp after school where the primary school aged kids come and I help them with their assignments. The first day, 3 girls showed up. The following day, more than 10 kids. Since then, attendance is sporadic. I’ve learned, very quickly, that unless I put some structure and rules into this “activity” it’s either chaotic (when they show) or waning. I have found that most of the kids don’t have homework everyday so I need to have some sort of lesson or activity planned. The kids are at all levels so having one activity that’s appropriate for all attendees is a challenge. Math aptitude, I found, gets poorer as the student gets older so I’ve started math drills. Other days, I have them help me learn Fijian words which also helps them with their English. Win-win!