culture:
“People in western civilization no longer have time for each other, they have no time together, they do not share the experience of time. This explains why Westerners are incapable of understanding the psychology of sitting. In villages all over the world sitting is an important social activity. Sitting is not a ‘waste of time’, nor is it a manifestation of laziness. Sitting is having time together to cultivate social relationships.”
-Andreas Fuglesang
Talanoa (story, tell a story, story time)
So it finally happened! Ive been waiting and waiting for this one moment since I arrived in Fiji (we were told it WOULD happen) and this is how it went down:
Gardener: Monica, you come here eevverrryy week, but there is something different about you this week.
Me: really? what is it? i haven’t changed anything about me.
Gardener: yes, I’m sure you are different. you are looking reeaally fat now.
Me: haha ohhhh, I don’t feel any fatter
Gardener: well you look fatter, you are looking very fat since you came to fiji
Me: maybe I should start dieting.
Gardner: no lewa (young girl), you are supposed to be fat. You are looking very fat and it looks very nice
Me: but raj, I don’t want to be fat
Gardener: well then don’t want to be beautiful.
Me: haha you got me. Fijians do look very beautiful. but really, am I looking fatter?
Gardener: yes yes yes veeerrry fat. very very fat!
So being fat is the thing if your Fijian (Indians want to be super thin). The word for beautiful or sexy in Fijian is uro and it is literally translated to big a fat. Eating is a passion, there is no such thing as left overs, and you don’t eat until you are full, you eat until all the food has run out. Everyone at work laughs at me when I bring my leftovers from the night before for lunch. They say, ‘lewa, by the end of the two years you will know Fiji so well and be a kaiviti (local) but it makes me sad knowing that you will never start eating like a Fijian’. I usually respond with, ‘well see’ but just for play, I promise I won’t come back home huge. Most volunteers have had something like my story above also happen to them, my good friend’s incident went like this:
Co-workers: ‘Lewa, have you been gaining weight?’
Volunteer: ‘umm no.’
Co-workers: ‘well, have you been running this week?’
Volunteer: ‘I was feeling sick so I only ran twice.”
Co-workers: ‘we can tell’
Even though we know that being called fat is a good thing, its still quite shocking to hear it from someone. Later that day I jokingly told my boss what they gardener had said to me. She responded by saying, ‘you are! you are looking much fatter since you arrived, it must be the Labasa hospitality and all that dhal soup’ (dhal soup is an Indian style bean soup that I love. Its funny that she said that though because I would compare it to someone from the states saying that you are getting fat from eating garden salads). They best way I can explain why they have no hesitation commenting on weight is because they use it as a measure of health, it means you are well fed and taking care of your body. They also say it to throw in a little brag that you’re being treated better in Labasa than in Rewa (the area where our training was) or even the United States.
work
-Non-Communicable Disease screening in villages (I go with the nurses to record height, weight, blood pressure and sugar and then calculate BMI. After I give advice on what type of diet the person should have depending on if they have high blood sugar, diabetes, hypertension, or are obese/overweight).
-Visit Primary Schools and help change school canteens from selling only junk food to selling only healthy food.
-Visit Boarding Schools, promote vegetable gardens and give advice on menus for the boarding students. Hopefully in the time I’m here I can create a system where the food being grown in the vegetable garden can feed the boarding students and provide fresh, local and healthy meals for the students
-I’ve sent in a proposal to start a vegetable garden at the local training center that can supply fresh and local fruits and vegetables to the hospital.
-Improve the structure, methods, crop choice, composting, and utilization of space in gardens at the hospitals. This is intended to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables being served to staff and patients and reduce rations cost.
I’m super busy at work. I never thought I’d come to Fiji, live in a town and have a 8-5 job, but I love it and don’t really mind working 8-5 because I spend a lot of my time in the gardens.
Pictures!
closest beach to us
Painting ‘faces’ at the Friendly North Festival. I painted about 50 snakes and scorpions on arms, afterwards I oddly felt that I had some how contributed to a 10 year old boy gang related tattooing ceremony. Don’t worry, it'll wash off.
My street
My room
This is where I wash my clothes and hang them to dry while I’m at work, I have a place to hang them outside when I’m home. I enjoy watching my clothes blow on the line in the wind, but I really dislike washing my clothes by hand. Washing is by far my least favorite thing about living slowly, I spend at least 3 hours per week washing clothes, towels, linens, ect. blahh
My art, music, writing, yoga room.
only fresh and local food is allowed in my kitchen (minus chocolate and wine, which are necessary parts of life)!!! once my garden grows I’ll be growing my own food, preparing and cooking my own food, composting it and then using it to grow more food! I’m so excited.
view from my front door. come live with me
miss and love you all. are the trees changing color yet, can someone send me an autumn leaf?
Monica
