Kana Vakalevu

(Kana Vakalevu translates to, “eat more!” So far, this is the most universal piece of communication between peace corps trainees and their host mothers. The appropriate response is , “Sega Vinaka. Au sa Mamau, which translates to, “no thanks, I’m full.”)

FIJIAN VILLAGE CUSTOMS:

Well, week two of my host family village stay is coming to a close, and so far everything is still going great. I’m finally getting accustomed to some of the most important cultural differences here, such as:

- Respecting the head and shoulder areas because they are sacred. This means no sunglasses, no hats, no bandanas, and no carrying objects/bags on shoulders or heads in the villages. Also, this means that any time one wants to walk past a Fijian person who is sitting, one must utter the word, “Tulou.”

- Always covering up the body. I have seen virtually no Fijian shoulders or knees since I’ve been here in-country so far, and I guess that is for several reasons. Not only are Fijians fairly modest people who also don’t wear low-cut , shear, or tight-fitting clothing, but they also sit on the floor almost constantly. This means, that unless the skirt/dress is flowing and WELL below the knees (usually ankle length is best), then it’s easy to flash someone sitting across from you. And that’s never good. Also, the mosquitoes here are vicious, so the more skin that’s covered, the better!

- On that note, another major cultural difference that is taking some getting used to is simply sitting on the floor with the knees tucked to the side all the time. At first, my legs fell asleep several times a day and my hips would always hurt, but I'm starting to get used to it already. Also, for the boys who are just getting used to wearing Sulus (like knee length skirts made out of nice suit-like materials) in the villages, learning to sit and shift on the floor without flashing the rest of the room is definitely a challenge we're all hoping the overcome rather quickly!

- Kerekere, which literally translates to "please" is an interesting custom here. Because Fijian people are so communal, they very literally interpret the "what's yours is mine" concept. In fact, it's not rare to tell someone you like their shirt, and a few minutes later have a shirtless Fijian standing in front of you insisting that you keep it. It also means that things like pens, lighters, and sometimes bigger items like digital cameras are pretty much up for grabs. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we try to stay out of the whole kerekere system for obvious reasons. But is is wonderful that, whenever you need something like an ingredient for a meal, all you have to do is go to a neighbor and kerekere it. They can't refuse!

- Never point at someone. Unless it’s a child, pointing at a person is considered very rude. Also, one must never point at the chief’s house or any member of his family.

- Always offer a Sevusevu when you want to accomplish anything in a village or if you want to enter it for the first time (refer to “Au Sega Ni Kila” for more information about this Kava ceremony and for a few images).

- Everything revolves around food!! When you come into your house and you’ve been away during a mealtime, the first question your family will ask you is not, “how was your day.” In fact, there is no real Fijian translation of that phrase! Instead, they will ask you, “what did you eat?” Additionally, any time you walk into someone’s house, they try to verbally bully you into staying for an impromptu meal. And if you happen to be there during a mealtime, then forget about it! You’re staying.

THE FOOD

From the title of this post you all can surely guess that food is so far playing a vital role in my host-family experience here in Fiji. Many people have been been like, and I’m happy to oblige…

First of all, most meals that I eat involve some sort of starchy root vegetable like a Cassava (“Tavioka”), a Sweet Potato (“Uvi”), or a Taro root (“Dalo”). Usually, my family makes a mixture of ketchup, chili peppers, and salt on their plates and dips the roots in it. I personally don’t think this helps much, but it seems to be their favorite food.

An interesting dish that is derived from one of these roots is called Bila, and it is a type of “bread” that is found only in this specific region of Fiji. Due to the high incidence of floods here, the Fijians found a way to use their Cassava crops that have been soaked through with water for days and days. They remove the center stalk, pound them down into a dough-like substance, mix in fresh coconut shavings and lots of cane sugar, and wrap it in a special type of leaf to cook in an underground oven (or “Lolo”) until they reach a hard, jelly-like consistency. In fact, the other day I came home from language class and my host mom was making “Vundi Tavioka.” This is Bila wrapped around Vundi (sort of like plantains), and she prepares it in order to bring the product into Suva, the capital city, and sell it in the markets—and she let me help her! It was an amazing experience, and I got to taste the final product the next morning for breakfast and I must say that I’m getting pretty good at this stuff!

My favorite dish so far, though, has to be “Ika Na Lolo Ke Roro.” Or at least I think that’s what it’s called… It’s basically a white fish (Tilapia is found in the river that runs alongside my host village) in a soup of coconut milk and Taro leaves (which are basically like spinach when cooked). Ever since I said that I like the dish, we have it almost every day.

Well, unfortunately (as usual) I have run out of time again and I must go get home so my NeNe (host mom) can show me how to make Roti and Kuri (an Indian-style meal).

Please keep sending warm wishes my way. I’ve loved getting the letters (Caitlin!) and e-mails that you all are sending, so keep them coming!

Moce Vakalailai

(“goodbye for a little”)

Melissa Lailai, a.k.a. "Adi"

(Pronounded "Ann-dee", short for "rah-nan-dee" which means Queen. This is my new Fijian name (in the host village), and is appropriate because my real Hebrew name also means Queen.)