Lets talk politics

Today I met with the Prime Minister. Somehow I was able to get an interview. So today marks my first meeting with a leader of a country, not a bad day at all.

R&R

Zoe and I had a wonderful weekend of rest and relaxation at Aggies. We took warm showers, snuggled into clean sheets and watched movies (7- to be exact), tanned on the beach, used the luxury gym and sauna, checked out the spa, dined on tuna and pastas and delicious desserts, and took avantage of the breakfast buffet. I felt a little like I won a reward challenge on Survivor...it was wonderful.

sunset at lalomanu beach fales

cooking at usp

15 minutes of fame

Yesterday I went in to a Samoan radio station to interview the radio personality about the government's control of the media. When I went into the building (which is the oldest building in Apia) the radio personality was busy editing the radio program for the next day. I sat and waited for him to finish working. (usual Samoan policy: you must sit and wait for a significant amount of time for interviews, classes, taxis, buses, phone calls, meetings, meals, pigs to cross the road...) As he was working and I was sitting, he turned and asked me if I wouldnt mind being the voice of a few commercials and adds for the station. Before I answered he handed me a paper (an add for Nike and another local shop having holiday sales), told me to read, and sat a microphone in my lap...so there I was, at a radio station expecting an interview and ending up on the radio! So I threw caution to the wind and I read the advertisments with all the gusto and enthusiasm I could muster! (they said I was a natural) Hooray for advertising, I had a lot more fun than I expected I would! And now, I am basking in my 15 minutes of semi-fame.

always prepared!

The other morning I was abruptly woken up by long, howling sirens and men on megaphones. I pulled the earplugs out of my ears, fought my way out of my mosquito net, and strained to understand the loud, muffled voices. It took me a few minutes to process that it was campus security, and they were pounding on everyones doors, screaming "A TSUNAMI IS COMING" and "EVERYONE REPORT TO THE FALE!" I scrambled out of bed and did a few circles around my room, trying to figure out what to do with myself. I rummaged through my dorm to find clothes to wear, and in the process of getting dressed, I decided to grab my rain jacket too- I figured during tsunamis things are bound to get wet, right? Then, as I started to go into survival mode, I proceeded to pack up all the antibiotics I could find in my FirstAid Kit. I marched out of my room and headed for the fale. As I came scurrying towards the rest of the students on campus, I realized quite quickly no one else was in a hurry like me, in fact, everyone seemed kind of annoyed, not at all scared...so there I was, rain jacket and antibiotics in hand, ready for the...tsunami drill.
Ive been through earthquake drills, bomb threat drills, fire drills, and the like...but a tsunami drill?? A 7AM tsunami drill?! Really.
Needless to say, my over-preparedness became the source of jokes for the day.

fiji

Beyond the palm trees, white sand and sunshine, Fiji is an incredibly diverse island with a complex history and real people with real issues. Fiji hosts two main ethnic groups, indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians (who were brought to Fiji as indentured servants by the British during colonialism). The two ethnic groups remain incredibly separate and distinct even today, and many of Fiji’s political and social conflict is derived from the racism and misunderstanding between these two ethnic groups. I wont get into the nitty gritty details now, but while we were in Fiji our studies focused on the ethnic tensions, political coups and social conflicts within the country. When you travel to Fiji, you will see the village life and culture of ethnic Fijians, as well as Indo-Fijian- who have maintained their Indian language, food and religion. To experience both cultures, we stayed in Abaca, an indigenous Fijian village, in Suva- the largest city in Fiji, and in Sigatoka with an Indo-Fijian family. Abaca (pronounced Ahm-ba-tha) is an ethnic Fijian village of 96 people nestled in a valley in the hills of Fiji. The landscape of Fiji is a lot different than Samoa. Fiji is much dryer and more arid looking. There are pine trees (they look like wilty, sad pine trees though), mountains and sand dunes, as well as palm trees and bamboo that grow on Fiji’s gently rolling hills. Samoa is much more green, lush and humid than Fiji- with massive looming mountains. Fiji is less humid, and consequently more cool than Samoa-so many of us were chilly on our trip (in fact, im starting to despise the  bone chilling air produced by air conditioning-espeically on planes) I wore my warm rain jacket most nights- which made me giggle, because I realize that most people go to Fiji for the balmy tropical weather and I was bundled up complaining about the chilly night air. In Abaca our group went on a 3 hour hike to a beauitful waterfall. On our way down we had a massive view of Fiji’s other islands and the water. After our hike 4 of us decided we wanted to explore the hillside more. We saw a rocky mountain ledge that had a potentially beautiful view to watch the sunset- so we decided to try to climb the mountain and reach the top before dark. The only problem was, there was no trail, and no one in the village offered to take us to the view point. Most people warned us that the hike was difficult. Despite the warning, we ventured out anyway…I rationalized the bad idea by convincing myself that there was nothing harmful in the forest (no deadly snakes or poisonous plants) so therefore, nothing could really be that dangerous… We literally plowed through stalks of bamboo and  thorny plants to create our own path up the mountain. After thiry minutes I was drenched in sweat and my thighs were burning, and I couldn’t help but think “no wonder no one in the village offered to take us up this mountain” We cut a haphazard trail up the side of the mountain for about two hours, then after many tries to climb upwards, we concluded that reaching the view point was impossible and any more attempts were pointless. Now, our main mission became getting back down the mountain- and this proved to be much more difficult than we anticiapted. We quickly got lost in the thick patches of bamboo (to the point where we couldn’t see the sky because of the tall plants) and we cut up our legs and arms on the thorny plants and branches as we tried to make a new trail down the mountain. The incline was steep, so all of us tripped and slipped multiple times-adding to our collected of bumps, scratches and muddy bruises. It was around 4:30pm when things really started to go downhill (literally). It was getting dark, we were getting worried that we couldn’t find our way back, and then….it began to rain. Fiji has been in a drought for the past 4 months, but of course, the day 4 silly students decide to climb a mountain was the day that the rain came…. and poured…and poured….Soaking wet, completely drenched, dripping, we slipped our way through more forest, and finally, found our way back to the village. It was most definelty an adventure, and all 4 of us were happy to take a shower (even if it was a cold shower) and dress ourselves in our dirty (but warm and dry) clothes. Village life in Abaca was similar to that in Lotofaga. I slept on a bed (although it didn’t have a matress) under a mosquito net, because I was a guest. The house had one room, so everyone ate, slept and socialized together. We cooked on the floor, ate on the floor and sat and talked on the floor. Such is life in a pacific village.

Suva is the largest city in the pacific. It looks like a developing urban area, with the normal grime and dirt of a city and the flare of pacific culture and indian influence. There was an amazing spice market where I stocked up on curry, masala, tumeric, and chili peppers to bring home. There were both indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians living in the city and the shops and  merchandise reflected the diverse culture. Some stores had sari’s and curry while others had kava bowls and coconut oil, while other stores had a mix of both cultures. There were shopping malls with escalators, and traditional markets with street vendors, a movie theater, a McDonalds and many trendy clothing stores. While in Suva we visited the University of the South Pacific Suva Campus (which is huge and beautiful) and listened to lectues on Pacific music and arts, as well as the ethnic conflicts in Fiji and how they affect politics and society. At night we indulged in the delicioius foods Suva had to offer and ate delicious curry and vegetalbes as well as sushi! We went out to a karaoke bar one night, and explored the city. The nightlife was a far cry from the bars and clubs you might see in the States, but it was still a step up from the few little night clubs in Samoa. The food in Suva was excellent, and probably the best part of Fiji. Because the food in Samoa is pretty bland, and, dare I say, pretty disgusting, the spices and flavor (and vegetables!!) of Fijian cooking were delicious! You could buy a plate of vegetable curry and other spiced veggies and roti for $2 (that’s less than 1 US dollar)  I was in food heaven. While in Fiji we also visited a squatter settlement. Land ownership is a huge issue in Fiji and many people move to the city (to be closer to jobs and good education) and are forced to live as squatters due to high rent and costs of housing. We were able to see the conditions squatters lived in (which is actaully very similar to many villages we have stayed in, except villagers own their land) and hear about their problems and issues- which affect both indigenous and indo-Fijian families.               

                Sigatoka- my indo-Fijian host family was less than friendly. I guess I have gotten used to the generous hospitality and warm welcome of Samoans and I was shocked by the distant, noncommunicative nature of my host family in Sigatoka. However, looking on the bright side, my host mother was a wonderful cook and we had the most amazing vegetarian curry dishes (of my life). I looked forward to every meal. We ate all the meals with our hands, and I never realized (until this homestay) how difficult it is to pick up rice and curry with your fingers when you are really hungry. My fingers were stained yellow- and I loved it. They had a large, relatively nice house. But the house was also stuffy, and you had to fight off swarms (yes swarms) of mosquitos when you sat at the kitchen table…I concluded that was why I rarely saw anyone eat there…My host brother was getting married in a few weeks so they were preparing the house for the hindu wedding, and a room for the bride (because after the wedding she would be moving into the house)There marriage was a love marriage (they had met and starting dating on their own, it wasn’t arranged) Our host mother explained traditions of an Indian wedding, which lasts 3 days. They cook only vegetarian food, the bride travels back and forth from her home to the home of her husband during and after the wedding and many people are invited- they sent out 800 invitations to friends and family. Learning about the indo-fijian culture was pretty neat and I was happy to have had the experience. However, unfortunely for me, the family had a cat, and I realized I am just as allergic to Fijian cats as I am to American ones. I suffered through two nights of allergy attacks and mosquito bites, so needless to say, I was happy to leave. After leaving Sigatoka we stopped by a trendy touristy beach before we went to the airport. A few of us snuck into a resort near by (think 5 star, marble floor, infinity pool, $30 pina colada-type-of-place)…I sat on the lawn chairs and enjoyed a few minutes of tourism…