Bula Fiji

Bula Fiji

“Bula!” The Fijian word for ‘hello’ is as infectious as Hawaii’s ‘Aloha,’ and said with the same cheery, Southern Pacific smile. As I landed at Nadi’s International Airport, after 24 hours of transit with no sleep and three flights, I decided I had chosen a pretty great place to spend my last week of my travels. I was greeted with a blast of warm tropical air and Fijians working at the airport wearing grass skirts and playing the ukelele – a little cheesy but hey, it added a nice touch. 

After fending off the taxi drivers and trotting out the front of the airport to catch a bus that I wasn’t even sure existed, before I could even figure out which side of the street to wait on I heard a voice yelling “Lautoka?” out of a minivan. “How much?” I asked. “2 dollars!” “Okay!” And the next thing I knew I was in the van and on my way. Easiest (and cheapest) airport transition ever. 

The drive to Lautoka, about 40 km north of Nadi and on the opposite side of Suva, the capital, took about half an hour. The views were gorgeous – bright green volcanic mountains on the right and sparkling blue ocean on the left. It reminded me a lot of Oahu, and I was struck by how untouched the land seemed to be – I barely saw any villages, just luscious green fields – sugarcane, not rice this time. The van was playing  island-y songs, and everyone was wearing bula shirts - a kind of wide patterned print, again very similar to aloha shirts but with a special Fijian touch. The men also traditionally wear the sulu, a long wraparound type skirt (pictured below). Welcome to Fiji!

Bula shirt and Sulu skirt.

Lautoka was my destination based on a strange series of networking and dumb luck. I had been searching for some volunteer opportunities throughout my travels, and grew frustrated with the options limited to either long term commitment, unreliable scams, or expensive, ‘packaged volunteer vacations’ which seemed to completely defeat the purpose of volunteering. I just wanted to show up, do some work, preferably with kids, and experience a new place in a different way than how I had been traveling. The Google search ‘volunteering in Fiji,’ on my last attempt after many frustrations, ended up leading to a travel post by a current volunteer at a daycare center, whom I then contacted, received a reply and a contact number, called the center via Skype to ask if it would be okay if I came to help out for a few days in November, and she said yes. And that was that.

Lautoka was a great experience – not a touristy town at all, which made it a much better experience. I had landed myself there the evening before Diwali, a Hindu festival and national public holiday in Fiji due to their large Indian population, which meant that the evening before was filled with an excitement of people getting off work and preparing for the holiday. I found the daycare just a little too late past their closing hours, and then discovered it would be closed the next day due to the holiday. My walk around town took about 20 minutes – not much to it, but I had fun poking around the supermarkets and people watching, listening to everyone wish each other a Happy Diwali. Most conversation was conducted in English, as it is the common language between the Fijian-speakers and the Hindi-speakers. I learned that the Hindi language is actually Fijian Hindi, not the same as what they speak in India, though it was derived from Indian Hindi when they brought the Indians to Fiji as contract laborers in 1874. Since then, the Indian population has grown and developed into a part of Fijian society, though unfortunately it hasn’t always been a harmonious relationship. There have been three military coups since 1987 in Fiji in response to an Indo-Fijian domination of the government, and in some parts of Fiji tensions are still high between the two races.

But, luckily, there was no tension at the daycare center I was lucky enough to volunteer at. There was a cheerful mix of Hindi , Fijian, Muslim, and even an Australian child who didn't care about anything except having fun together. The center is actually an early childhood learning center, so in addition to watching the children while their parents are working they work on songs, rhymes, teaching English (most kids grow up speaking Fijian/English or Hindi/English, or sometimes a mix of all three), and other early learning skills. However, the week I was there I was lucky enough to help out with rehearsals for the annual holiday concert in December. Performances included Christmas carols, rhymes, a drama, and lots of dancing.

Christmas carols practice.

Practicing dance moves for the holiday concert.

At the center I was fortunate not only to be accepted by the kiddies, but I was welcomed so warmly by the women working at the center - I had so much fun with them and they taught me about Fiji, their variety of cultures, the cuisine, and the ins and outs of running a center. We also had tons of fun with the kids - reading stories, doing Zumba, playing games, and munching on fresh mangoes from the tree outside the front porch made the week pass by way too fast. It was so nice to have tasks to do each day and feel like a part of something again after three months on my own. I wished I could have spent more time there but it was closed on the weekend and since I was flying out on the following Tuesday I wanted to be closer to the airport. Therefore, on Saturday morning I made my last bus journey before the trip home - I traveled from Lautoka to Nadi Bay, to park myself at Bamboo Hostel for the weekend. Bamboo turned out to be one of my favorite hostels of all time, and was the perfect place to end this leg of my journey. 

Why did I love Bamboo so much? Well, for starters, this was the road that led to it:

This was the beach right across from it:

This was the daily schedule:

Please note: at 2:00, the sign says 'lovo making,' not love making.
Lovo is a traditional Fijian dish. Sorry.

This was what we did all day:

And this was the best part: 

Bamboo had the perfect travel hostel atmosphere - everything ran on 'Fiji time,' and every morning we all sat around the cafe area and ate delicious cheap food for breakfast while asking: 'so what are you going to do today?' "Beach." And beyond that? "No plans." I got extremely lucky with the company at Bamboo: everyone got along, people shared travel stories, met up for meals, went to the beach together, took naps in the hammock, played volleyball or ping pong, read in the sun or the shade, maybe took the bus into town, or just sat and chilled. Even though we didn't do much of anything the warm, sunny days passed by quickly. One of my favorite parts of the day was going mango hunting. Bamboo had four mango trees on their little property, and I happened to arrive during peak ripe season - they kept long sticks and a mango catching pole lying around for people to pick them whenever they wanted a snack. I was thrilled about this situation, but anytime I tried to hit down a ripe mango the Fijian workers would see me trying, then come over, shimmy up the mango tree like nobody's business, and knock the ripe ones down before I could even say "thank you." I felt a little bad because I was perfectly happy doing it myself, but hey, I got some very tasty mangoes out of the deal. Win.  

In the evenings, as the schedule indicated, we all sat around in a circle and did some chatting while passing around a bowl of the traditional Fijian drink, kava. It's a very strange experience to describe - it looks and tastes like a bowl of watered down mud, but then it gives your tongue and mouth a very tingly and buzzing feeling. It's not a drug, but it has some 'relaxing and sedating powers.' It made for a fun evening and a strange, yet appropriate considering the balmy weather and palm trees, bonding method

And then, before I knew it, it was the day of my departure. I was so excited yet also sad to leave Fiji and Bamboo. I felt like all the homesickness and anxiety had evaporated, leaving nothing but excitement and anticipation. I was going home, after two years and nearly four months. I had just completed the trip I had been dreaming about since I was young, with added adventures and new friends beyond my expectations. 

Stage 1: Southeast Asia - check!

Stage 2: Minnesota for two months! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!