Jean Vergara recounts adventures with the Aggies Abroad Fiji program:
Fiji is much more than remarkable sunsets, vast coral reefs and white-water adventure. The people are who make Fiji special and unique. Their smiles and warm hospitality reflect the island’s true beauty. Votua Village, where AUIP students have a homestay, really is a testament to this.
As many times as I have stayed at Votua Village, it is still always hard to leave. The students of Texas A & M (TAMU) were especially excited and a bit anxious about their homestay visit. One student asked me during orientation, “Can you describe how our village stay will be like?” I gave them a brief rundown of the itinerary for our stay. I looked at their eager faces and then said, “It feels like coming home.”
Kava ceremony
The day of our homestay for TAMU had arrived. Students were preparing the gifts they had brought for their homestay families. I could feel their anxiety as our bus pulled into the small patch of grass in front of the main community hall. “Do you think this is enough to give?” “How many kids do you think live in my house?” “Should I put on my sulu now?” “Do you know who I’m staying with?” “Do we really have to drink kava?” The questions only stopped when the bus door opened and we were greeted by smiling faces.
After about 100 ‘Bulas’ were exchanged, we made our way into the community hall. The TAMU students sat in a semi-circle and the welcome kava ceremony began. After drinking what would be my twenty-eighth cup of kava, we were divided into our homes. I was excited, and from the smiles I saw all around me, so were the students.
Our families greeted us with handmade leis and helped carry our luggage. Once students had settled in, they began their ethnographic study interviews, which definitely helped break the ice between them and their families.
Later it was revealed that the villagers appreciated the questions asked by the students and felt like it was a very intimate experience. I agree. When you take the time to get to know someone and take interest in their lives and the way they live, the relationship you have becomes much more meaningful.
I stayed with “El-Lay”, her sister and her uncle. She owned the local snack/convenience store. Was I excited? You bet! Did I buy $100 FJD worth of candy? Absolutely!
Jean wielding a bamboo stick and preparing to grab a coconut
After using a large bamboo stick to grab a coconut (for me to cut open with a machete and drink) from a nearby coconut tree, I walked around the neighbourhood. I noticed that the TAMU students were getting along with their families, asking their ethnographic questions, eating snacks and drinking coconut water straight from its source.
Lunch was then served and I am pretty sure I ate a meal fit for a family of five. I felt like I was at my grandma’s house and she was telling me to eat more, which I always did. My homestay mother looked at me with such pride and stated, “Jean you are a good eater.”
The night activities were amazing. The weather was great and we were able to enjoy our lovo feast underneath the stars by a large bonfire. The villagers entertained us with the traditional meke, and TAMU students entertained them with song and dance in return.
The festivities moved on to the smaller community hall by the beach and we had another kava ceremony. Looking around, I saw a grand sight. Students were playing with the little kids from the village, enjoying conversations with their families, dancing with the villagers, singing along with the village band and buying wares from the ladies selling their handicrafts. Smiles were all I saw, and laughter was all I heard. It was a wonderful night!
Team TAMU definitely had a fun time during the evening kava ceremony, but later stated they were “all kava-ed out!” The next day was a sad one. We were to leave our surrogate family members and say good-bye to an experience that the TAMU students would remember forever. We did one more kava ceremony for the road and made our way to the bus.
Before we left, the villagers gathered together to sing the farewell song, “Isa Lei.” No matter how many times I hear it, I still get choked up. I looked at our families and noticed the sad expressions on their faces as they beautifully sung their song. Looking at our group, I noticed streams of tears falling down upon their cheeks. The moment was very bittersweet, as most goodbyes are.
The bus ride was a quiet one, which was uncharacteristic for the TAMU group. Students used that time to reflect upon their Fijian adventure. Dr. Kyle Woosnam, TAMU faculty leader, described in one word his experience at the village, “Powerful.” Indeed, our stay at Votua was just that…powerful.
