The good and the bad.

I have decided that the greatest thing about Fiji and the worst thing about Fiji is the same: the people are so happy. This is the greatest attribute of this country for obvious reasons. However, it's the worst because they are completely content with their way of life. Their children have scabies, they walk around barefoot, they often don't have clean water and the wives sit home while the men work - only during the sugarcane season. The children and adults have teeth that are literally rotting but they don't address it because they don't know, don't care, can't afford to.

This group of young, healthy, rich Americans comes to help them. We ask them what it is that they need most. What can we do to help you live a better life? And they want to just serve us cookies and juice and talk to us. Sure, build us a garden if that means you are going to come over and spend time with us. Do you like Fiji? It's hot here, eh? Want to marry a Fijian? Yes, yes and of course. But don't you want us to help you? We have money and resources and knowledge and capable, willing hands.

They are happy, they are content. I have sincerely never seen a happier people and never seen living conditions as sad as this. It's hard to help a poverty-stricken family, community, country when they don't see a need. They are grateful to be alive and to have loved ones and that's all they need.
I came here to teach them about the greatness of Western civilazation. I came here to educate them on how to better their lives. Maybe I'm the one learning the lesson. Fiji is helping me to really see and think. and sweat.

I can't remember if I have blogged about this before but I'll do it again if I have already. There really aren't any orphanages in Fiji. This is because this country is so family-oriented that if there is a child abandoned or in need, they are just taken in. Everyone belongs to someone. Not to go into a great deal of details but there is racial tension here between the Indians and the Fijians. A mixed marriage between the two races is uncommon and I've only met one family where that is the situation. Anyway, it's obvious. You are either in an Indian village or a Fijian village.

I was in a Fijian village the other day and I saw this little Indian girl running around. Ana. About ten years old, bright, smart, playful and of course, like all children in this country, beautiful. She called a very old Fijian woman her mother. Someone in our group talked to the mother and got the story. This little Ana's mom was single and very much alone and couldn't take care of her child. The older woman (Ana's adoptive mother) already had grown children but still took little Ana in. When the person in our group asked if that was hard, given the current situation between the two cultures, she responded with "I didn't see Indian or Fijian. I saw a child of God."
Beautiful.

I have been here for about a month. About seven people in our group are preparing to go home. I can't imagine going home within the next two weeks because finally, after a month, I'm really starting to feel like I belong. I am now used to the ugly stray dogs, to the damn roosters cockadoodling from 10 pm to 8 am and to the language barrier. One month down, two to go. I wish you could all see what I see. But I'll try my best to capture it through video and pictures.