Off to Namuamua- Part 2

At first I was unsure as to whether or not to include this in my blog. Then I realized that moments of discomfort and culture shock are a part of experiencing the worlds that other people belong to. As we motored up the river, we reached a shallow rocky area that was particularly difficult to navigate. I believe that the trouble we encountered here was normal and expected because a group of young boys were waiting to pull the boats through. Most could not have been older than 10 and some were probably as young as 5 or 6 yet as soon as our long boats appeared, they swarmed into the river. Their tiny hands gripped the edges of the boat and their skin paled as their little fingers tightened around the wood. Their strength was impressive and yet I could not help but be uncomfortable. Why should these little kids have to work to bring me to their village to watch them live their lives as if it were a side show? While I felt honored by the people’s generosity, I felt the same discomfort during much of the time in the village. I felt like an intruder on an intimate moment. Daily life went on while I walked through the village as if they were in a glass case and I was walking through a museum. It was as if our party was a great council taking note of the lives of our subjects. We were welcomed with cava, entertained with dancing, and treated with a great feast that we could not have finished had we eaten for a week yet when we asked our hosts to join us in eating they only shook their heads and encouraged us to eat more. I noticed this same behavior during our homestay. Often, my host sister would eat at a different time than the rest of us and my host parents would only begin to eat as I and my companions were approaching the end of our meal. We asked our Ta (host father) why this was and he explained it as a Fijian hospitality. He simply said that it is important to Fijians to take the best care of guests as is possible. It seems that the guest comes before anything. His or her wellbeing must be looked after with the utmost care.
I have tried to appreciate the great importance of this part of Fijian culture, but I still find myself uncomfortable especially when served by children. It took great restraint to not jump out of the boat, pull a child out of the water and push myself.