Gregg - Week 4 Fieldnotes

Note Index | Erinn Gregg

Erinn Gregg Week 4 Field Notes excerpts - Economics and More

MONDAY, September 27, 1999, (written September 29, morning)
SUMMARY

I awake at the Rakiraki hotel to a knock on our door from Apryle who says that I have a phone call in her room. She tells me it is my mother nut actually it is my sister. I talk with her for about fifteen minutes or so and then go to do some work. [This is the first time I have spoken to my sister since in Fiji and I am quite emotional this morning!] I get off the phone and return to my room to find Michelle awake. We do some work and then head to breakfast around 8:45 with the rest of the group. After breakfast we get some more work done before our class at 10:30. We have class with Karen where we discuss our kinship assignments and the information we discovered the past week. We finish class at approximately 12:30 and go to lunch at the hotel. After lunch we try to finish up some work before our field trip. The group leaves at 2:15 to go to the Church of the Black Jesus about a half-hour from the Rakiraki Hotel. It is a Catholic Church with a mural of a black Jesus done by a famous muralist. [I am thinking that I should remember this man's name after that conversation that Caroline had with us but I don't...] We spend an hour there and leave around 3:30 or so to head back. We drop Emily and Andy off and then go back to the hotel. Michelle and I propose to Steve that we go out to dinner and after talking with Karen, they agree. Steve drops Apryle off as she is worried about getting back to her house too late and the rest of the group waits at the Rakiraki until it is time to go. We leave for dinner around 6:30 and stop to ask Emily is she would like to go on the way. (Andy had gone to a youth service on another island and we know he is not home). Emily thanks us for stopping but declines and stays with her family. We go to Wananavu for dinner - now it is Steve, Michelle, Megan, Stephanie and myself - Karen and Jeffrey have stayed behind. While we wait for our table we talk to Steve about Papua New Guinea and the work that he and Karen have done there. We eat dinner and I begin to fee sick and cannot touch my food. After dinner is over we drive back first dropping Michelle off and then heading to Drana. I have a fever and am feeling very sick. Savu helps me inside where I go straight to my room and get ready for bed.
I. NAVNIBITU MISSION OF THE BLACK JESUS

We head to the Church of the Black Jesus after hearing about it from Caroline, the woman staying at our hotel. Steve gets the van up the hill and I am in awe of the church that sits there. It seems to me a little out of place but it is beautiful! The church is gray stone with stained glass windows and wooden doors. Many of the windows have been broken and birds fly in and out. Inside the floors are covered with straw mats, as is the altar. The mural of the Black Jesus is above the altar. We take pictures and look around the church. [I realize the impact that a painting and the artist have here....see I don't know if I went to the church myself and knew nothing about the mural if I would have taken so many photographs of it. But because I heard it was done by a famous muralist... well then I'll snap away!] I go outside and get some photographs of the view from the top of the mountain.

TUESDAY, September 28, 1999, (written September 29, morning)
SUMMARY

I wake up today around 9:30 and I am sweating. I go to the kitchen and see that Savu is in the main room with Makareta. We talk while I have a cup of tea and I realize that today is Makareta's birthday. I wish her a Happy Birthday and ask her what she is doing. She tells me that she is going to her friend's house and asks me if I am staying home. I tell her that I am and after about fifteen minutes I go back to my room where I lie down and fall asleep. I wake up around 12:30 And when I go to the bathroom I see the minister outside on her porch. She invites me over for tea and I tell her that I am sick. I feel bad not going over so I walk across to her house and tell her that I have a fever. She makes me a cup of tea and we talk for about twenty minutes. I tell her I must go rest and I head back to my room where I read a magazine [PEOPLE...my mom sent me this one! :)] and fall back asleep. I wake up around 3:30 to the roosters outside my window. The kids are home from school and I hear them yelling outside. [This is annoying!] I read for a little while until Savu comes home from town with Sovia. I sit talking to them for an hour and then go back to my room to do some reading. [They are not talking to me and speak only in Fijian. For the first time I am very upset about it and I feel really out of place and unwelcome!] I have roti and tea for dinner around 7:45 and when I am finished I get ready for bed. I write a few letters and read my book. I turn off the lights at 10:15 and go to sleep.
I. DREAMS

a) I have a dream on Monday night that I am babysitting for someone who has to go to court for something. I keep asking her where I should go and she tells me that I have to go read something at some building in the city. I am unfamiliar with the city and do not know where I am going. I ask people but nobody seems to help me. I see Steve and Jeffrey and they try to tell me where to go. We are on a busy street with many little shops and I am holding two puppies. I put them down in front of a shop and leave them there.

b) I dream that I am at home on a visit from Fiji to my family. We are in the kitchen but it is not my kitchen at home. My mother, father and sister are present. They make me something to eat while we talk. My sister touches the back of my shirt and I am all sweaty. She feels my neck and then yells at me to take care of myself. She looks in my ears and tells me they are clogged. I am then at the airport with my mother and father. I am confused because I did not remember taking a plane home but now I am taking one back to Fiji. My mom is sending me off with all sorts of things including a big piece of green velvet wallpaper with gold trimming on the top. I ask her why I need to take it and she tells me that I she has seen the pictures and I cannot leave my wall bare like it is.

WEDNESDAY, September 29, 1999, (written September 29, evening)

SUMMARY

After a good nights rest I wake this morning at 9:00, feeling much better than yesterday. I have bran flakes and coffee for breakfast while talking with Savu. I then go to my room to type some field notes while Savu does some washing in the sinks outside. Around 10:45 I do my washing. [There is quite a lot considering I have not done any since my first week in the village and here we are two weeks later...oops!] It takes me over an hour to wash, rinse and hang my clothes. It is very windy and the clothes are flying all over the line. Savu tells me that she I happy I am feeling better and she was very worried about me yesterday. [I'm glad to be feeling better too! :)] Around 12:30 I go to town to exchange some money. I then take a taxi to Rakiraki and stop by Michelle's house. Her nana and tata are at home with her and they tell me she has not been feeling well. We sit and talk to them until 1:30 and then walk down to Steve and Karen's. When we arrive I give Steve an e-mail I have written to my family and I ask him if I can call my mother. [I have not spoken to her since we were in Suva over a week ago....this is a record for me!] I call home and talk to my parents. They are happy to hear from me and we talk for about twenty minutes. Steve and Karen return our folders from last week and Steve shows us the assignment that the intro Anthro class has received in regards to the students in Fiji. [Is this true I think to myself....Jen, Hayley and Colin all in this class??? I am quite excited about this!] Steve drives Michelle and I into town where we go to the Post Office. Steve leaves and Michelle and I go to the bread shop, the bookstore and the grocery store so I can pick up a few things. We then head to the doctor in town so Michelle can have her throat checked. We wait less than five minutes to see the doctor who concludes that Michelle has tonsillitis. She gets her prescription and after paying the bill we leave. The two of us decide to get some Diet Coke at a restaurant in town and sit down for a while and talk. We stay there until 3:45 when I decide to buy a phone card and call my apartment at Union. It is 12:45 in the morning at home and my roommates are awake. We talk for a short time....ten minutes most as it is expensive and the card runs out quickly. [It was really great to talk to them and hear their voices....I said good-bye to them four weeks ago today and never actually thought I would make it this far without them...but I still miss them lots!] Michelle and I go back to the grocery store so she can buy ice cream and then head to the market where I buy some fruit and vegetables. We go to the taxi stand and take separate taxis in our respective directions. On the way home I see Buna walking so we stop and pick her up. We arrive home around 5:00. [funny how a quick trip into town turns into a very busy day!] I sit and talk with Savu about kin terms and patriline etc. (for my weekly assignment) and Buna makes us tea. It is very windy outside and when we are done I decide to take my clothes in from the line. [I am so happy to have clean clothes...I am doing worse here with laundry than I am at school!] Savu and I sit talking until 7:30. We get up to prepare dinner and the lights go out! [oh no...not good!] Savu gets a lantern from outside but it doesn't have a cover. She tries to light it but it is so windy that it continues to go out. Luckily after only a short time the lights are back on! She makes tea for dinner and I get the bread ready. Maggie (Makareta - Savu's cousin whom I have mentioned before) comes over and we eat dinner. They have bread and butter while I make peanut butter and jelly. [yum...something I am familiar with and enjoy!] After dinner I shower and Savu goes to church. Maggie and I sit talking while Buna, Maki and Tukai get ready for bed. Savu comes home and we talk for about a half-hour. I am tired so around 9:15 I go to my room to do some typing. I finish around 10:00 and write some letters before heading off to sleep.
I. CONVERSATIONS - mothers, leaving, gossip, visiting

a) Mothers - While Savu and I are talking this afternoon I mention that I have spoken to my mother on the telephone. She and I get into a conversation about our mothers. I say that my mother and I are very close and she says the same. We laugh how when we were young we used to fight with our mothers all the time about this and that. Savu tells me that her mother used to say, "The one who will always be there is your mother. So you tell me stuff like what boy you are going with and this and that and I will tell you things about that stuff. I have been there before and I know how it is". I think about my mother and realize that Savu must really miss her mom. (She died a few years ago). [I miss my mom and I just talked to her a few hours ago....]

b) Leaving - Before dinner Savu and I talk about how quickly the time is going by. I have almost been in Fiji for four weeks and this Saturday will make three in my village. She tells me that just yesterday she was sitting around and she thought, "Oh man....Erinn she is here with us and we are enjoying her stay here but before we know it she will be leaving". I get sad for the first time to think about saying good bye and tell her that we shouldn't think about it now. [It's weird....I definitely think about home all the time and count the days to see my friends and family. But with every day I become closer to the people in my village and no doubt when I leave them I will be sad].

c) Gossip - Maggie tells me that her father does not know she went to the Sugar Festival last Saturday because he was in Australia (for a wedding) and she is worried that somebody will tell him. "That is the problem with living in the village. People like talking and they chit chit chit and then before you know it everyone knows everything". [Again I wish I could explain to Maggie what Union is like....]

d) Visiting - Maggie tells me that she dreams of coming to America one day. "I told my father he should have taken me to Australia with him and he says he did not even think about it because it had been such short notice. So I tell him, "Maybe I will go with Erinn someday and he tells me I should try". [That would be fun.]
II. INVITATION TO SUGAR FESTIVAL

Tonight Maggie asks me about my schedule for the week - when I have class and what work I have to do. I tell her about my plans and she asks me if I would like to maybe go to Lautoka with her and Meri (Savu's younger sister) to attend the Sugar Festival. I tell her that I would like to go and I ask her what the plans are. "Well we are going to go and stay with Savu and Meri's other sister who lives in Nadi about a half-hour away from Lautoka. Meri says we can celebrate my birthday and go to the nightclubs and also the sugar festival. So she said we should ask you to come. We could leave on Friday and come back on Sunday morning". I tell her that sounds good and I will do my work tomorrow and Friday because I would like to go! [I am really happy that they asked me to go with them. It is my "first invitation" to do something besides go to town with the friends I have made here and I am excited!]

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THURSDAY, September 30, 1999, (written September 30, evening)
SUMMARY

I awake this morning at 7:00 and while lying in bed fall back asleep until 8:00. I decide to get up and start the day! I have coffee and a banana while Savu has tea. We talk for a while and then I ask her if I can interview her for my economic survey. [I am a little nervous about talking to people in the village about their income, etc. and decide it might be best to start with someone I am most comfortable with]. I talk with her for about an hour. I then shower and head to my room to start some work and remain there until approximately 11:15. When I emerge from my room I see that Makareta has come down and her and Savu are having more tea and bread. I sit for about ten minutes [just a little break from my work] and head back to my room.

I work until around 12:30 and then make soup for lunch. Savu heads off to bring the children their lunch at school and I return to my room. I read for a while [The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, one of the many in Oprah's Book Club] and around 1:00 Makareta comes down again. We talk and she asks me about my assignments for the week. I tell her that I need to talk to three houses about economics of the family and she suggests that while I talk to her father about the history of the village I ask him about that and then we can go to Jerry's father and talk to him. We head up to Makareta's house around 1:45. Her father is sleeping and her mother, Asana is home. I talk with Asana who knows all of the economic information that I need to gather. They then tell me to have lunch with them and while I try to explain that I have already eaten they really want me to stay saying, "But you have never eaten here before". [I am also a little hungry so I don't mind...] We eat chicken and pumpkin soup for lunch and Makareta and I leave at 3:15. We go to Jerry's house and Makareta requests that we speak with his father, Apenisa Waquatabu. He agrees and we talk to him for about an hour.

When we are finished we return home where the children have arrived back form school and sit for a while. I ask Makareta what she is doing and she says she is going up to Meri's house to return something. She asks me if I have typing to do and I say that for now I am finished. We decide to go to Meri's house together. While Makareta gets ready I go to my room and read for about fifteen minutes. We leave for town at approximately 4:15. On the way we see Savu and Soveya near the PWD (Public Works Department). We talk to them briefly and tell them where we are headed. Makareta and I then walk into town and I buy us Diet Coke, Schweppes Flavored Water [I think Orange Mango...this is for Makareta but I have tried it before when Andy or Emily had it...it's very good!] and jelly beans. We leave town and walk to Meri's house. We sit here making plans for the weekend until after five o'clock. Meri, Makareta and I start walking back to town but on the way get a ride from Jerry's dad, Apenisa, who is on his way back from buying bread in town.

When we arrive home I get my notebook from my room and we go to Makareta's house. Her father is getting in the shower so we sit and wait until he is ready. When he is done I talk to him about the history of Drana. I then ask him about this weekend and he asks me about my stay in Drana. It is close to 6:45 when we are finished. Asana, Makareta's mother invites me to have tea in the kitchen outside and when I enter I see that Meri has been waiting for us there. I drink tea and eat biscuits and then head down to see Savu close to 7:00 with Meri and Makareta. When we arrive at the house Savu is washing clothes outside and we talk about this weekend. She says it is okay if I go with them to the Sugar Festival. [I am happy about this and thinking how I must get to my work this evening!] We all come inside for prayer at about ten after seven. I then go to my room to do some work before dinner. I sit with Meri, Savu and Makareta and then they say we shall eat a late dinner. Savu goes to shower before heading to choir practice while Meri, Makareta and I eat tuna fish sandwiches and bread for dinner. We stay talking about our plans for the weekend until 9:45 and I return to my room to do work before gong to sleep.
I. ECONOMIC SURVEYS - The First Three Households
A) Household one - four members; one adult and three children

Days: While children go to school, mother does housework, goes to church, town or on visits to relatives.

Income: Selling mats at $2/small and $5/large

Sewing pillowcases at $1.50/pair

Money from relatives - $10-20 as needed

Government - Social Welfare

$50/ month for children's schooling

Debts: none

Expenses: food - $30-40/ week

Household - clothing - $20/month

Toilet paper, soap, etc. - $50/ month "Because you have buy these things when they run out".

School - bus .45/day if rainy $1.00/day (must take it both to and from school in the rain)

Uniforms - two girls uniforms material at $13.00 and sewing at $12.00 = $25.00

One boys uniform 2 shirts at $3.00 each = $6.00 and 2 shorts at $5.00 each = $10.00

Books - $55.00 on notebooks and textbooks per term

Electricity - low usage = $5.95/month

- more usage = $11/month [whoa they might be in shock when they get the bill since I have been here!]

Water - received a bill for $400 when they arrived in Jan. but uncle took it and they have not received one since...still waiting.

Yaqona - $2-3/month (drinks mostly at other houses and does not pay)

Donations - church - .50-$1.00/week

$3.00/ week to minister for her expenses

Attitudes:

This first household did not seem too concerned with money at first. I was told by the informant that if they had to give for a funeral or wedding they would just give what they had. They would have to prepare and save money for a long trip and that might be an extra burden. They don't really buy kava so that is not a problem. Money is not that big of deal. "When you are simple you don't worry about a lot. If you are rich you will see stuff in town and you will want it and get it but being simple you buy what you need, use it, eat it - sleep in a peaceful way, wake up peaceful, live peaceful". They do not receive many requests from money but if someone were to come who is in the same situation (informant is a widow) than they will be more likely to give money.
B) Household Two - nine members; five adults and four children

Days:

Wife - wakes up at 5:30 a.m. does cooking and washing then cleans the compound, gardens (she likes flowers and gardening), collects firewood and sometimes goes fishing in the river - whatever needs to be done around the house. Goes to bed at 11:00 but this can vary.

Husband - works at Public Works Department from Mon-Fri

Income:

PWD - $180/week

Sugar Cane Fields - $2000/three months

Land lease - $3000/ twice a year (Dec. and June) distributed among Mataqali

Selling prawns - $10/kilo - varies; whenever wife goes fishing

Income tax - The Fiji Provident Fund deducts $65/week from what the PWD pays

Debts: all payments done this year except for Bank Loan; the money they receive from the land lease goes directly to the bank to pay for the loan. (not all $3000, just their portion)

Expenses:

food - $60/week

Household - clothing = $100/year [for seven people!]

Other goods - towels, sheets, etc. $200/year

School - two children in primary = $10/year

Secondary (form 4) = gvmt. pays $55.00/year

family pays $30.00/year

external exam fee = $40

books = $35/ year

Computer studies = $300/year

Five books = $6.00

Uniforms - four primary (two for each child) = $24

Secondary = $24

Comp. Studies = $12

Bus - $1.20/day

Electricity - $24/month (sometimes $30)

Water - $20/month

Telephone - $20/month

Yaqona - $80/week (sometimes $100) ***highest expense***

Donations - church - $20-50/week

Festival - $400/year (up to $1000/year)

$3.00/week for minister

Attitudes:

This household noted some financial burdens because the father is chief of the village. Thus they are always paying out money to look after the village and people come to them for money. They noted some tension over the money spent on kava, as it is the highest expense. "We don't have a lot of money to spend on clothes but we spend it on the kava". They don't save money in the bank because whatever they have they use. They do wish they had more money, "Because then we could come to America". When people ask for money they mind but they cannot refuse. The children don't get it if they ask their father but other relatives they will get it if they ask for it.
C) Household Three - five members; three adults and two children

Days:

Wife - spends her days at home cooking, cleaning and taking care of the Great-grandmother who is in a wheelchair and lives with the family.

Husband - wakes up each day at 5:00 a.m. and after showering heads off to the farm where he plants cassava, dalo, or bananas. He comes home at 8:00 for a half-hour break and some breakfast. Then he goes back to the farm until 12:30/1:00. At this time he returns for lunch and a one-hour rest. Finally it is back to the farm until 5:00 or 6:00 when he returns for the evening. He goes to sleep around 8:00 each night.

Income:

Land lease - the mataqali gets two payments Dec. and June every year of $3000 each which is distributed among the members

Sugar cane fields - $18000/year; unsure what percentage the Government deducts.

Debts - car payment = $300/month

Expenses:

Food - $200/week

Household - clothes = $900/year

School - bus .60/day (for two children)

Food $5/day (" " )

Uniforms - trouser = $7.00

shirt = $4.00

three sets = $33.00

Books - boy = $100/year

girl = $50/year

Electricity = $23.50/month

Water - $28/ month

Yaqona - $30-40/week

Donations - $500/year to the church fundraising

$3.00/week to the minister

$1-2 weekly at church service

Attitudes:

This household didn't see any burden with having to travel for a family event because they have a car. They did say that yaqona drinking is an issue because it is a very large expense. Other family members get upset over the money that is spent here and this leads to some tension. They don't tend to worry so much about money because they grow their own food so they know they will never be hungry. They worry more about their families. The informant stated that he would give money to his family members but he would not ask them for money. "I do not do that. I go to the bank".

Overall there seems to be a general pattern already about the amount of money spent on kava drinking. It is a large expense that does not make many people happy. [But nobody seems to be cutting back on it!] Most families seem to average the same amount f money on food although the last family spends quite a lot. [perhaps they meant $200/ month and not per week?]. There are variations on many of the expenses. The second household was the only one that wished for more money [and rightfully so] as they are the family with the most economic burdens not only within the immediate household but stemming out as the head is the chief of the village.

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II. Sugar Festival - PLANNING TO GO

Today Makareta and I try to arrange our plans for the weekend. However she has not asked her father is she is allowed to go or not. She tells me on our way to Meri's house, "I already spoke to mom and she said that if dad was still in Australia she would say okay but since he is home I have to go and ask him". The plan we devise [well she suggests and I go along with] involves me telling Uncle Mike, Makareta's father, that Meri has invited me to go to Lautoka and I would like to know if Makareta could accompany me. So when I finish talking to him this evening about the history of Drana and he asks me if I have anything else I casually ask him about the weekend. He laughs and asks me who asked whom. "Did you ask Ma (Makareta) or did you ask her? Come on Erinn I am a Fijian lawyer..I know". H e agrees to let Makareta go [fun!]. We then come down so Meri can ask Savu and she jokes with me that I can't go but is not serious! So the pans are set and tomorrow afternoon we are off.

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FRIDAY

October 1, 1999, (written October 3, afternoon)
SUMMARY

I wake up today around 7:15 so that I can get started on some work before heading to Lautoka. Makareta has slept over so I sit and talk with her and Savu for approximately fifteen minutes. I go to my room and work until around noon. At this time Savu goes to bring lunch to the children and pick up Maki, as she will be coming with us for the weekend. Makareta comes down and while we are talking I show her pictures of my friends from home. She goes back home to get ready and we agree to meet in town at 4:00. I eat lunch, shower and pack. I leave Drana around 2:30 which is the time I had agreed to meet Michelle so I take a taxi rather than walk. I arrive in town and head to the post office to where Michelle is waiting. I mail a few letters inside and pick up mail that has arrived. [I am loving the Eskimo cards Manders!!! :) keep them coming...] On the way to the bank we run into the Central Van with Steve, Karen, Va, Jeffrey and Kolora inside. We talk with them briefly and then head to the bank. The line is quite long so we decide to forget it and come back another time. Michelle and I head to a restaurant to hang out and drink soda until Makareta comes to meet me. Rup, the man who drove us to Suva, escorts us to this back room with many small tables. It is Michelle and I at one table and a few other tables of Indian men drinking Fiji Beer. [okay...nice but we don't really know why we are back here!] We sit talking about the week for about an hour. I go outside to get some snacks and meet a missionary named Elder Dyer who is from the United States. We talk but only for a short while, as he has to run to get the bus to Lautoka. Michelle and I stay at the restaurant until about ten to four and then go outside to wait for Makareta. We spot them around 4:00 or so and the four of us walk to the bus station where Meri, Maki and Tui are already on the bus. We say good-bye to Michelle and Savu and get on the bus. It is quite crowded and we sit in different spots. [This is going to be one long ride!] The bus leaves Vaileka around 4:15 and after a long and hot bus ride we arrive in Lautoka at approximately 6:30 p.m. We are greeted by Meri's husband Tui, who works in Lautoka and usually comes to Rakiraki each weekend. We say hello and walk to the grounds of the festival. There are different booths everywhere and children's rides throughout the grass. I count eight Ferris wheels in total. [Wow...either that must be a very popular ride or there are an abundance of Ferris wheels in Fiji!] We get food at one of the stands, chicken chow mein for me and some type of barbecued meat for everyone else. [I must say I was looking forward to the food at the time I ordered it but I guess I should realize that just because it is called the same thing as at home does not mean it is going to look or taste the same! It is greasy cabbage with a few pieces of chicken thrown into it... interesting!] We sit on the grass to eat dinner and then Makareta and I walk around the grounds a little more. We buy candy floss [better known in the United States as cotton candy...yum!] and head back to where everyone else is sitting. We leave the grounds of the festival around 7:30 and take a taxi to Tui's house. When we enter the house his sister and mother are finishing dinner. We sit down while they clear the dishes and then talk with them for a while before Tui says he would like to show us the upstairs. He leads Makareta and I to the room we will be sleeping in and then takes us outside. The house is located on a hill and overlooks another housing area in Lautoka. [not the most attractive view but a nice overlook none the less]. We go back inside and take showers. Around 9:00 Tui, Makareta and I leave to go back to the grounds of the festival and then head to a nightclub. We decide to walk from Tui's house that takes approximately forty minutes despite all the short cuts which Tui leads us to. [Whew...I wonder how long it would have been without those?] We arrive at the ground and briefly look around for Tui's younger brother who is supposedly there. However the crowd is a bit larger than earlier and it is difficult to track anyone down. We decide to head to the club but after walking past a few Tui tells us it is too early to go and we should go back to the grounds, have a drink and then return. We walk back and get a soda. [I am really tired right now...we have been roaming around the city for about an hour or so at least and have not stayed in one place for five minutes!] Around 10:30 we head back to the nightclub. We go in although it is still not very crowded and stay there until it closes at 1:00 a.m. We get a taxi and go back to Tui's house where Meri greets us at the door. Tui gets us some food - leftover chicken soup from dinner. We eat it and dispose of the garbage in the bushes. I drop my plate on the grass and they are all in hysterics over this. We go inside and get ready for bed. I write a letter before going to sleep at 2:30 a.m. [This has been a long and tiring day....I am ready for a good rest].
I. Missionary

Today I meet Elder Dyer in town, a Mormon Missionary from Utah. I am at a restaurant with Michelle and when I go to buy snacks I hear someone say, "So where are you from?" I turn around and see this young man [I'd say around my age -21] standing at the counter. I tell him I am from New York and when he says no way I ask the same. He is from Utah and can't believe that there is another American in Rakiraki. He is even more shocked when I tell him there are more of us. In our short conversation I learn that he has been in Fiji for about a month now and will be in Rakiraki for two or three more months. He used to be a mechanical engineer but dropped out of school to become a missionary. He asks me how I like things - the food in particular. [I thought this was an interesting topic t touch upon seeing that we were only talking for a few minutes]. He tells me again how excited he is that there are other Americans and that he feels bonded with me already. [strangely I feel the same and I have just met this person. Don't worry mom...I am not going anywhere with strange people!] He says we should talk again sometime and I tell him we will be here for another month and I am sure see him around.
II. Bus Ride to Lautoka

When we step onto the bus I am a little overwhelmed. I was not expecting a luxurious bus with reclining seats and a VCR but I was thinking that one could sit comfortably. However for our $4.80 fare and a two-hour ride ahead of us, people are stuffed into the seats like turkeys and baggage fills the overhead compartments. The bus makes numerous stops along the way including two major stops in Vavua and Ba. [so what exactly does the express sign stand for?] The radio blasts American music for most of the ride. At one point in the trip, as we climb a large hill, my mind starts to wander and I think about what would happen if the bus were to flip or even worse go on fire. I don't see any fire exits and we are definitely to overcrowded that everyone would get out alive. My mind wanders like this for a good fifteen minutes until I force myself to think about something else.
III. THE LAUTOKA SUGAR FESTIVAL - grounds, food, entertainment

a) grounds - The grounds of the festival are about two football fields. Coca-Cola paraphernalia is everywhere and I assume that they must be the major sponsors of the event. Food booths are set up along the outskirts of the grounds while rides and additional soda stands are in the center. One section of the ground is blocked off for vendors selling everything from meat to clothing. Another large space holds a stage that Makareta tells me has dance contests every night.

b) Food- There are a lot of food stands all selling the same items. Barbecues, fried chicken, and cassava are the most popular. The prices for food range from $1.00 - $4.00. In addition there are booths selling ice cream at $1/cone and candy floss at $1/stick.

c) Entertainment - For young children there are numerous rides that cost approximately .75. While we are leaving there are a group of men and women performing a show in one area of the grounds.
IV. The Night Club -COCO'S- prices, crowd, music, Tui

a) prices - The cover charge is $5/person for the evening. Fiji Bitter (beer) costs $2/bottle and $14.00 for a large jug (pitcher).

b) crowd - The crowd at the club is a fair mix of men and women. They are young - most appear to be in there twenties - and most wear pants and jeans although a few of the women are wearing skirts.

c) music - We hear a lot of American songs and while some of them are very refreshing I can do without the Backstreet Boys for the rest of my trip. Unfortunately I know this will not be the case as they are played at least once an hour on the radio stations.

d) Tui - He says tonight while at the club, "Erinn you came at the wrong time". Since I think he is referring to the fact that we had come earlier and it was not crowded I reply, "Oh yes but now there is a good crowd". Makareta laughs and tells me that he means I came at the wrong time because had I come when he was not married he would have married me. [oh really...that's not what I was thinking!]

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SATURDAY

October 2, 1999, (written October 3, evening)
SUMMARY

My attempts to have a good sleep in are unsuccessful as I am awakened early by Tui's nephew asking Makareta and I if we are from Australia and showing us a book of Australian birds. I fall back to sleep until 9:00 when I get up and take a shower. [This is one of the best showers here so far. It is big, inside and the water feels a little warm although I can't tell if I am just imagining that?] I go downstairs and Makareta is in the kitchen. They have set breakfast for me at the table so I sit down and have some tea and papaya. Meri, Tui and Maki come downstairs and we get ready to leave. We take a taxi from Tui's house to the bus station at 10:00 a.m. so that we can depart for Levuka on the 10:30 bus. We go into Lautoka and before getting on the bus buy some drinks and snacks as Meri tells us, "It is a long ride home". We get on the bus that departs at 10:30. The ride to Levuka is about an hour and a half. [not quite as long as I presumed from Meri's comments]. We are dropped off on the main road where we meet Meri's father who is on his way into Lautoka. We say hello and head up to her sister's house. On the way we run into Makareta's sister who is apparently separated from her husband and living with Meri's sister and her family. We head to their house and after saying our hellos we all go inside the house. We sit in the main room of the house drinking lemon juice and talking for about an hour. Round 12:30 I go into the bedroom for a rest. However it is very difficult to sleep with Tui, Maki and the sister's three young children running around. I come back out around 1:00 and sit talking with Meri until 2:15 when Makareta brings me lunch. I eat fried cassava, tuna fish and hard-boiled eggs. I then read the Fiji Times and go outside where Meri and her sister are cooking and talking. We lie on a mat outside and I fall asleep until about 3:00. [It is times like this that I realize what an experience this is. Here I am in Fiji - it is the first Saturday in October and I am sleeping on a straw mat in the mountains...in Fiji!! WHOA!!] Meri and I wake up and go inside about 3:15 where she says we are going to have something to eat. [again?] We sit and eat stew and cassava [boiled this time...a little variety to spice things up?] with Tui and Makareta's sister. I go back outside with Tui and lie on the mat until about 5:30. He suggests we go to the Water Treatment Plant just down the road and I am anxious to go and see the view that he has previously told me about. I get my camera and we head down the road to the plant. He gives me a quick tour of the plant [nothing too exciting and I am not very interested] and then we climb a set of stairs to se the view. It is gorgeous and mountains surround me in every direction. I take a few photographs and we head back to the house. We sit around talking until 7:00 when everyone gathers in the main room for evening devotion. This is led by Meri's father and lasts about forty-five minutes. When it is finished everyone showers and gets ready to go. Meri, Makareta and I eat tuna fish and bread for dinner. A carrier arrives to take us back to Lautoka at 9:00. We arrive at the grounds around 9:45 and walk around so the children can go on rides. While we are there we look for a man from Rakiraki who drives a carrier and may take us back tonight. We are unable to find him but we run into another one of Makareta's sisters who is married and lives in Lautoka. She tells us to spend the night at her house and take the bus home in the morning. After much deliberation and changing of plans we decide that is a good idea. We say good-bye to Meri, her sister and the children who are catching a bus to Levuka. Makareta and I then get a taxi with her sister and her husband back to his family's house. We arrive there around 12:45 a.m. and after going inside get ready for bed. We plan to take the 6:30 bus in the morning and I am quite ready to sleep at this point! [what a day...I have met so many people today and I have no idea what anyone's name is or who they are? A little exhausting!]
I. Another Son for Savu

When we arrive at the house of Savu's father and sister there is the sister's three young children and another older boy approximately fourteen years old. I ask Makareta who he is and she tells me his name but doesn't give me any further information. Later this afternoon in a conversation with Meri she tells me that his name is Tumbai, they refer to him as boy, and he is Savu's oldest son. The grandparents brought him up and when their mother passed away a few years ago and then Savu moved this year to Drana, her father would not let the boys go with her. [okay but how does he get left out of family census and a genealogy chart? I have spoken to Savu numerous times about children and family...where as this child been the whole time?]
II. Fijian Myths

On the bus ride to Levuka, Meri points out a sculpture of a man and women facing one another on top of a mountain. She tells me, "Erinn see that up there, that is a man and a woman facing one another. The belief is that if you happen to be on top of the mountain and you walk in between the man and woman you will be lost forever. You will never find your way home to your loved ones again". [Hey now...better make sure that doesn't happen!]
REACTIONS - WEEK THREE IN THE VILLAGE

After a very long and busy week I must say that I am quite glad it is over. I had a lot of work this week which at times found torn with completing. There were many times I found myself saying that I wished I could just hang out in my village instead of having to go around and ask questions and this and that. However I have assignments that must be completed so there is not really a lot of time to just hang around the village. I am trying my best to get everything done and keep up with my work. In addition I was sick one day so that put me behind from the start of the week. It is no fun being sick when you are not familiar with the surroundings either - sort of makes you really want to be at home in your own bed with her your own family.

I have met many people this week and I have enjoyed spending time them although I found it quite hard to remember names. They are all in awe of me and I have been asked many questions about America including a lot about prices and work. This has been somewhat frustrating at times but I try to understand that they are interested about my culture just as I am interested about theirs.

As I slept on a mat in the mountains this weekend I looked around and thought about all the time that has passed already. We have been here one month already and I am in shock about how fast the time is going. The friends I have made already talk about my departure but I find it hard to believe that they can already be thinking about it. But if one month has passed by so quickly I tend to imagine that the next will not go any slower. As far as I can tell I feel that I have adjusted to Fijian life and am over culture shock. I still can't adjust to the cold showers and I cringe every time the water hits my back. I am dealing with the food as I mentioned last week making a lot of my own meals and while I think about the turkey and cheese sandwich I will have when I return along with that big glass of chocolate milk....I know that I can't have it now. But at least it gives me something to look forward to.

The weather this week has allowed for us to wear pants and sweatshirts around the villages. And when I woke up one morning to a cool breeze blowing into my room I had to remind myself that I was in Fiji and not at home on a cool fall day.

As I close my notes for the third week I am feeling many things. I am happy with the events of the week, or most of them. I have been making many friends and everyone has been quite helpful. I am anxious about what I need to get done this week - especially about working on my independent study -aka THESIS! I am in shock that we have been here a month but at the same time I continue to look forward to the day when I arrive home...

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