Apryle Pickering Email

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Follow-up Questions from Afternoon Section

For Student: Apryle Pickering
Section: afternoon
Questioners: Emily McRae, Justin Gray, Dave Bouhman, Tim Soehl, Loralynne Krobetzky
Date: November 12, 1999
Since Fijians are mostly farmers and learn their trade through experience rather than schooling, does this affect the education system and the emphasis put on education?
Apryle Pickering replies: I do believe the fact that most Fijians are either sugar cane cutters or farmers has a lot to do with the Education system here. In Fiji most children attend Primary school and then go on to attend secondary school, however, there is a great range in forms where the children may stop schooling. Most people that I have talked to that are my age and now working on farms finished schooling around form four or five. This is the equivalent of tenth or eleventh grade in our high schools. These people are the norm in the village and are not looked down upon in any way. Hardly anybody that I have met here has gone on to further education because there is no real reason to. Even if you were to go on to college at the University of the Pacific or the Fiji Institute of Technology you may never use your education in your everyday life. The women for instance will go on to get married and will be forced to stop working and raise their children. In these cases there is no need for an extended education. This is true for men as well because most will not find a decent job and they will be influenced by their family to help them run the farms and plantations. I believe that school is valued to some extent in Fiji and that all children are expected to attend school, however, the lack of educated people in Fiji is not a real problem.

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For Student: Apryle Pickering
Section: afternoon
Questioners: Emily McRae, Justin Gray, Dave Bouhman, Tim Soehl, Loralynne Krobetzky
Date: November 12, 1999
Do religious members of Fijian society respect you less because you hold no religious beliefs?
Apryle Pickering replies: I do not believe that anybody respects me less here in Fiji for my religious beliefs because I do not tend to share them or the lack of with other villagers. People often ask you in Fiji if you believe in God and my response has always been yes. This seems to satisfy the average person and it is only when I attend church that life becomes a little more stressful. It is during the church service where people almost force you to participate and accept there views on life. In these situations I tend to keep quiet or tell them what they want to hear. Emphasis on religion is so strong here in Fiji that to disappoint them with your own feelings on the matter would be devastating. I know that my Tata may get a little angry sometimes when I skip out on evening prayer but he has never said anything to me about it. They do realize that our culture is very different and our believes are going to be different as well. This is not something that I spend a lot of time worrying about and I do not think that they do either.

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Original Questions from Afternoon Section

For Student: Apryle Pickering
Section: afternoon
Questioners: Emily McRae, Justin Gray, Dave Bouhman, Tim Soehl, Loralynne Krobetzky
Date: October 9, 1999
Apryle, when you were in the Ra Bookshop, one of the proprietors, Fatima, explained to you why business was so slow at this time of year. She explained that sugarcane workers and farmers are paid monthly and that they hadn't been paid for a while, thus they could not afford books at the time. To what extent do all of the businesses rely (through the farmers, sugar cane workers or other agricultural workers) on the local agricultural industry? Is the agricultural industry a necessity for the town of Vaileka? Does the agricultural industry dictate the economic and or social culture in Vaileka?
Apryle Pickering replies: Justin, through my experiences here so far I have noticed that the agricultural industry dictates the economic situation of nearly all the people of Fiji. These dependence is clearly less evident in the larger cities such as Suva, however the money flow is still reliant on the wages for agricultural workers. Vaileka is a small town in the middle of a rural setting, so its economic and social culture is extremely dependent on this type of work. Most people in my village and other villages around have an extensive amount of men who work in the sugar cane fields and in the farms. During the pay periods they tend to buy most of the food that is not grown and whatever other products that they need from Vaileka. Also, during the few days around which the workers get paid more people spend their money on alcohol and kava, and the chances of seeing these more "relaxed" people roaming around the village are much greater.
Justin, I was glad to see that you were reading up on my field notes. I understand that it may be relative slow reading but it is interesting to have your input. I would be happy to answer any other questions that might come up about my life in the village and so forth. We are completing the economic surveys in the village this week and I would be happy to share any of that information with you if you desired. Thank you for your interest and hope to hear from you again.... Apryle.

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For Student: Apryle Pickering
Section: afternoon
Questioners: Emily McRae, Justin Gray, Dave Bouhman, Tim Soehl, Loralynne Krobetzky
Date: October 9, 1999
What are the tacit rules of Fijian culture when dealing with relations between Fijians and Indians?
Apryle Pickering replies: Emily, It was great to hear from you! I am excited to hear that you are attending Union and I hope that your freshman year is going well for you so far. As for your question, I have not had an extreme amount of observation dealing with the Fijian and Indian interaction; however, I am willing to share with you all that I have experienced. From reading my field notes you may be aware that I am especially familiar with an Indian boy from just outside my village, Sachin. Through my interactions with him and my family members I have not seen any change of attitude when dealing with Indians or Fijian acquaintances. They are considered friends and are willing to help each other whenever needed, economically and socially. I have been informed that this is not the case with all the people of Vitawa, however. There are those Fijians who have formed negative opinions of Indians and they tend to keep their interactions to a minimum. I was able to enter an Indian home with my sister and another Fijian women and the only rules that I was able to observe was an extreme amount of shyness and the utmost formal interaction. They conversation is in Hindi and kept to a minimum. If I am able to obtain more information on this subject I would be happy to share it with you.
I am excited to know that people are reading in to our work here in Fiji. I am happy to observe any aspect of Fijian culture that you are particularly interested in and would love your input on the work that I am doing here. I am starting my individual research project on a home for single mothers and hope to hear some outside criticism and ideas on my notes in that area. Thank you for your interest in my work here in Fiji. I am excited for further interaction and hope to hear from you again...Apryle.

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For Student: Apryle Pickering
Section: afternoon
Questioners: Emily McRae, Justin Gray, Dave Bouhman, Tim Soehl, Loralynne Krobetzky
Date: October 9, 1999
D o you think that Fijians take advantage of you due to your ignorance of their country?
Apryle Pickering replies: Tim, during my stay here so far I have not encountered any specific situation in my village where I was taken advantage of due to my ignorance of their culture. They are extremely helpful in explaining what they can to me and are willing to help me in any way possible. My life in the village has been relatively problem free and my interactions with the village people have been sincere. The only time when I encountered otherwise was during our trips to the larger cities of Fiji, especially Suva. Here the vendors will try to rip you off and sell you products that are worth no money. I experienced this in Lautoka with the men selling worthless swords for an extreme amount of money and in Suva with the handicraft market vendors. They target tourists and hope that out of their ignorance for Fijian society they will spend their money frivolously I do not feel that I was taken by this approach and spent my money in these situations wisely. Tourists also need to watch out for the taxi drivers. They will charge you whatever they want and the fares change from one ride to another. It is wise to inquire about the distance you traveled and ask trustworthy people around you.
I am happy to answer any other questions that you might have about my life in the village and hope to be able to interact with you further. Thank you for showing an interest in my work here in Fiji. I enjoy receiving your input on the work that I am doing and encourage any criticism. Hope to hear from you again soon.... Apryle.