Pickering - Week 4 Notes

Note Index | Apryle Pickering

Apryle Pickering Week 4 Field Notes excerpts - Economics and more

Monday, September 27, 1999 (written Wednesday Sept. 29)
SUMMARY

I awoke in the Rakiraki Hotel at 8:30am and went to check and see if the hotel had water. It did not the night before and I was hoping that I could shower before I set out for my village. There was plenty of water and I was able to shower after Megan was finished. After bathing we went down for breakfast. It was a nice change from the usual. After breakfast all of the students met with Karen while Steve took care of Jeffrey (he was misbehaving so Steve took him home). Our class lasted about two hours, with discussion of our villages, the reading material and next week's assignment. When we had discussed all the material and sorted out our problems we ate some lunch and relaxed for a while. Steve and Karen went into town to check the mail, I received a letter from my parents, and then we got ready to go to the Church of the Black Christ. A woman from California who Steve had met the day before was also staying in the hotel. She was doing her dissertation for her Masters Degree on the artist that had painted mural in this church. She recommended that we go look at the murals so we decided to make it this week's trip. The ten of us squeezed into the van and drove to the church. When we arrived nobody was around so we were able to look around a bit. We entered the church took a few pictures and walked around outside. It was very spectacular to see something so beautiful and out of place. We then piled back into the car and made our way back to Navolau and Nakorokula to drop of Andy and Emily then we went to the hotel to pick up the rest of our stuff. At that point Erin, Michelle, Megan and Stephanie decided that they wanted to go out to dinner before going back to their villages. I was worried about arriving home to late since dinner began at 7:30pm so I had Steve bring me back to Vitawa. When I arrived Nana was getting ready for dinner. I sat outside and watched volleyball for a while with Akanise before coming inside for evening prayer. When prayer was finished I was able to talk with Tata for a while before we were called for dinner. After dinner I helped Tila with her Kindergarten planning then did some reading and went to bed.
Yesterday's One Year Memorial of the Late Varinava Turagadai

Varinava Turagadi was the son of Nana levu (Merewalesi Kalou). She is one of Nana's older sisters. Varinavea was married with three children when he died. The children are now ages 17, 12 and 10. The two youngest are his daughters and the eldest is his son. He was 45 when he died from a heart attack. The ceremony was held in the settlement of Naivinivini, a part of Vunitogoloa. This settlement belonged to Nana's father, and when he was about to die he gave the land to Nana Levu. Her husband, however, Tata Levu (Taito Kaisau) is originally from Vitawa. He is now very old and has lost part of his leg to diabetes Tila told me. He is Inia Waqa's father, the man from the education department that lives in Vitawa. When we arrived the women were preparing the meal so Tila, Api and I talked in another bure. At that point I was able to meet Inia's three younger brothers: Semesa, Rupeni and Josua. They all live in the settlement as well. We were waiting for another Uncle to come (Momo Lekema Donu), Nana's only brother. When he arrived all the veitacini gathered together for the sevusevu. Inia presented the yaqona to the momo (uncle) to celebrate the one-year mark of he brother's death. The momo then presented his yaqona as a vote of thanks to the veitacini. When the sevusevu was finished they called us in for dinner. I then met Nana Levu, Tata Levu, Fane, the wife of the man who died, another veitacini's wife, Ilisapeci and Nei, the wife of momo Lekima. Inia's family was there as well, Inia, his wife and their niece who lives with them. There were plenty of children as well but I was not able to sort out whom they belonged to. Dinner consisted of potatoes, cucumbers and noodles for me because Nana brought my share while everyone else ate beef and sausage. My nana is always thinking of me!!. When lunch was finished I joined Inia, Semi, Semesa, Reapi and Josua for a few bowls of grog. They were very impressed and said that I could drink with them any time. I did, however, notice that my bowls of grog were considerably less full than theirs. Semi then tried to teach me more of the Fijian language as usual. I think that is the only thing he is comfortable talking with me about. I often find it rather annoying. After the third bowl I decided to go find Tila to see when we were leaving. I was supposed to meet Steve about one hour ago but nobody seemed to care. I made my point very clear however, when I started walking down the road. Tila and Inia's niece followed and we were able to catch a van after a few minutes of walking. I had missed Steve's ride but he came back for me.

There were many situations at this ceremony where I noticed the clause of avoidance. First Api (my brother's wife) was not allowed to talk to or even be in the same room as any of my Nana's sister's sons. Tila was also very respectful in the way that she talked to them and when I joined them for a few rounds of grog she could not join me. This was actually the first time that I encountered this type of behavior and it made the day to be very awkward and uncomfortable. (I am glad that this is not the case with my cousins at home).
Visit to the Church of the Black Christ

The road leading to the church was very steep but it was no match for our van. At the bottom of the road was a primary school and all along the side were houses. When we reached the top there was a house located to the right and a shed that lie in the middle of the green. The shed was decorated from an event that was held on Sunday, the posts were laden with various leaves. It was very beautiful to look at and we took many pictures. Behind the shed was where the church stood and behind that were other buildings. I was amazed to see such a modern looking church in a place such as Fiji. It resembled churches that you would see back home, this may be due to the church being Catholic. There were doors in the front and two on the right. The far one to the right was the only one, which was open so that is where we entered. We took our shoes off before entering then went in to admire the artwork. There were mats covering the floor and an alter in the front. Above the alter was the mural that Caroline had been telling us about. It was a mural of a black Jesus hanging on the cross. To the right and left of the cross were various Fijian people performing their duties such as pulling cattle and bringing mats. This mural was very stunning to me. The colors were dull but very prominent. To the right and left of the mural were two more frescos that were smaller in size. They had pictures of angles and more people building what looked to be a cross as well. On the walls throughout the rest of the church were small pictures of the Stations of the Cross and in the back was the guest book for people to sign. Looking through the guest book there were people from all parts of the world that had come into the church. This surprised me since the church was so far back from the road and the sign was not very obvious to viewers. I enjoyed being in this church very much; it gave me a small sense of home. I also found it strange that there were no people around at all. I noticed one man in the house but he never came over to speak to us. When we were about to leave the school children made their way up to the church but they just wanted their picture taken. We left the church shortly after and made our way back to the villages.

The Story of Abraham

After evening prayer I was able to discuss with Tata the teachings in the bible. He gets very excited when talking about his religion or the word of God. He believes strongly in what the bible teaches; from my point of view I would say that it dictates his life. He volunteered the story of Abraham so I took careful notes. He said that Abraham and his wife Sarah could not have children so Abraham slept with their maid and she became pregnant. The maid had a baby boy named Ishmael. Later, however, God blessed Sarah with a boy also. His name was Isaac. These two boys grew up to hate each other due to the fact that they had no way to determine which one demanded more respect. Ishmael was the eldest, but Isaac was the legitimate child. Finally Sarah could take fighting no longer and she sent Ishmael away. He then became the head of Israel to lead the Muslim religion. The Muslims believe that Jesus is only a prophet and not a God. This, Tata said, is the reason for the problems in the Middle East and this war is one that can never be ended. It all began with the quarrel of two brothers and has developed into war of world nations.
Personal Reactions

I admit that I am not a very religious person, however, I cannot see how all of these people can be so determined to follow the bible. I have never seen anything like this in the U.S. so it amazes me. My family has chosen to follow a different path than all the rest and looks to the Christian Outreach Center for their guidance but they are strong believers in God like the rest of the village. The way that my Tata talks he says that serving God in your life is the only way to live. He has given up working and other habits such as drinking and smoking to follow God. This I believe has both negative and positive aspects. It makes me uncomfortable to sit at our evening prayer service because every day he asks me to pray with them and every day I tell them that I would rather not. He also comments on how he gets up for morning prayer every morning, but I do not see anybody else in the family getting up that early. Today we were discussing his family income and he said that he must give 10% of his earnings to the church. I think that this is ridiculous because these families are making so little already. I cannot possible imagine what a church would need this much money for. I believe that these churches are taking advantage of these people, but they should not be so quick to believe the words of total strangers either. This is a learning experience for me and one that I will always remember and take into consideration in the future.

Tuesday, September 28, 1999 (written Thurs. Sept. 30)
SUMMARY

I awoke rather late this morning because Tila did not open her kindergarten and there were no kids outside my window. She has been sick with pink eye and took the day of from teaching. We had tea and roti for breakfast then I took my shower. When I was finished Tila and I got ready to go to the Navatu Primary School for their day of athletics. We took a bus to Naivuvuni to see if Megan wanted to go with us. We chatted with her sister and mother for a while inquiring about the health of the baby then we were off. We walked the rest of the way to the school, which was less than a mile down the road. When we arrived the kids were already participating in their running events. We watched the running for a few hours then had lunch. I ate with a girl from Vitawa, Olivia. She graciously offered me curry and I accepted. Megan ate with people from her village as well and we met up afterwards. Megan helped to hand out the place markers while I watched the rest from the side. At about 2:30pm we decided to head for home and we walked back to Naivuvuni. From there Tila and I took a bus back to Vitawa. When we got home I took a short nap then was able to do some typing before it was time for volleyball. I usually would just sit and watch but today I got some courage to play. Selai and Akanise encouraged me and helped me to understand what people were saying when they were laughing at me. It was rather interesting, but fun. When it was too dark to play anymore we went inside to relax and wait for evening prayer. Akanise attended the evening prayer service today which seemed to be a normal occurrence. It is very common for other people to attend the prayer service of other families. When prayer was finished we ate dinner and decided to do our first interview afterwards. We went to the far side of the village to do the family of Malumu, a younger boy in the village, since there was also a store located in his home. The family was more than willing to help us and was very cooperative. The interview lasted about one hour then we went home so that I could read before bed. I found the day to be very productive and worth lots of field notes!

Navatu Primary School Athletic Day

Navatu Primary School is located between Naivuvuni and Vunitogoloa. It is for class one through class eight and both Fijian and Indian children attend. What people were referring to as a day of athletics was actually only for running events. The school children were split into four different groups to compete against each other. The groups consisted of children of all different ages, but when racing they were split into heats of similar ages. The first group was in shirts of a blue color and their name was Vesi. The second group was in shirts of red and their name was Damanu. The third group was in green and they were called yaka and the fourth and final group was in yellow and they were called dakua. The names I was told represented four different types of trees. The first event that I saw was the 400-meter event. There were four children lined up on the track of similar age racing to the finish line. When they arrived they were given place markers and had to bring them to the announcer's stand so that he could tally up the points for each group. The second event was the 100-meter sprint followed by the 50-meter sprint and 800 meter run. After these events were finished there was a one-hour break for lunch, which lasted almost two hours, then the day ended with the relay races. When all the events were finished the group with the most points won a brightly colored vest or t-shirt. This was a very exciting day for me and a change of scenery from inside my house. The way the children cheered each other on and sang songs was very uplifting and fun to watch. There were many mothers there watching their children and cheering them on which surprised me since they do not seem to watch out for their children in the villages. I was able to talk with some of these mothers that I recognized and made many new friends.

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ECONOMIC SURVEY #1

I interviewed two people in this household. The first was a woman by the name of Elesi Ranuinui. Her grandfather Filipe Tauygvu is actually the owner of the house but she and her son (Sitiveni Ranuinui) live in the house every week from Saturday to Thursday. Her husband works as a police officer in the Nandovi Station. They also have a home in the government quarters in Rakiraki.

Days Schedule:

8:00am wake up

cook breakfast

wash clothes

knitting

cook lunch

clean house

cook dinner

watch TV

sleep - 9:00pm

Her husband leaves for work every morning at 8:00am and returns at about 5 or 6:00pm. He does return for lunch at about 12:00pm in the middle of his working day.
INCOME -

The husband receives $200.00 every two weeks for working as a police officer. They receive about $100.00 every month from husband's family in Labasa for the land leases. If they are short on money they will also ask her brother for the needed amount.
EXPENSES -

No mortgage

The house in Rakiraki is free and provided for by the government

The electricity and water are free

They pay $50.00 every two weeks for a loan that they have taken out.

Food - $50.00 every two weeks

Clothes - $50.00 per year

Husband's drinking habit - $22.00 per month

Yaqona - $2.00 per week

Church donation - $2.00 per week

Funeral - $10.00 per clan, depends on how the money is split between the clan. This year they have been six funerals.

Elesi told me that the payments for various organizations and ceremonies has stayed the same. She does not believe that there is any fluctuation. The most money donated is to funeral services.

Yaqona and beer drinking is a significant strain on the family income. She told me that her husband is somewhat of an alcoholic and this has caused many arguments between the two of them.

She does not mind being asked for money, although she does not feel that they have much to give. This has not happened very much. They are also not afraid to ask their family members, such as her brother for money when needed.

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD: Filipe Tauygvu, Head of the household

Occupation: looks after Indians and Fijians that work in the sugar cane fields. He gets paid $80.00 every three weeks by the Fiji Sugar Corporation
COUSIN: Pana

Occupation: Sugar cane cutter. He gets paid $60-80.00 every three weeks, his donation to the household, however, is $20.00 every three weeks for food.
COUSIN: Keni Tuitoga (18)

Occupation: Sugar cane cutter. Donation to the household is $10.00 every three weeks
SECOND INTERVIEW IN HOUSEHOLD- Malumu Tora (19) (Grandson)

Days Schedule -

6:00am wake up

wash up

breakfast

work on plantation and cut fire wood

return to house and bath

lunch

relax with friends

play rugby

bath

dinner

9:00pm sleep
INCOME -

He personally receives $20.00 every two weeks from his parents, they both work on Cast Away Island. His parents send $150.00 for household expenses every two weeks. He is able to ask his cousin for money whenever he needs, it is usually $20.00 or less.

HOUSEHOLD STORE -

After talking with Malu about what they sell and how much it costs versus how much they sell it for I calculated that they make about $20.00 a week profit. They sell items like bread, butter, rice, sugar, beans, ice, biscuits, cigarettes, and tin fish. On each of these items they make about a $2.00 profit every week. It does change from week to week, however, so the profit varies greatly.

EXPENSES -

They do not by food other than what they grow on their plantation and what they sell in their store.

They have three goats and two horses that need to be fed.

Electricity is $20.00 per month

Yaqona and Alcohol: $10.00 per week

Bathroom supplies: $20.00 per month

In talking with Malumu he told me that he does not pay for funerals and other ceremonies. His father pays those fees for him. I noticed that he spends a significant amount of alcohol and yaqona and I have seen him drinking a number of times but he says that it has never been a problem in their household. This may be due to the fact that other than Elesi, there are no women living there. He told me that he does not wish that he had more money. He likes his way of living and would not want it to change due to the prospect of more money. He often requests money from his parents or his cousin and that has never been a problem. He would be willing to lend out any money that he could spare but people rarely ask this of him.
Personal Reactions

After completing my first economic survey I began to realize just how different the situation in Fiji is from the United States. These people make little to no money but they are still able to live long and fulfilling lives. They do not wish that they had more money and they realize that if they were able to obtain more money their way of life would change drastically. I wish that life at home could be more like this. After reading the articles I have begun to realize that our way of life in America may not be the most rewarding after all. Granted it is probably the most productive but the values and morals of people are affected. Westernization has now spread to other parts of the world and is affecting those countries negatively as well. I find this to be very unfortunate, however, I see no way to change it.

Thursday September 30, 1999 (written Friday, Oct. 1)
SUMMARY

I awoke this morning earlier than usual due to my excitement for the walk to the island. All the students were to meet at Stephanie's house in Narewa at 10:00am for the walk at low tide to the island, Cubu. I quickly ate breakfast and washed up so that Akanise and I could get an early start on our walk to Narewa. It took us about 20 minutes to get there but on the way we noticed that there was lots of water and it was in fact no where near low tide. We made out way to Narewa regardless to see if the other students were there. When we arrived Stephanie came out to greet us and said that Megan was inside. Megan, Stephanie and I went into her room to chat while Akanise and Steph's sister, Nai made lunch. Stephanie's room was rather small but her bed was huge and soft. Very different from my bed in Vitawa. Her house, however, had a roof that wasn't fully attached to the walls, which made for a great draft at all times. It was very interesting to see the home life of another student. After we had talked for a while the three of us walked down to the water to take some pictures then made our way back for lunch. None of the other students had shown up so we then determined that they were not coming. For lunch we had curry with rice and papaya. I had never been able to eat papaya at my house so this was a treat. When lunch was finished the four of us made our way back to Vitawa so that I could pick up Tila and we could all go to town. After waiting for about 45 minutes the bus finally came. When we arrived in town we all checked our mail first then Tila and I went to the social welfare office to ask questions about my project. When we were finished we met the other girls on the bus. It was a short ride back to Vitawa then I was able to play some volleyball for a while. While resting from a great game my brother Semi and his friend Malu came over with his horse to take me for a ride. I was very surprised that they actually did something that they said they were going to. It was getting dark so the ride was rather short but it was so much fun. The horse was very well fed which made me feel better about riding it and it was a beautiful white color. I was riding the horse bareback, which made me nervous, since I was not used to it, but I quickly got the hang of it and had a great time. When we arrived back at my house Malu said that he would take me again sometime and I went in to wash up and get ready for evening prayer. When we were finished we ate dinner then I was able to do an economic survey on Tata before he went to bed. When I was finished with him I interviewed Nana, Semi and Api. When I was done I did some typing and reading for a few hours before I fell asleep.
Akanise Cirimaiwasa

Aka and I have become better friends over this past week. She speaks very good English and tries to help me whenever she can. Today when we were walking to Narewa she told me about her family situation. She is 18 years old but not attending school anymore. She lives in the house next to ours with her father. About five years ago her father and mother got into a huge fight and her mother moved to Naivuvuni to be with her side of the family. Aka has six siblings and they all live in Naivuvuni now. She told me that she loves her father and wanted to stay with him in Vitawa so that is why she stayed. She is now the one who must do all the washing, cooking and cleaning but I get the feeling that this is how she wanted it. She has all sorts of freedom to do what she wants during the day and the relationship that she has with her father is a very healthy one from what I have seen. They often go fishing together and she said that they would love to have me come along sometime. I think that I will take her up on this offer. I enjoy spending time with Aka and hope that we get a chance to have more talks such as this one.
Riding the Horse

This was one of the best experiences since I have arrived in Fiji. Back home I used to own a horse and I enjoy riding very much. This was a great opportunity for me to utilize my talents. I was riding with my brother's friend Malumu. He has a large white horse named Lady. She was very calm and easy to ride. Everyone seemed surprised at first that I wanted to ride at all. This struck me as very strange until I learned that girls hardly ride here. So being a woman, and a white woman at that, everyone was amazed to see me on a horse. They quickly learned that I knew what I was doing and relaxed a bit more. We followed my brother down the railroad tracks past the men playing volleyball and rugby. They immediately started yelling things to Malumu and laughing. Tila told me afterward that they were commenting on how lucky Malu was to be riding with me and how great it was to see a girl that knew how to ride. We then walked down the road for a bit but turned back shortly because it was getting dark. I had a great time and hope that I will get a chance to ride again soon.

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ECONOMIC SURVEY #2

This survey was an interview with my family. First I interviewed my Tata then I did my brother and his wife.
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD: Asesela Lele

Days Schedule -

4:00am Morning Prayer

6:00am feed pigs

Breakfast

clean the yard

check on cassava garden

lunch and tea

relax

odd jobs -cleaning cassava, etc.

evening prayer

dinner

Sleep - 8:00pm

I found the schedule that he gave me very interesting since I do not think that he feeds the pigs, I believe that Semi does. Also most of the time he sleeps during the day or goes of to town or another village. He also told me that he often goes fishing during the night, which he has yet to do since I have been here. He often does not feel well which prevents him from performing many of these duties.

My Tata or my brother can only fish according to the weather also. They usually go when there is a new moon then fish from Monday to Friday for three weeks. If it is at all windy, however, they cannot go. When they are not fishing they must repair the fishing net and service the engine in the boat.
INCOME -

The main source of income is the selling of fish in the village and in the market. When they sell the fish they can obtain anywhere between $50-100.00 a day. It all depends on how much fish they were able to catch. The fish sell for $5.00 a bundle (a bundle is eight fish). On a good day they can sell twelve bundles. When their brother from Narewa goes fishing he uses their boat so he will give $20-50.00 to Tata or whatever he can spare.

Tata's son Usaia (Pudgy) works as a police officer in Suva and he will often send $20.00 when he can.

They breed pigs and receive $10 for every month that they have raised the pigs. (If the pig was one year old then they would receive $120.00). They do not sell that many, however, maybe two or three a year.

Payment from Union College $1000.00
EXPENSES -

No mortgage

No loans

The boat is paid for

Food 0-$20.00 a week

Electricity $20-30.00 a month

Pig food: $10.00 every two months

They must donate 1/10 of the week's earnings to the church

Funeral donations are whatever you can afford to give ($2.00-$20.00).

They only buy clothing when they have extra money, (appx. $30.00 per year)

In talking with Tata he said that the payments for the ceremonies he does find burdensome because if they don't have the money they are not required to give.

Due to their religion they spend no money one yaqona and alcohol so this is not a problem.

He does not wish that he had more money; he enjoys giving his life to god.

They have often requested money from his side of the family, but under the assumption that it will be paid back.

Nobody asks them for money because they have none to give.
DAUGHTER: Iliseva Tilatila

Occupation: Kindergarten Teacher in Vitawa. She receives $20.00 a week from the government for teaching and it is for her personal use.
MOTHER/WIFE: Bulou Vani Vikoka

Occupation: Domestic Duties, no source of income.

Days Schedule -

6:00am wake up

cook breakfast and tea

wash clothes

wash dishes

bath

cook lunch

wash dishes

rest; sometimes go to town for grocery shopping

cook dinner

wash dishes

baking for next morning

sleep 10-12:00pm

Although Nana does not contribute to the family income she is an amazing women and contributes in many other ways. Without her the family could not survive.
SON: Semi Toga

Occupation: retired rugby player/fisherman. Two years ago he traveled to New Zealand to play rugby on contract. The organization, however, never paid the players so Semi was forced to quit playing and find a job in Auckland. After a few months of working her returned home.

Days Schedule -

7:00am wake up

feed pigs and cow

rake lawn

breakfast

plant cassava in Narewa

lunch

relax

play rugby

dinner

fishing - return in morning if weather permits.

His only source of income is from the fishing, which has not been good due to all the wind.
Personal Reactions

I have become more comfortable with my family and life here in the village. They younger people in the village are making an effort to approach me and talk with me. They are opening up more and making my job much easier. I have not been spending so much time with Tila, which is good because when she is with me she does all the talking and does not let me speak for myself. The boys are surprised at all the things I can do such as riding a horse and playing volleyball which gives me a sense of satisfaction. Overall, I think that my time here will be very productive and I will get a true sense of how they live their lives.

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Saturday, October 2, 1999 (written Sat. Oct.2)
SUMMARY

Akanise and Selai woke me up this morning at 7:30am to see I wanted to join them while they watched the world cup rugby game. Fiji was winning at that point so I declined and washed up before breakfast. Breakfast consisted of roti as usual however; today we had a special treat of small fish and curry that Akanise had brought from the fishing trip the night before. I tried a small piece in my roti but politely declined the rest due the large amount of bones that I had forced myself to swallow. When I was finished with the rest of my food I was about to shower when Timoci (Jim) came over to ask me if I wanted to go and get cassava with him at his grandfather's plantation. I agreed and quickly changed my clothes. Tila accompanied us along with Jim's friend Joti who had brought his horse. We walked down the road for a ways toward Narewa until the path led of the other side of the road then I was able to ride the horse with Joti. We went on for about one or two miles into the depth of the mountain until we reached the Vitawa settlement of . Jim's grandfather owned the last house on the road. The men gathered the cassava while Tila and I relaxed with one of her sisters. When they were finished we rode home. After I arrived back home I showered and was able to do a considerable amount of typing before the kids asked me to join them for volleyball. I played a few games then went back inside to read. Tila had decided to go to town so I went for a walk with Selai to get some exercise. When we returned Tila was home from town and we watched Volleyball some more. At about 5:30pm she asked me to go with her to an Indian house to buy some cucumbers. Their house was in Vitawa just down the road. When we arrived we were invited inside for some cocoa and mangos. They inquired about my studies while their son went to get the cucumbers then we made our way home. Tila and I decided to do my last economic survey before dinner but when we arrived the house was just about to do prayer so we walked around for a while then went home for dinner. After dinner I went back to do the survey then returned home to do some extensive typing and go to bed.
Yesterdays Trip to Cubu Island

Semi asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him and Api at around 10:00am. I excitingly agreed and he went to get the boat in Narewa. After about 45 minutes of waiting Api and I decided to walk to Narewa ourselves to meet him. When we were almost there we heard them on the water and they came to pick us up. Two other boys were with him, Nigel and Lasu. They were helping him navigate the boat. When we were all settled in Semi informed me that we were stopping in Vitawa first before we set off to pick up Malumu and get some water. When we had done that we started on our way. The water looked extremely shallow to me but I never heard the boat hit the bottom. The water was clear and easy to see the small fish and rocks. The weather was rather windy, however, and the waves often times splashed into the little boat getting me very wet. When we arrived at the island it was very windy!!! We got out of the boat but not before Malumu managed to fall off it. He changed his clothes with some extras that Semi had brought and we got ready to climb the rock. I was not aware when we left that we were actually climbing the rock so I did not wear shorts. This made the climb very difficult in my sulu, especially with all the heavy wind. After we finally made it to the top, with Malu's help, the scenery was beautiful. I took lots of pictures then attempted to make my way back down. It was very scary and often times I had to sit and compose myself. I did make it all the way down, however, unharmed. When we were at the bottom Semi showed me a place where we could go and have a barbecue sometime and camp out. I thought that sounded like fun. We could not go fishing due to all the wind so we just drove the boat back to Vitawa. It was a great trip and a good form of exercise. I am sorry that the other students could not experience it.
Horse Ride to Sokinawi Settlement

Timoci (Jim) asked me if I wanted to go to a settlement in the mountain range across the highway to get some cassava. I agreed as a chance to get some exercise and was introduced to the other boy that was going with us, Joti. We walked down the road for about a half a mile toward Narewa when we turned off to the left to follow a path into the interior. I then was able to ride the horse with Joti while Tila and Jim walked behind us. There were houses on either side for the first mile. The children would come out to see me and the people were all commenting on how surprised they were to see me on a horse. The men were making fun of Joti and he would just smile and laugh. We walked for about two miles or more before we reached the last house on the path. This house was part of Jim's grandfather's plantation. I dismounted the horse and we walked toward the house to meet Tata Levu (Jiutasa Mabetelevu) and Nana Levu (Mere). Tata Levu was on his way to the village so I only met with him for a few minutes. He inquired about where I was from and what I was doing here. He did not speak very good English so Tila had to translate. After he left I met Nana Levu who was doing the cooking for lunch. At that point their daughter Jowana Mabetelevu came out to introduce herself. He actually lives in Vitawa village but she often comes to her parents place to work on the plantation, cook, and clean the house. He husband was also there, he came to Vitawa to live with her family when they were married so that someone could look after her parents. Her brother lives in Suva and there are no other siblings. She invited us in the house for some juice and we relaxed while Jim and Joti went to pick the cassava. After about 1/2 hour they returned and we said our good buys before we left. I rode the horse with Joti again and Jim rode one of his grandfather's horses with the bag of cassava. It was a nice and relaxing ride home and when we arrived the boys were out playing volleyball. They hissed and yelled as we walked up to my house and I jumped off to go bath. I enjoy these types of activities very much and hope that I will be able to do more of them.
ECONOMIC SURVEY #3
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD: Nei Silivia

Days Schedule:

5:30am wake up

Morning prayer

bath

cook breakfast

catch 6:30am van to Wananavu Resort for work

return home at 4:00

tea with children returning home from school

prayer 7:00pm

dinner

Sleep 9-10:00pm

Silivia is a widow; she lives with her two kids that are still schooling. One child is in form 3 and the other in form 6. The child in form 3 attends Penang High while the other attends Rakiraki District School. Neither child works or has a source of income.
INCOME -

Working at Wananavu Resort Hotel $112.00 per week

They receive $125.00 per month from their husbands insurance and pension

Her mother and sisters give them money when they have extra when they visit.
EXPENSES -

Schooling: Rakiraki District $15.00 per term (3 terms per year)

Penang High School $35.00 per term

Food: $40.00 per week

Electricity: $27.00 per month

Telephone: $40.00 per month

Church donations: $5-10.00 per week

Funeral functions for mataqali: $10-20.00

Clothing: $75.00 per year

They only by yaqona when they have visitors

Silivia told me that they very rarely ask for money but if she needed money she would ask for a loan from her boss.

She did say that the payments for various functions have become increasingly higher and she does find this to be a burden.

She wishes that she had more money because life is hard for her and her children since her husband passed away.

She does not mind being asked for money when she has money to give but this rarely happens.
Personal Reactions

I received two love letters this week that I found particularly amusing. The first was from Malumu, my brother's friend that often accompanies us on our day trips. He gave me the letter in person and does not seemed to be embarrassed about it at all. The letter talks about how lucky he is to know someone like me and so on. He gives his address and phone number at the end, which I thought was interesting. Does he actually think that I am going to call him when I return home? The second letter was given to me a bit more discretely the boy gave it to my sister when I wasn't there and does not want me to know who he is. It talked of how much he admired my beauty and how he was afraid to talk to me so he had to write everything down. The letter is intricately decorated with great penmanship. Both letters have the same form and I wonder if this is a trade that they learn in school! Anyway I find these letters to be very interesting but I am wondering if it will make conversation a bit more uncomfortable. I hope not, I guess we will just have to see what happens.

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