That's 'hello' in Fijian. There is also a dance called the Bula Dance, but I think is just made up for tourists. Why do I think this? Well, parts of the dance are oddly reminiscent of the Macarena...
So here are some fun stories from my trip:
One afternoon we were told that there was going to be rugby match between two of the villages, and we were free to go watch. Nathan, Fiona, and I thought it would be fun to walk since we heard there was a path from the beach to the other side of the island where the match was being held. We asked for directions to start off, but basically we headed off without a clue as to where we were going... Right. So the first "path" we took led us nowhere but into the woods. On the second try was also wrong, but we did find a pig. The third path seemed promising enough but it led us into a hillside garden. Eventually we did find our way, and we had a fun adventure, but we felt pretty silly about all our wandering around... But it was worth it in the end, because the rugby match was great and the team from the village where we were staying won!
We went to a local church on Sunday which was a real treat. I didn't understand what they were saying at all, but it was so amazing to hear the Fijians voices lifted in song--really beautiful--without instruments or a band, just singing to God. Afterwards, each tourist that attended the service was invited to someone's home for lunch. Nathan and I ended up at the home of one of the church's pastors. They were really friendly and generous, and we asked a lot of (probably stupid) questions which they were kind enough to answer. Personally, I was really proud of myself for eating everything they offered--even the fish with the heads still attached!
We noticed a guitar in the corner of one of the offices of the resort on the second island we visited. I asked to borrow it a couple of nights, and my friends and I sat on the beach with a box of cookies and looked at the stars while I played and sang. You can't beat that.
One afternoon on the mainland we were able to go surfing! It was a beautiful afternoon, and not crowded at all, although the waves were a little flat. But it does not matter, because I can now officially say that I have surfed in Fiji. The surf shop had a friend of theirs named Rakesh who drives a taxi take us to and from our surfing beach. We love Rakesh! He was really open and entertaining and let us ask him all about Fiji and his life. He told us some really great stories, and I could not believe the amazing life he has had. He told us to look him up again if we needed a taxi again, so we got to see him again when we did some site-seeing. If you are ever in Nadi in Fiji, let me know because I know a really cool guy who drives a cab and he'll probably give you a really good rate.
Anyway, it was nice just now to remember my nice, warm holiday because now I am back in cold Auckland, with all new flatmates and classes...
More about that some other time I guess...
