Blog 1, 27 Nov, Arriving in Fiji!

Woooo…my first blog in Fiji! I arrived in Suva yesterday after an incredibly hectic trip. These past few days have introduced me very thoroughly to the concept of “Fijian time,” which seems to be so prevalent in the culture here. The AirPacific flight from Sydney to Nadi took off an hour late, with no notice being given to passengers as to the cause of the delay. I wasn’t too worried to begin with, being more than anything overtaken with excitement at the experiences I was about to have. It was refreshing to encounter some very positive and friendly attitudes when Hannah (also stuck in the same boat as me) and I asked whether there would definitely be sufficient time inbetween flights. We were constantly reassured that the flight would wait for us. So, arriving at the check-in point, we were quite relaxed and calm about the whole affair, only to be told that the flight had just left. Fortunately there were a couple of other women in the same situation, so we managed to arrange for AirPacific to cover the cost of two taxis for us to Suva. In all my travelling experiences, I have always appreciated the feeling of camaraderie that travelers share, and it was once again invaluable to have these other women there, so we could all calm each other’s nerves. The taxi trip was…far from perfect, but I found myself really not minding all that much that the car was pretty much on its last legs, the road was incredibly pothole-ridden and the driver didn’t really have an amazing grasp of English. Perhaps this Fijian attitude is already working its magic! The accommodation is without a doubt, lovely. It is fantastic to be able to recreate the environment of a residential hall, given that I spent the entire year living in that way, and really enjoyed it. One thing that has immediately struck me being here is the modesty of those in Suva. Long skirts and covering tops are the norm. I was quite shocked to be told by Nikki that my dress, which I thought was relatively conservative, sitting only just above the knee, was completely inappropriate, even for a short trip down to the shopping centre. It is interesting to notice this, because I doubt if this modesty is noted as one of the defining characteristics of Fijians by foreigners. We typically seem to imagine Fijians in a very relaxed light, relaxing under Palm trees or drinking copious amounts of kava. The religious side of the culture is very pronounced and this appears to be reflected in many aspects of life here. I intend to post new blogs quite regularly this week, given that I am sure it will be somewhat of an information overload, and it will be fantastic to be able to record all my thoughts and experiences basically as soon as they occur.