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Fiji Shark Behavior & Conservation

SBC21 Update - Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Bula Beaches!

Trip Log: Day 10: Bula Beaches!

We woke up this morning and were all extremely excited to make our way to Galoa Village! Mary Kate and Taylor made a delicious breakfast of French toast and then we got ready to go to the village by making sure we had our sulus…finally, we get to wear them!

First stop, the dive shop! Once there, we picked up two of the BAD staff to assist with the community service, one of which was a member of the village. When we arrived in Galoa, we quickly donned our sulus and got into the village spirit. We were immediately greeted by countless ‘Bulas!’ and everyone in the village was extremely friendly and welcoming.

We made our way to a large house and met a few of the men that reside in the village, one of them being the future chief. TThere we participated in a traditional kava ceremony known as a sevu sevu. The kava was mixed in a large bowl in the middle of the room called a tanoa, and it looked and tasted like muddy water- yum! We asked the village men questions about the way they lived and how they felt about different things. It was fascinating! After a few rounds of kava, we were treated to a walking tour of the entire village, which was led by a few of the younger village men. They showed us the pigpens, a large house made almost entirely of palm tree leaves, and we got an even deeper glimpse in how the people of Galoa live as we walked. Kiersten asked the men countless intelligent questions and really enjoyed learning about the Fijian culture and traditions. The children flocked to us in bunches, and Taylor was very busy taking breathtaking pictures of the children and the scenery around us. <

Finally, when the tide was low enough, we began our community service-cleaning the beach. We all pulled on large red gloves and scoured the beach for rubbish while it drizzled a little. There were the most bizarre pieces of trash on the beach, including a large rusty stove. During the cleanup, the children were playing on the beach and Katie was very busy playing with them. By the end of the beach cleanup, she had all of the children bringing her various pieces of trash. As a group, we filled at least seven large bags of trash and it made us feel good that we were helping the village and the environment at the same time.

After the beach was as clean as we could possibly make it, we returned to the house where the men were still enjoying kava and socializing. Instruments had been brought out and Mary Kate was brave enough to plop down in the middle of all the village men to sing and play a song she had written herself. IIt was a beautiful moment and her confidence was inspiring. As the day got later, the women of the village started filing into the house and the music became a group thing, complete with singing and dancing! Van asked a local Fijian woman to dance, and she gave him a special necklace and an even special-er gift- a kiss! Parker had a long conversation with the soon-to-be chief and many stories and laughs were shared.

Today was an extremely unique day for everyone. Not only did we get completely and totally immersed in the Fijian culture, but we also got a glimpse of what everyone enjoys. We left the village with a deeper understand of Fijian culture and a lot of new friends. Today is a day I know we won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

-Katie O’Hara

P.S. I miss you Teej…and Mom and Dad too, I guess ;)