Blowing the Conch Shell

Mondays in Loa are “village day” where all the men are required to stay home from their farms and help with tasks around the village such as mowing all the lawns and repairing the water system. (It’s also the only day of the week you are allowed to wear hats in the village). We had been instructed to arrive in Loa at 7:45 in order to speak at the end of the Monday morning village meeting, but upon arrival we were ushered into Q’s house to wait – the meeting hadn’t started yet! We then heard the first blowing of the conch shell, signaling that the meeting would start sometime soon. But instead of heading to the meeting, Q’s mother and wife began serving us a breakfast of deep fried cassava and fish (for Justin). We were also handed a fan to swat at the flies while we ate. The meal was served on a tablecloth on the floor of the family room, and the women sat in the kitchen, waiting for the men (and Deborah) to finish their meal.

When the second sound of the conch was heard about half an hour later, we headed towards the “town hall”. The meeting wouldn’t actually start until the third sound of the conch, which ended up being closer to 9:30… ah, Fijian time! The meeting was run by Tom, who we assumed to be the deputy headman, along with Malakai, the headman. Tom introduced us to the 20-odd members of the village who had showed up for the meeting, and Justin gave his well-practiced spiel about Engineers Without Borders and how we would like to help them improve their water system. We also presented them with token gifts of soap and school supplies for the children.

The villagers thanked us repeatedly for helping their villages and told us that we are now considered part of their family. The meeting then continued on for a good hour in Fijian. Q translated a few of the relevant bits to us later – a lecture on water conservation and the need to turn off the taps when not in use, and a decision that they would throw a party for us before we leave. Deborah is hoping the party will include Bacalolo – the delicious cassava and coconut milk desert that we had at the last lovo!

After the meeting Q’s brother Jim toured us around the village to perform our health assessment survey – which included questions on both water usage and health. We met with five families, asking them the same questions but coming up with different answers every time. In general, the results of the survey showed that their main concern with water is shutdowns during the rainy season. (It is difficult to get a straight answer out of Fijians, as they are so anxious to please you that they will answer yes to almost anything you ask. Questions must be phrased carefully so as not to lead to an automatic yes.)

Eleven days into our trip, we feel like we are making good progress in getting to know our three villages and have befriended many lovely people. Now when we roll into town, our friends seem genuinely excited to see us and invite us into their homes for a cup of tea and a chat.