| What do you picture when you think of Fiji? | | | | prospects yet. I asked Ben what sorts of problems |
| Luxurious palm trees, warm tropical breezes and | | | | his village faces: he says sometimes, villagers try and |
| lazing the afternoon away in a hammock overlooking | | | | bring alcohol in which is illegal. They way they solve |
| the azure blue sea perhaps. But there is a unique | | | | problems between folks is to bring them to the town |
| experience that should not be missed – touring a | | | | meeting and let them "argue it out" while the Chief |
| local village with the village chief as your personal tour | | | | sits patiently and listens. Open communication, Ben |
| guide. | | | | says, is the way his village stays peaceful. There are |
| Set on the Coral Coast of the Fijian island of Viti | | | | no secrets. |
| Levu is the picturesque Beach House Backpacker | | | | Ben invited us into his home and showed us the local |
| Resort nestled in a beautiful coconut grove. My | | | | church. It was incredibly humbling to be in this small, |
| husband and I took a walk with one of the | | | | poor town with no commerce of any kind. They |
| employees here, Ben, to the small village to the east | | | | grow their own fruits and vegetables and their dogs |
| called Namatakula. In Fiji, it is considered rude to wear | | | | hunt wild pigs in the jungle. There is no furniture in |
| hats or skirts above the knee so upon entering the | | | | their shanty-like homes, chickens and dogs run freely |
| village we had to look the part. Fiji is made up of | | | | and smoking pits for cooking food were all around. |
| hundreds of villages, all with important and distinct | | | | As we walked past, the villagers young and old came |
| roles with clear social norms. Each has a Chief, a | | | | out to their porches, looked us right in the eye, |
| Speaker and six other leadership roles in which they | | | | smiled, waved and shouted "Bula!" as we smiled and |
| conduct town meetings, solve problems and run | | | | waved back with another loud greeting in return. I |
| events. Ben's father is the current chief of | | | | received such a feeling of warmth and pure |
| Namatakula and he has five sisters, which means he | | | | contentment from these villagers who have a tiny |
| is Chief-to-be! Recently in a town meeting, it was | | | | fraction of what Westerns have. This makes me |
| decided Ben can become chief as soon as he finds a | | | | think happiness does not come from within things, |
| wife. He is able to choose a wife from another village | | | | but from within oneself. |
| which makes him quite happy, as he says he has no | | | | |