bula!

'Bula' means life.  Being alive is the most important: everything else comes after.  I have felt wonderfully alive these last few days.  It doesn't take anything special.  Just walking around, talking to people, being in nature, eating a papaya or a mango, feeling the rhythm and energy of the Fijians, and being a part of that dance.  I am so happy that I came here.  Here is truly a paradise.

I don't know how to begin to describe the richness and beauty that I have experienced of Fijian life, but I will say that family and community are central values.  I was delighted to hear from my new friend, Josepha, about the spirit of generosity and caring that so many people have for each other and also for people who are visiting.   I feel moved to realize that people who have not much are so willing to give of their time, energy, hospitality, to serve others.  It inspires me to give of my talents, time, energy, to others.  There does not seem to be anything complicated about it.  This is just what you do.  And yet, in the society that I have been raised, I find that we constantly erect walls and boundaries, and there is something beautiful that feels lost in these attitudes.  We are fixated on commodifying things, even our experiences, and working so hard to achieve something that we forget what that something even is.  I start to remember a simpler way of living: for many Fijians, each day is a great blessing, and there is beauty and love in every step.  There is not such a strong need for all of these things outside of ourselves (entertainment, drugs, cell phones, greediness), because there is an abundance of richness that can be experienced right now within ourselves and in our immediate surroundings.  I can certainly understand how cultivating this state of mind can be more difficult for someone like me who was working long hours in a dark basement, in comparison to walking home in the daylight down a dirt road past mango and banana trees with glowing green mountains in the distance, the smell of plants and fresh rains, and no sounds but those of a hundred birds rejoicing in paradise... This photo is from my friend's front porch...

"Fiji-time" is about slowing down and enjoying life as it unfolds.  Ironically, we actually *don't* need to be in a rush all of the time in order to be happy.

There are so many experiences I've had so far out here, and yet somehow it doesn't really feel that important to record them.  They are all small but somehow add up in a big way.  I have been smiling a lot in this lush paradise.  It is easy to laugh.  I bought my first bottle ever of Fiji bottled water.  I drank yaqona (kava) with some local guys in their shop, and felt a really funny and relaxing buzz throughout my body and mind.  I've had only one beer in three days.  I skip meals because I feel so nourished and satisfied from the fruits I'm eating.  I try to visit a house of God each day (Hindu, Muslim, Christian...) to pray and just feel sweet divine presence within myself.  I have chosen sometimes to walk long distances, and today even in the rain, just because it feels nice and I smile a lot and greet people with "Bula!"  That is enough.  I don't need to be entertained with any special contrived experiences.  My soul feels nourished.  I have a strange feeling though that when I leave this place, it might be like waking from a dream.... 'what was that dream?...what even was the feeling?'... The state of mind that I have cultivated is reverant, good-humored, gentle, loving, curious.  I want to take this state of mind with me out into the world.

Fiji has a very rich and complex history that has led to a fusion of cultures all in one place.  Some are Fijian, some Indo-Fijian (Indian indentured servants came to work the fields in the late 19th century, and many stayed), and some of other origins, such as Chinese.  Not many whites here at all - I was somewhat surprised about that since almost everyone speaks English here and this was a British colony.   But now that I think about it, the same is true for African colonies.  Culture has been preserved and has adapted to the various technologies now available.  Synthesized Indian hip-hop with reggae beats (and lots of AutoTune!) blasts on busses and through the streets.  Cars and people buzz around like bees.  The rhythm of life feels a bit like Burkina Faso (W Africa) at times, but also feels at times how I would imagine India to be like.

I met lots of cows on my walk back from the sand dunes.

sand dunes.

typical delicious lunch.

Tomorrow I'll head to Suva (capital town) to take care of visa stuff at the Korean embassy, and visit with the dean of the college of science at Fiji National University to inquire about collaboration and possibly coming here to volunteer as an instructor at some point in the future.  Then I'll travel to a village to the north (Nasauri) to stay with Josepha and his family over the weekend.  There is a rugby function happening on Saturday that should be fun.  It doesn't matter what we do, I'm just happy to be alive and to have the opportunity to engage with the Fijian people and to learn some things about life.