A Slice of "Fijian Hospitality"

By Harold Maesulia. Follow me on twitter.



Bogivitu and Sainimili at work during our screening
night.

Matailobau, a highland village in the Province of Naitasiri has been our home for half of last week. We were on a mission to assess the health status of the community. After analysing the data we've collected, we came up with priority areas selected by the villagers on which we based our intervention program on.

The villagers chose to have a community water tank after learning from our presentation that their water source is unsafe for drinking.

Our visit last week was probably going to be our last to the village. So we brought with us our educational health materials which we used to provide health education on selected nights.

I always look at this project as a small way in which we can reach out to the needy communities around us. But, when we got to the village, the warmth and hospitality offered by the Matailobauns deeply touched us. They gave us more than what we were there to give them. From the togetherness of the women taking time out to prepare delicious meals for us to the friendly smiles we got hanging around the neatly set village, all of my group members, even the Indo-Fijians, felt part of the community.

My host family regarded me as their son. I was made to call the head of the household dad and his lovely wife mum. They spoke little English but I spoke with those who can and shared a lot of jokes.

We made it to the Wainimala river for a swim and gosh it was cold. But the excitement brought about by the Bilibili ride was second to none.

...and then the bilibili ride.

We were given a bundle of dalo each when we left and as we waved the lovely villagers goodbye I said to myself, "this is what real hospitality is!"

Goodbye Matailobau. See you soon.