Contrasts and Consumption

This weekend was, ultimately, a study in contrasts. From the last weekend spent adhering to strict Fijian village protocols to a weekend spent amongst half naked Westerners, it seems impossible to find more divergent experiences in such close quarters. In the immediacy of the relief I will admit to feeling, no longer engaged in an environment where I was forever conscious of the length of a skirt or the relative height of my head, I realise that I didn't question the dynamics of this new environment. At least, not at first. However, it didn't take long for me to find myself blinking owlishly at the Australian surfer, shirtless and with dangerously low, loose pants. By the end of the weekend I felt slightly overwhelmed by the 'Otherness' of the place; this was the Fiji of the Tourist Bureau, the Fiji portrayed in the images of 'We Are Fiji'. Like Bau, this didn't seem like a place or experience that many Fijians would visit or have, although again as a study in contrast, for completely divergent reasons. It didn't seem to bear any relation to the Fiji that I feel I am coming to know, but represented instead the Fiji that my friends know. The Fiji of my weekend was the Fiji of my Aunt's honeymoon, my work mate's alcohol-soaked beach holiday, my travel acquaintance's hurried trip to satisfy her need for wanderlust and the exotic - to a certain extent, it was the Fiji of my dive course, although I felt (perhaps arrogantly and ignorantly) like I had a slightly more meaningful experience in visiting the village of my dive instructor, even if it was only for the rugby. And I can't say that it wasn't valuable; without this weekend, without this stark contrast, I may not have reached quite the same appreciation for the experiences that this trip is affording us. Without something like this, I may never have seen the sides of Fiji that I have seen, and hopefully will continue to see.

This is not to say that we aren't, in some ways, having a particular 'Pacific experience' of our own. There are some forums in which we experience only certain aspects of Fijian culture and society; the workplace is dominated by indigenous Fijians rather than any other ethnic group, and we have enjoyed quite an honoured status as guests at many of the functions we have attended, affording us certain views and informing our perceptions in that way. Yet it's important to remind myself that it's far from a one-way street; our relationship with the wonderful Conservatorium students, for example, is far more that just 'the White consumption of difference' that Teiawa mentioned in the article and that seemed to be the modus operandi this weekend – it feels like a genuine exchange, and I certainly value it in that way.