Birthday party in a Fijian village

from w
Yesterday afternoon Peceli,Mereoni, Jordan, Iliaja, Andrew and I crammed into a taxi to go to Navuso village for a birthday party for a little four year old girl Mere. We hadn't seen her since she was two weeks old. We had to cross a river by boat then walk up a muddy path. We were warmly welcomed by relatives and the party took place in a vakatunuloa (temporary shed) decorated with plaited leaves, balloons etc. It turned out to be a party for two little kids as a one year old also had a special cake.



Many youth mothers brought their infants and the barbecue cooked by the teenage boys was enjoyed as the men drank kava and told stories in one corner. We left after dark using a torch to find the river, the boat, and to negotiate the puddles to go to the main road. It was a beautiful starry night and one of the kids said, 'Grandma why don't you do a drawing of those trees, the sky and the stars?' This was in the middle of the river!

A 15 seater minibus, with a side door that opened and shut at every bend, picked us up to go the 20 minute trip back to Namadi. It was a lovely occasion of catching up with stories from the extended family of our grandsons.