Unpretentiously Fiji

Point of view

- By DOROTHY DELGADO NOVICIO

How are you adjusting to your new home? A friend curiously messaged me one day. I replied, “Nothing major, it feels like home.”

It must be the weather, the Fijians’ gracious demeanor or the overall impression of things that remind me of the tropics: soaring coconut trees, shrubs of blooming hibiscus, a lively Saturday market scene glowing with nature’s bounties. Fresh catch from the sea, crustaceans of all kinds — crabs, shrimps, lobsters and a variety of fish of all colors and sizes. From the rich soil are heaps of kamote, cassava, gabi, okra, eggplant, string beans while glistening green guavas, avocados, semi-ripe papayas, a range of yellow or green bananas and golden, brownish passion fruits evoke recollection of a happy rural childhood.

When new to our host country, my first must-do rituals include visiting the church, going to the market and exploring a museum. Following this routine is essential to the practice of our faith and its fundamental sacraments, which leads to establishing relationships with people we share our belief with. It allows us to gradually integrate with the locals’ way of life in a pulsating milieu like the marketplace. Spending a day if not days in museums is a perfect segue to understand the history, heritage and culture of the country we would call home for a few years.

It’s been almost a month since we moved to Suva, Fiji’s capital. We are still in a phase of discovery when alongside familiarizing ourselves with the contours of the city and its people, comes the surprise of knowing the extent of what Fijians associate the Philippines with.