PST and IP Recap

Well, let me break down those acronyms for you. PST means Pre-Service Training, and IP means Integration Period (which is 3 months into our 2-year sites). Both are Peace Corps-related. IP, however, I kinda made it up, but it works lol.

PST lasted about 10 weeks. This was when we were introduced to the Fijian culture and the language. We lived with a host family. In the last blog, I kinda touched on this a little. However, on this blog, we will get a little deeper into this period, mainly on my learnings on the culture and some cultural differences between Fiji and my Dominican/American culture.

We shall begin with Fiji time. What is Fiji time? Well, according to Google, Fiji time is “a leisurely, relaxed approach to timekeeping, often characterized by a lack of strict adherence to schedules and a willingness to take things at a slower pace.” In other words, there is no such thing as being on time, no need to rush, it's okay if you're late, meetings starting 2 hours later, expect people to be late, expect people to forget that there was a meeting, people forgetting certain events, so on and so on. Fiji time is a way of saying, you don't have to take time so seriously, enjoy the moment. 

Well, let me tell you, this has been by far one of the hardest things for me to get used to. Coming from a 9-5 and being the time management queen that I am, this new definition of time was extremely difficult to absorb. It felt like it wasn’t real. It was like “Excuse me, but do you even value my time???” Fast forward PST/IP to now, I still occasionally struggle with it. What has been helping is just accepting it and carrying on.

One of the craziest cultural differences that I had experienced during PST was how it is taboo to shower at night, mainly when there is no sunlight, because there are evil spirits roaming around the village who seek out ladies. This one was so annoying! I am the type of gal who likes to shower right before going to bed. The first few nights, I found myself in bed by 7 pm, questioning if I had made the right decision lol. After peep talking myself out of that habit, I kinda got over it. Now that I live on my own, I shower whenever I want lol.

Here's one that drove me absolutely insane. Everyone in Fiji is about everyone's business. They all want to know where you're going, where you're coming from, and what you're doing. It is basically everyone's way of knowing what is happening in everyone's life. As you walk past someone's house (which you are bound to because everyone is really close to each other), they will say “Oi lai vei? Oi lesu mai vei?” During IP, I found myself walking around so much that I got used to being asked where I was heading. Heck, now I even question people on their whereabouts lol. Talk about integration!

If Fijians are not asking you where you are going, then they are saying “Lako mai, kana.” Which means “Come here and eat.” Fijians love to feed people, which is why whenever someone passes by their homes (doors are always open in everyone's houses), they always make sure to invite them to eat. Their goal is to make sure that everyone is always fed, and that you ate plenty. They want you to gain weight because being heavy here is seen as a sign of prosperity. So, overfeeding us is their goal so that we gain weight. (Keep reading for a crazy story.)

When it comes to meal times, men tend to eat first. After the women eat. Because we were PCT’s they kind of still allowed us to eat first with the men. Most Fiji meals are: breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. After heavy meals, Fijians tend to nap. This was one of the things that I found the hardest to get used to. I couldn't go to sleep every time I ate, so I went on walks. However, during my IP, I often slept here and there because that was part of my integration period.

I kinda touched on this last blog, but I will mention it again. During PST, since we were new to the land, we needed to be accompanied by a local anytime we left the village. Keep in mind that the local often times was a youth between the ages of 13-18 years old. In Fiji, the youth are considered people aged 15-35. For us volunteers, it was very hard to make it make sense of how we weren’t considered adults. We had left our lives, traveled overseas, and moved to a whole new country, by ourselves, but to our host parents, we were still children.  

As I write this blog, I realize that most of these norms have changed here and there. My PST village was very traditional compared to my 2-year site. They tended to follow way more rules and norms.

As I re-read this blog, it kinda sounds like I am ranting. And yes, yes I am. This is my safe space to share with you my feelings and what is actually happening without sugar coating anything. As you know, I took a crazy leap of faith (#thatwasagreatblog) so venting here and there does me good ;)

IP took place at my 2-year village. This period took about 3 months. During this period, our goal was to get to know the community, its members, the workflow of the village, the dialect, the village's aspirations and goals, and more. These months were given to us to familiarize ourselves with our new homes. For those reasons, we couldn’t travel overnight or spend the night outside of our villages.

Getting used to living on my own was a whole new experience in itself. I had always either lived with my parents or with a roommate. I had moved into a Fijian bure, which has been another blessing in disguise. This home is a traditional Fijian home, kinda like a hut, which is built of wood and thatch. The air flow in this crib is A1. It is great for cyclones, and it is weather-acclimated. So if it is cold outside, it is warm inside, and vice versa.

Now, here’s a little secret that not many know. When we had one of our pre-departure calls back in the States, they showed us pictures of the different types of homes that volunteers were placed in. One of those pictures was of a Fijian bure. When I first saw it, I was like “Absolutely not. I don’t want that house. Lord Jesus, please don’t let me get that house.” I found myself praying daily to not be placed in one of those houses. The main reason was because I didn’t know how secure it was. Plus, I kept thinking that if it rained, water was going to seep through and damage everything inside.

Well, let me tell you how good my God is. He heard my prayers and He said, “My daughter, I have greater plans for you.” Huh, how I love Him. He denied my prayers because He had so much better in store for me. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know of the big blessing that it is to live in this type of home. But now, as I write this blog sitting in it, I can only say thank you!

A month into my IP, I encountered one of the hardest periods I have had in Fiji. A week before my birthday, I was having lunch at a family’s house, and in between bites, someone commented, “Wow, your levulevu. You are fat.” Mind you, in front of everyone who was sitting on the mat.

Let me explain something real quick. Fijians love to comment on people's appearances. They don’t have any problems with mentioning your weight. It’s as if they are talking about the weather. That’s how easy it is for them to mention it. I commend them for their harsh honesty!

Well, growing up, my family never really had a problem commenting on my weight here and there. I was used to it being a topic of conversation whenever I went back home. However, just because it was a topic of conversation, it didn’t mean it was a good one. I occasionally pointed it out to them that talking about one another’s weight is not right. Anyways… fat talking with my family was completely different than having this talk with a complete stranger.

After lunch, I went home and cried. I cried some more and then prayed. I tried to rationalize the pain I was going through and tried to make it make sense. It was clear to me where both cultures clashed. In America, people don’t tend to go up to someone and say “you are fat” (Stay with me, my family is Hispanic, so it runs in their blood to talk about it lol), but here it is common and normal. I figured that if I explained to them why I don’t like being called fat, they would understand and stop saying it to me.

The next day, someone else called me fat. I went a little off. I told them not to call me that and then went on a 3-minute rant as to why I didn’t like it and how where I come from is kinda “taboo”, but is it actually taboo? I think so because people don’t really talk about it so openly. If it’s not, please reach out, and I will take it off. He understood. I stood up to leave. Kid you not, 2 minutes after my rant, I hear him talking to the neighbor about my weight in Fijian. I understood some words here and there. I literally turned around and screamed, “Stop calling me FAT!”

Later in the day, he joined us to play volleyball (which he had never done before.) I ignored him because I didn’t appreciate how, after my rant, he still continued to talk about it. Later in the night, he went to my friend’s house to apologize. He said, “I meant to say you are fit.” It annoyed me that he was still talking about my weight. But I appreciated that he understood that I didn’t like that topic of conversation.

After that, it kinda died down. Until a few days later, when the kids started to call me fat. At that point, I was so over it that I just said, “Why, thank you.” And then walked away :)

My IP was truly a beautiful one. I found myself interviewing most of the families to learn more about them and what they hoped I could help them with while I am here. I interacted with the youth plenty as we played volleyball daily. They also helped me build my garden, which so far has produced hundreds of beans. The other plants, cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, more beans, and cucumbers, are going beautifully.

I have a new host family that I absolutely adore. I go every night to their house for bible study. After they always feed me dinner :) Lately, I've been going to their house during the day to use my wifi box because I get the best connection there. 

Adjusting to this new life has been a treat. There are so many other adjustments I would love to share with you, but that will be in another blog. This one is already pretty long, and I don't want to keep you all day. So stay tuned for that other blog.

The next blog you will be reading about it related to my first vacation after IP ended. Stay tuned for that blog :)  

Thank you for reading this blog. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't be afraid to hit the chat or email me.

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Stay tuned for my next vlog -> Visiting My Dream Country

XOXO Yerika