On Tuesday, March 19, we visited the Nakavu village to be accepted into their community by doing sevusevu welcome ceremony. Sevusevu, is a gift of offering kava/yaqona to the Turaga ni Koro, the executive head of the village. In order to respect their culture, we had to cover our shoulders and knees when we visited, as they were very conserved Christians.

We left the resort in buses, and about 30 minutes of bumpy ride later, we arrived at the village. Although it was a small community, the villagers were very friendly and led the way to the main room in which we did the ceremony in. They welcomed us in Fijian and Dr. Garton replied back in English, thanking them for their hospitality and how excited we are to be here to learn more about their culture. They both drank the kava afterwards. Then, they started sharing the kava with everyone else in the room, including us. Although I really wanted to try it, I did not want to risk getting a stomach virus since they don’t use filtered water (and I get stomachache very very easily). After everyone finished drinking the kava, the kids came out dressed in their traditional war outfit and performed a dance for us. It was really cool watching them do their ceremonial dances; it was mixed of singing, chanting, and drumming while dancing using their weapons that they had.

he villagers were very friendly and led the way to the main room in which we did the ceremony in. They welcomed us in Fijian and Dr. Garton replied back in English, thanking them for their hospitality and how excited we are to be here to learn more about their culture. They both drank the kava afterwards. Then, they started sharing the kava with everyone else in the room, including us. Although I really wanted to try it, I did not want to risk getting a stomach virus since they don’t use filtered water (and I get stomachache very very easily). After everyone finished drinking the kava, the kids came out dressed in their traditional war outfit and performed a dance for us. It was really cool watching them do their ceremonial dances; it was mixed of singing, chanting, and drumming while dancing using their weapons that they had.

After sevusevu, they gave us some snacks, and we had the chance to play around with the kids. They were so sweet and cute, and they gave us the purest smiles at everything we said or did with them. Meeting these kids was an eyeopening experience, since I grew up in a different environment than them. It made me realize how fortunate I have been to have to have everything I had, everything I took for granted. I was thankful to have met them and make me remember all the things I should be thankful for in my life.