theganglyone

I was a Peace Corps Volunteer there in the 90s. No language barrier unless you go to a Fijian village, in which case you will be with the local resident who invited you.

If you are interested and you get invited to a village (inevitable if you are outgoing with the locals), it's definitely a good idea to read up a little on the culture and customs before you go.

You do a lot of sitting indian style and drinking grog and when you get up, you have to keep saying "chulo, chulo, chulo" and bow down as you walk. Kind of like "excuse me"...

You can also go to an Indian town, in which case the culture is totally different and more Western.

I found the people very welcoming and friendly.

It's a developing country so you have to be prepared for that if you venture out of the cities. But even if you stay on the main track, you can have a great time.

Do you know any police personally? As HongKongers themselves, this must be hard for them right?

How has the business affected your personal dating life?

Awesome!!!

You will NEVER regret doing what you are doing :)

I was a high school Physics/Math(s) teacher at two sites. The first one didn't work out because I brought my girlfriend (another PCV) to visit me. We closed the curtains of my place and really offended the whole place. This was a major taboo because it was VERY conservative and we were not married.

When I look back on it, I feel like I was a horrible "ambassador" but I really just didn't understand what I was dealing with. That site was a Fijian school in the jungle somewhere interior on eastern Viti Levu and I have not been able to find it on the map. It was quite rural and there was no hot water and it was freaking freezing taking a shower :)

My second site was QVS boarding school on Viti Levu which was easier to live but the kids and parents really expected a lot of the teachers. QVS is also known as "Vuli ni Turaga" - School for the chiefs.

Things were logistically harder when I was in Fiji - we had no email/internet, no phones, occasional electricity. But these were the easy challenges... The hard part for me was making the most of the culture and language experience without offending too many people.

I'd love to hear about your site and how it's going for you.

It's great remembering those days. I really hope you enjoy :)