Tribewanted: Vorovoro

I want to say something about focus today. Generally speaking I am an easily distracted person. It’s taken an extraction from the norm as significant as Vorovoro to make me come to realise that I invest a huge amount of energy focusing on the detail and the schedule of my everyday and working professional duties.

For me to achieve this focus I have to sacrifice interactions that otherwise de-focus the tasks in hand. A failure to retain focus can mean anything from an overdue bill payment to a schecule slippage for a work project. Only after a few days of immersion into the Fijian culture I realise that what I have sacrificed most of all is light hearted social interaction. The kind of interaction that doesn’t require an introduction or topic. Just plain old friendly banter. It’s usually the first thing that get shaved out of my day when the clock ticks louder and faster.

It’s taken a few days to click but it’s the Fijian’s that spotted it in me first. I was still jammed on over-heating full speed ahead project plan. The plan and materials are in the bag now so I’m going to have to let go a bit at a time and hand over to the island. It took me 2 hours to reach Poasa’ porch to look at the crate yesterday. This was not because I was lost but that I had been invited for tea with Pupu and his wife on the way over. There simply was no rush. The tea tasted so much better and in the process I learned about Pupu’ own projects, some tribal politics, new words and how to chill properly. For a long while I haven’t said good morning to so many people without the genuine intention of stopping for a light chat than I do here. There could be many other interpreations but I think this is at the heart of Fiji time and it’s good.

I’m writing this with my ( hopefully ) final parts for the tower in hand. The new arrival today is not due until 5pm and it’s stopped raining so a few of us are in town. My crate is open and it’s not full of sawdust as I had feared. I have laid out the turbine poles in the area fronting Poasa’ house, Pupu has cleverly changed my central pole design and the anchor locations are identified. I’m armed with steel rope and Monday will see the start of some serious site excavation. I will post some pictures of each stage on Monday. I mislaid my camera during one of my new found “soft focus” walkabouts. I have also repeatedly put aside my water bottle, sulu, shorts and my fake tooth plate at one stage. It all turns up somewhere..eventually.