The ‘ Indian ‘ Family And The Other Two.
Ah Yes that’s more like it. Out of the blocks running on my last road day in Fiji! I ran about 30km almost non stop save for short stoppages for food, water, sun block and toilet. I felt good too, each day a little better. I am now running up along the west coast of the island. The demographics are changing rapidly. Now there are more and more temples of various religions I have never even heard of along with a large Hindu and even Hare Christina denominations.
I get my first water refill from a shop, then construction workers. Running down a hill I come to a shady junction. There is a lady standing there waiting for a bus. This is about 20km before Nadi.
I ask her where a good place to stop for water is? She points and suggests one house further on up a lane way and off my route. Then she turns and points to another house saying also there but the first place is better as … ” The people living there are Indians. So best go to the other house”
I ask what is wrong with the Indians, Nothing I am told. So I walked into their garden shouting ” Bula, Bula!” to announce myself.
A young 12 year old girl smiles when I apologize saying I must be an unusual sight!
” She is well spoken. In fact she is speaking the most immaculate English I have heard in many a long year. She would fit in well in Dublin’s Blackrock College or even working as a newsreader, seriously! Her grandmother is standing beside her in the doorway holding an aunts 14 month old boy who is sprouting two new front teeth while I sit outside talking to them.
I ask them are they from India and am told no Fiji, that all the family even the grandmother were born in Fiji. They are wearing Indian clothing.
Before I go I ask the young girl what she wants to work at when she grows up.
” I want to be a lawyer. ” She replies. Very interesting I think to myself. then I find out her father is a construction worker in town while her mother works in a shop.
I refill for a third time, sort of camel up and run on wondering what indeed is wrong with the Indian family. What a wonderful ambitious young woman, so refreshing.
I run on more noticing less and less bulas. I do well when I can string two or three km together but its the long stops that are a killer. I am still running all the way. I want to run it all today.
I stop at another Indian house, they just hand me my water and don’t even ask me a question. Not sure if it’s indifference or if they can see I am very tired. Then almost identical reaction at a third house. All three families told me they were not Indian that they were indeed Fijian.
Some people have told me that many people from India don’t want anything to do with that country (yet they dress in traditional Indian garb)
In recent years Fiji changed its constitution to amend that anyone born in Fiji irrespective of their migrant history to be classed as ‘ Fijians. ‘ Opponents have claimed that even some 4th generation Fijians of migrant descent do not understand what it means to be Fijian.
Though I have no right to expect it there was no offering of even a scrap of bread from any of these three Indian homes which was most unlike the rest of my route on the island, it was just very noticeable. There are no shops around and I am starving now for I have eaten all my road food.
Finally after some more stops under shelter I made it into Nadi. Just as I arrived the Heavens opened, so I jumped into a cafe where I had an early dinner while waiting an hour and a half for it to ease off.
At the far end of town I met my support driver Pau for that first day. He offered me a ride back to my hotel which would have been nice and convenient but I decided to stick with my planned beach finish even if it was really irreverent where I finished on the island.
It was about 4km to my finish in Fiji on Wailoaloa Beach.
That’s it, my first country of three in my third continent, Oceania has been run. the 17th country of the run and 25,337km in 600 road days.
On the way back to the hotel I hitch a ride from an Indian family. They are very friendly and delighted I have been to ‘ their country ‘ as they called India even though they were born here in Fiji.
Some people ask me why I am running, well I think I am getting an interesting insight even if I don’t understand everything in this complex world.