| Provided by Hyotan Group, Hitachi City | |
| Bula from Fiji By Gabriel Gravelle June, 2008 |
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eBulaf means ehellof and is probably one of the most commonly heard words in Fiji whether you are a tourist on a honeymoon or someone stopping in on a friend for a quick chat.  My name is Gabriel Gravelle and I arrived in Japan in the middle of 2003 to begin a 2 year Master and continuing 3 year Doctorate program at the University of Ibaraki at the engineering campus in Hitachi. As for the reason behind coming to Ibaraki, it was mostly due to the choice of professors and their knowledge about Climate change and their direct experience with Fiji in particular. My study field is related to the effects of future climate change in Fiji. The interest in coming to Japan however was mostly due to the extreme contrast between Fiji and Japan. Everything was so different from the climate and seasons to the food and language. My arrival in Narita airport was not so different from many of the other millions of people who pour through the terminal. I arrived through the gate hungry and tired and looked for the one thing that I would recognize, a red McDonald sign. It was not to be however because I was in far end of the terminal and the security guard did not understand what my pronunciation of McDonald was. I later learned that if I had said gMakudonarudoh I would have been OK. As it was I left hungry insteadcc. But the rest of my stay in Japan has been very enjoyable and amazing. I have learned to love sushi even more and now like crab brains (Kani Miso) and Natto although my favourite is still the eNegi Salmonf. My Japanese has also slowly improved as well and I have even tried Karaoke a few times with friends or labmates and had a great time. I have also had a chance to view several of the April Cherry Blossoms or eSakuraf as they are known in Japan and it was truly very beautiful and special. The Heiwa dori in Hitachi has a very pretty festival and the street is filled with people enjoying the first warm weather and the cheap food sold by stalls along the main street of Hitachi. i Itfs one of my favourite times of the year when it starts to get a little warmer and the first signs of spring appear.
As for Fiji, I shall give a small little introduction and a bit of background. Fiji is a former British colony, which gained independence in 1970 and uses English as its official as well as accepted language. Fijian as well as Hindi is also very common. The main foreign earners that Fiji relies on are tourism and its sugar industry. Probably beaches are one of the most common images that people project when they think of Fiji and it is true that some of the beaches can be very pretty and secluded. Especially with over 330 islands and less than 1 million people. eKavaf is a ceremonial drink used for most welcome ceremonies in Fiji and is a relaxant made from the powdered roots of a pepper species plant (Piper methysticum ). It is often drunk from polished coconut cups. Lastly I shall add one other little interesting bit of information about Fiji, Fiji lies directly on the 180 degree of Longitude and is thus an equal distance in either direction from England Greenwich. As a result it also lies on the International Date Line and is thus distinct in being located both in today and yesterday (For practical reasons the line is bent around Fiji for uniform time) but the 180th degree still bisects Fiji in half. Inteviewer Note One Saturday afternoon, we editorial members of HYOTAN had an interview with Gabriel Gravelle who is from Fiji and is now studying at the doctorate course in Ibaraki University. We asked him about his major, the reason to have chosen Ibaraki University and any culture shock etc. As one of example, he told us people could not understand popular McDonald he referred, because it was not pronounced by Japanese way. As for his country Fiji, we vaguely know it is located in the South Pacific Ocean and a popular spot for tourists. He kindly explained us their custom or practice to welcome guests and "Kava" a drink peculiar to Fiji, which are very interesting to us. |
