TIME AMONG THE REALLY RICH

I am afraid of water. There. I’ve said it. Much of this has to do with the fact that at age 10, while taking swimming lessons I was pushed off the dock into water over my head and almost drowned. Ever since then I have been uncomfortable swimming in open water over my head—in a lake or in the ocean.

So what in the world was I doing in November of 1999 on a SCUBA diving vacation? Mainly it was because my husband is an avid SCUBA diver and this was his idea. He had booked this trip without my consent, I might add. He naturally thought a trip halfway around the world to Fiji would be the perfect vacation. I do admit to being a snorkeling fanatic. On our many trips to Hawaii, you can hardly get me out of the warm, crystal-clear water (but I do not go over my head—the one time I did I had to have a lifeline to hold on to). There I was the only non-SCUBA diver along with nearly two dozen divers, each paying several thousand dollars for the privilege of diving some of the most pristine dive sites in the world.

Happily I found that there was culture to be had as well. A half-an-hour’s boat trip away from the island where our resort was located was the island of Ovalau and on the opposite site of the island is the town of Levuka, the site of the colonial capital of Fiji. John and I and four others from the group took a day trip to this lovely little village. After a bumpy boat ride, and a bumpier “taxi” ride (the taxi was a pickup truck with benches in the back) we arrived in Levuka. There we were treated to a walking tour of the town. While in town we bought candy to give to the children we had met upon our arrival on the island. We were aware they didn’t get many visitors and that this would be a real treat for them. We bought several sacks full of candy, knowing the children would probably be fighting for it. But we were wrong. More polite children we had never seen. They all stood around so patiently, all waiting for their turn. Not one child yelled, “He got more than I did!” or “I want more!” Then a few of the boys saw me taking pictures with my digital camera. They had never seen one before. I showed them their image and then they really hammed it up! We were all laughing so hard at their antics. A few of the smaller children had noticed I was collecting shells and started helping me find some of the loveliest shells I have ever seen. Those shells are still some of the most precious souvenirs I have from any trip I have ever taken.

I will never forget the people of Fiji. They were not rich in the way we think of people being rich. But they didn’t know they were poor.