Aitutaki

Pacific countryside. Quiet island of 1700 inhabitants. Smiling people greeting you in the streets. Little kids running around in diapers. Breathtaking blue lagoon and small, deserted islands (motus). Beaches covered in coconut trees. Scorching sun. Raving storms.

This is what the island of Aitutaki is made of.

I took a holiday from my holiday and traveled to Aitutaki, the second most inhabited island in the Cook Islands. Aitutaki is even a bit closer to the Equator and is even a bit hotter and more humid than Rarotonga. And it is beautiful.

At first I struggled with the idea of spending almost two weeks in a place so quiet, but when the sun came out after some serious rain, and i finally got to do my favorite activity here, relaxing on the beach, I quickly fell in the even more laid back Aitutaki mood. And somehow the time just slid by.

Aitutaki has a small hospital with two doctors and usually only one, two or no inpatients. I didn't let the hospital know before hand I was coming but I just walked in one day and they were happy to receive my services. They directed me to work with the island's rugby club, Aitutaki Sharks, on their game against the defending champion from Raro. They took my number and they even called me back, and I ended up working for three half days, which I really enjoyed. The people I met were just so lovely and friendly.

When my visit had come to an end, it was actually hard to leave. My friend stayed behind, spending two more weeks on the island. The blue lagoon seemed even bluer than usual. The sun was even sunnier, the coconut trees even greener. But it was no good. The ticket had my name on it and the plane was not going to leave without me. So I left the paradise behind me.

What will I remember from my Aitutaki experience? At least these things:

The people. The frendliest I've ever met. The staff in the hospital, especially the manager, the drivers, the public health nurse. The two mamas and papa whose homes I visited as a physio. When a mama gave me a small towel to wipe off my sweat and when she insisted I keep it. When the same mama gave me two huge pumpkins. When a mama in purple hair was so grateful for my advise, she hugged me tightly, gave me two kisses, and hoped all the best for me and that God bless me in my journey. When a 7-year-old girl came over to me and made me play a game where she said a word in Maori and I had to guess what it means. When she drew pictures on her leg and I had to know what they were and then she got upset with me when I didn't realise the tree she drew was a plum tree (stupid me!). When she said I'm a papa'a (white). When the Aitutaki Sharks coach, after they had won the defending champion for the first time ever, told me "You made the difference." When the team gave me three hip-hip-heys!

The nature. The most beautiful I've ever seen. The breathtaking Blue Lagoon. The torquoise water and white beaches full of coral and shells. Lagoon cruise to the small islands (motus), including Heaven Sandbank and One Foot Island. Snorkeling with Giant Trevallies and giant clamshells. Seeing two sting rays (one of them was hanging in the harbour right next to land, in shallow water). Seeing two sea turtles and an octopus. And so many crabs. Storms.

The lifestyle. Simple. Slow. Remote. Food is expensive and there's not much variety. Not even most of the fruits were in season.

The roads. Full of potholes. When there was a traffic jam because they were fixing the mainroad and closed it for 5 minutes. When
I got yelled at when I scootered over a thin strip of fresh asfalt.

When I was allowed to sit in the cockpit on our flight from Raro to Aitutaki.

One Foot Island. The story says a father and a son fled to this island from another
tribes warriors. Before they stepped on the sand, the father took his son in his arms and carried him to a tree where the son stayed hidden. The warriors came and killed the father but the son was saved because there was only one set of footprints on the sand.

Heaven Sandbank.

Best place to get married.

Akaiami Island.

Have an island to your self.

Tumunu Island. Also known as Lepracy Island, where they brought people with lepracy to be isolated.

James H. is my idol.

Nice view from the biggest church.

The "town": a shop, two churches, police station etc.
And a big intersection!

Giant Trevaly on the bottom on the right. Scared tourist on the top.

Serious physio.

Happy physio.

Concentrated physio.

Tanned physio!

Traffic jam.

Aitutaki hospital.

View from the house.

Double scoop Aitutaki style.

A public phone! Retro stuff.

Rock was dry.

Aitutaki physio is a cool young woman.

Blue Lagoon Resort gas their own island. The rumour says the bungalows are 2500 dollars a night. But don't worry, you can buy a day ticket for 99 dollars, which includes nothing.

Our house. Everybody knows the house with the arches.

What else do you need?

Terveisiä kotiin.

Bye bye Aitutaki! See ya soon!


Riikka

When paradise is not paradise

Congratulations, you have now reached the second phase of your culture shock: frustration.

The four stages of culture shock are: honeymoon, frustration, adjustment and acceptance. Last weel, I entered the second phase: the frustration stage, realising that my honeymoon with the Cook Islands was definitely over. It's difficult to say where it all began, but slowly the surprises of the culture that, for a short time visitor seem so western, but actually are quite traditional, came too difficult for me to understand and accept. The last straw was over a week ago when I tried to get a scooter licence but failed the theory test. Yes, yes, first world problems, I know, but when you're in a place like this, where the local way of traffic behaviour is deadly and not efficiently controlled (but the visitors are clearly more supervised, and seemingly under stricter rules than the locals), and you enter an expensive test with trick questions and you fail even though you know you were actually right (and I was!) and you faze the most unfriendly and indifferent behaviour of the island at the police station, then... Well, let's just say it was all I could do to not cry at the office out of pure anger, frustration and a strong feeling of being treated unfairly.

Since then, I got over my disappointment and anger, did my test again and am now happily scootering around the island. I'm also still alive, despite the fact that traffic and roads can sometimes be quite dangerous and scary. I am writing this post after just coming back home in the dark, passing a traffic accident scene on the way. So no, I don't think I am living in paradise. Because I don't think paradise exists. But don't get me wrong, I still mostly love it here.

So what's different or wrong here? There are many things that are different, but not all different is wrong. Some things here are wrong but not so different from the other world. And then there are things that are just plain wrong and sometime maybe even shocking. I can't say I'm anywhere deep in the culture, but there are certain things that I've noticed and heard about during my short stay here.

Health and health services

Due to their adopted western lifestyle and eating habbits, the islanders struggle with noncommunicable diseases (ei tarttuvat sairaudet), like type 2 diabetes, which is a serious problem here. People don't go to their check-ups, even if it was for free. Also because of their beauty ideals, people are more or less obese, some morbidly. Exercise and sports is a way of life only for the minority. Walking is considered exercise since it is an usual thing to do (everybody has a scooter or a car). Binge drinking is another big problem here, probably one of the reasons causing this is plainly being bored.

Rarotonga has one hospital and several community clinics to serve the 9000 inhabitants on the island. I have to say the hospital is better than I expected, but still very dependant of support from New Zealand. If something goes badly wrong, you'd better hope for a flight to a hospital in New Zealand, either covered by your insurance (only for visitors) or by the Cook Island's government. Sometimes getting help in a hospital in NZ is delayed if the person needs to apply and wait for a New Zealand passport. Surprisingly often patients actually refuse to be sent to ocerseas, because they would rather stay with their families.

Traffic

Drinking and driving, speeding, having roads full of bumps and potholes, poor lighting, not wearing helmets, not using seat belts. There is practically no public transport (one bus around the island doesn't really count) and after an evening at the bar or drinking with your friends it's more practical to hop on to your bike and drive back home. Maybe even take a friend with you.

The usual speed limit is 50 kmph, but I have to say I rarely reach that speed due to very bad and badly lit roads. At work, I've met a lot of patients injured by scooter accidents. It always leads to broken bones, sometimes to something much more serious (I heard of a very serious spinal injury that happened right before I arrived).

The way to transport people and stuff is mostly creative and dangerous. If you have a small kid and only a scooter, no problem, just tie the kid to yourself (on your back) with a pareo (sarong), maybe hold on to them with one hand so they won't fall off (because they are too young to understand they should hold on to you) and then scoot off to your destination. I've seen so many babies in just diapers sitting on the back of a scooter, so many kids and adults sitting in cars without seatbelts or standing in the back of pick-up trucks I am amazed they're not all dead yet. Once I even saw a dog standing on the back of a scooter.

As I wrote earlier, I just passed a traffic accident site. I don't know what happened, but only saw someone lying still and quiet on the ground. The police just arrived, and people had already started to control traffic to a detour, using torches to signal since it was pitch black dark. After that I drove even slower.

Social

Families are usually very close, in good and bad. I witnessed a scene where my neighbours sister came over confronting (yelling to) her brothers girlfriend of something she had done and demanding that her brother leave her girlfriend. And so, after an hour or so, my neighbour actually moved all his stuff away with his sister. No objections were made.

Although women seem to be stronger characters compared to the much more quiet men, domestic violence happens done by both men and women.

Families are tight but sometimes the concept of a family is strange for my European mind. Children can be brought up my someone else than their parent and it is common that children live with their aunties or grandparents. I heard of a birth in the hospital, where the baby's grandmother took the baby in her arms, before the mother had even held her new born baby for the first time, saying: "So you won't get used to having the baby around."

And babies do get born, to teenager moms too. I met one girl, who at the age of 15, had just had her first born. Well, why not, if you feel like there is nothing better to do. On the other hand, having a baby when you're still very young yourself might not be consideed such a catastrophy and cause for shame as in Finland, because here the young parents have their families to help them raise the child.

Also, it seems to be quite okay to have children with multiple different partners. One day I was talking to a 10-year-old and she was telling me she has three or four stepsiblings on her father's side and one or two on her mother's side. None of these children shared the same parents between them. Meaning the girl's dad's children all had a different mama, and the mother's children all had a different papa. And the girl I was talking to lives with her grandmama and only visits her parents (who are not together anymore) on the weekends. Got it?

General weird stuff

I still haven't learned if people will be early or not. If they're going to do what they promised or not. Even if they suggest something themselves, if it's going to happen or not. What I do know, is that when I am late, someone might be insulted. That when someone raises their eyebrows, it means yes. And that work and life is more relaxed than in Finland for sure. But that I am definitely an outsider, and making friends with the locals seems to be either very slow or very difficult.

Since I don't have any pictures of babies or dogs in the back of scooters, I will end this post with random photos as supportive evidence of the differences here.

Who said coins need to be round? The Cook Island's use NZ dollars and they have some of their own dollars as well, only valid here. I still gaven't seen the famous 3 dollar note.

Who said you couldn't use your work day making head and neck ai's?
Mama of the hospital lab showing how to make these traditional beautiful pieces
of artwork, using real flowers of course.

Hospital Social Club day playing beach volleyball.

My infamous trip to the police station.

I've posted this picture before and I'll post it again. They try to campaign
here but I don't know if it is working.


Riikka