Political Situation in Fiji - how safe is it to work there for a month?

i'm a medical student and I'm planning to make an elective month at lautoka hospital next june or july. How safe is it? How' s the atmosphere? Has it relaxed since the putsch in December? Besides, I'm female and blond, so i guess not like the regular person you see inthe streets of lautoka ;)

thx!

aluna wrote:
....I'm female and blond....not like the regular person you see in the streets of lautoka

Lautoka is like any place else in Fiji-all kinds of different people on the street-most of them Indians in that town but enough Fijians and tourists so that no one will even look your way or care what colour your hair is.

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No one knows for sure what the situation will be like in June or July, but in none of the coups were tourists really affected, except for the airport being shut for a day or two (and one minor incident on an outlying island). There are no reports of anything against tourists, and I would assume nothing special will occur based on the recent coup. I wouldn't really worry about is, but if you are, there is a website called, I think, "Fijilive", or something like that, you can monitor it (find it via Google).

It's 99% safe! you should worry more about catching a tropical boil or dengue fever! A coup in Fiji cannot be compared to a coup somewhere else in the world.
You will be 200++ km away from the capital, so worry more about "sword sellers". I'm not kidding, after this 4 weeks you'll most likely laugh about your question. Bainimarama always states that the government is protecting tourism and so did bernadette ganilau - the minister for tourism and she is a woman, I cannot help but trust.
I have met so many of the medical volonteers (for the past 10 years) - mostly the Fijians treat them as "half gods". Just make sure you respect fijian etiquette ( no mini skirts, dress like them - sulu and jumper would be fine.) and treat them as Human Beings! Be friendly you will have every on on your side.

{quote:title=bulabear wrote:}{quote}
Just make sure you respect fijian etiquette ( no mini skirts, dress like them - sulu and jumper would be fine.) and treat them as Human Beings! Be friendly you will have every on on your side.

Bulabear, I am not sure where you or Aluna are from, but if I as an Australian, interpreted your dress advice, I would be wearing a sarong and a woollen knitted sweater.
I think you are referring to a sleeveless dress when you say "jumper". Also, sulu is not a well-known term outside the Pacific, or specifically Fiji. In Solomon Isalnds, for example, a sulu is a tailored skirt-like garment worn by men, and a sarong is a lava lava.

Ozziegiraffe: I'm living and working since 18 years here in Fiji. My female Fijian collegues are referring to their long skirt and matching top (bula material) as sulu and jumpa (fijian spelling). A sulu can be just a cloth or a wrap around (sarong) or a long skirt which has the look of a wrap around, but is actually fitted with an elastic around the waist or a pocket sulu (sulu vaka turaga) for the men.

Thanks, Bulabear. I have seen plenty of Fijian women dressed as you describe. However, most expat women would find the double layers hot. What I generally wear in Solomon Islands is a cotton dress or top and skirt that covers the knees. I tend to go for sleeveless for coolness, but I have been told people from Australia were told to wear sleeves (at least short ones). This may be necessary in Fiji and Tonga - it isn't in Solomon Islands, where the most important thing is to cover the knees.
Also, make sure the skirt isn't see through or you need to wear an underskirt, which, again, is rather hot for expats.