I wanted to write a blog post about what a typical day in French Polynesia is like. I hit a bit of writer’s block because I quickly realized that my days spent here are far from “typical”. Stories started to fill my mind about days that started out rather simple and then unexpectedly turned out more complex in all the best ways…yielding wholesome, rewarding and deeply satisfying inner discoveries for me.
A few years back, a good friend of mine invited me to sail from the island of Tahiti to an atoll in the Tuamotu Islands called Rangiroa. When we reached Rangiroa, I was anxious to get on land, stretch my legs after the journey, and check out the island.
As I was walking around the far side of Rangiroa, checking out the reef, a local Tahitian woman and her young daughter (see photo) drove past me and then stopped, looking at me curiously. She asked if I wanted to come to her house so she could give me a coconut to drink. She spoke very little English, and my French is not great, so our ability to communicate was quite limited. We must have recognized a mutual friendliness in each other’s eyes and I gratefully accepted. This small and unexpected act of kindness made for one of my sweetest and most memorable days in French Polynesia. It reminded me of the goodness in this world and of a human connection that rises above all sorts of barriers. Moreover, it reassured me that the virtues of generosity, trust and openness are alive and well.
After we picked coconuts from her trees, she prepared them for us to drink. She gave me a small tour of her house and the land that she and her family own on Rangiroa. She insisted that we drive over to her mother’s house so I could meet her and see the locally-crafted shell jewelry that her mother makes. Later, we drove past the school that her older children attend and then to the local docks so I could meet her father who captains a small boat there.
Writing about this episode today still evokes the same sensations. I feel the sunshine on my skin; I smell the salt air; I taste the refreshing coconut water; and I see the beautiful simplicity of my surroundings. I was so touched by the behavior of this kind woman—a stranger, but no stranger at all—who was eager to freely share her simple, yet beautiful life, by welcoming me, just because...I had nothing to offer her in return, she had nothing to gain from me. She simply wanted to share, and was so proud of her home, her family and her island. Since this day I have experienced similar acts of kindness so many times whenever I am in French Polynesia.
The sweet spirit of the Polynesian culture is what sets this beautiful part of the world apart from any other. I am better for my time spent here.