We walked the trail from the dinghy landing to the village. The pathway was ten feet wide and maintained as if it were leading to a richly private estate. Approaching the village of Fulanga, our trail bordered a long white, crescent shaped sand beach, complete, as you guessed, with tall swaying palm trees casting shadows over the most turquoise water you have ever seen.

As in most Fijian villages, the first greeters one should expect are bounding, smiling children with a constant "Bula, Bula! (hello-hello). The 6-8 year olds take command and offer their names and handshake. The younger children aged 3-5 are timid at first, then are also eager to say their names and shake hands.

The village is spread across maybe five acres of land with family homes dotted throughout. No streets per se but with obvious walkways between homes of various sizes (by Anglo standards, from small to smaller). Furnishings are easy as there are no beds, chairs or tables. Woven mats are central in one-room houses as all meals and sitting are done the floor. All space between the homes are carpeted with finely trimmed green grass. Who needs shoes? The grandest building, located in the center of the village, is the church. So you can imagine it's all one big playground for the children.

Village life in Fiji is almost a constant din of laughter, smiles and running. It's hard to imagine a more happy childhood experience with their playful demeanor and garden-of-eden backdrop. Boys at age five are given a cane knife (machete) and are expected to become expert coconut harvesters, climbing the tallest trees and husking their harvest. While it was disconcerting to see 5 year olds playing with large knifes, we noticed that all villagers had all 10 fingers and toes. Girls are expected to take on the traditional roles of cooking, cleaning fish, weaving mats and, surprisingly, fishing with nets. This is like 'girls day out' as they laugh and splash in the water and chase fish into their gill net. And, while it appears to be a party, they seem to bring in more fish than the men who are fishing with spears.

Almost every village in the Lau Group (Eastern Fijian island chain) has a primary school for children ages 5-14. Beyond that, children are sent to 'the mainland' (i.e. the two largest islands of Fiji), usually to Suva, Nadi, or Labasa to complete their schooling. The children will either board or stay with family members for the 3-4 year duration.

In spite of the carefree appearances of the children, the adults keep a watchful eye and there are strict boundaries for behavior. We never saw children fighting or bickering with each other. Adults are respected and any adult has authority over any child. We never really saw anyone discipline a child as they all seemed to know their place. We also saw that children were welcome in anyone's home and adult laps were always available. Seemingly a near perfect balance of playfulness and regard for others.

It's apparent from the tone of parental guidance that children are given strict guidelines and respect for adults seems prevalent. How does the magic of respect and playfulness prevail? Possibly what our observations lead us to believe was strict ground rules but combined with an available lap and a caress for every child.