Newspapers brought in by travelers are read and passed on, then used for a variety of non-literary purposes, including stencil designs for decoration under the tin cans that hold house plants, and as crumpled balls used in place of tissue in outdoor toilets. Few rural Fijians read for pleasure, other than the occasional letter from family, although elementary education is almost universal. Pleasure reading is made difficult because of the lack of electricity. With little artificial light, people in Naqelewai get up with the sun and do most of their activities during daylight. After dark, dinner is served by the light of kerosene lanterns.
Conversation follows, sometimes late into the evening, lit by that same dim light.
Despite my investment in a propane lantern, the inevitable eyestrain cut short my periods of night reading. I sometimes read during the after lunch rest, but reading at other times of the day, when everyone else was working, put me at risk of being thought strange. Wanting to fit in, I tried to limit my appetite for the written word to leisure time. Sundays, always a favorite day for me to relax with a good book, was not conducive to reading. During those visits, I learned invaluable information about village life that aided my work, but I often found myself longing to be tucked away with a book.