Tahiti—Field Studies Blog
Pape’ete may not be the biggest town in the Pacific, but Sørlandet's time there was a busy one. Students said goodbye to the maritime crew with whom they’d sailed from Panama, and welcomed aboard those with whom they had crossed the Atlantic and sailed the Caribbean; a parting of mixed emotions.
They got about the island too. At the Musee de la Per, students and faculty not only marveled at an assortment of world-class pearls, they learned how they are produced. A multilingual guide explained in detail the life of a pearl from shell to necklace. Dioramas, models, photographs and maps made clear the process. Students and faculty left the museum with a deeper understanding of how pearls are farmed in the Polynesian archipelago.
At food carts they ate rare fusions typical of a Polynesian meal—stir fry accompanied by French baguette. And at a nearby church, Eglise Evangelique, those interested attended a traditional Tahitian service the week before Palm Sunday.
On their own time many students ventured to the nearby island of Moorea and there snorkeled off of white beaches. Field Studies took them out of Pape’ete as well. By bus, students and faculty enjoyed a brisk tour of the island of Tahiti. To waterfalls, Venus Beach and a provincial park they drove. Students had the opportunity to gaze upon ahu statues, sculptures whose origins they traced back to their earlier port of Easter Island. A most charismatic guide rounded out the tour with a generous lesson of introductory Tahitian. And before the ship set sail for Suva, students and crew helped bring aboard locals’ contributions to those distressed by a recent cyclone in Fiji.
