RAA MEEDHOO

We reached Raa Meedhoo at about 3 pm. There was another Indian on the boat who was also posted at Raa Meedhoo. Three officials from Raa Atoll Education Centre met us at the boat jetty. One of them was wearing a tie. I introduced myself and thought that the man wearing the tie must be the senior person. Later on, I came to know that he was wearing the tie because he works in the afternoon shift. The other two were in the morning shift and were not on duty at 3 pm. They arranged to transport our luggage to the school and provided us accommodation at the school guest house. We had tea and snacks at the Principal’s house. Later that evening they took us around to see the rooms that were available on rent. We had dinner with some Indians who were already working there.

Next morning, we again had a look at the available rooms. I decided to take a room at a house called Venelaage. It had a small kitchen and toilet attached. The house owner agreed to provide me with roshi as breakfast at extra cost. Roshi was something like the chapatti.

There were a few shops on the island selling essential items. Bread, fruits and vegetables were available only once a week when the dhoni arrived from Male. The locals did not consume much vegetable but the Indians rushed to get them as soon as it arrived. The shops do not have a shutter. Late at night they lock the doors but you can still see what is inside the shops through the glass windows. People are honest and there is no theft. Moreover, everybody knows each other on the island and it is difficult to leave the island without being noticed. It is a small island with a population of about 2000 people. You can reach any part of the island by walking for a few minutes.

Locals work at the school or government offices. Some work at tourist resorts as waiters and receptionists. Others go for fishing. Most of them were not highly educated. They are a friendly people and usually invite us for weddings and other functions even if they do not know us. The common food is rice or roshi with tuna curry. We had celebrations in the staff room at Raa Atoll Education Centre whenever a new recruit was appointed or when someone got a raise. Everyone was provided with snacks and cold drinks.

There was an old building in Raa Meedhoo that looked like the remains of a Hindu temple. I noticed the roof tiles were manufactured by ‘Quilon Tile Company’ in Kerala. In the ancient days ships arrived and left after a few weeks or months. Some sailors stayed back and married locals. When they decided to set sail again they left behind their wives and children. This may be the reason that the locals have less emotion. I once asked a local how many brothers he had. He counted on his fingers and said ‘seven’. A few seconds later he said ‘no nine’. It seems two of his brothers left home long ago to work on ships. One day I saw a local teacher at work just after attending his father’s funeral.

There was a small health centre in Raa Meedhoo which sometimes had a doctor and a nurse. Once I had to go to a nearby island called Ungoofaaru to see a doctor. There was a hospital on that island. The Pearl Island Resort is near Raa Meedhoo. Most of the tourists who stayed there were Italians. They visited Raa Meedhoo on Saturdays to see an inhabited island and also to do some shopping. Tourist shops and roadside stalls selling handicrafts, T-Shirts, paintings, shells, corals etc. open only for a few hours on Saturdays when the tourists arrive. Friday and Saturday are holidays. The week begins on Sunday. There was no post office on the island. A shop acted as a postal agent. If you wanted to post a letter you had to give it to the shopkeeper.

The people are calm and quiet. They never raise their voice. Students rarely fight. There was no police station. Disputes are settled by the island chief who is elected by the islanders. Once we found a gold chain but the locals told us to leave it where we found it. They said the person who lost it will come looking for it. Students leave their calculators on their desk when they go home for the break. Nobody steals it.

A new school building was constructed with Japanese aid. There were Japanese volunteers working in several schools in the Maldives. They were called Japan Overseas Co-operation Volunteers (JOCV). Most of them were engaged in physical education.

A young boy died while playing on the streets of the island. He and his friends were hanging onto a moving pickup truck. He fell from the moving truck and was injured. He died while being taken to the hospital on a boat. The island had only two small pickup trucks. His father a shopkeeper told me that it was fate that this happened on an island with so little traffic.

A large statue of a fish was put up near the boat jetty. At night it was illuminated from the bottom. The fishery science teacher told me the fish was a marlin. Fishing boats arriving with their catch would unload at the fish market and people would come to make their purchases. A small shelter was built near the boat jetty. I used to sit there in the evening after dinner. There was a TV in the shelter and sometimes I watched the news there. The area was developed like a park with gardens and benches for people to sit. A few small shops sold snacks and tea.

I was living on a small island surrounded by the sea and did not know how to swim. I had to learn. I first learnt to float facing down. Later, I could float facing up which was more comfortable since I could breathe while floating. I felt confident in the water after learning to float and started to swim a little. Sometimes we went swimming as a group. Most of the time, I went alone since I was just learning and needed the practice. We went swimming on the side of the island which was opposite to the boat jetty. The water was clear and calm. One morning, while I was going for swimming, a friend told me to be careful since the sea was rough that day. I did not understand but when I entered the water, I realised he was correct. The strong waves made it difficult to swim. I had to return after spending a few minutes trying to swim. A local advised me not to go swimming alone. He told me he once developed cramps while swimming and managed to get out of the water because he had a friend with him who helped him. One day while we were in the sea a large manta ray passed by circling us. It was shocking since we did not expect it to come to shallow waters. We were relieved when it went away. On another day, I saw a large number of red transparent organisms washed ashore. They looked something like large prawns. They were dead. Some locals said they were poisonous.

Some of the Indian Teachers were cunning. One of them wanted a leave to go to India. He met the Principal and told him that he wanted to conduct extra classes. The Principal was happy and told him to go ahead. One week later he met the Principal and said he needed to go to India urgently. It was now difficult for the Principal to refuse to grant the leave. Another Teacher used to correct students note books at night in the staff room. When I met him there one night he asked me if I had seen the Principal. I told him that I did not see him. He then said that the Principal usually comes at this time. I realised then that he was correcting the books at this time just to show the Principal that he was hardworking.

Each time we went home for our annual vacation or returned after the vacation the local teachers, supervisors and headmasters would carry our luggage and load it onto pickup trucks. They were very helpful. The local ladies keep the island clean. They go around cleaning the place during the weekends.

During Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Presidency, there was a fear among the locals. People spied on one another and reported to the President and his men. Some locals who visited me used to close the door before they said anything against the President. In those days Presidential elections were held with no opposition candidates. Voters had a right to say only ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Gayoom’s rule. When the results were out President Gayoom got approval ratings of more than 90 percent. Obviously something was wrong.

When the US invaded Iraq, the school imposed a power cut. Fans were allowed only for a few hours per day in the afternoon. There was a staff meeting which was held outdoors to avoid using electricity. The principal informed us that the Maldivian economy had taken a hit due to the war. He told us that tourist arrivals had fallen. Tourists prefer not to travel during a war. Tourism is Maldives biggest industry. Cost saving measures also included cancellation of overtime work for which we were paid extra.

The choice of food was limited on the island. A local bakery sold bread but it did not taste good and had a yellow colour. Few people bought it. We got good bread when the boat arrived from Male once a week. Sometimes I had to eat crackers with margarine, honey or cheese for breakfast. Oats and corn flakes were available too. Locals preferred roshi for breakfast. Good fruit juice was available. I had roshi and potato curry for lunch. Sometimes I made spaghetti. When I had rice, I made a curry to go with it. Fish was easily available but locally canned tuna was more convenient. Most shops stocked baked beans. Occasionally, the boat from Male brought Chicken and sausages. Dinner was mostly noodles. We had a get together once a week, when the expatriates took turns to organise a party.

Most houses had high walls with a wooden door at the entrance. It may be Portuguese influence. Coconut, breadfruit and drumstick trees can be seen on the island. Locals use them in their cooking.

Chairs made of pipe and plastic rope were seen everywhere. The pipes were welded together to form a frame around which the plastic rope was tied in a diagonal pattern. The chairs usually seat four people. It was comfortable sitting on the plastic rope. These kinds of chairs are seen in almost all islands.

Most local men wore western clothes. Some women wore a local dress that covered their head. A few older men wore a lungi at home. There were no arranged marriages. Teenagers go on dates.

During November 2005, I was informed that I was transferred to Baa Eydhafushi. After four years in Raa Meedhoo, I would begin 2006 at Baa Eydhafushi.