Basic Empowerment: “No One Is Better Than You.”
Basic Empowerment: “No One Is Better Than You.” You: “Yadra!” (Morning!) Your iTaukei friend: “Yadra! Iko moce vinaka?” (Morning! Did you sleep well?) You: “Io. Iko?” (Yes. You?) Your iTaukei friend: “Io. Iko rairai vinaka!” (Yes. You look nice!) You: “Vinaka! Iko rairai vinaka talega!” (Thanks! You look nice too!) Your friend could be wearing the same worn-out sulu that she had on yesterday and might look like she fought a truck and lost, but still you say “You look nice too!” because that’s what is done. If someone compliments you, then you compliment them back. It’s only polite. People know that you’re just being polite. It’s the nice thing to do, but saying a compliment back does not carry the same weight as an unprovoked, direct statement. So when your student says, “Your white skin is beautiful” and you say, “Yours too,” that answer is received as a simple politeness, but not as a fact. While it’s a nice response that originates from wanting your student to believe that