Hmmmm... I wonder
I’ve never really written a blog before, and perhaps it would have been a good idea to start one at the beginning of my Tribewanted experience since sooo much of what we have written about TW has conveniently disappeared.
Despite what some people who don’t personally know me may think, I am pretty laid back about most things, passionate about some, and yet I do get worked up when something strikes me as unfair, unbalanced, or just plain old bullshit. I do love lampooning things that I find ridiculous and I know that someitmes I come off as totally bitchy… I just wish it was possible to convey the giggling going on in my head as I write most things. Well… no risk, no fun, right?
Seeing as how I agreed to participate in this so called BBC documentary, I find myself looking at the hype around the upcoming show thinking… hmmmm… I don’t think this is going to be a documentary so much as a carefully crafted reality show…or even a vanity project. The few leaks I have already heard somewhat confirm my suspicions. I wouldn’t worry about it much, except that most of my suspicions about things at TW have so often turned out to be dead on. Most of the contraversy I have started because of my questions and comments is no longer available for reading… but lets just say that if it weren’t for my big mouth Poques would never have been our first chief, a lady would have tried to give birth on the island, the financial transparency issue would never have gone public, and tons of other issues would have just been whitewashed over in a virtual group hug. Some people may disagree with that statement… but that’S just how I see it. Sadly, alot of the written proof is gone. Tja.
Heading into tonight’s broadcast, some people are thinking… wow… I wonder how many new members we will get. I go into it thinking…wow… I wonder how many really good members we might lose because of how they were edited to seem. I truly, truly hope that I am wrong… but what I have seen of the British press and media… if this show doesn’t have titillation and tantalizing bits… it won’t get ratings and we all know that TV is about ratings.
The other feeling I have about tonight is that I think the hype of the past weeks has cruelly downplayed Mark’s contributions to TW and the sad reality of how his shares of TW were stripped away simply because he didn’t have deep pockets. That side of TW is rarely, almost never spoken about although I did read some things in a UK paper about it finally. I truly hope that it becomes known that his love for the project is as much a part of its success as the work that Ben put into it in Fiji… and as much as I dislike a lot of things that Ben has done in the past, I must absolutely recognize and vocalize that without his hard work, much of what we see today on Vorovoro and at TW (love it or not) would not be there. He deserves the accolades he is getting. I do believe that.
The last part of my first blog is about the online community. I have met some truly amazing and wonderful people here. Not everyone has the same ideas about TW or committment to the project… but why should they have to? THe whole point of any community is to allow people to contribute what they want to, wish to, can. TW is no different. We have squabbles, we laugh, we gasp, and occassionaly we get off track, but it’s all part of the journey. TW is about bringing together the voice and power of the internet to put something constructive into action in the real world (wow.. I remember coining that phrase way back when). This does not mean that every member will be able to, or want to, travel to the island itself. For some, being on the island is the most wonderful aspect of the project… yet for others… living vicariously through our tribemates, or simply being a part of the discussion is the thrill. Like anything in life, there should be balance… and where people like Kimbo have become absolute and total ambassadors for what goes on on Vorovoro, I would like to think that I (along with people like Lollipops, Stingers, Kirsty, Lorren, Pixie, etc) have had a hand in shaping the debates here on the forum… a conscience so to speak (even if it is a bitchy one at times).
No matter what happens on the telly tonight…. no matter what happens on the telly tomorrow… TW has been… and still is one of the most exciting adventures I have ever taken part in. Who knows… maybe one day I will get over my fear of rats and spiders and my love of 5 star accomodations and will venture to the island. Maybe not.
No matter what though… I have absolutely loved the ups and downs of learning about a place called Vorovoro and the people who live there.
Vinaka,
Gilligan
Comments
Interesting mate, good stuff, you have always been behind this project whether people agree with what you have said or not…. cheers for being there from the beginning and taking that risk yourself! Nice one Gil.
Someone wanted to give birth on the island?! WTF?! How did I miss that!?
Or maybe you can spearhead the construction of a 5 star bure on the island with Fijian porters that carry you around – all money benefiting the Dream Foundation of course… :) Cheers Gill, and thanks for your laughter and thought-provoking contributions
hahahaha… oh Kate… that was the original part of the baby thread. You know, in those first early days on the first forum, months and months before anyone had even gotten to Vorovoro for the pre-First Footer set up, all the talk on the forum was full of “what ifs” and dreams. Some people saw Vorovoro as the backpacker’s paradise that it has become…some of us saw it a little more upscale… but it was a world of possibilities. One day, and I absolutely do not remember who it was, but they announced that they were pregnant and wanted to give birth under a palm tree on the island. Well.. you know me… I went a little bit crazy… talking about liabilities and such… but of course I had to take it that one step too far and crack jokes about not wanting to fly half way around the world to hear some woman grunting out a baby while I was trying to sleep. I think Lorren was going to hemmorage through the internet connection…- it was so fucking funny. I think a lot of us really bonded in that thread. I am crying with laughter just remembering that. I think Pixie and Chooch ganged up on my too after I said that any children on the island should be sold as slaves.
I was just kidding.
Kind of.
to be honest Walt, I would rather have Kimbo carry us around
Thanks Gilligan, I appreciate the whole of your blog, glad you posted it, gives me a much rounder understanding and appreciation of the person behind some of the comments that I have been struggling with.
Need 5 star? You might think about hiring a yacht for a week, it is not impossible, I have looked into it, with a small group, it could even be affordable. Keep contributing, I will probably keep asking for it to be toned down!!
Lol, Gilligan I remember that thread about the babies, definitely one of the funniest things on the TW forum, ever.
One thing I have really admired about you throughout the whole project, is that you’re not afraid to speak your mind and if there’s one thing the project has needed to succeed it has been honesty from its members.
We need to get the babies thread back so I can have a read – I must have read it at the time though so I can’t understand why I’ve forgotten about it!
Lol. I remember the early days!! They must be somewhere i read the baby one not so long ago, cant remember where though.
Yes Gil, but only on the condition he was given water! Oh yes i remember that baby thread :-)
Hi Gilligan, I am a newby so only just caught up with the fact you have been in it from the beginning. I read with horror the Guardian article and yes I am terrified of Ra-s and cannot bring myself to write the complete word. I had hoped to book 2 weeks in September but the combination of your writings and Deccas I am seriously beginning to doubt my ability to cope with that factor. I realise you have not actually visited Vorovoro but have been privvy to peoples horror stories. Jay
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