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At sunset kids played in the water, women wove crowns made of coconut fronds and men drank bottles of beer and roasted whole pigs over an open fire. I will not soon forget the sight of those pigs skewered in the position of running, crisping and sizzling in the flames. This was a gathering of extended family to celebrate children being home from university. The women wove crowns on a mat near the shore, and invited me to sit down. They measured my head with a fibrous ribbon of frond and then tied a knot to hold the circular shape. I folded leaves in half and tied them onto the ribbon of plant matter, slowly making a thick, green crown. The sun set, its rays striking out across the water like flames. Baskets of raw tuna and coconuts full of soy sauce and wasabi were passed around. Isaac and I were handed fresh coconuts, and men offered us palm frond baskets of BBQ lamb and chicken still hot from the fire. Men and women brought out guitars and ukuleles and began to sing. The night was warm, and the wind softly carried the rising voices out into the lagoon.

The pigs were taken off the fire and leaned up against a tree to cool. It looked as if their charred bodies were trying to run up the tree. The men sliced up the meat and passed it around. I watched the men cut through the crispy skin as fat dripped down. They gave me a browned layer of skin and fat; it was as rich as cream, as smooth as butter. People sang and danced as they waited for the moon to appear; it would provide the necessary light to navigate the boats around the corals and back to the village.