Our Elephant House

By Jennifer Chan

Jennifer Chan is a Columban lay missionary assigned in Fiji. Here she shares with us what it is like to live in an “elephant house”.

It’s true! Home is an elephant house for me and my fellow lay missionary, Cynthia, for 11 months now. This unique, architectural wonder is called a ctesiphon (pronounced as tesifon, a type of thin-shell catenary-curved concrete building). My parish priest told me it was patterned after the low-cost housing in Iraq. Back in the late fifties, Columban Father Dermot Hurley built several ctesphons and ours is the lone surviving elephant house in Suva. Its historical value is increasing and becoming an unusual conversation piece of both locals and foreigners alike.

Interesting mix

I like our elephant house. It is off-white, with cavernous walls and igloo-like structure. It is beautiful and amusing to behold. You would never guess this small house has two bedrooms, a small kitchen, toilet and bath in one, plus a comfortable sitting room! Just perfect for Cynthia and me. What’s more, we have very friendly neighbors of different faiths within our compound – there’s Mrs. Singh, our Indian landlady who is a professed atheist; her daughter Kirti, a baptized Anglican; and Sofia and her family who are devout Muslims. And add us to that picture – two Filipino Catholics and you’ve got a veritable mix of inter-faith living!

Silent Witness

Our humble abode has played host to numerous parishioners, priests, even an occasional theft or two. And it has been privy to some bouts of homesickness; sometimes echoing the muffled cries and sniffles of a frustrated missionary; at other times bouncing off its walls is the pure, unadulterated joy of laughter which makes this journey of ours worthwhile.

Piece of my heart

Ah, yes. Me and the elephant, we’ve grown quite fond of each other. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. And if it’s true that home is where the heart is, then I’ll definitely be leaving a huge part of mine in Fiji.