tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75801379818717214612024-03-05T15:50:24.811-08:00Adventures in Tonga!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-35397388511036730152010-11-22T23:30:00.000-08:002010-11-23T00:08:30.351-08:00I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwwtEWXhpJ5F-4bGKEEqdEbMq4fIlP1tBbw-JHF9j1lBFzSHl97eudSgbcU5QMK6giKyVnLCsTUwagH_3h_5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-54799890688141083192010-10-20T16:57:00.000-07:002010-10-21T18:19:43.806-07:00Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF)Well, I now officially have less than a month left here, and I have been busy tying up loose ends here and preparing for the next chapter. Which is what? Good question.<br /><br />I leave the beautiful islands of Tonga, my home for the past two years, November 18th on a plane headed for a slightly bigger, more "advanced" island nation: New Zealand. I fly in on a morning flight, then I will find my way into the main city of Auckland, find a backpackers hostel to put my stuff down in, then find a place to get my haircut (it's been nearly a year since I've had a real haircut). That's about as far as I have gotten in terms of specific planning for the next five months. In general, I will be traveling around New Zealand (maybe with short trips to Samoa and Australia of cheap tickets come up?) WWOOF-ing. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms and basically you stay at a house/ farm/ eco-lodge for a week (or sometimes much longer) at a time, providing an extra set of hands for labor and learning about sustainable living, organic growing principles. Depending on where you are staying, you could find youself involved in any of the following:<br /><br />- stone carving<br />- beekeeping/honey<br />- freeform earth house construction<br />- olive, apple, citrus, almond, avocado, persimmion, feijoa growing<br />- alpaca farming<br />- winemaking, cheesemaking, preserving<br />- seafood gathering<br />- Weeding and more weeding (chemical sprays are not used)<br /><br />I first heard about WWOOF-ing from travelers coming through Tonga that had just been in New Zealand and done it. Everyone I talked to who had done it had the best things to say about the experience; they met great people, got a real feel for New Zealand culture by living with families, and found it was a cheap way to travel and do something different outside of the "tourist traps" (think Lord of the Rings bus tours). Generally, depending on what you work out with your host, you work 4-5 hours a day, then have the afternoon free to explore, go on a bushwalk, kayak, climb a mountain...again it depends on where you are and what you have worked out with the host. You are usually provided three meals a day and a warm, dry place to sleep. Here are some examples of host sites:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Mulching, mowing, weeding and planting, woodwork, making a pizza oven, making music, boating, eating! We're developing a small vegetable garden and orchard to feed ourselves. Ben's building a shed and the house is constantly being improved so there's always something to do for tool-handy folk, whether it's mosaic-ing, woodworking, or simply renovation. And when we're done with ALL that, there's kayaks, the ocean and maybe a sail...Ben plays a variety of windy instruments in various styles! We also have a piano"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Our mixed fruit orchard is on the ourskirts of the small town of Renwick, situated in the heart of Marlborough wine country. In the summer work is primarily harvesting blueberries and plums that we sell at the Farmer's Market on the weekend. Other orchard work includes weeding, thinning, and mowing. Accommodation is a self-contained cottage within walking distance of the PO, pubs and shops. There are bicycles for you to use with 20 wineries and the river nearby. We have been biogrow certified organic growers for 22 yrs."</span><br /><br />Another:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Planting trees, organic veg garden and orchard, bush tracks. Earth buildings. Small holding farming- Cattle, chickens and goats. We are a family of 4 with two boys 10 and 12 yrs, working towards self sufficiency and guardianship of this wonderful land. We enjoy snorkeling, kayaks, swimming, fishing, bush walks and great food. The guest accommodation is very comfortable with lots of space and own bathroom. It is best if you email or call in advance to book in. This helps us organise materials and projects with woofers." </span><span style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 0.7em; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><br />And another:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Following organic principles since '91...wood fired bakery (trad. swiss and italian style bread) and pizzeria in log building. Grow various trees, firewood, fruit tress, berries, and lots of topsoil. Creek provides power for the dwelling and solar panels heat the water. Accommodation in a separate hut or teepee. Within biking distance of a forest park, mountains, close to clear swimming holes in the river as well as horse riding."<br /><br /></span>And then there's this place:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Developing fruit crops, herbs for health...firewood harvesting...as this is a clothes optional venue, woofers are invited to work 'au natural'..."</span><br /><br />Haha.<br /><br />I am hoping to see a lot of New Zealand, meet a lot of interesting people, get my hands a bit dirty, and learn a ton. Oh, and take hot showers. Lots and lots of hot showers, many probably solar heated.<br /><br />So...that's the plan, and I am excited.<br /><br />I was cruising facebook last week (time well spent...not) and saw one of my friends had posted something about his new Mac Book Pro 15, which got me to thinking that I will be in the market for a new computer when I return, which brought me to the Apple website. Big mistake. Huge. Fifteen minutes later I got up from the computer entirely overwhelmed and confused, my head spinning with the words "FaceTime," "Retina display," "Video Calls," and the phrase, "Multitasking- done the right way." And all that was just about the iPod! I didn't even bother trying to figure out what the hell the iPad was. Somebody, please, enlighten me- I can't tell if the iPhone and the iPod do significantly different things. So, apparently now you can talk with your friends through the iPod, eliminating the need for a phone, and listen to all your music on your iPhone, eliminating the need for an iPod. Am I missing something here? As far as I can tell people are now watching TV, recording video, playing games with people in China, and avoiding legitimate human interactions on both. I resolved to redouble my efforts to learn morse code. Just kidding, but I did decide my first generation Nokia phone is getting unlocked and coming back with me, just in case these space gadgets prove to be impossible to navigate.<br /><br />I read two really interesting books lately. Actually both took me months to read, but for different reasons.<br /><br />The first is <span style="font-style: italic;">Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. </span>This book took me many months to read because you have to be in a very particular mood and setting to get through it. It's not a book you can read while sitting in front of the telly and text messaging at the same time. In fact I found it's best read on a secluded white sand beach, with only the sound of whales singing in the background. In lieu of that, a quiet, naturally lit room and comfortable chair will suffice. And you won't track as much sand across the floor that way. Now, a week or so removed from finishing this book, to be honest, I'm still not sure if I liked it. I didn't really get into the book until about halfway through, it is a book that requires a lot of the reader and in some parts I had to force myself to drudge through, but in the end it was worth it. And, as a bit of a spoiler alert, it's not really about motorcycle maintenance, it's about...well, that's hard to answer; I have a feeling I could read this book many different times and come up with a different answer each time. Bottom line: It is tedious, but worth it if you're looking for something a little different to read, it will expand your mind at least a little.<br /><br />Second book: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number</span>. I will admit that I'm a bit of a nerd, but this book is for everyone. This book took me months to read because I was saving it. Every time I was in a bad mood I would read a few pages and soon find myself laughing out loud in wonder. It can be pretty math-heavy, but it's very accessible (I haven't taken a real math class in 9 years), comprehensive, and most of all it's <span style="font-style: italic;">fun</span>. It can be a very quick read, but I enjoyed dragging it out and reading a few pages at a time. Oh, and it's about the irrational Phi, or 1.6180339887....the history of the number, popular myths, and most interestingly- how, and why, it pops up in unexpected places...<br /><br />Anyway, I don't normally do book reviews here, but those two were the most interesting books I've read in a while, so let me know what you think if you get a chance to read them!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-28670745611259594072010-10-05T15:38:00.001-07:002010-10-05T17:12:45.840-07:00That time of year again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuPmCSrolTPEanQbkhe7JX3l5qvQsZqYMkMlUl94l98jByvxBZnzwd-IsOA43Csa_nN5xf4z3xpyB_NIe9GZuOXhyphenhyphenTn-piJy6SMHSI1C24KQUL9_IftGbzcAzgJBvmPLHjPGa9D5ubGUo/s1600/P8200103.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuPmCSrolTPEanQbkhe7JX3l5qvQsZqYMkMlUl94l98jByvxBZnzwd-IsOA43Csa_nN5xf4z3xpyB_NIe9GZuOXhyphenhyphenTn-piJy6SMHSI1C24KQUL9_IftGbzcAzgJBvmPLHjPGa9D5ubGUo/s320/P8200103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524715992335283538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZeKXEqhGVE6AqBgRWumxyVMono2nfpzyXwAZUeowKme0ZkpbAys3wXzcJzQxfekipQGqhhXJRk3AU5xJ8RkTFg1unTIAaA7Yd_-FdY6VbR6PCzgTsYwNo3voFBi-wOY7K5WxpTatjmW/s1600/P8200094.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZeKXEqhGVE6AqBgRWumxyVMono2nfpzyXwAZUeowKme0ZkpbAys3wXzcJzQxfekipQGqhhXJRk3AU5xJ8RkTFg1unTIAaA7Yd_-FdY6VbR6PCzgTsYwNo3voFBi-wOY7K5WxpTatjmW/s320/P8200094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524715987917849874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNr7hd31XaxUODlKqwOhCFarW32V-00Bm8AUe8V6r_Vs0Fgtkr2xOlf9S5QqpOC4FiK_mKVz8_OYPeYDg6qaBK2oJo12aONmsyoWPISUhvy6iqyN7X0qFAFnXFYEIJxNW22p-eToa4ZU8R/s1600/P8170075.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNr7hd31XaxUODlKqwOhCFarW32V-00Bm8AUe8V6r_Vs0Fgtkr2xOlf9S5QqpOC4FiK_mKVz8_OYPeYDg6qaBK2oJo12aONmsyoWPISUhvy6iqyN7X0qFAFnXFYEIJxNW22p-eToa4ZU8R/s320/P8170075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524715983454865122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPABiHGvPPeVU5g4fmccbEb2-_kqyVndTQyflXmFDdLjCVDLPa0W6P18AxbmIyHOp5w1NdQkfAI5L41T5LzsQ_mmnNcEsmuAZN5EiZzRkb70EmIFx2M__2KCmoCgpTIHzS-faH0C5vpip/s1600/P8170065.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPABiHGvPPeVU5g4fmccbEb2-_kqyVndTQyflXmFDdLjCVDLPa0W6P18AxbmIyHOp5w1NdQkfAI5L41T5LzsQ_mmnNcEsmuAZN5EiZzRkb70EmIFx2M__2KCmoCgpTIHzS-faH0C5vpip/s320/P8170065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524715976392713074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPp0yvCArB66dMFf4S0cztVefn2-k3ta7lnxXnDDagw438xaiJueo8xZUi0KVWX5G6pB8klcSZkuxADLN9N0vHCLJ5cbIsxhsFXrcoP_FdfZEhAOisRNZGaE2s7-J3wa0w9fvVfCv_RqK/s1600/P8170049.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPp0yvCArB66dMFf4S0cztVefn2-k3ta7lnxXnDDagw438xaiJueo8xZUi0KVWX5G6pB8klcSZkuxADLN9N0vHCLJ5cbIsxhsFXrcoP_FdfZEhAOisRNZGaE2s7-J3wa0w9fvVfCv_RqK/s320/P8170049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524715960472414882" border="0" /></a><br />This morning I escorted my class six students to their exams, taken in the main village on the island. They couldn't have come too soon. For the past year these kids (class six) have been preparing for these exams, almost exclusively, and not just during the regular school day. They have been coming backk to school every evening, all year for night school to study for the exams. During school holidays they have been coming to school, they came every morning before school started because "morning class" was being held. The past month has been especially busy for them, taking only a short break in the afternoon to shower and eat. By the way, these kids are ten and eleven years old. The last few weeks I was sure they were going to lose their minds. (last year the exams got pushed back a week at the last minute because of a tsunami, the kids went a little crazy) But we made it to the exams, they are finished today (which also means, for all educational purposes, school is finished today) and we will celebrate their return this afternoon with a village feast.<br /><br />Why, you might ask, is so much importance placed on these tests? Well, I generally don't advocate "teaching to a test," however these tests carry a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> of weight. They determine not only where, but <span style="font-style: italic;">if</span> a student will attend secondary school next year. In many ways, how well the kids do on this test determines their future. If they do well enough, they have the opportunity to go to school on the main island on a scholarship (and from there potentially university overseas), if they do poorly enough they do not qualify for any secondary school, and that most likely ends their formal education. At eleven years old. (They are reportedly getting rid of the class six exam, or at least making it less high-stakes, but that change-over was supposed to take place my first year here, then this year...no word yet. Tonga time.) So we have been working hard to prepare the kids for these exams, splitting the night classes between the two teachers and I and working over the school holidays. But the kids have been there for every extra session (they are not seen as optional). As I walked them to the test site today their nervous energy was palpable, manifesting itself in outbursts of crazy singing and laughing among the girls and playful aggression among the boys. The kids dressed up in their best, cleanest school uniforms, and brought new pens and whole, unbroken rulers. They looked sharp. I left them with the old, Bob the Builder "Can we do it?" To which they pumped their fists in the air and yelled, "Yes we can!" And they were off. As I walked away, I couldn't help but look back and feel so proud of them for all their hard work; I knew they were as prepared as they would ever be.<br /><br />Walking back into the village I passed one of the high school girls walking into town and asked her why she wasn't in school. She told me she was making food for the feast later, which evidently takes priority over school.<br /><br />A few weeks ago the kids all showed up to school on a Thursday not in their school uniforms. I asked my first class of the day, class 3 why, but they couldn't explain it very well, they just kept telling me because there was an earthquake in New Zealand. Finally I met with class six, and they explained that they were doing a fundraiser to help New Zealand after the big earthquake there last month. The kids are required to wear their school uniform to school every day, except for Wednesday when their mothers wash their uniforms. If they don't wear their uniforms on a day they're supposed to, they have to pay the principal (and they usually get a bit of a lashing as well). Well, for the fundraiser they were told to wear whatever clothes they wanted and to pay the fine, which then got donated to New Zealand (no lashings this day). I thought that was not only a pretty cool idea, but also pretty proactive and generous by the village and students, considering not many families are in a position to give away money. The school ended up raising $46 pa'anga for the cause, which I thought that was really special.<br /><br />Garden Update:<br /><br />Well, about half of the garden sprouted, I think some of the seeds I was using were old, but what did come up is growing really well. So what came up? Well, that's the strange part. I have three or four huge, beautiful red radishes from the mystery seeds, which I have no idea what to do with. I also have a couple really great sprouts of leafy lettuce. More inexplicably, I have two papaya trees growing that I didn't plant, and three watermelon vines (also which I did not plant) coming up where I planted tomatoes. But, I'm in no position to complain (just be baffled), at this point I'll be happy with whatever grows. Oh, and I also have two vegetables growing that I have no idea what they are because I think the actual vegetable must be growing underground. But the tops of them are beautiful, thick green leaves. So more surprises to come!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-27523988044112169422010-09-04T12:01:00.000-07:002010-09-05T11:50:05.878-07:00Dear Group 76, What to Expect When You're Expecting (to come to Tonga)HA! Expectations are for people who eat dates to stay regular. Just kidding. But really, don't bother trying to imagine what the next two years of your life will be like- you won't get close. I'll tell you a bit about what the last two years of my life has been like, but your experience will be very different, you can count on it.<br /><br />First of all, congratulations on recieving your invitations and completing the fakahela (tiresome) application process! When group 75 came last year, I learned many of them had studied up on Tonga and found their way to my blog. So I thought I'd give you guys a quick welcome.<br /><br />Right about now, if you're anything like I was, you probably are up at night with visions of white sand beaches and palm trees sashaying through your head. As you can tell from my pictures and those of other volunteers, those things are not in short supply.<br /><br />As you know you'll be coming in as part of the TECEP (Tonga Expanded Community Education Project) program, which means, in some form or another, you will be an educator. Before you panic, realize that that can take many different forms. We have volunteers here teaching computer skills and assessing technological needs, running libraries, working with businesses, and teaching in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Ideally you will be placed in a site that utilizes your skills and training. That said, be prepared for that NOT to be the case, as it does not always happen.<br /><br />Every volunteer does something different, and there is no "standard" job description. Your primary assignment and schedule will be something you and your counterpart work out together, usually the week before school begins. Some volunteers are overloaded with classes, this was not the case for me. I found myself having to create work to keep me busy which included developing a library, a remedial reading program and teaching night school classes to high school students. It's been said before, but I'll say it again, this experience will be what you make of it. For many volunteers sitting in yous house watching movies all day IS an option (albeit not a very fulfilling one).<br /><br />Here's a brief overview of what I did yesterday:<br /><br />I was awakened at 7 by the students on their way to school (which officially starts at 8:30, but class six is preparing for big exams next month). My house, and many volunteer houses, is located on the schoolyard. I teach four classes from 8:30-12:30 every day, but my schedule had to be scrapped because the island nurse came by to give the kids H1N1 shots. We improvised, being flexible and improvising is very important to staying sane here, when school schedules are constantly changed and interrupted by teacher absences, tsunami warnings, inexplicable half days, and holidays you weren't aware existed.<br /><br />After school, I revised my lessons for the week due to the vaccination interruption, cooked lunch (you WILL cook), checked to see if my neighbors' house was open so I could use the internet (it wasn't) and spent the afternoon reading. It was a cold rainy day, so no chance to get out for a swim or to the beach.<br /><br />After school let out I opened the library for the kids to come in and play cards, read, color, do homework, and generally hang out. Normally I would have had night school with class six in the evening, followed by night school with the high school girls, but there was a special youth program in the main village on the island which I headed to with the rest of the village youth. Each village performed some traditional (and a few not so traditional) dances, songs, and skits. The day before I had asked a boy in the village what time I should go to 'Ohonua to watch the performances. He told me to go when I finished school at 12:30. Luckily, I've been here long enough to know better. I waited for the message that the event was actually<span style="font-style: italic;"> beginning</span> then headed out. It was 5:30. The program was terrific, a lot of fun, and most of the island showed up to watch.<br /><br />After the program finished I walked home with the youth from my village and called it a night.<br /><br />When I started my service two years ago, my school was fully staffed with three teachers and myself. At the beginning of this school year we were down to two, having lost the class 3/4 teacher to marriage. Tight, but manageable. A few months into the school year the principal, who doubled as the class 1/2 teacher, fell sick and left school. There is not such thing as substitute teachers here, so that left the class 5/6 teacher and I to cover the school. Unfortunately the only thing I could effectively teach was English as all the other subjects need to be taught in Tongan and my language was not yet god enough to teach science, math, and Tongan history in Tonga. After a mere week we knew that we couldn't go on like that, and pleaded the ministry to send backup, which thankfully, they did. We had someone from the ministry helping out for a few months before finally receiving a trained, permanent replacement teacher. This is not uncommon, many volunteers face similar difficulties in their primary assignments. The importance of being flexible and maintaining a sense of humor cannot be overemphasized.<br /><br />I don't want to get too much into what you should and shouldn't pack, other volunteers seem to have covered that pretty thoroughly. But I disagree with some of them when they say, "PACK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!" Look, you're not coming to a deserted island (most likely, haha), people live here, and you will be living among those people and, in theory, in a similar manner to which they live. You can find everything you need here. I was well under the packing weight limit, and guess what? I made it work. You will too, and I think you'll find it's not so bad.<br /><br />Okay, just one more note- computers. Just about every volunteer has one. I came here and spent my first year without one, then when my Mom came to visit she brought me my laptop. Computers are a great way to pass the time, you can watch a movie, obsess over you spider solitaire win percentage (48% on medium difficulty, longest win streak=7. Challengers welcome) and maybe if the island you're on has a guesthouse, connect to wireless internet. That said, I'm really glad I didn't have my computer for the first year. The lack of mind-numbing distractions forced me to go out and socialize more, and also gave me the opportunity to spend time on more productive things- I learned guitar, read like a fiend, and figured out how to entertain myself without gadgets. I also have to say that now that I have my computer, I'm really glad to have it. I think it's important to have an escape sometimes, a distraction, get away from your thoughts for a couple of hours and remember how different out culture is (as so accurately protrayed by Hollywood). Recently I gave my computer to my neighbors. They had internet set up, but they sent their computer to a different island, so we set up my computer in their house and now it's the village computer, which is fine with me. Once again, I'm finding my time better spent not having a computer at my disposal. On a side note, computers don't often last two years here due to humidity and bugs eating them (yup), so if you are bringing your computer consider a dry bag and one of those bead-y moisture-sucker things.<br /><br />Well, this certainly turned into a long welcome note. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, here is my e-mail:<br /><br />tanielasoni@gmail.com<br /><br />I look forward to meeting you guys, enjoy your last month of..well, everything<br /><br />-Senifa<br /><br />P.S. Don't let the crab video scare you too much- I'm a big baby when it comes to those kind of things. And I don't know any other volunteer who has found crabs in their house.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-28005041021757743132010-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:002012-07-10T14:01:36.346-07:00Turtle soup, anyone?First off, let me say, I have tried, several times, to upload the subsequent mid-night crab escapade videos with no success. I have resolved to try once more, but not today. I haven't the time nor the patience today.<br />
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But I figured I should give everyone a little update anyway, let you all know what I've been up to these last few weeks.<br />
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First of all, I've been spending a lot of time at the beach. My school schedule gives me midday off, and since it's warming up I've been getting out a lot. I'm also getting restless/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">claustrophobic</span> and have been wandering the island a lot. I'm becoming more and more aware of how little time I have left on this beautiful little untouched, playground-of-an-island, and I'm trying to enjoy the good parts while I can. The beach I usually go to is about 40 minutes away, and on the way I stop to pick oranges or guava to enjoy on the sand. I see whales every single time I go there. Normally I pretty much have the beach to myself, but the most recent outing I found myself sharing the beach with a group of 12 or 15 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">palangis</span> (tourists, westerners). Annoying. They strolled by, barely managing to say hi to me, the stripped down to their bathing suits and sprawled out with their magazines and what looked to be the latest Candace Bushnell novel. Not ten minutes after they had settled in a huge whale jumped, nearly clearing the water, right outside the rocks. Not one of them noticed. For a half hour this whale breached, jumped, spy-hopped, spouted, and swam on it's side with one fin in the air. He was clearly begging for attention, and not getting any from these tourists. I sat and shared the experience with a young Tongan schoolboy and together we marveled at the sight. I briefly entertained the idea of walking over and alerting them to the beautiful scene in front of them, but it just didn't seem right to interrupt them. I can only hope that they go home and tell their friends, "Eh, the beaches were okay- nothing special."<br />
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Walking back from the beach I came across a group of Tongans sitting in the middle of the road drinking green coconuts. They invited me to join them, which I did happily, having left my water bottle at home. Coming back into the schoolyard the kids raced to greet me. It's pretty gratifying that after being here nearly two years they still run to greet me. Gosh, I hadn't seen them in nearly three hours. They wanted to show me the work they had done in the garden. I've assigned volunteer students to "garden duty" every day (except Sunday, of course) so that the garden doesn't completely go to shit when I leave. As it turns out, they are much better gardeners than I am, which really, at this point, should come as no surprise. Anyway, the boys on garden duty took it upon themselves to spruce up the garden a bit by making a limestone rock path around the edges. It was beautiful. They told me that next week they're going to do the outside of the garden. I'm always amazed at the lengths that these kids will go to to please me, I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, but I certainly appreciate it.<br />
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Another afternoon I got to the beach and took a climb out on the rocks to assess the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">swimmability</span> of the ocean that day. I observed in the short distance a guy on a dugout, outrigger canoe and two more guys in the water spearfishing. The man waved at me and I waved back and watched him bobbing up and down in the waves for a bit. The next time I looked up he was waving something rather large in the air, trying to get my attention. I couldn't tell quite what it was, but he was clearly excited about his catch and I threw my arms in the air to share in his triumph. An hour or so later he and his buddies paddled in and I got to see their prize close up: a leathery sea turtle, maybe two feet in length. As it turns out, I knew these guys, or rather they knew me, and we got to talking about how they were going to prepare the turtle. Soup, naturally. The fisherman met his three-year old son on the beach, who, of course, wanted to carry the turtle. They walked off down the beach together, side-by-side, with the young boy struggling to keep up with a turtle nearly as big and he was in his arms.<br />
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My Close of Service conference is next week, and I suppose that's when the fact that this is all coming to an end will really start to sink in. So far my emotions are mixed...to put it mildly. I'm thinking about the fact that I haven't locked my door in nine months, and a few weeks ago I slept over at another volunteers house and came home to find my door wide open...and nothing touched inside (My door doesn't latch very well, has a tendency to swing open). When I'm hungry I can walk into the bush behind the school, and depending on the season, eat my fill of guava, papaya, oranges, mangoes or bananas. Teaching here is, I think, about as fun and rewarding as it gets. In fact, I'm pretty certain I'll never be able to enjoy teaching anywhere else again. Hopefully I'll never have to find out. I think every post I lament about how incredible the kids here are, but just in case it's not clear to everyone, I'll say it again...these kids are phenomenal. Two weeks ago I was called out of my house by one of my neighbors returning from the bush. He wanted to give me a giant bushel of bananas.<br />
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On the other hand, it's time for me to move on. If I don't leave soon, my neighbors dog might kill me. For some reason this dog and I have never had a problem with each other until now. But all of the sudden we have major beef. I can't walk into their yard without getting attacked, and I've narrowly escaped getting bitten several times by pretending I have rocks in my hands that I am about to launch at this dog. Recently I've taken to carrying a log through the yard to protect myself, which the dogs' owners insist is the reason the dog is attacking me. My attempts to explain that the dog attacked me before I started carrying the log, and that the log was a result of the attacks are futile. But there's no way I will walk through that yard unprotected, and their yard is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">unaviodable</span>. I think it's because the dog just realized I'm white. Seriously, he hasn't taken issue with anyone else in the village.<br />
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My clothes are all moldy and shapeless, I'm tired of sleeping in a hammock, and this island is starting to feel smaller by the day. I'm over being the focus of village gossip, finding weird stuff on my bathroom floor, and stumbling through living within a culture that holds central values and beliefs that I don't necessarily share. It's my time. I will be replaced my a fresh, new, ideally <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">petless</span> volunteer in my village.<br />
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I will leave you with a hint about the thrilling conclusion to the crab <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">chonicles</span>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGE5yNKp3N5KY-vWSK7KtnaltC40wKKkINehwiUI4L668kp6M9n_TcMVb1-vNicNE4lxayRkfaFLuX67rfHxLdvPIKwcIAMaitQoWg7g4ZtxG7qJFwcnBD-yUAYglNXHGpeqhIQZsYhso/s1600/P8080054.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512515903137535298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGE5yNKp3N5KY-vWSK7KtnaltC40wKKkINehwiUI4L668kp6M9n_TcMVb1-vNicNE4lxayRkfaFLuX67rfHxLdvPIKwcIAMaitQoWg7g4ZtxG7qJFwcnBD-yUAYglNXHGpeqhIQZsYhso/s320/P8080054.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-10189301732239164602010-08-01T15:00:00.000-07:002010-08-05T19:32:39.062-07:00Whale season!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G-3sMjJczFAM0L4uF2ji79j7UXWy6MV03hev0nbe3kgz_oPR7fBLncyQ_IHKTN17wMLorZbgKbE-Db2lSrMsQlk2TK12fnOhszLnmADpgPvws8PnAN7WgixemPfpfZhCJRP13Cu_N3o5/s1600/P7250236.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G-3sMjJczFAM0L4uF2ji79j7UXWy6MV03hev0nbe3kgz_oPR7fBLncyQ_IHKTN17wMLorZbgKbE-Db2lSrMsQlk2TK12fnOhszLnmADpgPvws8PnAN7WgixemPfpfZhCJRP13Cu_N3o5/s320/P7250236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500609615503721714" border="0" /></a>compost bin<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjLRPGLwrpd4A4tF-gVoMfirhOXmRbD93GJXpPx5qLZunDrJO2LqJIrnKMkaZ201emqM1uQbjynvF2bSNzSAOsxVxtMiA5zHUFhSgAGXE-AlkZa3FScxqB8ZmzCcL4vKALLM5SzdqZ9-i/s1600/P7250251.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjLRPGLwrpd4A4tF-gVoMfirhOXmRbD93GJXpPx5qLZunDrJO2LqJIrnKMkaZ201emqM1uQbjynvF2bSNzSAOsxVxtMiA5zHUFhSgAGXE-AlkZa3FScxqB8ZmzCcL4vKALLM5SzdqZ9-i/s320/P7250251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500609613586785794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQohzu6L-BTIsvh45zs0rdzweZ4k5wQNfQy5OecZAI8B37JJkgLRK4AB57__5zhR0ydllq_PlMvq5CrOerIRc1iiQZNSW5QdcZEL_1bplkEezMNrBHdHMUCBwi5moqg1BcesaPV1VO-Lp/s1600/P7220198.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQohzu6L-BTIsvh45zs0rdzweZ4k5wQNfQy5OecZAI8B37JJkgLRK4AB57__5zhR0ydllq_PlMvq5CrOerIRc1iiQZNSW5QdcZEL_1bplkEezMNrBHdHMUCBwi5moqg1BcesaPV1VO-Lp/s320/P7220198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500602741422554018" border="0" /></a>Helping me turn soil to plant a garden<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjO4czNG0rLUUr9IHVmS283-np9ll-EQd117Jra_b9ShmTCZRttsYzvux0eAt_UUFE9XpllADRcayWy2DcA7c0xJddJWv7u2nU6iHcfscVfIz5jdo3FS_70r_0E6G69_8iMJWuzdiilp_/s1600/P7220196.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjO4czNG0rLUUr9IHVmS283-np9ll-EQd117Jra_b9ShmTCZRttsYzvux0eAt_UUFE9XpllADRcayWy2DcA7c0xJddJWv7u2nU6iHcfscVfIz5jdo3FS_70r_0E6G69_8iMJWuzdiilp_/s320/P7220196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500602736439057154" border="0" /></a>Reading :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9N1qFiwVtzxOrqqHlmWRWKu5KrxizAOuWh9nWwSbWPO49-0w-90zgDi3eeAQsWSX8Mwh_peAjYt0fRaMAmsdDv4GW80sgIwU01EzL9wh0mE-nDvGHI3EYODWFuaFAmkzO09-HFn4Y3Vn/s1600/P7200173.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9N1qFiwVtzxOrqqHlmWRWKu5KrxizAOuWh9nWwSbWPO49-0w-90zgDi3eeAQsWSX8Mwh_peAjYt0fRaMAmsdDv4GW80sgIwU01EzL9wh0mE-nDvGHI3EYODWFuaFAmkzO09-HFn4Y3Vn/s320/P7200173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500602725914801602" border="0" /></a>Reading The Cat in the Hat for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLR0_Fl5BjnH9HWcoSEO4azJEbWV40Qwy5097asFip_CJu1d4e_Y9D3hR09oN_3Z0R6iW3IO6eEThJlIAv-gvqMPd-MF33ioYvsTx4TSCdxib8HwKc0kLDiBBVkk508iSD61y3pUjRJH1/s1600/P7180139.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLR0_Fl5BjnH9HWcoSEO4azJEbWV40Qwy5097asFip_CJu1d4e_Y9D3hR09oN_3Z0R6iW3IO6eEThJlIAv-gvqMPd-MF33ioYvsTx4TSCdxib8HwKc0kLDiBBVkk508iSD61y3pUjRJH1/s320/P7180139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500602723439558082" border="0" /></a>Clever boys- retrieving darts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWKtnhk7_Nfd4N2YcrOFMdyefAzsxinIiyQ_izUcz-vpDuv5HPqT7rzydW5cVzpZFwE6ozcanJ_YnaNfyl8K8Jg81sATFhj5zlWZOXkHcwMXfAALckfh1orhyla5p4-Hv27pYEzaIsfFu/s1600/P7150095.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWKtnhk7_Nfd4N2YcrOFMdyefAzsxinIiyQ_izUcz-vpDuv5HPqT7rzydW5cVzpZFwE6ozcanJ_YnaNfyl8K8Jg81sATFhj5zlWZOXkHcwMXfAALckfh1orhyla5p4-Hv27pYEzaIsfFu/s320/P7150095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500602717230489954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Well, I'm coming into my final four months here and last week I decided to plant a vegetable garden with my students, and I have to say I'm really kicking myself for not doing this my first four months here. I also built a compost box and taught my students a lesson on composting, and they're really into that which is fun. My rat tally (# of rats killed in my house) has, in the last few months, ballooned to 30, which is gross, but also kind of exciting, I've developed quite the killer's instinct. In other news, I have decided to spend the rest of my time here sleeping in my hammock after being stung in the face by a centipede as I was falling asleep last week. That marks the third time I've been stung by a centipede, every time in my bed. So I'm done with that. And I feel justified for not sleeping in my bed the first ten months here.<br /><br />Building my compost box was interesting- I set out to do it on my own after I finished my classes one day, knowing by now that as soon as someone spotted me with a hammer in my hand one or more of the village boys would come running to save me from myself. I found some scrap wood at the school and was allowed to use it and I scrounged up a hammer and saw. I salvaged nails from my decrepit fence and got to work. I tried to be conspicuous about my activity, but nevertheless, within five minutes my neighbor showed up to take over and do it for me. When I refused to hand over the hammer he asked why. I told him I could do it myself, and he said, "Yeah...but it'll be so much faster if I just do it." It was very clear that he thought I was crazy and inevitably going to injure myself, but he let me do it (looking away most of the time), helping me here and there to hold boards together as I nailed them. I ended up making a nice box too, I'm quite proud of it.<br /><br />After school the kids came to see what I was up to and to help. I asked them to clear the dry palm leaves out of the walls of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">faleTonga</span> to put the garden in there. This happened to be a job I wasn't looking forward to because I was afraid of the bugs and creatures that may be lurking in and under the leaves. The boys came up with a genius solution, five of them stood in a line shoulder to shoulder and kicked all the leaves out in one fell swoop. Once again they impressed me with their problem solving and teamwork, which is really just a way of life here. Then the boys set about fixing some of the posts of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fale</span>, and once again, I was amazed at their proficiency with building and using whatever they can find to work with. Every one of those boys can swing a hammer and work a machete. And of course, as always, I am impressed with their eagerness to help with anything. Together we took about an hour and cleaned out the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">fale</span> and turned all the soil inside.<br /><br />A few days later I had found seeds and a few of the kids and I planted squash, tomatoes, two kinds of peppers, lettuce, eggplant, peas, and some mystery seeds that were unlabeled- so we're all excited to see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">what'll</span> come of those. By Friday the seeds were sprouting! They should be ready to harvest right about the time I leave, but I figure it will be great for the next volunteer at my site to come in and have fresh vegetables right in their yard.<br /><br />The library is so great, last weekend a few of my girls and I recycled some plastic soda bottles and tin cans and filled them with sand and painted them to make bookends. We got a huge shipment of books in two weeks ago which the kids were so excited about. I want to say thanks to the following people for making that happen and being involved or making donations:<br /><br />-Fairbanks Literacy Council<br />-Terri Lovell<br />-Jessica and Aaron <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Danielson</span><br />-Gary Tyndall<br />-Jan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Menaker</span> and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Lathrop</span> H.S. staff<br />- Greg and Carol Clark<br />-Grandma and Grandpa Clark<br />-Jay and Bridget Clark<br />-Lynn and Frank Faulkner<br />-Gulliver's Bookstore<br />-Dave and Jeanette Bauer<br />-Tammy Burrow<br /><br />We finally received a new teacher at the school which is a huge relief, now we are only one short (out of three). He is really young and energetic and seems like a great teacher, so that should make these last few months a bit less stressful!<br /><br />A few weeks ago another volunteer and I organized the second annual '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Eua</span> beach cleanup, and in keeping with tradition, we planned it two days in advance. We partnered with a local guesthouse, Hideaway Resort, and gather youth from across the island to spend the day picking up the road and beach. After the cleanup we had a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">barbecue</span> in my schoolyard. It was a success, a lot of fun was had by all.<br /><br />Maybe the most exciting news from Tonga lately has been the reappearance of the whales! I saw my first of the season about a month ago from the ferry boat, and have seen quite a few since walking along the road by the water. This month is when whale traffic is supposed to get especially heavy, so I'm looking forward to doing a bit of whale watching and maybe even swimming with the whales again this year!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-86646876854810559642010-06-24T02:22:00.000-07:002010-06-25T15:47:15.916-07:00The forgotten islandThe island I live on is not-so-affectionately known in Tonga as "the forgotten island" because, well, it tends to get left out a lot when people are talking about the islands. Guidebooks routinely leave it out, even the Tongan government seems to occasionally "forget" about 'Eua. It doesn't seem to bother 'Euanis (?) however, for the most part they seem to like being left alone. Tonga is pretty off the beaten South Pacific track, and 'Eua is off the beaten track, even for Tonga. We don't get a ton of tourists out here, but the ones that do come are always stunned by the untouched natural beauty of the place. Recently there was an article about Tonga in the Air New Zealand in-flight magazine, and the guy that wrote the article made it out to 'Eua and ended up writing nearly the entire article just about 'Eua which we all thought was pretty cool.<br /><br />Flying into 'Eua you can see one road running nearly the length of the island, flanked by scattered villages and cultivated bush plots, and the rest is just...green.<br /><br />We're on winter break here, and I got to spend the last two days showing a volunteer from a different island group and a few of her buddies around the island a bit. The first day we went on a trek to the North end of the island. We started out in a towering pine forest, then got spit out on a bluff that drops 200 feet to a secluded beach cove. We walked along the cliff for twenty minutes then found the "whale tail" tree trunk that indicated it was time to scale over the edge of the cliff and get down to the beach. There was a small opening between two huge chunks of limestone which we passed through, then began our descent. On the way down there were sections in which we had to scale down rock faces holding onto a rope, climb through caves, and scramble over tree trunks. It was a blast. Right as we got to the bottom we passed through a huge cave with stalagmites, stalactites, and other cave-y stuff. The beach was another treasure altogether; we were the only ones there and enjoyed hopping along the rocks, exploring the tide pools, and, well, just being on a deserted beach in the middle of the South Pacific.<br /><br />The next day we set off on another trek, this one taking us along the East coast of the island. Our first stop was a giant banyan tree, which was pretty impressive from ground level, but then we climbed down into a cave below the tree which was stunning. To get out we climbed the roots of the tree back to ground level. Really fun stuff. We then set off uphill for about a half an hour, climbing to the ridge that runs all along the East coast of 'Eua. Once up on the ridge we walked along the trail, which had gotten pretty torn up during the previous hurricane season. We climbed over, under, and sometimes even through fallen trees. I was pretty impressed with the group, they had a great attitude and loved the adventure of it. We came to a hole in the ground. We went in. the hole was a small cave that led to another hole that we dropped down into and found ourselves in a cave on the face of a cliff, overlooking the protected rainforest and ocean. All we could do was laugh, incredulous at the beauty, and say, "Man, life is <span style="font-style: italic;">good.</span>" We pulled ourselves out and got back on the trail where, before too long we came across a wooden platform that again looked over the East coast of the island, the rainforest, and the Pacific. Again, just an incredible view. We watched the acrobatic birds playing in the drafts above the canopy far below us. Our last stop of the day was another lookout, not too different from the first lookout, equally as breathtaking. The trek back we again had to wade through thick underbrush and many, many fallen trees, but nothing could dampen our spirits and we tightrope walking on the fallen tree trunks and navigating the especially tricky obstacles.<br /><br />Both of these hikes were ones I had been on many, many times before, but taking new visitors out to see them for the first time always reminds me of how very special they are. I literally get giddy when I get to show new people these places, and I'm not exactly a giddy person. And it's always rewarding when they enjoy the adventure and appreciate how special this island is. It really is like a giant, natural, outdoor playground.<br /><br />Speaking of special islands: Lost. They are in Tonga, they <span style="font-style: italic;">have </span>to be. They were traveling from Australia to LA, turned around to land in Fiji, got off course and ended up west of Fiji: Tonga. I haven't seen much of the show, but from what I have seen, the scenery looks very similar to 'Eua. So I'm just expecting that one of these days, on one of these hikes I will run into a polar bear.<br /><br />After lamenting (again) about how wonderful this island is, I should say that I have made the decision not to extend for a third year here. There were a lot of factors that went into the decision, but what it came down to is that, come December, it will be time for me to move on. But I still have five months until then!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-33665710121229259022010-06-13T17:52:00.000-07:002010-06-13T20:03:59.075-07:0080 minutes of live world cup soccer!"But why only 80 minutes?" You might ask. Well, let me tell you. We were watching illegally in the first place- it started at 7:30 am Sunday morning here, and Sunday sabbath is strictly adhered to in Tonga* Across the street from my village there is an agricultural college which has a handful of students from Vanuatu. Apparently soccer is very popular in Vanuatu, and these guys scrounged up a little television and hooked up digital cable for a month just to watch the World Cup (awesome, right?). The one downside is that the games are shown at 12:30, 3:30, and 7:30...AM! But the World Cup only comes around once every four years...So a few other volunteers and I were up early Sunday morning to catch the USA-ENG game thinking it would finish just in time to get ready and get to church on time. The guy in charge of the TV was a little reluctant to let us watch in the first place, given that it was Sunday, and once the first church bells started ringing at 9, he told us it was time to turn it off. Church didn't actually start for another 55 minutes, there was 10 minutes left in the game and the score was tied 1-1. It was pretty painful, but we pulled the plug on the TV and went to get ready for church.<br /><br />I woke up this morning with about 12 cockroaches in my sink, so, not knowing what else to do, I just turned the water on full-blast. Then I thought, "Hey! It's like I'm water boarding them! How very American of me! Maybe I'll fit in when I go home after all!" So that was really comforting for about two minutes until I actually thought about it.<br /><br />I walked across the island to my favourite beach yesterday, and every single person I passed along the way knew my name. Pretty cool, except when they all know you skipped afternoon church to walk to the beach and you went to painstaking lengths to get out of your village without being spotted.<br /><br />I'm listening to Tongan radio right now and this song just came on that goes:<br /><br />"LA International Airport!<br /> LA International Airport!" Over and over.<br /><br />Never heard that one before, but I liked it.<br /><br /><br />*Just a few examples of illegal activities I've participated in on Sunday:<br /><br />- Picking fruit from a tree to eat<br />- Swimming<br />- Reading a book (and not THE book)<br />- Playing my ukulele<br /><br />I'm such a rebel I can hardly stand it<br /><br />Here are the things you CAN do on Sunday:<br /><br />-Go to church<br />-Eat<br />-Sleep<br /><br /><br />Here's a quick sampling of a Tongan song. I know it's sideways, I couldn't figure out how to turn it upright. Turning your head to the side works well though.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzQV1vXGShAVWPmQ4kW0LC9Tcowsnf2HI4KUO2PqTt60C0P4Nwtl9Z31WrvriU77GmFzdnKN-geyEopxqXU8w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-90781144658467941352010-06-04T21:20:00.000-07:002010-06-04T21:53:11.836-07:00My kids' opinion of me is WAY too highI was teaching night school the other evening- a lesson on reading comprehension when we came across a sentence they didn't understand, something along the lines of, "The magic trick was astonishing." There isn't a great Tongan translation of the word "astonish," so I showed them a simple slieght-of-hand magic trick and told them they would be astonished. Unfortunately it kind of backfired on me.<br /><br />At the beginning of the trick I tolf them I would memorize the order of all the cards in the deck, then when they told me to stop at a certain point as I shuffled through the deck I would be able to tell the the exact card I stopped at without looking because I had "memorized" the entire deck (in about 15 seconds)- astonishing, right?<br /><br />I performed the trick. They didn't seem very impressed. I showed them again. Certainly not astonished.<br /><br />I thought about how they could possibly not be impressed with this trick. I thought and thought about it, then...was it possible? Could it be? I asked them if they thought I really memorized the entire deck (in order, in 15 seconds).<br /><br />"Yes," they replied matter-of-factly, of course I did. And it didn't even surprise them that I could do that. I wasn't sure quite where to go from there.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-14709365355343949572010-05-30T19:35:00.000-07:002010-05-31T19:57:07.081-07:00I don't smell very good right now...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1c3SaLMAA-UcNxSVIv6nvFsydD6vCjn-manmOt3o3CTGODuMDW5vh9hvslayQvfkAcbu-VsVEBYQC_wDPHa-MC8qoopjhb9HFQFFU0L_vco-4F33mksWpIk5rUK1SEwtOx7UgyUdtGU0p/s1600/P5260057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1c3SaLMAA-UcNxSVIv6nvFsydD6vCjn-manmOt3o3CTGODuMDW5vh9hvslayQvfkAcbu-VsVEBYQC_wDPHa-MC8qoopjhb9HFQFFU0L_vco-4F33mksWpIk5rUK1SEwtOx7UgyUdtGU0p/s320/P5260057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477625858955789586" border="0" />chalk dust</a><br />night school with class 6<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5t5zclUc-do_NkvrTn1W9Td7ujNXq2gJ0J9lkQ_3TikckRaKNgwECLMhW6q9hQ68HztxYXfc1upagMi9uufv9CLfYqu2oI5WLR8zQjY9caYhs-69YTYS3ugXoAahrDFcq6An9Pzg2cV25/s1600/P5260067.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5t5zclUc-do_NkvrTn1W9Td7ujNXq2gJ0J9lkQ_3TikckRaKNgwECLMhW6q9hQ68HztxYXfc1upagMi9uufv9CLfYqu2oI5WLR8zQjY9caYhs-69YTYS3ugXoAahrDFcq6An9Pzg2cV25/s320/P5260067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477625853698650898" border="0" /></a><br />victory!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmXAuo8h4a8z4UISaZqx3l6SQLhRdV3Gvxyr9FuBfdhQxqJmMZt9XEfPufvpbISA-yISdaH_KBpC_QDgOzHJpvzy-Rg9sVoZDsahORJxSdtwFiti8mfTN2FgCLvnjmCsOELdgUB8TwUY0/s1600/P5190013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmXAuo8h4a8z4UISaZqx3l6SQLhRdV3Gvxyr9FuBfdhQxqJmMZt9XEfPufvpbISA-yISdaH_KBpC_QDgOzHJpvzy-Rg9sVoZDsahORJxSdtwFiti8mfTN2FgCLvnjmCsOELdgUB8TwUY0/s320/P5190013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477625848172945106" border="0" /></a>after-school hangout<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6YpalQTNeX_AjoaB5Xam0VZaUj7Li-bGk3mtsAI9kX4ShMDe60OoAlgKw7hNA4ukIGrAFo55hXH4iVnVi5aMciFLptiCRpOdIorRDv1VTr262YPm59qWtIkU3p1DcJPf0TRfRcky3aaF/s1600/P5190012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6YpalQTNeX_AjoaB5Xam0VZaUj7Li-bGk3mtsAI9kX4ShMDe60OoAlgKw7hNA4ukIGrAFo55hXH4iVnVi5aMciFLptiCRpOdIorRDv1VTr262YPm59qWtIkU3p1DcJPf0TRfRcky3aaF/s320/P5190012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477625839324640418" border="0" /></a>decorating :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuL-t0Fl3MB1wakQ-uAunvGtswaCUkoIDa89i6T4re4w4Xry6cRisOca4s8gS_7Ij2K7BCr5uePomQ1BbUvgOj-G3eXE4z508wi3yUEDN41j7PpDG8B2p-7cClyDN77SEFoy2n_GXUB02/s1600/P5190005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuL-t0Fl3MB1wakQ-uAunvGtswaCUkoIDa89i6T4re4w4Xry6cRisOca4s8gS_7Ij2K7BCr5uePomQ1BbUvgOj-G3eXE4z508wi3yUEDN41j7PpDG8B2p-7cClyDN77SEFoy2n_GXUB02/s320/P5190005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477625833224155042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's been brought to my attention recently that I haven't been including "It's Tonga" moments very regularly in my blog these days; a friend mentioned to me that I'm probably just becoming so used to these things happening every day that they don't shock me anymore, which I suppose makes sense. I decided that for all my "It's Tonga" Moments my neighbors and villagers probably have ten "It's Senifa" Moments, where I did something that was utterly incomprehensible to them. Here are a few that I know leave my neighbors dumbfounded, written from their point-of-view, in a round table discussion format:<br /><br />-"She lives alone...and she seems to like it! We even offered to let our kids sleep in her house and she declined. Furthermore, she goes to bed and wakes up at the same time every day! And she seems to get annoyed when we wake her up in the middle of the night to borrow salt or oil to cook...I just don't get her!"<br /><br />-"Well, have you seen her walking about in the sun all the time? Can you just imagine? If she keeps on like that her skin will get dark! But she doesn't like to walk in the rain, oh no, as soon as it starts to rain she runs for cover. Doesn't she know that by walking in the rain you not only get to where you are going, you also get a shower and washed clothes?!"<br /><br />-"What's more- she refuses to hit our kids! I don't know how many times I've told her she should hit my kid, even if he's not misbehaving, but she just smiles and shakes her head! I'll tell you what I did. I even told her how to pinch the kids to maximize pain and minimize a visible bruise, and still! Her classroom must be downright chaotic!"<br /><br />-"Get this- one day I saw her talking to one of the boys in the village, then the next day I saw her talking to a DIFFERENT one! Then again, she is an American...." (knowing nods all around)<br /><br />-"Well here's the kicker then. I walked past her house one Sunday and she was playing music inside...and it wasn't about JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (At this I imagine all the women letting out a collective gasp, then shaking their heads in pity)<br /><br />So with that I will close out the "It's Tonga" Moments section of this blog. It's been a good run, but I realized last week, when a chicken walked through my library and it didn't phase me, that maybe, finally, I'm becoming impervious to the unique eccentricities that Tonga presents me with on a daily basis.<br /><br />Now for some updates:<br /><br />While I still hold the reservations about the library that I expressed in my last post, I have to say, having the library running and seeing the kids using it and benefiting from it has been amazing. The kids are not only reading like fiends, they are now checking out books and taking them home to read with their siblings and parents. (Although one boy came to my house at six-thirty this morning because he wanted to return a book and check a different one out- I told him to go home and go back to sleep)<br /><br />The library has become a popular after school hang out where the kids come to do their homework, play cards, read, or do puzzles. I just want to say that, and I know this is on a purely selfish level, watching them be excited about being in the library and reading and learning has been incredibly fun for me. Last week some of the high school girls completed a complex, spherical puzzle and a few other kids have taken a keen interest in origami. I've also been holding my night study classes in there, which has been nice to get the class six kids out of the classroom a few nights a week. With some (mostly) friendly reminders, the kids have been taking great care of the library and the books. When we first started getting in books and they started reading on their own I had to sit them all down and teach a mini-lesson on how to turn the pages without bending them!<br /><br />Last week one of Peace Corps' program leaders came out to 'Eua to lead a workshop for school principals interested in receiving a volunteer next year. I was invited to be a part of that meeting and speak about the role of a volunteer in a school and community. It was a great opportunity to let future counterparts know what Peace Corps is about and what they should, and should not, expect from a volunteer. As it turns out, the program manager did a wonderful job explaining the goals of Peace Corps and what we are in Tonga for. She ended the presentation with this quote:<br /><br />"The only form of assistance which is unending is that which we can provide for ourselves. We in Tonga, must not forget that the progress of this country, be it fast, be it slow, or be it non-existent, depends on us...Any major step in the advancements of the Kingdom...is in the hands of the men and women of our country and it is with them that the ultimate progress depends."<br /><br />-King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV<br />June 8, 1967<br /><br />Golden. Sitting in on this meeting went a long way towards alleviating the worries I have been having about the expectations of volunteers and counterparts not being well-aligned. I think everyone left that meeting with a good idea of what Peace Corps Volunteers are here for and how they should be utilized. It was made clear that we come in with a set of skills, that usually don't include grant-writing, and that we are meant to be capacity-builders and not "thing-getters" (not a word, I know, but the best I could come up with right now).<br /><br />In other news, I will shortly be saying farewell to my infamous faleTonga (palm-leaf hut). It will be uprooted from its current residency by my house, carried across the school yard, and re-rooted in place of my neighbors' old faleTonga, which got devastated this past cyclone season. (I'm pretty sure he's been sleeping in my classroom since) I hadn't been sleeping in the faleTonga much anyway since it started getting pretty chilly and windy at night. In fact I've been mostly sleeping in my bed, which I'm becoming more comfortable with despite a few frightening spider, rat and molokau incidents.<br /><br />I guess the biggest thing going on here is that I'm considering extending my service here in Tonga for a third year. I'm confident there's enough work in the library to keep me busy for another year, and I really want to see this project through and not leave it halfway done. As I mentioned earlier in the post, I am (finally) becoming really comfortable here and feeling like I'm integrated into the community and understand the culture well enough to do valuable work. I'm part of something I believe in (Peace Corps) and part of a group of people I feel privileged to be considered a part of. My work here is fulfilling and fun, and yes, challenging at times, but isn't everything that's meaningful sometimes challenging? Teaching here is awesome, the kids are enthusiastic, bright, resourceful, respectful and happy. Oh, and have you seen my pictures? The scenery here's not bad either :) After church Sunday I walked to my favorite beach on the island and spent the afternoon reading a book in the shade of a tree. It was hard for me to justify leaving in that moment.<br /><br />On the other hand, I know I cannot, nor do I want to, stay here forever. As you can certainly tell from the "It's Senifa" Moments, I have not, nor will I ever, become Tongan. I've learned a lot about myself here, my perceptions about a lot of things have changed, and I've fulfilled my commitment. Maybe it's time to move on. I hear the job market in America is terrific right now (joke!). And I'm certainly not getting any younger (I'm only half-joking about that). My house flooded again last week, worse than it ever has before, so that was a bit frustrating and something I won't miss.<br /><br />It's a difficult decision, and one that I will have to make soon to meet the application deadline if I want to apply to stay another year! 'Oiaue! (A Tongan expression of grief, excitement, or concern- in this case all three!)<br /><br />If you're thinking...hey, I'm quickly coming to the end of this post and that title has nothing to do with anything!?! Well, I sat here for ten minutes trying to come up with a good title, and in that time realized that, really, I do stink. Good writers try to appeal to all the senses, right? It was between that and "May." Smell ya later.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-12910142817122775232010-05-13T15:16:00.000-07:002010-05-13T19:07:37.941-07:00Hecticity, n. (heck-tis-sit-ee)- The state of being in which life has become so busy you begin to create new words to explain it<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkHNUpHcKCh7RM0P5XnZ2WNLIB_MlmtWERKXXapP3TWOkn8C9a5DY6YQWjRt9cuWAQJddUyiJDP70eEJihYdIPC-aGR-tzJLARV1LPtBxkuylaxdc30PYF69YmuB65Q6sBFijUwFiOxQo/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkHNUpHcKCh7RM0P5XnZ2WNLIB_MlmtWERKXXapP3TWOkn8C9a5DY6YQWjRt9cuWAQJddUyiJDP70eEJihYdIPC-aGR-tzJLARV1LPtBxkuylaxdc30PYF69YmuB65Q6sBFijUwFiOxQo/s320/IMG_1866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470928516665207426" border="0" />painting....or playing?</a><br />fakamae church service<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLfvXOXh9VzjX7FvxzLs3XhuNylK5TpalrZdLOJ4mURNzbPp6WXFKJ8ZwNfJs56lyTKzCfUgTN3q8_Qy_3W5FwHqZ2IYNiF9FF894oax_axivFbDuYU7gILiT6gWOFo2CvtTCbRrfGdKD/s1600/P5010147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLfvXOXh9VzjX7FvxzLs3XhuNylK5TpalrZdLOJ4mURNzbPp6WXFKJ8ZwNfJs56lyTKzCfUgTN3q8_Qy_3W5FwHqZ2IYNiF9FF894oax_axivFbDuYU7gILiT6gWOFo2CvtTCbRrfGdKD/s320/P5010147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470928504949507714" border="0" /></a>Mark reading with Lopeti and Siale<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwCB7_fHXjvAYGLkcQnNVOFSrTMcj05Aqd48TIpUfvFid5I_tOeGFS44lyHO7QivCE1T7_u59jfYqk1Ug9bsoEPaAb0acYQxAtdi3LJOHMJ1zRXa0KJTdjIpbZxCxYTxezsVfh7cncnCk/s1600/P5050104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwCB7_fHXjvAYGLkcQnNVOFSrTMcj05Aqd48TIpUfvFid5I_tOeGFS44lyHO7QivCE1T7_u59jfYqk1Ug9bsoEPaAb0acYQxAtdi3LJOHMJ1zRXa0KJTdjIpbZxCxYTxezsVfh7cncnCk/s320/P5050104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470928497863895634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-7y752zuwjNw4MwDIO79sPUa9tNtpBXGh0MlwL0SVq9vikKSyRn0RU97PwclLdjYdEcRyJ4UWvr7jWzr-hW-PzY74Yof6YmEyhTJAn1ubRD2XwtpQ5ZqpTc7A2A2RBYCcTNSo_-v1a_l/s1600/P4270059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-7y752zuwjNw4MwDIO79sPUa9tNtpBXGh0MlwL0SVq9vikKSyRn0RU97PwclLdjYdEcRyJ4UWvr7jWzr-hW-PzY74Yof6YmEyhTJAn1ubRD2XwtpQ5ZqpTc7A2A2RBYCcTNSo_-v1a_l/s320/P4270059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470928488330574306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEire0FP2H6odci3v8-7bWCx9mDzejFBPHEX_oW0KaBFIDOn0Sgnuz6MGXmPq9MTJOVWWv0oDLpyHPslAaZCHF86HyjCWsRqToG8Ubromf5KPxUv0WTbifb-KxpVKthblqOFRWtaKsn3G0YW/s1600/P4270044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEire0FP2H6odci3v8-7bWCx9mDzejFBPHEX_oW0KaBFIDOn0Sgnuz6MGXmPq9MTJOVWWv0oDLpyHPslAaZCHF86HyjCWsRqToG8Ubromf5KPxUv0WTbifb-KxpVKthblqOFRWtaKsn3G0YW/s320/P4270044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470928482315376066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Hello friends! I know it's been too long, but my life has been filled with hecticity the last few months, which I'm well aware is not actually a word, but maybe if you start using it it will catch on.<br /><br />The library opened last month with a huge feast in the schoolyard. There was plenty of music, dancing, and roasted pig! Unfortunately for me it was a day of mixed emotions, I sat down afterwards to write an article for the Peace Corps newsletter about it and this is what came out:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I would like to share my thoughts about a community library project I was involved in that was recently completed at my site.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">This project began when my counterparts started talking to me about writing grants and getting "stuff" for the school (which incidentally came up at our very first teachers' meeting). This put me in a bit of an uncomfortable spot; besides the fact that that's not what I'm here for, I really didn't want to perpetuate an already heavy dependence on foreign aid, an already widespread misperception about what Peace Corps Volunteers do, and I didn't want to create expectations for future volunteers at my site to "get stuff" as well. On the other hand it was what my counterparts and community expected of me and seemingly the only thing I could do to make them happy (aside from marrying someone from the village and bringing them to America).</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />I have had conversations with other volunteers about this problem and know I am not the first to have faced it. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />After many circular conversations with my counterparts on the subject we concluded that if they need something we will look at all the options to finance the project, then if we need to write a grant I would help them. "Help"being the operative term in that agreement.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A few months later the idea for a library came up. Our school is very new and doesn't yet have many resources and no place to put a library. I worked with my counterparts and we came up with a plan that if they want a library I would help write the grant and they would be in charge of the building and I could probably find books for it. At first I wasn't sure how serious they were about it, but when I told my counterpart we would need to turn in building plans and a cost estimate with our grant application he went out and got them within the week. When I told him we needed to sit down and write the grant together he came early and with ideas of what we should write. At the next PTA meeting the idea was brought up, and the PTA offered to contribute all the labor for the construction of the library as their community contribution. I made it a point to say from the beginning that this was their project, not mine, and they would be responsible for and involved in each step of the process so that in the future they could do a project on their own. It became clear very early in the project that the village was supportive and willing to put in the work necessary to complete the library.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />We completed the grant application and a few months later someone from the grant agency came out to the school to do an interview and decide whether to fund the project. I was in Australia when they came out, so I wasn't involved in that process at all, but my counterpart said it went really well.<br /><br />A few weeks later we received notice that out application had been approved. That week the PTA met and worked out a schedule for the labor and a family to cook food for the workers every day. They appointed a head builder who did a great job of organizing and executing the construction, and about a month after receiving the fund the library was beautifully completed. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />After the construction was completed I, with lots of help from other PCV's, the youth and even a few women from the village, painted the world map mural on one wall. I consider this my contribution to the library.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The week leading up to the grand opening was a bustle of activity and the entire village helped prepare for the celebration. The women planted flowers and bushes around the library and made a cement path from the school to the library and the kids weeded and cleaned up the entire yard.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone helped</span>. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Unfortunately, I realized at the grand opening, that I am being given way more credit than I deserve for this project. The opening was attended by many of the school officials and principals from around the island, as well as the Peace Corps Country director. Every speech that was given credited the project to me and talked about the work that Peace Corps does here. In hindsight I realized that this may be due to the fact that The Country Director for Peace Corps was there and considered the guest of honor, but the other school principals and Ministry of Education officers heard that this was my project.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Since the library's completion the other volunteers on the island and I have been inundated with requests to write grants for everything from a lawn mower to a bathroom at the church to a new town hall.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />This project has raised a slew of questions for me, among them: Where does need end and want begin (In Tonga there is no distinction between the two words, both are fiema'u)? Are we here to "get stuff" for our communities? If not, what are we here for? I came here as a trained teacher and am proud of the work I have done and the progress my students have made; that has gone all but unrecognized. What do we do when our expectation don't meet up with those of our community or counterparts? Or even when Peace Corps' goals and purpose do not meet up with the expectations of an entire host country? Are we working our way out of here and towards a self-sufficient Tonga or creating more dependence on the massive amount of foreign aid that already comes into this country? Or are we just here to refute the "Ugly American" stigma?</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In the end I consider this a successful project that my village and counterparts completed. The whole village came together and worked really hard to build this library that will be a great resource to all the students of the village and anyone interested in improving their English literacy. Unfortunately, they consider it a really great and successful project </span>I<span style="font-style: italic;"> completed.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />This misplaced credit will make life for future volunteers placed in 'Eua infinitely more frustrating. They will not be considered successful by their counterpart or village unless they "get stuff" no matter how well they do their actual assignment, and two years is a long time to disappoint everyone around you.</span><br /><br />Despite all that, now that the library has been open for a month it has been awesome to see it in use. The kids are so enthusiastic about reading new books (some seem to be more enthusiastic about smelling the new books, but I can't blame them for that- who doesn't love the smell of new books?!) The High School kids are coming in and using the library as well which is cool to see. Also it's created a ton of work for me to keep busy with after I finish teaching for the day. At the time of the library opening we didn't have very many books, but donations have been coming in from many different sources and the library is slowly starting to fill up! I've been busy sorting, organizing and cataloging the books, setting up a program to have each class in the library once a week, setting up a remedial reading program with some students from classes 4,5, and 6, opening the library after school for the kids, and figuring out a system for letting the kids borrow the books. I've been pretty much living in the library, but fortunately it's a nice place to live because it smells like books. Receiving books has been a treat for the kids, and also for me as well. I've come across many books that I remember loving when I was a kid and haven't seen for fifteen years. Looking through some of these books I was stunned at how beautiful children's books can be- Robert McCloskey's <span style="font-style: italic;">Blueberries for Sal</span> and Peter Spier's <span style="font-style: italic;">People</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Rain</span> for example (Thanks Gary!), I just want to frame the pages and hang them on my walls!<br /><br />The other reason I've been so busy lately is that my counterpart, the principal at my school suddenly and unexpectedly retired. Ideally the school should have three full-time Tongan teachers; we started the year with two, and now we're down to one teacher and myself. The Ministry is supposed to be sending out a new teacher, but they also said it could take months. The first week the class 4,5,6 teacher and I did our best to make it work, then last week the ministry sent out someone to help until they find a new teacher.<br /><br />Being this busy has actually been a nice change of pace, and I'm really excited about the things I've been busy with, so I'm not minding falling into bed exhausted each night one bit; I wake up every morning excited and with a purpose for the day.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-56933827041030117092010-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:002010-04-10T18:44:32.673-07:00Pictures from the last few monthsNearly finished<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiSr0qxjUGzg8eUyLPUHbjYKYIUYTfWSsgyiKaTOMipawMPdFMaREvhyvNULwMgggt6176cPW7aw7AUj8JDxIyjqRuP5kZNSFkTEpbvBoqUrI1jDpqF6w8SFZM2yHnrCOCMxiCzOVG8Iq/s1600/P4060181.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458682505885757746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiSr0qxjUGzg8eUyLPUHbjYKYIUYTfWSsgyiKaTOMipawMPdFMaREvhyvNULwMgggt6176cPW7aw7AUj8JDxIyjqRuP5kZNSFkTEpbvBoqUrI1jDpqF6w8SFZM2yHnrCOCMxiCzOVG8Iq/s320/P4060181.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTdv_bSRd5U4h-nJNiVbDAfBGixHPG6oIxL5WhKxsC-xGa-rynKemGmb8o-odJvl6p5aCZi6rQY084xho7mU0dOTiLmf0Lui9oSrAqQDwjMuKasvJ8hpi8ARbHw0W1MF6eT7YmYjL_ABK/s1600/P4060185.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458682501866492658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTdv_bSRd5U4h-nJNiVbDAfBGixHPG6oIxL5WhKxsC-xGa-rynKemGmb8o-odJvl6p5aCZi6rQY084xho7mU0dOTiLmf0Lui9oSrAqQDwjMuKasvJ8hpi8ARbHw0W1MF6eT7YmYjL_ABK/s320/P4060185.JPG" border="0" /></a> Starting to paint<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX2d6pmY1U0OvDk54qybh902FWs5rrQzYjNysr0J1cO5BBiE0wSmXoS3Cgh7Kyj-NesK6XNR-NvohWq5MQCJyRvmzq1IZz5sA76Vv7jWWG7rslGmxMqdk1O-raeXXJlL4P1pYMPQ4NvcV/s1600/P4060171.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458682490721090562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX2d6pmY1U0OvDk54qybh902FWs5rrQzYjNysr0J1cO5BBiE0wSmXoS3Cgh7Kyj-NesK6XNR-NvohWq5MQCJyRvmzq1IZz5sA76Vv7jWWG7rslGmxMqdk1O-raeXXJlL4P1pYMPQ4NvcV/s320/P4060171.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Drawing<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduNMBaZeNyp8u-a_oUcDa_vA0b-43MAbPuPAF_pNlAvFLroerdhJjBEcD9GadUYXeZNeTO5K4LY_0TKvZvgwhWOiwtzixONpfWpLgaVMHSehX7F_5v8zE0z_bIDBB0lQFb60ECWNpbwH_/s1600/IMG_3213.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458677402890798242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduNMBaZeNyp8u-a_oUcDa_vA0b-43MAbPuPAF_pNlAvFLroerdhJjBEcD9GadUYXeZNeTO5K4LY_0TKvZvgwhWOiwtzixONpfWpLgaVMHSehX7F_5v8zE0z_bIDBB0lQFb60ECWNpbwH_/s320/IMG_3213.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qCvNtHdTwadgvFDtM5eUYdY5FajacTq5mzLSwIgVyE7BAfbiURsqBM2DWXHo7lK2RiH7xgM0pBXQY1cG0IlGvKU2kOeD5bmLN6ty3HXarWgWhvMUNsPwXz5SsixINsH10ZAU-wt9-307/s1600/IMG_3206.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458677398757620322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qCvNtHdTwadgvFDtM5eUYdY5FajacTq5mzLSwIgVyE7BAfbiURsqBM2DWXHo7lK2RiH7xgM0pBXQY1cG0IlGvKU2kOeD5bmLN6ty3HXarWgWhvMUNsPwXz5SsixINsH10ZAU-wt9-307/s320/IMG_3206.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Making the grid<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOYN7XBidCgs7wBfIDfO8Zu-FTFYj2XmyPsJwA0DfwMIV0gd71esno-YgchlGkkMg09SSRv4c1U8eWte304U1nUaHA1Nabba-UuaikqxUvxtc5dfx376R97wQTqhWz5ytEbbzXMu8sMiI/s1600/IMG_3165.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458677390336573106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOYN7XBidCgs7wBfIDfO8Zu-FTFYj2XmyPsJwA0DfwMIV0gd71esno-YgchlGkkMg09SSRv4c1U8eWte304U1nUaHA1Nabba-UuaikqxUvxtc5dfx376R97wQTqhWz5ytEbbzXMu8sMiI/s320/IMG_3165.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Nearly finished library!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyU_4v_1x3g_6M_cvNp0D7eALmYUHFvoXMtCmiGoprXuNvbs6Irm3hA3l95K1DmGltQyDW642H1oaCilfzCW_dikmsat4lx6p0H6MeiQMoKo_m-XiMwj4YKI4g3KFQoCOeZMkkhZwAu858/s1600/P3120142.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458677383326403634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyU_4v_1x3g_6M_cvNp0D7eALmYUHFvoXMtCmiGoprXuNvbs6Irm3hA3l95K1DmGltQyDW642H1oaCilfzCW_dikmsat4lx6p0H6MeiQMoKo_m-XiMwj4YKI4g3KFQoCOeZMkkhZwAu858/s320/P3120142.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Frame going up on the library<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ6974RS3HEUXkS8VV5Kw-6udsrWNB1yHRxPfF5ZAnIooaYU0GcUYTgXeYRXzLaI1uoudzK1N1r4XE6WIRfuNhbm_e-PMAbbaOfbZgddeqaBXwA0HCRuIQFhEyTv3kGpxAmaChnMxhrMT/s1600/P3050135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458677374675771634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ6974RS3HEUXkS8VV5Kw-6udsrWNB1yHRxPfF5ZAnIooaYU0GcUYTgXeYRXzLaI1uoudzK1N1r4XE6WIRfuNhbm_e-PMAbbaOfbZgddeqaBXwA0HCRuIQFhEyTv3kGpxAmaChnMxhrMT/s320/P3050135.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Starting to build the library<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXYDZaBSYTgbtmh-b0YMbrLAtFeMqUXP-T6bZfLHfhhPjQ-7Fqz5EBipQlk7EK88n2asPO_wi2KSZfIZ9QaKv1YGpRIeBIpvKYzUjfzmCLGBKQEAdkWjI9iQ5_G18ExyZbp3FNpTEWnPi/s1600/P2280111.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458673277167197378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXYDZaBSYTgbtmh-b0YMbrLAtFeMqUXP-T6bZfLHfhhPjQ-7Fqz5EBipQlk7EK88n2asPO_wi2KSZfIZ9QaKv1YGpRIeBIpvKYzUjfzmCLGBKQEAdkWjI9iQ5_G18ExyZbp3FNpTEWnPi/s320/P2280111.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxOe3zM8_0unbzSe4CGBZylaVtQi6JwWsjzADjI9w9sueik832vQLw8XNTsZ5IHUCU1NGyTrt3XGv1R7g31N0GAtr93mOnbyondsKI1TsAvcGG0i-uybYQoREUSB9Kgsjz2FPV_fD23De/s1600/P2230095.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458673267004726930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxOe3zM8_0unbzSe4CGBZylaVtQi6JwWsjzADjI9w9sueik832vQLw8XNTsZ5IHUCU1NGyTrt3XGv1R7g31N0GAtr93mOnbyondsKI1TsAvcGG0i-uybYQoREUSB9Kgsjz2FPV_fD23De/s320/P2230095.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lie helping me make some cookies for the guys building the library<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse9_IduQE0wxsye1MfQrlI2gufYNkKUYXJyNmcQhN7o3PJV4w7ceVgaplv7uAwNk03AAccrxhfjVq6uOn9WUfLKsC2H2xaRZBKuWic2YruGk0f3RB4j4pl_oAaPbnzO0sunYn3KHTqrnv/s1600/P2230093.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458673262304700002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse9_IduQE0wxsye1MfQrlI2gufYNkKUYXJyNmcQhN7o3PJV4w7ceVgaplv7uAwNk03AAccrxhfjVq6uOn9WUfLKsC2H2xaRZBKuWic2YruGk0f3RB4j4pl_oAaPbnzO0sunYn3KHTqrnv/s320/P2230093.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Aftermath of Cyclone Rene<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI2NFkgWIBKTt0HVCxAlWOjtBiSQZ0FeSihMXce1xXHBe4myNinFuQxfoboucmt9kdj4wCFzGD8g3_DEFFFYKQltYVMfs-9gQCsErsk1dYVSashDiLHkhcqqeg-C-iwmomrWkYFvukxR8/s1600/P2170090.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458673255369540354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI2NFkgWIBKTt0HVCxAlWOjtBiSQZ0FeSihMXce1xXHBe4myNinFuQxfoboucmt9kdj4wCFzGD8g3_DEFFFYKQltYVMfs-9gQCsErsk1dYVSashDiLHkhcqqeg-C-iwmomrWkYFvukxR8/s320/P2170090.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Consolidation into a tiny room during cyclone Rene<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8hEBk3nDP_bZ8fD2ZcNi-VckVJnLJjhCak3MK-DB8JbyZcGTqS2TnFyTuvOMtBN13kjv4EBbtjWnqLYO1RkCJcJ45flWvC524yRWwQrCtZWoJF08yrhygev0oywVj5-EnxQoacaBSqU4/s1600/P2140088.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458673246542008626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8hEBk3nDP_bZ8fD2ZcNi-VckVJnLJjhCak3MK-DB8JbyZcGTqS2TnFyTuvOMtBN13kjv4EBbtjWnqLYO1RkCJcJ45flWvC524yRWwQrCtZWoJF08yrhygev0oywVj5-EnxQoacaBSqU4/s320/P2140088.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-90648325784159551942010-03-09T11:10:00.000-08:002010-03-24T11:28:37.673-07:00Best village in Tonga, maybe the world!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oHiUNbRrZ-GFunXqTvwdhYXLKzcw5XEyTmMcXYkgJ-aePj0jdTV0nXbXdX-0xj9UH-6aTfkIiDmDyXOVuv0Yzy388LLnvyzbpQWLKdGY5Bcv2iqUDGIaD_cX2ZlDcHCXMMx5GwVRAhF8/s1600/P1050628.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452268366760910018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oHiUNbRrZ-GFunXqTvwdhYXLKzcw5XEyTmMcXYkgJ-aePj0jdTV0nXbXdX-0xj9UH-6aTfkIiDmDyXOVuv0Yzy388LLnvyzbpQWLKdGY5Bcv2iqUDGIaD_cX2ZlDcHCXMMx5GwVRAhF8/s320/P1050628.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhK-Lx8EIq8SjkF-5jBhFtADV3q1Edfh4fiFKyTUs9jukcpSsAcGCkVyNPE0Jr5qnWh_tXnb8MOq53gQ3iRZnEipD1XTQ3WqfpIQtM9n-_MG7tgKPnxkJs-_GVK_CPdjfJdkxOFQuOfWZ/s1600/P2100058.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452268356398045218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhK-Lx8EIq8SjkF-5jBhFtADV3q1Edfh4fiFKyTUs9jukcpSsAcGCkVyNPE0Jr5qnWh_tXnb8MOq53gQ3iRZnEipD1XTQ3WqfpIQtM9n-_MG7tgKPnxkJs-_GVK_CPdjfJdkxOFQuOfWZ/s320/P2100058.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4fLEH3JyWnDXICbjFmtcq7_a0pcM2CAkxbBvQ1CfyATw0txUNRZqsUepbUoScIBDF_vs1DA1BKsdrtQFPf5N-KrFtahWzBKI_IFLVkFS2OKEydtKsEFYA6NdTNjfn8N2XCyzjR_m6t0S/s1600/P2040115.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452268352170781938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4fLEH3JyWnDXICbjFmtcq7_a0pcM2CAkxbBvQ1CfyATw0txUNRZqsUepbUoScIBDF_vs1DA1BKsdrtQFPf5N-KrFtahWzBKI_IFLVkFS2OKEydtKsEFYA6NdTNjfn8N2XCyzjR_m6t0S/s320/P2040115.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l7XzTWGl3okMBthB44n4GK8f-CpJu0ycq6jPqRXPeFfoodpVt2PgzjtcWpYi_zR8LlbVaav-LZfz7YvwtMtT92XDr3coblu1l2e86t_Z0CiCsDsLEyuAVRBoF4eJo0kfBg3M9gicTux_/s1600/P2040110.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452268332774220402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l7XzTWGl3okMBthB44n4GK8f-CpJu0ycq6jPqRXPeFfoodpVt2PgzjtcWpYi_zR8LlbVaav-LZfz7YvwtMtT92XDr3coblu1l2e86t_Z0CiCsDsLEyuAVRBoF4eJo0kfBg3M9gicTux_/s320/P2040110.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>"It's Tonga" Moment:</div><br /><div>- I had gone over to my neighbors house one evening and on the way back I had to walk through a cow pasture to get to my house. It was dark and at night the cows and bulls rest on the walking path, but most move when I get close. One wouldn't. I asked him politely to move, "MOOOOOOve!" (I took my cue from Dory in Finding Nemo and spoke "cow-ese") with no success. Finally I braved whatever was lurking in the tall grass and walked around him, giving him a wide berth. When I got back on the path behind him he started following me. He would walk when I walked, and when I stopped and turned around he would stop and look all innocent. As if I wouldn't notice an eighteen-hundred-pound behemoth following me. Finally I stopped and turned on him. I wasn't sure how you're supposed to deal with a bull, are you supposed to play dead as you would with a bear? Or perhaps not make eye-contact as that could be interpreted as a sign of aggression? I tried to resolve the situation diplomatically by talking to him, trying to explain that I just wanted to go home (I AM in Peace, Corps, what do you expect?). When that didn't work I had to resort to more extreme measures. I looked around for something to throw at him, and hark, there at my feet was a large coconut. I picked it up and gave him one last chance to back down. He didn't take it. I channeled my inner Brett Farve (Vikings' Brett Farve, NOT Jets' Brett Farve) then let it go. Direct hit. He let out a "moooo" and ambled off into the pasture, and almost immediately I felt a bit bad. Maybe he just wanted to be friends? I got over it pretty quickly as I sat in my house that night and thought about how much time and money I had spent earning my education, and here I was fending off stalker bulls by throwing coconuts at them. Sigh.</div><br /><div>In other news, my rat traps have been working overtime lately. It's the wet season here and I think the rats try to find their way indoors to get out of the rain, and as a result I have caught 8 rats in my traps in the last few weeks. Yahtzee! I also stumbled across a new oddity on my bathroom floor. A hermit crab. Those of you who have been reading since I've been here know that last year I had a recurring visitor to my kitchen, a crab, but I ended up deciding that it wasn't THAT unusual because it was possibly a coconut crab that lives in the bush and could concievably make it to my house. THIS crab, however, is definitly a beach-dwelling crab. I have no idea what it's doing in my house, which isn't that close to the beach. Being in Tonga a year and a half has taught me that some things don't have explanations (or explanations that make sense to me) and there are some things that I don't need or want to know the explanation to. I just shook my head and went about my business. I should start a new segment in my blog: "Wierd Things I Find on my Bathroom Floor"<br /></div><div>I was in my house one Saturday afternoon when I heard some of the boys right outside my window. It sounded like there were at least five or six of them, and they were obviously inside my fence, which they usually don't come inside without permission (If an older boy sees them, they'll get hit, even though I've said I don't mind). I put on my lavalava (sarong) and a tee-shirt and went outside to see what is going on. As I walk outside I see the boys bent over in my yard, pulling weeds and cutting the long grass with machetes. They look up, surprised to see me, they had thought I wasn't home. I asked them why they were cleaning up my yard, and they simply replied, "Because it was ugly." No one had asked them to; they had come over to play and seen that my yard was, in fact, quite ugly and took it upon themselves to fix it for me. They are all 8 or 9 years old, and they spent an hour sprucing up my yard.<br /></div><div>After they entirely cleaned my yard they asked for the soccer ball and football to play with, which I gave them. They then spent the next three hours in the schoolyard, running around, playing, wrestling, having relay races. At one point they collpased exhausted on their backs in my (freshly cleaned!) yard, but within thirty seconds one boy sat up, which spurred a full-contact sit-up and push-up competition. A sight to behold, if you've never seen one.</div><br /><div>It was really fun to watch them just <em>playing</em>, no adult supervision, no organized drills or practices, no fancy equiptment. I gave them a few balls, but when they don't have balls to play with I've seen them make toys out of sticks, coconut husks, tin cans rescued from fire pits, rocks, and bicycle spokes (From the bicycle spokes they make these little internal combustion chambers with a nail, the scraped-off heads of a few matches, and a piece of wire- pretty genius). They never get bored, they never complain, and they very rarely argue amongst themselves.</div><br /><div>This past week construction began on the library, and I have been so impressed with the work and support the village is putting into the project. Before they stated the construction the PTA met and worked out a schedule of who was going to take food to the workers every day and the work plan. The men in the village are building the library entirely, which initially made me a bit nervous not knowing if any of them had any formal construction experience, but it seems to be coming together really well and they've all grown up swinging hammers and working. Every day last week men in the village showed up to help, and plenty of food was brought to them by a different family each day. I was hoping that I would get to help build the library a bit after school, but there are enough people showing up to help out that there are usually people sitting in the shade waiting for something to do. As a girl, they would be reluctant to let me help out anyway, much less when there are plenty of capable men around to do the work :) So I kind of accepted my role in the community, made them cookies and watched as the library has taken form. It's coming along really quickly with all the help, and everyone is very excited about it.</div><p>Once the library is finished some of the youth from the village have agreed to help me paint a world map mural on one wall. We got some leftover paint donated from the hardware store on the main island, and we're ready to paint!<br /></p><p>One thing our library is lacking is enough books to fill it! I've recieved some donations through friends and family and through book aid agencies, but if you have any extra children's books lying around and would like to help my students and community, please send them to:<br /></p><p>Jennifer Danielson, PCV</p><p>P.O. Box 24</p><p>'Ohonua, 'Eua</p><p>Kingdom of Tonga</p><div>South Pacific</div><br /><div>If you are interested in doing that, just know that shipping can be quite expensive, so your best bet is probably a flat rate box which can be found at the post office. </div><div> </div><div>Another option is donating towards the shipping cost of a box of books through a book aid program I'm working with, International Book Project. Here is the information for that:</div><br /><p>The International Book Project is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit which collects new and used books and sends them to schools, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations in developing countries. You can learn more about our organization at our website <a href="http://www.internationalbookproject.org/">http://www.internationalbookproject.org/</a>. The cost for shipping an m-bag (approximately 32 lbs) of books is $200. You may donate by sending a check to: </p><p>International Book Project</p><p>1440 Delaware Avenue</p><p>Lexington, KY 40505. </p><p>You may also donate online via credit card at <a href="http://www.intlbookproject.org/donate.php">http://www.intlbookproject.org/donate.php</a>. Please indicate in the memo of the check or the notes section of the online giving screen that the donation is for Jenny Danielson. All donations are tax deductible.<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-82935096580484078562010-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:002010-02-21T17:50:21.759-08:00Australia, family in Tonga, MST, oh my!"It's Tonga" Moment of the last three months:<br /><br />I had just walked into my bathroom to have a shower when I saw two dark blobs on the floor. There is no light in my bathroom, so I grabbed my flashlight, and upon further inspection the turned out to be two tiny baby rats. I looked around, unsure of where they came from and if they were alone. No reasonable explanation presented itself; they didn't seem to be walking yet. Huh. I couldn't tell if they were even alive, so I decided to have my shower while I thought about what to do. I considered smacking them with my sandal, but that seemed messy. I was keeping an eye on them while in the shower, and about midway through, one of them became mobile. he started walking around the bathroom, and in a panic I ran and grabbed the first ting that came to mind. My machete, of course. Two minutes later I had a different problem on my hands. Four baby rat halves. It was a bit messy, but I scooped them onto a piece of cardboard, threw them out the door and re-showered. The next day two more appeared on my bathroom floor. Still no idea how they got there. I figured since I was already a killer, I might as well.....chop, chop.<br /><br />Okay, so...it's been a while, and a lot has happened since my last update. I was sent to Australia to get my tonsils out and had to stay there for three weeks. I got back the day before my family got to Tonga, then a week after they left I was traveling again to my Mid-Service Conference on the main island of Tongatapu. I'm back in my village now; school has started and things are finally starting to settle down a bit again, but here's what I've been up to the last three months:<br /><br />Australia was...interesting. It was my first time out of Tonga since arriving, and at first it was a bit overwhelming. I left 'Eua on a tiny, 10-seater "island-hopper" airplane, where I got to sit co-pilot in front of all the controls. I flew Air New Zealand to Australia, and let me tell you, it was a different experience. I sat down in my seat, which was all padded and comfortable, and get this: every person had a personal entertainment center in the back of the seat in front of them. You could watch the latest movies (I assume they were the latest; I had never heard of them), play video games, listen to the latest music (assumption again), watch TV shows, or listen to the radio. I was impressed. Before we took off, a movie came on everyone's screen; it was the pre-flight preparation telling you how to fasten your seatbelt and all that. I was watching, and I could tell that there was something just not quite <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> about it, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. The lady in the seat next to me asked if I knew what was "off" about it, and then told me to take a close look at their uniforms. THEY WERE ALL NAKED!!! Their uniforms had been painted on, and you couldn't even tell unless you were looking for it. They all just were walking around with these strategically placed seat belts and life jackets and these sly little grins on their faces. I was shocked. Pleasantly. As if that wasn't enough, they gave us food, and it was <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span>. I mean, my frame of reference may be a little skewed after living in Tonga for a year, but I ate salmon with a 7-bean salad on the side. The whole experience was so pleasant,I didn't want to land.<br /><br />The day I got into Brisbane I decided to walk into town and have a look around. I passed a small grocery store and decided to do a little shopping since I had access to a full kitchen the place I was staying and thought I would save a little money by doing some cooking. I was not successful. I walked through the store for an hour and a half, picking things up for one meal, then putting them back and picking up a few ingredients for something different. I ended up having to leave quickly with a <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>upset stomach and checked out with the following:yogurt, seaweed, craisens, chick peas, seed mix, and muesli. Chalked that up as a failure.<br /><br />Like I said, I had to stay in Australia three weeks for a fifteen-minute surgery, so I had a bit of free time on my hands. Luckily, there were a few towns withing walking distance, one huge street promenade, and a shopping mall. Also I learned how to use the public transportation after about a week, so that helped. The first week I kinda just did a lot of people-watching. I was fascinated at all the languages being spoken and the diversity of the people there. Needless to say, Tonga is not a very diverse country. I ended up getting pretty bored, not for lack of things to do, but I didn't know anyone there and so the only people I talked to were people in shops who were trying to sell me stuff. Having zero anonymity in Tonga can be extremely frustrating, but I missed walking down the road and people calling out to me by name. I tried to make friends, but people just weren't as friendly as they are in Tonga. Here's an excerpt from my journal:<br /><br />"Clinical social retardation. Self-diagnosed. Prognosis: lifetime of awkwardness in social settings. 60% probability of owning four or more cats by age 30."<br /><br />I ended up buying an ukulele and playing that because I was bored. I did actually end up making a few friends there, and they took me out and showed me a good time and showed me around a bit, but they also told me, "You can tell you've been living on a little island the last year. " Haha, ouch.<br /><br />Here are some things I really appreciated about Australia:<br /><br />-Hot showers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />-Good sushi<br />-Good hospital :)<br />-Good public transportation<br />-Good nightlife<br />- I remember waking up in the middle of the night one night and being pleasantly surprised that I couldn't feel a single bug crawling on me. How novel.<br /><br />The day after I got back from Australia I met my family in Tongatapu and we all headed out to 'Eua to spend Christmas. My Mom wrote the previous blog about their trip, so I won't go into too much detail about it. I'm really thankful that they got to come out to 'Eua and see my house, village, neighbors, my Tongan family, and just my life here. It was also great to see family, people who have known me and I've known longer than a year. I think they had a good time too, although the spiders take a bit longer to get used to than they had. I'm not sure how long, I'm not quite there yet myself.<br /><br />The week after my family left, I was back in Tongatapu for our Mid-Service Training conference. It was really cool to see how far everyone had come in a year, and what we all had been up to at our sites. One thing that shocked me was how small our group had become. There were a few people out of the country at the time, but our group was down to I think 15 from 24! we haven't seen each other in ten months, but we kinda all picked up where we left off and I feel like we have a really tight-knit group. One of my favorite memories from the conference was of most of the group, gathered in the lounge pouring over some recent celebrity gossip magazines someone had received in the mail. Some people on the main island groups were more informed than others, and the following is an approximation of the conversation that ensued:<br /><br />"Dang, I don't know half the people in this magazine!"<br />"Yeah, really! Who is this Jon Gosserlin that's all over?!"<br />"Isn't he the guy that knocked up the octomom?"<br />"OCTO-mom?!"<br />"Yeah, that's right"<br />"Holy shit, who are all these kids with Brad and Angelina?!"<br />"They have like six kids now, and they're from like seven different countries"<br />"Is that legal?"<br />"What the heck is Twitter?"<br />"Oh, my friend explained this to me, they're like facebook, but just status updates. They're called twits."<br />"Well, now let's not get rude, I'm sure they're perfectly nice."<br />"Who is this Adam Lambert? He's wearing more makeup in this picture than I've worn in the past year."<br />"Oh! I know, he won America's Got Talent, he beat out that homely-looking Susan lady with the great voice."<br />"Huh. Never heard of her, and that doesn't explain all the eye-shadow."<br /><br />We then fell into a thoughtful silence.<br /><br /><br />School has begun, and our grant to build a library at the school has been approved! We lost a teacher from last year, she moved to Tongatapu and wasn't replaced, so we're down to three teachers this year (including me), which means two things: I get more responsibility and I get my own classroom! Both good things. I've found having my own classroom allows me to do more preparation work because I can write on the board before class and I don't have to lug all my supplies back and forth between school and my house. Also I see the kids more each day which I'm excited about. The class 4/5/6 teacher has been reluctant to hand over any responsibility or class time to me, but I'm working on him. The kids who took the class 6 exam last year did really great, and their English scores improved a lot from the previous years.<br /><br />The kids here never cease to amaze me with their attitudes, energy, and excitement to learn. They come over after school to play soccer and rugby and just run around until they collapse, and they always want to help me clean my yard, fetch water, or organize the classroom. The high school girls come in the evenings to get help with their homework, and they're usually a lot of fun too. Between that and working on getting the library grant finalized, I've been keeping pretty busy!<br /><br />Just got an e-mail, looks like a cyclone is heading our way right now, so wish my fale Tonga luck!!!*<br /><br />*UPDATE:<br />I wrote this blog about a week and a half ago, but was unable to publish it at the time because of internet connection problems. A few days afterward we were hit by a category 4 cyclone, Rene. The PCV's here "consolidated" to the most well-built structure on the island, so we were pretty safe, but ended up having to stay there in a tiny room much longer than any of us expected. Walking back into my village after the cyclone passed I was able to observe the damage. One house had completely blown down (six of my kids lived there) and a few other outdoor kitchens and bathrooms had blown down, as well as lots of trees and power lines. No one was hurt, and the village has gathered around the family whose house feel down and they are being well-taken care of. We lost power for a week. My house fared pretty well, it flooded, but I expected that and had prepared for it. Things are finally starting to dry out now. And the faleTonga did great, I had to reattach some palm fronds, and it got pretty wet, but it held up really well. I found it a bit strange that my neighbors' house collapsed, and my faleTonga had barely any damage, but I think my real house protected the faleTonga from a lot of the wind/ flying debris. Hopefully that'll be the last cyclone we see this season!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-2368605729400800632010-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:002010-01-25T16:53:32.826-08:00To Tonga with Love - Mom, Larry & Jeff<div> </div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5gHgp024zX8WHnym7qaEXLAv3COIq0QHyrHBBt8zPqJuVM-NWDKHHDzViiGUm51RiQuFMdQXrUUrvRo0AoVPeZfQG6pBlWEVH28WRXSbStcoNeywv0dcayU_O38_hTixDcGUP8MhgJ_v/s1600-h/IMG_0191.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430372467535079330" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5gHgp024zX8WHnym7qaEXLAv3COIq0QHyrHBBt8zPqJuVM-NWDKHHDzViiGUm51RiQuFMdQXrUUrvRo0AoVPeZfQG6pBlWEVH28WRXSbStcoNeywv0dcayU_O38_hTixDcGUP8MhgJ_v/s320/IMG_0191.jpg" border="0" /></a>Jenny asked if we wanted to be “guest bloggers” after our visit to Tonga over Christmas. I don’t know if I can be as entertaining as Jenny usually is, but we had an amazing visit and I’ll share our experiences as visitors to the islands.<br /><br />We arrived in Tonga on December 22nd where it was sunny and probably in the 80’s. After leaving Alaska and 20 below about 30 hours earlier we were ready for the sun! We spent a few hours in Tongatapu before catching the ferry over to ‘Eua. Despite Jenny’s stories about horrific ferry trips, the trip was uneventful except for meeting our first fakalaiti and getting sunburned from riding on the roof of the Ferry. We docked in ‘Eua and although it was a short way to her house, we had so many pieces of luggage and boxes that we needed to find a ride – and soon climbed in the back of a flatbed pickup and were dropped off at Jenny’s front door safe and sound.<br /><br />The first night in’Eua we were a little concerned about the rodent and spider population, and set the Rat Zapper before we went to bed. We turned out the lights and even though we hadn’t slept in 36 hours, we laid awake expecting rats, spiders or other creepy crawlies to pounce. It wasn’t long before the Rat Zapper started buzzing. What do we do? Jenny’s outside in the faletonga and I certainly don’t want to see a rat! Jeff wanted to see a rat even less and Larry was trapped next to the wall with me in front. The Rat Zapper just kept right on buzzing and buzzing, so finally I get up with my flashlight to see what’s in there – terrified to look. When I do, I’m relieved to see it’s only a cockroach! It’s still alive, but I’m just happy it’s not a rat, and that we never saw a rat, or even spider, in Jenny’s Fale in ‘Eua. We did lay awake at night imagining them though!<br /><br />Memories from ‘Eua, Tonga:</span> </div><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">The people were amazingly friendly and generous. Everyone brought us food – we had more mangos and bananas than we could eat. Christmas morning breakfast was wonderful – someone just came to the door and dropped off a tray with eggs, fruit and chocolate cake – Yum!</span></li><li>Hiking on ‘Eua – Jenny brought us on marathon hikes our first two days in ‘Eua. We were so grateful for the mango juice the neighbors brought over right after we got home! The island was rugged and beautiful – even though we weren’t as excited about climbing down cliffs and into caves as Jenny is. We climbed into Rat’s Cave and down cliffs to Fangatave Beach – she gave us a workout but the experience was definitely worth it.</li><li>Speaking of neighbors – I think the village was watching us closely. As soon as we would get home someone would arrive with food or drinks within minutes! </li><li>Church – the singing was such a wonderful surprise. The only comparison that I can think of is that they sing in church at the same intensity and volume that we would yell at a football game. That’s pretty incredible when you think about it that they praise God like Americans praise football players! Hmmm…</li><li>I really like ‘Eua and am happy Jenny’s there. I feel a lot better about her being out on a more isolated island now that I have seen it. The pace is slow but purposeful, they spend the time with people rather than accomplishing “things” and when you slow down and take the time for that you realize the value in spending time with people and in reflection. It was a great experience. </li><li>Larry was most struck by the Tongan kids and the beautiful quality they had. They were so friendly and just wanted to play. They didn’t whine or argue or complain about anything and just showed up in Jenny’s yard and waited until someone invited them to play something. The kids were awesome.</li><li>Jeffrey got a taste was what’s it’s like to live in a male-dominated society. He, as the oldest male child, was presented with a gift on Christmas Day of a large Tapa Cloth. Larry was asked to do a blessing and a speech. The girls were shy but Jeff was asked over and over again if he had a girlfriend, or wanted one! </li><li>I was pretty much expected to sit quietly or at least cry at the speeches, which the neighbor Lupe did. I had faux paus one night when I put on my pajamas and proceeded to sweep out the house. Men aren’t supposed to see women’s shoulders so I was pretty surprised to open the front door to sweep out the dirt and saw Tevita standing there and I was in my camisole top and pj pants. I shut the door as quick as I could. Jenny and Jeff had been at a youth meeting and met Tevita on the way home and he told Jenny I had slammed the door in his face! It seems noone knocks in Tonga – they just stand outside and wait for someone to look outside.</li><li>We were able to learn a lot about their culture, but we also shared ours. Larry and Jeff wore skirts to church and we all wore Tu’avolas, Larry gave a couple speeches, and we shared some gifts from America and were given gifts as well. In Tonga, the men and women don’t sit together in church, and Jenny wasn’t sure it was okay for men and women, and brothers and sisters to sit next to each other. But we decided to share our culture and sit together as a family.<br /></li></ul><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJkAyxIo_DYQ5HOK4a5b0_JtFQmmhG610Hh6BIFbdXPS43v0wxoXzKdZF2CeunFy3E1LTzSVGhdbW-zXP3YkqE59NXGuKJpOmFvETRr4agXflYliQyq219RwA5s5NacH2RKFk30tGR1ij/s1600-h/IMG_0255.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430374494060753682" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 219px; height: 264px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJkAyxIo_DYQ5HOK4a5b0_JtFQmmhG610Hh6BIFbdXPS43v0wxoXzKdZF2CeunFy3E1LTzSVGhdbW-zXP3YkqE59NXGuKJpOmFvETRr4agXflYliQyq219RwA5s5NacH2RKFk30tGR1ij/s320/IMG_0255.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ha’apai --After 4 days in ‘Eua we flew to Ha’apai and took a little boat to Serenity Beaches Resort. There were 2 other couples there when we got there on Saturday, but by Wednesday we were the only ones there. It was incredible to be on a beautiful white sandy beach with this amazing turquoise colored water and to be there entirely by ourselves. It felt like you owned your own private tropical island. Wow – I just can’t think of a better vacation. The weather was fabulous every single day, and although the food probably wasn’t the best we’ve ever had, it was a great destination. </p><ul><li>SPIDERS! Toward the end of our stay on Serenity Beaches spiders became an issue. There were webs along the path to our Fale’ and we had to have a spider search every night before we tucked our mosquito netting in around the bed and went to sleep. Larry was our hero and chief spider slayer. The spiders are not poisonous, but OMG they are big and ugly. Jeff woke up one morning with a huge one on the outside of his mosquito net and was captive until Larry got the spider out of the Fale’. </li><li>Aside from the spiders, the resort was amazing. It had no electricity in the Fale and had a “Garden Shower” which was cold water unless you laid your solar water bag on the beach all day to heat the water. You find out what you DON’T NEED and adapt to a different lifestyle. </li></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLXa4lg4P86u5t7Ayp90RrN_quM_PcenMff1uYSynOjsGFRzhSYFSrqufuEenhsrROnR8HWFB_XN9dKrZ6sfO5i4we9DwzvATfoehEW5tkTzkf_R-0Jg3NnfQB4msz476ly9Ja7td7p4V/s1600-h/IMG_0131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLXa4lg4P86u5t7Ayp90RrN_quM_PcenMff1uYSynOjsGFRzhSYFSrqufuEenhsrROnR8HWFB_XN9dKrZ6sfO5i4we9DwzvATfoehEW5tkTzkf_R-0Jg3NnfQB4msz476ly9Ja7td7p4V/s320/IMG_0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430844699358519154" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li>What we did: read in the Cabana, sat on the beach, looked for seashells on the beach (they were all over!), kayaked and rode the waves in the kayaks, snorkeled, Jenny and Larry were scuba diving twice, swam in the “swimming pool” which was a sand covered area of the beach and ocean, had a bonfire on the beach, played lots of cards and board games, Jen played her Ukelele, and we enjoyed each other’s company. </li><li>I will try to load a video of highlights from the trip – a feast with the neighbors, Jenny giving a speech, Christmas Eve play with Jenny in it, slaying spiders, Serenity Beaches, and Jen and Jeff’s spoof on MTV’s Cribs video.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijsMxUOh58BtFzuTlg742wDzdCajicAgd9sj16wbC5NqTPUtRjfDdtH7pUrjxl3JUctTSuqZ2FJ3Tf-yv2_T77aFOhFpChz2MzEogfiVXu0JKpHE1lV6LsKq73_oCrF9SoBpoGySq6a9G/s1600-h/IMG_0319.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430376719201549010" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijsMxUOh58BtFzuTlg742wDzdCajicAgd9sj16wbC5NqTPUtRjfDdtH7pUrjxl3JUctTSuqZ2FJ3Tf-yv2_T77aFOhFpChz2MzEogfiVXu0JKpHE1lV6LsKq73_oCrF9SoBpoGySq6a9G/s320/IMG_0319.jpg" border="0" /></a>It was the most incredible trip! If anyone’s thinking of visiting Jenny don’t hesitate – BOOK YOUR FLIGHT TODAY. You can’t pass up such a great opportunity to experience the Tongan culture and the beauty of the islands. We will never forget Tonga. Thank you Jenny for being so adventurous to set out on this journey and share it with us. We love you and thank you for sharing your adventures with us! Toki Sio and much love to you and all the people on the island. </li></ul><div><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><div align="right">Mom, Larry and Jeff</div></span>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-10538830461260094822009-11-28T16:35:00.000-08:002009-11-28T18:06:38.051-08:00Leaving on a Jet PlaneI am currently in Tongatapu, and tomorrow I will be heading to Australia to get my tonsils removed. It looks like I'll be there a little over two weeks, so hopefully I'll have some time to get some sightseeing in as well.<br /><br />I have pretty fast internet here, so I thought I'd upload some pictures and try some videos too. School is finished, and the last few weeks were filled with lots of dancing, singing, card-playing, and soccer.<br /><br />I spent Thanksgiving at one of the guesthouses on the island with the other Peace Corps volunteers on 'Eua. Peace Corps sent us out a big turkey, and we pulled together some mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, corn on the cob, eggplant parmesean, macaroni and cheese, black bean soup, coconut crab, and of course, apple pie. It was also our last hoorah before group 73 atarts to leave, so it was nice to spend that time all together.<br /><br /><br /><br />Malia and 'Oline brought their bush knife to school to cut the grass in the yard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejhPxaCmz0qdJDvom07-fqUYY_MHB5kde7P2EuurO5ryVrLkXleWhbvvHfR8DwMGFDyiGYbmB0zE8b4Xli7Jh3qMZ2Yp78VmW4wJmBE9UybnGkKNTgnsEbY97sN9YBrEnrWD4HmZSaJSi/s1600/PB220603.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409336421748036674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejhPxaCmz0qdJDvom07-fqUYY_MHB5kde7P2EuurO5ryVrLkXleWhbvvHfR8DwMGFDyiGYbmB0zE8b4Xli7Jh3qMZ2Yp78VmW4wJmBE9UybnGkKNTgnsEbY97sN9YBrEnrWD4HmZSaJSi/s320/PB220603.JPG" border="0" /></a> Walls going up on the faletonga<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoyIQPkfH32ZxIAj2Wod17fd_WRs4kUzqD4lqOx6E0QsT-7lTzfPhrb7Pa5FWlfKVZ4Aw8lx3Db7VMSVwZoYa3ZGPtBeNIzBJYupzw_yi8LrVEm5I5KHfRa0D23hdsW_SifMpo5ajwWXM/s1600/PB160589.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409336411316315122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoyIQPkfH32ZxIAj2Wod17fd_WRs4kUzqD4lqOx6E0QsT-7lTzfPhrb7Pa5FWlfKVZ4Aw8lx3Db7VMSVwZoYa3ZGPtBeNIzBJYupzw_yi8LrVEm5I5KHfRa0D23hdsW_SifMpo5ajwWXM/s320/PB160589.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Ta'anga G.P.S.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxVJdkV_4TZUx-DVlgoCPmYdatFNeOUQsusk9yTPDHGpMsbfObbGJ3O0LWXxgq8papQ-6o3EW6Pegz-Az3PxyT4DDss09dgiMbM9OIM7ribIovowMLwWezBxXO6jJhbplDuzuVqEDpdt_/s1600/PB040555.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409334509036423890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxVJdkV_4TZUx-DVlgoCPmYdatFNeOUQsusk9yTPDHGpMsbfObbGJ3O0LWXxgq8papQ-6o3EW6Pegz-Az3PxyT4DDss09dgiMbM9OIM7ribIovowMLwWezBxXO6jJhbplDuzuVqEDpdt_/s320/PB040555.JPG" border="0" /></a> building the frame of the faletonga<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDy_4-QBAgVRFN_eC3aWbtUy-aT_cF2g8iChrUTesXJ1CRQXr4SMZkBb-B63nf34zYIpGdtCD39CSoMbrAVAj0VYH893uDhTQ5NTyswCaRixg6X4ZJKH5xKKpXHhCyOwhwvsm_17c5vhQ/s1600/PA180536.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409334505394822274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDy_4-QBAgVRFN_eC3aWbtUy-aT_cF2g8iChrUTesXJ1CRQXr4SMZkBb-B63nf34zYIpGdtCD39CSoMbrAVAj0VYH893uDhTQ5NTyswCaRixg6X4ZJKH5xKKpXHhCyOwhwvsm_17c5vhQ/s320/PA180536.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />everything about this was a bad idea, but cool picture<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ohTaOGeqqNVasEK1aIsj36alO9j8HTCRjBwQFsju5WIGni3401UiIupZWtjrFBLmwj6D9-EWl-6wNrJEZzdsDGa9OdAQAJw2Bktjg34MLSJoifWAJvtYv3HcQbFdoG2kKsYQg_hcxDbY/s1600/PA120532.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409334495510361026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ohTaOGeqqNVasEK1aIsj36alO9j8HTCRjBwQFsju5WIGni3401UiIupZWtjrFBLmwj6D9-EWl-6wNrJEZzdsDGa9OdAQAJw2Bktjg34MLSJoifWAJvtYv3HcQbFdoG2kKsYQg_hcxDbY/s320/PA120532.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Rat's cave<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kza3smodr_2OXVwRJCs8zapb_f1gKQ64QgDcdLMPru5RN3psSLY1S5QYO6cFcI5wG0hW3zy1iauqb50q7vPxyfLoJeQ5itFSLncwQ0J0TmX6vZiexdfD_MKsKhwGFqSg-wxMTL6kHZXv/s1600/IMG_4640.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409334480820626722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kza3smodr_2OXVwRJCs8zapb_f1gKQ64QgDcdLMPru5RN3psSLY1S5QYO6cFcI5wG0hW3zy1iauqb50q7vPxyfLoJeQ5itFSLncwQ0J0TmX6vZiexdfD_MKsKhwGFqSg-wxMTL6kHZXv/s320/IMG_4640.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Taniea, Lupe, and Toakase<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MsRE65Ajor0R1dGccIz1l9Zv9DFZUst2LZZqdBFgafw4F8uaq0pokNn5HraCRhcsinRyUILnvyldBUgSBHdDikR9EE4WvsKvlLCG_oobIX3ZaggQygrL86Ej05-kDP8w8wBeaqrUPzMz/s1600/PB240615.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409327005445859586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MsRE65Ajor0R1dGccIz1l9Zv9DFZUst2LZZqdBFgafw4F8uaq0pokNn5HraCRhcsinRyUILnvyldBUgSBHdDikR9EE4WvsKvlLCG_oobIX3ZaggQygrL86Ej05-kDP8w8wBeaqrUPzMz/s320/PB240615.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7-B2cqJrtQ43zv8w8YRGSV4LvCueTCxPLoguMPmB41ZCjLGwEKvW5IP67cdl8qEGQXgmRVkP4ZWorNBRTBIm2WNCS_AuX1Ndu0Zm0eZwLQ-64hCma64Lnv5iY4PeRKEUm7IWD7E0o0SX/s1600/PB150577.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409326978684233234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7-B2cqJrtQ43zv8w8YRGSV4LvCueTCxPLoguMPmB41ZCjLGwEKvW5IP67cdl8qEGQXgmRVkP4ZWorNBRTBIm2WNCS_AuX1Ndu0Zm0eZwLQ-64hCma64Lnv5iY4PeRKEUm7IWD7E0o0SX/s320/PB150577.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />soccer in the yard<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHTkXCJYJRaZulZXTaGY1eD_Ktlgth87L7HM1B2JzEpujEoPavbQGwcB5eKQZxgE0-xSSvMwCtq02CikmWrsl2TT3DY4sSuZIPB8hlv8-P4Rw35PdzgUUatifKdnLZE1LBXtXejWGXVkX/s1600/PB150570.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409326972683060578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHTkXCJYJRaZulZXTaGY1eD_Ktlgth87L7HM1B2JzEpujEoPavbQGwcB5eKQZxgE0-xSSvMwCtq02CikmWrsl2TT3DY4sSuZIPB8hlv8-P4Rw35PdzgUUatifKdnLZE1LBXtXejWGXVkX/s320/PB150570.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p>Lopeti dancing with Pita drumming<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwsyjx1Tj5ryTer6mvC3dhE6nLe7mCG05gyOPU1vZn8OP2YKosWavUXSQSZjwpdwbORwUiPQv1iHI7KGOjcaQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />Class 6 girls ta'olunga<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzfla2Ntlhh7U7HsL4596Zq8iJwwpoiQLZH0VWGJiFyimPLV0zdLdMVFwLGf-UtH9LLa7mlzflCucqqDuRQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />Class 3/4 at the end of the school year. That is their teacher in the background sleeping.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzxAvsYpUukzJ1CaAEDPXNp2AXT6v4MVpm503WiqRvb1V9MxKBJ_KVTOto2g8JvwORbcJmnI4uGW0VCR1DTpQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p></div></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-47914859910672415872009-11-23T19:40:00.000-08:002009-11-25T14:58:35.544-08:00R.I.P. Tahi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhG0UxYSQIIeIFLFOGiLTdxVNAB-7UOlum6uWbKKg1GoixtpVHFas3M9Kk6RnWmSCPD_cksDCO5rSegrwgYfON2Wh9Icr1Qnf_cpJ8g8_e4PgP9qK8M30PygG4qBSU6Y4q2orZm4HE8_V/s1600/P6220046.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408178872940770802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhG0UxYSQIIeIFLFOGiLTdxVNAB-7UOlum6uWbKKg1GoixtpVHFas3M9Kk6RnWmSCPD_cksDCO5rSegrwgYfON2Wh9Icr1Qnf_cpJ8g8_e4PgP9qK8M30PygG4qBSU6Y4q2orZm4HE8_V/s320/P6220046.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbmMV1hHYYYIfFjSArYtKfv3CUpN6SvDUEonJKmS0QMf3tBOYGZGI73Rt1SH43EcFsj876qT1qbLvx6jX7T1I-OuVECbioUkCiRZbkEC8nCK_YT7k0mAC19drP2rtWO2N8fwpUXteuIa4/s1600/P6220065.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408178868617781458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbmMV1hHYYYIfFjSArYtKfv3CUpN6SvDUEonJKmS0QMf3tBOYGZGI73Rt1SH43EcFsj876qT1qbLvx6jX7T1I-OuVECbioUkCiRZbkEC8nCK_YT7k0mAC19drP2rtWO2N8fwpUXteuIa4/s320/P6220065.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jIQfXrbKXc81NCVE_Q9nqIRrC0wbYP4vXJ3Hg8jLYyhGeX_mViUEcDvnqgWuxyC1bZ5eAFehfatVp7iKD6OFmGt4eemikwjOxv9oCqiyBcuu43gD9a19CK8WZb6pvt4c07GxcafltSQc/s1600/P6220074.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408178861070442722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jIQfXrbKXc81NCVE_Q9nqIRrC0wbYP4vXJ3Hg8jLYyhGeX_mViUEcDvnqgWuxyC1bZ5eAFehfatVp7iKD6OFmGt4eemikwjOxv9oCqiyBcuu43gD9a19CK8WZb6pvt4c07GxcafltSQc/s320/P6220074.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>This latest update is written with a heavy heart. Tahi- my constant companion, my source of comedic relief, my dog- passed away Saturday. On Friday he was fine, running around the school yard playing, and Saturday morning he couldn't walk. I sat with him and tried to feed him carnation mixed with water (my neighbors said it would help) but he was gone pretty quickly. </div><br /><div>My neighbors (who live in the same schoolyard and take care of Tahi when I travel and have three dogs that Tahi hangs out with all the time) told me, in no uncertain terms, that Tahi had been poisened. They had seen it before (apparantly it's not uncommon?) and it had in fact happened to their dog last month. That kind of added a whole new dimension of grief. I heard this not only from my neighbors, but also from a few different people in the village, everyone saying the same thing, he must have been poisened. They even explained to me how it is done- they mix bettery acid and pesticide with a can of tin fish and feed it to the dog. They said someone probably got mad at Tahi because he had killed their chicken or something. But the thing is, Tahi has been extremely well-behaved lately, he hasn't been chasing pigs or chickens and as far as I know he defninitely didn't kill any. At first I wrote it off, it HAD to be an accident, everyone on the island knows Tahi is my dog and I feel like because of that he is granted a lot of leeway where other dogs might be more severely treated. For example: the day Tahi ran into church they all said it was okay, he could sit with me in church (I quickly vetoed this however). I think there is no way someone killed Tahi as a result of Tahi misbehaving. So then I got to thinking that IF someone hurt Tahi on purpose, they had to have done it because they were upset with me. I've heard of Tongans hurting volunteers' dogs before when they were upset with the volunteer, it is seemingly a more socially acceptable way of expressing anger than risking a confrontation with someone, especially a palangi. So I poured over my transgressions of late. This is what I came up with, my confessions:</div><br /><div>-Two Sundays ago I skipped church and came to the office to watch T.V. shows on the computer.</div><br /><div>-On Tuesday, it was a warm, clear night outside- I could see every star in the sky, so I snuck out of my village and went on a walk. I snuck out because if I told anybody they would send their kids with me (to protect me from the tevolo- devil) and I just wanted to walk alone. Unfortunately I wasn't very good at being sneaky- every single dog started barking as I made my way back into the village.</div><br /><div>-Wednesday I went to tea, then afterwards came down to the office and didn't return until after dark.</div><br /><div>-In church on Sunday one of the men in the village told me I'd been traveling too much. He doesn't know I was in Tongatapu because I was sick and then went to Ha'apai to help with the training of the new group. Maybe he has been upset because I've been away a lot.</div><br /><div>-I've been building a fale-Tonga with my neighbor, Tevita. Most of the village has been assuming I'm involved with him simply because I spend time with him. They also thought I was involved with the guy that was teaching me to play guitar last year and who is now in Tongatapu. In fact I'm not involved with wither of them, but I never really disputed the rumors as I've found that it doesn't matter what I do or say, they WILL talk about me. This is a VERY difficult place to be a single palangi woman and keep your reputation in tact. So maybe someone was angry that they thought I was kaka (cheating).<br /></div><div>After spending two days trying to figure out what I did wrong and why someone would do this to Tahi, I came to my conclusion. I cannot allow myself to believe that someone hurt Tahi on purpose. If I believe that, I don't think I could continue to work here and put my heart into my work. If someone did hurt Tahi on purpose, I will never figure out who, or why, and I will never find peace with it. Furthermore, there is a LOT of toxic stuff around here. There aren't exactly safe places to put toxic stuff such as old batteries, motor oil, etc. And all the cars are generally leaking something. There are any number of things Tahi could have gotten into, and I can't continue on here wondering if my neighbors, the parents of my students, the people I sit next to in church killed my dog. So I have decided to consider this a tragic accident, and to mourn my friend.</div><br /><div>Here are just some of my favorite Tahi moments:</div><br /><div>- Sitting on my lap on the plane ride out to 'Eua</div><br /><div>- Spending nights with me in my hammock where we huddled for warmth when it was freezing clod and he was still a puppy<br /></div><br /><div>- Running down the center aisle of church the first time I took him- for some reason I was under the misguided impression that he would just sit outside and wait for me to come back out.</div><br /><div>- Camping with him at Fangatave beach when he was still small enough to pass down the cliffs</div><br /><div>- Hiking with me in the rainforest and him drinking his water out of a half coconut shell.</div><br /><div>- Him draping himself across my legs as I sat on the floor and played guitar.</div><br /><div>- Him jumping in the wharf to swim with me when it became clear that I was swimming away from the dock he was standing on- he was a great swimmer!</div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-15254111002364218452009-10-23T20:13:00.000-07:002009-10-24T14:22:42.545-07:00Highs and LowsReady to go!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil40gHvfOCqvMex_6WbaiW_Wksqf21hvHBYLmHj076uzJtIKmZrbfYo-i6yDfRZXEMTTOsSa7u3LyjLrQXsm7mOeBx45sUm38IRxwxg7N8vzDHwl-S2jChSyRK2079DQ-XX4qPj-OgI0Qc/s1600-h/IMG_9380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396106705295658210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil40gHvfOCqvMex_6WbaiW_Wksqf21hvHBYLmHj076uzJtIKmZrbfYo-i6yDfRZXEMTTOsSa7u3LyjLrQXsm7mOeBx45sUm38IRxwxg7N8vzDHwl-S2jChSyRK2079DQ-XX4qPj-OgI0Qc/s320/IMG_9380.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV129CXJ-TXp5ytz0-7dPs-Odl3gOhmL7rvKVTNoPHPo0B-FxFgVlM2BxOa8OwF7ZRLVHDBCTbFm_XcIusJCUIG92QD4uf8vVtCr0zyXpyHsEqKVltvyc1D6CNRWQCEPF1RZ_SbvC75qQ/s1600-h/IMG_9857.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396106700033827522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV129CXJ-TXp5ytz0-7dPs-Odl3gOhmL7rvKVTNoPHPo0B-FxFgVlM2BxOa8OwF7ZRLVHDBCTbFm_XcIusJCUIG92QD4uf8vVtCr0zyXpyHsEqKVltvyc1D6CNRWQCEPF1RZ_SbvC75qQ/s320/IMG_9857.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAeL7w1uqJLmXQ7joHQnC0KMFM2XRHec3JWB0o6n8FynXJNee7nc4e6g8H_eRwnC8OZxL7i2qys3gQO3k_dCo9WqmxVkqFDEAeJey3F88Du6WMBnEYN3ROQDXtBWIkMMHLxmxiVlTimaZ/s1600-h/IMG_9823.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396103383048069122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAeL7w1uqJLmXQ7joHQnC0KMFM2XRHec3JWB0o6n8FynXJNee7nc4e6g8H_eRwnC8OZxL7i2qys3gQO3k_dCo9WqmxVkqFDEAeJey3F88Du6WMBnEYN3ROQDXtBWIkMMHLxmxiVlTimaZ/s320/IMG_9823.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMuMKBIqmktBP8GfPen5hu1LAyf9enrMpq6zmDLLoif8n_HYZXaHU6_-8GPEW8AauxMKzFGglVDPkZbq5OosJVVDOHMPvr99zdYhqoaf0rI0MOtl43rFt71T_B4ra-Lz5FUrqyUVqKfOZ/s1600-h/IMG_9763.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396103376583841474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMuMKBIqmktBP8GfPen5hu1LAyf9enrMpq6zmDLLoif8n_HYZXaHU6_-8GPEW8AauxMKzFGglVDPkZbq5OosJVVDOHMPvr99zdYhqoaf0rI0MOtl43rFt71T_B4ra-Lz5FUrqyUVqKfOZ/s320/IMG_9763.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />There's a pool table in '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Eua</span>!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8W1t6NKcfF-zKAlfyAbgyyvHLlKVYKEDZGtdcutLzkOaibfssDfMbmYE6edk7HlV6rZErq7C4I-_f7xb2CyWgYPpwLWJ9KwbQCuT-ulaft2FvjHU_rYGT-iB5XXEuKRhikix8x3JZ-wR/s1600-h/IMG_9341.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396103371521554978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8W1t6NKcfF-zKAlfyAbgyyvHLlKVYKEDZGtdcutLzkOaibfssDfMbmYE6edk7HlV6rZErq7C4I-_f7xb2CyWgYPpwLWJ9KwbQCuT-ulaft2FvjHU_rYGT-iB5XXEuKRhikix8x3JZ-wR/s320/IMG_9341.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Back by popular demand- It's Tonga Moments:</div><br /><p>- I was riding in a van with my neighbor, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tevita</span> and his sister. It was dark. We could see something ahead on the road, but couldn't quite make out what it was, we thought maybe it was a loose cow or something. We were all kinda joking about it, but as we got closer, it became clear. It was two very large pigs trying to make baby pigs. The female pig's eyes were about to pop out of her head. I laughed, but quickly realized I was the only one laughing. In Tonga there is this brother/sister stigma and anything remotely sexual in the presence of siblings is EXTREMELY uncomfortable and inappropriate. Once boys reach puberty they may no longer sleep under the same roof as their sisters. If a boy is at a dance club or party and his sister comes in he has to leave. If a guy starts dating the sister of one of his buddies, they can no longer be buddies, and the brother will avoid his sister's boyfriend at all costs and will even give him dirty looks. Anyway, it's something that is deeply rooted in the culture, and there's more to it than even I understand. But the rest of that car ride was spent in really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">awkward</span> silence. </p><div>- So as you may have read in my last blog, all my students were convinced I was going to die when I went out scuba diving. The last day of my certification course we were doing two open water dives. It was the Saturday before the class 6 exam, so class 5/6 had school. As I was heading out that morning, they were all waiting around for class to begin when I left. They ran out of the classroom and asked me where I was going (typical Tongan greeting). I told them I was going diving, and once again they tried to convince me not to go. When I made it clear again that I WAS going, we said our goodbye's:</div><div></div><div>Pita: Bye Jennifer!</div><div></div><div>'Ana H: See you manana!</div><div></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hingano</span>: See you later!</div><div></div><div>'Ana L: See you in Heaven!</div><div></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lopeti</span>: Bye Jennifer!</div><br /><div></div><div>Me: Bye guys...Hey! 'Ana, the closest I will be to heaven this weekend will be in church tomorrow, I will see you there.</div><div></div><br /><div>'Ana L: (looking skeptical)</div><div><br /></div><div>Scuba diving was amazing, and I can't wait to do more. It's something I have always wanted to do, but the amount of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">equipment</span> and planning involved was kind of a turn off. It's not something you can go out and do on a whim, but I've concluded that it's worth the preparation. Also I think the diving here is probably among the best in the world, the water is relatively warm , crystal clear, the fish are abundant...it is a world apart under there. And one of the coolest things is that here it's relatively untouched. Scuba diving in '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eua</span> began just a few months ago except on special dive trips out to the island, so it's not a place that gets a lot of human traffic. OH! One of the coolest parts? We could hear the humpback whales singing. They were quite far away, but it was neat to hear them. I finished the dive course and made it back safely to go to church on Sunday, much to the surprise of my students.</div><div></div><br /><div>Two weeks later I get a call from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Arisa</span>, the dive instructor on the island, saying hey if you want to go out and swim with whales this week we can go Monday or Tuesday. Um...yes, please. There are only three places in the world where it's still legal to swim with Humpback whales, and Tonga is one of them. This fact did make me stop and think for a bit about WHY there's only three places in the world left where it's legal to swim with these whales...but it was an opportunity I wasn't going to pass up. We went out Tuesday afternoon- it was a beautiful day and the water was exceptionally calm. Within twenty minutes we had spotted whales breaching in the distance. We caught up to them and realized there were at least seven or eight all swimming together, which is unusual. They were spy-hopping, breaching, and really it looked like they were just playing and having a little whale party. We slipped in the water. At first I was a little apprehensive- they're just so big!- but as soon as I got in the water and saw them underwater I immediately felt at ease. Any <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">trepidation</span> I had was gone; there is just something supremely calming about being in the water with these giants. From the underwater viewpoint we counted at least nine of them. They were moving through at a leisurely pace, and at times it seemed almost as if they were showing off for us. At one point I was pretty close to this whale and I dove down and was swimming eye-to-eye with him for as long as I could hold my breath (we were snorkeling). It sounds cheesy, but looking into the eyes of a humpback whale, you get the feeling they hold all the answers to the world. It was a profoundly moving experience, and probably the coolest thing I've ever done. I know we hit a really good day, because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Arisa</span> was super excited about it and she does this every day. I had in fact been putting off writing this blog because I knew how difficult it would be to do this experience justice with words, and I knew I wasn't nearly talented enough. But there it is.</div><div></div><br /><div>So those have been the highs, now for a few lows...</div><div></div><div></div><div>I currently have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">tonsillitis</span> for the third time since being at site, and am now in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Tongatapu</span> being treated. But getting here was not easy. Yesterday I woke up and my tonsils were a little swollen and painful and I maybe had a little fever, but I went to my teachers meeting, and after that I went hiking with another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">PCV</span> (Ashley), my neighbor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Tevita</span>, a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">couchsurfer</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Arisa</span>, the dive instructor. I almost didn't go, but it was a beautiful day, I hadn't been on this hike in a while, and I love showing new people around the island. Ashley and I were the only ones who had been on this hike before, and it's about an eight-mile loop that would take us to two caves, two lookout points over the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">rain forest</span>, and a giant banyan tree. It was a great day, a great hike in great company even though I wasn't feeling one-hundred percent. When we finished, we were on the opposite side of the island from my house, and I had planned on staying at Ashley's house last night so I didn't have to walk the additional two and a half miles home. Ashley was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">tou'a</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">ing</span> (serving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">kava</span>) that night in another village, so she just left me with her house keys. I took a nice bucket bath and started watching a movie on Ashley's computer. Almost immediately I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">started</span> feeling crummy. I called the PC medical officer who told me to come in to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Tongatapu</span> today to see a doctor. Okay, that was good. But I started feeling worse and worse, I was feverish, I couldn't eat and could barely drink because my throat was so swollen. I decided I needed to go home, especially so I could get my house ready to leave today and get packed up. So I called my neighbor, Lupe, and she sent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Tevita</span> to come get me in her van. Ashley was still gone. Her door to her house is funny in that you cannot open or close it without a key from the inside or the outside. She had left me with the spare key, but when I went to open the door to get out, it didn't work. I slid the key under the door for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Tevita</span> to try it from the outside. Didn't work. Dang. By this time I was feeling REALLY crummy AND tired. After trying the key for ten minutes we concluded that it really just didn't work. At which point I pulled out my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">leatherman</span> from my backpack and dismantled the doorknob. It worked. I was finally free from the house. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Tevita</span> and I reassembled the doorknob...and then were face with the problem of how to close the door. It won't close without a key. And I wasn't going to leave it unlocked. I had been trying to get a hold of Ashley, but predictably was unable to reach her (it's bad form to have your cell on while <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">tou'a</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">ing</span>) and you usually <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">tou'a</span> until one or two in the morning. I just wanted to get home. I was in tears by this point, which I mostly blame on the fever. I ended up calling another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">PCV</span> on the island who has another spare key to her house, running to his house to get it, then coming back and locking up Ashley's house. I felt a wave of relief as I climbed back into the van to head home. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Tevita</span> turned the key. It wouldn't start. The engine was barely turning over. Cue more tears. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Tevita</span> gathered five Tongan boys to push the van until it was going fast enough that somehow it started. Okay, finally on my way home, but...as we passed the wharf I realized, with much despair, that all the flights off the island had been cancelled for today. I would have to take the boat, which leaves around five in the morning. I would have to be at the wharf around 4am. And the last seven boat rides I've taken between '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Eua</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Tongatapu</span> have found me hanging over the railing retching. Cue more tears. I wasn't even sure how I was going to be able to throw up considering my throat was nearly swollen shut. Does it get backed up? Would my head explode? No doubt it would be painful. By the time I made it home it was nearly midnight, I would have to be on the boat in four hours. I wasn't packed. My house was a disaster. I collapsed in my bed, thinking I would wake up early to pack and get my house ready, when I heard a knock at my door. It was my neighbor Lupe. She came in, sat on my bed, and rubbed baby oil on my throat for an hour and a half. Her sixteen-year-old son, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Viliami</span> got out of bed and came and washed my dishes and cleaned up my table. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Tevita</span> stayed up and fixed Lupe's van so that I could get to the wharf in the morning and catch the boat. I tried to tell <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Viliami</span> that he didn't have to wash my dishes, but it was no use. Finally I just relaxed and closed my eyes and let Lupe rub my throat. It felt really really nice.</div><div></div><br /><div>I woke up this morning not feeling any better and not having slept much or well. Luckily, the boat ride in was as smooth as it's ever been when I've been on it, and I was actually able to sleep a little. I did not throw up. The PC medical officer saw me, got me some medicine and went and got me some soup (on her day off). She is also putting in the paperwork to DC (again) to get my tonsils removed. I'm crossing my fingers they approve this time, because being sick here really stinks.</div><div></div><div></div><div>Once again I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from the Tongans surrounding me. They don't have much in terms of material things, but whatever they have they share. Even more than that, however, is how giving they are of themselves and their time. They're never too busy, too tired, or too self-involved to help someone, and that doesn't just go for me, it goes for anyone who needs help with anything, ever.</div><div></div><br /><div>On a different note, class 5/6 took their exams two weeks ago, which means no more night school (And early morning school and Saturday school)! It also means from here on out school winds down pretty quickly. After their exams every day the village had a feast for the kids, and I gave my first impromptu <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">fakamalo</span> (thank-you speech) in front of the whole village. Everyone kinda smiled and nodded, and I thought it went pretty well, then the lady that went after me stood up and explained to everyone what I had been TRYING to say. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Haha</span>, oh well, they seemed to appreciate that I tried. </div><div></div><br /><div>The weather's warming up finally, and the village and island seem to be coming to life again; the youth are more active, people are out of their houses more, and there's just more going on. I decided that I wanted to build a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">fale</span>-Tonga (Tongan hut) and so the past two weeks I have been working on that with the help of my neighbors. It is nearly finished, the only thing left to do is weave all the coconut fronds for the roof and sides. When the new group of trainees goes through attachment, I will have three of them come stay at my house, which is too small for four people, so I will sleep in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">fale</span>. Also when my family comes I will sleep in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">fale</span> because (like I mentioned above) culturally it's not appropriate for me to sleep under the same roof as my brother. Also, now that it's warming up, it'll be a nice place to hang out and read a book as it will be cooler than my house. </div><div></div><br /><div>Speaking of books, I've read a couple really good ones recently: <em>Ishmael</em> and <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Papillion</span></em>. Ishmael I think should be required reading for human beings; it makes you look at things from an entirely different perspective. It's a little abstract, and I had to read it slowly to process it, but it was well worth it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Papillion</span>, on the other hand, is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">terrific</span> story <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">terrifically</span> told. It's a true story of a guy who unjustly got sentenced to life in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">prison</span> and how he finally escaped after many failed attempts. I highly recommend both books if anyone is looking for something to read next.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-14058846603983953322009-10-01T18:02:00.000-07:002009-10-01T21:58:39.322-07:00Tsunamis, swim lessons, and scuba certifications (how's that for some alliteration?)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBTxNlx_PcfvJ__4-2FueyDMsCqhjn9I077zmqKk3yZTxQqXiMcPy8xgylHGHHXsbsvg4E06p2QlvKxVRiJKAwkOzWK1gMS8CLzVYJUFAw9jjJA3bbQ83EUC-PWLe-5xNpW_XDiozM9Pd/s1600-h/P9270472.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBTxNlx_PcfvJ__4-2FueyDMsCqhjn9I077zmqKk3yZTxQqXiMcPy8xgylHGHHXsbsvg4E06p2QlvKxVRiJKAwkOzWK1gMS8CLzVYJUFAw9jjJA3bbQ83EUC-PWLe-5xNpW_XDiozM9Pd/s320/P9270472.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387861714141969778" border="0" />Tevita juggling</a><br />Class 5/6 one night after poako<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORTZI_GWwYqMWKtQ944VMGmGnBNdT8rn8HMaNc_ti6QuH97_lAK4UVMpgQXltvGhPrN-rPVhY-ljxroWWvOuHKGNdlIs_XlDoc5cjavNdo4Lk1ZP1hlxpvjHCm9gNmftQUptGOW0YXaeK/s1600-h/P9300489.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORTZI_GWwYqMWKtQ944VMGmGnBNdT8rn8HMaNc_ti6QuH97_lAK4UVMpgQXltvGhPrN-rPVhY-ljxroWWvOuHKGNdlIs_XlDoc5cjavNdo4Lk1ZP1hlxpvjHCm9gNmftQUptGOW0YXaeK/s320/P9300489.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387861702222958578" border="0" /></a>I was cleaning my house and found a molokau, which Tevita captured, then proceeded to de-fang and play with (must be a guy thing?)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-3Zc46YlTGHb_8-aM0g0e8FzzMSTC2A6MyErPR5dotDU5RGD3El06LuYomBm6WjcFP4aDBvKVBLdUaIw80ZA7HY4IhyMaeenq8fyp9qdXuDjsuqrN7DYxK3l3DL3LYjSlfQXO3o-dxmV/s1600-h/P9270477.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-3Zc46YlTGHb_8-aM0g0e8FzzMSTC2A6MyErPR5dotDU5RGD3El06LuYomBm6WjcFP4aDBvKVBLdUaIw80ZA7HY4IhyMaeenq8fyp9qdXuDjsuqrN7DYxK3l3DL3LYjSlfQXO3o-dxmV/s320/P9270477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387861693756134482" border="0" /></a>I was cleaning my house and got distracted and decided to practice juggling...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPgU5ER45RjnxwEWuC4qX21pTemSu6yAsfvhSOq3qu8gdD-ORBxp9Iz9qyj-nhilI7Lh2PB5OtpDgY8Mx0D9WklLpsvfqAIzfS-Uwms69faSseqg4S0VkLc9R-6wBNXkas5eUV4YQbqs_/s1600-h/P9270469.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPgU5ER45RjnxwEWuC4qX21pTemSu6yAsfvhSOq3qu8gdD-ORBxp9Iz9qyj-nhilI7Lh2PB5OtpDgY8Mx0D9WklLpsvfqAIzfS-Uwms69faSseqg4S0VkLc9R-6wBNXkas5eUV4YQbqs_/s320/P9270469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387861686388578978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I've received a lot of e-mails, facebook posts, and even a few phone calls inquiring as to my safety after the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. I want to let everyone know that I am all right, my island was basically unaffected by the tsunami. Also I live on the highest coral island in the South Pacific, so I feel pretty safe here in terms of tsunamis.<br /><br /> I spent the last week in Tongatapu (a main island) for a week of training on how the incoming group of Peace Corps Trainees should be trained. A few days before I got there I was contacted with an opportunity to teach swim lessons while there to women who don't know how to swim. Many Tongans, despite their inevitable proximity to the ocean, have never learned to swim. This was an issue that was thrust into national attention after the Princess Ashika boat tragedy in which every woman aboard perished. Last I heard it was illegal to talk about in public- so enough of that, eh? Okay, one more thing, it has been interesting to note the different approaches that the governement has taken in dealing with the Princess Ashika tragedy and the recent tsunami which killed 9 people in Niua Toputapu. They seem a lot more sympathetic and proactive towards the tsunami situation, whereas with the boat sinking they seemed to spend more time and effort denying any responsibility or even trying to avoid the subject all together. Okay, that's it, really.<br /><br /> When I got into Tongatapu on Friday, I met with a representative from the Red Cross to solidify the plans for lessons the next week. As it turns out, not many plans had been made. We didn't have a place to do the lessons, and when I asked what her goals for the lessons were, she explained to me that she wanted to teach the women life-saving techniques, and how they can help other people who are in trouble in the water. "Huh. It was my understanding that these women don't know how to swim...?" I asked. "Oh, no, they don't." She replied, matter-of-factly. "Um...do you think that might be our first step...?" I suggested. She thought about it, then agreed that we probably ought to teach these women to swim before we teach them to save others in the water. With that cleared up we set about figuring out where we were going to hold these swim lessons. There is one swimming pool in Tonga that we had contacted, but they wanted to charge us $50 a day to use it. We decided on trying the Navy base, even though it is a deep wharf, but it is protected and close by. Well, come Monday morning we still hadn't confirmed that we would be able to swim at the navy base, but at about 10:30 it came through that they would allow us use of the wharf area. That was a relief, but I still wasn't sure anyone was going to show up.<br /><br /> As it turns out, we had plenty of people show up- they were all fifteen minutes late (which was difficult because I was trying to fit the lessons in during the lunch break of our training sessions), but we had 14 women show up. I introduced myself, and talked a little about what we wanted to accomplish that week. The women all seemed on board...until it was time to get in the water. Apparantly they hadn't been expecting to have to get in the water, and that was a deal-breaker for some. As it turns out, the lady from the Red Cross had made all the Red Cross workers come, and most really didn't want to be there. As it was, we got nine in the water that first day, and we actually ahd a really good first lesson. I was optimistic about the week. Tuesday rolls around and at the lunch break I rush to the Navy base...and no one showed up. Not one person! We called the Red Cross, and they said since it had rained at 9am that morning they couldn't make it. Another lady had a stomachache. Wednesday I had three: Lavinia (a Peace Corps program manager) a doctor from an outer island and her daughter. Lavinia and the doctor didn't know how to swim at all, they started out in their life jackets, while the daughter (she was about my age) was already a pretty proficient swimmer. By the end of Wednesday, the doctor had a breakthrough and swam across the entire wharf without her life jacket. She was pretty athletic and once she had the confidence she took off. By Friday, Lavinia was also swimming without her life jacket and able to float and tread water. So it turned out t be successful, at least for those two, and we had a good time with it. I think it's a really important skill to have, especially in Tonga, and hopefully I can do it again and plan a little better next time.<br /><br /> A scuba dive business just came out to 'Eua, and they run scuba dive certification course, so a few of the other PCV's and I decided that this would be a great opportunity to get scuba certified. Our certification course starts on Saturday, and we're all pretty excited about it. We received our books last week and were instructed to read them and answer the questions at the end of the chapter. One night I was sitting on my steps reading my manual when my class 5/6 kids came for night school. They saw a new book in my hands and their eyes lit up. I let them look at it and explained that I would be diving on Saturday. When they heard this a few of them started frowning, then one boy blurted out, "But you're going to die!" The rest quickly agreed, that yes, I would defnitely die if I tried to do that. One boy suggested I would be eaten by a whale. (I've been seeing whales on a daily basis the past month) They went as far as to tell me not to go. I assured them that I was NOT going to die, and that I had already paid for the course and was definitely going. They looked at each other, then one boy turned to me and said, "Well, can I have Tahi (my dog)?" They proceeded to argue amongst themselves about who would get what when I died as I sat there staring, mouth agape. Finally I said, "I AM NOT GOING TO DIE! Time to start class, let's go."<br /><br /> After night school that night my neighbor Elizabeth came over to get help with her homework and saw my dive manual sitting on the table. As she flipped through it I told her I was going to do that this weekend. She looked at me, then back at the book, then up at me and said, "But you're going to die!" "I AM NOT GOING TO DIE!!!" I replied, as calmly as possible, which was not very. She was quiet for a while, then said, "Well, when your family comes in December I'll make sure to take them to the place where you died so they can see where you died." I assured her again that I really, really wasn't going to die. She remained unconvinced. So, if I DO die this weekend while scuba diving all these kids are going to look pretty prophetic, eh?<br /><br />I have a little problem that I don't know if anyone can help me with. It's about my dog. The neighbor's dog had puppies, and several times now I have seen Tahi drinking this other dog's milk. Is that normal? Should I try to stop this, or just let nature run it's course? In my defense, I am feeding Tahi plenty, he's probably the fattest dog on the island (not saying much).<br /><br /> As far as day-to-day things, school is almost finished, the class six exam is next week. School doesn't ACTUALLY let out until December, but after the class 6 exam, things wind down pretty quickly. By that I mean, the kids come to school and play cards all day. After the class 6 exam there will be no more poako (night school), so I'm kinda looking forward to that. It's warming up here, which I'm really excited about, but that also means probably a return of the rats in force. There've only been one or two a night lately :) The new training group arrives in less than a week, and I will be heading to Ha'apai to help with their technical training. I'm pretty excited about that, Ha'apai is pretty much a perfect opposite of 'Eua. Whereas 'Eua is covered by rainforest and perfect for hiking and exploring, Ha'apai is the place to go for pristine beaches and snorkeling. I'm hoping to get out scuba diving while I'm there (If I don't die first). So a few things to look forward to :)Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-50848666860370283022009-09-14T17:21:00.000-07:002009-09-16T03:32:23.392-07:00Live Music and SoccerLia getting down with the girls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tBWdZ2URMXyeECUg60FaXIe_arPWykwHpMyr1BJDUeFGutMMW9wLiWXZ8FRiiJRwYzQN_YvHFvBaM_BoH-DZ8orW2vJhyxHGRz6SEEpnF4n2R_w6rySKjtat44GOH33KDdh9dX_PFLFr/s1600-h/P9090439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381997161244597218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tBWdZ2URMXyeECUg60FaXIe_arPWykwHpMyr1BJDUeFGutMMW9wLiWXZ8FRiiJRwYzQN_YvHFvBaM_BoH-DZ8orW2vJhyxHGRz6SEEpnF4n2R_w6rySKjtat44GOH33KDdh9dX_PFLFr/s320/P9090439.JPG" border="0" /></a> Dinner is served<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7h1oYVBlyFM2dCdbbxjk8R1W4tblknmrzdWNK6-8SLUcc9uQcVPHD2MRabUDbVBadDW7L5D_dvoD_cSAdT8F4A3_sXinNMORSauwTwLgtU40jN4tdJyW5zrcG0yz042OgpN326MXVIGI/s1600-h/P9090462.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381997155256128162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7h1oYVBlyFM2dCdbbxjk8R1W4tblknmrzdWNK6-8SLUcc9uQcVPHD2MRabUDbVBadDW7L5D_dvoD_cSAdT8F4A3_sXinNMORSauwTwLgtU40jN4tdJyW5zrcG0yz042OgpN326MXVIGI/s320/P9090462.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lopeti</span> and Heather are still feeling each other out<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pA9lT1XCjwwSZP_rpxd8TBlpeX6b6gtnYKD4dS9_tcLjEu6osATsSoVNDy3CAVlM-n6TSyhdj1WaAQbAfyuDRdj_N3nelC0CEl7mZ49t3ToGF2BD7ejLC1WalZKJPYyndbaFcew-dpPJ/s1600-h/P9090451.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381997146425694674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pA9lT1XCjwwSZP_rpxd8TBlpeX6b6gtnYKD4dS9_tcLjEu6osATsSoVNDy3CAVlM-n6TSyhdj1WaAQbAfyuDRdj_N3nelC0CEl7mZ49t3ToGF2BD7ejLC1WalZKJPYyndbaFcew-dpPJ/s320/P9090451.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Pita and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Arisa</span> dancing<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJFtHvQncuKtEPGenmZvH1JvXPmw_tA9WjKePzOUPns2PJhNmUqvFP1mu2jn_O9hPxnAq858qnJsuB5FbwKPABzdHwx414eagljqEIQKSVLJtBG6nrWpdmaJIlabJ89BMq2xM76Mn2P7r/s1600-h/P9090443.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381997138341304098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJFtHvQncuKtEPGenmZvH1JvXPmw_tA9WjKePzOUPns2PJhNmUqvFP1mu2jn_O9hPxnAq858qnJsuB5FbwKPABzdHwx414eagljqEIQKSVLJtBG6nrWpdmaJIlabJ89BMq2xM76Mn2P7r/s320/P9090443.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ashley getting down at the dance party<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh8l43uDhlXPN-OjdM-OK2YhkuYfUjg5l56SIHGhJSZBDo7eaBMgwZUjWJ2f8QYS9aqNgVzWw5Xwft77dvjtAF_Bj5k4QXaFdpiifdPCYM-EScJqc74Vxpog7IOPlKpF7HhPJ23UHj8Sr/s1600-h/P9090460.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381995090866388786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh8l43uDhlXPN-OjdM-OK2YhkuYfUjg5l56SIHGhJSZBDo7eaBMgwZUjWJ2f8QYS9aqNgVzWw5Xwft77dvjtAF_Bj5k4QXaFdpiifdPCYM-EScJqc74Vxpog7IOPlKpF7HhPJ23UHj8Sr/s320/P9090460.JPG" border="0" /></a> Pita taking it away on the drums<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA81P3arZsFxNvh3Xc819Otmq6jCnR071oj5GycUt5jJ0CPlULEfmHGl21fTGx0YHAQTI4T1u0AEUCoMdxDFVoq6l3LWUsSX2EmwxItswe8ncJLlrQxV9_pWgWLRT00XH6iU0Gk2QFpwfx/s1600-h/P9090454.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381995079401813378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA81P3arZsFxNvh3Xc819Otmq6jCnR071oj5GycUt5jJ0CPlULEfmHGl21fTGx0YHAQTI4T1u0AEUCoMdxDFVoq6l3LWUsSX2EmwxItswe8ncJLlrQxV9_pWgWLRT00XH6iU0Gk2QFpwfx/s320/P9090454.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQBtYEelDZG2v5JdNmA3zJzYFvYoawjuT7EHPs7s-oY-DIXWw04nyaATlp4HTIG1mCHZ84kDYOlvtR79S94XhaVacHu0_Sa564JRldGyqiluE2whq_RbrHDlwMVZRHuLZpXez69peu4cu/s1600-h/P9090442.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381995070749554354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQBtYEelDZG2v5JdNmA3zJzYFvYoawjuT7EHPs7s-oY-DIXWw04nyaATlp4HTIG1mCHZ84kDYOlvtR79S94XhaVacHu0_Sa564JRldGyqiluE2whq_RbrHDlwMVZRHuLZpXez69peu4cu/s320/P9090442.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoUWJ7DxdPIsdi2KL1KpOZuo1ReeliQQ9luAGFoBZEx0i57uMv445Zq2itXIglbVo7Nx7gHV8bZX4Bo5dTgbch_83ssugfLwe7KUGGYRDkhDErdnGT0yJ6rJgvGKaIkLvJJy8MWCimN5B/s1600-h/P9090415.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381995064279664146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoUWJ7DxdPIsdi2KL1KpOZuo1ReeliQQ9luAGFoBZEx0i57uMv445Zq2itXIglbVo7Nx7gHV8bZX4Bo5dTgbch_83ssugfLwe7KUGGYRDkhDErdnGT0yJ6rJgvGKaIkLvJJy8MWCimN5B/s320/P9090415.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Jordi</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lopeti</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Siale</span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqcT1ha6Y7z7MuY5AGa19V40BwJoVqBQHdauUsFVnuhCaEcTobvfHxOqeMqHP_egUuSjGdC_IKb0Fc0HXdQmWdlhTFbOHG883mGb32j32SgBHuGjw96Fg_SlTMtwzJ4rNvmCD6ndiQwX/s1600-h/P9090412.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381995051714803154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqcT1ha6Y7z7MuY5AGa19V40BwJoVqBQHdauUsFVnuhCaEcTobvfHxOqeMqHP_egUuSjGdC_IKb0Fc0HXdQmWdlhTFbOHG883mGb32j32SgBHuGjw96Fg_SlTMtwzJ4rNvmCD6ndiQwX/s320/P9090412.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I'm skipping the "It's Tonga Moments" segment for this installment due to lack of good material. Sorry.<br /><br />In other news, another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">couchsurfer</span> came to '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eua</span> last week. His name is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Jordi</span>, he came from Spain and had been living in New Zealand for a year. I met him at the wharf and was (pleasantly) surprised to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">receive</span> the greeting of a kiss on each cheek. Of course the wharf is a bustle of activity when a boat comes in, so everyone there saw and reported the "scandal" to their respective villages. I still get asked about my "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">moa</span>" (boyfriend) walking down the road. There are three ways to respond to this, you can say, "What? I don't have any chickens" As the word for chicken is also "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">moa</span>." Or you can say, "Which one?" which never gets old. The third option is to lie, deny, and counter-accuse. Someone told me this strategy during training, and I think it should be included in the formal training curriculum. Your relationship status here is always a hot topic of discussion, and usually comes up within five minutes of meeting someone new. They need to know if you have a Tongan boyfriend, want a Tongan boyfriend and if you will get married here in Tonga. After all, (according to Tongans) I'm getting pretty old not to be married yet. So when I am seen talking to (or REALLY risque- WALKING with!) someone of the opposite sex, I get <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">harassed</span> about it for weeks. I get asked how my boyfriend is by people I don't even know. Last week I went on an early morning jog with one of my neighbors and we came back into the village right as the morning church service let out. That was a pretty awful walk of shame. The only thing worse would have been if it had been on Sunday, because then it would have been illegal too! My neighbor didn't seem to think it was a problem, and it is clear that that universal double standard exists here in Tonga too, where because he's a guy he'll get props from all the other guys about going on an early morning jog with me, whereas I will be seen as the village hussy. Part of me thinks it's crazy to be embarrassed about something as innocent as jogging with a friend, but I know how the people in my village see it and how they will report it to others. It's kind of a bummer about living here.</div><br /><div>Back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Jordi</span>. He seemed like a really neat guy and joined us for our weekly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">palangi</span> tea meeting. He didn't seem too into hiking, which is about all there is to do on '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Eua</span>, so I invited him and everyone else over to my house the following evening for dinner and soccer with my students. I've been playing soccer with class 5/6 in the afternoons before night school, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Jordi</span> had mentioned that he's a soccer player so I thought it would be fun for him to get to hang out with Tongans and I knew my kids would be thrilled. The next afternoon I made a huge batch of tortillas, Ashley brought over some beans and fresh veggies, and we made chicken burritos. Heather brought homemade salsa, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Arisa</span> (a Japanese dive instructor living on the island) brought some homemade sushi, and Lia brought ice cream. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Jordi</span> and I got a big game of soccer going with the kids which was a lot of fun. When I play with them I usually don't enforce rules, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Jordi</span> tried hard to teach them all the rules and how spreading out would be more effective than everyone chasing the ball. After a while I think he realized that his attempts were futile.<br /><br />After soccer he spotted my guitar in my house and asked if he could play a little. I gladly let him have a play on the guitar, which before long turned into a big outdoor concert, complete with barefoot dancing and some of my boys breaking the sticks that make my fence to use as drumsticks. My fence suffered, but it was well worth it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Jordi</span> is an extremely talented musician, singing songs in both English and Spanish. The kids were ecstatic, and they are still talking about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jordi</span>, asking when he will return and where Spain is. It was one of the more fun nights we've had here in '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Eua</span>.<br /><br />There's a boy in class 5, his name is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Sunia</span>, and I adore him. He is the smallest kid in the class, and just a genuinely sweet kid. I've talked quite a bit before about the teachers hitting the kids in class, but one thing I may not have mentioned is that the kids also hit <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">each other</span> a LOT, and this is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">perfectly</span> acceptable during class, playtime, and whenever. It seems like after kids reach the point where they're kids and not babies anymore, they're pretty much raised by the older kids in the village and their siblings. These older kids discipline the younger ones by hitting them, because that's exactly how they were raised. When a kid is not paying attention in class, the teacher tends to ignore it to a certain extent and the kid will get smacked upside the head by another kid for not paying attention. One interesting thing is that this never escalates into a fight, and the kids don't get mad or hurt very often from being hit by one of their classmates. Anyway, the point is the kids hit each other quite a lot here, and I don't like it much. I tell them that when I am teaching their class, I don't want them to hit each other. Unfortunately it is pretty much instinctual by now for them to hit each other, so they slip up quite often. When they do, I ask them to apologize to their friend which they always do. Well, one day I was playing soccer with the kids before night school, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Sunia</span> jumps over my fence. As he's doing this his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">tupenu</span> (man skirt) flies open briefly. No one saw anything, but another student, Pita begins to give him a hard time about it. pita is the biggest kid in the class, and I wouldn't call him a bully, but he does have a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">tendency</span> to give other kids a hard time sometimes. Pita continues on teasing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Sunia</span>, and I watch as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Sunia</span> walks over to Pita, gives me an apologetic glance, then says, "Sorry, Pita." And just DECKS him. I tried hard not to laugh, Pita had it coming, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Sunia</span> didn't hurt him. When I composed myself, I thanked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Sunia</span> for apologizing to Pita, but told him that usually apologies come AFTER you do something wrong and not before, and that maybe you're not REALLY sorry if you apologize then decide to do it anyway.<br /><br />One of the things I've noticed here as my grip on the Tongan language <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">has</span> gotten better is that sometimes it is difficult to express yourself in Tongan due to a lack of adjectives that can describe how you feel. I was listening to the radio with a my neighbor yesterday, and we couldn't find a station that was playing music, they were all just talking. I go, "Well, that's annoying." Then I try to think of what <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">annoying</span> is in Tongan, and my neighbor doesn't know, so I look it up in my dictionary. It's not there, so I look up irritate, which is in the dictionary, but the Tongan word for "irritate" is the same as the Tongan word for "mad." Huh, I tell my neighbor, well, no, I'm not mad exactly....that's not the right word for it. He tells me then I am either <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">lotomamahi</span> (sad) or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">faka'ita</span> (like mad). Well, no, not exactly, I tell him.<br /><br />This situation got me to thinking about how many ways there are to express discontent in English. You can be mad, but you can also be irritated, upset, annoyed, bothered, perturbed, and countless other adjectives that all mean something a bit different. In Tongan you are mad, sad, or like-mad. Another distinction that is seen as fairly important in English is the difference between "want" and "need." They mean two very different things to us, but in Tongan, the same word covers both- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">fiema'u</span>. this can be really frustrating when you're trying to tell someone you NEED something, but you know it can be interpreted as you want that thing, or, the more likely scenario, you're trying to tell someone that you want to do something that is not a pressing need, but it will be attended to as a pressing need for you.<br /><br />This lingual difference again got me thinking about what that says about our respective different cultures. In English, it is important for us to tell others how we feel in a very specific manner, but here in Tonga, personal feelings don't hold much value. Especially if that feeling is anger. The Tongan way of dealing with anger towards <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">someone</span> else is to do it very indirectly. Take the generic scenario of living with a roommate who is a sloppy. In America, we would tell that roommate, "Hey, slob, pick up after yourself." Well, in Tonga, that situation would be handled very differently. The offended party would tell the other roommates, the neighbors, the landlord, and the household pet about her irritation with the expectation that it would get back to the offending party, and it would, because talking and gossipping is a big part of the culture here (Gossipping tends to have a bad connotation to most westerners, but it is not seen as a bad thing here at all). Once the offending part heard that the roommate was upset with the mess, she would clean up, and not a word about it would ever be exchanged between the person that was upset and the sloppy roommate. Another thing I noticed right when I got to Tonga that Tongans start most of their sentences with "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Mahalo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">pe</span>," which means maybe. They usually use this when they are stating a personal opinion, which leaves room for everyone else in the discussion to respectfully disagree without causing confrontation. They also always pose suggestions as maybes, as in, "Maybe it's too sunny for you to walk to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Mata'aho</span> today."</div><div><br />This culture of indirectness can be frustrating at first, like when you hear through other people that the neighbor is upset with you because your dog has been chasing her pigs (purely hypothetical...i wish). Or like the time when I went to school thinking it had started an hour late and asked the principal why school had started late which was answered with a sincere and profuse apology from the principal, only to find out later that school had in fact started right on time, it was I who was an hour off.<br /><br />So why all the indirectness and avoidance of confrontation? Well, Tonga is a really small country (~100,000 people) and most people live in small villages where all their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">neighbors</span> are their relatives and lots of people live in each household. They can't afford to argue because it could tear a family, or even an entire village apart. The culture here is far more people-centered, and a high value is placed on interpersonal relationships, and Tongans take really good care of their relationships. So, while it can be frustrating, and sometimes seem unusual, there is a sort of virtue in being indirect, gossiping, beating around the bush and sometimes even lying. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx8Q4cs18RKnWPeNoA2W2abnxK7H4RCQghmmVfcBwf1VF6pM1gqUiCufTeS1UaPWucBvx65S0rS5oA7yaOppg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-84955906885851426652009-08-30T19:20:00.000-07:002009-09-07T17:11:56.865-07:00Tetris!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jeb8TdMlXVCBAJn49rGBmcn-0EpUi1nx_Q7EcNp1Q05DAUWWbVVu0-GLUhwQHorp7KxSkPIwpLVrg_EQ6kUy1SFZZ_DmwPmN2b0pUWjNENMUPqF66kv8KBhb3FBnZP7DTz1nQr0qCMZm/s1600-h/P8270341.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jeb8TdMlXVCBAJn49rGBmcn-0EpUi1nx_Q7EcNp1Q05DAUWWbVVu0-GLUhwQHorp7KxSkPIwpLVrg_EQ6kUy1SFZZ_DmwPmN2b0pUWjNENMUPqF66kv8KBhb3FBnZP7DTz1nQr0qCMZm/s320/P8270341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377046804276411970" border="0" />Windy day</a><br />Climbing on the cliffs<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxXJV4R20bdebVoRsakqiJZl2KMjcrze0o5hANzSzHEDYyChuav1yZA5vr6oHknpVOrDEGK-Q9OixYx7pqG2HlncLyGw4PtqjJ769GhGohayGkrKPN23yhyiWcnt18QXllFhvv0FqtMM6/s1600-h/P8270347.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxXJV4R20bdebVoRsakqiJZl2KMjcrze0o5hANzSzHEDYyChuav1yZA5vr6oHknpVOrDEGK-Q9OixYx7pqG2HlncLyGw4PtqjJ769GhGohayGkrKPN23yhyiWcnt18QXllFhvv0FqtMM6/s320/P8270347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377046794214935650" border="0" /></a>The wind was in my eyes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-hJZTI8jhxrV-qdALlUXrsicP-P4TOOCB68rkVJS_oNyLDVh9vqCgEIv6pXuCyyHmrwVDLvfW3FKJvXHC23DROZqiGFKhV9IITs0pClYUNsjYeSwtgP5rhUaaQBl6U_bWJLwnC6HEj63/s1600-h/P8270340.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-hJZTI8jhxrV-qdALlUXrsicP-P4TOOCB68rkVJS_oNyLDVh9vqCgEIv6pXuCyyHmrwVDLvfW3FKJvXHC23DROZqiGFKhV9IITs0pClYUNsjYeSwtgP5rhUaaQBl6U_bWJLwnC6HEj63/s320/P8270340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377046788454742930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's Tonga Moments:<br /><br />- I was teaching night school, in the middle of a good class, when all the sudden there was a commotion outside. The kids jumped up to look out the window, said something in Tongan I didn't quite catch, then every last one of them took off out the door, leaving me standing at the chalkboard mid-sentence. "Well," I thought "THAT'S never happened before." I follow the kids outside, and find them all chasing after a cow which had wandered into the schoolyard. After a ten-minute intense cow-hunt, the cow was back across the street where she belonged, and the kids came back to the classroom and resumed their work.<br /><br />- I've been working on a story writing unit with my class 5/6, and last week I was reading them beginnings of stories and having them write their own endings. The stories I got said a lot about Tongan culture:<br /> - One story was about Duke, a dog who got in trouble for digging up the neighbors garden and the town. I had three kids write that at the end of the story Duke was killed, cooked in an umu (underground oven) and eaten.<br /> -Another story was about Froggy, whose mother was trying to teach him how to swim. Two kids wrote that Froggy just couldn't figure out how to swim, so his Mom took him home and beat him.<br /><br />-Whenever I cook I tend to have leftovers because it's tough to cook for one person, and occasionally I will give my leftovers to the Class 5/6 kids who have come early to poako (night school). Usually they really enjoy whatever I give them (french toast, pasta, curry, etc.). Well, this night there had been tofu at one of the chinese falekaloas (shops) which is rare, so I bought some and made a stir fry with some veggies, eggplant, and seasoning I got from ramen noodle packets. It was pretty tasty. I took the leftovers out to the kids and they dug in eagerly. Then they got these strange looks on their faces. I asked if they liked it. "Yes, yes, delicious- here you go we don't want anymore, we're very full." Haha, they have NEVER handed my back a plate with food still on it. So tofu is a no-go here. Oh well.<br /><br />Like I mentioned above, I have been working on story-writing with class 5/6. This has been difficult for everyone involved, because creativity is not something that is practiced or even really accepted in Tongan schools. Unfortunately story-writing is a big part of their exam at the end of the year. The first story they turned into me was a story they wrote about a picture I had cut out of a magazine. Each student had a different picture to write about. We had been working on story writing together for about a week at this point. I have nine students in this class now, and I got nine papers that started "It's was a beautiful day and it blew from the West." I looked at the papers and scratched my head, then asked them who had told them all to write that. Well, their teacher had of course. After reading through the stories I realized they all ended the exact same way as well: "That day he learned an important lesson." Doesn't matter if the story was about a girl, or that she really didn't learn anything at all, every story ended that way. It was especially frustrating because I couldn't exactly tell them NOT to do that without undermining their teacher.<br /><br />One of my main frustrations with education here in Tonga is that the kids aren't EVER expected to think for themselves, to be creative, to find a solution to a problem. All "learning" here is rote memorization, chanting in unison, and copying off a blackboard. When I ask them to come up with a unique answer they STARE at me as if I'm from another planet. All their lives they have been given the answers and expected to copy them into their notebooks and memorize them, and believe me, they are REALLY good at memorizing. When it comes to writing a story from their imagination, they are lost. It's like pulling teeth. They are sure there is a right and a wrong answer, and sure that they have the wrong answer. It doesn't help that they are used to teachers hitting them if they get the wrong answer. It makes me want to pull my hair out, but we're working on it, although this unit is taking far longer than I had planned.<br /><br />I feel like I've actually been making a lot of progress with the kids, especially in class 3/4. Unfortunately the class 3/4 teacher hasn't been helping much. When you ask any kid in tonga how they are doing, they will invariably switch on their robot voice and say, "I am fine thank you how are you." It drives me crazy, so one of the first things I did with my students was to teach them different words to describe how they are doing. Now every morning we sit in a circle and I ask the students how they are, and I hear 19 different responses, it's great. At first they just stared at me. Well, last week the class 3/4 teacher came in and decided to join our discussion circle and proceeded to ridicule the kids if they said something wrong. You could see them regressing back into wanting to say "I am fine thank you how are you." It was frustrating. Later that week I did an art project with them and she went around taking kids projects and saying, "Ugly, ugly, REALLY ugly." I just wanted to send her far faraway.<br /><br />In other news, I met up with a couple of couch surfers ( an online organization connecting travelers worldwide) last week and we went for a hike to Fangatave beach. One of my neighbors, Tevita came along because he wanted to go fishing. We were lucky for a beautiful day, and when we got to the beach, Tevita and I went out in the ocean and had a kai tahi, which basically means you go out and pick up anything alive out of the sea and eat it all raw. Mostly shellfish. The couchsurfers were pretty good about trying everything, and most people find if they just TRY it, they usually like it. Once you get past the texture most of it is pretty good and considered a delicacy here. Fangatave is a beach that not many Tongans get out to, so everything is plentiful and ripe for the picking. While we were out picking stuff off rocks, the whales swam by. We heard them at first, their spouts, then we saw them. They were playing maybe 200 yards off the coast, and we stood there and watched them for ten or fifteen minutes before they moved on. That was pretty neat. We were hoping to see them from the cliffs above the beach, but we had no such luck.<br /><br />I also went to the cliffs on the Southern end of the island last week, which was a place I hadn't yet been. One of the PCV's had a birthday last week, and she decided she wanted to go to Lakufa'anga for her birthday, so after school Friday we all got together and headed down there. It was beautiful, there were wild horses on the cliffs and we were able to climb down a little and do some exploring as well which was fun.<br /><br />So last week I broke down and bought a new cell phone from the bookshop on the island. "Did my cell phone break?" you ask? Well, no. Truth be told...I bought it for the games. It has Tetris! I know, it sounds silly, but really, since buying it my quality of life has improved, and that's what's important. I chose not to bring a computer, personal DVD player, or really much at all for that matter with me to Tonga. My iPod speakers just broke, my shortwave radio is busted, and I was finding myself sitting around after night school, just waiting for 9 o'clock to roll around so I could go to bed. The dishes were done, I had pretty much planned for school through the end of the school year, I've read all my books a few times over. I filled an entire journal. So I bought this cell phone, it cost me $30, and I think it will be well worth the investment.<br /><br />The library project has been stalled for the past month or so, the grant we are applying for was put on hold because money hadn't been allocated to the fund yet, but I just got news today that the money came through and they are accepting applications! Our application has been completed, but not without a little frustration of course. I am working with the class 5/6 teacher on this library project, and he had agreed to get letters of support from the town officer, the head of the PTA, and a few other key people. A few days later he came to me with all of the completed letters. I was very impressed with the speediness with which he was able to get the letters. I read the first one. It was great! It had everything in it we needed to say and it was even in English so we didn't have to translate. I looked at the second one. Wait a second...it was the same letter, word for word, but signed by a different person. As were the rest of the letters. "Tu'amelie, " I said "who wrote this letter?" He said that he had written the letter and just gone around and gotten signatures. "Um...I can't send these in." I told him. He didn't understand. I tried to explain that the letters of support should actually be written by the town officer, the ministry of education, the principal, and the PTA. I told him our application would be far stronger that way, and that it was all right to help them with the letter, but not to send in the same letter from all these different people. He didn't understand, he thought I was being too particular (which I certainly can be sometimes), but he finally agreed to get seperate letters from everyone. A few weeks later I got all the letters, and they were all at least different. I found out later that the letter from the ministry of education was actually written by a teacher at another school who likes to try to practice her English, but I let it go. The application will be sent off tomorrow, and we're hoping to hear back within the next month or so about whether we will get funding or not.<br /><br />I had a great night last week. Well, by Tonga standards anyway. I woke up (fully clothed, knew where I was)...and found that I had caught TWO rats in one night in my kitchen. Doesn't get much better than that (here). I did a rat dance.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-71930682848493685192009-08-10T17:00:00.000-07:002009-08-10T19:40:58.093-07:00Tragedy in TongaAs many of you have already heard, a ferry traveling to Vava'u capsized and sank last week. Last I heard, 96 people are still missing, assumed dead. There were no Peace Corps Volunteers on the boat, nor was there anyone I knew personally, however Tongans have so many relatives and are so interconnected that everone seems to have known or been related to someone on the boat. It's very tragic, but somehow I feel like no one is very surprised by it. I have heard many things, including that this is not the first, or even the second boat to go down in that area. It was reported that the boat was not deemed seaworthy by safety officials, but put into use anyway. It was also reported that the King left for a vacation the day after it happened and has not yet released a statement about it. I know that Tongans are very upset with the King and the government and the way this is being handled and the fact that it happened in the first place. It is illegal to speak or print publicly anything criticizing the King or the government, and it is something that is just never done, but since this has happened, I have heard a lot of negative things coming from Tongans which is interesting. Anyway, just a little insight as to how Tongans are handling the situation here. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.<br /><br />"It's Tonga" Moments:<br /><br />- I wanted to buy milk from the agricultural farm/college across from my village, but I can never seem to catch the milk truck as it goes out in the morning. My theory is that this is because it never goes out at the same time every morning. In pre-service training we are taught to vary our routines every so often so as to be "unpredictable", and someone must also have told this to the guys at the agricultural college because they follow this advice strictly, much to my frustration. Or they just go out whenever they wake up. But my guess is the former. I digress. So I can never catch the milk truck as it goes out, so I gave my class 5/6 students a few bucks and my pot for the milk and asked THEM to try and catch the milk truck as it went out. (Tongans just seem to instinctively know these things- when the milk truck will go out, when church will start, when the boat will leave/come in-whereas I have been programmed to assume that they happen on a schedule, which I think is my downfall, I have to let go of that idea, get past that mental block.) Anyway, sure enough, my kids show up on my doorstep the next morning with a pot full of milk.<br />"So when did the truck go out this morning?" I ask the kids.<br />"It didn't, Sameu didn't wake up this morning to deliver the milk, so we just went and milked a cow." One boy said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.<br />"Really? Huh. Thanks. Now come wash your hands."<br /><br />-I went to Tongatapu last week to see a doctor because I've been a little sick lately (fine now) and told my students that I would miss Friday because I would be in Tongatapu. Thursday evening, the entire class (8 students) showed up on my doorstep, telling me that they had decided to come have a prayer for me since I was going to Tongatapu. It was very sweet, they sang a hymn and had a group prayer for me.<br /><br />-After the prayer they hung around and looked at my magazines that I had recently recieved in the mail. There were a few mountain bike magazines, an Alaska magazine, and a People magazine. One boy looking at the mountain biking magazine seemed to be deeply confused by something, so I asked him, "Lopeti, what's up?" He showed me the picture he was looking at of a guy hucking himself off a 15-ft. cliff on his mountain bike, where there was obviously a path down that didn't involve leaving the ground with the bike. He couldn't figure out why the guy didn't go around. I tried explaining that some people think it's fun to throw themselves off cliffs on their bikes, but that's a pretty tough concept to explain, and when I had finished, I could tell he still couldn't quite wrap his head around it. I like looking at situations like that, where I do something Tongans find extremely weird or don't understand or where they do something I find weird and don't understand, and thinking about what it says about our respective cultures that we come from and were raised in.<br /><br />-On my way back from Tongatapu I took my usual place on top of the boat above the wheelhouse. Fifteen minutes into the three-hour boat ride it became clear that I would have to pack up and sit inside the boat. I usually sit on top for the freash air and the view, but it was extremely rough and I was soaked before we even left the protected cove of islands and made it into the open sea. So I go inside the boat and in the middle there's a whole bunch of Tongans sprawled out on mats sleeping. They are wearing black, so I assume they are either going to or coming from a funeral. That assumption was correct. In my defense, none of them looked particularly alive at any point on the trip, and I spent much of the boat ride hanging over the edge of the boat puking or sitting in my seat with head in my hands thinking about puking and not falling out of my seat. It wasn't until we made it to 'Eua and were getting off the boat and I saw a van, with all it's seats and the back hatch door removed, covered in woven mats but empty, that I realized that the (dead) body had been on the boat. And not just on the boat, but lying with the Tongans in the middle, not five feet from my seat. A large part of me is glad I didn't realize this before or during the boat ride, as that would have raised numerous concerns (mainly about how it (?) would stay in place, while I was having trouble holding onto my seat) and (if possible) more nausea.<br /><br />I think have the coolest dog ever. He does this relly awesome trick and I didn't even have to teach him. I have lots of wild chickens and roosters in my yard (which is also the schoolyard). One day I was sitting in my open doorway reading a book when Tahi came up to me with something in his mouth, clearly pleased with himself. As he came closer I realized it was an egg. Fully intact. Since then he has been bringing me eggs a few times a week. He never breaks one. It sure beats silly dog tricks like rolling over!<br /><br />But on a different note, Tahi ahs also been causing some headaches. Yesterday he chased and killed a neighbors chicken, which is a big faux pas around here. It could have been worse, it could have been one of their pigs (which he's gone after before, but enver killed), but still, I don't think they were pleased, not that they'd ever tell me if they were pissed off, but I could kinda tell. So Tahi bought himself a ticket to get snipped pronto, hopefully that will take care of the problem, because if not, we're in trouble...Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-39357330336804171112009-07-24T13:37:00.000-07:002009-07-24T15:59:19.431-07:00Beach cleanup/ tourists/ whales<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64R6usU9qm55tCD2VbdaT6P0D6Koscv18VsS_7EuROSHGulbpMdumXj01IxatglAsrtinpHQC1aA705Y-Y292JhnUVLjfQqEi75OHvDnd4gmirmxwZ8Gp9yJwAr1EHZXK0wvetq5SUmkH/s1600-h/5611_732021381289_16803826_41868153_6084302_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64R6usU9qm55tCD2VbdaT6P0D6Koscv18VsS_7EuROSHGulbpMdumXj01IxatglAsrtinpHQC1aA705Y-Y292JhnUVLjfQqEi75OHvDnd4gmirmxwZ8Gp9yJwAr1EHZXK0wvetq5SUmkH/s320/5611_732021381289_16803826_41868153_6084302_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362153824204749986" border="0" />Feasting after the cleanup</a><br />The boys taking a rest with some coconuts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_UlimAlnIP-VIq9a6mzDh2v5QtFwthD7-vfWgr4pjp2i0VWIXONMI1gUpxxV5_ts3i8S63V7yxC2i_0BkHL4jnUD8DgKllghsH0r7gHuaSICG4UqeDyjqwxiiO2AGcUYrH_kbyquvruc/s1600-h/5611_732021361329_16803826_41868149_5764273_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_UlimAlnIP-VIq9a6mzDh2v5QtFwthD7-vfWgr4pjp2i0VWIXONMI1gUpxxV5_ts3i8S63V7yxC2i_0BkHL4jnUD8DgKllghsH0r7gHuaSICG4UqeDyjqwxiiO2AGcUYrH_kbyquvruc/s320/5611_732021361329_16803826_41868149_5764273_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362153820073108370" border="0" /></a>Some of the group<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31sBCtZG_XITBAIrNo6hBwLUAfe1oMbaUYbTKDXB3cdkEa0PEf0d3HV-NIGBhpCCXOo3arMuvIggstR1ng537PStb6IvXbtwgwbW7MmSRg0mQm1AtYnuw0ido4KZK7wLwgR4bdkjxc0lS/s1600-h/5611_732021151749_16803826_41868110_4473834_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31sBCtZG_XITBAIrNo6hBwLUAfe1oMbaUYbTKDXB3cdkEa0PEf0d3HV-NIGBhpCCXOo3arMuvIggstR1ng537PStb6IvXbtwgwbW7MmSRg0mQm1AtYnuw0ido4KZK7wLwgR4bdkjxc0lS/s320/5611_732021151749_16803826_41868110_4473834_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362153816836766626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKeGxyJ28B6HSrKOkWC36DGWn6VyZAIl-9VojeTmq6etbIN4cGnqGRC0so9JoPEFVcOZAa9h_V0CH-2I-MuSzLxtEd85PO-l28CHn-2w6Uiun3AEvdkjOG6ADBr250iM6UvOfBnC3QibF/s1600-h/5611_732020892269_16803826_41868065_3166016_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKeGxyJ28B6HSrKOkWC36DGWn6VyZAIl-9VojeTmq6etbIN4cGnqGRC0so9JoPEFVcOZAa9h_V0CH-2I-MuSzLxtEd85PO-l28CHn-2w6Uiun3AEvdkjOG6ADBr250iM6UvOfBnC3QibF/s320/5611_732020892269_16803826_41868065_3166016_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362151894838776850" border="0" />Pasa and Heather weaving baskets to collect trash</a><br />Paea digging a "burn hole" for the trash we collected<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM9etCeF2D_rr27DiPep5mmgDyD1BffcQg-oNIkC4LtBTsSW1nQquSo18HwBonZJEoQfPxcs67GM5M1KxZmqH4kRkTdgIS0DQxl7JHRUVY9mCff9aocR8AItj5CM74h6wBF36ZnUL8zby/s1600-h/5611_732009255589_16803826_41867127_554533_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM9etCeF2D_rr27DiPep5mmgDyD1BffcQg-oNIkC4LtBTsSW1nQquSo18HwBonZJEoQfPxcs67GM5M1KxZmqH4kRkTdgIS0DQxl7JHRUVY9mCff9aocR8AItj5CM74h6wBF36ZnUL8zby/s320/5611_732009255589_16803826_41867127_554533_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362151891880975650" border="0" /></a>Taniela, Tevita and I collecting rubbish<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWYLf1QpeyOsPOGw7po5IdNj4sjfynm-A9b6dhBmY-lvSdMkXk3J5zqKNGLOJpbMlBdmx1DFUFaJ_JptE3CaI51hCI3KdJiumhq3I6f4GfLfxK6mb_vLLjQY-mFIvZuhQUBZvOA2znuDT/s1600-h/5611_732009180739_16803826_41867114_6776398_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWYLf1QpeyOsPOGw7po5IdNj4sjfynm-A9b6dhBmY-lvSdMkXk3J5zqKNGLOJpbMlBdmx1DFUFaJ_JptE3CaI51hCI3KdJiumhq3I6f4GfLfxK6mb_vLLjQY-mFIvZuhQUBZvOA2znuDT/s320/5611_732009180739_16803826_41867114_6776398_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362151888328627282" border="0" /></a>Making the umu<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1ieJDFYMAoFCGz4g0T0QQbsmYTCxnhiqP8QGsMSDOkwCD6kFohwTJeP5GFslXj1eyrVsG7qnozae6VLFaAxUT3PuRYiHoeSZaCl3LUJKcJtbKINTWU8XISJ5XU3fKIBDpDfFOU-bJs-R/s1600-h/5611_732009160779_16803826_41867110_8095752_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1ieJDFYMAoFCGz4g0T0QQbsmYTCxnhiqP8QGsMSDOkwCD6kFohwTJeP5GFslXj1eyrVsG7qnozae6VLFaAxUT3PuRYiHoeSZaCl3LUJKcJtbKINTWU8XISJ5XU3fKIBDpDfFOU-bJs-R/s320/5611_732009160779_16803826_41867110_8095752_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362151884427077314" border="0" /></a>From camping last month<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBX9A_cAhsE0duH2W_1Pi-Xr3t7jpj2l1Cpl4bdBfuW3GYF1wHufVZXh_oXezCBZrJoWjt8l5Vu-JvOg9eRLLG1hR5FWZkuExPcE6vVvsfeUnthQBPSeqMPJM7dD0Xw-rJAXNopPHvXs5/s1600-h/5611_731353275179_16803826_41830676_7628533_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBX9A_cAhsE0duH2W_1Pi-Xr3t7jpj2l1Cpl4bdBfuW3GYF1wHufVZXh_oXezCBZrJoWjt8l5Vu-JvOg9eRLLG1hR5FWZkuExPcE6vVvsfeUnthQBPSeqMPJM7dD0Xw-rJAXNopPHvXs5/s320/5611_731353275179_16803826_41830676_7628533_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362151879493498530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's Tonga Moments:<br />- My neighbor Tevita (25 yr. old male) came by yesterday with lipstick on. Bright red lipstick. It was applied sloppily.<br />I looked at him confused, and asked, "Um...Tevita, are you wearing lipstick?"<br />"yes" He replied.<br />"Um....why?"<br />"Because my lips are dry."<br />"But....lipstick is for girls"<br />"I know, but my lips were dry" He said this as though I was crazy to be disturbed by him wearing lipstick. I made him wipe off the lipstick and gave him some chapstick.<br /><br />-I went to buy a tray of eggs from the agricultural college last week for the first time (usually I just buy them a few at a time from the falekaloas) and the guy gave it to me for $2 off AND took out all the small ones and replaces them with big ones. I could look through the screen window and see the hundreds of chickens in their coops, and it's kind of a nice feeling to know exactly where your food comes from. Most of the time, sometimes it's better not to know. But I mean it is nice to know that the food hasn't been fortified or preserved or artificially colored. Anyway.<br /><br />I think I mentioned in my last post about camping on the beach then spending the next morning trying to clean it up, but not being able to finish the job because there was too much trash and it started raining. Well, last week we ended up organizing a bunch of the Tongan youth from our villages to come out and help us, which ended up being a huge success. We talked about it at tea Wednesday, and decided to try to pull something together for Friday. Putting something together two days in advance is very Faka-Tonga (like Tonga; Tonga-esque). So we each went back to our villages and gathered as many youth as we could to come out with us. I gotta say, my village really pulled through; there were 9 people from my village and like five from all the other villages combined! We bought food to cook in an umu (underground oven) on the beach, then set off on our way.<br /><br />One of the really cool things about the day was that none of the Tongans had ever been to this beach and it is one of the most beautiful places on the island. They just didn't know about it. The hike is a lot of fun, you walk along a cliff overlooking the ocean, then you have to climb down the cliff to the beach, and it was especially fun because we were trying to do it carrying shovels and food. Also, on the hike, the a few of the boys disappeared into the bush for a few minutes and came out carrying a few huge kape (root crop- not sure if there is an English translation) which we lugged down the cliff and cooked up in the umu.<br /><br />One we made it to the beach we talked quickly about what the plan was then set off. Most of us walked up and down the beach, hauling the rubbish to a central location to be burned. Some wove baskets out of palm fronds to carry trash in, and a few worked on digging the umu (underground oven) and preparing the food. We worked hard for about two and a half hours, then it was time to play. I had brought a frisbee and football which we were tossing around on the beach. Then Ashley and I came up with the bright idea to teach them American football, which quickly turned into wrestlemania as soon as the ball was snapped. We didn't get far teaching them football, but yy the time we decided to go open up the umu and eat, my stomach hurt from laughing so much.<br /><br />By the time the food was done, everyone was pretty well worn out. The food out of the umu was delicious, everyone chowed down, then it was time to head home. It was a really successful day, and everyone had a great time. We're hoping to do it again about once a month at different beaches on the island.<br /><br />The next week, Jason- a business volunteer on the island, had a project with the tourism industry on 'Eua which all the Peace Corps attended as support to him. Basically all the guest houses on the island (2.5 really) worked together to do a cultural day for the tourists who were staying in their guest houses where they get to help prepare a Tongan feast and participate in everything Faka-Tonga. The tourists were able to participate in a traditional kava ceremony, learn how to weave baskets from palm fronds, husk coconuts, make coconut cream from the coconuts, and prepare a Tongan feast from start to finish. And by start, I mean, we rode out there in the back of a pickup truck with a live pig, which ended up being cooked over the spit. That was a little traumatic for some of the tourists I think. One actually commented, "Well, at least you know it's fresh!" Which I though was a really good attitude. But it was a fun and successful day overall, Jason's been doing some really awesome work with the tourism industry here in 'Eua, so it was a great day for him.<br /><br />The next day I ended up doing the same thing all over again (preparing a Tongan feast) because my neightbors were having the faifekau (pastor) from the main village on the island over for dinner, so I helped them roast the pig and make 'ota ika (raw fish dish) and lu all day. And then the pastor didn't come, so we got to eat it too! Two days in a row of roasted pig is pretty lucky.<br /><br />Whale season has officially begun! Whales have been spotted off the coast for the past week or so, and although I haven't seen them yet, I hear that soon they will be hard to miss. In fact, they say that I will be able to see them from the front steps of my house, which I'm pretty excited about. They come to Tonga every year to breed and they swim and play right off the shore.<br /><br />School is coming along, we're getting close to the class 6 exam, which is a pretty big deal here, so class 5/6 has been working really hard, coming to school in the morning before school starts and in the evening after they eat dinner. Way too much if you ask me, but they don't complain. There are only seven students in class 5/6, and five of them will be moving on to high school next year which will be sad because they're a lot of fun. But then again, I'll see them every day after school I'm sure. Class 3/4 is my biggest class, and the class that I had a little trouble with at the beginning, and I have to say that now I look forward to seeing them every day; it is my favorite class to teach. They are superstars and are learning so quickly.<br /><br />OH! I successfully made cottage cheese a few weeks ago, which was very exciting. I live across from the agricultural college (Lots of cows) and am able to get raw milk, which is really good for making cheese (which is unavailable on the island). I'm looking forward to trying other cheeses and yogurt once I can get into the main island and buy some yogurt to start it with.<br /><br />Overall, life is good here, haven't had any rat issues lately, I think because it has been so cold (for Tonga- it's relative). I have no doubt that they will be back, and when they come I will be ready to stage an attack of epic proportions. I have had provisions sent, and while I don't want to give away all my secrets here, I'll just say that rats will be introduced to the power of electrcity and booby traps throughout my house. Muahahaha.Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-5922097054467248742009-07-03T19:21:00.001-07:002009-07-03T20:33:46.934-07:00"Everyone needs a fakaleiti"- Krystal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuae0gKr6lWzoDojWaRsnWI0s1l1eGHuDF1nWyKFHRM8RYVpvTvNzaHFupnaIeFvBw0AcHvQT2YmSeWp9s8U0k60P0bc8yfkyZbCz10zxn73ZtRC6ZVtMvY7PxJOatyvzALDhrXchjm68X/s1600-h/P6220074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuae0gKr6lWzoDojWaRsnWI0s1l1eGHuDF1nWyKFHRM8RYVpvTvNzaHFupnaIeFvBw0AcHvQT2YmSeWp9s8U0k60P0bc8yfkyZbCz10zxn73ZtRC6ZVtMvY7PxJOatyvzALDhrXchjm68X/s320/P6220074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354431189627507714" border="0" /></a>Tahi looking guilty (above)<br />A cave on the beach (below)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFp6L6VuA4KNXqugpgi4LTflz7ClafUrNN3S1l_XNKtHYsXg5P2flsQUBznBKxnMJVZxAoMAeyysifUMItWqF5XNmblzcLsYAGpvYOVJVfL-2IDsIFsclAF7R6JkxiWjaopn8YxZwGGDv/s1600-h/6731_727447252879_16803826_41617808_1338832_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFp6L6VuA4KNXqugpgi4LTflz7ClafUrNN3S1l_XNKtHYsXg5P2flsQUBznBKxnMJVZxAoMAeyysifUMItWqF5XNmblzcLsYAGpvYOVJVfL-2IDsIFsclAF7R6JkxiWjaopn8YxZwGGDv/s320/6731_727447252879_16803826_41617808_1338832_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354431178809739122" border="0" /></a>Ahhhh<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZrFaaAoxjely5QBjkK85A_kuBfB67IAGsyBqwdA9K0sTmSY5ICfJfZ6z0Coud_XLYSSfZsSQsm6UCF0LIL4NE1ESRnIVPDYPJIz8ihY_eHEQtgjo4e3esixc_1hOB-zWD9tQxLpKVm3T/s1600-h/6731_727447217949_16803826_41617801_7520760_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZrFaaAoxjely5QBjkK85A_kuBfB67IAGsyBqwdA9K0sTmSY5ICfJfZ6z0Coud_XLYSSfZsSQsm6UCF0LIL4NE1ESRnIVPDYPJIz8ihY_eHEQtgjo4e3esixc_1hOB-zWD9tQxLpKVm3T/s320/6731_727447217949_16803826_41617801_7520760_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354431173043302690" border="0" /></a>On the cliffs above the beach<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lnjKD2O0Ld8tSkTAXUf-a8yI_SZR3cs4ctGojsWN8uS821-sym-8WltrRmlggzTPh6Mlo6P6yVQE1Z2bwxUCMrXbsqyPoj4l_NpZVojl5nTQnag1KILGxDqWq9gUgXJ4wg032KcvoXXZ/s1600-h/6731_727445281829_16803826_41617698_8237432_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lnjKD2O0Ld8tSkTAXUf-a8yI_SZR3cs4ctGojsWN8uS821-sym-8WltrRmlggzTPh6Mlo6P6yVQE1Z2bwxUCMrXbsqyPoj4l_NpZVojl5nTQnag1KILGxDqWq9gUgXJ4wg032KcvoXXZ/s320/6731_727445281829_16803826_41617698_8237432_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354431168209309746" border="0" /></a>We brought a pot to cook mussles and/or snails in<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U_I7vxF5olDgXLZb7dhH-xuRcZYFC5Bt2QRdvAodlzc8feH5FziHM8NmpsS0Z3BmF9Ih-8N52sQlbopnUFh97iFKt0-lk5n-NXPE0TgHmKQ8-ElsjuNXaSl4k1-8fcpxZSK0Cp-MS1Bk/s1600-h/6731_727445256879_16803826_41617694_3585013_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U_I7vxF5olDgXLZb7dhH-xuRcZYFC5Bt2QRdvAodlzc8feH5FziHM8NmpsS0Z3BmF9Ih-8N52sQlbopnUFh97iFKt0-lk5n-NXPE0TgHmKQ8-ElsjuNXaSl4k1-8fcpxZSK0Cp-MS1Bk/s320/6731_727445256879_16803826_41617694_3585013_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354428974709394658" border="0" /></a><br />The group on the cliffs<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTACELPFDkiG_X7qPf1VxCQ56cmcrnh6uwGqPuoH-IfzcBgMnkjXp_0HQCWPCs3U6pXNtqDG0S_oQZ9pZKUJzBMqdNbVim34kTOprUVCgd9FfpJOeLQYzcb9WMFhagSEnf4fEW6Zbj5h4/s1600-h/6731_727445241909_16803826_41617692_6808606_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTACELPFDkiG_X7qPf1VxCQ56cmcrnh6uwGqPuoH-IfzcBgMnkjXp_0HQCWPCs3U6pXNtqDG0S_oQZ9pZKUJzBMqdNbVim34kTOprUVCgd9FfpJOeLQYzcb9WMFhagSEnf4fEW6Zbj5h4/s320/6731_727445241909_16803826_41617692_6808606_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354428969138629026" border="0" /></a>Katie, me, Ashley<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh2k8QSxiyRjveZNvRhKK-6AoS7IpR0OFtnyazHGCVXMD60Uv6g91XToxlLo2-hD63FRW1wOmh9DAqbhTziJzHb_TUqqyOGei8L-oM5rUWTL1ngGH8mTAA9XGeFURm1ClvyDeZkHJjpiw/s1600-h/6173_727301834299_16803826_41611924_7074214_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh2k8QSxiyRjveZNvRhKK-6AoS7IpR0OFtnyazHGCVXMD60Uv6g91XToxlLo2-hD63FRW1wOmh9DAqbhTziJzHb_TUqqyOGei8L-oM5rUWTL1ngGH8mTAA9XGeFURm1ClvyDeZkHJjpiw/s320/6173_727301834299_16803826_41611924_7074214_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354428966421478082" border="0" /></a>This one's from the hurricane actually, it flooded the yeard of the guesthouse we were staying at, but we had fun with it<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3u6S0gd7AW3W4A835MzJd7rog1e-Vo7x2GzQNyHNmELM_nNCV7zWFti7Y38RBMhNBTeZqWpprHpmKXZOKQPmVKeSxE6G13Gkoyd6D3DaBBlAb0HmXGebLv9R-F21H_7DmWQCOW8Tf_TG/s1600-h/6136_769257943858_10706260_44038802_7559019_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3u6S0gd7AW3W4A835MzJd7rog1e-Vo7x2GzQNyHNmELM_nNCV7zWFti7Y38RBMhNBTeZqWpprHpmKXZOKQPmVKeSxE6G13Gkoyd6D3DaBBlAb0HmXGebLv9R-F21H_7DmWQCOW8Tf_TG/s320/6136_769257943858_10706260_44038802_7559019_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354428960462104674" border="0" /></a>In a cave<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAJUXUUYu5b4v1TITapJaVf_JoGgSvbAMZ4RoxJU89oDpF_Vbxh_AVNAXQn95nnbZ13iygqF7X84Hywz8ociVW9-q3r-514pDBSpBg6P-V-MLBQz9TJWuMSytb00pRY3IbLY3wa_DE0oS/s1600-h/5178_725453997379_16803826_41520789_3508107_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAJUXUUYu5b4v1TITapJaVf_JoGgSvbAMZ4RoxJU89oDpF_Vbxh_AVNAXQn95nnbZ13iygqF7X84Hywz8ociVW9-q3r-514pDBSpBg6P-V-MLBQz9TJWuMSytb00pRY3IbLY3wa_DE0oS/s320/5178_725453997379_16803826_41520789_3508107_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354428955226403202" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's Tonga Moments of the Week:<br /><br />-I attended an HIV/AIDS workshop that was held in my village. Because my village is so small, the workshop was just held in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">someone's</span> living room. In the middle of the condom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">demonstration</span>, I look up to see one of my class six boys sitting in the doorway, watching the whole thing. There are two more of my students (classes 2/3) looking in through the window. No one else seems bothered by this, and they sit in and watch the entire thing.<br /><br />-I was sitting in my house with my neighbor Elizabeth last week and I asked her what she had done the day before. She told me that she had made <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">tuitui</span> with her Mom, Lupe. Not sure what that was, I asked. She ran next door and came back with a lumpy, paste-y mass and handed it to me. She instructed me to rub it all over my face. I was skeptical, but it smelled <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">really</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">good</span>, so I figured why not? As I was rubbing it on my face (it felt great!) I asked her how she had made it. Again she ran next door, and this time returned with some roots and leaves. She peeled on of the roots and stuck it in her mouth, along with a few of the leaves. "oh, neat!" I thought, "it's edible too!" I went to taste some of the root, but Elizabeth stopped me with an alarmed look on her face. "Watch" she instructed. She finished chewing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">thoroughly</span>, then spat the mashed up root and leaf into her hand and began to rub it on her face. My stomach sank, I couldn't breathe for a second. I looked at the lump in my hand, "Did you chew this?" I asked. "No!" she replied. I let out a sigh of relief. It was premature. "Lupe did!" I just started laughing, because what else can you do? Elizabeth joined in, but she didn't seem to understand what was funny, she was just being polite. After Elizabeth left, I washed my face. It did smell really good.<br /><br />It's been a busy month here in Tonga; although the last two weeks have been school break, things haven't seemed to slow down at all. A couple of friends, Katie and Chad, came down from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Vava'u</span> (the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">northernmost</span> island group in Tonga) and stayed with me a few days. While they were here we tried to stay on out feet as much as possible. We went hiking in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">rain forest</span> one day, then the next two days we went camping at my favorite beach, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Fangatave</span>. As it turns out, they are excellent cooks, so I got to eat really well for a couple days! One night we made veggie pasta, and another night we made fish tacos.<br /><br />Camping was a lot of fun, in addition to Katie and Chad, there was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">couchsurfer</span> here from New York, a scuba dive instructor from Japan, another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">PCV</span> from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Ha'apai</span>, and Ashley, Jason, and I. When night fell we went on a nighttime cave-exploration adventure which was neat, there are really neat caves to explore all over the island. The next day we all rallied and spent the morning cleaning up the beach, and made some really interesting finds. One time at the base of one of the cliffs Jason actually found a human jawbone, but nothing that interesting this time. We ended up with piles of rubbish all along the beach that we had planned on burning on our way out, but it turned out to be too wet to burn anything. So now there are piles of trash all along the beach which looks worse than when we got there and it was all spread out. We're trying to get something together where we work with the youth to get a beach cleanup program started, so hopefully more to come on that.<br /><br />Katie and Chad took off back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Vava'u</span> Monday morning, but the rest of us got together and had a little birthday dinner for my birthday. Jason made pizzas- a sea bass pizza, a fried egg pizza, and an eggplant and cabbage pizza. I'm usually a cheese and pepperoni-type gal, but it's been so long since I've had pizza, they were amazing! I hadn't really been too excited about my birthday here (I would have just as soon forgotten about it) and I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">definitely</span> wasn't planning on doing much, but it turned out to be a great evening with everyone around. One of my neighbors also knew it was my birthday and brought me a cake, which was a nice surprise. So overall a really great birthday.<br /><br />The next day I went horseback riding to the cliffs on the northern coast of '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Eua</span> which was beautiful. Pretty soon the whales will be coming through and you can see them playing right off the coast, so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">everyone's</span> looking forward to that. We are all planning on going out when the whales come and swimming with them which sounds pretty <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">exhilarating</span>. Ashley and I are considering investing in a horse to ride around the island for the rest of the time we're here, so we're asking around about that. We both think it would be worth it!<br /><br />The week before school let out was especially busy, I tested all my kids on their progress so far, then had to write up report cards for all of them. I only have 37 students, but I had to write the reports in Tongan, which made it tough. The first week of break I still taught class 5/6 (they continued to have class in the mornings in preparation for their exams at the end of the year) since their regular teacher went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Tongatapu</span> for a conference. It was pretty informal and fun, one day I took them on a walk to town with their notebooks and we wrote down all the things they didn't already know, such as: barbed wire, litter, fence, etc. and practiced using the words in sentences. It was fun. School starts again on Monday, which I'm actually looking forward to. After testing the kids I've identified a few things I really want to focus on and hit hard this next term, especially for the kids that will be taking the class 6 exam.<br /><br />Things are going really well here; there are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">definitely</span> bouts of missing home and those modern comforts which I used to take for granted like a hot shower, but just about every day I feel like I've lucked out getting to be here. I am learning new things on a daily basis, which I think is fun. Staying busy has been key, although that's not always the easiest thing to do around here! It's always exciting to hear news from family and friends, so shoot me an e-mail! Cheers!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580137981871721461.post-82724898776945999592009-06-03T01:50:00.000-07:002009-06-03T03:14:59.836-07:00Training in Tongatapu, staying busy"It's Tonga" story of the week:<br />- My counterpart didn't come to school one morning, one of the other teachers told me she was at the hospital. Unfortunately, she had the only room key with her. So how do we solve this problem? Dismantle the window of course. After taking the window off, a kid crawled through and opened the classroom. Problem solved.<br />- Later that day, I ran into the counterpart on the road and asked her if she was feeling better. She said she was, but she had a hole in her tooth. I asked her if they were able to fix it at the hospital or if she'd have to travel to Tongatapu to get it fixed. She told me they gave her antibiotics for it. I was confused, so I asked her what she was going to do about the tooth with a hole in it. She told me she tried to pull it out herself, but that didn't work, so she had to cut it off. Now I was really confused, and I think it must have showed on my face, because she opened her mouth and showed me the gaping, bloody hole where her tooth used to be. Up to this point, our conversation had been in Tongan, but I had to switch to English to sort this whole mess out. It didn't help. What I took from the conversation was that the tooth went bad, and she used scissors to cut it off. I'm pretty squeamish about teeth anyway, so I couldn't take the conversation much further than that. Make of it what you will. I'm just praying that I don't get any holes in my teeth while I'm here.<br /><br /> I've officially been serving as a Peace Corps volunteer six months! And I'm busy as ever, but really having a good time as well. Last week was the final week of the second term of the school year, so the high school kids were taking exams and got out of school early, and the primary school kids were generally getting out of school a little early as well. For night school one night I taught my class six students how to make pancakes at my house, and on Friday I had my high school girls in my village over for lunch and we spent the afternoon playing cards. I've found since being here that Tongans tend to play cards a little differently than Americans. When we play, we follow the rules strictly and the point is to win (and to have fun, but really to win, and it's only fun when everyone plays by the rules). When you play cards with a Tongan, the point is to cheat and goof off and not follow the rules and see hopw much cheating they can get away with. I don't get it, but every Tongan I've ever played with plays that way, and they even mentioned it in our training cross-cultural manual. I just didn't believe it when they said, "They point of playing cards in Tonga is not to win, it's to cheat." I now believe it, but still am trying to wrap my head around how that is fun. Like I said, I just don't understand the appeal of not even playing right, but I've learned to just go with it.<br /> <br /> After school every day all the kids have been getting together to play kick the can, which sometimes I partake in or watch when I'm around. It's a lot of fun though, they call it "bunny" instead of "kick the can," and they use twenty old tin cans which they have to stack in a pyramid before the other team gets everyone out by pegging them with a flat basketball. This can be especially tricky because all the cans are rusted and bent and of different size. But it's a lot of fun, kids from class one all the way to the high school kids play all together.<br /><br /> The proposal and cost estimate for the library has been finished, and the project is still coming along swimmingly. Now a counterpart and I are working on filling out and sending of grant applications to get the money to build it. My village has volunteered to provide all the manual labor to build the library, and I think we want to let the kids paint it, so that all has helped cut the cost quite a bit. Still working on getting book, but overall the project is doing great!<br /><br /> I was brought into Tongatapu this week with one of my counterparts to complete a training workshop about conducting service projects with our students within our communities. It was a good workshop, and it was nice to make it into the main island again. While here, I went to a salsa dancing lesson put on by another volunteer, as well as a yoga class put on by another volunteer. I washed my clothes in a real washing machine, watched half a movie in the volunteer lounge, and drank real coffee at a coffeeshop. And...after three days here I'm defenitely ready to get back to 'Eua. I miss playing "bunny" and the sound of waves crashing against the shore lulling me to sleep every night. And I miss my puppy, Tahi. He's doing great; he's a really, really good dog. He's always gentle with the kids, even when they're not so gentle with him, and he loves cuddling in my hammock, but he's also really protective and gets all "tough" when strange dogs or people come around. Although this past week or so, he's started hanging out with a rough crowd of dogs around the neighborhood and chasing the neighbors pigs, which will get him eaten in these parts, so I have to get that situation under control.<br /><br /> I went hiking and camped on the beach last weekend, looks like that's probably on the slate for this weekend too since a couple of Austrailian volunteers are on their way out to 'Eua. That'll be a good time. I'll head back on the boat tomorrow, hopefully it will be a smotther ride that the boat we took coming in (there was a line of palangi's hanging over the edge of the boat puking for most of the ride).<br /><br /> Hopefully I'll be getting my camera back soon, and it'll be fixed, so pictures to come soon!<br />I started making a list of things that have broken since I've been here in Tonga, and realized that every single thing I brought that required battery or electricity is toast (good thing I didn't bring too much of that stuff) including my iPod, camera, fan, water boiler pitcher, and headlamp. Faka'ofa (pitiful). Good thing I like to read :)<br /><br /> I know it's getting to be summer back in the states, so here's hoping everyone is having a good start to their summers and warming up. It's "dry" season here, and actually getting really cold, at least on my island. No telling how cold, because no one has a thermometer, but <em>I</em> think it's really cold, and I am, after all, from Alaska, so that's saying something. Take care everyone!Senihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01331603266702391348noreply@blogger.com1