A Week in the Life....

Class 5/6 (above)
At a lookout with PCV Heather
Teaching



Climbing on a huge banyan tree
At one of the lookouts over the rainforest
Stopping for a snack
Tahi- good-looking dog, eh?



It has come to my attention that all my blogs to this point have been event-centered and don't necessarily represent what my life here is about. My experience here hasn't been ENTIRELY camping trips and boat rides :) To that end, I decided it was time to describe what a "typical" day is like for me.

But first, back by popular demand- It's Tonga Moments of the Week:

- Last week I set off on a hike with a few of the other PCV's. We came upon a huge road grader sitting alongside the road. It was running. It was even beeping, as if in reverse. The guy behind the wheel? Fast asleep. Sprawled out across the front seat, feet on the steering wheel. We kept walking.

- On our hike we ended up bushwhacking part of the way looking for a beach we had seen on our boat trip a few months ago. All of the sudden we stumbled upon a huge chest freezer. There were no real trails around it, and there was no way a truck could have gotten through...we all just kinda stopped and looked at it and scratched our heads.

- I got back from the hike and walked up to my house, where someone had left me a bunch (about 100) of bananas hanging from my roof (that's not unusual, they come off the tree in bunches of anywhere from 50-150, and you hang them from the roof to keep the bugs off them). I still haven't figured out who it was.

-The next day I open my door to find a horse skull in my yard...probably a dog dragged it there.

- I was getting a ride back to my village with one of my neighbors the other day, and as I was opening the sliding door to his van the entire thing fell off. Then he picked it up and tried to put the thing inside the van. That didn't work. Finally he got it back on enough to make it back to the village. Now they just don't open that door, they climb in and out through the windows, back hatch, or front seat.

-I was on my way to akome'a (practice of things- more on that later) when a truck pulled alongside me. Out the window popped a hand...with a huge, cooked lobster in it. The guy in the truck handed it to me and drove off. Yum.

-A kid had a fish bone stuck in his throat. To remedy this, they got another kids to start running in circles around him really fast. And it worked.

A day in the life:

Well, a typical weekday for me starts between 6:30 and 7 with a cup of instant coffee and a cold shower (no hot water). School starts at 8:30 (roughly) and I spend all morning teaching English to 40 elementary school students split into three classes. In Class 1/2 we are working hard on numbers, the alphabet, and colors. Class 3/4 we are working on sentence structure and parts of speech. In Class 5/6 we are working on story writing, reading comprehension, and getting them through the Class 6 exam, which is what determines which high school they will attend. With classes 3/4 and 5/6 we are working on conversational English as well.

Teaching here is quite different than teaching in America for lots of reasons. Some I've touched on in past postings, such as corporal punishment, but it's also very rewarding in many ways. There are only 40 kids in my school, so I get to know them really well. They of course, are also the kids in my village, so I pretty much am around them ALL the time. Luckily for me, they are really great kids, and I enjoy being around them. I see them at church, before and after school, and at all the akome'a's. They are excited about learning English and always try to talk to me in English when I walk through the village, which is rewarding.

After school I usually spend the afternoons walking down to use the internet and working on secondary projects or going for a swim in the wharf. (Although it recently came to my attention that the entire islands waste probably drains straight into the wharf, which MAYBE could have contributed to the golf ball-sized thyroid gland issue I experienced last month. I haven't swam in a little while.)
Some of the projects I'm currently working on or hope to start soon include:
- Building a library at my school. We don't have a room for it or books, so this is an ambitious project. The ball is actually rolling on this one and I have the support of my community to build a library on the school campus. I am working on getting books now.
- Working with the other PCV's on the island who teach to put together a workshop series on topics such as: Positive Discipline, Classroom Management, Making and Maintaining Resources, etc.
- Working with the Youth Group in my village to create a sustainable way for them to raise money to fund musical equipment and various activities.

Around five we usually have akome'a (practice of things) where the youth group gets together to practice singing, action songs, and skits. Right now we are doing all of the above for a Children's Day program (I think). Every night this week we have had akome'a from about 5 or 5:30 to 10pm. I can't complain about being tired though, because all the kids from my school are right there alongside me, even the five year-olds. The entire village has been involved in some capacity, so it's actualy been a lot of fun.

After akome'a, I have poako (night study). (Obviously not this week- this week has been dedicated to akome'a in my village) I usually go three nights with Class 5/6 and two or three nights with the high school girls in my village. This usually lasts about an hour and a half, and it's pretty fun because it's not as formal as regular school (the kids aren't wearing their uniforms, I'm not wearing my kiekia). The high school girls come to my house, and we always start with any help they need on homework. After that they just really want to be able to speak English better, so I'll have an activity set up for them and then we will talk, play games (jeopardy, etc.), and listen to music. With Class 5/6 the goal of poako is to practice for the Class 6 Exam, so we still play games pretty often, but for example, the jeopardy clues are taken straight from the exam. By the time that's finished I'm usually pretty exhausted and fall into bed around 9:30. There's not much of a night life around here :)

On Wednesdays all the PCV's and JICA (japanese volunteers) on the island (8) get together for tea. This is a huge sanity saver, as it is an opportunity to share ideas, frustrations, successes, issues, or simply just to talk in English! Friday nights I sometimes tou'a (serve kava) because I have found it's a great way to practice my Tongan and get to know people in my village that I otherwise wouldn't be able to talk to.

Weekends are usually pretty quiet around here. Rugby season has started up here, and every Saturday the villages compete against each other. They play in a field behind the hospital, which, after watching one Saturday, I am convinced in no coincidence. Either Friday or Saturday a few of us usually rally for a hike. Other than that, Saturdays are for doing laundry, burning trash, and other household chores.

Sunday. Oh, Sunday. Sunday's are for church, and church only. It is actually against the law to do any work on Sunday (this includes exercising, swimming, and even playing cards). At first this was maddening. Coming from America, I saw it as: there goes 1/7 of my productivity, probably more, because Sunday's are a great day to get things done and prepare for the week. Not in Tonga. I have actually come to appreciate Sunday's here most of the time. If I am feeling stir crazy, it is acceptable to go on a walk (as long as you don't walk too fast- seriously, you can't walk as if you have a purpose) or I can close the doors to my house and do whatever I want. Church happens three times on Sunday, I go twice (I skip the 5am service, for obvious reasons). There is only one church in my village, so it is a great opportunity to see everyone and of course everyone is dressed in their Sunday best, so it's really nice. There is nothing open on Sunday, so you have to make sure you buy everything you need on Saturday. My neighbors always bring me lu on Sundays, which is taro leaves wrapped around fish, corned beef, or mutton chops, doused in coconut cream, and cooked in an umu (underground oven). The entire Kingdom eats lu on Sunday after morning church, and my neighbors always make sure I am included. Last Sunday I tried to recipricate, and when my neighbors brought me lu, I gave them a bowl of jello. Ten minutes later I get a knock on my door, and it is my neighbor, with a bowl of ice cream topped with jello. I briefly considered eating a few bites and sending it back with bananas sliced over the top...but who knows what they would come back with?

That's pretty much what a "typical" week looks like for me, although there is never really a "typical" week. Here are some other interesting aspects of my life here:

'Eua is a really unique island for a few reasons. To get to 'Eua, you take the shortest commercial flight in the world. Really- it's only seven minutes. Or you can take the boat, which I still have not done- it's a three-hour boat ride, and from what I've heard it is pretty tumultuous. Also, 'Eua is 30 millions years older than the rest of Tonga and geologically completely unrelated. It is the highest coral island in the world, and it is also the fastest moving chunk of land on earth, moving about six inches closer to South America every year.

One of the things about Tongan life that I have yet to fully embrace is the food. I read a book about the first people that came to these islands 3000 years ago and realized that since then, their diet really hasn't changed. Root crop, fish and coconuts. On my island we don't get a lot of fresh fish because the seas are too rough for the fishing boats. Also, there's a whole season where we don't get any vegetables. We're in that season now, and I'm not sure how long it lasts. As a result, the diet here ('Eua) consists mostly of canned fish and corned beef, root crop, and fried dough balls, called keke. I don't care very much for of any of that. I have become an expert at homemade tortillas, and I eat a lot of eggs and oatmeal, in every way imaginable. I feel a little like Bubba Gump, but with eggs instead of shrimp. Hard-boiled, scrambled, omlette, quiche, breakfast burrito....if anyone has any good egg recipies, let me know!
One of the things that is constant here is fresh fruit. It's seasonal, but it can always be found, which I am thankful for. Bananas are pretty much year-round, and right now oranges and avocados are in season. I'm not seeing much papaya anymore, which is sad, but guavas are plentiful and really good.
I've talked a few times in previous postings about kaipola's, or Tongan feasts. These are very common, held at every wedding, funeral, holiday and special church service. Roasted pig is served at every kaipola, along with sometimes horse (funerals), dog, chicken, lu, root crop, lobster, chop suey, canned spaghetti on buttered crackers, canned spaghetti snandwiches, canned spaghetti on fried eggs...you get the idea.

Some of the challenges I've come across so far:
-Constant attention from everyone. Especially the boys and men. (I know, what a problem to have, right? But it really does wear on you trying to fend off constant advances, 95% of which are unwelcome) I don't necessarily like being the center of attention, but as one of six PCV's on the island, it's unaviodable. This is also a culture renowned for it's gossip. Everyone knows where I go all the time, what I buy at the shop, who I hang out with, and even the current balance in my bank account (you have to ask the teller, who will tell you aloud, thus everyone in the bank knows, thus by the next day everyone on the island knows.) They feel this gives them a right to ask for money.
- The language barrier is another issue, albeit one that is getting much easier as time passes. When I first got to my village, no one really spoke English, and I didn't really speak Tongan well enough to communicate. This is extremely frustrating, and I can now sympathize with two-year olds, as a few times I really felt like throwing myself on the ground and kicking and screaming as well. My language has come a long ways, but at first the only meaningful and effective communication I would have was at tea on Wednesdays with the other Peace Corps. I've never been a huge chatterbox, but that was challenging.
-Taimi Tonga. Tonga runs on its very own, very special time table. If someone tells you something will begin at 3, it means that they hope it will begin by 3:30, and it will actually begin around 5. This was really frustrating at first, because I am kind of a stickler about time and hate being late to anything. Now I am used to it, and I still show up on time (usually the first one there) but I have discovered the snake game on my phone, and I am proud to say that I am now a snake master.
-Whenever I go anywhere, I have to make sure that I am back by dark or my village worries about me. They don't worry about some strange Tongan guy hurting me however, what they're worried about is the Tevolo (Devil). If you walk anywhere alone after dark the Devil will get you. They really believe this, and so I always make sure I am back by dark. I even heard about one volunteer who was trying to tell the story of Cinderella to his class. His counterpart, however, insisted that the fairy godmother be called the Tevolo, because anything with supernatural powers that isn't God is the Tevolo. Well, that just confused the kids, and the story of Cinderella will forever be lost on them.

All in all, I am having a terrific experience here. I am enjoying living in and being a part of my village, speaking a new language, trying to understand and respect the culture, and learning new things every day. I am really looking forward to my next few years here, getting the library built and running, working with the youth group more and getting to know everyone here better. It's exciting!

A hectic few weeks

I know, I know, it's been too long, and I apologize. Shortly after my last posting, I found myself sick again, and was sent to a main island to see a doctor. On the flight there, I got to see the underwater volcano erupting which was pretty neat. I don't know how many of you heard about that, I guess it was pretty big news though. Two days after I got to the main island we had a 7.9 earthquake, followed by a tsunami warning. I ended up having to spend an entire week recovering on Tongatapu (main island) before getting to head back to 'Eua. I was able to spend three days in 'Eua, then I had to return to Tongatapu for In-Service Training. It consisted of ten days of training, with one day off. On our day off we had all planned on boating out to a remote island to spend the day, and naturally, there was a cyclone. By then I was really ready to get back to 'Eua, but they cancelled the flight I was supposed to be on, so I had to stay another day. Ugh. I finally made it back last Thursday, just in time for Api Tonga, which means three days straight of church. (My house had also flooded during the cyclone, and by the time I got back it was moldy, so I spent a few days cleaning that up)

When they told me about Api Tonga on Friday, my first instinct was to try to get out of it, unfortunately I ended up being voted as the noble for the entire event. Which I actually agreed to, albeit unwittingly. I was at the youth group meeting, being a space cadet like usual, when I heard my name and came back to eath to find the entire youth group staring at me. I said, "yes?" to everyone's approving looks. And thus I had committed. I had meant the "yes?" to be as in, "Yes, how can I help you?" or "Yes, you're talking to me?" It was instead taken as an affirmative response. It turns out that all being a noble meant was showing up for everything and sitting at the head spot during the feasts. I proved myself a capable noble. I also got to give my first fakamalo speech (thank-you speech). It was at the first feast, in front of the entire village. These speeches tend to be really long-winded and teary. I opted to keep it short, and they said I did all right, but it would have been better if I had cried. I told them I would work on it for next time.

Api Tonga was capped off yesterday by a final feast and a trip down to the sea, where we all picked the roots of this grass that grows near the sea to make coconut oil with. After that we ventured into the sea at low tide for some fishing. I got stung by a sea urchin. Twice. It really hurt. All in all, it was a great few days though, it was really nice to be able to reconnect with my village after having been gone so long.

The other big news in my life is that I acquired a puppy in Tongatapu. His name is Tahi ("ocean" in Tongan) and he is going to be a big dog. I was a little worried about bringing him back to my village, because in general Tongans don't treat dogs very well. My fears were all dispelled the day after I got back and walked out of church to find Tahi sleeping on a mat, being spooned by one of the twenty-year old rugby players from my village. The next day a boy from the village walked around the corner with Tahi sitting on his shoulders like a two-year old. Everyone slipped him food from the kaipoulas, I could tell by how gaseous he was every night. It seems my village is as smitten with Tahi as I am. He does have a way of finding trouble though; his first day in town he took it upon himself to streak through church right before the service started, causing quite a commotion. I hid around the corner. He also likes to dash right in front of people's feet then stop dead. This is actually pretty funny, until the time he almost laid out one of the oldest ladies in my village. Okay, that was a little funny too. He doesn't listen to a word I say, and when he gets tired he'll find a spot of shade and refuse to move until he's ready. I'll have to work on that.

I was really hoping Tahi would take care of my rat problem, unfortunately I don't think Tahi would move if a rat ran over his nose. And now I can't use the rat trap because I don't want to catch Tahi in it. So I've been up half the night every night since I've been back chasing rats through the tapa cloth, and last night I was so fed up and sleep deprived that I took to the walls with my machete. I missed the rat barely, and put a hole in my tapa, but I did scare him out of the house for a few hours. So I need to get more creative in my rat control techniques.

So it's been quite an eventful month (especially by Tonga standards) between going to the main island, volcanos, earthquakes, tsunami warnings, cyclones, and new puppies. I'm looking forward to things settling down again and returning to teaching. I hope this one finds everyone well, and next time I won't wait so long to send out an update! Toki Sio!

Tongan Falemahiki: BYOTP

Oiaue, it's been an interesting week. Let me begin by saying that I was in the hospital, but I am absolutely fine and it wasn't anything serious. Okay, got that out of the way...

So it all began with a routine sinus infection (not uncommon for me), but of course everything gets amplified by about ten in Tonga, and pretty soon my throat was so swollen I couldn't swallow...anyways, having had recurring stomach problems since I've been here, I got dehydrated quickly and wound up taking a little visit to the local falemahiki (hospital; actually literally translates to: house of disease) That's when the real fun began.

My neighbor was gone and so I had to get a ride to the hospital from my counterpart, the principal at my school and the class 1/2 teacher, Sulia. Unfortunately the class 3/4 teacher was out that day so Sulia was teaching all four classes. Sulia couldn't be gone that long, so after some discussion between Sulia and the remaining 5/6 teacher, it was decided that we would all pile into her car, drive to town, where his car was, then he would drive me to the hospital and she would go back and attend to all six classes at once. Yes, this does mean that 40 kids were left completely unattended at school for 20 minutes. No, this is not unusual.

I got to the hospital, the doctor took one look at my throat and asked me if I'd like to stay the night. Thinking I actually had a choice in the matter, I naturally responded, "absolutely not." To which he replied, "Okay, so maybe a night." Why ask? So he sends me home to pack some overnight stuff. I pack the normal: a toothbrush, change of clothes, book, and I'm ready to go. This time it is determined that Sulia will take me back to the hospital and the 5/6 teacher will stay with all the classes. I tell her I'm ready to go. "Did you pack sheets?" She asks me. "uh...no?" "How about food? And toilet paper? And water?" "No..." "Yeah, they don't have drinking water at the hospital, they are very poor you see" I am not sure I see, "Yeah...did you say toilet paper?" "Yes!" So I go repack and we're off.

When I get back to the hospital they put an IV in right away. The nurse tells me proudly that she's using a clean needle (really! No one used it before!), which does not inspire confidence. She gets my vein the first time, however, and gets it good. Blood squirted and dripped onto the floor, which she ignored and left for Sulia to clean up, using our own toilet paper, of course. Sulia leaves to get back to school, and I take a look around. The "in-patient" ward at the hospital is really an open-air room with seven (naked) beds and a banner over the doorway that reads "Merry Christmas" One of the previous PCV's had gotten the youth in her community together to paint the hospital, so the room is adorned with palm trees, flowers, and underwater scenes. Bless her soul, it makes the place almost bearable.

Lights went out at ten, and that's about the time I got dive-bombed by the first cockroach. I say the first because there were very, very many that night. I jumped, and all the other ladies in the room asked what was wrong. "Mongomonga" I gasped. The lights went back on, and a mongomonga hunt ensued. Everyone who wasn't hooked up to an IV (and one lady who was- she had her fluids bag in one hand and a flip flop in the other) grabbed a projectile to launch at this mongomonga. We got that one, but after that I was quieter when the cockroaches hit me. Cockroaches are awful fliers, they run into everything, I don't know why they don't learn to fly better. It was a long night of mosquitoes buzzing in my ears and biting me and more cockroaches, but I made it. I got so many mosquito bites that I was sure I would end up with dengue and have to stay in the hospital an additional two weeks.

When morning finally came I immediately packed my sheets, pillows, and of course, toilet paper. By the time the doctor came around I was ready to go, and I told him as much. He checked me out and said, "Maybe this evening." I was appalled. I didn't even think I needed to stay the night, and I felt much better, I was even thinking I could catch some of school that day. I convinced the nurse to take the IV out (she took it out, then put the needle on the leg of the sweatpants I was wearing) and I proceeded to inform them that I was healthy and leaving. I was finally granted permission. I started for home and made it about 100 yards before the nurses came running down the street after me. Apparently I could go home, but I couldn't WALK home (it was only about 2.5 miles). So I had to call Sulia out of school again to come get me.

All in all, I'm just glad that I wasn't so sick that I couldn't see the humor in all of this. It might have been pretty scary if I was really sick, but I wasn't, so it was funny. One cool thing that came out of this was the outpouring of love from my community. My neighbor came and brought me milk and juice. Some of the ladies from my church brought me food from a kaipoula (feast) which included the Tongan classic: canned spaghetti wrapped in a fried egg. Yum (uh, not really). One of the old guys from my village brought me bananas. And most of all, my counterpart, Sulia, was incredibly supportive. She drove me to and from the hospital, came back when school ended, and even stayed the night with me in the hospital. Several times during the night I awoke to her re-tucking me in; I think she slept less than I did.

One of the funny things I've noticed in Tonga is that whenever you get sick, Tongans will blame it on something you're doing that they don't necessarily approve of. For example, this last time when I was sick, the people from my village told me it was because I swim too much. (2-3 times a week, for an hour) Others suggested that it was because I walk down the road too much when the sun is out. When I was sick during homestay my host mom suggested it was because I put butter on my toast in the morning. She told me this while eating pineapple-slathered in butter.

Also if you go to the hospital, I found it must be custom for people to give you a carton of milk and a carton of juice. Sulia got me milk and juice. My neighbor brought me milk and juice. I looked around the room, and everyone had milk and juice, a carton of each, at their bedside. I think it must be like flowers in the US.

Just a little sidenote on the milk here. I don't know what it is. It comes in a carton, doesn't need to be refrigerated, and has a six month shelf-life. I guess it tastes like milk, maybe I don't remember what milk should taste like though. A little worrisome, but I'm intrigued.


So, that was the hospital. It was an experience, and God-willing, I'll never go back.

In other news, I have recently killed my fifth rat in my house, the latest was one that had been terrorizing me every night for more than a week, so I was particularly excited to get him. Unfortunately, I didn't get him as well as I had hoped, he somehow got out of the trap in the middle of the night and started flopping around my kitchen. I turned my flashlight on him, and saw that he was pretty severely crippled, so I figured he wasn't going anywhere and went back to sleep. In the morning he was gone. I looked everywhere and finally found him under a bench across the house, seemingly dead. I realized he had to go right under my hammock to get there. Gross. But I get a plastic bag and get ready to dispose of him. As soon as I touch his tail, he comes alive- and chases me. So what if he has no use of his two front legs, he rolls after me with surprising quickness. I leap onto my bench and assume the fetal position, where I call out the window to one of my class six boys to come get rid of the rat. He comes in and grabs it by the tail, and of course, because he's a 12 year-old boy, chases all the girls with it. Five rats down, countless to go...

So I went on a boat trip with the PCV's on 'Eua yesterday. It was a little treacherous, but overall fun. We were set to leave at six am, so when the guy that was taking us wasn't there at 6:15 we called him and ended up getting him out of bed, he had forgotten he was taking us. Our plan was to go all the way around the island. The guy who owns the boat, Keiko, got to the wharf, and spent twenty minutes pounding on the boat with a hammer (fixing the holes presumably) and we were off. Now this boat didn't exactly look like an open ocean-capable vessel (It was maybe 15 ft. long, powered by a single outboard motor) but I assumed it was all right. About two hours later I am bailing water out of the bottom of the boat as no less than four of my friends are losing their breakfasts over the side. The sea had gotten pretty rough and the waves were crashing over the sides of the boat. We were all looking at Keiko nervously; we have learned in these situations to look at the locals and see if they're freaked out to really assess our danger. He looked petrified too. Dang. No one said it at the time, but we talked about it later, and we were all thinking about what we were going to when the boat sank. We were at a particular spot where we could probably all swim to shore, but unfortunately the waves were crashing into a sheer rock cliff, making getting onto land impossible. My plan included untying a length of rope from the bow of the sinking boat and tying everyone together and trying to swim around the point of the island until we were at a place where we could safely get out, then living off the land for ten days catching fish and eating coconut until we were found and rescued. I even though about what I would say when I was interviewed for the Reader's Digest story. Something along the cliched lines of, "It was scary, but I knew we'd make it" I have an active imagination. In these situations I also tend to think of the dirty dishes I left in the sink that my Mother would find if I died right then. Morbid, but motivating.

We made it through and five hours after getting onto the boat we stepped back onto slid land, where I promptly vowed to name my firstborn after our "captain." I don't think he understood me, so I don't feel too obligated to stick to that. Although Keiko's not a bad name...maybe I'll name a dog after him...Four out of the seven of us that went ended up puking, although afterwards everyone agreed that it was pretty cool to see the island from the sea. We saw a few beaches that we didn't know about that we're going to go try to find, so that was neat. Overall it was a cool experience, but not one that I'm eager to have again anytime soon.

Visit from the outside...

"It's Tonga" Moments of the Week:
- The following conversation took place in the post office last week:
Me: "Uh, hi, can I mail this?"
Mail person: "You have to wait until Lupe returns from lunch"
Me: "Oh, okay, when will she get back?"
MP: "At 1:30"
Me: "Uh...it's 1:45"
MP: "Yes."
Me: "So... when do you think she'll be back?"
MP: "1:30"
Me: "Right, I'll come back later."

-I was riding in a van with some other of the PCV's on my island, and they were talking about someone who got married the week before. I didn't know who they were talking about, and asked. I got the following description: "The girl who's brother drives way too fast down the road in the blue car." And knew exactly the girl they were talking about.

Last week a few PCV's from other island groups came to visit us out here on 'Eua, and what a treat! It was really interesting to see how different their lives are from ours and hearing updates on everyone. The volunteers from Tongatapu (the big island) referred to it as "sin city" because you could get a beer there, among other things. We all got together and went to the Hideaway, a little resort on our island, and the only place that has a menu you can order food off of (you have to do it the morning before you actually want the food, but still). Once the food got there, someone observed that of the eight of us PCV's eating, seven of us had set our napkins and silverware aside and were eating with our hands. Haha.Napkins are kind of a foreign concept here, although during the attachment phase of training the PCV I stayed with found that the tissue paper that our toilet paper rolls comes in works well as napkins. That's not something I've picked up yet at my house.

Like I said before, it was really interesting to hear how different everyone's experiences have been so far, one guy from Tongatapu commented, "I spend more money on ice cream than Peace Corps pays me!" Which was hilarious and sad at the same time because the ice cream shop is across from his house and we rarely get ice cream in 'Eua. Here in 'Eua we spend hardly any money at all because there's really nothing to spend it on. Our neighbors tend to bring us food from the bush, we don't have any shops or restaurants, and there's just not much we need out here. Although, one thing I have been living without the past few months is a mirror. (It's amazing what not having for a mirror does for your vanity, although I used to sometimes take a picture of myself with my camera before going to school to make sure I didn't have food on my face, but then my camera broke.) After dinner I went to use the restroom at Hideaway and saw a mirror for the first time in two months. It blew my mind. I must have stayed in there for ten minutes making faces at myself.
We learned that the volunteers on the main islands are able to go out to bars, wear pants ( I could, theoretically, and I do when I go hiking, but it's pretty traditional out here), and buy things like mirrors. One even has internet in his house, while I have to walk an hour to use the internet. But on the other hand they don't get to watch the whales breaching off the coast from above on a cliff, or explore caves and hike through the rainforest. And I would definetely choose 'Eua over Tongatapu. But it was very interesting to hear the differences from volunteers who are a seven-minute plane ride away! And it was great to see them again, because we don't get visitors too often! We showed them around the island for the weekend and a good time was had by all.
I'm officially more than two months into my actual service, and still going strong! Wahoo!

School, Camping Trip

The hike to the beach
Poako (night study) at my house for the high school kids
My front yard
Playing with exposures on Ashleys camera

Sunset
Climbing down to the beach
Jason filleting our dinner (Aaron- that's your knife!)_Raw fish- ifo aupito (very delicious)
Um...maybe been on a little island too long

Sleeping arrangementsAshley and I on the beach




"It's Tonga" Moments of the Week:

1) In my studies of the Tongan language I came across the word for hospital, falemahaki, which literally translates to: House of Disease. If that weren't comforting enough:
1a) The hospital is currently out of tylenol. Yeah, that's right, they just ran out.

2) I got ready for school Monday, and no one showed up. Not one kid, nor any of the teachers. Apparently there was a teachers conference (I wasn't supposed to be there) and no one bothered to tell me there would be no school Monday and Tuesday.

So school started three weeks ago. Kind of. I was really excited about school starting and got up early to get ready for before the first day of school, and I showed up, and as it turns out, the teachers didn't have anything for the students to do. They didn't even try to make up anything for the kids to do. They sat 30 kids in front of the radio, then ignored them all day. Kids were spitting on each other and rearranging desks to set up boxing matches in the middle of the room. The teachers were just sitting there, ignoring them, and trying to tell me their life story. I was kinda shocked, the whole time I was thinking, "That's great that your brother has been to America...but those kids are HITTING each other right there!" After sitting through two days of this, I pulled the principal aside and told her I needed to have a meeting with her. The next day there was a tropical storm and there was no school, which was a much-needed mental break for me, I was a little distraught after the first two days of "school." I met with the principal on Thursday of the first week of school and told her that I thought it was unacceptable that the students are showing up to school on time ready to learn and the teachers have absolutely nothing for them to do. She said she understood why I was upset, but the planning books hadn't arrived from Tongatapu yet, so the teachers couldn't plan anything. These are not planning books that tell the teachers what they're supposed to be doing, these are just the blank books where the teachers write their plans. And apparently they cannot plan anything without them. On Friday no one showed up to start school until 9 o'clock. (school is supposed to start at 8:30). The students were there in their uniforms ready to go, but no teachers, no principal. Finally I got the chance to talk to some of the other PCV's on my island about the situation at my school, and was shocked to find that it's not just the situation at my school, it's what happens the first week of school throughout Tonga. I was a little appalled. I guess it's just a much different environment that school in America, where a lot of importance is placed on the first days and weeks of school. School in Tonga apparently takes a while to get moving.

Since then, things have been better in some ways, the teacher have started teaching (novel, I know), although with that has come the emergence of corporal punishment. It just really doesn't make a lot of sense to me, I watched a a teacher stand over a 3rd-grader trying to read aloud to the class. Every time he mispronounced a word she smacked him with a ruler. He was so scared he was mispronouncing most words. It was difficult to watch. In our teachers meeting Friday I told them that when I was teaching if they hit a kid I will leave the room. This is another thing I had to discuss with the PCV's who have already been here a year and they said its another one of those things that happens in every Tongan school, and the best thing you can do is show them by example that there are other, far more effective ways of managing a classroom. Well, at least there's a lot of work to be done.

Well, after two weeks of school, I was ready for a little vacation, so a few of us (PCV's) decided to go camping last weekend. We hiked to a remote beach where we hoped to be alone (read: able to show our knees!). Then we set out into the water to explore a little. Jason and I came across an outcropping of sea urchin, which he picked up and assured me were delicious. We carried them to the beach where he cracked them open and dug out their meat, then rinsed it in the ocean and handed me some. Alas, it was delicious. It has the consistency of butter, which is a little strange, but it tastes great, so if you ever get the chance to try raw Tongan sea urchin, you really should :) Then Jason wandered off to climb some rock face, and Ashley and I were exploring the beach. A Tongan fisherman walked by and handed us two fish. We were so excited we had a little photo shoot, then we went off to find Jason and show him our prizes. We told him that we had gotten hungry and wandered into the sea and caught the fish. With our teeth. For some reason he didn't believe us. Then Jason filleted the fish, which we dipped into the ocean and again, ate raw. Delicious. The sunset was gorgeous, although with it came the mosquitoes. We set up camp on the beach, but had to take cover from the mosquitoes under out towels, and no one found much sleep. Then at 6:15 it started raining. It was a long, early, and wet walk back, but we had a great time. It was a good to get away for a few days.

I came back refreshed and with new energy and ideas for working with my teacher counterparts. Of course, no one showed up for school on Monday or Tuesday. There was a teachers conference to discuss a new math and science curriculum. I was not involved since I teach English, but I also wasn't informed there there would be no school. So it ended up being an extended vacation.

Ako hiva (singing practice) has started again, so every night I go there and sing with the youth group, which is really fun. It usually also involves kicking around a rugby ball, dancing, and/or eating coconuts. Between that and school I've been keeping very busy, which has been good. But enough about ME, how are YOU? I'd love to hear updates on everyone!

"It's Tonga"

My living room, the hammock unhooks and can be stored out of the way, making my bed, Tonga-style

guitar-lesson


Inspired by the "It's Tonga" -moments in my last post and really the amount that I say that phrase on a weekly-basis here, I've decided to start a segment in my blog called the "It's Tonga" Moments of the Week. These are times when something that seems completely absurd or funny or wonderful or new happens, and I rationalize it by saying, "It's Tonga." These are the top ones this week:

- I went to a feast on the beach with the youth group last week, and as we were leaving I was gathering my things. I couldn't find my frisbee. A small search party set out to find it, and a few minutes later it is discovered, covered in food. Someone thought it was a plate. They finished eating, then returned the frisbee.

- The entire island I live on is currently out of gasoline. I had a lot of company walking along the road to the internet today!

-About three weeks ago I dropped few letters off at the post office, one being a birthday letter to my Mom, hoping it would reach her by her birthday. I went into the post office yesterday, and the letters were still sitting there. They were supposed to go out on the boat today, but the boat wasn't running today, maybe because there's no gasoline. Sorry, Mom.

In other news, the one-clawed crab from my last post is sticking around. I still have no idea how he got to my house from the ocean...the first couple of nights he came in I thought about killing him and eating him raw, which is apparantly a Tongan delicacy, but then I thought that maybe his life has been far too interesting and it would be a shame to kill him now. I mean he made it all the way to my house from the sea somehow, and somewhere along the way he lost a claw...so I decided to name him instead. Scully. He comes in a few nights a week, and I try to be okay with it, as long as he doesn't start to think he owns the place. As long as he stays out of my hammock... Okay, in truth, another reason I didn't kill him is that I'm waiting for the night that Scully and a rat show up in my kitchen the same night. I think that would be a fascinating showdown, kinda like celebrity boxing. My bet's on the crab, again, based on the fact that I think he has a lot of interesting life experiences from which to draw. I get kinda easily excited around here, especially when it's been raining a lot and I've been spending a lot of time in my house.

School starts Monday, and I've spent the past week planning with my counterparts and creating handmade resources to use in my lessons. There's not a lot to work with, although my school does have a few sets of reading books, but most of the things I use in my lessons I will have to make myself. This is a little daunting, but so far it has proven to be actually pretty fun! It allows for a lot more creativity in lesson planning, whereas when I student taught in California there was so much structure with the standards and testing that there really wasn't a lot of room for creativity. Most lessons were pre-planned from a teacher handbook, where entire units were already given complete with accompanying worksheets, homework and tests. Boring. Here I am given a list of broad topics, such as personal introductions, and that's about as much structure as I have. It's great. So the last week or so I've been coming up with games and activities, making posters and puzzles out of cardboard, then laminating everything with packaging tape so it doesn't get wet and moldy (which is as tedious as it sounds). It's kept me busy at least. I'm excited for school to start so I can use all the things I've made!

OH! I have a new address!

Jennifer Danielson, PCV
P.O. Box 24
Ohonua, 'Eua
Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific

Again, if you want to send anything, any updates from your life are great, as well as pictures. Other ideas of things that I would like are: instant oatmeal packets (in a ziploc so the ants don't get to it before me!), granola bars, dried fruit, crystal light packets, etc.

Actually one of the things that would be most appreciated right now is CD's. I accidently deleted most of my music from my iPod the night before I left, and what I put back on has quickly gotten old. Any type of music, maybe your favorites! At this point even the Wiggles would be a nice change of pace. (Please don't send the wiggles). I don't yet have a CD player, but next time I make it to a main island I'll be able to find one. Probably before any packages get to me :)

Just as a heads up, it'll probably cost more to ship anything than what whatever you're sending is worth, so you might think about trying to keep it pretty light or sending really expensive stuff :) just kidding.

Uike lotu

The dreaded molokau
Sunsets, Tonga-style











On a hike in 'Eua; at the right time of year you can sit up on the bluff and watch the whales playing just off the coast down below


My first ta'olunga, complete with being drenched in coconut oil. Yum.
My house!



My room
The view from my front steps, that's the school I will be teaching at the next two years, with the Pacific ocean in the background. Not bad at all.
Sitting shotgun on the plane out to 'Eua

Pretty happy about being sworn in. (In the aforementioned leopard-print puletaja)

Getting ready to head to the swear-in ceremony


Lazy afternoon on the porch at Sela's guesthouse
Coconut frond hat



Well, I just completed my first uike lotu (week of church) here, which basically entailed going to church twice a day every day the first week of January to pray for blessings for the year to come. I wasn't dreading it too much, as there's not a whole lot else to be doing areound here right now until school starts.

The Sunday before uike lotu began, I asked my neighbor what time the first service was on Monday morning. "Six am" he told me. Hum. OKay, a little early, but I'm no stranger to six am after swimming so many years, so I set my alarm for 5:30 and went to bed. At 4am, I hear a banging on my door. I get up to answer it, and there is my neightbor, Fefite, dressed and ready to go to church. The following conversation ensues:
F: Are you ready to go to church!
J: Huh?
F: It is time for the church to start!
J: But...you said church started at 6...
F: Yeah!
J: But...it's 4...
F: Yes!
J: But church doesn't start until six...
F: Yes... (looking at me like I'm dumb as a rock)
J: So church doesn't start for two hours?
F:Yeah
J: But what to we do for two hours before church begins?
F: We go up over there and sing! (Duh)
J: But...it's 4...
F: (blank stare)
J: ...I'll be ready in ten minutes....

Well, church actually ended up starting at 5 and ENDING at six, so I was pretty confused. Then On the way home I made sure to ask when the afternoon service began. Six o'clock, I was assured. For some reason I believed that. I took a little nap that morning then went to ako hiva (singing practice) at my neighbors house and tried my best to blend in and not bring the whole group down with my voice. I'm not sure how successful I was. I spent the afternoon swimming at the wharf, then returned to my house and showered and was about to settle into my hammock to read a little before the afternoon church service when there came a knock at the door. It was around 4pm. I answered the door to see my neighbor standing there, fully dressed for church. Repeat conversation above, only this time, I was told that the singing group I had practiced with that morning were all at the church waiting for my to arrive so we could begin singing. I was a little peeved. I was ready in ten minutes, and once again church started at 5pm and was done by 6pm. Still confused. On the way home I told my neighbor that maybe it would be best if he told me what time we were leaving rather than what time church began, and he agreed that that would be a good idea. He said that we would leave around 4:15 am the next morning. Okay, great, see you then. 4:15 am rolled around much too soon, but I rolled out of my hammock and was ready to go. I walked over to Fefite's house to find the entire family still asleep. Naturally. I didn't want to wake them, so I went to church alone. They showed up at 4:45. It was one of those situations where I've learned to just laugh and say, "It's Tonga"

As the week progressed, I started to think I was understanding the schedule and on Tuesday I left for church around 4:15 pm to find that I was just about the only one there. That day church began around 5:30. I still don't know why, but I figured out that they ring the bell three times before each service, so that's when people know when to go. I also figured out that whenever I begin to think I have anything figured out around here, I'm usually way off.

I also endured my first tropical storm last week, not a huge deal, just a lot of rain and wind. But I didn't get out of my house much besides to go to church, and one night as I was lying in my hammock, I heard something in the kitchen. I sat up and looked over and saw a single-clawed crab sitting in the middle of my kitchen. As soon as I made noise he scrambled under the door and out of my house. The next morning I wasn't sure if it had actually happened, but alas, that night he came back. He wasn't a tiny crab either, his body was about the size of my palm. This time I had to sweep him out of the house. Now I'm really not THAT close to the ocean, and I'm not sure how he got all the way to my house. I mean I walk to the water every day, it's only about a half-mile, but I certainly wouldn't crab-walk there. But, it's Tonga.

I swim in the wharf every day (except when its storming) and the first day I went alone, but every day after that people from my village have gone with me and they seem to really like it. I think it's about 150 yds. across, and some days there's quite a few of us swimming back and forth across the wharf. Also one of my neighbors, Pasa, has been teaching me to play guitar. He's really good, although I've never seen a piece of sheet music here in Tonga. So that's been a really fun way to pass the time as well.

Next week is planning week for school, and the following week school begins again, so this is probably my last week of goofing off all day until school starts. Actually I've felt like I've been pretty busy, just living really. Between retrieving and boiling all my drinking water, hand-washing my clothes, getting my house ready, going to church, and getting to know the people in my village, I haven't been close to being bored. I do a lot with the youth group here, they get together every day to play volleyball, have singing or dancing practice, or just to go to the beach, so that's been a lot of fun.

I'm also beginning to have ideas for secondary projects to begin, but more on that later. I hope this finds everyone well back home.