Leki asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. I happily agreed, naively thinking it resembled the American style of fishing that I had in mind. I pictured a quiet afternoon, sitting on a boat with my hat tipped slightly over my eyes, feet dangling over the edge, all the while popping the occasional beer (even though I’m not allowed to drink during training), and patiently waiting for the fish to bite.
I didn’t know he meant that he wanted to go fishing immediately, when it was raining heavily with strong gusts of wind thrown in for good measure. If that wasn't bad enough, we had to fish "Peace Corps Tongan style"! Fish and lure?… Boat?… what are you talking about?
Three hours later, I’m standing more than a mile away from any real land with my waist in the ocean. I have a cut on my left arm that’s just started bleeding and with who knows how many cuts on my legs from the very sharp coral seabed that ranges in height from ankle deep water to submerging me up to my chest. It’s so sharp that the Tongans I’m with, who usually don’t even wear shoes for the piercing land coral, are either wearing tennis shoes or fishing boots in the water. I’m thinking, “Hey, sharks are extremely attracted to blood. Not even a year ago another Peace Corps volunteer died from a shark attack here in Tonga. This isn't good.”
It wouldn’t be such a precarious position to be in if it weren’t for the fact that I was helping drag 50+ pounds of dead, yet very bloody fish in an open bag out in the middle of the ocean.
The method we were using to fish was quite simple, but highly effective. Some of us would set up a large net out on one side of the ocean while a bunch of others would be about half a football field away. Once we gave the signal, the people furthest away from the net would start moving closer while pounding the water and throwing starfishes / rocks to scare the fish. The fish would get caught up in the net and we would have dinner!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Take me out to the Rugby game
Yesterday we had more language sessions. After class, my host father Leki picked me up from school to watch rugby and netball games. It’s interesting to watch because it’s a lot rougher than American football and the action is constant! By the end of the game, I was thoroughly confused on how to play rugby. I was surprised at how physically built the Tongans were (and the ones I saw were barely in their mid teens)!
One of the volunteers had told me that her host brother from Ha’atafu said that I was “the strongest palangi” out of our group. At Ha’atafu, most of the male volunteers went to the makeshift gym in town; it consisted of a burnt down building with a half broken bench and a pipe with weights used for curling. I had benched the most out of us palangis and had somehow won that title.
Anyways, when I came to Ha’apai, the people thought I was taha valu eni (18 years old, when I’m actually 21) because of how scrawny I was compared to them. I think maybe even Timi, whose only 15, is stronger than me.
So far today I had all this time to myself to update my blog, listen to some music, and show the neighborhood kids pictures of California. I took a few pictures of them and they jumped with joy every time they saw themselves.
One of the volunteers had told me that her host brother from Ha’atafu said that I was “the strongest palangi” out of our group. At Ha’atafu, most of the male volunteers went to the makeshift gym in town; it consisted of a burnt down building with a half broken bench and a pipe with weights used for curling. I had benched the most out of us palangis and had somehow won that title.
Anyways, when I came to Ha’apai, the people thought I was taha valu eni (18 years old, when I’m actually 21) because of how scrawny I was compared to them. I think maybe even Timi, whose only 15, is stronger than me.
So far today I had all this time to myself to update my blog, listen to some music, and show the neighborhood kids pictures of California. I took a few pictures of them and they jumped with joy every time they saw themselves.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Initial Ha'apai Stories
It’s been a while since I used my laptop since I didn't have an international converter. After doing some shopping around the stores, I’m finally charging it. The good news is that it hasn’t exploded... yet. I guess the cheap (3.50 pa’anga) step down transformer wasn’t such a bad buy after all.
The 8-hour boat trip from Tongatapu to Ha’api was fun, but pretty rough. Getting through the gates was a challenge in itself; God help anyone who falls down, especially if they’re small children. As soon as the gates open for boarding, a swarm of people beeline for the best seats on the cargo boat. In the shuffle someone had stolen one of the volunteers' digital camera. It was a good thing that I decided to lock up the zippers to my laptop.
Luckily two of the LCTF’s ran up ahead to the second story of the boat and placed down mats to claim the area as ours. Out of all the passengers, we probably had the most luxurious spot. The night was very cold and the winds were rough. Trying to find a comfortable area to sleep was a challenge in itself. I had a pretty comfortable spot, but then another volunteer took it after I went out for some fresh air. Oh well, I managed to climb onto some mattresses and sleep next to the wall.
We reached Ha’apai at around 3:00 a.m. Getting off the boat was another one of those surreal moments. I managed to stretch a bit, meet some of the volunteers stationed in Ha’apai (who happened to have some cookies prepared for us thx), climb onto the back of a long truck, and ride towards pitch blackness, all the while watching the lights slowly fading away. When I arrived, I was greeted by the mother Manusiu, the father Leki, the sisters Sela (3), Amelia(11), Saione (9), and the three brothers; Timi (15), Mahe (12), and Muli (16).
Here are a few funny stories that happened after the first day in Ha’api:
Someone had asked me if I was good with computers. I responded that I was reasonably proficient with them (my bachelors is in Computer Engineering). Since they saw that I had a laptop, they asked for some pictures from Washington of the Prince’s funeral. I told them that I needed the Internet to get those pictures. They weren’t sure what the Internet was and replied back that its okay that I wasn’t good with computers…
When I met up with my old roommate Jason, he told me another funny story. He went to the beach last night and picked up 5 shells. He lined them up in front of his window today and went to take a shower. After his shower, there were only 4 shells. He thought that maybe one of his host-family took one of them. He sat there for a few minutes wondering why someone would take shells from his room when they lived on an island with so many beaches / shells. He walked to the kitchen to get breakfast when he found his answer: one of the shells still had the crab inside and it was trying to get away!
Some of the other volunteers didn’t have so much luck with host families. One of the volunteers went to faikava (gathering where a bunch of male Tongans go drinking kava - a drink that tastes like dirty water/numbs the tongue). During faikava, his host family played a ‘practical joke’ on him by making him introduce himself to others in Tongan saying “Hello! You have big testicles”. He got a few punches thrown his way.
The 8-hour boat trip from Tongatapu to Ha’api was fun, but pretty rough. Getting through the gates was a challenge in itself; God help anyone who falls down, especially if they’re small children. As soon as the gates open for boarding, a swarm of people beeline for the best seats on the cargo boat. In the shuffle someone had stolen one of the volunteers' digital camera. It was a good thing that I decided to lock up the zippers to my laptop.
Luckily two of the LCTF’s ran up ahead to the second story of the boat and placed down mats to claim the area as ours. Out of all the passengers, we probably had the most luxurious spot. The night was very cold and the winds were rough. Trying to find a comfortable area to sleep was a challenge in itself. I had a pretty comfortable spot, but then another volunteer took it after I went out for some fresh air. Oh well, I managed to climb onto some mattresses and sleep next to the wall.
We reached Ha’apai at around 3:00 a.m. Getting off the boat was another one of those surreal moments. I managed to stretch a bit, meet some of the volunteers stationed in Ha’apai (who happened to have some cookies prepared for us thx), climb onto the back of a long truck, and ride towards pitch blackness, all the while watching the lights slowly fading away. When I arrived, I was greeted by the mother Manusiu, the father Leki, the sisters Sela (3), Amelia(11), Saione (9), and the three brothers; Timi (15), Mahe (12), and Muli (16).
Here are a few funny stories that happened after the first day in Ha’api:
Someone had asked me if I was good with computers. I responded that I was reasonably proficient with them (my bachelors is in Computer Engineering). Since they saw that I had a laptop, they asked for some pictures from Washington of the Prince’s funeral. I told them that I needed the Internet to get those pictures. They weren’t sure what the Internet was and replied back that its okay that I wasn’t good with computers…
When I met up with my old roommate Jason, he told me another funny story. He went to the beach last night and picked up 5 shells. He lined them up in front of his window today and went to take a shower. After his shower, there were only 4 shells. He thought that maybe one of his host-family took one of them. He sat there for a few minutes wondering why someone would take shells from his room when they lived on an island with so many beaches / shells. He walked to the kitchen to get breakfast when he found his answer: one of the shells still had the crab inside and it was trying to get away!
Some of the other volunteers didn’t have so much luck with host families. One of the volunteers went to faikava (gathering where a bunch of male Tongans go drinking kava - a drink that tastes like dirty water/numbs the tongue). During faikava, his host family played a ‘practical joke’ on him by making him introduce himself to others in Tongan saying “Hello! You have big testicles”. He got a few punches thrown his way.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Welcome to Ha'apai
Getting on a boat in a few hours, gonna be an 8 hour ride or so... Will meet a new host family to stay with for the next 5 weeks for more culture and language immersion. They call the islands Ha'apai; it's the most traditional Tonga. Sounds neat.
Friday, July 21, 2006
First two weeks
It's been a crazy first 2 weeks. The days are packed. For example, yesterday we visited the Prince's burial site, attended a church for part of the funeral, visited a couple businesses to see how we could improve them, did a little shopping, had an informal meeting with one of the guys from staging, went to the 'gym' (it's a burnt down house with one bench and an improvised curling bar), took a run to the beach, stayed at the beach with other volunteers, played some soccer with the village kids / teenagers, and finally relaxed by watching a movie. It's so nice not to have to worry about language sessions.
My roommate and I have this inside joke to see when it would be the most inappropriate time to say "does this turn anyone else on?". So far he's winning by pitching the line during one of our medical sessions when we were talking about boils. It doesn't sound really funny on paper, but it sure makes all the trainings pass by a little quicker.
Anyways, Tuesday we're gonna move to our next host family (at another island) and I probably won't be able to get online for 5 weeks. Hope everyone at home is well!
My roommate and I have this inside joke to see when it would be the most inappropriate time to say "does this turn anyone else on?". So far he's winning by pitching the line during one of our medical sessions when we were talking about boils. It doesn't sound really funny on paper, but it sure makes all the trainings pass by a little quicker.
Anyways, Tuesday we're gonna move to our next host family (at another island) and I probably won't be able to get online for 5 weeks. Hope everyone at home is well!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Visit to the Tongan Navy Base
The tattoo turned out nicely. I talked to the medical officer and they said it wasn’t safe given those conditions. A person in my group wants to get a tattoo the Tongan 'traditional way', despite the warnings. Traditional wood tapping is gone, they now use the prison style need gun.
Today we went to the Tongan Navy base to do our water safety training. They showed us basic boating, had us swim with our lifejackets, and even steer a small motorboat. The instructor specifically said that there were no sharks in the area, which was a sigh of relief for many of us. Not more than a year ago, another Peace Corps volunteer died from a shark attack.
Today we went to the Tongan Navy base to do our water safety training. They showed us basic boating, had us swim with our lifejackets, and even steer a small motorboat. The instructor specifically said that there were no sharks in the area, which was a sigh of relief for many of us. Not more than a year ago, another Peace Corps volunteer died from a shark attack.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Going to town!
Yesterday we went to town. We went to buy our tupenus (they’re like dresses except for guys and yes, it is the social norm). It was also the first time we were able to access the Internet since we got here in Tonga. I checked my emails, updated my blog, and read some messages.
Today one of the volunteers and I went for a morning jog to the beach. It’s still hard to believe we’re here! After our 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. classes, we went back with more volunteers for a swim. It was low tide so we weren’t able to swim much. We did try to catch small fish with my nalgene bottle, but weren’t very successful. I did get a small crab though!
Today I went to class wearing my fashionable tupenu. I now have a lot more respect for women being able to use the restroom with a dress on. We had language sessions, but we finished the day with a a quick session on washing our clothes by hand (Peace Corps covers all the bases).
Anyways, when we got back from class, Lavinia took us to the beach where there was a Mormon celebration. On the way back we went to see the flying fox sanctuary. Flying foxes are like bats, but a bit larger and fly about in broad daylight. Lavinia treated us for some ice cream (from New Zealand) and we returned home in time to go on another quick run before dinner.
We went jogging to the beach and on the way home, some stray dogs almost bit us. Dogs here are act and are treated nothing like their American counterparts. In Tonga (and I guess in most developing countries) its common to see dogs limping around. People commonly throw rocks at dogs in order to keep them away. Dogs here are known to carry diseases and are a lot more wild. We were advised to carry at least a small rock with us when we run in order to scare away the rabid dogs. At the very least, we should act like we’re throwing a rock.
During dinner we learned more about our host family. They’re from Hawaii and the 16-room house that we are staying in is their summer home. They’re very Americanized; hence watching “Resident Evil”, “Sky High”, and “You Got Served”. The kids speak mainly English while the older siblings generally speak Tongan. Just yesterday I learned that the 9 year old we were learning Tongan from didn’t actually know much about the Tongan language. I wish I brought a good Tongan-English dictionary, as the one the Peace Corps assigned us is slightly outdated.
Right now someone from our host family is getting a tattoo of the Tongan crest on her right leg/calf. This’ll be interesting to see because the tattoo gun looks like its prison style/home-made.
Tomorrow is water training / safely!
Today one of the volunteers and I went for a morning jog to the beach. It’s still hard to believe we’re here! After our 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. classes, we went back with more volunteers for a swim. It was low tide so we weren’t able to swim much. We did try to catch small fish with my nalgene bottle, but weren’t very successful. I did get a small crab though!
Today I went to class wearing my fashionable tupenu. I now have a lot more respect for women being able to use the restroom with a dress on. We had language sessions, but we finished the day with a a quick session on washing our clothes by hand (Peace Corps covers all the bases).
Anyways, when we got back from class, Lavinia took us to the beach where there was a Mormon celebration. On the way back we went to see the flying fox sanctuary. Flying foxes are like bats, but a bit larger and fly about in broad daylight. Lavinia treated us for some ice cream (from New Zealand) and we returned home in time to go on another quick run before dinner.
We went jogging to the beach and on the way home, some stray dogs almost bit us. Dogs here are act and are treated nothing like their American counterparts. In Tonga (and I guess in most developing countries) its common to see dogs limping around. People commonly throw rocks at dogs in order to keep them away. Dogs here are known to carry diseases and are a lot more wild. We were advised to carry at least a small rock with us when we run in order to scare away the rabid dogs. At the very least, we should act like we’re throwing a rock.
During dinner we learned more about our host family. They’re from Hawaii and the 16-room house that we are staying in is their summer home. They’re very Americanized; hence watching “Resident Evil”, “Sky High”, and “You Got Served”. The kids speak mainly English while the older siblings generally speak Tongan. Just yesterday I learned that the 9 year old we were learning Tongan from didn’t actually know much about the Tongan language. I wish I brought a good Tongan-English dictionary, as the one the Peace Corps assigned us is slightly outdated.
Right now someone from our host family is getting a tattoo of the Tongan crest on her right leg/calf. This’ll be interesting to see because the tattoo gun looks like its prison style/home-made.
Tomorrow is water training / safely!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Adjusting
Yesterday I crashed pretty early (maybe around 8 pm) and woke up round 7:30 a.m. For those that know me, that’s really odd since I’m usually such an insomniac in America (where I sleep about 5 hours/night on average). I’m guessing the reason for my new sleeping schedule is because it gets pitch black very early. The only lighting emanates from the few homes and there are only two or three light posts around the village.
I think I’m getting used to the small lizards and palm-sized spiders roaming about, but the cold bucket baths still send chills down to the spine. I know I’m sounding pretty spoiled, but I miss hot water already!
Today we finished more language training. We reviewed the alphabet, how the faukaua >> ‘ << affects the word, and how to count up to 100 in Tongan. For breakfast we had bread and butter with tea. For lunch we had egg sandwiches and taikaka (sp? – a type of dough dumpling with sugar / caramel coconut juice). I heard from the coconut wireless (word of mouth) that our family had to go on quite the quest for the eggs and the nearest place that sold them was two villages away. Dinner was simply amazing as well; New Zealand sausage, chow mein, and eggplant soup with tea. We definitely have it the nicest out of all the group 71 volunteers (and I’m not complaining).
Before dinner, some of us headed over to the Ha’atafu beach and watched a beautiful sunset. I didn’t bring my camera to Ha’atafu, but even if I did, some things should just be enjoyed. I know this sounds so cheesy, but there was something romantic about being in a foreign country, sitting on a white sanded beach, watching a clear blue sky stretch out as far as the naked eye can see, and with little far away islands dotting the open sea.
It's sights like this that reassures me that some $XXXXX+ a year career just isn’t right for me at this time of life. However, I do wish that my friends and family were here to see and share this moment; it’s simply breathtaking. Speaking of family, I haven’t had a chance to get to a payphone or an Internet café yet (I think I’m suffering slightly from internet withdrawal). I’d like to at least let them know I’m okay, though I did tell them that in the Peace Corps world, no news means good news.
I like my Peace Corps group. We’re all united in the common idea that we can all try to make the world better, no matter how small that difference may be. It’s also neat how diverse everyone is and how we probably wouldn’t have met each other if it weren’t for Peace Corps. These people have some of the best attitudes I’ve seen; we’re already constantly joking with one another and even playing the occasional prank.
One of the topics discussed in class that was particularly interesting was the concept of independence/happiness. Americans generally like to be alone at times and have their own space. Tongans don’t seem to value independence as much. One of the children made a comment about how they feel sorry for one of the volunteers because he gets his own room. I was thinking, what a lucky bastard, he gets his own room!
I think I’m getting used to the small lizards and palm-sized spiders roaming about, but the cold bucket baths still send chills down to the spine. I know I’m sounding pretty spoiled, but I miss hot water already!
Today we finished more language training. We reviewed the alphabet, how the faukaua >> ‘ << affects the word, and how to count up to 100 in Tongan. For breakfast we had bread and butter with tea. For lunch we had egg sandwiches and taikaka (sp? – a type of dough dumpling with sugar / caramel coconut juice). I heard from the coconut wireless (word of mouth) that our family had to go on quite the quest for the eggs and the nearest place that sold them was two villages away. Dinner was simply amazing as well; New Zealand sausage, chow mein, and eggplant soup with tea. We definitely have it the nicest out of all the group 71 volunteers (and I’m not complaining).
Before dinner, some of us headed over to the Ha’atafu beach and watched a beautiful sunset. I didn’t bring my camera to Ha’atafu, but even if I did, some things should just be enjoyed. I know this sounds so cheesy, but there was something romantic about being in a foreign country, sitting on a white sanded beach, watching a clear blue sky stretch out as far as the naked eye can see, and with little far away islands dotting the open sea.
It's sights like this that reassures me that some $XXXXX+ a year career just isn’t right for me at this time of life. However, I do wish that my friends and family were here to see and share this moment; it’s simply breathtaking. Speaking of family, I haven’t had a chance to get to a payphone or an Internet café yet (I think I’m suffering slightly from internet withdrawal). I’d like to at least let them know I’m okay, though I did tell them that in the Peace Corps world, no news means good news.
I like my Peace Corps group. We’re all united in the common idea that we can all try to make the world better, no matter how small that difference may be. It’s also neat how diverse everyone is and how we probably wouldn’t have met each other if it weren’t for Peace Corps. These people have some of the best attitudes I’ve seen; we’re already constantly joking with one another and even playing the occasional prank.
One of the topics discussed in class that was particularly interesting was the concept of independence/happiness. Americans generally like to be alone at times and have their own space. Tongans don’t seem to value independence as much. One of the children made a comment about how they feel sorry for one of the volunteers because he gets his own room. I was thinking, what a lucky bastard, he gets his own room!
Safe!
Making a quick post at an internet cafe in Tonga. Just wanted everyone to know that I made it here safely. It's been such a crazy week! Some of the pictures here are so beautifully surreal. I'll update later, though that might not be for another few weeks. I've just been writing stuff down on random tidbits of paper. The jiff of it is that I've had the great opportunity to meet a lot of cool people! I'm staying with a very nice host family and trying to learn the culture / language. Anyhoo my time is up, cya!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Leaving Home
My family dropped me off Friday morning to the Yosemite airport in Fresno, CA. (If you're reading this, I miss everyone already!) From there I caught my flight to LAX and met the rest of the Peace Corps volunteers. We have a pretty interesting and diverse group. There are 10 women and 6 men (with 4 specializing in IT and 12 specializing in business). Unsurprisingly, they all seem to have a genial disposition as well as an impeccable sense of humor.
For the weekend, we stayed at the hotel to cover some general Peace Corps policies and get acquainted with one another. We tried to catch a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 2’ showing, but the theater tickets were sold out for our available times.
Saturday night we left the hotel and caught a thirteen-hour flight from Los Angeles to New Zealand. One of the volunteers seems deathly scared of flights. Right now we’re on a two-hour flight to Tonga. I missed the World Cup final (something that I wish I could have watched with my dad). However, I was able to see France’s first goal at a bar in the New Zealand airport. They're now announcing the score in the middle of the Tongan plane ride! Anyways, I will write more later; right now I need to conserve the batteries on my laptop.
For the weekend, we stayed at the hotel to cover some general Peace Corps policies and get acquainted with one another. We tried to catch a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 2’ showing, but the theater tickets were sold out for our available times.
Saturday night we left the hotel and caught a thirteen-hour flight from Los Angeles to New Zealand. One of the volunteers seems deathly scared of flights. Right now we’re on a two-hour flight to Tonga. I missed the World Cup final (something that I wish I could have watched with my dad). However, I was able to see France’s first goal at a bar in the New Zealand airport. They're now announcing the score in the middle of the Tongan plane ride! Anyways, I will write more later; right now I need to conserve the batteries on my laptop.
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