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 I wish I brought a good Tongan-English dictionary, as the one the Peace Corps assigned us is slightly outdated.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!
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