There’s a blackout right now so I’m typing using the laptop’s battery. Today’s been another one of those great days. We had a ‘business meeting’ on a fairly remote island with no electricity and only rudimentary plumbing. In other words, we had a meeting for an hour, then got the rest of the day to kick back with other volunteers.
We traveled there on a small Red Cross boat, which so happened to look like the rescue boat. A thought crossed my mind; if this is the rescue boat, what happens if we need to be rescued? I then decided it was better to just let that thought slide.
Before boarding the small boat, the driver mentioned that the capacity was 15 people. We told them we needed to fit 16 Peace Corps Volunteers. He laughed and said he was talking about the weight of Tongans; the boat could easily hold the weight of at least 20 of us 'palangis'. (Tongans weigh quite a bit more than us)
Despite the lack of modern day appliances, the natural beauty of the beaches more than made up for it. We played soccer, football, had a makeshift volleyball game, and went snorkeling to see clam communities. We also learned how to climb coconut trees (where my feet got torn up a bit – coconut trees scratch). All you need to survive on a desert island is a machete and plentiful coconuts.
At one point I was just sitting there wondering; how did I get this lucky? I get to meet lots of great new people and travel to some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer. I still can’t believe this is the Peace Corps!
Earlier Muli and I went to take a stroll around town with the lights out. It was a weird sight. The night is pitch black without any lighting, yet somehow some of the Tongans were still able to see me! Next week will be quite busy. I have my PAKA tools due (which I barely started), our community day activity, and a practice language test. I guess I’ll have to cut down on the beach time a little and concentrate more on language studying.
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