We went to the King's funeral a couple days ago. We have to wear black for a month and for some strange reason, I get thirsty when I look at so much black. Hmm... there's probably some screws loose in my head.
Yesterday I moved to Ha'apai, that is, if you can count dropping my backpack and guitar inside 'moving in'. The rest of my luggage should follow shortly on Friday. The plane ride over was delayed for 3 hours, which I hear seems to be fairly common. I had a chance to talk to some Aussies who also had their flight to Vava'u delayed.
Last night we had a feast at my counterpart's house. It was very yummy!
The computers that should have arrived at my site were accidentally shipped to Somoa. I guess I'll have to wait a week or two before they'll be here. Until then I should find some way to be productive. I found a book on lockpicking that I'll read up on in case I get locked out of my house.
This morning I started some coding and I'm working on a program to teach Tongan. I'm not sure how useful it'll be, but at least it'll keep me busy. I need my bags (with my microphone) to come here before I can start recording sound clips.
A friend back in the States just confirmed that he sent some programs over. I'll have some more compilers to play with, yay!!! I have a feeling I'll just be programming while I wait for the computers to come.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Officially a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer!
Yay, Group 71 from the Kingdom of Tonga are now official Peace Corps volunteers! Woot us! We received a pin, a certificate, and our ID cards.
OPI
At the end of every Peace Corps training, volunteers have to take the OPI. I forget what the acronym stands for, but it's a test to determine whether you meet the necessary foreign language requirements. If you're unable to pass the OPI, you need to continue language classes and reach proficiency within a certain timeframe. Rumor has it that in certain posts, sometimes that option is unavailable and you get sent back home.
Today was the OPI and needless to say, it was slightly stressful. It's a one-on-one back and forth conversation with a Tongan instruction that's recorded on tape. There's nine different proficiencies broken down into three grading levels (Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced). The grading levels are then broken into three more scales for that level. For example, the Novice level is then broken down into Novice(Novice), Novice(Intermediate), and Novice(Advanced).
The minimum level to be officially qualified is the Novice(Advanced) level. After three months of training, no volunteers ever make the 'Advanced' scale. Usually volunteers fall within the Novice and Intermediate categories. I pretty much winged the test and all I know for now is that I’m somewhere in the Intermediate level; I'm happy with that.
There's an auction for used Peace Corps furniture (like used stoves/fridges) and it's being pushed back until Friday. At 4 p.m. today we’ll get a chance to see the funeral procession. I’ll try to get some decent pictures (only if its culturally appropriate).
Tomorrow is the big day when we will swear-in as Peace Corps volunteers.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Back in Sela's Guesthouse
We flew back to Nuka’lofa and moved back into Sela's guesthouse. We're rooming with other trainees and it's been a nice change of pace to be with all the trainees again for some ‘palangi’ time.
Two of the IT volunteers put in a lot of work into the slideshow for our swearing in. For those interested in it, send me an email with your address and I’ll send a couple of DVD’s over with all the pictures and video that we’ve captured. The group t-shirt designs are almost finished so if you want a ‘Peace Corps Tonga’ t-shirt with Group 71 in it, let me know as well.
Today we took our 'Emergency Action Plan' test. It tests our knowledge about safety and security in Tonga; it ranged in topics from the correct course of action in natural disasters down to ways to avoid theft. Tomorrow we’ll be tested on our language proficiency test, where we'll be ranked in our proficiency in the Tongan language.
Regardless of the results of the test, we’ll have to get a tutor for at least an hour a week to work on our Tongan. If we are under the Intermediate level, we need to get a tutor for at least two hours a week.
After tomorrow’s test we’ll have a silent auction to look forward to. We’ve been given our settling in allowance and we can use this sum to buy anything from burners to refrigerators. I plan to buy a used refrigerator at the auction and a fishing spear in the fishing store. The interesting part of this auction is that we don’t quite know what our furnishings are in our future homes since most haven’t seen their homes and we just have to make an educated guess.
The King passed away recently and his body is being flown in tomorrow. The country is already preparing by cleaning up the streets, everyone’s wearing black (for at least a month), and entertainment areas (movies, bars, clubs) are all closing for a month. This is definitely an interesting time to be in Tonga; I've never seen an entire economy shut down for such an extended period of time.
Due to this unfortunate event, our swearing in ceremony will have to be a bit low-key and the meeting with our host country counterparts will have to be delayed. I’ll stay around for a few more days after swearing in so I can see the funeral and maybe I’ll crash over at another volunteer’s house for a bit.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Three strikes and you're out!
In the Peace Corps, you usually get three strikes before you're shipped home. The first strike is for minor offenses and you only receive a verbal warning. The second strike is for more serious offenses; you're written up, and that goes into your file. For the third strike you're taken into serious consideration for removal out of the country. If the offenses are serious enough, you can jump from nothing on your record to a second or third strike (and thus consequently sent home).
Here's how a few of us from Group 71 bypassed our first written warning and almost got kicked out of the Peace Corps before even swearing in. When reading, here's some things to keep in mind for perspective:
1.) In Tonga, we quickly realized how large a role that weather plays in planning events. Last week the weather was raining off and on so we had to cancel our plans to visit the resort island of Pangai'motu. This Sunday we were lucky and the weather was just perfect. When the weather is right, you just go with it.
2.) To understand our thinking, I have to explain the cultural context of Sundays in Tonga. On Sundays, most Tongans go to Church (sometimes as often as 3 times in the day) and all shops (except for bakeries) are closed. It is so significant that it is officially illegal to work on these days; Sundays are designated specifically for spending time with family and relaxing.
3.) One of the Peace Corps policies that was heavily stressed was the importance of lifejackets; the reasoning is that the often fickle weather causes the sea to behave erratically, with sometimes dangerous results. The sea may be perfectly calm one second and within the span of a few minutes, a boat may capsize from the pounding seas. Another Peace Corps group had decided to ignore the policies, and thus consequently received their first (verbal) warning.
With that in mind, we approached the Peace Corps office on a beautiful Sunday morning. Normally our life vests are lying on an open table. The original plan was for us to talk to the on-site security guard, grab our vests, and catch our boat to the small island resort of Pangai'motu. To say the least, things did not go as planned.
When we arrived, the jackets were no where in sight and we searched in frantic desperation, hoping to catch the boat on time. We found them inside a locked storage room and asked the Peace Corps guard for permission to open the room. He nodded in agreement, but did not have a key.
We did not want to disturb the Peace Corps staff on a Sunday so we did what we've always done since arriving in the Kingdom of Tonga; be incredibly resourceful. Thanks to some quick thinking, a plastic credit card, and some deft fingers, we were walking out of the office with our life vests in a matter of minutes. The security guard made no effort to stop us and watched curiously as we 'did our thing'.
After returning from our mini-vacation, we found a Peace Corps vehicle waiting for us. The staff inside were not entirely happy with our actions. Now with perfect hindsight, I agree that what we did was not acceptable behavior! The official terminology is something akin to “breaking and entering into a federal building” and "stealing government property"; that's some hefty charges, especially when you're in a foreign developing country. However, to our credit, at the moment we didn’t see it in this particular light.
Always the optimist, we thought we were considerate in not disturbing anyone on a sacred Sunday, we were resourceful with what we had, we already signed out for the lifejackets (so we weren’t stealing), we didn’t damage anything, and we tried to follow policy by wearing our life jackets.
There was a rumor that we would have all been kicked out if there weren't so many of us (over half of Group 71). It seemed unlikely since it would seriously damage the Peace Corps' reputation if say half the volunteers promised to key government offices and NGOs suddenly disappeared just days before their start date. For a brief moment they tried to single out the person who finally broke in, but we stuck together saying they were arguing over semantics; it was only a matter of time before someone pried open a window or found another way in. In the end, we were all written up and went from a clean slate to one remaining warning before getting kicked out of the Kingdom of Tonga.
I feel awful about the incident and completely understand what we did wrong, but at the same time I'm already chuckling inside at the twisted humor of it all. Our next breach of policies might get us sent back to the States so don't be surprised if I'm back early.
P.S. Totally inappropriate, but someone should really consider investing in better locks...
Here's how a few of us from Group 71 bypassed our first written warning and almost got kicked out of the Peace Corps before even swearing in. When reading, here's some things to keep in mind for perspective:
1.) In Tonga, we quickly realized how large a role that weather plays in planning events. Last week the weather was raining off and on so we had to cancel our plans to visit the resort island of Pangai'motu. This Sunday we were lucky and the weather was just perfect. When the weather is right, you just go with it.
2.) To understand our thinking, I have to explain the cultural context of Sundays in Tonga. On Sundays, most Tongans go to Church (sometimes as often as 3 times in the day) and all shops (except for bakeries) are closed. It is so significant that it is officially illegal to work on these days; Sundays are designated specifically for spending time with family and relaxing.
3.) One of the Peace Corps policies that was heavily stressed was the importance of lifejackets; the reasoning is that the often fickle weather causes the sea to behave erratically, with sometimes dangerous results. The sea may be perfectly calm one second and within the span of a few minutes, a boat may capsize from the pounding seas. Another Peace Corps group had decided to ignore the policies, and thus consequently received their first (verbal) warning.
With that in mind, we approached the Peace Corps office on a beautiful Sunday morning. Normally our life vests are lying on an open table. The original plan was for us to talk to the on-site security guard, grab our vests, and catch our boat to the small island resort of Pangai'motu. To say the least, things did not go as planned.
When we arrived, the jackets were no where in sight and we searched in frantic desperation, hoping to catch the boat on time. We found them inside a locked storage room and asked the Peace Corps guard for permission to open the room. He nodded in agreement, but did not have a key.
We did not want to disturb the Peace Corps staff on a Sunday so we did what we've always done since arriving in the Kingdom of Tonga; be incredibly resourceful. Thanks to some quick thinking, a plastic credit card, and some deft fingers, we were walking out of the office with our life vests in a matter of minutes. The security guard made no effort to stop us and watched curiously as we 'did our thing'.
After returning from our mini-vacation, we found a Peace Corps vehicle waiting for us. The staff inside were not entirely happy with our actions. Now with perfect hindsight, I agree that what we did was not acceptable behavior! The official terminology is something akin to “breaking and entering into a federal building” and "stealing government property"; that's some hefty charges, especially when you're in a foreign developing country. However, to our credit, at the moment we didn’t see it in this particular light.
Always the optimist, we thought we were considerate in not disturbing anyone on a sacred Sunday, we were resourceful with what we had, we already signed out for the lifejackets (so we weren’t stealing), we didn’t damage anything, and we tried to follow policy by wearing our life jackets.
There was a rumor that we would have all been kicked out if there weren't so many of us (over half of Group 71). It seemed unlikely since it would seriously damage the Peace Corps' reputation if say half the volunteers promised to key government offices and NGOs suddenly disappeared just days before their start date. For a brief moment they tried to single out the person who finally broke in, but we stuck together saying they were arguing over semantics; it was only a matter of time before someone pried open a window or found another way in. In the end, we were all written up and went from a clean slate to one remaining warning before getting kicked out of the Kingdom of Tonga.
I feel awful about the incident and completely understand what we did wrong, but at the same time I'm already chuckling inside at the twisted humor of it all. Our next breach of policies might get us sent back to the States so don't be surprised if I'm back early.
P.S. Totally inappropriate, but someone should really consider investing in better locks...
A sad day in Tonga
The Tongan King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV passed away early this morning. Tonga is currently the only constitutional monarachy still in existence; this means that the king holds a heavy influence in government, yet there's also a level of aristocracy (nobles), elected officials, and people still have basic constitutional rights.
Tupoud IV was the king for the past 42 years and with his passing, politics will heavily shift. The last time a King passed away, businesses were shut down for 6 months (which is also the timeframe that everyone in Tonga needs to wear black clothes). Time to go shopping for a few more black shirts...
Tupoud IV was the king for the past 42 years and with his passing, politics will heavily shift. The last time a King passed away, businesses were shut down for 6 months (which is also the timeframe that everyone in Tonga needs to wear black clothes). Time to go shopping for a few more black shirts...
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Almost a volunteer!
Our homestays are officially over and we're currently on the way back to Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. We're traveling aboard a really shaky and aerodynamically questionable plane. When I looked into the cockpit, I could almost swear that I saw certain pieces being held together by duct tape.
Before we left, we got our assignments listing where we'll be staying for the next two years. For my assignment I'll be setting up a computer center, teaching computer classes, and doing the IT work for the Ha'apai radio station. I'm the first Information Technology volunteer they're getting (and only) so I'm a bit nervous. I emailed a few friends to get some software and I got quite a few replies. (Thanks everyone!) Another volunteer had additional software which we happily dumped onto our hard drives. (I wish I had brought a larger hard drive!)
I'm really psyched to live with all the other volunteers in the same place for the next week. The guest house we're staying in has hot water for showers. Yesterday was the best shower I've had in months (From this point forward, I don't think I'll ever stop appreciating hot water showers). If all goes well, we'll swear in as official Peace Corps volunteers on September 14, 2006! Until then we gotta practice our war dance, work on a slide show, and pass the Tongan language proficiency test.
Before we left, we got our assignments listing where we'll be staying for the next two years. For my assignment I'll be setting up a computer center, teaching computer classes, and doing the IT work for the Ha'apai radio station. I'm the first Information Technology volunteer they're getting (and only) so I'm a bit nervous. I emailed a few friends to get some software and I got quite a few replies. (Thanks everyone!) Another volunteer had additional software which we happily dumped onto our hard drives. (I wish I had brought a larger hard drive!)
I'm really psyched to live with all the other volunteers in the same place for the next week. The guest house we're staying in has hot water for showers. Yesterday was the best shower I've had in months (From this point forward, I don't think I'll ever stop appreciating hot water showers). If all goes well, we'll swear in as official Peace Corps volunteers on September 14, 2006! Until then we gotta practice our war dance, work on a slide show, and pass the Tongan language proficiency test.
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