We just finished another dance lesson at one of the volunteer home stays. The trainees in our town are getting ready for cultural day (where we’ll do a group dance for the village). We have the first verse down and just learned the second. The volunteer dance instructors have been really nice, patient, and can bake some killer banana cakes.
It’s been a while since I’ve updated so here's what's happening.
I helped fixed the backyard fence of my home stay; it involved laying lines of barbed wire to keep the pigs enclosed. I also started lifting weights with another volunteer in town. Hopefully we’ll motivate each other to go and work out regularly. It gets a bit depressing sometimes because we're probably lifting at the same level as 14 year old Tongan girls...
Sunday church was interesting. I thought we were going for the usual hour, give or take a bit since we're on 'island time'. As soon as I donned my taovala (its a big woven mat that gets wrapped around the waist for formal occasions), I felt irritable bowel movements.
Mind over matter; "I can hold it for an hour; it’s not that bad." My family and I start walking to our normal church, but they continued walking. Muli tells me that today we’re not going to our church, but instead we're going to the next village's church. I tell myself that its still ok, I can handle walking a little extra! Mind over matter!
I forgot to bring my watch and I’m wondering how much time passed. I ask the Peace Corps volunteer sitting a couple seats away, but she just gives me a hopeless look and shrugs. More than an hour and a half passes by and it seems like the minister read the entire Bible twice, all the while accompanied with hymns in between each story.
I sighed with relief once church services were finally over. I couldn't wait to get home. I was in for another surprise though! We weren’t going straight home; we were instead ushered into the town hall for a village feast. It was great food, but it would’ve been better if I didn’t have to use the facilities! While we were eating, I’m told that it’s the only meal for the day so I better eat up.
Great… After Church and the feast finished, over a combined 3 and half hours passed. I'm thanking God that I didn’t shit my pants.
We bought some fishing wire / hook at the local store on Wednesday. A couple volunteers came to my town and we went fishing. Fishing in Tonga doesn't consist of using a pole or even a net this time around. We went old school by tying one end of the wire to a three pronged hook and the other end to an empty glass bottle. Since we couldn’t throw it out too far, we would take turns swimming out in the ocean to place our hook / bobber (a makeshift empty plastic bottle).
For bait we found Bob, this pretty giant creature that resided in a very tough shell. We tried to crack his home open with everything from coconuts, slabs of concrete, rock, and finally a pair of Leatherman’s pliers did the trick. To this day I still don’t know what Bob was. I just know he has a wicked hook, takes more than 2 hours to die after being gutted, and the fish don't find him the least bit appetizing.
After fishing, another volunteer and I bumped into a more ‘seasoned’ education volunteer that we met on Friday. She complained to her vice principle about kids turning in papers that had blatant plagiarism. The next day the vice principal talked to the veteran Peace Corps volunteer and asks for her help to correct a paper. The paper turned out to be someone else’s homework from another school!
On Wednesday we did an exercise where we had to write down our worst day and our best day. It took me a minute to think of my best day. It was one of those days (I think it was a Saturday) where I just woke up thinking “This is going to be a great day!” At the time, I had declined all my law school apps so I could try to get officially invited into the Peace Corps. Now that I look back, it was an impulsive move because if I didn’t get into the Peace Corps, I had a year and a half to kill before I could get into law school again. I'm glad it worked out though.
Anyways, back to the topic of the Best Day! That day I was nominated for the Peace Corps to serve in Tonga so I was pretty psyched. Work just flew by and I got to go home a bit earlier than normal. With my schedule, I didn’t work Sundays and Mondays so my weekend just started. A friend from high school invited me to a birthday party for his sister and I went to visit. There was a local band playing in his backyard and there were plenty of free / good beer.
Some of my friends that I knew since elementary, high school, and college were there. I bumped into a friend that I hadn’t seen in a few years and got to talk with her for a bit. It was just one of those days that was just perfect, though it just sounds fairly lame on paper.
Then when I got to thinking about the worst day… I couldn’t think of anything. I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t really think of any day where I was just like “Damn, this day is the worst day in my life”.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Palangi Night
Yesterday was one of the worst times to get sick (not that there's ever a 'good' time to get sick). We had a ‘palangi night’ where it was just Peace Corps volunteers and staff at the only bar on the island. It was the first time that we’ve touched alcohol since landing in Tonga so we’ve been alcohol deprived for 26 straight days (though whose really counting).
It seemed like the perfect formula for some good ole binge drinking. Even a headache, sore throat, and a congested nose couldn’t stop me from downing a few beers. Another one of the volunteers knew that I was sick so he brought me some Sudafed (thanks Adam, it helped). We were forewarned about the expensive price of beer there so I came prepared by bringing a few extra pa’anga (money) and coming on an empty stomach to feel a buzz faster.
One of the female volunteers came from a higher altitude place and was able to down beers without stopping; she finally stopped at 9 beers in the three-hour frame that we had. Anyways, it was just really neat to kick back with all the other volunteers / trainees in a non-academic setting and get to know them a bit better.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Ikai Amelika
It’s another day of language training! We’ve fallen into a good routine. Monday through Fridays (except Wednesdays), we have language in the morning. On Wednesdays we cover business, medical, and safety/security training. Other than going to town to catch a rugby game and having some sweet and sour chicken at another one of the volunteer’s house, things have been pretty uneventful.
Funny things are still happening though! Before I left America I remember asking my older brother if he would mind if I brought along the DVD series ‘Firefly’, a TV science fiction that we both loved. He said sure so I popped it into my bags and didn’t think much about it. Now I made good use of it! I let the neighborhood kids watch ‘Firefly’ on my laptop. There were about 10 kids crowded around a small 15-inch screen with all of them attempting to make out the dialogue from the barely audible built-in speakers. I went inside for a moment to study a little and when I came back out, they were pointing at one of the scenes of a spaceport and saying “Amelika? (America?)”. For the next 10 minutes I had to explain that America did not have spaceships or spaceports with my horrible Tongan, which was pretty much pointing at the screen and saying “Ikai Amelika”.
Funny things are still happening though! Before I left America I remember asking my older brother if he would mind if I brought along the DVD series ‘Firefly’, a TV science fiction that we both loved. He said sure so I popped it into my bags and didn’t think much about it. Now I made good use of it! I let the neighborhood kids watch ‘Firefly’ on my laptop. There were about 10 kids crowded around a small 15-inch screen with all of them attempting to make out the dialogue from the barely audible built-in speakers. I went inside for a moment to study a little and when I came back out, they were pointing at one of the scenes of a spaceport and saying “Amelika? (America?)”. For the next 10 minutes I had to explain that America did not have spaceships or spaceports with my horrible Tongan, which was pretty much pointing at the screen and saying “Ikai Amelika”.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Fishing Tongan Style
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!
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!
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.
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