tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86302853511479245412024-03-13T00:28:44.457-07:00Toki Sio America! ...I'll see you later!Hello friends and family! I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures in Tonga!Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-11971474152147787702012-06-07T19:00:00.000-07:002012-06-07T19:25:18.574-07:00Camp GLOW 2012<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMW8vzaLm1qLWLcd7iD6vqobWkT1ecCz52fRU95Nq8MiMhsDZydZ-5ChgmiyCYCws2YcVv1q_21Tg3O_M_HxSQ0vZzeUQGbZyQltYV4f2S3saUbhizTVqS_C_UgaNqTpnKHAJ6rsYHjAr3/s1600/209277_702059505099_13801271_37331857_5714800_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMW8vzaLm1qLWLcd7iD6vqobWkT1ecCz52fRU95Nq8MiMhsDZydZ-5ChgmiyCYCws2YcVv1q_21Tg3O_M_HxSQ0vZzeUQGbZyQltYV4f2S3saUbhizTVqS_C_UgaNqTpnKHAJ6rsYHjAr3/s320/209277_702059505099_13801271_37331857_5714800_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;">Dear Blog Readers Near and Far,</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mālō e lelei! That’s a friendly hello from the Kingdom of
Tonga. As most all of you know, I’m
currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer here on a small island called
Vava’u. My primary assignment is
teaching English at a local school, but I also participate in various secondary
activities. One of these activities is
something called Camp GLOW, a delightful acronym that stands for Girls Leading
Our World. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Camp GLOW is held in Peace Corps countries all
over the world and strives to encourage young women to become active citizens
by building their confidence, increasing their self-awareness, and developing
their skills in goal setting and career planning. High School girls who exhibit academic
excellence and leadership potential are invited to this weeklong camp free of
charge. They get to interact with
speakers who are successful Tongan women in business, health, and a variety of
other fields. The girls participate in activities focused on goal setting,
critical thinking and decision making, computer literacy, public speaking,
conflict resolution, the rights of women and children, sexual harassment and
domestic abuse, nutrition, first aid, and environmental responsibility. Every
day presents a chance for play and self-expression in a safe and encouraging
environment.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIeAGa5-9Ao4ShY5Mdwuafjs58XTB5ve0SkkpPQpVwqRl-XI6QL4XDVAB4tPp_e93I8Yc_dDv0agzVpYWpKlTKizS4LhOV5PlMOqtRlFGzBQah8OBO1trKuGo_exXAurCF85Qaa8ST17i/s1600/IMG_8729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIeAGa5-9Ao4ShY5Mdwuafjs58XTB5ve0SkkpPQpVwqRl-XI6QL4XDVAB4tPp_e93I8Yc_dDv0agzVpYWpKlTKizS4LhOV5PlMOqtRlFGzBQah8OBO1trKuGo_exXAurCF85Qaa8ST17i/s320/IMG_8729.JPG" width="320" /></a>I had the pleasure of being a part of
Camp GLOW Vava’u last year so I can tell you from experience that this is an
absolutely worthwhile cause. At first
glance, the activities that I mentioned above might not sound all that life
changing. Growing up in America, youth
are almost bombarded with opportunities to hone their critical thinking skills
and learn about decision making. The
context of our American culture (and hopefully also loving families and great
role models) instills in young people the belief that they have power over
their own destinies. Tongan girls don’t
have that same experience; many have trouble imagining their future following a
path that diverges from the experiences of their mothers, grandmothers,
sisters, and aunts (many of whom didn’t even receive a high school education).
..but times are changing! <o:p></o:p></div>
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This year, I am part of a very small
group of Peace Corps Volunteers planning and facilitating the camp. <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> We are</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> in the midst of planning and fundraising locally and
internationally for 2012. It’s a huge task but, the camps for the past two years
have proven to be well worth the blood, sweat, and (happy) tears that go into
planning and implementing them. This is where I need your help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">The local community has
contributed 50% of the cost of the camp for 2012 and Peace Corps Volunteers are
responsible for funding the other half. We are doing this online through the
Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP). The PCPP allows friends, family, and
organizations abroad donate to Peace Corps projects across the world [and all
donations are 100% tax deductible!].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Working with these young
girls and providing for them an opportunity to become informed, active,
independent, and responsible citizens- an otherwise unreachable goal in Tonga-is
something that means the world to me, and it would mean even more if you could
show your support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">If you think you’d be
able to make a donation to this exceptional project, please follow this link: </span><a href="https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=421-136">Camp GLOW
2012</a><span style="color: #222222;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thank you so much for
your time. Please feel free to email me
if you have any questions or would just like to say Hi! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">All the Best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Nora Graves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">PCV, Kingdom of Tonga <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-57381281749679951542012-06-07T17:53:00.000-07:002012-06-07T18:32:06.712-07:00The Difficulties of Exercising in Tonga<br />
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During my first year of Peace Corps, I was a pretty devoted
exerciser! When I first arrived at my
site, I had a lot of free time and a tiny house….so; I got out into the fresh
[although usually stiflingly humid] air and ran. I like running….and Peace Corps can be tough
sometimes, so I needed the endorphins, too.
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I had a pretty good rhythm going my entire first year. The school year was winding down in November
and I was taking relaxing morning runs almost every day. Then Christmas arrived and I was lucky enough
to head back to the states for some “clean life” time. Flash forward to January. I am ready to commence Peace Corps: Year 2
and I just can’t get my feet into running shoes! Now here we are at the beginning of May and
I’m getting back on the horse. I took a
run yesterday and it felt great.
However, it also reminded me why exercising in Tonga can be a bit of a
challenge. I’ll just lay out my timeline
for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4:00 pm - The sun has now reached only 80% scorching
level, so I’m going to attempt to go outside.
I <br />
stretch a little,
throw my shoes on, and head outside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4:05 pm - I leave home briefly chatting with a few
neighbors along the way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4:10 pm- I’ve walked nearly to the edge of my
village and am about to start running when some ladies in an approaching truck flag me down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4:15 pm- We’ve exchanged pleasantries for a few
minutes when they finally say “<i>Fakamolemole </i>Nola, Can you help us fix our video
camera??” It’s the Tongan way to always
apologize [the fakamolemole] before
you ask someone for help. I respond, “Of
course, I can try. When should
I come look at it?” Their answer…“ Well,
now? Here is our camera, the screen is broken!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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4:20 pm- A random cloudburst has arrived and it’s
pouring rain! I hop in the back of said
truck & off we go back into the
village. They’re headed to decorate for
tomorrow’s church service and it
looks like I am, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5:00 pm- After unsuccessfully fiddling with the camera
and reading 80 pages of the user manual…. I give
up. Technology wonk I am not. Although people often confuse me with a
member of the Geek Squad and ask for
help with any variety of electronics. I
sit and talk with the girls for a few
minutes about food, the weather, and
reasons I should marry a Tongan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5:05 pm- Alright, attempt number two; I’m heading out into the bush
[a.k.a the farmland outside of my town]
for some much needed peace and quiet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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5:20 pm- Awesome timing! I don’t encounter any cars….only a few friendly
looking horses and cows. Now I’ve arrived at a little house
out in the bush where a lovely older couple lives. They’re the
only people who live outside of the villages, so they always seem happy to have
a visitor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5:30pm- Back on the road! I
carry on until I reach my spot [an opening in the trees where I have a phenomenal view of the water and Mt. Talau,
Tonga’s tallest and only mountain!]<o:p></o:p></div>
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5:45pm- I am running back past the lone little house in the forest
when the woman runs outside to flag me
down. She gives me a few dollars and
asks me to go ‘top up’ her phone so she can make
a call. Yep, that’s how it works around
here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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6:00pm- I roll into my village and stop at the first falekoloa [little
shop] because there is a crew of my students
loafing around and I spy a cute baby. I mean to hold the baby for a minute, but
as soon as I pick him up the
brother who had been minding him disappears!
Hence, I become a babysitter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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6:15pm- I manage to convince one of the kids to take over baby duty as
my arms are getting tired [Tongan
babies are big babies!]! Then I head on to a neighbor’s house who sells phone credit! <o:p></o:p></div>
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6:30pm- After catching up on the news about said neighbor’s TEN
children and buying phone credit, I am
finally home!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Big picture; a run that should have
taken me about 30 minutes <b>actually</b>
took 2 ½ hours. However, the real moral
of this probably far too long and in-depth blog is that <b>The Difficulties of Exercising in Tonga</b> are the little tidbits that
make living here an unforgettable experience.
I can already picture myself back in ‘clean life,’ taking a jog with no
disruptions, and wistfully reminiscing about my eventful exercising in Tonga.<br />
<br />
p.s. I apologize for the terrible formatting of this blog, but the website was just being very disagreeable today! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-68278874012209914252012-03-08T16:56:00.000-08:002012-03-08T16:56:04.240-08:00Plainfield North Rocks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouK67ljUkis/T1lJm9OzK1I/AAAAAAAABzw/xGQBFJLByXk/s1600/DSC04627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouK67ljUkis/T1lJm9OzK1I/AAAAAAAABzw/xGQBFJLByXk/s400/DSC04627.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's an ode to Plainfield North High School and their delightful highlighter yellow t-shirt! Thanks to Mrs. Graves' class for being great pen pals and supporters. :) </div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-35554709960919175232012-03-08T15:51:00.001-08:002012-03-08T15:54:37.651-08:00Garden Fairies: Take 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GOGek7nJrf0/T1Aeg_p-rhI/AAAAAAAABw0/LmoBXMxc-HU/s1600/DSC04585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GOGek7nJrf0/T1Aeg_p-rhI/AAAAAAAABw0/LmoBXMxc-HU/s200/DSC04585.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WS1-3WjUC4w/T1AgiDPYEwI/AAAAAAAABx0/smxucXzce_c/s1600/DSC04593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WS1-3WjUC4w/T1AgiDPYEwI/AAAAAAAABx0/smxucXzce_c/s200/DSC04593.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ISVd2Lu1Nec/T1AdnYsSW4I/AAAAAAAABwE/QoNODosaH3M/s1600/DSC04579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ISVd2Lu1Nec/T1AdnYsSW4I/AAAAAAAABwE/QoNODosaH3M/s320/DSC04579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Last year around this time, I received a delightful surprise in the form of neighborhood ladies attempting to spruce up my little yard. By spruce up, I mean cut the knee high grass, chase out some pigs, and pull a profuse amount of weeds! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This year, instead of waiting for the neighborhood ladies to take pity on the poor Peace Corps’ yard, I put my students’ excess energy to good use. All 23 of my Class 6 hooligans paraded down the street to my house after school. We cranked up some tunes and began hacking away at the VERY tall grass in my yard. Every time I tried to cut some grass or even pick up a broom, one of the kids would come steal it away and demand that I sit down and ‘supervise’ the music selection. [They recently learned about ‘demands’ and ‘requests’ in class and definitely enjoy the ‘demands’ a bit more than the ‘requests’!]<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3OH4piaRGyU/T1AfAI5qvpI/AAAAAAAABxE/NBVvOkZHkTM/s1600/DSC04587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3OH4piaRGyU/T1AfAI5qvpI/AAAAAAAABxE/NBVvOkZHkTM/s320/DSC04587.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RT3TX0HpnNw/T1AgX7shCwI/AAAAAAAABxs/x_Hrw6z7nuk/s1600/DSC04592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RT3TX0HpnNw/T1AgX7shCwI/AAAAAAAABxs/x_Hrw6z7nuk/s200/DSC04592.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2usaMq0Hkco/T1Ahnm8kM_I/AAAAAAAABys/jKKxwYA_X5I/s1600/DSC04600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2usaMq0Hkco/T1Ahnm8kM_I/AAAAAAAABys/jKKxwYA_X5I/s200/DSC04600.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
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As you can see, I decided this was a good time to bring out the camera. Unfortunately, the productivity of my little workers decreases significantly anytime a camera appears. I had to start telling them I would only take pictures of kids who were <i>actually </i>working. I can never get a good candid, they enjoy posing for the pictures way too much!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A good time was had by all, and the rat situation has abated a bit thanks to brush reduction. What a successful day!</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-36872263018383555032012-02-25T17:28:00.001-08:002012-02-25T17:38:54.284-08:002012: the year of surprises!<div class="MsoNormal">In my last post I mentioned just how much I enjoy the day-to-day surprises that make Peace Corps the unique experience that it surely is. I am happy to report that [re: surprises] 2012 is most certainly not going to disappoint! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Surprises thus far:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">ü<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Darkness: I arrived back at my little <i>fale </i>[house] in January to find that my electricity had been disconnected. <i>Oiaue!</i> [Yikes!] No sweat. This just meant a week of lots of ‘community integration’ and reading by candle light. Fyi: showering by candle light is tricky. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">ü<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Mice: I was also received at my humble abode by the colony of mice that have taken up residence. …alright, that might be a bit melodramatic, but there are definitely some <i>kumā</i> [mice] that are frequenting my house. I feel a bit like the neighborhood wacko jumping around with my broom chasing them away. There are multiple plans in the works to drive them away…so far they’ve outsmarted me. I’ll keep you updated.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">ü<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Cyclones!: What was supposed to be day 1 of school turned out to be our first cyclone of the season. Luckily, it was pretty small as cyclones go. Lots of banana trees were blown over, but most houses didn’t sustain much damage. We did, however, lose power for three days. I have pretty much depleted my candle supply at this point.<br />
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Bugs: Despite hiding all my food within supposedly airtight ziploc bags, creatures managed to creep on in to my oatmeal supply. On a recent morning, I was gazing sleepily into my bowl of oats only to be greeted by little black creepy crawlies enjoying their own breakfast. Oiaue! [I'm used to eating an occasional ant, but these unidentified intruders are not part of my diet plan. Right now, it is summertime here and the weather seems to be encouraging ridiculous bug populations. I think I share my house with about 50 unique species of ants and a constant parade of cockroaches!!! </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s it for surprises thus far…. I am fairly certain there will be more to come! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Over and out.<o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-38684109355761126032012-01-31T17:09:00.000-08:002012-01-31T17:18:54.002-08:00Cheers to a New Year!<div class="MsoNormal">After a glorious month of reunions with family & friends [and of course, lots of delicious food and hot showers] in America, I’m now back in Tonga and starting my 2<sup>nd</sup> year as a Peace Corps volunteer. I’ve got to tell you…It’s a pretty surreal feeling. Being back in the States for Christmas felt so natural, I kept forgetting that I’d just made a 5,000 mile trek home. Thankfully, it also felt pretty natural to hop on the plane and come right back.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Every blog entry, I feel as though I’m waxing philosophical about how I can’t believe how fast time is flying, how long I’ve been here [15 months OH my!], etc., etc. My Peace Corps experience thus far has been a beautiful and ridiculous trip. There have been experiences that encompass just what I expected Peace Corps service to entail [i.e. making a fool of myself through various cultural faux pas and eating exotic new foods]. But the bits I’ve really loved have been the surprises. Who knew I’d come to this itty bitty country, separated from everywhere else by vast Pacific waters, and meet Tongans who speak Spanish, who’ve met the Pope, and who really love Celine Dion? Those were certainly not predictions I could’ve made about my Peace Corps journey, but the unexpected tidbits are what make this experience pretty phenomenal. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Since it has been QUITE a while since my last entry, I better make this one pretty beefy. In lieu of a verbal recap of my first year I thought I’d post a few iconic pictures of the journey.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>October 2010</u>: Mom & I taking a typical airport picture before I headed into the unknown! You can’t see it, but there should be a little thought bubble above my head thinking, ‘Holy moly, what have I gotten myself into?!’<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>October & November</u>: Now… with my new Tongan family during 2 months of Pre-Service Training. I was incredibly lucky to stay with the Vakalahi family. They treated me as one of their own/a princess. I was the best fed Peace Corps in town! <o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>October & November</u>: This is my host Papa, 'Ofa [which means love in Tongan]. He is an expert diver and fisherman. He'd sometimes head out to sea for days at a time in a little fishing boat and return with LOTS of delicious fish and lobsters! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>November 2010</u>: No Barbie cars here….but old lawn mowers are a suitable substitute in Ha'apai.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>November 2010</u>: Great thing about Tonga? Totally acceptable to ride in the back of trucks! During training, a kind soul tried to pick up about 9 of us walking along the road to town. Promptly after we piled into his truck.... his two back tires went flat. woops!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>December 2010</u>: Training has come to an end and off goes the Vava’u Crew [minus a few who didn’t want to stop for our corny picture] to our next adventures.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>December 2010</u>: Welcome to Vava’u [my island]! Unreal views and lovely neighbors galore.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>January 2011</u>: It’s finally time for some real work to occur…meet the kiddies of GPS Tefisi!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<u>June 2011</u>: During a 2 week school break, I ventured to New Zealand with some Peace Corps friends. I have never been more thankful for cool weather & grocery stores!<br />
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<u>Every day</u>: My neighbor, Mele Lose, graces my front steps and tells me about life. Her specialties include predicting the weather, telling me when the next full moon will be, and giving massages [yep, massages].</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>September 2011</u>: Need a reason to parade and dance in the streets? We have one….RUGBY! The Tonga Ikale Tahi [Sea Eagles] competed in the Rugby World Cup and invoked some serious national pride in Tongans all over the world. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<u>September 2011</u>: PCVs and Tongan counselors facilitated Camp GLOW, a pretty fantastic Leadership and Youth Development camp for young women! PCVs all over the world participate in Camp GLOW.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<u>October 2011</u>: My class 6 munchkins pose here after taking their High School Entrance Exam. Bless them all for being the guinea pigs during Nola’s first year teaching.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<u>November 2011</u>: School has unofficially ended, so I spent a lot of my time malolo-ing [relaxing] and making flower rings with the neighborhood kids.<br />
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<u>December 2011</u>: 'Osi mo ta'u e taha! [Finished with year one!] Ended the year with a phenomenal trip home to the states. THANKS Mom & Dad! :)<br />
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*sorry mom, I think you're behind the camera.<br />
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So, that about covers the first half of my Peace Corps journey. I count myself among some of the luckiest PCVs. I serve in a safe country with extremely kind and generous people, plenty of delicious food, and [of course] some unreal scenery. I have no idea what the next year will entail, but I'm pretty excited to find out. So, with that..... Cheers to a New Year!!!!</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-21551029348739671122011-10-28T15:36:00.000-07:002011-10-28T15:36:02.716-07:00Taimi SIVI [ Test Time]<div class="MsoNormal">What an interesting week this has been!<span> </span>October in Tonga is ‘taimi sivi’ [a.k.a. test time!]! <span> </span>This time of year every class 6 student takes the SEE [Secondary Entrance Exam], colloquially referred to as the ‘sivi’ [test].<span> </span>There are 4 separate sections testing the kids on English, Tongan Language, Science, and Math. The kids’ ‘sivi’ score can determine a lot about their future.<span> </span>It certainly carries a lot more weight than any test I took at age 11.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span><span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are 6 High Schools [one government and 5 religious] here in Vava’u and the kids’ scores determine where he or she can attend school.<span> </span>It’s quite the regimented process.<span> </span>Each child’s family comes into school and ranks their top three high school choices.<span> </span>Months later, after the ‘sivi’ has been graded, I am told that a big announcement is made on the radio and the kids all find out what school they’ll be attending.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">SIVI week blasted off to a bit of a slow start.<span> </span>I meandered into school Monday morning to find our students split into a variety of factions.<span> </span>There were card sharks on the verandah, future athletes kicking the rugby ball around, some ‘bookworms’ fanning themselves with my recently arranged library books, and the truly hardcore few having ‘chicken fights’ in the schoolyard [if you are unaware, chicken fights consist of two pairs of kids. one kid is the legs of the operation while the other sits on his/her shoulders.<span> </span>the two shoulder sitters duke it out until one team topples over.<span> </span>now…. I like a chicken fight as much as the next gal, but I did my chicken fighting in a POOL!<span> </span>These kids are arm wrestling and slapping each other around before plummeting 4 feet down to some pretty solid ground.<span> </span>Needless to say, the band-aid box is a popular destination.] Sorry, wandered off on a tangent there.<span> </span>However, my point was that not much happened the day before our big test began.<span> </span>While the kids played, the teachers went to work preparing the testing rooms.<span> </span>Preparing the testing rooms, you say?<span> </span>How long can that take?<span> </span>Grab a few pencils and make sure there are enough chairs, right? Wrong. <span> </span>We had to pin up white sheets all over the classroom and make sure there were absolutely no distractions for the kids. Quite the process!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7ClJnjiKfw/Tqnild8n47I/AAAAAAAABmI/dqWkVbpBPUE/s1600/DSC03765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7ClJnjiKfw/Tqnild8n47I/AAAAAAAABmI/dqWkVbpBPUE/s320/DSC03765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, bright and early Tuesday morning, the kids arrived with shiny sharp pencils in hand ready to tackle the SIVI.<span> </span>For 4 hours each day, the kids toiled away taking tests.<span> Meanwhile, I lounged around [like a hippie Peace Corps should] talking to grandmothers and smelling flowers. </span>After testing, however, the kids were justly rewarded with a giant feast….4 days in a row!<span> </span>Every afternoon, the whole village seemed to appear out of nowhere with pigs, tables, coconuts, and fish galore! I have never been so absolutely stuffed!<span> </span> Some local ministers blessed the food and then various townsfolk gave <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">fakamālō's [which are mini thank you speeches] praising God for puaka [pork], kau faiako [teachers], and everything in between! </span> <span> </span>Māl<span>ō e sivi!! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEM7boRfFLM/TqngmbxGoGI/AAAAAAAABlA/0JGnGB-OEV0/s1600/DSC03731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEM7boRfFLM/TqngmbxGoGI/AAAAAAAABlA/0JGnGB-OEV0/s320/DSC03731.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-56632747727247413912011-09-30T11:37:00.000-07:002011-09-30T11:39:26.792-07:00Kau Laka! [Let's Parade!]<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrqYXrtX-gI/ToYEe7MFGeI/AAAAAAAABiQ/ztrFbYoPnWI/s1600/DSC03629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrqYXrtX-gI/ToYEe7MFGeI/AAAAAAAABiQ/ztrFbYoPnWI/s320/DSC03629.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Would you like to see a country with some impressive national pride? Come to Tonga. NOW! There are people wearing red….everywhere! I have been almost publicly shunned for wearing a red skirt/white shirt combo rather than an entirely red ensemble. There are also occasional ‘lakas’ [parades] consisting of lots of Tongans driving around the island and shouting!! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What is causing all this ruckus, you ask? Why, it’s rugby! For the past few weeks, Tonga has been participating in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Even more exciting, there is a player on the national team who hails from my village [giving my village, and our whole island, a reason to celebrate!] <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkX_RlZKUBY/ToYHfCZzLiI/AAAAAAAABjI/Fz4jJyvACsQ/s1600/DSC03640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkX_RlZKUBY/ToYHfCZzLiI/AAAAAAAABjI/Fz4jJyvACsQ/s320/DSC03640.JPG" width="320" /></a>On a recent Friday, my principal asked me if I’d like to ‘laka’ instead of school as usual. Naturally, I said ‘of course!’ I assumed we’d decorate his truck a bit and then go into town and drive down the main road…short and sweet. Do you think that is what happened? ‘Ikai.’[Definitely not.]<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We did decorate his truck! The teachers literally chopped down two little trees and fastened them onto each side of his truck. We made posters, a banner, and even a giant eagle to represent our team, the ‘Ikale Tahi’ [Sea Eagles]. Then, far too many people climbed into the back of my principal’s truck and began the trek into town. On the way in, I began to suspect this ‘laka’ was going to be bigger then I’d anticipated. More and more trucks draped in red began appearing behind us…and then the honking began. Oiaue! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvH_0jEsJsg/ToYEYm9zQWI/AAAAAAAABiI/8G-X9Gq6xw0/s1600/DSC03627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvH_0jEsJsg/ToYEYm9zQWI/AAAAAAAABiI/8G-X9Gq6xw0/s320/DSC03627.JPG" width="320" /></a>When we finally arrived in town, we proceeded to drive around and around for at least 3 hours! The trucks honked and honked, blared loud music, and occasionally made a pit stop to have an impromptu dance party. After these shenanigans, I assumed we might be finished. Nope. We left the big city of Neiafu and headed for the villages singing and shouting ‘Go Ikale Gooooooooo!’ In one particularly boisterous village, a man was ready for us with a giant pail of water. Right as we drove by, he tossed it at us successfully drenching me, and pretty much only me. However, it was a much needed cool down. Typical Nola style, I hadn’t prepared properly for what turned out to be an all day trek. I had no food, water, or sunscreen. Luckily Tongans are very generous. I ate plenty of snacks and drank enough water, but my poor nose was bright bright red after our day in the sun.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqBoHJMmvsc/ToYHNW4E5BI/AAAAAAAABiw/qPErn3pb6c0/s1600/DSC03635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqBoHJMmvsc/ToYHNW4E5BI/AAAAAAAABiw/qPErn3pb6c0/s320/DSC03635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our team may have only won 1 game thus far, but the Tongan team spirit has not diminished in the least. Long after the Rugby World Cup has finished, devoted fans here will be wearing red and looking ahead to 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-81665964794539394062011-08-19T14:42:00.000-07:002011-08-19T14:42:31.544-07:00Tānaki Tu’unga<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">As usual with school events thus far, I never really know what’s going on.<span> </span>I tend to need a little time to digest and ask a few questions.<span> </span>Today proved to be another somewhat confusing, but certainly entertaining cultural experience.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZcVNQbCv2U/ThZsXkqRHkI/AAAAAAAABUM/SUkEMC_1zf0/s1600/DSC03030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZcVNQbCv2U/ThZsXkqRHkI/AAAAAAAABUM/SUkEMC_1zf0/s320/DSC03030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Oh boy! The class 6 girls are anxiously waiting to find out</div><div style="text-align: left;">their class rank!</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">This morning, we were scheduled to have the annual Tānaki Tu’unga at school.<span> </span>It is an event that marks the end of our 2<sup>nd</sup> Term of school, essentially the middle of the school year here in Tonga.<span> </span>Translated literally, tānaki tu’unga means ‘to gather the ladder.’<span> </span>In reality, it is the announcement of class rank.<span> </span>I like the symbolism, though.<span> </span>I envision all the kids in their cute little red uniforms arranging themselves on a giant ladder [with plenty of pushing and shoving, of course].<span> </span>[note: I’m being a stellar PC volunteer and writing blog posts while sitting around with my teachers.<span> </span>I just giggled aloud while writing that bit about the ladder.<span> </span>One of my counterparts asked me what I was laughing about, but I couldn’t tell her for fear that at the next tānaki tu’unga someone might actually bring a giant ladder. People take me way too seriously here…or I am just not so ‘poto’ [smart/good] at making jokes Tongan style.]<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, on with the story!<span> </span>I arrived at school just in time for the 8:30 bell [read: bell = old propane tank] to find 3 kids milling around and no teachers to be seen.<span> </span>My teachers told me that the program would start at 10.<span> </span>My ‘palangi’ [foreigner] brain assumed that we’d continue school as usual, but everyone else understood that they were to sleep in on this momentous day.<span> </span>‘Sai p<span>ē</span> ia’ [It’s ok].<span> </span>I am pretty much incapable of sleeping in here anyway.<span> </span>There are far too many roosters and barking dogs to make for a late morning. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hence, I wandered around school for a while until families began to arrive.<span> </span>Eventually, the parents and kids began filling every shady space available at school.<span> </span>It certainly pays to arrive early…no one wants to be stuck sitting in the sun!<span> </span>I thought that this might turn out to be my first Tongan event that did not involve food in any way. I was wrong, of course.<span> </span>As the Class One kids sidled out in front of the crowd to perform, I noticed that along with makeshift instruments, they [well their moms, to be more precise] were carrying all sorts of produce.<span> </span>There were giant bunches of bananas and every variety of Tongan root crop.<span> </span>The class then commenced singing ‘Come and Buy,’ and tried to entice the crowd [again, their moms :) ] to come purchase food to benefit the PTA.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWAzK3A32Ec/ThZfqHw14bI/AAAAAAAABTc/jGIqSsKmyr4/s1600/DSC03018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWAzK3A32Ec/ThZfqHw14bI/AAAAAAAABTc/jGIqSsKmyr4/s320/DSC03018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These future class one musicians are starting small with <br />
corned beef can instruments!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The class’s makeshift instruments were quite impressive.<span> </span>A few budding musicians played guitars made of giant ‘kapa pulu’ [corned beef] cans.<span> </span>Another popular choice was a giant rum bottle [‘osi inu a.k.a. already imbibed] filled with rocks! I am not entirely sure what musical instrument this was meant to be, the cucaracha perhaps? Regardless, the kids performed wonderfully…for the most part.<span> </span>A few shy youngsters were simultaneously ‘tā kītā’ [playing the guitar] and crying.<span> </span>Sidenote: Tongans REALLY love to laugh.<span> </span>While these few little kids were singing and crying, the crowd was ‘kata lahi’ [laughing a LOT].<span> </span>At first I wanted to cry for the kids.<span> </span>I felt so bad that they were frightened and uncomfortable and that all their mothers were laughing at them rather than comforting them.<span> </span>However, that’s just life here.<span> </span>Kids definitely grow up with tough love…..and in Tonga, we laugh at pretty much everything!<span> </span>Eventually, the little boys came around and started giggling too.<span> </span>It’s certainly infectious.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here class 3 ladies perform a traditional Ta'olunga dance!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The performances continued with every class singing a song and then lining up in rank order in front of all of their parents.<span> </span>At first, I will admit I was slightly mortified at just how public and straightforward the whole process was.<span> </span>My heart breaks a little for the kids at the end of the line.<span> </span>But, there are no secrets in Tonga and it’s not shameful to be the kid at the end of the line.<span> </span>Conversely, kids seem to be teased a bit when they are really intelligent or work very hard at school.<span> </span>It’s almost taboo [which ironically, is maybe the one word Tongan contributed to the English language] to be ‘fiepoto’ [essentially to want to be smart].<span> </span>That is certainly something that is changing in Tonga, though.<span> </span>Education is becoming more and more important to many families.<span> </span>The current generation of Tongan kids is beginning to have access to the internet; and they certainly ‘sio vitio’ [aka watch movies].<span> </span>Through technology they are seeing the opportunities available to them through education, and soon the scramble to the top of the ‘tānaki tu’unga’ ladder will be quite the energetic race! <o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-60217390391053566872011-08-05T16:39:00.000-07:002011-08-05T17:02:44.153-07:00NEW ZEALAND: Mokomoko lelei!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1C6IXPtGHxs/Tjr2y5KqmTI/AAAAAAAABY0/ajPzECxAhxQ/s1600/DSC03216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1C6IXPtGHxs/Tjr2y5KqmTI/AAAAAAAABY0/ajPzECxAhxQ/s320/DSC03216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
'Mokomoko lelei' is a lovely term used in Tonga to describe the rare day when we have some cool, breezy weather! Recently, a few friends and I traveled to New Zealand for two whole weeks of 'mokomoko lelei' days! We started our journey in Tonga by taking a 20 hour ferry trip to the main island... quite a delight! In New Zealand, we rented the 'El Cheapo' minivan and cruised around the North Island visiting Auckland, Whangarei, Rotorua, Napier, Wellington, and Taupo.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1u8yyRd_RzM/TjsCN8BVLoI/AAAAAAAABeM/WXnEJROhJJo/s1600/CIMG5467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1u8yyRd_RzM/TjsCN8BVLoI/AAAAAAAABeM/WXnEJROhJJo/s320/CIMG5467.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The trip was a much appreciated re-entry into 'clean life!' There was a hot shower to be had every day, my feet weren't covered in mud on a daily basis, the mass of fluff on top of my head actually laid down and looked like normal hair, and most importantly there were enormous grocery stores with aisles and aisles of delicious food ripe for the taking!!!<br />
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The only downfall of this dear, sweet trip? A nice customs official confiscated the THREE jars of delectable peanut butter I was attempting to bring back to Tonga. Note for the future: Peanut Butter is considered a liquid. Don't say you haven't been<br />
warned!<br />
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Click here to peruse some NZ pictures: <br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115337002678167742573/NewZealand?authkey=Gv1sRgCM_H2YbgkoLZJw">https://picasaweb.google.com/115337002678167742573/NewZealand?authkey=Gv1sRgCM_H2YbgkoLZJw</a>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-6689662429010820682011-07-07T19:44:00.000-07:002011-07-07T19:48:02.316-07:00Over the Hill<div class="MsoNormal">This year Peace Corps has reached its 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary and that certainly seems as good a reason as any for some celebration. Fifty years is a very long time for any organization to thrive. If you aren’t particularly familiar with Peace Corps, here are some interesting tidbits about its past. Peace Corps began as the result of a challenge by U.S. university students to then Senator John F. Kennedy. The students wanted to serve their country by living and working in developing countries. Kennedy kept his campaign promise and Peace Corps sent its first volunteers to Ghana and Tanzania in 1961. Since its inception, over 200,000 Americans have served in over 139 countries throughout the world. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBheNmtLwIUIDUZ4LcNa9oeSXG0AVCvX8rrtIfzEx6PHOKufjDgu0JLrPauUuYaZSMXeXmy173zH1Dd-HEKW0w892Jbe7ilgdkzLWAjR8CAwfKAVsZXJykfZZbfP-xDaKP3K9cskBdBkZ/s1600/255731_672855984184_13302890_35868109_2538500_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBheNmtLwIUIDUZ4LcNa9oeSXG0AVCvX8rrtIfzEx6PHOKufjDgu0JLrPauUuYaZSMXeXmy173zH1Dd-HEKW0w892Jbe7ilgdkzLWAjR8CAwfKAVsZXJykfZZbfP-xDaKP3K9cskBdBkZ/s320/255731_672855984184_13302890_35868109_2538500_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are serious about picking up trash. We even climb into ditches!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">In order to celebrate this big birthday, Peace Corps Vava’u decided to get down and dirty with a wharf clean-up. Environmental challenges [especially littering] are a huge issue for our country. Environmental issues are another blog for another day so I won’t get into those now. Just know that we have a beautiful wharf area where boats from the outer islands of Vava’u glide in and park. There is a huge food & craft market and some food stalls where I frequently purchase an egg sandwich or some fish curry! The wharf is definitely the hub of Saturday morning activity in Vava’u. However, this also makes it a magnet for lots of trash …hence, our project!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uh4o25EGag/ThZe3OGvwUI/AAAAAAAABSk/3Lf1apHv-ho/s1600/DSC02984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uh4o25EGag/ThZe3OGvwUI/AAAAAAAABSk/3Lf1apHv-ho/s320/DSC02984.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are attempting to separate all the trash<br />
and recycle it! [somewhat of a new concept in Vava'u]</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Everyone arrived before the Tongan sun heated up to full capacity. We donned plastic gloves and spent a few hours picking up trash. We recruited quite a few helpers throughout the morning and accomplished a lot. We were also able to donate two big rubbish bins (apparently only Americans say trash can!) to the market area, so hopefully people will put them to use! We talked a bit with passers-by about Peace Corps’ big birthday and generally just had a nice, albeit dirty and stinky, morning! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkaRLnjq1kOxkWmtPygMspOUXQi9ZSHEIY60sWsQ_n5IwXO3bxf_vMhAvghXTzUjE2DAd3lEWe84kNWPPYM1bk9wCXKmms7kY7noEIxBQmGk2FqS2_YfY69SSgHfbky_xvo6AnmLrSxlf/s1600/255090_866904509361_11010298_42703293_4743925_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkaRLnjq1kOxkWmtPygMspOUXQi9ZSHEIY60sWsQ_n5IwXO3bxf_vMhAvghXTzUjE2DAd3lEWe84kNWPPYM1bk9wCXKmms7kY7noEIxBQmGk2FqS2_YfY69SSgHfbky_xvo6AnmLrSxlf/s400/255090_866904509361_11010298_42703293_4743925_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Peace Corps! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-71723968554981094882011-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:002011-06-10T13:53:42.446-07:00Uike Kaka [Cheating Week!]Alright, I am going to cheat a bit this week and not write a real blog. However, I posted some new pictures which will have to suffice. Peace Corps & friends recently went on an island camping trip complete with hot dogs, birthday cake, and a big bonfire! We snorkeled, relaxed, and listened to Tongan legends around the campfire [and only got rained on once!]. Definitely a successful journey. Enjoy the pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115337002678167742573/VakaEituBirthdayAdventure?authkey=Gv1sRgCOud1pyq8vHKoAE">https://picasaweb.google.com/115337002678167742573/VakaEituBirthdayAdventure?authkey=Gv1sRgCOud1pyq8vHKoAE</a>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-63533923067576815592011-06-04T16:28:00.000-07:002011-06-04T16:28:56.286-07:00Camp GLOW --- Girls Leading Our World<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s28N1Fy0pek/Teq7BsT_8kI/AAAAAAAABNM/tYP_9L_B7ts/s1600/glow2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s28N1Fy0pek/Teq7BsT_8kI/AAAAAAAABNM/tYP_9L_B7ts/s400/glow2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campers at Camp GLOW Vava'u 2010 pose at the end of a great week!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Every day here in Tonga, I seem to stumble upon additions to my mental list of ‘things I’ve taken for granted’ about my life and upbringing in the States. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really need to start keeping post-it notes handy in order to create a comprehensive list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course there are the luxurious conveniences of hot showers and microwaves back in the good ‘ol USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also the ultimate luxury of air conditioning!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I’m realizing that these palpable amenities I thought I’d be lost without…are pretty inconsequential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they aren’t inconsequential, but I have been impressed by the human mind and body’s incredible ability to adapt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That being said, I’ve definitely come to appreciate the more </div><div class="MsoNormal">intangible privileges I was blessed with as</div><div class="MsoNormal"> an American kid.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Growing up, a few essential beliefs were drilled into my mind by my wonderful parents, teachers, family, and simply by growing up in in the context of American culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always known that my future was my own. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that with integrity, hard work, and goals; the world just might be my oyster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that I am a person who, just like all others, deserves to be treated with respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe most importantly, I’ve been encouraged to dream for myself and for others.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJLBgoai4SA/Teq7NX3DjtI/AAAAAAAABNU/_6iVDVhqJIQ/s1600/37355_622962526079_13801271_36130505_6311715_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJLBgoai4SA/Teq7NX3DjtI/AAAAAAAABNU/_6iVDVhqJIQ/s320/37355_622962526079_13801271_36130505_6311715_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campers discuss issues surrounding sexual harassment. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">These thoughts are so fundamentally woven into my belief system that it has taken me a while to realize just how different Tongan culture is from my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is especially evident for young women, which brings me [finally] to the reason I’m writing this post. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the many wonderful things about Tonga and its culture, the values I just mentioned are rarely instilled in Tongan youth [especially girls].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camp GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative that aims to change that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camp GLOW is held in Peace Corps countries all over the world and strives to encourage young women to become active citizens by building their confidence, increasing their self-awareness, and developing their skills in goal setting, assertiveness and career and life planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpw6jaW_SpU/Teq7SfSUjUI/AAAAAAAABNY/P9RqklEqMM4/s1600/209277_702059505099_13801271_37331857_5714800_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpw6jaW_SpU/Teq7SfSUjUI/AAAAAAAABNY/P9RqklEqMM4/s320/209277_702059505099_13801271_37331857_5714800_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not Camp GLOW without a human pyramid!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">High School girls who exhibit academic excellence and leadership potential are invited to this weeklong camp free of charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They get to interact with speakers who are successful Tongan women in business, health, and a variety of other fields. The girls participate in activities focused on goal setting, critical thinking and decision making, computer literacy, public speaking, conflict resolution, reproductive health, the rights of women and children, sexual harassment and domestic abuse, nutrition, first aid, and environmental responsibility. I know this all sounds like very serious business, but there is lots fun involved as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is summer camp, after all! We will be singing, playing, and enjoying great company for a whole week! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As I’m sure you guessed in the first line of this post, its ending was bound to include a catch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, summer camps cost quite a lot of money!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a lot of community support here in Vava’u [and we’ve been fundraising locally], but outside assistance is needed to really make the camp a success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s where you come in…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> a</span>ny monetary assistance you could <br />
provide would be greatly appreciated!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">I am including a link to the National Peace Corps website where you can read more and donate to Camp GLOW Vava’u.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No worries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is totally secure and 100% of your donation will directly support Camp GLOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[A semi-government project with transparency and no bureaucracy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can you resist that?] <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=421-128">https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=421-128</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-10021633561953695022011-05-28T20:49:00.000-07:002011-05-28T20:49:10.345-07:00Put your party pants on...<div class="MsoNormal">It’s Church Conference time!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[What?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that not what you expected?] The past few weeks here have been filled with murmurings around town on the subject of this alleged ‘conference.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a bit confused as to what all the fuss was about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pictured some church ‘paipa piko’ [that’s essentially bigwigs in Tongan :)] would fly in, make a few speeches, and head back to the big island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual I turned out to be quite wrong.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last week, guests began arriving in droves to our small island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big island ferry even rearranged its schedule and added an extra trip to Vava’u to accommodate the big crowd!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[The ferry is a delightful 18 hour trip I have yet to experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be sure to blog about that adventure once I work up the courage to hop on the ferry.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Representatives from congregations all over Tonga traveled to Vava’u, as well as church members who live abroad in Australia or New Zealand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I myself did not have the pleasure of attending any church conference activities, but I do have some sources on the inside that filled me in on the schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears that the days consist of a breakfast ‘fakaafe’ [feast!], malolo time [essentially, naptime], a lunch ‘fakaafe,’ malolo time, and finally a dinner ‘fakaafe.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I realize that this description is probably not actually accurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure there are plenty of legitimate church activities squeezed in between feasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, during my nosy questioning of some Tongan folks I discovered that the church systems here in Tonga supposedly operate almost as democracies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned that some of the many gatherings during church conference week are the meetings where the church’s big decisions are made for the year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My previous description is based on pretty random and possibly poorly translated conversations, so we might never <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> know what goes down at church conferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did, however, witness my own community’s involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For weeks leading up the conference, I’d hear a church bell ring nearly every night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the tolling of said bell, people began to wander down the street towards the church hall for ‘ako hiva’ [choir practice].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For an hour or so I got to relax in the recently cool breezes of our Tongan Winter while listening to some beautiful singing! [I think 2 blocks away is the prime distance for listening to Tongan hymns… inside the church the volume is pretty much glass-shattering.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These practices were in preparation for a big ‘pohiva’ [which literally means night sing].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Congregations from many villages dressed in snazzy all white outfits, rode into town on their village buses, and sang their hearts out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wish I could have witnessed the sheer decibel power of that gathering.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Each village was also responsible for preparing food for one of the ‘fakaafe’ Conference feasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My village was responsible for a preparing a breakfast feast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my silly ‘palangi’ [foreigner] naiveté, I assumed breakfast meant a lighter fare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe we’d be preparing bread, cakes, eggs, tea, and fruit juices?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ohhhhhhh no!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently a Tongan breakfast feast is in no way ‘light.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a taste of the leftovers and they included fish, octopus, beef, sausage, horse, chicken, and a variety of other really intense breakfast foods!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oiaue!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this was no simple meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It consumed families’ lives for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids missed school, there were special trips to town to buy supplies, and families made significant monetary sacrifices in order to provide for the fantastic feast.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Part of me watches all the events here that involve expensive feasts and the use of miles [literally] of plastic wrap with a bit of cynicism/sadness/something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These events sometimes seem to me like a waste of families’ meager monetary resources. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another day, another feast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also slightly frustrating that money for things like my school’s electricity is often hard to come by, but thousands of pa’anga are spent on feast food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That being said, I had a good talk with my principal about all the feasting and he told me about the Tongan value of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fatongia</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fatongia</i> essentially means duty; duty first to God [and thus the church] and then to family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a value that is central to the Tongan way of life and is taken pretty seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An event like this church conference, a funeral, or even a family reunion will be undertaken with zest and unfortunately, often stretch many families beyond their means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I don’t know that I’ll ever fully understand <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fatongia</i> and the Tongan tendency for ridiculous feasting, I absolutely respect the zeal and dedication with which the people of my community approach everything they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tea and cakes for the breakfast feast?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course not!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone start roasting the pigs!!!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-40884456397761439712011-05-19T20:08:00.000-07:002011-05-19T20:10:10.568-07:00Malo e ngaue malohi! [Thanks for your hard work!]<div class="MsoNormal">Is there such a thing as Teacher Appreciation Day? I’m assuming that as we devote a whole day to celebrating trees (Happy Arbor Day!), teachers definitely deserve a day as well. That being said, I am declaring today my own Teacher Appreciation Day! So, if you’re a teacher in any way, shape, or form; give yourself a pat on the back today. You have an extremely challenging and important job. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thoughts about teachers have popped into my brain lately, possibly because two remarkable teachers from my childhood are retiring this year. They have both been teachers for longer than I’ve been alive, and that is certainly something to celebrate. They possess the kindness, creativity, and almost superhuman patience required of any good teacher. I think it’s pretty amazing that these two women devoted their professional lives to teaching and they absolutely deserve a long and relaxing retirement beginning very soon!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve always respected the work of teachers, but my work with Peace Corps has taken that respect to a whole new level! I'm a pretend teacher who is, at maximum, in the classroom a few hours per day and this is still the hardest job I’ve ever had! Although, it should be noted that my previous jobs have included McDonald’s employee, gas station attendant, concession stand worker, lifeguard, office assistant, camp counselor, and nanny. I will be the first to admit, my previous jobs have essentially been a walk in the park [with the exception of McDonald’s, that was actually pretty challenging. ;)]. My employment history aside, the point is that I’ve realized teachers deserve a LOT of respect and admiration for their hard work.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From young teachers just beginning their years in the classroom to veteran teachers winding down after years of service… THANKS! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-7113795771560071072011-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:002011-05-13T12:38:02.046-07:00Calling all POSTCARDS!<div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately I have no funny anecdotes to share this week. Instead, I have a kole si’i [little request!]! Recently, I received a few postcards and a book of American landscape pictures from a very generous blog reader. I assumed the kids would enjoy taking a peak at some pictures of the good ‘ol U.S.A., but it seems that I underestimated their curiosity. The kids were literally thrilled to look at few post cards and then gaze at the world map pointing out familiar places. When I asked them to point out the United States, more than a few pointed to China. I think a Geography/English lesson is in our near future. ;) <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite the kids’ limited exposure to maps/geography/travel, they are SO very interested in learning about the world outside of Tonga. The 10 minutes we spent gazing at pictures and postcards and searching for countries on our world map is the most excited and engaged I’ve seen my students. I can’t imagine why verb conjugation doesn’t similarly excite them?! But, in all seriousness, it was inspiring for me to see their interest so piqued. [Hence, my request to you today…] <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For kids who are accustomed to school lessons consisting of copying notes from the chalkboard, a picture is really worth a million words! So, wherever you might be in this big, beautiful world….please, send us a postcard! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">Nora Graves, PCV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">Peace Corps<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">PO Box 136<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">Vava'u<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">Kingdom of Tonga<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> South Pacific <o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-47267517178004323482011-05-06T12:32:00.000-07:002011-05-06T12:44:28.353-07:00Lake 'Ano<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">My Saturday routine usually consists of shopping for weekly essentials and hitting the market in Neiafu before hitching a ride back home to do lots of laundry and malolo [relaxing]! However, variety is the spice of life, right? With that lovely sentiment in mind, myself and a few Peace Corps friends decided to have a little adventure on a recent Tokonaki [Saturday].<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">On this aforementioned Tokonaki, we all trekked to see Brandon [who is my closest Peace Corps neighbor…He lives in the village next door, which is about a 20 minute bike ride away.]. Brandon’s village is home to the only Lake in Vava’u! The name of the lake is Lake ‘Ano. Interestingly, ‘ano actually means lake in Tongan. I suppose since it’s the only lake, no one felt it necessary to make up a more descriptive name. ‘Lake Lake’ it is! We decided we’d very much like to see this ‘Lake Lake’ and swim in some fresh, non-salty water!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdkfb0LpE80/TcIL-D0NFZI/AAAAAAAABL4/aEvQoZ4Avck/s1600/P1020006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdkfb0LpE80/TcIL-D0NFZI/AAAAAAAABL4/aEvQoZ4Avck/s320/P1020006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">We all slathered on the sunscreen, filled up water bottles, and set off for the lake. We hiked for about 30 minutes dodging quicksand-like mud puddles and hopping over enormous pig droppings. Finally, we reached ‘Lake Lake’ and it was quite a sight to behold. I definitely think the lake is deserving of a much more meaningful name. The lake was much bigger than I’d expected and surrounded entirely by lush vegetation and big cliffs. There just so happened to be a genuine ‘Tom Sawyer’ raft waiting for us at water’s edge. We all hopped on and kicked around the lake, all the while watching for the elusive and slightly frightening eel we’d been told inhabits the lake. No eel sightings! However, we did see a few Tongan men out fishing in outrigger canoes. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-knt4epWryzY/TcIMZiAM2vI/AAAAAAAABMc/JI_zE4VCE0w/s1600/P1020025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-knt4epWryzY/TcIMZiAM2vI/AAAAAAAABMc/JI_zE4VCE0w/s320/P1020025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">There we sat floating on a bunch of tied-together logs, watching men fishing in hollowed out tree trunks. There are no buildings, cell phone towers, or other signs of modern human life. This should spur deep thoughts on the beauty and simplicity of nature. However, as we’ve already been tainted by pop culture, we all just keep feeling like we’re in some new episode of ‘Lost!’</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">After we’d thoroughly exhausted ourselves, it was time to head back to Brandon’s house and make an ‘ifo [delicious] dinner. Lucky for us, Brandon had just received a care package with barbeque sauce [YAY!] and he was feeling generous. We had a fantastic meal consisting of hamburgers [some mystery meat somewhat akin to ground beef had appeared in the store the day before] and barbeque chicken. I know…how gluttonous! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Shortly after dinner, I decided it was time to hop on my bike and head home. I was slowly tooling through Brandon’s village and saying ‘Malo e lelei [Hi!]’ to his neighbors. I was in what I like to call the ‘Peace Corps Daze’ thinking all sorts of hippie Peace Corps thoughts. ‘Man, Tonga is beautiful…’ ‘I can’t believe I live here…’ ‘Is this real…?’ and so on. Naturally, while my head is off in the clouds, one of Brandon’s charming neighbors shouts a ‘hello!’ to me and wants to give me some of the fruit she’s just picked. Delighted, I slow to a stop and am attempting to chat with her in Tongan. I fail to remember that my feet don’t quite touch the ground. I wobble, attempting fruitlessly to regain my balance before I topple in slow motion into some bushes next to the road. I, naturally, am laughing hysterically at myself while this woman is sort of quizzically staring at me. [Sorry, no pictures captured of this moment.] <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-v-k5PQF2E/TcIMc-dQb1I/AAAAAAAABMg/Vy3jp6Pvock/s1600/P1020026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-v-k5PQF2E/TcIMc-dQb1I/AAAAAAAABMg/Vy3jp6Pvock/s320/P1020026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-v-k5PQF2E/TcIMc-dQb1I/AAAAAAAABMg/Vy3jp6Pvock/s1600/P1020026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Delightful day complete with a bicycle tumble to keep me ‘grounded?’ Done and done!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-67985671361423674052011-04-29T14:43:00.000-07:002011-04-29T14:43:07.828-07:00Oh dear sweet electronic commerce...<div class="MsoNormal">Oh dear sweet electronic commerce…How I miss you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine some of you out there occasionally curse your credit cards (or perhaps just the credit card bill), but today I ask you to pay a just a little homage to that plastic marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about you, but I think I sometimes forget just how amazingly convenient electronic commerce made my life in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t want to walk 10 feet into the gas station?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problem… Just insert your card into the magic slot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t want to change out of your jammies and leave the house? No problem… you can buy everything on the internet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally, you can even have your groceries delivered to your door!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Why all this blabber about commerce, you ask?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well. It all started last Saturday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived back at my village after a nice trip to ‘town.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began my ritual Saturday cleaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swept around the house, attempted to search out and destroy an army of ants and the occasional enormous spider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After cleaning I relaxed with a large glass of ice cold water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delightful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, not soon after my beverage, I needed to take a trip to the little girls’ room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is when I discovered my dilemma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The roll of toilet paper in my bathroom was precariously small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I live right across the street from a very well stocked ‘falekoloa’ [what we call little concession stand type stores scattered around most villages].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I opened my wallet only to discover a $50 pa’anga note.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, I know… how can a Peace Corps Volunteer have big bucks like that?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;) The $50 P note is all the bank gives out, so we all have to discreetly go to one of the few stores that can make change for a fifty and get some small bills!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The ‘falekoloa’ by Nola’s house does not have change for a $50 and it most certainly does not take credit cards!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus began my week of fasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Juuuuuuust kidding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have that kind of self-control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I did have to utilize some tricks from my dear mom’s childhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The limit is apparently two toilet paper squares per child when you have a houseful of hooligans. So…I adhered to that policy and thankfully just barely made it until the end of the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crisis averted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Moral of this story. Nola: keep an emergency fund under your pillow for toilet paper and the occasional piece of candy! The rest of you: Be at least a little thankful for that magic plastic card!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">[sidenote: I’m relatively sure my friendly ‘falekoloa’ owner, Peni, would have just given me some toilet paper if I’d asked him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So…. maybe a crisis was not actually imminent, but it sure makes for a better story.]<o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-57253096392418629482011-04-22T15:25:00.000-07:002011-04-22T15:25:09.687-07:00Palangi Invasion!!! [The foreigners are here!]<div class="MsoNormal">This week, my dear home of Vava’u was quite a sight to behold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wednesday morning brought a giant cruise ship, the USS Cleveland, and multiple helicopters into our usually sleepy harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The U.S. Navy is here in Vava’u as the first stop of their Pacific Partnership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Navy will visit various Pacific countries, contributing to all sorts of humanitarian projects at each stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Tonga, they are building schools, town halls, doing water catchment projects, and providing all sorts of medical services. Verrrry nice! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">School essentially screeched to a halt as the kids were enthralled by helicopters noisily buzzing around our usually quiet island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feasts were prepared in many villages to feed the soldiers volunteering at makeshift medical clinics and building schools in the always toasty Tongan sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soldiers passed out all sorts of great ‘me’a ‘ofa’ [gifts] to Tongans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women received all sorts of helpful household items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were, surprisingly, very excited about receiving blankets. [I suppose there will be one or two chilly nights when a blanket will come in handy here!]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Navy even bought Peace Corps volunteers a little goody package with exotic necessities like razors, shaving cream, and lotion [which were all very much appreciated!]. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is Saturday here in Tonga, and the USS Cleveland is ‘shipping out’ on its way to another Pacific Partnership in Vanuatu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were ecstatic to see the Cleveland chugging into our Port of Refuge last week. This week, we’re happy to see the crew head to their next destination and for our little island to morph back into its calm and slightly sleepy state of normalcy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">P.S. If you’d like to learn more about Pacific Partnership, here is a State Department Blog with great pictures from the mission.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/pp2011_tonga">http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/pp2011_tonga</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-61096401000770934992011-04-09T16:58:00.000-07:002011-04-09T16:58:01.658-07:00Back in action! almost....<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have officially returned from my little 2 week training session in Nuku’alofa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was faaaaaantastic to relax and catch up with Peace Corps friends who I haven’t seen since December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We always stay at Sela’s Guesthouse in Nuku’alofa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is essentially our 2<sup>nd</sup> home here in Tonga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a rambling house with a big common area where we sit for hours talking, fakakata pe [joking around], and swatting mosquitoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally, we worked up the energy to venture out into the city in search of some delectable palangi [which just means foreigner!] food!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t bore you with the menu of each delicious meal I savored, but it was amazing to have some great restaurant food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think my body was thankful for the influx of vegetables considering my usual diet consists mostly of hot dogs, crackers, and far too much peanut butter. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Did I mention this was a ‘work trip?’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know it sounds as though I was just gallivanting around for two weeks, however there were plenty of Peace Corps meetings throughout our stay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first week consisted of lots of TEFL activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We shared successful lesson plans, talked a lot about the challenges we’ve encountered thus far, and picked up new teaching resources to bring back to our sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second week continued the stream of lahi ‘e ngaahi fakataha [lots of meetings!].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had meetings on the VRF, the EAP, the TGSP, and a plethora of other acronyms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually have a little Peace Corps dictionary explaining what all the acronyms mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ridiculous!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had a lot of language training, which was great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Tongan is slowly, but surely improving and it was really nice to have some actual instruction again. […although I am actually learning a lot just by teaching my kids English!]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">All in all, IST [in service training…and yet another acronym] was a great experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice to take a break from my usual routine and, of course, exciting to catch up with friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am headed back to site rejuvenated, ready to dive in to a few new projects, and generally just happy with life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">sidenotes:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I know the videos below don’t work. My computing skills apparently are not that impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see the videos if you visit my web albums, though!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->That was really the only sidenote I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toki Sio!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-41991577777519951752011-04-02T15:23:00.000-07:002011-04-02T15:23:53.780-07:00Livin' Large in the CityHello All!<br />
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Be forewarned that this is a cop-out blog post. I am essentially just writing to say I am on hiatus/vacation for 2 weeks in Nuku'alofa. Nuku'alofa is the capital of Tonga and the biggest city. I live in Vava'u the island group that is farthest away from Tongatapu (the island that Nuku'alofa is located on). It took us about an hour plane flight to travel here. This time we had the pleasure of flying on a 20 seater airplane with shag carpeting on the seats...quite retro!<br />
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We are here for 2 weeks of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Training and IST (In Service Training). But really, it's just a great time to reunite with all of the great Peace Corps kids I've been missing, gorge myself on delicious restaurant food, and take (semi) hot showers! Paradise!<br />
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I'll be back with real blogs in a few weeks. Toki Sio friends!<br />
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-NolaNorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-72876235848535543482011-03-26T19:17:00.000-07:002011-03-26T19:21:06.657-07:00'Aho Sipooti! [Sports Day!]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Picture your average track and field meet. From my vast experience (a.k.a. a one year track career in high school), I thought I knew essentially what to expect when my school participated in our first track meet. There would be a few races, parents watching from the stands, and well…that’s about it. As it turns out, I got more than I bargained for.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our journey to the track meet began with cramming 15 kids + Nola into the back of a small truck. During our ride, the kids sang victory songs, taunting all the towns we passed along the way. When we arrived, all the moms staked out a nice viewing spot and laid down their ‘fala’ (woven mats that a good Tongan mom doesn’t leave home without!). No event in Tonga can begin without a prayer, so next a ‘faifekau’ [minister] stood up and delivered a quite thorough prayer/sermon blessing our brave runners! Next, to kick off the day’s events, kids from each school lined up with big banners and proceeded to march around the track like miniature soldiers. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the races began, most families rested under giant tents set up for each team. You do NOT sit under the hot Tongan sun all day; a tent is quite the necessity! As I glanced around, I realized there was a very disproportionate female to male ratio under said tents. I was a little confused, because I assumed dads would love to come cheer the kids on. Alas, my confusion subsided when I spotted the rolling Kava-mobile! [I think I’ve talked about it before, but Kava is a traditional drink made from the kava plant’s root. Men frequently have kava circles where they sit, imbibe, and talk about life while enjoying the relaxing effects of Kava] One of the local guys decided to brew up a big batch of Kava and turn the back of his truck into a flatbed Kava circle in honor of Sports Day. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I thought I was all set to be a great spectator during Sports Day. However, I somehow ended up as the official 2<sup>nd</sup> Place name recorder. After each race, our 2<sup>nd</sup> place runner would scamper over to my table and I’d attempt to record his or her name. HOLY MOLY! I was not adequately prepared for this task. I strained to hear the kids’ names as ‘Mambo Number 5’ blared next to me. I may also have been distracted by the group of moms [and a few dads as well] groovin’ right out there in lane number one. Between races, they’d head out to the field and dance as I’ve never witnessed moms dancing before! [more on that in future posts…] During all of this hoopla, I am still attempting to decipher Tongan names. Unfortunately, there are no Jane Smith’s here. After I asked the kid to repeat himself about 7 times, I finally had a name like ‘Epalahame Vea Vaimo’unga written down. I am assuming most of my name interpretations were pretty incorrect, but oh well! I tried.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In classic Tongan fashion, we also had some ‘taimi malolo’ [break time!]. The whistling and cheering abruptly came to a halt. In fact, almost all chatter ceased. Why, you ask? Because it is ‘taimi kai’ [time to eat] of course! Moms unloaded giant baskets filled with enough roasted pork, hot dogs, chicken, and yams to feed an army. As usual, multiple moms set food in front of Nola laughing and insisting that I needed to ‘kai ke mate!’ [which essentially means eat until you die. It’s quite a popular phrase here :) ]<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first Tongan track meet. It was extremely well organized and included a DJ, dancing moms, a full Tongan lunch feast, and even the rolling Kava-mobile. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch a track meet the same way again…<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-84349486081320240122011-03-18T11:32:00.000-07:002011-03-18T11:32:40.716-07:00The Garden Fairies<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One constantly enduring aspect of my Peace Corps service is its unpredictability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s true that I have a generally structured schedule working at school each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there is always the unknown ‘X’ factor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day I think I have life here a bit more figured out, but each day I experience at least one little surprise that reminds me I’m not in Missouri anymore [that might be funny if I were from Kansas].<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday’s surprise came in the form of garden fairies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, you must understand that the yard surrounding my little house has always been a bit of a mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I first moved in, there was not much grass to be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yard consisted of lots of tall weeds, rocks everywhere, and a mountain of old coconut shells. [People here feed pigs coconuts and accumulate quite a lot of shells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My yard was apparently the neighborhood graveyard for coconut shells!]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Slowly but surely the yard has been improving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the grass/weeds get out of control, a kind PTA soul comes over with a weedwacker [the most popular yard maintenance machine here, followed closely by big machetes…] and tames my yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My contribution to the yard work has been moving rocks around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a few parts of my fence where my neighbors’ pigs are attempting to burrow underneath the fence in order to come leave pig poo gifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To battle them, I wander around my yard picking up rocks and then masterfully shoving them under the fence to create a pig proof rock barrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Essentially, even after a weedwacking/rock moving session my yard was still a sad sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dear neighbor, Mele Lose [who is 78 and loves to hobble over to my house to chat], always sits on my front steps and peering into my yard mumbles things like ‘faka ‘ofa’ and ‘palaku.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is saying that the yard is pitiful and ugly and a variety of other chatterings that I don’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>: (<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Epo_A_Lze-MSLG6U8AQFo90wopQoD8NpNI2xNJwsBXSc9dkBDiWRyRWwugPXoP0KrEsQJJWgFp8-BU535ayyxihV7mV4gQv420EtZYufuDXgQuMZ8bDhNG3gNQ9ROHr51GrIf9ol39IW/s1600/DSC02605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Epo_A_Lze-MSLG6U8AQFo90wopQoD8NpNI2xNJwsBXSc9dkBDiWRyRWwugPXoP0KrEsQJJWgFp8-BU535ayyxihV7mV4gQv420EtZYufuDXgQuMZ8bDhNG3gNQ9ROHr51GrIf9ol39IW/s320/DSC02605.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moms did a wonderful job directing the very helpful kids.<br />
'Plant that one a little to the left, eh?'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae5YtQdcSMHZQ46Q45EMT3dwsp0fg79k_3_ZxNAhoGheQhXVRughJIxzaHbH_rg3vh9BqzVhdFHtaOSdqSeO_b7xCp3iDnZSIWZPY3JIWw-8ktaS_N-0fjssHq9HtwDeiDEKwVIjnz8yL/s1600/DSC02607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae5YtQdcSMHZQ46Q45EMT3dwsp0fg79k_3_ZxNAhoGheQhXVRughJIxzaHbH_rg3vh9BqzVhdFHtaOSdqSeO_b7xCp3iDnZSIWZPY3JIWw-8ktaS_N-0fjssHq9HtwDeiDEKwVIjnz8yL/s320/DSC02607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They may be sitting now, but a minute ago the lovely ladies were<br />
toiling away in the garden!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Here is where the Garden Fairies come in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday, 4 ladies and an assortment of kids appeared at my front gate with brooms, shovels, and plants!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone went to work sweeping grass, burning huge piles of grass, picking up the never ending supply of rocks, and finally creating a little garden for Nola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat with some of the kids reading Dr. Seuss books while my pitiful weed collection turned into a respectably maintained yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now… you can confirm with my ‘Master Gardener’ mother that I’ve never been one to pine after plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, my new little garden made me pretty much ecstatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose my delight stems not actually from the garden, but from the kindness shown to me by these lovely ladies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not as if they were at home reading Vogue Tonga and needed further entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More likely, these women left piles of laundry and unfinished cooking and cleaning in order to come help me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I am continually impressed and humbled by the generosity of my Tongan community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only hope I can keep my new plants alive, so that my Garden Fairies’ work has not been in vain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-25998781304344334462011-03-11T12:36:00.000-08:002011-03-11T12:51:22.521-08:00TIT: Transportation in Tonga<div class="MsoNormal">Transportation in Tonga should really be a spectator sport or maybe a math problem. The truck rolls to a stop; 4 people, a dog, and three chickens hop off and 3 people and a pig hop on. How many people are in the truck now? Who knows?!? But mo’oni [really!], transportation in Tonga has been quite the adventure thus far. My trips to the big city [which I think may only consist of about 1,000 people] begin and end with an always interesting transportation adventure.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On my way into town, I usually hitch a ride with my town’s school bus. There is no high school in my village so the kids are bussed into Neiafu each day. This transportation adventure commences around 6:45 when I hear the ‘warning whistle.’ I am still not exactly sure of the schematics, but it seems as though each week some lucky kid has the task of being everyone’s alarm clock. Aforementioned lucky kid, runs around town with a big whistle alerting everyone that it’s almost ‘taimi alu!’ [time to go!]. About 15 minutes later, the bus starts honking its horn and it is really time to go! I hurriedly finish my oatmeal and scurry out the door. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometimes I get the honor of sitting up front with the driver. The kids all pile into the back of the bus, which is actually not a bus at all. It is a giant flatbed truck with benches and a big tarp protecting the kids from the ‘vela la’a mo ‘uha’ [hot sun and rain]! We begin our journey out of town honking along the way. It is quite humorous to watch as the ‘tomui’ [late] kids come running out of their houses as we drive by. If the driver is feeling extra kind, he’ll stop the bus. If not, it’s time for a little ‘fakamalohisino’ [exercise]! The kids get a little extra track practice by performing a run, leap, and land to get on the bus! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tgUgu_cfKcA/TQFW2ag4IsI/AAAAAAAAAkY/IgIpLs234K0/s1600/DSC01946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tgUgu_cfKcA/TQFW2ag4IsI/AAAAAAAAAkY/IgIpLs234K0/s320/DSC01946.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">This picture was taken a few months ago during Pre-Service Training.</div><div style="text-align: left;">It was one of our first suto 'hitchhiking' experiences in Tonga!</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The real fun begins when I attempt to ‘foki mei kolo’ [return from town]! There is a big market in Neiafu that is the hub for Saturday morning shopping and gossip. It is also the unofficial suto pe [hitchhiking] headquarters. I usually make my way to the market around 11 am hoping to catch lots of people returning home. Some days, I arrive and am immediately plucked up by some kind soul and plopped in the back of their pick-up truck. Whenever this happens, I feel as though there has been some divine intervention on my behalf. Glorious!!!!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Most days though, it goes a bit more like this. Today, Nola arrived at the market around 11. I chit-chatted with some ladies from my village who work at the market. They listed off a few people who had just recently departed. Naturally, I arrived after a parade of cars had just headed back home. After this discovery, I hung out playing with the kids, watching for people from my town, and then attempting to remember their names. Finally, the market began winding down and a very kind lady said ‘Nola, ha’u!’[Come with us!]. I hop in the car, happy to be heading home. A bit of laundry, lunch, and ‘malolo’ [relaxing!] were now only 20 minutes away. Or so I thought. Two hours later, I finally reached my front door. We had stopped at about 5 different stores, stopped to chat with friends, stopped to do a little passenger ‘musical chairs,’ stopped to help a stalled truck get moving, and [naturally] stopped to let some cows cross the road. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Transportation it seems, like every other part of life in Tonga, moves along to the beat of a unique drum [and the tempo is just a bit slower than I’m accustomed to]. So, I have realized that there is no such thing as a direct drive from point A to B. However, there is usually certain to be at least a little adventure between A and home. …and if no adventure, an invitation to the family’s Sunday meal makes any sweaty 2 hour trek well worth it!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
side note 1: new pictures are up!<br />
<br />
side note 2: We are all safe and sound in Tonga. We had a Tsunami warning, but Vava'u is<br />
one of the safest harbors on earth!<br />
<br />
</div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630285351147924541.post-46138596570281879382011-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:002011-03-04T13:10:31.105-08:00Heeeellllllllooooo Vava'u!<div class="MsoNormal">This week I had the pleasure of accompanying my good friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Stereo Sephora, to her radio show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Miss Sephora loves gracing the airwaves and quickly got involved with radio when we arrived in Tonga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday, on my weekly field trip to the big city, I joined her and tried my hand at the radio biz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vava’u has a grand total of two radio stations that play quite the variety of music.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve mentioned before the strange variety of music popular here [remember? a plethora of Bieber Fever, Mariah Carey, and any song <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bob Marley-fied!].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are DJs here that create some bizarre and fantastic mixes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever wished to hear a Queen song with just a few Lil’ John ‘Oh Yeahs’ mixed in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, come on over to Tonga and your wish shall be granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Luckily, during my foray into radio with Stereo Sephora, we played the classics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DJ Nautical Nora sent some Styx and Steve Miller Band out into the airwaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sephora has some amazing taste in music and plays lots of tunes from the 40s and 50s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have much to learn, but I’d say my first radio experience was a great time. Highlights included a request from a listener who calls himself the 'midnight falcon.' I spent two hours sitting in an old shipping container [pretty fancy station location, eh?], shooting the breeze with a good friend and some good music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just another Friday afternoon in Tonga, eh?<o:p></o:p></div>Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256653947284997533noreply@blogger.com2