A Tongan Birthday, Take Two

My birthday celebrations this year was different from last year, namely in that no mammals were harmed or killed in the ensuing celebration, something I attribute to the fact that I didn’t tell any Tongans it was my birthday. Birthdays here are, on the whole, not a big deal, with the exception of first birthdays, and no one really celebrates them in the narcissistic manner we do in America. But, being Americans, a few of my PC friends along with Brian and Sabina and Aki and Koitchi decided to use my birthday as an excuse to go out to dinner in Ha’apai, something that almost never happens. There is a guest house in town that, with a few days advanced notice, will prepare a lobster dinner (provided someone can catch lobsters) and I am so glad we went. Dinner was amazing: lobster, and root crop (obviously), a vegetable and octopus stir-fry, fried fish, a vegetable salad(!), papaya, and a delicious birthday cake provided by Kate. The lobster was, in true Tongan fashion, covered in mayonnaise and what Eric calls “government cheese”, and in a telling display of cultural integration, I ate the whole thing and thought it was amazing. The meal ended with the ten of us up to our elbows in grease and lobster juice, deliciously full and happy.

Clearly, the day was made even better by some lovely birthday emails, facebook posts, and even a few wonderful packages, and I really appreciate all of the love that was sent my way. It’s strange to think that I’ve already spent two birthdays in this country, and that I’ll be 25 when I leave here…as my mother reminds me, never having held a ‘real’ job!