As some of you may remember, I had a memorable rat/mouse incident last year, and to really come full circle, I want to share a few tales of my dealings with the rodents of Tonga in 2010.
Right before my parents arrived I noticed I was, once again, being invaded by rodents. I tried the usual remedies: keeping all food in the refrigerator, which just made my bread cold, and bringing over my neighbor’s cat, which simply resulted in cat poop in my house and two very long nights of Mui Mui and the cat crying and fighting. Sarah was in Tonga, so, unable to come up with another solution, I asked her to pick up some rat poison for me. She kindly did, and I set the blocks of rodent death up in my ceiling where the rats had taken up residence.
After a few days, I started to see results. First, the mouse droppings disappeared. Then, when I woke up one morning I was met with a giant dead rat on my bathroom floor. I screamed, called Lupe over, and we measured: 12 inches…ugh. We then both decided we did not want to touch it, so called for a high school boy who lives nearby to come and dispose of the rat. Fotu thought it was awesome and Tupou kept sympathizing with the dead rat and telling me how faka’ofa it was.
A couple of days later, there were no visible signs of rodent life: victory was at hand! However, that’s when I started to smell something. The first day it was faint, and I couldn’t quite place it. The following day, Lupe came over and, using our olfactory powers, we determined there was something very dead in my ceiling. Now, my ceiling is essentially plywood boards nailed over rafters, which makes it impossible to see up into it unless you take the boards down. Le’o was called over and told to bring a hammer, and Fotu and Tupou accompanied him. The five of us sniffed around my house and concluded the smell was coming from above the bathroom, the smallest room by far. We pulled down some of the boards, brought a chair over from the school, and using a mirror and flashlight tried to look inside, but it was dark, and we couldn’t maneuver around the toilet and get high enough up into the ceiling to find anything. Finally, Le’o decided that the only way to find the rat was to pick me up and have me sit on his shoulders to I could get up into the ceiling with the mirror and flashlight. I’m realizing now, while typing this that this story isn’t going to sounds as ridiculous as it actually was, but bear with me. Now, in Tonga, men, especially married men, do not really associate at all with single women, never mind touch them. For example, when Le’o and I walk somewhere together, we walk on completely opposite sides of the road. So the fact that he was picking me up was mortifying enough. Add to that looking for a dead rat with a mirror and flashlight in the ceiling of a small bathroom, and you may be able to get an idea of how absurd the situation was. After a while we still hadn’t found anything, and were about to give up, when Fotu found the dead rat: outside in the opening of the pipe that serves as my shower drain. The pipe had been conducting the decaying rat inside and up into the bathroom. I’ve never seem Le’o so embarrassed, or red, and after that, he didn’t even talk to me for almost a week! (Not in a mean way, just in a very Tongan and embarrassed way.)
My second (and hopefully last) rodent tale happened when my parents were here. Tim had gone for one of his early morning length-of-the-island walks, and Robin and I were making breakfast when I saw a mouse. I managed to trap it under a bowl in the bathroom but since neither of us wanted to kill it, I went over to the school and asked some of the boys to come and dispose of it. Well, this was too exciting an offer to pass up, and within minutes, all of the class 6 boys were sprinting toward my house, armed with sticks and rocks and wearing boxes and empty milk cartons on their heads; they had been playing solider. They burst in and immediately accidently set the mouse free and then spent the better part of a half an hour chasing it around my house, all of them screaming and laughing and giving detailed battle instructions. Fotu, of course, followed them- who’d want to miss out on this excitement!?- and was very helpful in shouting out exactly what everyone should be doing and when. Finally, after tearing apart the kitchen, they recaptured the poor mouse, and, holding it by the tail, marched out victoriously.
With any luck, I’ll make it through the next few weeks without any more serious rodent encounters, but, all in all, despite the damage they’ve caused mice and rats and the world’s dumbest cat have made for some pretty entertaining tales over the last two years.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tim and Robin in Tonga
Immediately after Camp GLOW finished, I rushed back to my house, and spent the next 36 hours frantically cleaning and doing laundry to prepare for…my parents! Tim and Robin came to visit me in my village, and if you think I was excited to have them here, it was nothing compared to how thrilled my neighbor, Lupe, was. She had been preparing for their visit for months and truly outdid her normally amazing hospitality. Lupe and ‘Alisi, her mother, made beautiful flower/leaf necklaces to greet my parents, and send the children with me to wait at the airport while they prepared some special Tongan food in the ‘umu. The plane was a little delayed, but finally it landed, and Robin made a bit of a scene running across the runway (or so I was told- all my neighbors were watching from their backyard). Even though their bags were somewhere in NZ, they were happy to be here, and off of planes, and we headed back to my house to rest and eat the first of many many meals.
In a truly Tongan start to their time here, our first night was spent at a massive feast. A deacon was ordained at the Catholic church in town, and Catholics (and feast-loving non-Catholics) from all the islands in Ha’apai came in to Pangai for the event. Lupe took great care dressing all of us up in her Tongan finest, although I’m not sure how wild Tim was about wearing a skirt and Robin about wearing a mat. In town, there was a big fancy mass with the Bishop of Tonga and all the Tongan priests and nuns, complete with beautiful, if somewhat competitive choir singing. This was followed by the largest feast I’ve ever attended. Seriously. Luckily, I convinced Lupe to let us all sit at the back and one of the less intimidating tables, where we could watch the entertainment from a comfortable distance. The food was a great introduction to Tonga: shellfish, octopus, taro, sweet potato, chicken, pork, beef, fish- it was all there. There were many traditional Tongan dances, which were beautiful, especially a very ceremonial and formal one depicting the making of kava. It was a lovely, if somewhat overwhelming, first day in Tonga, and I’m really glad my parents got to see some true Tongan celebration.
After finally getting our luggage we headed out to Uoleva to stay at Patti’s resort for a few nights. The island really is my favorite place in Tonga, and we had a lovely time relaxing on the beach and in the pillow huts. Tim really enjoyed the hammocks, and slept in one at night, even in the rain. We saw a humpback whale off the shore on our last evening, which was beautiful and incredible. We had to stay an extra night, which we were more than fine with, because Ha’apai experienced a slight fuel shortage when the fuel ship stopped running for a few weeks (two men died aboard because of a gas leak of some sort and one of the men was the son of the owner of the boat so it couldn’t run while the extended funeral took place). It was a perfect relaxing break, especially after the stress of the camp, and we all had a lovely time.
When we got back to my village, Tim quickly established himself as a siana ngaue (man who likes to work) and siana fakamalohisino (and man who likes to exercise). Although the Tongans didn’t really understand why anyone would wake up early and walk to town just to walk and go swimming everyday even though it was winter, they really enjoyed watching him do these things, and then, of course, talking about it. Once his ridiculous obsession with coconuts was discovered, people started stopping by to give him or my neighbors coconuts to drink and eat, and of course, to laugh at the fact that anyone would be so enamored with coconuts, something that’s absolutely everywhere here. The boys at my school were thrilled to have a new palangi to play and swim with and Tupou, my almost 3-year old neighbor, quickly realized she could get anything she wanted from him by looking adorable and yelling “Timi!” and then slipping in hints like “I’m hungry”. The language barrier didn’t even matter as she just pointed to things she wanted and took anything she was offered! Leo, my neighbor, was also excited to have a man to hang out with, and was kind enough to let Tim accompany him to work in the bush, something my father is very very proud of, and to drink kava. He even enlisted his help in killing pigs to roast, which was pretty fun, apparently.
Robin and I took a much more low key approach, going to walks on the beach, to see the land bridge, and into town. We spent a lot of time cooking and reading and relaxing, and even ran my ever popular cake baking lesson with class 6 one afternoon. While Tim, who will eat pretty much anything, was thrilled to devour all sorts of Tongan delicacies, Robin had one memorable barrier when presented with a pig leg complete with a little hoof sticking up. Yes, it was pretty funny. While Tupou was on a mission to charmingly exploit Tim, Fotu made it his duty to teach Robin Tongan and spent hours pointing things out to her and patiently correcting her pronunciation, all of which she promptly forgot. This was nothing compared to the difficulty Tim had remembering my neighbors names, and Fotu became Frodo for the better part of the first week! Robin also made another friend: Kava, my neighbors’ 7 month old and 30 pound baby. He is still the most adorable baby ever, and definitely the fattest one. Lupe made sure to bring Kava over for Robin, who she is convinced is very sad inside because she doesn’t have any grandchildren yet. These sentiments were always expressed with a meaningful look at me, since she, as she keeps reminding me, had her first child when she was 25.
As a break from our very laid back time in Koulo, we went whale watching one day with Brian and Sabina, which was awesome. Although we didn’t see any whales, we did get to hear them with a special underwater microphone, and we stopped off a few times to go snorkeling. Tim and Robin loved it, and we saw some beautiful fish and coral and even a little reef shark. I enjoyed it too, but I was freezing- it was winter! We also took a little trip up to Foa to hang out at the beach one afternoon and eat at Matafounua.
After 2 weeks, it was time to head to Tongatapu so my parents could go back to America. Lupe and her family prepared a ridiculous amount of gifts, which added to the crazy Tongan gift-giving circle: Tim and Robin initially brought some presents for my neighbors when they came; Lupe prepared obscene amounts of food and Leo killed a pig to thank them; my parents bought some special foods and ice cream to thank them; Lupe and her mother made many incredibly beautiful Tongan handicrafts: fans, bags, wall hangings for my parents, brother, and sister; I bought them a stroller in Tongatapu to thank them for the pig…oh Tonga, it never ends!
In Tonga we stayed at a snazzy higher end hotel with real showers with hot water(!) and thanks to the kindness of my friend and her wonderful boyfriend went on a mad sun-set tour of the main island (our plane was delayed coming in…of course). We managed to see the Ha’amonga (big mysterious stone archway) before the sun set and surprisingly were able to see a fair amount of the blow holes in the dark under the stars, which may have made it more incredible. On their last day in Tonga, we went shopping for handicrafts and jewelry and canned powered milk…don’t ask! Luckily, Monica’s mom was on the same flight back to LA and we all drove to the airport in a van from her school.
I am so glad my parents were able to visit, and I really think they enjoyed their time here. It was really nice “seeing” Tonga from someone else’s perspective. Since I’ve been here for a bit, I don’t always appreciate how beautiful it is, and how kind and loving the people are. It was nice, especially after a big project and heading into my final few months, to re-realize how lucky I am to be here, and what an amazing place this is. I also realized how many of the cultural customs I’ve internalized, and don’t even think about. Because of this, I think I may have done a less than stellar job of preparing my parents for certain events, but it was pretty interesting to see that the things I first struggles with, I don’t even think about now. I loved having my parents here, and I’m just so glad they were able to see where I’ve been and meet the people who have become so important to me!
In a truly Tongan start to their time here, our first night was spent at a massive feast. A deacon was ordained at the Catholic church in town, and Catholics (and feast-loving non-Catholics) from all the islands in Ha’apai came in to Pangai for the event. Lupe took great care dressing all of us up in her Tongan finest, although I’m not sure how wild Tim was about wearing a skirt and Robin about wearing a mat. In town, there was a big fancy mass with the Bishop of Tonga and all the Tongan priests and nuns, complete with beautiful, if somewhat competitive choir singing. This was followed by the largest feast I’ve ever attended. Seriously. Luckily, I convinced Lupe to let us all sit at the back and one of the less intimidating tables, where we could watch the entertainment from a comfortable distance. The food was a great introduction to Tonga: shellfish, octopus, taro, sweet potato, chicken, pork, beef, fish- it was all there. There were many traditional Tongan dances, which were beautiful, especially a very ceremonial and formal one depicting the making of kava. It was a lovely, if somewhat overwhelming, first day in Tonga, and I’m really glad my parents got to see some true Tongan celebration.
After finally getting our luggage we headed out to Uoleva to stay at Patti’s resort for a few nights. The island really is my favorite place in Tonga, and we had a lovely time relaxing on the beach and in the pillow huts. Tim really enjoyed the hammocks, and slept in one at night, even in the rain. We saw a humpback whale off the shore on our last evening, which was beautiful and incredible. We had to stay an extra night, which we were more than fine with, because Ha’apai experienced a slight fuel shortage when the fuel ship stopped running for a few weeks (two men died aboard because of a gas leak of some sort and one of the men was the son of the owner of the boat so it couldn’t run while the extended funeral took place). It was a perfect relaxing break, especially after the stress of the camp, and we all had a lovely time.
When we got back to my village, Tim quickly established himself as a siana ngaue (man who likes to work) and siana fakamalohisino (and man who likes to exercise). Although the Tongans didn’t really understand why anyone would wake up early and walk to town just to walk and go swimming everyday even though it was winter, they really enjoyed watching him do these things, and then, of course, talking about it. Once his ridiculous obsession with coconuts was discovered, people started stopping by to give him or my neighbors coconuts to drink and eat, and of course, to laugh at the fact that anyone would be so enamored with coconuts, something that’s absolutely everywhere here. The boys at my school were thrilled to have a new palangi to play and swim with and Tupou, my almost 3-year old neighbor, quickly realized she could get anything she wanted from him by looking adorable and yelling “Timi!” and then slipping in hints like “I’m hungry”. The language barrier didn’t even matter as she just pointed to things she wanted and took anything she was offered! Leo, my neighbor, was also excited to have a man to hang out with, and was kind enough to let Tim accompany him to work in the bush, something my father is very very proud of, and to drink kava. He even enlisted his help in killing pigs to roast, which was pretty fun, apparently.
Robin and I took a much more low key approach, going to walks on the beach, to see the land bridge, and into town. We spent a lot of time cooking and reading and relaxing, and even ran my ever popular cake baking lesson with class 6 one afternoon. While Tim, who will eat pretty much anything, was thrilled to devour all sorts of Tongan delicacies, Robin had one memorable barrier when presented with a pig leg complete with a little hoof sticking up. Yes, it was pretty funny. While Tupou was on a mission to charmingly exploit Tim, Fotu made it his duty to teach Robin Tongan and spent hours pointing things out to her and patiently correcting her pronunciation, all of which she promptly forgot. This was nothing compared to the difficulty Tim had remembering my neighbors names, and Fotu became Frodo for the better part of the first week! Robin also made another friend: Kava, my neighbors’ 7 month old and 30 pound baby. He is still the most adorable baby ever, and definitely the fattest one. Lupe made sure to bring Kava over for Robin, who she is convinced is very sad inside because she doesn’t have any grandchildren yet. These sentiments were always expressed with a meaningful look at me, since she, as she keeps reminding me, had her first child when she was 25.
As a break from our very laid back time in Koulo, we went whale watching one day with Brian and Sabina, which was awesome. Although we didn’t see any whales, we did get to hear them with a special underwater microphone, and we stopped off a few times to go snorkeling. Tim and Robin loved it, and we saw some beautiful fish and coral and even a little reef shark. I enjoyed it too, but I was freezing- it was winter! We also took a little trip up to Foa to hang out at the beach one afternoon and eat at Matafounua.
After 2 weeks, it was time to head to Tongatapu so my parents could go back to America. Lupe and her family prepared a ridiculous amount of gifts, which added to the crazy Tongan gift-giving circle: Tim and Robin initially brought some presents for my neighbors when they came; Lupe prepared obscene amounts of food and Leo killed a pig to thank them; my parents bought some special foods and ice cream to thank them; Lupe and her mother made many incredibly beautiful Tongan handicrafts: fans, bags, wall hangings for my parents, brother, and sister; I bought them a stroller in Tongatapu to thank them for the pig…oh Tonga, it never ends!
In Tonga we stayed at a snazzy higher end hotel with real showers with hot water(!) and thanks to the kindness of my friend and her wonderful boyfriend went on a mad sun-set tour of the main island (our plane was delayed coming in…of course). We managed to see the Ha’amonga (big mysterious stone archway) before the sun set and surprisingly were able to see a fair amount of the blow holes in the dark under the stars, which may have made it more incredible. On their last day in Tonga, we went shopping for handicrafts and jewelry and canned powered milk…don’t ask! Luckily, Monica’s mom was on the same flight back to LA and we all drove to the airport in a van from her school.
I am so glad my parents were able to visit, and I really think they enjoyed their time here. It was really nice “seeing” Tonga from someone else’s perspective. Since I’ve been here for a bit, I don’t always appreciate how beautiful it is, and how kind and loving the people are. It was nice, especially after a big project and heading into my final few months, to re-realize how lucky I am to be here, and what an amazing place this is. I also realized how many of the cultural customs I’ve internalized, and don’t even think about. Because of this, I think I may have done a less than stellar job of preparing my parents for certain events, but it was pretty interesting to see that the things I first struggles with, I don’t even think about now. I loved having my parents here, and I’m just so glad they were able to see where I’ve been and meet the people who have become so important to me!
Camp GLOW Ha'apai: in Retrospect
Well, this update is long overdue, and to be honest, I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to write. To start with, Camp GLOW was incredible! It was an amazing program and a wonderful, if exhausting, week, and I’m really proud that we were able to pull this off. The girls all loved the camp, and I think everyone involved learned a lot.
The week leading up to the actual camp was definitely the most stressful week I’ve had in the almost 2 years I’ve been in Tonga. Not everything was planned (in fact, most session weren’t), a key Tongan who we were really relying on bailed and hadn’t done anything she said she’d done for a few months, and about half of the campers dropped out for one reason or another. This being a new program, I think some parents were hesitant about allowing their daughters to join, leading to excuses like “my daughter is not allowed to attend because she has to stay home and do the cooking.” Yikes…
Anyways, working with another volunteer who is coordinating all the camps and her amazing counterpart, we were able to get almost everything into place, and we started the first ever Camp GLOW Ha’apai as scheduled, albeit an hour or so late given the “Tongan time” factor for everyone to arrive! We ended up with 15 campers: 13 girls in form 3 (9th grade) and 2 “youth” (girls who finished high school), 4 PCVs, and 4 Tongan ‘counselors’ as our core camp group. We were also lucky enough to have 4 amazing women with connections to the Wesleyan school we used who served as our caterers, and I really do owe them my life- without all their help, we never could have pulled anything off, or dealt with the occasional Wesleyan roadblocks we encountered during the week.
We started the week off focusing on goal setting and planning and motivation to achieve goals. This was a new concept to the girls and most of the counselors, and we spent a lot of time throughout the week revisiting and revising personal, professional, and educational goals and laying out the steps needed to attain them. We were lucky enough to have some amazing guest speakers come to our camp to run sessions. A really incredible woman from a bank here came and taught the girls about budgeting and savings, something that’s a real issue here, and the focus of the bank’s nation-wide educational initiative. We enlisted the help of a female lawyer, who taught the girls (and me!) about the rights women and children have under Tongan law and about different movements in the South Pacific to try and get countries like Tonga to agree the U.N.’s human rights laws.
We also had two women from incredible NGOs in Nuku’alofa: the Women and Children Crisis Center, which helps fight domestic violence and abuse, runs a safe house for battered and at risk women and children, lobby parliament, and run trainings, and Tonga Family Health Association, which does a lot of education and outreach on HIV/AIDS and sexual health, a pretty taboo topic here. These women ran sessions on Women’s Health, Sexual Health, and Sexual Harassment, all of which the girls had had little exposure to before the camp. We did all sorts of risqué stuff like touch condoms, talk about sex, and reinforce the idea that it’s not ok for men to sexually harass women. Writing that, I realized it doesn’t sound like a lot, but, especially for Ha’apai, this was pretty ground-breaking.
While the camp was happening, word spread though the NGO channels, and mid-week I got a call from the Tongan branch of the Salvation Army- they had heard about our program and offered to come and run a workshop of Drugs and Alcohol and Anger Management, both of which were wonderful! We also had the support of the local Police Domestic Violence Unit, which has a female officer in Ha’apai who came to meet with the girls, and various businesses, who hosted a few girls one morning to show them the career opportunities available to them here and provide examples of successful females in the workplace.
The camp was by no means all work, although we did spend quite a bit of time in the classroom. We also felt strongly about incorporating healthy lifestyle factors and creative expression into Camp GLOW, things that girls in Tonga really aren’t exposed to. Physically, we did some dancing and aerobics along with stretching/flexibility and relay races, and, a camp favorite, swimming at the wharf. We also did a lot of team building exercises, including trust falls (a bit scary, I’ll admit!) an afternoon with a parachute: a real crowd pleaser. On the arts and crafts end we made team posters to decorate our dormitory, tie-dyed t-shirts, and made a camp banner. It was really fun watching the girls get to use the art supplies we take for granted back home- they were all so excited and they looked awesome in their t-shirts.
For night activities we held a beach camp fire one night, which was a fun escape, watched “Mulan” in the dorm on a giant projector screen (sheet), had a “Club GLOW” dance party complete with strobe lights, and even had two of the girls dress up as pop stars and audition for “Digicel Star”, a Tongan knock-off of American Idol sponsored by a communication services company and being filmed by a fellow PCV!
To cap off the week, we had a program for family and friends where the girls performed skits and a dance, received awards and certificates, give speeches, and, of course, ate lots of food. It was really great watching the girls on the last day and seeing how special this experience was. Most of them didn’t want to leave and kept asking to stay one more night (something the extremely sleep deprived side of me wasn’t going to allow) and almost all of them begged to be allowed to come back next year as junior counselors. All in all, it was just incredible.
To be honest, as a pilot program, we ran into more than our fair share of obstacles and learned a lot from everything. But, this isn’t the time or place to get into that. Really, it only means the upcoming camps in other island groups and next year’s Camp GLOW Ha’apai will be even better! This camp and working with these girls was by far the most important thing I’ve done here, and has been such a phenomenal experience. The girls we were able to spend a week with really are the future leaders, and it was wonderful to watch them learn so much and grow of the course of just one week. Setting up a grass-roots program like this around Tonga really will change the future of this country. I know that sounds corny and cliché but I do think it’s true. The best way for developing countries to change their course is to invest in education, especially for girls, and seeing what 15 girls in Ha’apai are able to do if pushed, it makes me very optimistic.
I truly couldn’t have made Camp GLOW happen without help from all of you. To all of you who helped me work out details, listened to me vent/be crazy, spread the word about the camp, donated online, and understood when I made this a priority above other things, thank you. I can’t express how grateful I am for all the support I received, and how integral it was to the success of the program. In summation, Camp GLOW Ha’apai was a “glowing” success (I know, I couldn’t help myself) and an amazing experience!
The week leading up to the actual camp was definitely the most stressful week I’ve had in the almost 2 years I’ve been in Tonga. Not everything was planned (in fact, most session weren’t), a key Tongan who we were really relying on bailed and hadn’t done anything she said she’d done for a few months, and about half of the campers dropped out for one reason or another. This being a new program, I think some parents were hesitant about allowing their daughters to join, leading to excuses like “my daughter is not allowed to attend because she has to stay home and do the cooking.” Yikes…
Anyways, working with another volunteer who is coordinating all the camps and her amazing counterpart, we were able to get almost everything into place, and we started the first ever Camp GLOW Ha’apai as scheduled, albeit an hour or so late given the “Tongan time” factor for everyone to arrive! We ended up with 15 campers: 13 girls in form 3 (9th grade) and 2 “youth” (girls who finished high school), 4 PCVs, and 4 Tongan ‘counselors’ as our core camp group. We were also lucky enough to have 4 amazing women with connections to the Wesleyan school we used who served as our caterers, and I really do owe them my life- without all their help, we never could have pulled anything off, or dealt with the occasional Wesleyan roadblocks we encountered during the week.
We started the week off focusing on goal setting and planning and motivation to achieve goals. This was a new concept to the girls and most of the counselors, and we spent a lot of time throughout the week revisiting and revising personal, professional, and educational goals and laying out the steps needed to attain them. We were lucky enough to have some amazing guest speakers come to our camp to run sessions. A really incredible woman from a bank here came and taught the girls about budgeting and savings, something that’s a real issue here, and the focus of the bank’s nation-wide educational initiative. We enlisted the help of a female lawyer, who taught the girls (and me!) about the rights women and children have under Tongan law and about different movements in the South Pacific to try and get countries like Tonga to agree the U.N.’s human rights laws.
We also had two women from incredible NGOs in Nuku’alofa: the Women and Children Crisis Center, which helps fight domestic violence and abuse, runs a safe house for battered and at risk women and children, lobby parliament, and run trainings, and Tonga Family Health Association, which does a lot of education and outreach on HIV/AIDS and sexual health, a pretty taboo topic here. These women ran sessions on Women’s Health, Sexual Health, and Sexual Harassment, all of which the girls had had little exposure to before the camp. We did all sorts of risqué stuff like touch condoms, talk about sex, and reinforce the idea that it’s not ok for men to sexually harass women. Writing that, I realized it doesn’t sound like a lot, but, especially for Ha’apai, this was pretty ground-breaking.
While the camp was happening, word spread though the NGO channels, and mid-week I got a call from the Tongan branch of the Salvation Army- they had heard about our program and offered to come and run a workshop of Drugs and Alcohol and Anger Management, both of which were wonderful! We also had the support of the local Police Domestic Violence Unit, which has a female officer in Ha’apai who came to meet with the girls, and various businesses, who hosted a few girls one morning to show them the career opportunities available to them here and provide examples of successful females in the workplace.
The camp was by no means all work, although we did spend quite a bit of time in the classroom. We also felt strongly about incorporating healthy lifestyle factors and creative expression into Camp GLOW, things that girls in Tonga really aren’t exposed to. Physically, we did some dancing and aerobics along with stretching/flexibility and relay races, and, a camp favorite, swimming at the wharf. We also did a lot of team building exercises, including trust falls (a bit scary, I’ll admit!) an afternoon with a parachute: a real crowd pleaser. On the arts and crafts end we made team posters to decorate our dormitory, tie-dyed t-shirts, and made a camp banner. It was really fun watching the girls get to use the art supplies we take for granted back home- they were all so excited and they looked awesome in their t-shirts.
For night activities we held a beach camp fire one night, which was a fun escape, watched “Mulan” in the dorm on a giant projector screen (sheet), had a “Club GLOW” dance party complete with strobe lights, and even had two of the girls dress up as pop stars and audition for “Digicel Star”, a Tongan knock-off of American Idol sponsored by a communication services company and being filmed by a fellow PCV!
To cap off the week, we had a program for family and friends where the girls performed skits and a dance, received awards and certificates, give speeches, and, of course, ate lots of food. It was really great watching the girls on the last day and seeing how special this experience was. Most of them didn’t want to leave and kept asking to stay one more night (something the extremely sleep deprived side of me wasn’t going to allow) and almost all of them begged to be allowed to come back next year as junior counselors. All in all, it was just incredible.
To be honest, as a pilot program, we ran into more than our fair share of obstacles and learned a lot from everything. But, this isn’t the time or place to get into that. Really, it only means the upcoming camps in other island groups and next year’s Camp GLOW Ha’apai will be even better! This camp and working with these girls was by far the most important thing I’ve done here, and has been such a phenomenal experience. The girls we were able to spend a week with really are the future leaders, and it was wonderful to watch them learn so much and grow of the course of just one week. Setting up a grass-roots program like this around Tonga really will change the future of this country. I know that sounds corny and cliché but I do think it’s true. The best way for developing countries to change their course is to invest in education, especially for girls, and seeing what 15 girls in Ha’apai are able to do if pushed, it makes me very optimistic.
I truly couldn’t have made Camp GLOW happen without help from all of you. To all of you who helped me work out details, listened to me vent/be crazy, spread the word about the camp, donated online, and understood when I made this a priority above other things, thank you. I can’t express how grateful I am for all the support I received, and how integral it was to the success of the program. In summation, Camp GLOW Ha’apai was a “glowing” success (I know, I couldn’t help myself) and an amazing experience!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Camp GLOW Press!
Hello Lovely Blog Readers,
Yes, I am still alive! Yes, Camp GLOW happened! Yes, it was incredible! Really really incredible! And, I promise, that within a week I will have my summation post finished and online to tell you all about just how awesome it was! But, until then, I have, for your viewing pleasure, an article from the Women and Children Crisis Center's newsletter, one of the local organizations who had a guest speaker from. I know this is just Tongan press, but it's still pretty amazing.
http://www.wccc.tbu.to/news/light-shines-on-young-girls-of-tonga/
Yes, I am still alive! Yes, Camp GLOW happened! Yes, it was incredible! Really really incredible! And, I promise, that within a week I will have my summation post finished and online to tell you all about just how awesome it was! But, until then, I have, for your viewing pleasure, an article from the Women and Children Crisis Center's newsletter, one of the local organizations who had a guest speaker from. I know this is just Tongan press, but it's still pretty amazing.
http://www.wccc.tbu.to/news/light-shines-on-young-girls-of-tonga/
Saturday, June 12, 2010
In Which I Found Myself Toa-ing, and Serving Kava to 30 or so Men for 4 Hours, for the Cause of Girls’ Empowerment in Tonga
For the past 6 months I have been working on trying to have a Camp GLOW here in Ha’apai, and have slowly been losing my sanity and probably my pride, as I have been desperately begging any and everyone for money and cutting the budget for this project left and right. To supplement the amazingly generous donations from all you incredible readers, we realized we would have to do some local fundraising, as we should, given that it’s a program in Tonga to help Tongan girls. Immediately, we decided to run a BINGO fundraiser- BINGO is very big here, despite the Tongan alphabet not containing the letters “b” or “g”, especially among Catholics (some things really are universal!). But, scheduling conflicts and activities in the church kept pushing us back, and while we’re still going to do the fundraiser 2 days before the camp starts (!) we realized we would have to run another one in addition to asking businesses for donations.
Enter kava, the preeminent form of Tongan fundraising, an activity I have been actively avoiding participating in (remember me hiding in various places around the school during the class 6 exam last year to get out of kava?) since I was forced into doing it during our training and had a miserable experience. It’s not that I actively hate kava, it’s more that I in no way want to be taking part in it. Drinking kava is a men-only activity, except if a woman agrees to sit alone at the head of the circle and ladle out copious amounts of the appetizing water and be the brunt of flirtations and jokes, a position known as the toa. Now, and here’s where it gets pretty funny, a woman can only toa if she is not related to any of the men who will be there drinking kava. This being a small island society where absolutely everyone is related, it’s very difficult now to find someone to toa without having to ban half the kava group- part of the appeal of having a foreigner toa. All of you, I’m sure, are shocked as to why I haven’t been jumping up and down to take part in this.
But, as the cliché saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures, which is how I found myself last Friday night downing a bottle of pretty good wine (especially for Tonga) with Juleigh, the volunteer I’m organizing this camp with, in the convent where she lives (yes, convent with nuns) finding out that while Tongans are late for absolutely everything, they somehow show up 30 minutes early when it’s kava with palangi toas. Why the wine you ask? Well, as organizer of the kalapu I would be required to stay for the entire time, from 8:30ish to 1:00am (a harder task than you may think, given that I’m used to being in bed by 10:30) and it was general consensus that a good wine buzz would be fairly essential to make the first few hours bearable.
The rules of the relationship between the kava circle and the toa are pretty simple: the woman serves the kava to the men, and the men, in turn, are supposed to amuse her and make sure she is having a good time. The man sitting to the left of the toa has the expressed responsibility of making sure she is happy, and in traditional Tongan culture, this is how a date happened: a girl would toa and the boy she was interested in would deliberately sit next to her on the left. The man to the left of the toa is required to stay as long as she does, and fill in any lapses in amusement form the group at large with conversation. This previously mentioned amusement can take the form of jokes, stories, (muscle flexing contests, in the instance of the circle I was in) and music.
When Juleigh and I arrived at the hall we found it already filled with men from various kava kalapus (kava groups/clubs). Most men in every community belong to a kava group. Some of them only drink kava on Sundays and special occasions, but most of them are ‘savings groups’ and meet to drink kava at least once a week on a week day. Since Tonga is a communal society and you’re required to give anything to anyone who asks, especially your family, it’s often difficult to save money (something we’re having a big session on at our camp: Budgeting and Savings!). The way the savings kava groups work is that each week/month/predetermined period of time, one man takes home all the money that has been contributed up until then; generally each man pays $5-10 to drink kava for the night. To get a large number of people to come to our event, we went around to every kava group on our island and asked them to come to our fundraiser, essentially by-passing a night of one of their members going home with their money. We would provide the kava, since we were hosting the event, and they would come and donate their group’s intake from the night. This is a big thing to ask for, but the turnout was amazing. Hoping out of the back of the truck we had hitch-hiked to the hall in, I was shocked to find myself staring at over 200 men from 8 different kava clubs, all of whom had come to our fundraiser.
I was seated in the Ha’apai High School kava circle, which somehow included men and youth from the village next to mine. There were about 30 men in my circle, all of whom were very happy I was there, and took great delight in teaching me (and listening to me butcher) elaborate and traditionally appropriate phrases to say in Tongan thanking the men for drinking kava and playing and singing for me. The best part about the evening, by far, was the music. Because men came in their clubs, there was a little bit of competition with the added need to thoroughly entertain and amuse the palangi toas (along with Juleigh and I, another volunteer and her friend from home who was visiting and a Japanese volunteer came and toa-ed!) and most of the groups came with a fair number of guitars and ukuleles. My group even brought a binder of music, and for this special occasion, deviated from the usual repertoire and played some amazing traditional songs. Because of these factors, the night was a continuous rotation of songs played by the different kava clubs, and it was beautiful and amazing. It still shocks me every time of group of men, most of whom work in the bush and come in their work clothes, collectively open their mouths and sing. It’s incredible. My group had two guitars, three ukuleles, and it was lovely and made the night far better than anticipated. Also, because so many different groups came there were quite a few priests and ministers and town officers and other well-respected men, and that gave the whole event an air of being important and special, and as a result none of the teasing or joking really degraded into inappropriateness.
As a fundraising effort, we did very well: all told we raised $650 pa’anga (Tongan dollars) after having paid $400 for all the kava that was drunk (yes, these men can drink kava) and $50 to rent the hall. What was even better though was the turn-out and support. It was really encouraging and it makes me very thankful to be in such a place where, when push comes to shove, the community will rally around a project to make it happen. And, while I’m not exactly rushing to toa again, it was a far better experience than I thought it would be, and having 200 men serenade you beautifully is not something one forgets.
So, the countdown is on. We have 8 days until the camp and need to raise $1000 pa’anga, which I really think we can do. Wish us luck, and I’ll be sure to post after Camp GLOW is over and tell you all about it!
Enter kava, the preeminent form of Tongan fundraising, an activity I have been actively avoiding participating in (remember me hiding in various places around the school during the class 6 exam last year to get out of kava?) since I was forced into doing it during our training and had a miserable experience. It’s not that I actively hate kava, it’s more that I in no way want to be taking part in it. Drinking kava is a men-only activity, except if a woman agrees to sit alone at the head of the circle and ladle out copious amounts of the appetizing water and be the brunt of flirtations and jokes, a position known as the toa. Now, and here’s where it gets pretty funny, a woman can only toa if she is not related to any of the men who will be there drinking kava. This being a small island society where absolutely everyone is related, it’s very difficult now to find someone to toa without having to ban half the kava group- part of the appeal of having a foreigner toa. All of you, I’m sure, are shocked as to why I haven’t been jumping up and down to take part in this.
But, as the cliché saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures, which is how I found myself last Friday night downing a bottle of pretty good wine (especially for Tonga) with Juleigh, the volunteer I’m organizing this camp with, in the convent where she lives (yes, convent with nuns) finding out that while Tongans are late for absolutely everything, they somehow show up 30 minutes early when it’s kava with palangi toas. Why the wine you ask? Well, as organizer of the kalapu I would be required to stay for the entire time, from 8:30ish to 1:00am (a harder task than you may think, given that I’m used to being in bed by 10:30) and it was general consensus that a good wine buzz would be fairly essential to make the first few hours bearable.
The rules of the relationship between the kava circle and the toa are pretty simple: the woman serves the kava to the men, and the men, in turn, are supposed to amuse her and make sure she is having a good time. The man sitting to the left of the toa has the expressed responsibility of making sure she is happy, and in traditional Tongan culture, this is how a date happened: a girl would toa and the boy she was interested in would deliberately sit next to her on the left. The man to the left of the toa is required to stay as long as she does, and fill in any lapses in amusement form the group at large with conversation. This previously mentioned amusement can take the form of jokes, stories, (muscle flexing contests, in the instance of the circle I was in) and music.
When Juleigh and I arrived at the hall we found it already filled with men from various kava kalapus (kava groups/clubs). Most men in every community belong to a kava group. Some of them only drink kava on Sundays and special occasions, but most of them are ‘savings groups’ and meet to drink kava at least once a week on a week day. Since Tonga is a communal society and you’re required to give anything to anyone who asks, especially your family, it’s often difficult to save money (something we’re having a big session on at our camp: Budgeting and Savings!). The way the savings kava groups work is that each week/month/predetermined period of time, one man takes home all the money that has been contributed up until then; generally each man pays $5-10 to drink kava for the night. To get a large number of people to come to our event, we went around to every kava group on our island and asked them to come to our fundraiser, essentially by-passing a night of one of their members going home with their money. We would provide the kava, since we were hosting the event, and they would come and donate their group’s intake from the night. This is a big thing to ask for, but the turnout was amazing. Hoping out of the back of the truck we had hitch-hiked to the hall in, I was shocked to find myself staring at over 200 men from 8 different kava clubs, all of whom had come to our fundraiser.
I was seated in the Ha’apai High School kava circle, which somehow included men and youth from the village next to mine. There were about 30 men in my circle, all of whom were very happy I was there, and took great delight in teaching me (and listening to me butcher) elaborate and traditionally appropriate phrases to say in Tongan thanking the men for drinking kava and playing and singing for me. The best part about the evening, by far, was the music. Because men came in their clubs, there was a little bit of competition with the added need to thoroughly entertain and amuse the palangi toas (along with Juleigh and I, another volunteer and her friend from home who was visiting and a Japanese volunteer came and toa-ed!) and most of the groups came with a fair number of guitars and ukuleles. My group even brought a binder of music, and for this special occasion, deviated from the usual repertoire and played some amazing traditional songs. Because of these factors, the night was a continuous rotation of songs played by the different kava clubs, and it was beautiful and amazing. It still shocks me every time of group of men, most of whom work in the bush and come in their work clothes, collectively open their mouths and sing. It’s incredible. My group had two guitars, three ukuleles, and it was lovely and made the night far better than anticipated. Also, because so many different groups came there were quite a few priests and ministers and town officers and other well-respected men, and that gave the whole event an air of being important and special, and as a result none of the teasing or joking really degraded into inappropriateness.
As a fundraising effort, we did very well: all told we raised $650 pa’anga (Tongan dollars) after having paid $400 for all the kava that was drunk (yes, these men can drink kava) and $50 to rent the hall. What was even better though was the turn-out and support. It was really encouraging and it makes me very thankful to be in such a place where, when push comes to shove, the community will rally around a project to make it happen. And, while I’m not exactly rushing to toa again, it was a far better experience than I thought it would be, and having 200 men serenade you beautifully is not something one forgets.
So, the countdown is on. We have 8 days until the camp and need to raise $1000 pa’anga, which I really think we can do. Wish us luck, and I’ll be sure to post after Camp GLOW is over and tell you all about it!
Lauren Comes to Tonga!
In April (I know, I’m a bit behind with this post), I was lucky enough to have my second visitor to Koulo, Ha’apai, the lovely and elusive globe-trotter, Miss Lauren Eriks! The trip was a bit last-minute, completely unexpected and absolutely wonderful. Lauren and her friend were spending 4 months traveling around New Zealand, and we’d been tossing around the idea of her coming over here, but there was nothing definite set. Then, after almost two weeks of no internet connection, I happened to go into town to check my email and got a great surprise: having found a great deal on airline tickets, Lauren just bought the ticket in the perfect traveler, and Tongan, frame of mind that things would work out. And they did- amazingly!
Lauren landed in Tongatapu in the evening, meaning she had to spend the night in town before getting a domestic flight the following afternoon. Some wonderful volunteers offered up their home and hospitality and provided a crucial cell phone link for the next day. In the morning I called the airline office to confirm her flight to Ha’apai, and was told the flight was canceled because the plane, once again, was broken. She was booked on the “big plane” via Vava’u, but this flight was now no longer going…maybe. I talked to three different people and got three different answers as to whether or not there was a plane. I got an extensive list of phone numbers for the airline, called them all, and was getting nowhere. Then I called the direct supervisor at the airport in Tonga, who told me there would be one plane to Ha’apai only in an hour and a half. After much begging and pleading I got a seat on the plane under the condition that the passenger be at the airport in less than an hour… meaning I somehow had to track down Lauren (who had no phone) and get her to the airport fast! Cue me calling the aforementioned amazing volunteers who found her, put her in a taxi, and got her to the airport in time to make the flight!
It was so lovely having Lauren here, and getting to show her the “sights” of Ha’apai, my school and village, and, of course, catching up. Since we hadn’t seen each other in almost 3 years, we had quite a bit to catch up on, and it was great having someone to talk to about everything with- the first day my mouth was actually sore from speaking English so much in one day (English consonants use very different muscles than Tongan vowels)! The kids at school and my neighbors loved having a new palangi around, especially Tupou and Fotu, who took full advantage of the new friend who would play with them and pay attention to them, and the two of them were over almost every day to eat cake, color, and play endless games of ‘hit the balloon’, which they still talk about.
We did a lot of nofo ia pe (just hanging out) and cooking/eating (obviously!) and talking about food and sustainable food culture and activism and being cajoled by Mui Mui into petting him and playing with him. We also went swimming with the neighbors and quite a few of the kids from the village one evening, which was fun and amazingly picturesque, took a bike ‘eva to the liku side of the island and prevented my dog from being trampled by a herd of cows he wanted to play with, and went down to Uoleva for 2 days, which was beautiful. We were able to help one of the resort owners set up plans and to do lists for her vegetable garden in exchange for staying there for the night, and it was, as always, relaxing and gorgeous. My neighbors also invited us to do Sunday with them, which meant we were able to get up and help make the lū, including possibly the first ever all vegetable lū in Koulo, see the ‘umu, and were dressed up by my neighbor in taovalas (woven mats) and tupenus for church.
The only down-side was that the week went by far too fast; I had such a wonderful time. That being said, I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I’ll have a few more surprise visitors before I leave in December! [Check out Lauren’s blog for some beautiful photos of her time in Tonga: http://interestinglyno.blogspot.com/2010/04/fakatonga.html]
Lauren landed in Tongatapu in the evening, meaning she had to spend the night in town before getting a domestic flight the following afternoon. Some wonderful volunteers offered up their home and hospitality and provided a crucial cell phone link for the next day. In the morning I called the airline office to confirm her flight to Ha’apai, and was told the flight was canceled because the plane, once again, was broken. She was booked on the “big plane” via Vava’u, but this flight was now no longer going…maybe. I talked to three different people and got three different answers as to whether or not there was a plane. I got an extensive list of phone numbers for the airline, called them all, and was getting nowhere. Then I called the direct supervisor at the airport in Tonga, who told me there would be one plane to Ha’apai only in an hour and a half. After much begging and pleading I got a seat on the plane under the condition that the passenger be at the airport in less than an hour… meaning I somehow had to track down Lauren (who had no phone) and get her to the airport fast! Cue me calling the aforementioned amazing volunteers who found her, put her in a taxi, and got her to the airport in time to make the flight!
It was so lovely having Lauren here, and getting to show her the “sights” of Ha’apai, my school and village, and, of course, catching up. Since we hadn’t seen each other in almost 3 years, we had quite a bit to catch up on, and it was great having someone to talk to about everything with- the first day my mouth was actually sore from speaking English so much in one day (English consonants use very different muscles than Tongan vowels)! The kids at school and my neighbors loved having a new palangi around, especially Tupou and Fotu, who took full advantage of the new friend who would play with them and pay attention to them, and the two of them were over almost every day to eat cake, color, and play endless games of ‘hit the balloon’, which they still talk about.
We did a lot of nofo ia pe (just hanging out) and cooking/eating (obviously!) and talking about food and sustainable food culture and activism and being cajoled by Mui Mui into petting him and playing with him. We also went swimming with the neighbors and quite a few of the kids from the village one evening, which was fun and amazingly picturesque, took a bike ‘eva to the liku side of the island and prevented my dog from being trampled by a herd of cows he wanted to play with, and went down to Uoleva for 2 days, which was beautiful. We were able to help one of the resort owners set up plans and to do lists for her vegetable garden in exchange for staying there for the night, and it was, as always, relaxing and gorgeous. My neighbors also invited us to do Sunday with them, which meant we were able to get up and help make the lū, including possibly the first ever all vegetable lū in Koulo, see the ‘umu, and were dressed up by my neighbor in taovalas (woven mats) and tupenus for church.
The only down-side was that the week went by far too fast; I had such a wonderful time. That being said, I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I’ll have a few more surprise visitors before I leave in December! [Check out Lauren’s blog for some beautiful photos of her time in Tonga: http://interestinglyno.blogspot.com/2010/04/fakatonga.html]
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Faka-Mē
The first Sunday of May is“Faka-Mē” the Children’s Sunday in the Wesleyan church. Some of you may remember my participation last year in the event, culminating in the embarrassed reading of a church hymn with a 5-year old…dark times for my self-esteem in the village. This year, I graciously declined an offer to read a ‘lesson’, and instead volunteered my talents as official photographer of the children, dressed to the nines in any and everything white, lacy, and preferably with feathers, much to the delight of the mothers as many families don’t have cameras or cell phones with cameras.
Sarah, another volunteer from the next island up, joined me for the first half of the day-long program, and it was nice to have a feast companion to play “guess that mystery meat” with (even if two palangais meant there was no way to avoid sitting at the head table) and share observations about the adorable kids with. Lupe, along with her mother, sister, and other extended family members, pulled out all the stops for their table at the feast, and the two of us have gotten quite efficient at baking dozens of cakes at a time. They also completely outdid themselves, weaving two new mats for each of the children to wear, and creating an entire woven traditional Tongan outfit for Fotu, complete with woven slippers (sandals). Fotu looked good, and he knew it, and strutted around most of the morning telling everyone how handsome he looked in his Tongan slippers!
In the morning church service, some of the children read hymns and sang songs, and then everyone went to the church hall for the feast. After a quick wash and costume change, the kids and proud family members came back to the church for the real “lessons”. There were recitations, hymns, action songs, and dramatic re-tellings of biblical and biblical-based stories. My favorite, by far, was the drama about Roman-era persecution of Christians in a time that fluctuated between ancient and modern. Lines such as “I heard on the radio that the Romans are persecuting Christians” were married with ‘finger-gun’ carrying soldiers wonderfully. The plot centered around a family that decided not to renounce their religion, despite radio warnings, and were all killed. What made it interesting was how funny the audience found it every time someone was ‘shot’ by a solider (complete with “bang” sound effects) and that after each death, a hymn had to be sung for the deceased as they were covered in white cloths. The hymn singing did mean that it took the better part of a half hour to kill an entire family of four.
It’s been interesting revisiting these annual events, and thinking about how much my experiences have varied from year to year. The biggest change, by far, is that I can understand a lot more because my language has improved, so this year, for example, I understood why people were being shot during a church play!
Sarah, another volunteer from the next island up, joined me for the first half of the day-long program, and it was nice to have a feast companion to play “guess that mystery meat” with (even if two palangais meant there was no way to avoid sitting at the head table) and share observations about the adorable kids with. Lupe, along with her mother, sister, and other extended family members, pulled out all the stops for their table at the feast, and the two of us have gotten quite efficient at baking dozens of cakes at a time. They also completely outdid themselves, weaving two new mats for each of the children to wear, and creating an entire woven traditional Tongan outfit for Fotu, complete with woven slippers (sandals). Fotu looked good, and he knew it, and strutted around most of the morning telling everyone how handsome he looked in his Tongan slippers!
In the morning church service, some of the children read hymns and sang songs, and then everyone went to the church hall for the feast. After a quick wash and costume change, the kids and proud family members came back to the church for the real “lessons”. There were recitations, hymns, action songs, and dramatic re-tellings of biblical and biblical-based stories. My favorite, by far, was the drama about Roman-era persecution of Christians in a time that fluctuated between ancient and modern. Lines such as “I heard on the radio that the Romans are persecuting Christians” were married with ‘finger-gun’ carrying soldiers wonderfully. The plot centered around a family that decided not to renounce their religion, despite radio warnings, and were all killed. What made it interesting was how funny the audience found it every time someone was ‘shot’ by a solider (complete with “bang” sound effects) and that after each death, a hymn had to be sung for the deceased as they were covered in white cloths. The hymn singing did mean that it took the better part of a half hour to kill an entire family of four.
It’s been interesting revisiting these annual events, and thinking about how much my experiences have varied from year to year. The biggest change, by far, is that I can understand a lot more because my language has improved, so this year, for example, I understood why people were being shot during a church play!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Camp GLOW!
Dear Family and Friends,
Despite, the recent lack of blog posts and email updates, I’ve been pretty busy. My last year in Tonga is flying by (as my 5 year old neighbor constantly reminds me: “Alisi, this is your last EVER [insert event here, be it important or mundane] in Tonga!” [cue me tearing up]) and I’m working hard to pull off some incredible projects before my service is over. The project I’m most excited about is the amazing, and slightly ambitious, program I am organizing for girls here in Ha’apai, and in order for it to happen, I need your help!
Us Peace Corps Volunteers and the Tongan Ministry of Youth, Employment, Sports and Training (quite the title) are working together to hold the first nation-wide Camp G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World). This program, designed to empower Tongan girls and young women, will be run as a week-long sleep away camp and will advocate, among other things, a healthy lifestyle; teaching leadership and team-building skills; fostering self-confidence and creative expression; and building a strong network of motivated girls and women. Camp GLOW will be run in each of the four main island groups of Tonga, and will serve more than 200 hundred girls and young women throughout the country, 35 in Ha’apai alone.
Our Camp GLOW will be comprised of two camps. One will focus on girls in 9th grade who have displayed academic excellence and leadership potential. This camp is designed to motivate the girls to continue their education as far as possible and to become leaders among their peers. The second camp will benefit unmarried, unemployed young women between the ages of 18-21. This camp will focus on building skills for employment and financial independence. Both camps will emphasize personal achievement and active, responsible citizenship.
Throughout the week, campers will participate in sessions on goal setting, critical thinking and decision making, organization and effective study skills, time and money management, computer literacy, public speaking, conflict resolution, sexual health, the rights of women and children, sexual harassment and domestic abuse, nutrition, food sanitation, and first aid. In addition to these sessions, the camps will be filled with games, sports, songs, and arts and crafts, which will incorporate leadership training and team building. The women’s camp will also include technical skills training, field trips to local businesses, and sessions on resume writing and interviewing. The girl’s camp will include a day of shadowing a professional woman in the community who will share her story with the girls while allowing them a look into the life of a career woman.
Every session at Camp GLOW will be run by a Tongan woman – either a member of the community or a guest speaker from another island. The campers will be guided, supervised, and encouraged by camp counselors chosen from among the most motivated female youth leaders in the community, and will be chaperoned by a prominent community member who will serve as a camp mother.
Camp GLOW Ha’apai will be the first camp, and will run from June 21-26. Now that Peace Corps has approved our project, we can begin preparing for the camp. We will be organizing fundraising events within the community, and yes, I will be taking a bullet for a great causing and toa-ing (serving kava to men for hours and hours) and probably dancing as well- I know you all wish you could see this. Still, this project will not be able to happen without your help. Camp GLOW will be free of charge to all girls who attend so as not to limit the number of girls who apply, many who would not have the financial ability to do so otherwise. This means that we need as much assistance as possible from all of you.
To find out more information about Camp GLOW Tonga, please join our facebook group (and invite all your friends!): Camp GLOW Tonga, and/or email myself or campglowtonga@gmail.com. If you are interested and able to support this incredible project, please go to https://www.peacecorps.gov, click on “Donate Now” and search for A. Green to make a tax-deductible donation!(Here's the direct link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=421-123)
Thank you for all of your support throughout my time in Peace Corps and in Tonga. I appreciate all of your help so much, and I know I never would have been able to accomplish as much here without you. If you could please pass this email along to your family and friends who might be interested, I would appreciate it greatly.
ʽOfa lahi atu (Lots of love),
Alicia
Despite, the recent lack of blog posts and email updates, I’ve been pretty busy. My last year in Tonga is flying by (as my 5 year old neighbor constantly reminds me: “Alisi, this is your last EVER [insert event here, be it important or mundane] in Tonga!” [cue me tearing up]) and I’m working hard to pull off some incredible projects before my service is over. The project I’m most excited about is the amazing, and slightly ambitious, program I am organizing for girls here in Ha’apai, and in order for it to happen, I need your help!
Us Peace Corps Volunteers and the Tongan Ministry of Youth, Employment, Sports and Training (quite the title) are working together to hold the first nation-wide Camp G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World). This program, designed to empower Tongan girls and young women, will be run as a week-long sleep away camp and will advocate, among other things, a healthy lifestyle; teaching leadership and team-building skills; fostering self-confidence and creative expression; and building a strong network of motivated girls and women. Camp GLOW will be run in each of the four main island groups of Tonga, and will serve more than 200 hundred girls and young women throughout the country, 35 in Ha’apai alone.
Our Camp GLOW will be comprised of two camps. One will focus on girls in 9th grade who have displayed academic excellence and leadership potential. This camp is designed to motivate the girls to continue their education as far as possible and to become leaders among their peers. The second camp will benefit unmarried, unemployed young women between the ages of 18-21. This camp will focus on building skills for employment and financial independence. Both camps will emphasize personal achievement and active, responsible citizenship.
Throughout the week, campers will participate in sessions on goal setting, critical thinking and decision making, organization and effective study skills, time and money management, computer literacy, public speaking, conflict resolution, sexual health, the rights of women and children, sexual harassment and domestic abuse, nutrition, food sanitation, and first aid. In addition to these sessions, the camps will be filled with games, sports, songs, and arts and crafts, which will incorporate leadership training and team building. The women’s camp will also include technical skills training, field trips to local businesses, and sessions on resume writing and interviewing. The girl’s camp will include a day of shadowing a professional woman in the community who will share her story with the girls while allowing them a look into the life of a career woman.
Every session at Camp GLOW will be run by a Tongan woman – either a member of the community or a guest speaker from another island. The campers will be guided, supervised, and encouraged by camp counselors chosen from among the most motivated female youth leaders in the community, and will be chaperoned by a prominent community member who will serve as a camp mother.
Camp GLOW Ha’apai will be the first camp, and will run from June 21-26. Now that Peace Corps has approved our project, we can begin preparing for the camp. We will be organizing fundraising events within the community, and yes, I will be taking a bullet for a great causing and toa-ing (serving kava to men for hours and hours) and probably dancing as well- I know you all wish you could see this. Still, this project will not be able to happen without your help. Camp GLOW will be free of charge to all girls who attend so as not to limit the number of girls who apply, many who would not have the financial ability to do so otherwise. This means that we need as much assistance as possible from all of you.
To find out more information about Camp GLOW Tonga, please join our facebook group (and invite all your friends!): Camp GLOW Tonga, and/or email myself or campglowtonga@gmail.com. If you are interested and able to support this incredible project, please go to https://www.peacecorps.gov, click on “Donate Now” and search for A. Green to make a tax-deductible donation!(Here's the direct link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=421-123)
Thank you for all of your support throughout my time in Peace Corps and in Tonga. I appreciate all of your help so much, and I know I never would have been able to accomplish as much here without you. If you could please pass this email along to your family and friends who might be interested, I would appreciate it greatly.
ʽOfa lahi atu (Lots of love),
Alicia
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
February: There's A Big Rain A'Comin'
The most memorable event of February is, without a doubt, Cyclone Rene. Cyclone Rene reached a category 4, and was, admittedly, a pretty impressive storm.
Peace Corps, obviously being aware of the storm, called my first ever "consolidation" for the cyclone. Luckily, our site in Ha'apai is another volunteer's house, and we were well stocked with water and food and unable to be kicked out (as happened at consolidation points that were Mormon churches...)! The first day and a half or so, the weather was fine, sunny even, and we did feel pretty foolish having all 10 of us (there are so many Peace Corps in Ha'apai this year!) holed up in one house. Still, we made some pretty delicious meals and got the opportunity to finally play board games.
When the storm finally did hit, it was crazy. I've never seen wind or rain that strong. We thought we had done a good job storm proofing the house, but our mats and strips of cardboard were no match for Rene. After we were a few inches deep in water, we realized we needed to move the tarps to the outside of the windows. However, we were delayed by the front door literally flying off. (Disclaimer: the door was very flimsy plywood with cardboard in the middle.) The kitchen door was moved to cover the giant door-hole through which water was pouring into the house, and then a group of us went outside and nailed the tarp over the windows.
Luckily, the storm changed paths after the eye hit us, so we only got half of the cyclone. The winds also stayed pretty high up, and thankfully caused minimal damage. For us, the worst part of the storm was, by far, the smell of 10 people in a wet house...ifo! My village was fine for the most part, which the most damage sustained by the school- we lost our roof on two of the classrooms. But, we were able to recover the metal scraps and nail them back on.
Tragically, Rene hit right as mango season was about to happen this year, and the amount of fallen, rotting fruit was incredible. The winds also did a number on banana and papaya trees, and on certain root crops in the ground.
The other major bit of news from February was the grounding of the MV Pulupaki (the inter-island ferry boat) and subsequent trial. Since the Princess Ashika sank last year, there has been a lot of concern about the boats, and it was discovered that the owners of the Pulupaki had forged safety documents and that the boat was actually unseaworthy. Everyone was taken to court: the shipping company, the owners (including white foreigners!), the prime minister, government officials and tried by a special judicial committee from Australia. They will be returning soon to announce their findings and sentence those responsible.
In the meantime, while the boat was grounded, it meant that supplies were, well, in short supply, especially since the large airplane was gone for two months to be serviced in NZ. But, it's Tonga, and no one went hungry- we just had to get by without ice cream or cakes!
Peace Corps, obviously being aware of the storm, called my first ever "consolidation" for the cyclone. Luckily, our site in Ha'apai is another volunteer's house, and we were well stocked with water and food and unable to be kicked out (as happened at consolidation points that were Mormon churches...)! The first day and a half or so, the weather was fine, sunny even, and we did feel pretty foolish having all 10 of us (there are so many Peace Corps in Ha'apai this year!) holed up in one house. Still, we made some pretty delicious meals and got the opportunity to finally play board games.
When the storm finally did hit, it was crazy. I've never seen wind or rain that strong. We thought we had done a good job storm proofing the house, but our mats and strips of cardboard were no match for Rene. After we were a few inches deep in water, we realized we needed to move the tarps to the outside of the windows. However, we were delayed by the front door literally flying off. (Disclaimer: the door was very flimsy plywood with cardboard in the middle.) The kitchen door was moved to cover the giant door-hole through which water was pouring into the house, and then a group of us went outside and nailed the tarp over the windows.
Luckily, the storm changed paths after the eye hit us, so we only got half of the cyclone. The winds also stayed pretty high up, and thankfully caused minimal damage. For us, the worst part of the storm was, by far, the smell of 10 people in a wet house...ifo! My village was fine for the most part, which the most damage sustained by the school- we lost our roof on two of the classrooms. But, we were able to recover the metal scraps and nail them back on.
Tragically, Rene hit right as mango season was about to happen this year, and the amount of fallen, rotting fruit was incredible. The winds also did a number on banana and papaya trees, and on certain root crops in the ground.
The other major bit of news from February was the grounding of the MV Pulupaki (the inter-island ferry boat) and subsequent trial. Since the Princess Ashika sank last year, there has been a lot of concern about the boats, and it was discovered that the owners of the Pulupaki had forged safety documents and that the boat was actually unseaworthy. Everyone was taken to court: the shipping company, the owners (including white foreigners!), the prime minister, government officials and tried by a special judicial committee from Australia. They will be returning soon to announce their findings and sentence those responsible.
In the meantime, while the boat was grounded, it meant that supplies were, well, in short supply, especially since the large airplane was gone for two months to be serviced in NZ. But, it's Tonga, and no one went hungry- we just had to get by without ice cream or cakes!
January: A Month in Review
First, Happy New Year (slightly late, I know)! It’s officially 2010, and I am adjusting to making the strange transition from counting the number of months I’ve been in Tonga to counting the number of months I have left. It’s a strange sometimes exciting, sometimes scary process, but one that is inevitable when you are surrounded by community members telling you how soon you’ll leave while simultaneously asking for your stuff! Still, to me, I have almost a full year left, and I am happy to be here. Despite this time crunch, real or imagined, I have a lot of projects I am very excited to undertake this year and am looking forward to less of the awkward integration issues and more productive work.
January was the reintroduction month, after being home for the holidays and the school break. First there was the MST conference in Tongatapu with all the PCVs in my group. It was nice seeing everyone, but slightly unsettling to really realize how little time we have left in Tonga. Then, it was back to Ha'apai and GPS Koulo. We eventually got around to cleaning up the school and after that got finally around to starting classes. It's really nice already knowing all the students and what to expect from them as individuals and as a class. The slight downside is that they all know me (and know I won't hit them!) and are pretty comfortable around me, so classroom control is going to be a bit more of an issue this year than it was last year when they were all terrified of the new "pelangi"!
The one sad event of this month was that Kate and Brett, my fellow volunteers and good friends, had to return back to America. It was very sad to say goodbye to them, and Ha'apai definitely isn't the same without them. The one thing that has positively changed is that, upon leaving, they left me their washing machine (which I frequently used at their house), and it's changed my life! I never thought I could love technology this much. Brett also left me his guitar, and I shall be making a valiant effort to teach myself how to play over the next year. Kate and Brett are missed very much, but I am still looking forward to my state fair debut with them in 2011!
January was the reintroduction month, after being home for the holidays and the school break. First there was the MST conference in Tongatapu with all the PCVs in my group. It was nice seeing everyone, but slightly unsettling to really realize how little time we have left in Tonga. Then, it was back to Ha'apai and GPS Koulo. We eventually got around to cleaning up the school and after that got finally around to starting classes. It's really nice already knowing all the students and what to expect from them as individuals and as a class. The slight downside is that they all know me (and know I won't hit them!) and are pretty comfortable around me, so classroom control is going to be a bit more of an issue this year than it was last year when they were all terrified of the new "pelangi"!
The one sad event of this month was that Kate and Brett, my fellow volunteers and good friends, had to return back to America. It was very sad to say goodbye to them, and Ha'apai definitely isn't the same without them. The one thing that has positively changed is that, upon leaving, they left me their washing machine (which I frequently used at their house), and it's changed my life! I never thought I could love technology this much. Brett also left me his guitar, and I shall be making a valiant effort to teach myself how to play over the next year. Kate and Brett are missed very much, but I am still looking forward to my state fair debut with them in 2011!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I Was Home for Christmas
As you can probably tell from my cheesy, attempting to be cute by channeling Bing Crosby title for this post, I returned to the United States of America for two weeks to enjoy Christmas and New Years with family and friends.
Being back home was absolutely wonderful, but so so cold! Seriously, I think I have become a source of shame to New Englanders everywhere- my time in the tropics has made me such a wimp. Thankfully, I had lots of loving and supportive people to bring jackets, hats, mittens, scarves, and blankets to airports, cars, and houses for me and to make delicious hot beverages to keep me as toasty as possible. I also appreciated the love and support of these people in helping me navigate the trickier waters of culture shock, slowly escorting me around supermarkets and shopping malls, and reassuring me that I didn't have to make a decision and buy anything if I didn't want to.
I had a wonderful Christmas time with my family and ate some incredible food (best lobster bisque ever), a trend that continued over the duration of my trip and encompassed valiant attempts to eat every kind of cheese, olive, and bread known to man, all while stocking up on as much delicious beer and wine as possible. Thom was incredible, and spent the time I was home with me and my family (minus approximately 36 hours) and didn't even pressure me too much to go out of doors and into the freezing, if beautiful, snow!
By far, the highlight of being home was seeing and spending time with family and friends from both high school and college. I had an epic New Years with some of the best friends possible in the middle of the MA woods on a lake with a hot tub (and the hot tub's many rules), and enjoyed nights out in Wakefield, a town that has somehow become a bit swankier (to be fair, that was Reading, but still!).
The only disappointment was that two weeks looks a whole lot longer on paper than it actually is. There were a lot of people I wasn't able to see, and I would have liked a whole lot more time with everyone. I don't know if I realized just how much I've missed everyone until I finally saw people again. And I have to say, leaving a second time was much harder than the first. Still, I'm glad to be back, and excited for the year ahead. As always, I look forward to emails, letter, and packages, and I can't wait to see everyone next winter.
So, to sum up my time at home, I ate and drank a whole lot of delicious things (no root crop!), saw friends and family, braved the snow, discovered a rather disturbing love of Ugg boots and pop music, and re-energized to finish my second year in Tonga!
Being back home was absolutely wonderful, but so so cold! Seriously, I think I have become a source of shame to New Englanders everywhere- my time in the tropics has made me such a wimp. Thankfully, I had lots of loving and supportive people to bring jackets, hats, mittens, scarves, and blankets to airports, cars, and houses for me and to make delicious hot beverages to keep me as toasty as possible. I also appreciated the love and support of these people in helping me navigate the trickier waters of culture shock, slowly escorting me around supermarkets and shopping malls, and reassuring me that I didn't have to make a decision and buy anything if I didn't want to.
I had a wonderful Christmas time with my family and ate some incredible food (best lobster bisque ever), a trend that continued over the duration of my trip and encompassed valiant attempts to eat every kind of cheese, olive, and bread known to man, all while stocking up on as much delicious beer and wine as possible. Thom was incredible, and spent the time I was home with me and my family (minus approximately 36 hours) and didn't even pressure me too much to go out of doors and into the freezing, if beautiful, snow!
By far, the highlight of being home was seeing and spending time with family and friends from both high school and college. I had an epic New Years with some of the best friends possible in the middle of the MA woods on a lake with a hot tub (and the hot tub's many rules), and enjoyed nights out in Wakefield, a town that has somehow become a bit swankier (to be fair, that was Reading, but still!).
The only disappointment was that two weeks looks a whole lot longer on paper than it actually is. There were a lot of people I wasn't able to see, and I would have liked a whole lot more time with everyone. I don't know if I realized just how much I've missed everyone until I finally saw people again. And I have to say, leaving a second time was much harder than the first. Still, I'm glad to be back, and excited for the year ahead. As always, I look forward to emails, letter, and packages, and I can't wait to see everyone next winter.
So, to sum up my time at home, I ate and drank a whole lot of delicious things (no root crop!), saw friends and family, braved the snow, discovered a rather disturbing love of Ugg boots and pop music, and re-energized to finish my second year in Tonga!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Good-bye 2009
Dear Readers who are still checking my blog even though I have not posted in two months,
Before I jump ahead to the future I feel as though I should revisit and wrap up the past few months of 2009.
FIJI
When last I posted I was heading to Fiji for a root canal, and I am very glad I went! The dental work went fine- I was so impressed with how clean and professional the dental office I went to was, and they did a fine job killing my tooth, avoiding infection, and filling it back up. The root canal should last the rest of my time in PC, and I am very happy to be able to drink tea and eat ice pops again! On a broader note, Fiji was an amazingly interesting place, and I am glad I was med-evac’d there. I flew from Tongatapu into the capital of Suva, on the main island, Viti Levu, which, after my time in Ha’apai seemed enormous and overwhelming. Suva is filled with people, almost as many as live in the whole country of Tonga, shopping malls, restaurants, and even a movie theater- yes, I went to the movie theater, yes, I saw New Moon (to be fair, it was either that or a Hindi movie without subtitles), yes, it was wonderful, especially when surrounded by Fijians laughing and commenting on each scene while passing around food. The diversity of the country was really nice, particularly the Indian food that could be found cheaply everywhere thanks to the large Indo-Fijian population.
The PC Fiji staff and volunteers were all so kind and helpful, and despite an initial lapse in communication between Tonga and Fiji, everything from the administrative end went smoothly. Since it was Thanksgiving week, most of the PCVs happened to be in town, and they were all very kind. They showed me around, gave me suggestions of where to eat, let me come on a trip to Fijian cost-co, invited me to join them for Thanksgiving, let me tag along to happy hours and nights out, braved community rumors and allowed me to come and see their village, and even invited me to play ultimate. I am very grateful for all the help, advice, and companionship, and they made my week in Fiji much more enjoyable!
Aside from spending time in the movie theater and at restaurants, I was able to explore a bit of Suva during my time there. I went to a wonderful museum devoted to Fijian and South Pacific Island history, and was very impressed. It was so interesting reading about the history of the various islands and seeing artifacts- it really made me wish Tonga was able to sustain something similar, particularly since Tonga was featured very prominently in the Fijian museum since they had controlled large portions of Fiji and all of Samoa, and a lot of skills and handicrafts were influenced by all three cultures. I also took a day trip out to Colo-i-Suva national rainforest park, which was gorgeous and humid, and secluded enough that I was able to take a quick dip in one of the waterfall pool, sans clothing, to cool off!
And finally, my week in Suva was made even more exciting by the fact that the Miss South Pacific beauty pageant was going on! The best part was that each competing island had its own booth inside a cultural heritage tent to showcase their islands specific handicrafts, distinct forms of waving and tapa-making, and dancing. Unsurprisingly, Miss Fiji won the pageant, but Miss Tonga did put in a strong showing, and won the lava-lava wear portion- the South Pacific equivalent of the bikini contest. Miss Tonga was even on my flight back to Tonga, and it was great fun watching all the airport staff and flight attendants in each country run to take photos with her on their cell phones and ask for autographs.
SIVI
While class 6 sat their high school entrance exam in October, the results were announced the first week of December on the radio and through Ministry of Ed handouts. And the students at my school did so amazingly well! Out of 17 students, 10 passed into government high schools, and the other 7 all scored high enough to attend church-run schools. Of the 10 that passed into government schools, four qualified for Tonga High, the best secondary school in the country, and two others missed the cut-off by less than five points. We had the most students qualify for Tonga High out of all the schools in Ha’apai, and one student, an amazingly bright and innovative girl, scored the second highest mark in all of Ha’apai. I am so proud of all the students and of how hard they worked last year! The village was equally as proud, and most of the week was taken up with feasts, barbeques, and lots and lots of kava drinking.
Before I jump ahead to the future I feel as though I should revisit and wrap up the past few months of 2009.
FIJI
When last I posted I was heading to Fiji for a root canal, and I am very glad I went! The dental work went fine- I was so impressed with how clean and professional the dental office I went to was, and they did a fine job killing my tooth, avoiding infection, and filling it back up. The root canal should last the rest of my time in PC, and I am very happy to be able to drink tea and eat ice pops again! On a broader note, Fiji was an amazingly interesting place, and I am glad I was med-evac’d there. I flew from Tongatapu into the capital of Suva, on the main island, Viti Levu, which, after my time in Ha’apai seemed enormous and overwhelming. Suva is filled with people, almost as many as live in the whole country of Tonga, shopping malls, restaurants, and even a movie theater- yes, I went to the movie theater, yes, I saw New Moon (to be fair, it was either that or a Hindi movie without subtitles), yes, it was wonderful, especially when surrounded by Fijians laughing and commenting on each scene while passing around food. The diversity of the country was really nice, particularly the Indian food that could be found cheaply everywhere thanks to the large Indo-Fijian population.
The PC Fiji staff and volunteers were all so kind and helpful, and despite an initial lapse in communication between Tonga and Fiji, everything from the administrative end went smoothly. Since it was Thanksgiving week, most of the PCVs happened to be in town, and they were all very kind. They showed me around, gave me suggestions of where to eat, let me come on a trip to Fijian cost-co, invited me to join them for Thanksgiving, let me tag along to happy hours and nights out, braved community rumors and allowed me to come and see their village, and even invited me to play ultimate. I am very grateful for all the help, advice, and companionship, and they made my week in Fiji much more enjoyable!
Aside from spending time in the movie theater and at restaurants, I was able to explore a bit of Suva during my time there. I went to a wonderful museum devoted to Fijian and South Pacific Island history, and was very impressed. It was so interesting reading about the history of the various islands and seeing artifacts- it really made me wish Tonga was able to sustain something similar, particularly since Tonga was featured very prominently in the Fijian museum since they had controlled large portions of Fiji and all of Samoa, and a lot of skills and handicrafts were influenced by all three cultures. I also took a day trip out to Colo-i-Suva national rainforest park, which was gorgeous and humid, and secluded enough that I was able to take a quick dip in one of the waterfall pool, sans clothing, to cool off!
And finally, my week in Suva was made even more exciting by the fact that the Miss South Pacific beauty pageant was going on! The best part was that each competing island had its own booth inside a cultural heritage tent to showcase their islands specific handicrafts, distinct forms of waving and tapa-making, and dancing. Unsurprisingly, Miss Fiji won the pageant, but Miss Tonga did put in a strong showing, and won the lava-lava wear portion- the South Pacific equivalent of the bikini contest. Miss Tonga was even on my flight back to Tonga, and it was great fun watching all the airport staff and flight attendants in each country run to take photos with her on their cell phones and ask for autographs.
SIVI
While class 6 sat their high school entrance exam in October, the results were announced the first week of December on the radio and through Ministry of Ed handouts. And the students at my school did so amazingly well! Out of 17 students, 10 passed into government high schools, and the other 7 all scored high enough to attend church-run schools. Of the 10 that passed into government schools, four qualified for Tonga High, the best secondary school in the country, and two others missed the cut-off by less than five points. We had the most students qualify for Tonga High out of all the schools in Ha’apai, and one student, an amazingly bright and innovative girl, scored the second highest mark in all of Ha’apai. I am so proud of all the students and of how hard they worked last year! The village was equally as proud, and most of the week was taken up with feasts, barbeques, and lots and lots of kava drinking.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Fiji?
Dear loyal blog readers,
Today I am departing on an unplanned last minute trip to Fiji…to get a root canal. See, that sentence got much less exciting. My tooth had been hurting quite a bit, so I came into Nuku’alofa on Thursday and saw the dentists at the hospital who determined there was no cavity. Although typical Tongan practice is to pull a tooth that hurts, I get special perks, being a PCV, and am being medically evacuated to Suva to have a root canal.
Despite being completely unprepared and woefully under-packed for an international voyage (yes I have to wash my clothes every night in the sink), I am greatly looking forward to seeing a dentist and getting this over with. Who know, maybe I’ll even be able to wear a bathing suit on a beach there… In any event, I will keep you all posted on the procedure and will hopefully be coming back to Tonga very soon.
Today I am departing on an unplanned last minute trip to Fiji…to get a root canal. See, that sentence got much less exciting. My tooth had been hurting quite a bit, so I came into Nuku’alofa on Thursday and saw the dentists at the hospital who determined there was no cavity. Although typical Tongan practice is to pull a tooth that hurts, I get special perks, being a PCV, and am being medically evacuated to Suva to have a root canal.
Despite being completely unprepared and woefully under-packed for an international voyage (yes I have to wash my clothes every night in the sink), I am greatly looking forward to seeing a dentist and getting this over with. Who know, maybe I’ll even be able to wear a bathing suit on a beach there… In any event, I will keep you all posted on the procedure and will hopefully be coming back to Tonga very soon.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Friend of the Devil is a Friend of Mine
Tongans are very serious about the devil (teivolo). People who fear nothing else in the world, who will willingly hunt and swim with sharks, who live in a place that could be literally swept away by a large wave are terrified to no end of the devil. The bush is avoided at nighttime, because that’s where the devil lives. People do not live in a house alone, because the devil will inevitably come and possess them. Every bad thing that happens in Tonga is the work of the devil, and he is always plotting to get you. Needless to say, I am constantly being asked with shock and awe, “Why are you living alone/ walking to the store alone/ leaving my house alone at night/ dressing up for Halloween? Aren’t you afraid of the devil!?” In response, I fluctuate between nervous laughter and bold assertions such as, “Palangais are not afraid of the devil.”
In some ways, the omnipresence of the devil is really interesting. Although Tonga is a completely Christian nation, it’s actually illegal for an organized religion that is not Christian to be in Tonga, they’ve incorporated quite a few traditional “pagan” beliefs into this Christian context, the most prominent being the transformation of bad Polynesian demons and spirits into the devil.
A few weeks ago I was sitting in my house, listening to some Grateful Dead and writing letters, a typical Tongan Sunday. My neighbor Lupe, her sister and her cousin (I think) stopped by to escape the children and chat. In the middle of a sentence Lupe stopped and looked at me, a little puzzled, and asked, “What is this music?” I told her the name of the album was American Beauty, and she looked even more concerned. I listened closely to the song, just in time to hear the refrain, “a friend of the devil is a friend of mine.” Lupe’s sister then chimed in, “Americans are friends with the devil?!” Cue shock and horror. I hastened to explain that no, Americans did not like the devil, and that the people who played the song did not worship the devil, but the damage had been done.
Later that evening, I spied Lupe coming back over to my house, and I ran to my i-pod. In a moment of supreme inspiration, I turned on the soundtrack from Godspell, and when Lupe again asked what the music was, I was ready. “Oh, this is from a drama about Jesus Christ.” Great success. She especially loved the song “Bless the Lord My Soul”, and I ended up burning her a CD of the album to bring home. So, in the course of a day I went from being a suspected infidel and devil lover to a good Christian girl, all because of my i-pod.
In some ways, the omnipresence of the devil is really interesting. Although Tonga is a completely Christian nation, it’s actually illegal for an organized religion that is not Christian to be in Tonga, they’ve incorporated quite a few traditional “pagan” beliefs into this Christian context, the most prominent being the transformation of bad Polynesian demons and spirits into the devil.
A few weeks ago I was sitting in my house, listening to some Grateful Dead and writing letters, a typical Tongan Sunday. My neighbor Lupe, her sister and her cousin (I think) stopped by to escape the children and chat. In the middle of a sentence Lupe stopped and looked at me, a little puzzled, and asked, “What is this music?” I told her the name of the album was American Beauty, and she looked even more concerned. I listened closely to the song, just in time to hear the refrain, “a friend of the devil is a friend of mine.” Lupe’s sister then chimed in, “Americans are friends with the devil?!” Cue shock and horror. I hastened to explain that no, Americans did not like the devil, and that the people who played the song did not worship the devil, but the damage had been done.
Later that evening, I spied Lupe coming back over to my house, and I ran to my i-pod. In a moment of supreme inspiration, I turned on the soundtrack from Godspell, and when Lupe again asked what the music was, I was ready. “Oh, this is from a drama about Jesus Christ.” Great success. She especially loved the song “Bless the Lord My Soul”, and I ended up burning her a CD of the album to bring home. So, in the course of a day I went from being a suspected infidel and devil lover to a good Christian girl, all because of my i-pod.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Halloween, Faka-Tonga
Despite the lack of Halloween staples such as jack-o-lanterns, craft stores, and Ressee’s peanut butter cups, we decided to celebrate October 31st in true American fashion. (sidenote: Melissa and I both have come to the same shocking conclusion: being in PC might be making us more ‘American’ and possibly more patriotic…) The plan: a bonfire on the beach behind a Tongan cemetery and a mandatory costume rule. (To put this in context, while European and American graveyards usually have a spooky gothic feel thanks, in large part, to granite headstones and somber settings, Tongan cemeteries are adorned with large colorful quilts, usually held upright by stands, and sandy grave sites are decked out with the brightest plastic flowers to be found. All in all, the effect is not as scary as we were hoping for on this occasion.)
The night before Halloween, I spent at least four hours coloring plastic drinking straws with a black permanent marker in preparation for my costume. I decided to dress up as a molocau, the poisonous centipedes that inhabit Tonga, but, as I explained to Thom when he expressed concern with how this might change my demeanor, I would be a friendly molocau, not a vengeful one. To achieve this look, I taped these black straws down the side of a black shirt and black pants, creating my “100” legs and used two more for my antennae. I also made every attempt to wiggle from side to side and to move very very fast.
There were some pretty great costumes made with very limited resources, and that just made the party even better. Notable get-ups included Brian’s elaborate bed-sheet mummy, Brett’s crocodile Dundee, complete with an inflatable raft he transformed into a crocodile and wrestled, Kate’s elaborate 80’s outfit which showed off more leg than any of us have seen in quite some time, Grant’s portrayal of a Tongan church woman completed by the floral dress and church hat he borrowed from his neighbor, and Sabina’s amazing nurse from ‘Kill Bill’.
Before heading down to the beach, Grant and I biked through town in costume to buy some more alcohol and mixers, much to the amusement of everyone we saw. All day on Monday I was accosted by children at my school wanting to know who the fakaleiti (literally, like a lady- a Tongan term for a man/boy who cross dresses or is effeminate ) I was biking through town with was, and on discovering it was a PC, why oh why he was wearing I dress.
Although there was no candy at our beach party, there were plenty of yummy things to roast on the fire and eat, as well as more than enough rum, and some great music. Much to popular disbelief, I discovered that there is indeed a molocau dance (as well as a mummy dance and a some 80’s dances and the infamous carrot dance!), although I suspect one must be rather under the influence to perform it to perfection. Some people had some much fun that they stayed up all night, slept on the beach, and had to perform a walk of shame through town on Sunday morning as everyone was going to church, in a dress…but I’m not naming names!
Since Muimui had followed me to town, we came back home around 3:30 in the morning, where I ran into my neighbor, Le’o, and a few of his friends slowly walking back from kava (Lupe and the kids went to Vava’u for almost two weeks, and Le’o’s house instantly turned into a guys hangout/ crash pad with an ‘informal attire at all times’ rule). Both of us said hello, said goodnight, and didn’t ask any questions, even when we all skipped church the following morning.
The night before Halloween, I spent at least four hours coloring plastic drinking straws with a black permanent marker in preparation for my costume. I decided to dress up as a molocau, the poisonous centipedes that inhabit Tonga, but, as I explained to Thom when he expressed concern with how this might change my demeanor, I would be a friendly molocau, not a vengeful one. To achieve this look, I taped these black straws down the side of a black shirt and black pants, creating my “100” legs and used two more for my antennae. I also made every attempt to wiggle from side to side and to move very very fast.
There were some pretty great costumes made with very limited resources, and that just made the party even better. Notable get-ups included Brian’s elaborate bed-sheet mummy, Brett’s crocodile Dundee, complete with an inflatable raft he transformed into a crocodile and wrestled, Kate’s elaborate 80’s outfit which showed off more leg than any of us have seen in quite some time, Grant’s portrayal of a Tongan church woman completed by the floral dress and church hat he borrowed from his neighbor, and Sabina’s amazing nurse from ‘Kill Bill’.
Before heading down to the beach, Grant and I biked through town in costume to buy some more alcohol and mixers, much to the amusement of everyone we saw. All day on Monday I was accosted by children at my school wanting to know who the fakaleiti (literally, like a lady- a Tongan term for a man/boy who cross dresses or is effeminate ) I was biking through town with was, and on discovering it was a PC, why oh why he was wearing I dress.
Although there was no candy at our beach party, there were plenty of yummy things to roast on the fire and eat, as well as more than enough rum, and some great music. Much to popular disbelief, I discovered that there is indeed a molocau dance (as well as a mummy dance and a some 80’s dances and the infamous carrot dance!), although I suspect one must be rather under the influence to perform it to perfection. Some people had some much fun that they stayed up all night, slept on the beach, and had to perform a walk of shame through town on Sunday morning as everyone was going to church, in a dress…but I’m not naming names!
Since Muimui had followed me to town, we came back home around 3:30 in the morning, where I ran into my neighbor, Le’o, and a few of his friends slowly walking back from kava (Lupe and the kids went to Vava’u for almost two weeks, and Le’o’s house instantly turned into a guys hangout/ crash pad with an ‘informal attire at all times’ rule). Both of us said hello, said goodnight, and didn’t ask any questions, even when we all skipped church the following morning.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A Podiatric Update
Last month, after about 6 weeks of my foot hurting, I finally went to Tongatapu to get an x-ray taken of my foot. I’d been waiting until the class 6 exam and an island-wide clean-up attempt were finished, and once they were I figured I should finally have this checked out. My foot was still hurting quite a bit, especially with changes in weather and temperature. So, I flew to the capital and had a very Tongan examination done.
The medical officer, Seini, and I drove to the hospital, where I found out that we first had to get a form filled out by hospital medical personnel. Instead of waiting to see a doctor Seini decided we should just go to her house and ask her cousin to sign the form, since he’s a nurse at the hospital. So we drove across town and pulled into the yard of her parents’ house where she had a child go wake her cousin- I later found out he works night shifts and was sleeping when we woke him up. On the “patio” amidst pigs and dogs and children he quickly looked at my foot, sign the x-ray form, and back we went to the hospital. (As a quick sidenote, I’d like to mention that the newly renovated wing of the hospital outside of Nuku’alofa is quite nice- very clean and well staffed.)
The best part about having Tongan (or host country nationals in PC-speak) medical staff is that they know everyone within the Tongan medical community, and we were able to breeze right into the x-ray room, with Seini stopping to joke with everyone along the way. We got my x-rays taken and developed in record time and then, rather than go through the silly waiting for a doctor business, headed back to Seini’s family’s house to have her cousin look at them. Amid the animals in the front yard he read the x-rays and told me that I have a small fracture that’s healing well, and that most of the pain is coming from the fact that when the cement block fell on my foot it bruised all the way through and that my bone and soft tissue are still bruised and will take a few more months to heal thoroughly. All in all, best news I could have hoped for.
I spent one more day in the capital a got to do a bit of shopping for luxury items we don’t get out in Ha’apai (namely cheese and American candy!) for myself and the other PC, ate at restaurants, mailed letters (they take about a ¼ of the time to get places if I mail then from Nuku’alofa than if I mail them from Ha’apai), and I even drank a chai latte(!) then it was back home and back to school, sort of.
The medical officer, Seini, and I drove to the hospital, where I found out that we first had to get a form filled out by hospital medical personnel. Instead of waiting to see a doctor Seini decided we should just go to her house and ask her cousin to sign the form, since he’s a nurse at the hospital. So we drove across town and pulled into the yard of her parents’ house where she had a child go wake her cousin- I later found out he works night shifts and was sleeping when we woke him up. On the “patio” amidst pigs and dogs and children he quickly looked at my foot, sign the x-ray form, and back we went to the hospital. (As a quick sidenote, I’d like to mention that the newly renovated wing of the hospital outside of Nuku’alofa is quite nice- very clean and well staffed.)
The best part about having Tongan (or host country nationals in PC-speak) medical staff is that they know everyone within the Tongan medical community, and we were able to breeze right into the x-ray room, with Seini stopping to joke with everyone along the way. We got my x-rays taken and developed in record time and then, rather than go through the silly waiting for a doctor business, headed back to Seini’s family’s house to have her cousin look at them. Amid the animals in the front yard he read the x-rays and told me that I have a small fracture that’s healing well, and that most of the pain is coming from the fact that when the cement block fell on my foot it bruised all the way through and that my bone and soft tissue are still bruised and will take a few more months to heal thoroughly. All in all, best news I could have hoped for.
I spent one more day in the capital a got to do a bit of shopping for luxury items we don’t get out in Ha’apai (namely cheese and American candy!) for myself and the other PC, ate at restaurants, mailed letters (they take about a ¼ of the time to get places if I mail then from Nuku’alofa than if I mail them from Ha’apai), and I even drank a chai latte(!) then it was back home and back to school, sort of.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sivi Time
The education system here in Tonga is comprised of primary schools, which contain classes 1-6, and high schools, or, as there are known here, colleges, for forms 1-7 (7th-12th grade for us Americans). In order to pass from primary schools into high schools, all class 6 students must sit an entrance exam (sivi) (four subjects: English, Tonga, science, and math) and obtain a passing score. If they don’t, they must repeat the year in primary school. In addition to passing, the exact score is also important because it qualifies the students for different high schools. Only those with the highest scores are accepted to the “best” high schools (the government-run ones). Those with lower passing scores are usually accepted to various church-run high schools (Free Wesleyan, Catholic, Mormon, etc.).
As most of you know, I am working in a primary school, which means my class 6 students, the class 6 teacher, and I have essentially been preparing all year for this test, which they took on October 6-7. I have a few concerns about having a placement test for high school entrance, particularly that it places an enormous amount of pressure on 10-12 year old kids. All year they have been coming to school early, usually 7:30, leaving late, around 4:30, and coming back again for night school from about 7:00-9:00. In addition, I generally dislike standardized tests and the “teaching-to-the-test” mentality that accompanies them, which is a large part of what happens in class 6, and, on top of that, these tests have a history of being terrible and full of errors. The English portion has been particularly bad in the past; a few years ago a PCV took the test for one of his students, a college graduate and native English speaker, and scored an 80% because the test had so many mistakes!
Still, despite these concerns, all in all, I think the sivi went pretty well. The English portion of the exam was much more grammatically sound than in past years (I think there were only 3 mistakes on the whole paper), there weren’t too many ridiculous trick vocabulary words, and there was only one section that was pretty impossible (combining multiple sentences by choosing the correct conjunction…boo).
And, since we’re in Tonga, a major event means one thing: feasts! Over the two days of the exam there were four kai pola at my school compound: two breakfast feasts, and two dinner feasts. Huge tents were set up in the school yard and tables and benches were brought over from the church halls. The breakfast feasts were fairly typical: giant plates of bread, cookies, and cakes for each student/teacher/guest, all to be washed down with a large mug of milo (knock-off hot cocoa) or sugar and milk with a bit of tea. (The day before the exam, I had a serious talk with the students about not eating too much before the test began to avoid being sick…overeating can be a serious problem at a kai pola!)
However, the dinner feasts blew my mind. All Tongan feasts are pretty astounding to us portion-conscious foreigners and tables are typically completely covered with food, often at least two layers deep. But, for such a special occasion, the typical would not do. As the exam was wrapping up, giant flat-bed trucks pulled up to the school, each covered with food and giant shelf-like structures covered in tin foil and other shinny paper and decked out with balloons and ribbons. These shelves were first placed on the tables, and then loaded with food, creating the surface area of three tables where there was once just one!
I should note that for the entire two days and nights that the exam was taking place, the fathers and male members of the community were showing their support by drinking kava. Nonstop. All year long I’ve been avoiding being a to’ua (lone unmarried woman who sits in the kava circle and serves the men kava) and somewhere along the line in a string of excuses I made the vague promise that I would only to’ua during the sivi. Now, to put this in a cultural context, Tongans say they are going to do things all the time that they have no intention of doing- it’s more important that you tell a person what they want to hear rather than refuse anything. But, apparently, this does not apply to Alicia. The first day I held the kava drinkers at bay telling them that I had to go into town and work on the water project application, which I did. The second day, I had no such handy excuse, and every time I appeared in the school yard someone ran up and asked me to come to’ua. For the morning I made indistinct references to having to clean the classroom and talk to the kids, but once they were in the room with the exam, I was out of excuses. Essentially, I spent the rest of the day hiding, moving around, and performing very menial tasks (like washing a table) with great energy and concentration to avoid having to join the kava circle.
Now that the exam is over, the class 6 will essentially sit around for the last month and a half of school. I’ve told them we’re still going to have class, much to their dismay, but have promised only “fun” lessons and no written work. We’re working on how to read/act plays now and I’m hoping to put together a show to perform for the community when school finishes in December.
As most of you know, I am working in a primary school, which means my class 6 students, the class 6 teacher, and I have essentially been preparing all year for this test, which they took on October 6-7. I have a few concerns about having a placement test for high school entrance, particularly that it places an enormous amount of pressure on 10-12 year old kids. All year they have been coming to school early, usually 7:30, leaving late, around 4:30, and coming back again for night school from about 7:00-9:00. In addition, I generally dislike standardized tests and the “teaching-to-the-test” mentality that accompanies them, which is a large part of what happens in class 6, and, on top of that, these tests have a history of being terrible and full of errors. The English portion has been particularly bad in the past; a few years ago a PCV took the test for one of his students, a college graduate and native English speaker, and scored an 80% because the test had so many mistakes!
Still, despite these concerns, all in all, I think the sivi went pretty well. The English portion of the exam was much more grammatically sound than in past years (I think there were only 3 mistakes on the whole paper), there weren’t too many ridiculous trick vocabulary words, and there was only one section that was pretty impossible (combining multiple sentences by choosing the correct conjunction…boo).
And, since we’re in Tonga, a major event means one thing: feasts! Over the two days of the exam there were four kai pola at my school compound: two breakfast feasts, and two dinner feasts. Huge tents were set up in the school yard and tables and benches were brought over from the church halls. The breakfast feasts were fairly typical: giant plates of bread, cookies, and cakes for each student/teacher/guest, all to be washed down with a large mug of milo (knock-off hot cocoa) or sugar and milk with a bit of tea. (The day before the exam, I had a serious talk with the students about not eating too much before the test began to avoid being sick…overeating can be a serious problem at a kai pola!)
However, the dinner feasts blew my mind. All Tongan feasts are pretty astounding to us portion-conscious foreigners and tables are typically completely covered with food, often at least two layers deep. But, for such a special occasion, the typical would not do. As the exam was wrapping up, giant flat-bed trucks pulled up to the school, each covered with food and giant shelf-like structures covered in tin foil and other shinny paper and decked out with balloons and ribbons. These shelves were first placed on the tables, and then loaded with food, creating the surface area of three tables where there was once just one!
I should note that for the entire two days and nights that the exam was taking place, the fathers and male members of the community were showing their support by drinking kava. Nonstop. All year long I’ve been avoiding being a to’ua (lone unmarried woman who sits in the kava circle and serves the men kava) and somewhere along the line in a string of excuses I made the vague promise that I would only to’ua during the sivi. Now, to put this in a cultural context, Tongans say they are going to do things all the time that they have no intention of doing- it’s more important that you tell a person what they want to hear rather than refuse anything. But, apparently, this does not apply to Alicia. The first day I held the kava drinkers at bay telling them that I had to go into town and work on the water project application, which I did. The second day, I had no such handy excuse, and every time I appeared in the school yard someone ran up and asked me to come to’ua. For the morning I made indistinct references to having to clean the classroom and talk to the kids, but once they were in the room with the exam, I was out of excuses. Essentially, I spent the rest of the day hiding, moving around, and performing very menial tasks (like washing a table) with great energy and concentration to avoid having to join the kava circle.
Now that the exam is over, the class 6 will essentially sit around for the last month and a half of school. I’ve told them we’re still going to have class, much to their dismay, but have promised only “fun” lessons and no written work. We’re working on how to read/act plays now and I’m hoping to put together a show to perform for the community when school finishes in December.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Holopeka Water Tank Project
Most of you blog readers have already received this announcement via email, but I figured I'd post on it on the blog as well! I am currently in the process of helping the village next to mine, Holopeka, look for donations to address a critical water problem. After an intense fono (official and formal town meeting) (where I may or may not have gotten very nervous at having to make an official Tongan speech) that village council and town officer decided that the only way we can address this problem is to ask for outside assistance.
Water is supplied to the villiage via a pump and generator that pumps well water up to a large holding tank which sits atop a metal-frame stand. The water is then distributed from the tank and into the community and hosueholds via pipes for general household usage, generally flush toilets and water for washing. (Drinking water herecomes from rainwater.) The stand that holds the water tank is made of metal and has rusted so much that it's on the verge of collapse. The village shortened the stand by 3 meters in 2007 to remove erroded sections, which was a temporary fix, but the decrease in height also made it more difficult for the water to be transported. We fear that the stand will break and collapse within the next 3 months, and if that happens the village will have no well-water. Good drinking water is a precious supply, and will run low if an entire village is forcedto use their rain water collection tanks for general purposes. As a result, we are looking for help to build a new stand and keep enough water in the village! The village has been able to fundraise about half of the necessary funds and will provide all the labor inconstructing the new stand, but we still need some assistance.
I've applied to an organization called Appropriate Projects, which is part of a larger organization, Water Charity. They have approved our project and are helping to collect donations to make our project happen. If you are readigg this, I would ask that you please consider making a donation and help my village. Any amount of money, even $5 or $10, would make a huge difference, and I would be so grateful!
Here is the link to my water-tank project page, which has the donation information on it: http://appropriateprojects.com/node/54.
I am in awe at the number of people who have already donated money in the few short days since I sent an email out, and I am so thankful for all your support. It's just wonderful, and I'm so overwhelmed and grateful. Thank you all so much!
'Ofa atu!
Water is supplied to the villiage via a pump and generator that pumps well water up to a large holding tank which sits atop a metal-frame stand. The water is then distributed from the tank and into the community and hosueholds via pipes for general household usage, generally flush toilets and water for washing. (Drinking water herecomes from rainwater.) The stand that holds the water tank is made of metal and has rusted so much that it's on the verge of collapse. The village shortened the stand by 3 meters in 2007 to remove erroded sections, which was a temporary fix, but the decrease in height also made it more difficult for the water to be transported. We fear that the stand will break and collapse within the next 3 months, and if that happens the village will have no well-water. Good drinking water is a precious supply, and will run low if an entire village is forcedto use their rain water collection tanks for general purposes. As a result, we are looking for help to build a new stand and keep enough water in the village! The village has been able to fundraise about half of the necessary funds and will provide all the labor inconstructing the new stand, but we still need some assistance.
I've applied to an organization called Appropriate Projects, which is part of a larger organization, Water Charity. They have approved our project and are helping to collect donations to make our project happen. If you are readigg this, I would ask that you please consider making a donation and help my village. Any amount of money, even $5 or $10, would make a huge difference, and I would be so grateful!
Here is the link to my water-tank project page, which has the donation information on it: http://appropriateprojects.com/node/54.
I am in awe at the number of people who have already donated money in the few short days since I sent an email out, and I am so thankful for all your support. It's just wonderful, and I'm so overwhelmed and grateful. Thank you all so much!
'Ofa atu!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My First, and Hopefully Last, Tongan Tsunami
September was a pretty crazy and hectic month, so, I suppose, in a way it was fitting that the last day of the month was taken up by massive fear and panic resulting from a tsunami. I was going about my business last Wednesday morning around 7:30am as usual. I had already brought water inside from my rain water tank and it was on the stove boiling for my morning tea. The radio was prepared to be switched on at 8:00 (which is when we get 10 minutes of English-language BBC Pacific Region news broadcasts), and I’d already scolded school children for looking in my windows and staring at me. It was a typical day. My cell phone rang a few times, but, not unusually, my network was atrocious, and all I could hear was infinite static and what I’ve dubbed ‘space noises’- I really didn’t think much of it.
About a half hour later my phone was still ringing (but unable to connect) and the words “earthquake”, “tsunami”, and “Samoa” caught my attention from the news broadcast. Samoa is pretty close to Tonga (very close if you are a giant tsunami wave) so I tried to call the emergency coordinators in my group who have satellite phones and are immediately contacted by the PC office if there is any natural or political threat to safety, but the phone network was still busy/down, and I couldn’t get through to anyone. It wasn’t until school officially started that the teachers turned on the radio, and we heard, in Tongan, that there was a tsunami warning in effect for Tonga. Massive panic ensued. Now, Tongan children, as a whole, make American kids look like tiny spoiled wimps. They do strenuous chores American children would never consider doing unless they were getting paid, they routinely run around with giant bush knives, climb coconut trees, take care of younger siblings on their own, and are seemingly impervious to cuts, scrapes, bits, and even infections. So, when the word got out that there was a tsunami warning, I was a bit surprised to see how quickly the students at school began to panic and cry, although with good reason: if a serious tsunami were ever to hit Lifuka, there’s a very slim chance that anything or anyone would survive. Immediately school was dismissed, and the kids went sprinting home or into the bush. No organization, no protocol. Just running.
I was still trying to get in touch with other volunteers, but I couldn’t get through to anyone. Not really knowing what was going on, I weighed my options: to get to the PC consolidation point or higher ground, I would have to bike/ride along the one road from my village to town, which runs right next to the shore of the island, which didn’t seem like the best idea. My school and house is located almost directly in the middle of the northern half of the island, so I decided to just stay put. My fellow teachers joined me in this strategy, since the majority of the village I live in is pretty close to the water, and in the spirit of not panicking, we made some morning tea and keke (Tongan doughnuts) and pretty much hung out. A few hours later I was able to receive a phone call from another volunteer telling me we were all clear.
We were so incredibly lucky here in Ha’apai. Only a few tsunami waves hit the main wharf in Pangai, which is virtually the best place it could have since there are no houses on the beach there, and the highest wave was no more than 3 meters. Kate and Brett, who live right on the beach in Pangai and left with their neighbors for higher ground, saw the ocean before and during the waves, and even though there wasn’t a lot of damage, it sounds terrifying. According to them, the entire harbor drained out before the waves hit, almost like the harbor was a sink and someone had pulled the drain. (For a more exciting version of the tsunami in Ha’apai, check out Kate and Brett’s blog: http://asleson.blogspot.com/) The only damage that my island incurred was to some of the boats that were at the wharf and in the harbor, but even they weren’t damaged too badly. The biggest issue was that no one was really informed and hardly anyone knew what was going on- the word tsunami (peau kula- literally ‘red wave’) was heard, and everyone understandably panicked.
Sadly, there were deaths and much more damage in the Niua island group of Tonga, which is actually closer to Samoa than it is to any other Tongan islands, and all this week there have been fundraisers within Tonga to send money and aid up to Niuatoputapu.
Talking with some of the other volunteers the other day we realized that in 2009 there have been multiple earthquakes, two cyclones, a volcanic eruption, and now a tsunami in Tonga, which is a pretty tiny country. We’ve really been blowing through those natural disasters…I think all we’re missing is a blizzard! Still, we’ve been extremely fortunate because none of the events have really caused widespread damage or loss of life.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent me and/or Thom (who perhaps shall henceforth be referred to as my personal secretary… I’m kidding, I love you!) an email to make sure everything was alright down here. It means so much, and I really appreciate your concern.
About a half hour later my phone was still ringing (but unable to connect) and the words “earthquake”, “tsunami”, and “Samoa” caught my attention from the news broadcast. Samoa is pretty close to Tonga (very close if you are a giant tsunami wave) so I tried to call the emergency coordinators in my group who have satellite phones and are immediately contacted by the PC office if there is any natural or political threat to safety, but the phone network was still busy/down, and I couldn’t get through to anyone. It wasn’t until school officially started that the teachers turned on the radio, and we heard, in Tongan, that there was a tsunami warning in effect for Tonga. Massive panic ensued. Now, Tongan children, as a whole, make American kids look like tiny spoiled wimps. They do strenuous chores American children would never consider doing unless they were getting paid, they routinely run around with giant bush knives, climb coconut trees, take care of younger siblings on their own, and are seemingly impervious to cuts, scrapes, bits, and even infections. So, when the word got out that there was a tsunami warning, I was a bit surprised to see how quickly the students at school began to panic and cry, although with good reason: if a serious tsunami were ever to hit Lifuka, there’s a very slim chance that anything or anyone would survive. Immediately school was dismissed, and the kids went sprinting home or into the bush. No organization, no protocol. Just running.
I was still trying to get in touch with other volunteers, but I couldn’t get through to anyone. Not really knowing what was going on, I weighed my options: to get to the PC consolidation point or higher ground, I would have to bike/ride along the one road from my village to town, which runs right next to the shore of the island, which didn’t seem like the best idea. My school and house is located almost directly in the middle of the northern half of the island, so I decided to just stay put. My fellow teachers joined me in this strategy, since the majority of the village I live in is pretty close to the water, and in the spirit of not panicking, we made some morning tea and keke (Tongan doughnuts) and pretty much hung out. A few hours later I was able to receive a phone call from another volunteer telling me we were all clear.
We were so incredibly lucky here in Ha’apai. Only a few tsunami waves hit the main wharf in Pangai, which is virtually the best place it could have since there are no houses on the beach there, and the highest wave was no more than 3 meters. Kate and Brett, who live right on the beach in Pangai and left with their neighbors for higher ground, saw the ocean before and during the waves, and even though there wasn’t a lot of damage, it sounds terrifying. According to them, the entire harbor drained out before the waves hit, almost like the harbor was a sink and someone had pulled the drain. (For a more exciting version of the tsunami in Ha’apai, check out Kate and Brett’s blog: http://asleson.blogspot.com/) The only damage that my island incurred was to some of the boats that were at the wharf and in the harbor, but even they weren’t damaged too badly. The biggest issue was that no one was really informed and hardly anyone knew what was going on- the word tsunami (peau kula- literally ‘red wave’) was heard, and everyone understandably panicked.
Sadly, there were deaths and much more damage in the Niua island group of Tonga, which is actually closer to Samoa than it is to any other Tongan islands, and all this week there have been fundraisers within Tonga to send money and aid up to Niuatoputapu.
Talking with some of the other volunteers the other day we realized that in 2009 there have been multiple earthquakes, two cyclones, a volcanic eruption, and now a tsunami in Tonga, which is a pretty tiny country. We’ve really been blowing through those natural disasters…I think all we’re missing is a blizzard! Still, we’ve been extremely fortunate because none of the events have really caused widespread damage or loss of life.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent me and/or Thom (who perhaps shall henceforth be referred to as my personal secretary… I’m kidding, I love you!) an email to make sure everything was alright down here. It means so much, and I really appreciate your concern.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)