Happy Halloween

Halloween is not a big holiday in Tonga. In fact, no one really celebrates except the tourists and expats who live here. But today thanks to a fellow volunteer, Ashley, some of the class one and class two students got to experience Halloween for the first time.

As part of their English lesson this week, these students learned how to say "trick or treat" and "thank you, happy Halloween". They also made butterfly and lion masks as their costumes, and learned to say either "I am a butterfly" or "I am a lion". The kids walked over to my classroom, decked out in their masks and carrying plastic bags. When they arrived, they knocked or my door and said "trick or treat" in their best English. A couple kids got ahead of themselves, and when I opened the door shouted "I am a lion". Regardless of what they said, they all did a great job and were rewarded with lollipops, a pencil, a toothbrush, and silly bands.

Happy Halloween!

Weddings

This week I was able to attend not just one, but two weddings! I still do not understand all of the elements of a Tongan wedding, but I will try to explain the things that I do understand. Also, there are many parts of the pre-wedding rituals that I don't know, so I will just stick to the day of.

Most Tongan weddings are done in two parts. First, the couple goes to the courthouse and to a minister to fill out all of the official paperwork for a wedding. For this part, only close family and friends attend. The second part is the couple's Sapate Taha (first Sunday). This is the first Sunday they attend church as a married couple. Lots of family and friends attend, and there is a big feast after the service.

The first wedding I attended this week was a mix of palangi and Tongan, which made for a super fun day. This couple was leaving for Australia the day after the wedding, so instead of a big celebration on Sunday after church, they did it all on the same day. There were lots of things that I am used to at wedding; exchanging rings, saying vows, cutting the wedding cake, bridesmaids and groomsmen, etc. However, it was undeniably a Tongan wedding, too. There were flower necklaces, gifts of traditional Tongan mats, roasted pigs, Tongan dances, etc. It was a great time!

The second wedding wasn't an actual wedding ceremony, just the Sunday service. At the service, the couple sat in the front, wearing white clothes with lots of fancy mats covered in shells, beads, and feathers. Their clothes were so beautiful! After church, we went to a huge feast at the groom's house. During the feast, there were fakamalo speeches (thank-you speeches) from many family members. During these speeches they offered well-wishes and advice for the new couple.

I'm so thankful I got to be a part of these weddings, they were super interesting. I have at least one more Tongan wedding to attend soon...the wedding of my friends Pa and Ashley in December. Can't wait!

One Year

First year in Tonga was excellent. Here are some highlights!

Arrival of Group 76 in Tonga.

My training group.

Swearing-in ceremony.

My house in Vava'u.

My class from Pouono Catering and Hospitality School.

Dancing a traditional Tongan dance, the ta'uolunga.

Riding in a U.S. Navy helicopter.

The king and queen of Aloha Night.

My dad came to visit!!!

Celebrating the anniversary of Mailefihi Siu'ilikutapu College.

Kelana Social Night 2011.

Go 'Ikale Tahi go!

Group 76 Vava'u crew. 'Ofa atu!

Go Ikale Tahi Go!

A few months ago I posted an entry about the importance of rugby in Tonga. Well, one post was not enough because this past month has shown me that Tonga is even more obsessed with rugby than I originally thought. The Rugby World Cup started earlier this month, and I never anticipated the team spirit that would encompass the entire country of Tonga.

Tonga played in the opening game of the World Cup this year against New Zealand. At school, we were told to wear red to support the Tonga national team, the Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles). Not only were the people at school wearing red, but everyone was wearing red that day. There were tons of spontaneous parades, all the high school bands played in town, and every person made sure to find a t.v. to watch the game. Unfortunately, Tonga lost to the All Blacks, but it did not lessen the excitement surrounding the event.

Last night was Tonga’s last game in the World Cup. The Ikale Tahi had too many losses to advance to the quarterfinals, but they certainly went out in style. The pulled off an incredible win over France, which was the biggest upset of this year’s World Cup. The after match celebrations here in Vava’u were fabulous. Tons of people got into vehicles and drove around beeping horns and blasting music. Those without vehicles watched from the street, cheering and dancing. There were fireworks being set off from the back of a truck, water being tossed on the crowd, and lots of make-shift drums. Even the police and fire vehicles joined in the celebrations, circling around town with their sirens blaring.

I had so much fun celebrating Tonga’s win last night. It helped me appreciate the pride that goes into everything Tongans do; supporting the Ikale Tahi, singing in church choirs, welcoming visitors. The list goes on, but I hope I can also learn to do things with just as much pride and enthusiasm.

Go Ikale Tahi Go!

Camp GLOW Vava'u 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhNstkapatg - watch this first!

Not to brag, but Camp GLOW Vava’u 2011 was fantastic! 28 girls attended camp and spent the week learning, developing leadership skills, and enjoying camp. Our camp director, Kelly, did a wonderful job organizing the camp which was a big part of the success. We were also very fortunate to have great counselors, junior counselors, and camp moms.

Camp started on Monday with lots of fun activities. There were ice breakers, poster painting, relay races, and sports. It was awesome to finally meet all of the campers after all of the promotion, fundraising, and planning we did.

Tuesday there were sessions about women's health, HIV/AIDs, and environmental education. In the afternoon, we did a rotation of tie-dye, sports, and games. The tie-dye shirts turned out great! Then there was a hike up Mt. Talau and a surprise ice cream party.

Wednesday there were lots of educational sessions; sexual harassment, domestic violence, critical thinking, and decision making. Wednesday evening we took a trip to the beach where did a beach clean-up, bbq, and campfire.

Thursday was focused on careers, so in the morning the girls went out into town to shadow women in different industries. In the afternoon there was a career panel and the girls had time to practice for the closing ceremony performances.

Friday was the last of the educational sessions. The girls learned about anger management, drug and alcohol abuse, and budgeting and savings. We ended on Friday night with a dance party. It was lots of fun!

Saturday was our final day, so we basically prepared for the closing ceremonies, took lots of pictures in our tie-dye shirts, and said good-byes. The closing ceremonies turned out well. The performances the girls prepared were great and there was lots of yummy food.

Overall, Camp GLOW was awesome...can't wait for next year!

Celebrations

This week there were several exciting celebrations; Ashley’s 24th birthday and the anniversary of Mailefihi Siu'ilikutapu college.

For Ashley’s birthday, I worked with Ashley’s fiancé, Pa, to plan the surprise party. We decided all of the guests would get together and then Pa would bring Ashley when we were ready. Despite the fact that Pa called me twice while he was walking to the party with Ashley, she had no idea and was genuinely surprised. We then enjoyed some yummy cake, chips, chocolates, and biscuits. Ifo aupito!

The other big celebration was our school’s anniversary. It turned out to be an all-day event, and included church, food, music and dancing. We started in the morning with a church service. Several teachers read scripture and hymns, the brass band accompanied the singing, and the President of Education gave the message. Next we moved over to the school hall for the feast. I got lucky and was able to sit at a front table where the honored guests sit. Therefore, I had the best food such as lasagna, pizza, sweet and sour chicken, pasta crab salad and, of course, roasted pig. During the feast there were the usual speeches, but we also had lots of dancing for entertainment. I took part in a group ta’olunga with my class from the catering school. There were also sitting dances, line dances and some disco, too. Quite an exciting day!

Dad's Visit Part 2

Picking up where I left off last post, dad’s next activity was a dinner at my house. Some of my Tongan girlfriends came over to cook and the two other volunteers from my school, Sean and Ashley, came over, too. We had lots of yummy food like crab salad, beef with pele, papaya, roast chicken, fried rice, and bananas in coconut milk. It was also nice for my dad to meet some of my non-peace corps friends.

Later that evening, we went to see the fakaleiti show. For those of you who don’t know, fakaleitis are Tonga boys who are raised as girls. Some of the boys grow up and begin dressing like men, but others continue to dress and act like women. I convinced my dad to go see the show because it truly is a unique cultural experience.

Thursday was my weekly music class at the kindergarten, always a highlight of the week. Friday another volunteer, Kalo, invited us to a concert for her church. This concert was a fundraiser, so there were lots of prepared dances. Some were to contemporary worship songs and others were traditional Tongan dances. There were also several skits that were very entertaining.

Saturday was our adventure to motu (an outer island). In typical Tongan style, we went to the wharf to find a boat and none of the boats were going to the island we wanted. We shopped around at the market for a while we tried to figure out what to do. Thankfully I spotted someone from the island and asked him if a boat was coming, and he told us one would be coming shortly. After a while the boat came and we were loaded on along with some of the villagers and lots of food for Sunday lunch. We arrived in Nuapapu and went to see Farfum, the peace corps volunteer at that site. Farfum and his principal showed us their school and gave us a tour of their village. I was happy my dad got to see an outer village where life is very different from life in town. The only electricity comes from solar panels and generators, and most people only have water from the rain water tanks. Also, there are no cars, only horses. It makes Transfer seem like a booming metropolis.

Sunday we went to church at the Catholic church with my boyfriend. After church, we had lunch at his house with his family. There was lot of fantastic food and it was fun to eat faka-Tonga; the whole family sitting on the floor.

During dad’s last week here I was teaching, so he spent lots of time helping do things around my house and relaxing. His big project was painting my shower floor…it looks great! He also helped with dishes and laundry, which was much appreciated. Also during the week we played volleyball, went to a baptism, ate at a Tongan restaurant, and went to trivia night. However, I think dad’s favorite part of the week was teaching music at the kindergarten. He taught them a new song, and a McDonald family classic, “Down by the Bay”.

For dad’s last day, we had a lunch that my co-teachers and students prepared at the catering school. It was a nice way for them to say goodbye, and they also generously brought many Tongan gifts for dad to take back to America like jewelry, tapa cloth, fans, and a map of Vava’u. After lunch, dad and I watched some soccer, which was very entertaining. I always got in trouble for laughing at Wesley’s soccer games, but here in Tonga laughter is part of the game. Dad and I had quite a few good laughs during the game. Friday night a few people game over to my house for dinner. Then dad spent his last night listening to the dogs, pigs, and roosters, probably one part of Tonga he will not miss.



Saturday morning it was time to say goodbye. We had our last cinnamon rolls from the bakery for breakfast at the airport, and then dad took off for his long journey back to America. It was hard for me to see him leave, but I take comfort in the fact that I will be returning to America for Christmas this year, and I will have the opportunity to see my whole family. It was awesome having a visitor here, and I hope there will be many more in the future!