2015 KI AI!

Tongatapu is kind of like going to Disney World after living on a remote island for a couple of months. There are restaurants, public transportation, and wheat bread. It’s the little things. I got to indulge in a lot of delicious foods (thai, pizza, hamburgers, ICED COFFEE) and did not have to eat root crops for a whole week.  Also, a group of us went to the Land Bridge on Tongatapu. It is this amazing creation of Earth where there is a literal bridge made of rock and dirt going over the ocean. It was beautiful and amazing and I climbed part way up a coconut tree there! It was nice to be in a big city for a couple weeks, but by the end of the two weeks I was ready to get back to my small remote island of root crops and more root crops. 

Luckily, our flight home was right on time and getting back to ‘Eua was a lot easier than getting to Tongatapu. I got home around 7:30am with plans of soaking some laundry and catching up on my sleep. I open my front door and walk into a house covered in mold. The last two weeks had been very rainy and humid leaving all fifteen of us coming home to moldy house. Thankfully my mold was isolated to the front of my house and mainly my kitchen area, which was easy(er) to clean because some people had moldy clothes and sheets. As it turns out living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean isn’t all sunshine and palm trees.

With this past week being the last week of summer break I started working on stuff to use in the classroom and squeezed in a few more adventures. I went to Fangatave twice. I first went on Thursday with Sammy B and three palangis that were vacationing in ‘Eua. I just happened to meet them the day before because I was walking past the wharf when they got off the boat. They were very confused and asked me for help. I gave them a little tour of ‘Eua and told them some different adventures that would be exciting for them to go on the following day, which is how we all ended up going to Fangatave together. Then Sami L’s mom was here and so we took her to Fangatave on Saturday. So much fun and I do not think I will ever get tired of the pure beauty Fangatave has to offer. 

Pictures compliments of Sammy! 

There has also been a funeral going on in my village this past week. It is something really incredible to see my whole village come together and celebrate a life. It is a week of feasting and honoring the deceased. I did not know the lady who passed away very well, but she is my Town Officer’s sister.

Cooking cake for the whole village! 

 

And my sweet kitty, Maka died a few days after Christmas, potentially from an infection after getting spayed. It was really sad and hard on me. Then this week a boy in my village who happens to be named Maka brought me a puppy. He told me I could name the puppy Maka too. I ended up naming the puppy Faina (fine-uh), which means pineapple. The next day Maka asked me what I named the puppy and was disappointed to hear that is was not Maka, so Faina’s full name is now Faina Maka Fosita (Maka’s last name). We all know that I am really not an animal person and I honestly think I could be more productive with a human child than a puppy, but it is nice to have someone to talk to and interact with since I live alone. And she is super hard to get mad at because she just looks at me with one ear up and one ear down and I can’t handle the cuteness.

Also, in other news I have been plagued with strep throat again. It is miserable.

‘Ofa atu! And it is my main boo thing’s birthday. Send Katja some special birthday love!

Ps. My next blog post will feature pictures of the inside of my house and a report on the first week of school. Stay tuned!