Ta'u Fo'ou

A new year is upon us. My Peace Corps’ adventure began in 2014 and it is to be completed in 2016. And guess what…it’s 2016. This past year has been a year of growth, discovery, beauty, laughter, sorrow, and love. I wished some days away, and for even more to never end. Some days feel like I am doing nothing in my life, while all of you back home are doing everything. You are adulting and I am on what sometimes feels like a two-year spring break in the Pacific. I don’t have a big girl job or a salary. I am not in graduate school. My credit score is zero and my dad is still doing my taxes. But in other ways I feel like I am getting to experience life in a way that so many people never will. I am living a life that is completely foreign to everything I have ever known. I have jumped into a new culture. My whole being has been melted down to fit into a new mold. My language, my clothes, my fears, my insecurities, my relationships, and even the way that I style my hair have changed. Some of these have been changes for culture sensitivity, while others are simply for my own comfort or have come naturally in my adaptation to a new environment. 

In 2015 I did an abundance of things for the first time and hope to continue to discover new things this year. But I don’t want my curiosity for life to disappear as I reenter my life in America in 10 months. I want 2017 and 2018 and 2050 to be just as full of new as 2015 has been. This past year I discovered my thirst for adventure and life experience that I never knew I had. I think that in America we are a lot of talk and a little action. Americans are big dreamers, but we tend to lack the spontaneity that I have learned from Tongans.  I think that there should be and needs to be a balance between planning for the future and living in the moment. My American roots and my Tongan branches are working together, to guide me in how to love and appreciate life in a way that I didn’t understand before.  I am going to complete this thought with something that I know some of you will get and others of you won’t understand and maybe never will be able to, but that’s okay because we all have our own lives to live. But anyways, so many things in life will always be there, while so many won’t last forever, so it is up to you to decide which ones you will give priority to.

Highlights of 2015- 12 for 12

1.     I am finally going to be an aunt! Emily and Brett will be welcoming a bundle of joy into the world June 2016. It is going to be a long, and I mean long, 5 months of waiting to meet the sweet babe. But I could not be more excited for them or myself :)

2.     I got to spend time with my family and 2 best friends in Hawaii. It was a week of food indulgence with some of my favorite people. And in just 5 short days another reunion will be happening in Fiji. This time with my dad, sister, and Debbie! 

3.     I had strep throat SIX times. How one gets strep throat so many times in one year is still a mystery to me. I had strep not long after the beginning of 2015 and was just completing an antibiotic for strep as 2015 came to a close. 

4.     I ran 7 consecutive miles. Sami L has been training for a marathon so I have been trying to get some running in with her. At the end of October I got up to a 7 mile run. I cannot say that I really enjoy running for 7 miles at a time, but a 3 mile run I find to be very relaxing and suitable. 

5.     I pooped on my own foot during a bout of food poisoning. It was 3 o’clock in the morning and it had been coming out both ends for a few hours already. I had been consistently switching from sitting on the toilet and bending over it and well before I knew it I needed to be both sitting and bending. The demand was high and the supply was low. I chose to bend. Probably should have sat. But bending made for the better story.

6.     I have reached advance low in my Tongan language. When I first went to site I scored an intermediate low on my language exam. Back in May I had moved up 2 levels to intermediate high. And a few weeks ago I secured myself to the next level of advanced low. It has stressful and confusing learning a new language, but it's fun!

7.     I skinny dipped in the Pacific Ocean…a few times. The Sams and I recently decided we should be skinny dipping more because there are so many deserted beaches on our island. The first time it was a great success. Fun was had all around. The most recent time we had been having a secret kava circle on the beach and in our kava induced states thought it was the perfect time to go again. We got our clothes off and went running into the water and well, the water did not even reach our anklebones. It was low tide. Like the lowest.

8.     I have gained another circle of people in my life. Between my Peace Corps friends and the Tongans who have befriended me, these people have enriched my life in so many ways. I have created a bond and memories with them that will last a lifetime. It is going to be really hard when they are no longer a part of my daily life.

9.     I recently learned and preformed some Tongan dances with the church in my village. I learned a tau’olunga which is a traditional dance done by unmarried women. It is supposed to be very graceful and requires soft hand movements. I also learned a hula. The hula was definitely more on my level, but I had so much fun learning both!

10. I have been able to sleep in a cave and on the beach a couple of times this past year. Sleeping outside with no tent is fun. It can be cold and a little wet, but it is adventurous and you get to open your eyes to the sunrise in the morning! 

11. I got the opportunity to swim with whales. I have already mentioned this on my blog a couple times, but it was definitely high on the list of best life experiences so it had to go on the highlight list. 

12.  The final highlight is something that I never thought was going to happen while being in Tonga, but sometimes life is full of the unexpected. I have fallen in love with a Tongan guy from my village. My life is even happier with him in it!

New Year’s Resolutions for 2016

1.     To blog once a month.

2.     To run at least 12 miles a week.

3.     To be a better human.

4.     To journal more.

5.     To say ‘sorry’ less and ‘thank you’ more.

2015 Photo Review

Fakamonu’ia atu ‘i he ta’u fo’ou! Hope your 2015 was great and that your 2016 is even better! And just remember my return is upon  you :) plan accordingly! Thank you to everyone who helped make this year so great!

"Drink from the well of yourself and begin again." 

Swimming with the Whales

As I squeezed my toes into my flippers in preparation to slide off the edge of the boat my heart was beating with excitement and, to be honest, a little bit of fear. It was just me, the Pacific Ocean, and a couple of very large sea creatures, humpback whales, to be exact. As I floated facedown on the surface of the water two whales, a mother and her baby, floated under me with about a 30 ft distance between us. At that perspective they seemed huge, but so gentle and peaceful as they swam below me. After what felt to be five minutes of gazing in wonder (I lost all notion of time during this magical experience) the whales began to rise to the surface. Before I could even think to try to move out of the way two humpback whales were within 5 ft of me. As I was stunned in amazement I remember yelling to Sam, “Sammyyyyyyyy” with equal amounts of fear and excitement as the whales continued to swim around me. All it would have taken was a swift flick of their tale and I would have been lost to the sea forever. With our fate in the fins of the whales I thought to myself, if I die now I will truly die happy.

I could have floated their all day watching the whales move around me, but unfortunately the whales did not find us equally as fascinating. They decided to move on in their travel along the coast of ‘Eua at a speed much faster than we could have even attempted to match so it was time to get back on the boat. As I was climbing out of the water, Kiko (the whale whisperer) stretches out his hand to me and I exclaimed, “Kiko, miemei mate mei fiefie aupito!” I almost died from so much happiness. Kiko responded with laughter and playful Tongan banter. He told me the whale thought I was talavou (beautiful) and probably wanted to marry me. I like to think he was right. I told him he could leave me in the sea!

The amount of beauty and wonder I experienced that day is indescribable.  It is something that I will always remember. Being around those large creatures in the ocean that day reminded me that I am so small in comparison to the world. I gained a new perspective on life out there in the sea. Life is too short to waste it doing the same thing everyday. My heart yearns for adventure!

…and I have never wanted to be a mermaid more. 

 

 

"The wilderness isn't quite what I expected, it's wild"

ONE Year

Earlier this week marked a year since I left Liberty, Missouri.  A year since I have seen the majority of my friends and family. A year since I slept in my own bed, in my childhood room. A year since I have had my dad’s infamous breakfast. A year since I began the biggest adventure of my life!

And today marks a year of living in the Kingdom of Tonga. Before coming to Tonga I had had my fair share of heartbreak, frustration, love, and laughter, but Tonga has shown me a whole different side to these emotions.

I have never known heartache like the heartache I have had here. My heart hurts everyday when I think of home. When I find myself feeling left out of the lives back at home that I care the most about. When I have had a bad day and I just want to eat an ice cream cone with my dad or cry on my mom’s shoulder. Every night before I go to sleep and I think to myself, I hope these people that I love so much remember me. I hope I still fit into their lives and that they still want me. I feel so much sorrow when the people I love at home have heartbreak and there is nothing I can do half way across the world. My heart hurts so much when I think about leaving my life here in Tonga in just over a year, at the chance of never seeing these people who have taken me in and loved me as one of their own again. No matter how hard it was to say goodbye to my family and friends back at home it will be tremendously harder to say goodbye to my family and friends here because even though I have my insecurities I know the people that matter will be greeting me with open arms when I return to the States. I know that people will still love me and have a spot for me, we will just have some catching up to do. When I left the US I knew I would see everyone again in 26 months, but I don't know when I will see these people again. And that makes me sad, but even more grateful for the time I do have to spend with them!

But, for every minute of heartache there are a thousand minutes of love and laughter. I fully believe that I live in the happiest place on Earth. I am so happy. My heart is overflowing with happiness. I wake up everyday and go to sleep every night to the sound of the Pacific Ocean. I am constantly being fed warm meals and being asked if I am okay or if I need anything. I am told that I am loved multiple times of every day. Coconuts are left on my porch. I laugh. And I joke. I have truly found a best friend and sister in a Tongan and not only her, but also her whole family. I have had the opportunity to meet 14 other Americans that I probably never would have crossed paths with in America. I have gotten to go on so many adventures here in Tonga and see so much natural beauty. I have learned so many new things, my views and perspectives have been widened, and my heart just keeps getting bigger! I am so excited for this next year of life!

This past year would not have been possible without a lot of people, but my appreciation especially goes out to my other palangis here on the island of ‘Eua. Us palangis gotta stick together. ‘Ofa lahi atu, moutolu! 

Ten facts from the last 365 days!

1. I have read 46 books (wanted 52, but I just love having time to read again).

2. I have swam with humpback whales.

3. I have eaten raw fish and it has become one of my favorite foods!

4. I have been on the world’s shortest commercial flight! (8 minutes)

5. A baby was named after me. 

6. I have become a mother and a glamma of six furry babies.

7. I have been ten feet away from a King

8. I have been complimented, not only on my dancing, but my singing as well. 

9. I have learned a new language and I am still learning.

10. I have climbed a coconut tree (that’s not actually true, but I’m trying!)

Thanks for the continual support! It means more than I could ever explain. Here is a short video highlighting my favorite memories of this first year! 

'Ofa lahi atu <3

Life Update

Life here is still beautiful and fabulous. I am loving life and I can hardly believe it has already been almost year. I am in the midst of month 11 with just over a year left.

*Health

-I haven’t had strep throat since April! Go me!

-I had food poisoning a month ago. Events that took place in those 48hrs were an all time low for me…

-I have lost 18 pounds since being in Tonga.

*Animals

-I got to hold a baby goat.

-I get to cuddle a baby pig all the time because Sami was given one by her neighbors.

- Faina was left without adult supervision and may be pregnant. Confirmation has yet to be made.

-A pig bit my nose. I was just trying to kiss it.

-I was eating dinner the other night at Ongo’s house and all of a sudden the bag at my feet started to move. It was a chicken. Tonga.

-I ate sea turtle at a feast.

*America

-I went to America in June to play with my family. Taco Bell, Dr. Pepper, and shorts for dayyysssssss! And Netflix :)

-Got my computer fixed in America so hopefully more blogs will be posted!

-I was asked to be the newest Kallal baby’s Godmother! aka I am a Fairy Godmother.

*Tonga

-I am now scoring in the intermediate high range for my Tongan language.

-I have a Tongan bestie. MeleOngo <3

-Halfway through my first school year in Tonga.

-Almost halfway through my service. 

-It is too cold considering I am in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

And a couple of pics of Faina and me being cute :)

School Activities

School has been very rewarding and successful this past month. I finally feel like I know what I am doing and what my role is in my school. I thought I would share some success stories and pictures with y’all.

We have recently wrapped up the study of colors in my class ¾. Knowing the English word of the colors and being able to describe something based on color. They love to do color by numbers!

This past week we started a unit called Narrative so we have started with learning the parts of a book. Teaching vocabulary such as literacy terms is tricky. I decided to make vocabulary squares with my students. We created squares in their journals where they have the word in English and Tongan, the English definition, and a picture representing the word. As they were working on their squares I would show them the vocabulary word using an actual book.

I am so excited for this unit. We are going to be doing a lot of reading, creating simple books of our own, and we are going to end the unit with some plays. It is very exciting. 

As for class 5/6 my class 6 students are preparing for a big test that has a heavy weight on their future. The first week in October they will be taking the test. The score the students get on this test decides where they go to high school. Students that do not get into the government school have less likely chance of completing their high school degree. My class 6 is composed of six boys. Ongo and I are putting in a lot of work with them to get them prepared.

Part of this preparation is we have been really working on our writing because sentence structure is proving to be hard. A PVC, Chiara, who lives on the island Vava’u and I started a pen pal exchange between our students. My students sent their first letters about a month ago and have just received some from Chiara’s students this past week. They were so excited to get responses. I don’t think they believed me that I was really sending them to students in Vava’u. This next week we will be getting new letter prepared to send off!

Also, I have been giving my students prompts to work on, such as My Best Friend, The Happiest Day, The Saddest Day, etc. On Thursday MeleOngo’s nephew, Maka wrote a story about his Best Friend and he wrote it about me. It was only the cutest thing ever. 

Then in class ½ I am getting ready to start working on English with the class 2 students. I am too excited. We will be starting with the alphabet and move onto numbers and then if there is more time before the end of the year some more basics!

Lastly, my school finally has a school garden that is growing, growing, growing! So excited to have some fresh produce readily available and to sale the vegetables for the school!