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!