West Africa -> North America -> South Pacific

So here I am, in America. I have been spending time with my family, boyfriend and friends. I want to be here and do not want to be here. I want to be in Niger, but the opportunity to go to Tonga excites me too! I battle extremes and this blogging is both helping and hurting my heart. As I say goodbye to Niger I am reminded of all the people I have left behind, how I failed to appreciate the relationships I had there and how I wish I could drum up the courage to call my best family to speak with my “mother” Mouskoura. I feel guilt for leaving my cat, and for making the decision to continue to leave her in Niger instead of spending countless dollars and pulling in tremendous favors to have her flown across the world to my family while I am in Tonga. I want to communicate with the people who love me but have procrastinated and left messages unanswered in what I thought was laziness but now see was a self-preservation technique to remain disconnected. I was not supposed to be here at this time…what does it matter if I see people or not? Especially when I am about to leave again for six months…

I realize that this is NOT how I want to leave you. I need to re-engage, especially now! I am leaving again, although this assignment has more of the feel of a job than a life-style change. Six months is much more approachable than two years, and this time I know how to pack!

Here are some details of the job I am to do in Tonga. This was taken from the Peace Corps Response Position Description document and I do not know anything more about what I will be doing than is revealed in this paragraph!

Country: Kingdom of Tonga

Assignment Title: Business/NGO Development Advisor

Partnering Organization: Women Affairs, Ministry of Education, Women Affairs, and Culture (MEWAC)

Desired Start Date: February 2011

Length of Assignment: 6 Months with possibility of Extension

Location: Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga

The purpose of the Women’s Affairs division is the following:

• Develop a National Policy on Women and Development
• Co-ordinate all women’s activities in Tonga
• Establish a National Committee on Women and Development.
• Enhance the effectiveness of Government’s efforts in Women and Development by supporting the activities of the National Council for Women, Langafonua ‘a Fafine Tonga. 

 Duties & Responsibilities:

• Help disabled women in writing their project proposals
• Assist the Disabled Women’s Group in organizing their activities
• Conduct training on microfinance and other relevant business topics for various women’s groups including THA and the Women with Disabilities group.
• Seek funding, markets and exhibitions of which the Tongatapu Handicraft Association can be a part
• Assist women’s groups in writing project proposals as requested
• Update data on registration of NGO’s and Government groups for 2011.
• Assist in coordinating local consultation for THA, Women’s Disability Group and others as requested
• Assist WA in formulating a strategic plan with long term and short term goals and objectives

That’s what I’ve got, and will have to get there to find out more! The languages in Tonga are English and Tongan, I should be stationed in the capital of Nuku’alofa on the main island. My departure date has been slipped to March 4th. The Tongan tourism website will convince you to come see me during my stay there!