First Impression of Tonga

Waiting to board Aukland to Tonga



First glimpse of Tongatapu



 Here in Tonga it is 8:30 on Wednesday morning and my work day has begun! As usual I allowed myself way too much time to get settled before I send out a quick update, but everybody is busy, right?

Palmtree heaven



Safe and sound



A brief introduction: My Peace Corps program in Niger, West Africa was suspended in January 2011. During the very emotional transition conference in beautiful Morocco, I was introduced to the Peace Corps Response program. I applied for a six month position in Tonga (“Wow, that’s definitely the other side of the world!”), flew home to America, was accepted into the program and left America after an amazing month and a half rest on March 4th.



The Office



I am on the main island of Tongatapu, situated almost smack in the middle of the capital city of Nuku’Alofa (pronounced more like Nukulofa) and this is my third day at work. I am working in a lovely office of six women in the Women’s Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education. This office is in charge of all things women here in Tonga. They recently sponsored a successful Festival/Fair to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th (my second day of Peace Corps training) and are now moving forward with their work plan of business trainings and policy writing. My experiences with proposal writing and working with my women’s groups in Niger help me integrate straight into the work of the office, and my Tongan language tutoring sessions begin tomorrow evening. Maybe in a few months I will be able to understand a quarter of what the ladies say around me then, I will patiently continue to ask for a translation when they forget to switch to English for me!



Talamahu Market, middle of town

Mosimani Building, closest 'landmark' to home

Royal Tombs, center of town

The island is beautiful as many of you have researched or could guess about a South Pacific paradise. While Niger’s main impression is dry and dusty, Tonga is of course humid and muddy! Maybe Northern VA is really the perfect medium? Colourful flowers surround me everywhere I walk, and I do walk everywhere! I hope buy a bike today which will make it easier to really explore (aka get lost) around the town. My house is in a “compound” area of sorts, nestled between my exquisite landlady ‘Itu, and a female University student named Lupé. The fact that ‘Itu is from a VIP family in Tonga, and that she is Deputy Police Commissioner, make me feel extra safe! The house that she graciously donated to me for these next six months is fully furnished and very comfortable.

 

In short, I feel that I am settling in well with my new community, I look forward to visiting a beach or two, and my work so far has been very structured, and thus rewarding! The transition to this kind of office environment illuminates the skills that I used and gained in Niger, which were often hidden to me while I was there. As I move forward in my formal career, I gradually discover all that I learned in the women’s garden, middle school, public library, and home environment that served as my “office” in Niger. Informal learning is a sneaky devil, but in many ways more formative than the nine-to-five. Thank you to Peace Corps for allowing me to do both!

Favorite flowers here

Traditional Tapa being cleaned

I hope you are all happy and healthy! Please let me know what is going on in your world!

My warmest, 85-degree and sunny, wishes!

Hey Doug, look what I can get!