I'm moving to 'Eua!!!!

Yesterday was the best day ever --- site announcement day!!!!

All of us had been waiting for this day pretty much since our arrival in Tonga.  Now we all finally know where we will be living for the next 2 years.  Our sites were chosen based on a number of factors and 3 interviews with the Peace Corps staff.  I will be moving to my first choice of islands --- 'Eua!!!!!! I could not be more excited!!!

About the Island:
'Eua is located just east of the main island of Tongatapu where I am staying now.  In fact, I can see 'Eua in the distance from my village.  'Eua is the 3rd largest island in Tonga and has an approximate population of 5,000. 

'Eua's landscape is very unique from the rest of the Tongan islands -- it is the oldest and highest island in Tonga.  To be exact, 'Eua is 30 million years older.  'Eua is one of the least developed islands of Tonga and is known for its natural beauty.  There are few tourist amenities such as restaurants, bars, etc but 'Eua has an extremely varied landscape including the only rain forest in Tonga, the highest peak, dramatic cliffs, grassy plains with wild horses, the best hiking in Tonga, caves, deserted beaches, rock gardens, and 800 year old Banyan trees --- to say I'm excited would be an understatement!  I cannot think of a more ideal place to spend the next 2 years!

There is one main road on the island that runs north to south on the western side.  The only public transportation on the island is on this road and it is also where most of the villages are located.  The interior of the island is largely uninhabited and made up of bush roads that are only navigable on foot.

Travel to 'Eua from the main island is by boat -- a 3 hour ferry -- or by plane -- an 8 minute flight.  Peace Corps does not allow us to take the ferry due to safety precautions  so on October 31 I will take the 8 minute flight -- I believe the shortest flight in the world? -- to 'Eua for site attachment.  Site attachment is 3 days with the current volunteer on 'Eua where we get to know our new village and become familiar with things before we move there officially 2 weeks later.  The only current volunteer on 'Eua is Kim who is AMAZING.  I'm very excited to learn more about everything and finally see where I'll be living! 

More great news is that the other volunteer placed in 'Eua from my group is Chiara who is in my language group.  I'm very excited for our adventures together over the next 2 years!

My Village on 'Eua:
Peace Corps decided to place only 2 volunteers on 'Eua this year.  My village is on the southern end of the island and Chiara's is on the northern end.  I've been told it takes about an hour walking to get between our two villages.  My village has a population of 400.

I will be teaching at the Government Primary School in my village.  The school has 6 teachers and 181 students.  I will be teaching English to classes 4-6 and assisting with Physical Education, health care, and the school library.

A Picture of my future house:

Two photos of gorgeous 'Eua:

 

 

 

 

What's changed since coming to Tonga

I'm sorry for the extreme lack of updates to my blog! It's been harder than I expected to get into a blogging routine and I still haven't figured out a doable way to get my pictures to upload.  For now, check out my facebook album for pictures of Tonga!

We are now in week 7 of Pre Service Training and so far it has just been amazing.  I can't believe
how fast time is flying .. swear-in is right around the corner!

In an effort not to bore you all with a long entry on everything that has happened this month, I'd like to share a list about what has changed in my life/become routine since arriving in Tonga

- I always get excited for lupulu and root crop on Sundays and look forward to kai lahi-ing (this might not be the case for all volunteers hehe)
-I attend weekly 3 hour Mormon church services
-I know more about teaching than I ever thought I would and I'm so exciting to have the opportunity to teach in Tonga
-I frequent caves on the weekends and picturesque isolated beaches on the weekdays after class
-I no longer mind cold showers -- in fact I could really use one right now as I sweat heavily while typing this
-I'm not offended when someone comments on my sino lahi, in fact this is one of my favorite jokes between my host mother and I
-My dinner at least 2 times a week consists of hot dogs, bacon, and root crop and I celebrate by clearing my plate each time
-I hold uhiki'i kuli and pusi all the time and it's amazing
-I may be developing an addiction to cold Sprites from the falekoloa before afternoon TEFL class
-I can speak at the intermediate level in the Tongan language
-I can somewhat successfully navigate my village in the darkness with out a flashlight
-My legs are always covered in bug bites and scratches from so many walks through the 'uta
-It's normal to stop your car in the middle of the road when pigs and piglets are crossing
-I've exchanged my blackberry for a classic nokia and my High School texting skills are slowing returning
-I wear a kiekie everyday and sometimes I feel like something is missing from my outfit if I'm not wearing it
-I wasn't nervous to sing as a back-up singer at a concert even though I have possibly the worst voice ever
-I'm 100% used to men wearing skirts
-Seeing a skirt above the knee would appear scandalous to me
-I've established amazing relationships with a special community and family and experienced generosity unlike anything I've ever witnessed before
-I have 15 new friends and I'm not afraid to talk about fakalele with any of them

Tongan Vocab:
kai lahi - eat a lot
lupulu - a staple Sunday Tongan dish of meat (in this case beef) wrapped in Taro leaves and cooked in coconut milk in an underground oven called the umu
sino lahi - big body
uhiki'i kuli - puppy
uhiki'i pusi - kitten
'uta - bush
fakalele - the runs (faka = like; lele = running)
kiekie - a tradition piece of clothing worn by most women, it's required of us to wear it while teaching
falekoloa - road side general store