Faka’uha

Let me give you a recent taste of my own personal heaven:

Sitting in my tiny brown barn, both doors opened so the sound of the rain pouring down echoed from the roof. I sat on the floor with a huge bowl of warm Cincinnati Chili in my lap. I had a hot cup of Chai Tea sitting next to me. My smile couldn’t be contained.
That's one of the reasons I'm doing this experience. A simple moment where I have time to count my blessings. A rainy day that many would consider a waste becomes a source of happiness.

The rain has become a never-ending part of reality. The mud is everywhere inside and outside of my house. By the time I walk to my house after taking a shower my legs are full of mud again. This is where faka'uha comes into play. It means showering/playing in the rain. Everyone will run outside in their clothes and proceed to sing and play. They then head down to the little bridge and go for a swim in the rain. It's a way of embracing nature. Sometimes this is fun, but I'll admit it has gotten a little old. I'm going to admit something now that I might regret at a later time: I peed in a bowl in my house then threw it out the back door (twice). It was late at night and the rain was pouring down. I felt limited in my options. I'm somewhat proud of this decision yet a little embarrassed. I think that now I am a true Peace Corps Volunteer.

The phones have been down, here in Tonga, for the past week. This has made contact with the outside world a royal pain. Along with the phone lines, all Internet has ceased to work. Good old Snail Mail has been a savior. Thanks everyone for the letters and packages.

Just a little side note - I ate pig brain.
Not the best thing I've ever had, but definitely something worth trying. This is all about new experiences. Right?

Happy Birthday to Cathy and Kirstin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My love is being shipped over the Pacific right to your doorstep. I wish I could celebrate with you both, but there is time for that in the future. Have an amazing day.

Love you all,
Adrianne

PS - This is long PS, but it all happened after I wrote this original post and thought it worthy of adding.
My village is crazy.
I had another town meeting last night in which I was put on trial for all my actions or lack there of. The reasons were petty, but the feelings behind them were not. The town hall was filled with people I didn't even think lived in my village. Also people were sitting outside listening and peeking in the windows. I am the entertainment.
Being female, my village does not like me dating and proceeded to question every part of my life. I refuse to live here for two years in a bubble. I was also questioned about my work progress. They did not see progress BECAUSE THEIR EYES ARE CLOSED. I happily explained to them all the details of my work and they were then satisfied. I handled myself with dignity although I really just wanted to blow my top and call them on all the things they do that make no sense. I had my supervisor there to help me translate and provide moral support. He was great. At the end of the meeting my youth president made a formal apology and all seems to be well. I feel a little rocky about the whole thing and am going to be walking on egg shells the next few weeks. "Mother village" is always watching.
As you can tell by my tone, the whole situation was a little intense for me. I am growing more than I ever thought I would on this journey.

Koniseti

So I survived Uike Lotu.
I ate some great food and spent time with some great people. Overall not too bad. The church part was bearable. I skipped out a few times and just went to the feasts.

This week has been slow. People are just starting to get back into the swing of work. I'm moving slowly in this direction because everything here in Tonga runs slowly. I hope to start up my youth meetings next week and have a girls night discussing reproductive issues. I'll let you know if any of that actually happens. This week was the close of the girls netball season. The netball team wants to have a picnic at the beach for the close of the season, so we needed some money. We had a koniseti this week which is a "concert" for fundraising purposes. Now don't think of the kind of concert we would have back in the States. This is totally different.
A DJ pumped music while each family had their name called. They are then expected to dance and donate money while the song is being played. I had my own song. I think I'm moving up in the world. I often wonder why everyone doesn't just hand someone a donation and be done with it, but everyone here seems to have fun and think this works just fine. We made over $300 pa'anga so Saturday we are off to the beach. More food and good times.

Wish I had more time.

Love you all,
Adrianne

Uike Lotu

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

Time seems to stand still here, but I do realize that it is already 2005. I'm going to be finished here before I know it. Let's not think about that now.

My kayak trip was fantastic. We traveled to many of the outer islands and the entire time I just kept saying to myself - "I live here." I feel so privileged. By the way - Thank you for your tax dollars. We traveled in two-person kayaks and camped on the beaches. We went on some great hikes and went snorkeling everyday. There were a couple of days with some rough waves and my muscles paid the price, but I had so much fun that it was worth it. I think I'm a little more buff than I was before I left. While on the trip I heard the news of the disaster. My thoughts and prayers go out to all everyone.

Life back in my village:
Uike Lotu - Week of Prayer
Yes it seems like every week has a title. This week I was going to try and hide out, but I now feel like I should participate in all the events. For the entire week church begins at 5:00 in the morning and is followed by a huge feast at 6:00. When I say a huge feast - I truly mean food that you shouldn't be eating at 6:00 in the morning without begging for heartburn. Then everyone relaxes for the day. Then church again at 6:00 in the evening followed by another feast at 7:00. I now know why this country in hugely overweight. Each family has the responsibility of preparing one of the meals for the week. My host family prepared my first feast and all the women stayed up the entire night. While we all ate these women sat on the side of the hall and watched with glazed looks in their eyes. As a reward for their hard work they got to eat the leftovers. Speeches flowed and I sat and smiled while I understood very little of what was being said about God. I do know that it must have been important because everyone was crying. At the time of writing this I've only made it through day one of the feasts. I hope I can make it through this entire week.

Lots more to say, but time is precious. At least the time that I have to pay to use the internet.
I love you all and hope everyone has had a great start to the New Year.

Adrianne