Easter

The whales have left Okoa. Before they left I a took a ride out in a little row boat and got an up close and personal view. The three of them came right up to the boat and were playing. Since then, apparently, someone hooked each whale with a rope, put it in a truck and drove it to an area where the whale would have direct access to the sea. Now I did not see anyone rope the whale or drag it into a car, but this is the story that is traveling through the village. I typically do not believe village stories, but I don’t know what else would have happened to these whales. Maybe they were eaten and everyone was too afraid to tell me the truth. I really do believe that they were set free and that they will die of natural causes in a few weeks in the wide open waters. They are beautiful creatures.

There were many choices for how to spend this Easter weekend here in Tonga. I tried to take part in a little bit of everything.
I dyed eggs with my disabilities group. I then hid candy in little foil packets and had them go on an Easter Egg hunt. The Easter bunny is a symbol that means absolutely nothing here. I felt pretty stupid trying to explain all these traditions to people that truly spend the entire weekend in church and celebrating the resurrection. I’m like – “Hey look, dunk this egg is some colors and make it look pretty. Eat candy that a little bunny hid for you to find.” They just don’t get it.

I went to a Mormon girls retreat. It was meant to be a sleepover of about 100 girls at the beach, but I left before I started talking to Joseph Smith in my sleep. I ate a picnic-like dinner with the girls and then watched some of the men try to assemble a huge area tent. A couple girls gave a few prayers then it was time for a movie. Two men came out of the dark carrying a TV and VCR. They sat everything on a chair and handed cords up into a tree to a man who tried connecting a whole loudspeaker contraption. The youth group waited patiently. The attachment speakers weren’t working so they worked with what they had and we listened with little sound. This lack of preparedness is typical here in Tonga. The movie was the story of Joseph Smith and his role within the Mormon Church. Everyone then separated into discussion groups to discuss a movie that was in English. Once the program was finished the girls were told to get ready for bed and read their Bibles in small groups. This is when I used my awesome cell phone to make my escape.

My next adventure was with the Wesleyan (Methodist) church. The kids from 13 to 18 also had a sleepover. The boys slept in the church and the girls slept in the minister’s house right across the street. I graciously declined that part of the event due to a need to keep my sanity. I did however attend church with the kids on Sunday and had a feast with them following the service.

The Catholics did a reenactment of Passion of the Christ on the streets in town. Someone was actually strapped to the cross and carried around. This was an activity that I did not participate in, although I did watch the movie Sunday night.

Now – My real holiday weekend. I took a nap on the beach a couple days in a row. I’ve been on a John Irving kick these days so I’m reading the third book of his in a row. I went snorkeling and did some hiking to give myself a little exercise. I then had a nice potluck with the other volunteers and watched the bootleg sequel to Meet the Parents; Meet the Fokkers. Overall, a great long weekend.

While I’m typing this very post, I just received a phone call from my student loan company. They are wondering why I have not made my loan payments that are supposedly overdue. My amazing Dad is helping me to straighten this whole thing out, but it is getting a little old. I’m in the Peace Corps, and have no money, all of which is qualification for a deferment. I can’t believe they are calling me here in Tonga to harass me. Those people will go to no end to get their money back.

I’ve been getting so much great support from everyone back home that I just wanted to say thank you. The packages, letters, and phone calls help to keep me motivated at the times when I just need a taste of home.

Love,
Adrianne