'Oku tupulaki eku mo'ui

Life moves on ...
'Oku tupulaki eku mo'ui...

Well, not for everyone. My home stay grandfather at the age of 95 passed away last weekend. Another evening of buttering bread, singing, and little sleep for the putu. Every time there is a death I am learning more and more about the family circles within the village. He had six children that live in Okoa and six that live in other villages. With people having such large families, no wonder I get confused with names and relationships all the time. It was a sad yet reflective time for Okoa.

A mouse stands alone in his battle for territory. He has eaten poison, yet survives. He has earned my respect and we are on better terms now. I still jump on my bed when I see him, but I no longer scream or throw tings in his direction. He climbs along the tapa that hangs next to my bed during the night, but as long as he refrains from actually coming onto my bed then I am okay with the whole situation.

The second konifelenisi continues and I’ve made out pretty well. I’ve learned which foods to eat and which foods to take home. I find myself examining the tables waiting for prayer to end so I can get a hold of the best stuff. I also now know to bring my plastic grocery bag as a means to “fit in” here in Tonga.

The past few weeks my stomach was going through a few loops during the digestion stage. I had many a bout with my good friend diarrhea. I finally discovered that I had been drinking mosquito larva from my rain water tank, which was causing mad dashes to the rest room. Since I’ve been here I haven’t needed to boil my water, but I guess I must change with the circumstances. It is an extra little pain, but I have the time.

Next weekend COS (Close of Service) will be happening here in Vava’u for group 65 (I’m group 67). They will be filling out paperwork, getting medical check ups and hopefully gaining some closure on this whole experience. I was also informed that the new group (69) will be coming in July and having their training in Vava’u. Vava’u seems to be where it’s at!!! This is all just a little awakening for me about the circle of Peace Corps. Seeing old friends off and welcoming new ones. It makes this whole experience seem like it is flying by so quickly.

Thanks for all the updates and keeping my spirits high.

Love,
Adrianne

Konifelenisi

Two mice dead – 1 more to go.
I thought there was just one little rodent causing havoc in my home, but I’ve come to realize there were several. I found one when I woke up the other day just lying by the foot of my bed. I had a neighbor come and remove it because I don’t handle things like that very well. I found another one dead while walking outside to the bathroom. I guess the keke kuma did the trick. I’m buying some more keke kuma today so hopefully my house will be clear in about a week.

Konifelenisi is translated as Conference.
This is a weeklong gathering of church officials and members from all over the region to attend meetings. What seems to get the most attention though are the feasts that encompass this week. Every day for the whole week there is a feast for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each village is assigned a day and meal to cater. Within each village, a family that attends that church must provide the meal for a 30 ft table. I’ve heard that over the years the tables have been getting more elaborate. I attended the conference both as a guest and as a caterer so I was able to see it from both perspectives.

As a guest I was seated in front of huge portions of food loaded onto the table. Each table container all the traditional Tongan food such as pig, root crop, chop suey, raw fish, and lu was piled high, but also extra items were added to make each table stand out from the other. It is expected that you take home food, drinks and candy at the end of the meal. I was criticized for not bringing a plastic grocery bag to the feast in order to bring everything home, but luckily someone found one for me. I took home fruits, bottles of juice, and wafer cookies. I was feeling a little strange, but go with the flow was my motto.

I helped bake cakes for Okoa’s night at the feast. I spent the day slaving in my kitchen and I only burnt one. We started setting up at 2:00 for the feast at 5:00. The woman were dancing crazy while everyone was decorating their tables. It seemed like the more body fat that the women had to shake, the more cheering they got. I saw one woman from my village dump a huge can of fruit cocktail all over herself. I ran so that I wouldn’t get caught in the display. The feast finally started at 7:00 (late) and I ended up eating at this one too. As soon as the prayer was over, the woman next to grabbed everything (huge juice containers, sparkling juice, bowl of fruit, and a pig) and stored it under the table. She then ate some food and packaged everything up to take home. I sat there in shock. I ended up taking home a small bag of fruit and lobster. These feast are definitely a sight to see.
Next week is a different church’s konifelenisi. I guess I’ll be doing some more baking.

That’s about it from here in Vava’u. Friday night I’ll be hanging out at another volunteers house for Mexican night. Weathers been better. Can’t complain.

Hope everyone well.
Love,
Adrianne

Keke Kuma

Day 1 – Come home in the evening to find a bold kuma (mouse) climbing around the kitchen. He made daring leaps from the radio over to the fridge. The broom that came flying down made him scurry, but did not change his determination. After he ran out the door, he peeked back in for a glance at his new home.

Day 2 – A purchase of keke kuma (rat cake = rat poison) was made at the local store with a guarantee that these are powerful and will do the trick. After returning from the store, the kuma was spotted again dashing about the house. The keke was placed in two prime locations. During the night loud crashes were heard along with pitter-patter footsteps.

Day 3 – The keke was gone in the morning. I thought the entire escapade was over until I saw the kuma scatter into my bedroom just as I was getting ready to go to sleep.

Day 4 – I’m tired. I hate mice. I’m deciding on more drastic measures.

The business workshop was a success and now I’m attending a Future Farmers Workshop to support a neighboring youth group. It addresses new farming techniques and some basic principles for expanding local farming into a business that produces a profit. The workshop is wonderful for the people who are attending. Too bad the youth I am supposed to be helping haven’t made it a priority to make it there. They’ve continually been a pain in the rear, but I keep trying.

My youth group has been moving slowly, but I feel like we are on the verge of some enthusiasm. I’ve been pushing and pushing and am now trying to get the Town Officer involved to push my Youth President a little more. In my opinion they all need a little shove. I’m probably going to need one here eventually myself.

Next week is the huge Tongan Church Conference. This means people from all over Tonga will be coming to Vava’u to eat. Overseas families send containers full of food to help in the process. I’ve already been given canned food, potatoes, noodles, and a 12 pack of toilet paper. They also send tons of money, which gets a little out of control. The amount of money that gets transferred is ridiculous. I’m kind of excited to get to witness this event. I should have some good stories later.

Stay well.
Love,
Adrianne