Lata pe

Lata pe
Feeling at home

I began having a conversation with my 70+ year old neighbor, Lupe, about traveling the world. The conversation then shifted to my home in Cincinnati. I showed her a book of pictures that illustrated all the sights in Cincinnati so she could get a better understanding of what I was talking about. She expressed delight in the simplest of things: the huge trees; the lights on all the buildings; the water pouring out of a fountain; and the inside of a church. She told me that it was all so beautiful, but she was lata pe in Tonga. She likes growing her own food, taking naps in the day, weaving mats and going to church. She doesn’t want all the hustle and bustle that seem to fill up the days back in the States. She is happy living a simple life in Tonga.
I admire her. I admire that she recognizes what makes her happy. I’m thankful there is variety in the world. I’m thankful I have had the opportunity to witness a different side of “life.” Given that I’ve grown up in a city with many outlets for activities, I don’t know if I could live out the rest of my life here. I will at least take away the skill of being able to totally and completely relax.

Lately I have been feeling lata pe here in Tonga. A huge shift has occurred in my language ability. Every night I share a synopsis of my day in Tongan to my neighbor. I’m not only able to give the basic errands of the day, but actual feelings and some complex thoughts. I know that I still have so far to go, but I feel that my path is somehow easier.

I think my body has totally adjusted to the warm climate. Now that the temperature is dropping a little, I’m wearing sweatshirts and socks like it’s 32 degrees. Now understand that I’m not complaining because I know that I have no right to do such a thing. I’m enjoying snuggling under a blanket and boiling water for a nice shower. I just keep thinking that Christmas is going to be a bear.

The pace of things has actually picked up around here. Shocking – I know.
• A new youth President has been elected and I couldn’t be happier. Ideas have been sparking so I’m trying to run with the motivation while we’ve got it.
• A putu (funeral) in a neighboring village (with many relatives in my village) has caused for activities to go on hold for another week. This hasn’t seemed to stub the enthusiasm of my youth group.
• It’s high season for many tests so I’ve been requested to start some night classes with the primary kids. Headaches aside – it’s really a good time.
• I somehow got roped into planning an AIDS day during our islands “Youth Week” activities in July. The initial preparations are in place and I just finished the grant proposal. I was told “on the down low” that I could get some guaranteed funding, so hopefully that will all come together quickly. My grant writing skills have increased dramatically since being here. That’s positive for my resume, but I don’t agree that the Tongan view of a “good” volunteer is weighted on how much funding I can real in. - But that’s a whole other post.

Love as always,
Adrianne