Fale 'afa

A wave of change has happened in the matter of a week. The move across the bridge to the other side of the village was a success. My new house is what the locals call a fale 'afa (hurricane house). Identical houses were built across Tonga after the last huge hurricane to replace damaged homes. It is basic and sturdy and I couldn’t be happier. The catch, because there is always a catch, is that I have no electricity or water. I’m getting used to no electricity by just using a lantern and candles although the youth talk about hooking it up any day now. The water is a bigger deal to me because of the pain in hauling it back to my house. I have a pipe that runs to an outdoor tap, but I’ve had a bit of a challenge getting the ‘water committee’ to turn it on. In the meantime, the rain has been a saving grace by filling my buckets with fresh, clean gold.

Here is my new shower (right) and toilet (left).


My largest struggle while living in a small village has been the flow of gossip. I’m finally learning how to play the game. Feed some information to some kids, turn to others for support, shed some tears, crack a joke, and come out looking like a rose. I’m not sure what kind of marketable skill this will be back in the States, but its doing wonders for me here.

Love to you all,

Adrianne

PS - Check out the addition to my photo album with Mom's visit to Tonga