Green day in Nukunuku!

This Friday Akoteu Nukunuku was lucky enough to be picked by Bank South Pacific to participate in a green day program for keeping Tonga clean!

We started the program off by picking up rubbish on the school grounds.

Then some awesome hats and shirts, along with gloves and rubbish bags were distributed by BSP!

Once everyone was ready we headed out  into the community to pick up all the rubbish!

The kids worked hard picking up the rubbish all through the community for a good 2 hours!

It took the stundenta awhile to distinguish what rubbish was, a lot of students picked up old leaves and compostable materials rather than the non-compostable materials like wrappers and cans etc. Generally picking up compostable materials is what is expected of students in their homes ( clearing old coconut leaves and husks etc) rather than a focus on non-compost able materials, so this was a great learning experience for many of them.

We stopped and took a much needed break about halfway through as the sun was soooooo hot! ( A big thank you to BSP for providing the water)!

Complete with ice blocks!

We finished off the rubbish pick up at the school!

Class 6 sang their recycling song my principal composed!

Overall all it was a success! Malo 'aupito to BSP and all the students! 

End of the year faiva!

Faiva ki ai!

All the fee wesleyan schools got together and showed off their best dance moves for the various traditional dances!

Vaotu'u killed it with the Kailau (spear dance)

Utulau did the tao'ulunga!

Mamaloa side school did the lakalaka!

The ma'ulu'ulu!

And best for last Nukunuku brought the house down with a Fijian fan and spear dance!

After many weeks of practice the performance was finally over.

Mo'ua, Ane, & Siaosi!

Overall it was a very warm day full of fun for all and a great way to end the school year!

It's official... Tonga Group 80 are now PC volunteers

Group 80 swore in this past Saturday as official United States Peace Corps volunteers!

It was a lovely ceremony with speeches from the wonderful Director of TTI ( 'Ungatea Kata), our program director, country director and an RPCV who served in Tonga in the 90's.

Officially swore in by a representative from the U.S. Embassy in Fiji.

The group did an awesome job performing the traditional dances in a stage show. 

Boys doing the kailao ( Tongan spear / war dance)

Unfortunately we also had to say goodbye to our fellow group 78 volunteers Jason & Emily who we're closing their service that same day! They headed back to America for life as RPCV's ( and lots of good food and hot showers ;P)! They will be greatly missed and had an impact on Tongans and fellow volunteers that will be felt for many years to come! We learned from them and with them and were able to do some really amazing things here in the kingdom! They gave so much of their time and energy to Tonga as volunteers and people that their work and life here will not be forgotten! Ofa lahi atu Soni mo Emili! 

Class 6 Exam

We finally made it! The class 6 exam happened this past Tuesday and Wednesday! The students ( age 12/ class 6) took 4 exams ( English , math, science ,and Tongan) with 2 exams a day.

These tests are a very big deal as their scores decide which high school they will attend. 

All the kids were dressed in their finest school uniforms waiting for the test to start!

After the exam on both days there was a feast for the students provided by students families! 

Waiting with bated breath for the feast to begin...

Nukunuku ki ai!

The new volunteers even got in on the action! (they are staying with me for host volunteer visits) 

Over all I'm so proud of my class 6 kiddos, they worked so hard preparing for this test and I'm sure they did great! 

Free Wesleyan Bazaar!

This past Wednesday was the Free Wesleyan school bazaar where all the Wesleyan schools came to town to sell goods they made/ grew to earn money for next school year.

They made all different types of handicrafts (which they learn how to do in their Tongan culture classes), from tao'vala's ( the mats worn around the waist) to the kafa ( string made from coconut husks to tie the tao'vala's) ,

To kiekia's ( the decorative belt young girls and women wear )

Other schools sold bananas, coconuts, cabbage , carrots and other yummy crops!

Kiekia's and kafa!

Starting to build their entrepreneurship skills early...

The secondary school sold cabbage, tomatoes, and faikakai ( manioke mashed and baked with sugar and coconut covered in a syrup made from cooking down coconut cream with sugar) aka super yummy and super sweet!

'Twas my great luck that along with the bazaar happening, next door taliui( roll call) was in full swing for women's month! Basically every Free Wesleyan church on Tongatapu sends there women to show there presence for their district ( they do so by each singing a song and sayin a speech along with the names of people present, can't say it's a short process...)

All the women were decked out in their finest white clothes and red scarves!

The Queen Mother gave a speech.

Mo'ua was kinda enough to walk me around the bazaar and take me town! :)

Almost all the schools were at the bazaar so not much school actually happened as most kiddos and their moms were either at the Bazaar or taliui...

Picked up some fresh fish on the way home!

Naturally stopped for some ice cream...

Ended the week with these goofballs and a bonfire on the beach!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than one seeks" 

  -John Muir