As May flew right into June…

As May flew right into June…

This month has been full of activities and lots of exciting things happening for my school and even some ‘eva adventures to the wonderful ladies in ‘Eua!

Started off one of my mornings to the sound of cat whimpering’s out my back door... (went something like whine, whine, thump and kept repeating that pattern) I assumed it was Pinati....

 however, when I walked outside this is what I found….

the poor thing was so hungry it had gotten it’s head stuck in the can, still one of the  funniest things I have woken up to here so far!

The month started off with a big celebration on children’s Sunday. All the kiddos dressed in their new clothes and read their bible verses aloud to a full crowd of proud parents  (loud is the goal, the aim is to read it so the people in the back of church can hear you, and the church is BIG!).

(Fun fact: the girls outfits are made out of Tapa!)

Next the Rotary Club of Sunnybank Hills flew in and started working on a repair project we have been planning for the past year to our school.

In their week visit they:

-       - replaced and reinforced the veranda ceilings for both buildings of the primary school.

-      -  brought and installed new luvas for the windows

-       - brought 8 metal shelves (which we were able to turn into a classroom library for            classes 1-6)

-       - brought books and school supplies!  

      - they also were gracious enough to print off the sight word books we have been working hard to create these past 20+ months (ALL of them WOOHOO!)

-      -  replaced holes in the classroom floors and doors

-       - painted the front of the school

-       - taught some of the boys some basic wood working skills in the process

-        

 Overall it was a great visit! The students were able to share some of their songs and dances with the Rotarians in the welcome and farewell ceremonies, and I think both sides left feeling that the project was a success.

Feel free to check out the link below so see the repairs in detail.  It’s the blog Rotary made to highlight the awesome work they did!

https://sunnybankhillsrotary.wordpress.com

After the Rotary trip, I took off for the weekend to the magical island of ‘Eua (where magically we always get stuck much longer than expected due to the rough sea and no boat…).

Cliffs of 'Eua!

 Landbridge!

 'Ovava Tree (story goes it's 400 hundred years old)

Pointsettas in May & too many paths to explore!

It was really great seeing the ‘Eua ladies and exploring more of the island!

We finally made it to see the horses on the cliffs of  ‘Eua (took almost my whole service but we saw them)!

Quicker than I realized we moved right into June!

June started off the with the annual march in town, where ALL the High Schools (Colleges) in Tonga come to town to show off their marching skills and bands for the King.

Time is flying by, we are already through Week 7 of Term 1, and with just two weeks left the June Break is coming soon and it’s off to Vava’u to catch some sunshine and swimming with the whales (hopefully!) J

Happy June! I hope all of you already on summer break have a safe and fun summer!

 More adventures to come soon…

April showers bring May flowers... and a breeze!

This month seemed to fly by and we're about to land right into May! Time is such a strange thing here, I feel like before my service time was a pretty constant continuum that moved at a pretty consistent pace. However, Tonga time is so real, and sometimes the days pass so slowly, and you look at the calendar and a months gone by. It's a common saying here amongst volunteers: The days pass slow, and the months go quick!

This month went quick!

The month started off with a really amazing camping trip on the beach with our Tongatapu group!

Got a campfire started, roasted some food, and slept under the stars!

Nothing like good food, good friends and a campfire!

Highlight from my village, our shop just got sponsored by BSP, so they now accept card payments!

The second week of April happened to be the end of Term 1 and we had our first school break of the year.... meaning lots of eva-ing and beach time!

 Sunsets ki ai!

 Eva-ing!

  Learned how to make faikakai (roasted breadfruit mashed with a coconut cream sauce over the top!)

Getting the coconut cream ready.

Next we toasted the sugar, melted it down, and added the coconut cream, and stirred till it was a yummy sauce!

Met the new litter of puppies next door!

Roasting the breadfruit.

While we waited for the breadfruit to roast we searched for the new baby pigs!

They're quick but we finally found them!

 Maka getting the masher ready.

 Basically its a young unripe breadfruit with sticks stuck in it to make a nature made 

masher!

Mo'ua peeled the roasted breadfruit right out of the fire.

While Maka quickly mashed the breadfruit into a dough while it was still hot.

  The next adventure of the month was finding the lali. One of my primary school teachers is helping me to write a sight word book about the lali. The lali is a traditional instrument that has been used for many many years in Tonga as a way of communicating to the village, events that are happening (It used to signal when the women were to beat tapa, when there was a funeral, and now it is mostly used to signal when church will start).

So off we ventured to the Church of Tonga, as they and the Catholic church are the only churches that still use the lali. We waited through their choir practice to meet with the man who is in charge of beating the lali before every church service.

The following Sunday we went early to church to see the lali in action! (the cup is used to put water inside the instrument to help with sound and to keep it from drying out)

The lali is beat twice before every church service (once an hour before service and right before the service is about to start).

 Every day in my secondary school the day starts with a mini church service, where we start and end with a hymn, and prayers are said as well as a lesson usually.

This past Friday was my Form 2's turn to run the program. We learned Amazing Grace in Tongan and English, and the students did an awesome job reading the whole service ALL in English!!!

This is what they gave me when I asked them to smile after the great job they did...

and then the funny photo.

Two of my helper students who led the main part of the service!

Veggies are back in season! Grabbed this whole lovely bag of cucumbers at the market on Saturday!

Made some pickles!

Ate a REAL salad after way too long...

So for the past 16 months I have been watching my counterparts easily break into doors that the key was lost, or there was just never a key (a.k.a. many of the doors in my house...). The lock on my bedroom door was removed due to it locking by itself ALL the time (generally the wind that slammed it shut) and my inability to break into a door. However, my other bedroom door the lock is still in tact, but there's never been a key. So the night before a big Saturday full of meetings where I had to get to town early, I got back late the night before and my door was locked... (background: basically everything I own is in that room, clothes and all)

So using all the valuable skills I have learned here in Tonga, I BROKE in! That folks is probably the thing I am proudest of this month...

 Road to church...

This last picture signifies a rode I will be walking a lot this next month, as it will be Fakame in the church (which includes all the Sundays of May, one for kids, one for mom, one for dad, and the last for family!) 

Fakeme updates soon to come! Have a super May! :)