March 3, 2008

Our Final Days in the Kingdom

We are in the final stretch. It is hard to believe we have one week left. We had one more pancake breakfast for Ana, Prostin , Dan and Donor. Dan’s son, Dakarai has grown so much this year. We will miss his cheerful spirit, and he will miss the jogger cart we pushed to school every day.

It is time to finish sorting out stuff, donating the items we won’t take home and packing the things we need to ship. We found that the shipment we sent back to America was about ¼ -1/8 the size of the shipment we sent to Tonga! Jen and Kira brought a lot of books. They sold and donated most of them, because people are so hungry for good reading on the island. They will use the money they raised to replace the books they need for homeschooling or buy new books. 

Our big Tongan friend helped us with our boxes. He and a few friends carried the 400 pound box down the stairs and into his van. Like I said, they are big, strong guys.

The shipping company was amazing. We heard so many nightmare stories about people’s shipments coming very late or being damaged. These guys were flawless. If anything they were early. If we ever live abroad again, it will be hard to find another company as good.

After most everything was shipped or packed for the airplane, we treated ourselves to our last day at our favorite beach. We packed up a box of gifts for the folks who care-take the old resort beach. They were very kind to provide special accommodations for us and allow us to use the beach…. Then, we forgot to bring along the box!

We spent most of our beach visit talking to the caretakers and their various family members. We tried to explain that we had gifts for them and that a friend would bring them later. But there was a communication gap. We still, much to our dismay, had not learned much Tongan and the family knew very little English. They kept sending different relatives down to the beach to get another translation. It wasn’t a quiet beach day, but it was a nice experience. They seemed so happy to know us, especially a young man we had not seen before but turned out to be a friend of Yvan Fifita. His name is Feleti. I think that translates to Fred since Tongan has no “r” or “d” and they put an “i” on the end of many names. So, we wallowed in the water, chatted, explored the tide pools yet again, and made sand castles for the last time in Tonga.

Monday, we brought our final donations to the school, picked up some documents from the principal and said our final good-byes. It was raining. Kira said that Tonga was crying for us. We felt like crying, too. It was hard to say goodbye.

Tuesday finally came. Dan, the American teacher who made Tonga his home came to our house with his famous mango salsa to say goodbye. The Bolouris, the wonderful couple who invited us to join the school teaching staff, said their farewells over the last of our tea. Ma’a, our big Tongan friend and his son (my student and Kira’s classmate), Shiraz, gathered us up with our bags and carried us off to the airport.

Ana and Prostin planned to meet us at the airport where we would hang out for the last time. We saw their car ahead of us on the road and laughed and waved as we all drove on to our final stop.

Then, suddenly, Ana’s car pulled over. It turned out that her sister got a call from her husband. It was actually her sister’s car. Ana does not have a license. Her sister’s husband apparently lives on a ship and only makes it to port about once a month with leave for only a few hours at a time! Well, he had just called and was at port. They had to go to the port right away, or her sister would miss his short leave altogether.

There we were; the cars pulled over to the side of the road in the light rain. We were saying goodbye to one of our best friends on the side of the road! Gifts exchanged, tears shed. That was it….

It didn’t feel real. Ma’a and Shiraz waited for the plane with us. We chatted like we always do. It was hard to believe, even when we got on the plane that we would probably never see these beautiful people again,

our spiffy little house,

our favorite walking routes,

the great students and the staff at school,

the sparkling swimming spots,

the smoky umu,

the barking dogs,

the roosters in the middle of the night and yard,

the humidity and damp laundry,

the half-built downtown,

the fale kaloas,

ahh, I could go on and on…..

A Week of Acculturation in Los Angeles

We landed in LA on New Years’ Eve. Because we crossed the dateline, we experienced New Year’s Eve for a second time. The flight was long but uneventful. Cliff’s cousin picked us up. He and his dear wife welcomed us and patiently hosted us as we acclimated to this strange place called the United States. One day, as Kira and Jen were walking along the Monterey beach, three dolphins popped up. They cruised along the beach feeding and apparently following them! Kira was in heaven again, as she strode along with “her dolphins.” Another memorable experience.

We spent the second half of our week in LA with Cliff’s uncle. He had been sick while we were in Tonga, so we wanted to be sure to spend time with him. It was a nice quiet visit. The thought of venturing out in LA was more than we could handle as our transition from Tonga, so we hung out with his aunt and uncle and left the excitement of the big city for the strong hearted.

The Oregon Transition

So, we are back. We are still trying to wrap our arms around it all. In some ways the culture shock of returning to the States has been greater than going to Tonga. Our health has been a little rocky with various infections, allergies and colds. But we received a warm welcome from old friends and neighbors. Cliff had work waiting for him upon our return and Jen has actively been seeking out teaching jobs. Kira fell right back into her homeschooling routine with a new love for the sea and marine animals such as… dolphins.

Final Words?

It is nice to come back to our own house, our cat, our dog and seeing old friends. We still don’t know what we want to do “when we grow up,” but we are patching our lives together again. It is disappointing to see how disorganized and mediocre so many aspects of US culture is, but it is also nice to become re-acquainted with people who care some much and work so hard to make this country a better place.

Tonga was an unforgettable experience for all of us, each for different reasons, the extent of which is yet not fully realized. We are now dedicated to learning Spanish. Who knows where that might take us next?

March 2, 2008

Grandparents’ Last Days

The next day was Christmas. With no Christmas tree, stockings or decorations, we celebrated a small, unpretentious holiday. Our little coffee table held a half dozen little gifts. We spent the rest of the morning packing. Jen’s parents similarly packed their luggage, and Jen packed up a couple bags for them to carry to the US.

Then, the best part. What Christmas is complete without a trip to the beach?! As kids, Cliff and Jen would often spend December holidays in snow. But this day brought back memories of Jen celebrating Christmas with her Grandmother in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. It was a beautiful sunny day. Jen’s Mom and Dad got a little more snorkeling and radiation to top off their trip. We got home in time to wash up, prepare a delicious holiday meal and load the car for the airport.

Even though Jen’s parents’ sailing trip was not as long as we hoped and their visit was filled with complicated emotions and lots of nitty gritty tasks for our departure, we were happy to have family celebrating this unique occasion. It was an honor to share our amazing experience with them.

March 1, 2008

Sailing

Tuesday came at long last. We packed up our bags, equipment and food. Then, we loaded it from car to taxi to ferry to shuttle boat to the yacht. It took a day to realize that we left our bag of hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes on the counter, but no worries. Jen and her mother had planned and prepared plenty of food.

On the first day out, we took our time to get started. Then, we made a short sail to a dot of an island called Tao. We walked its perimeter in about 10 minutes! It was beautiful, though. There was a small tuft of greenery in the middle, a perfectly white sand beach around it and the surrounding water was turquoise. We saw birds nesting. They were not happy when we walked by their eggs and babies. We had to be careful not to step on either as they were white and blacked speckles like the sand and stones (see photos). We also found a few tiny baby jellyfish beached on the sand (also in photos). We later encountered these tiny but tough guys while swimming. More on that later.

We spent a peaceful night on the boat rocking in the gentle waves. The Captain, Yves, kindly tried to time and place our trip in a way that the surf didn’t make us sick. He was mostly successful… except on Day 2.

We awoke on Wednesday, had a delicious breakfast, then started out longest sail, 35 miles across open ocean to the next Tongan island group called Ha ‘apai. Jen was the first to lose her breakfast. She was trying to help below deck and quickly realized that she had to stay on deck while we were in the heavy surf. Her mom was the next. Her dad loaded up on sea-sickness pills and was fine. He kept busy helping Yves when allowed as such. Kira slept and Cliff quietly meditated and held his gut, and breakfast down, for the seven hour  tour. Whew! We made it. We had been hoping for a nice long sail, but the wind was not cooperating and the surf was still fairly high, so sails and not motor only meant bobbing around like a cork. The hardest part was inhaling the diesel fumes as we droned along.

It was worth it, though. Kelefesia is a beautiful island about ½ mile long and narrow enough that you can stand on one shore and see the shore on the other side – 100 feet maybe. It was supposed to be uninhabited. So, we strolled around it that afternoon as though we were the only people for 100s of miles. It turned out that a hermit lived there! An older Tongan with a grey beard, a handful of pigs and a tin house surrounded by old coconuts. There was also an old World War II cement bunker that he seemed to use as a boat house. He only spoke Tongan and our Tongan was never that good, but he seemed to be asking for batteries. Jen tried to chat with him for a minute, only expressing cordiality.

The next morning, Jen took the sea kayak out over the coral reef and around the corner to explore a bit. The peace was amazing with not a sight or sound of another human. The sea birds made themselves known. They must have flown a long way!

After a bit of breakfast, morning routines and Yves working on the boat, we all but Cliff took the dinghy back to the island for an exploratory hike. The island is low and flat at one end and rises to a high ridge on the other. We started at the low end, where we humbly sought the hermit to gift him some batteries, rice and other small items of use. We asked him how to get up the ridge, but we didn’t really understand his answer. He was very shy and quickly accepted out gifts, answered our questions, then hid in his tiny tin house. So, we trampled around under branches and over coconuts until we found out way to the top of the ridge. We hollered down to Cliff, probably disturbing his peace and quiet. Kira had befriended a hermit crab on the beach. She carried him all the way up and back down! It was a bit trickier finding our way down again, but we had a nice break when Yves cracked a couple coconuts open for us with his dull machete. It was sweaty work for him. We were all rewarded with lots of good juice. Then, we stumbled down the hill to the other side of the island and walked half the perimeter back to the dinghy.

After lunch, we tried to sail around the other 2 islands in the vicinity, but the wind was too light and the islands had big reefs around them. It was nice to be out on the water anyway. Our day ended, we a nice supper anchored back on the same reef near Kelefesia Island. We chatted, played cards and books before calling it a night.

We all wished that we had more and better sailing to explore the islands. We barely scratched the surface of the 140 islands that comprise Tonga, but we had to go back. We still had a long trip back and lots of preparation to leave the country. So, Friday, we started our return trip.

Kira had been hoping beyond hopes that we might see some dolphins. Yves said he had never seen any in these waters and had only heard of one other person who had a sighting. So, Kira slept the trip away. We motored the long 35 miles back to Tongatapu. There was not much to see or do, so we read a lot, slept and little and chatted. Nonetheless, Yves kept a constant look out. Sure enough, Yves called out that there were some flying fish off to the starboard bow. As Jen looked up, she said, those are not fish. They are… Kira, wake up! Dolphins! As dolphins often do, they sought out the bow wake of the boat. The beautiful half dozen sleek bodies (Kira authoritatively declared that they were Common Dolphins) actually came off their course to swim along with us for a few minutes. We all ran up to the bow and gasped and laughed in awe. They were fast and friendly. Then, just as suddenly, they veered away and swam off, back to their own course. We felt so honored that they graced us with their presence, even if it was momentary. Now, when people ask what was her favorite part of our Tongan adventure, she doesn’t hesitate to say, “the sailing trip!”

A beautiful sunset met us at our final night stop at Malinoa Island, another dot of an island. We only anchored off shore, but could see from the boat, the remnants of a dead whale that Tongans and animals had pretty much finished off.

Saturday, we tried to sail again, but ended up carefully motoring past Fafa as we went to Atata Island Resort where our friend Ana was staying. She was hired to tutor the owner’s preschool daughter. With the assistance of the resort staff, Yves delicately sneaked inside the reef. The staff ferried us to the island where we met Ana and her little friend. We walked down the grass road through the center of the island to see the “town” that is basically supported by the resort. Then, we hung out at the resort with Ana, her daughter and friends. We chatted and played foosball and waited for the ferry to return from the main island. At long last, the ferry took us, Ana and her daughter, Prostin, to our boat. We made lunch for them then went for a little swim. It was fun jumping off the boat until Prostin felt a sting on her arm. We determined that it must have been a loose jellyfish tentacle. After a short recovery, we jumped in again. This time, Jen backed into something invisible that stung her in the neck. Oh, the little “bubbles” on the water were baby jellyfish like we saw beached on our first sailing day! We all almost jumped out of the water and poured vinegar on our sores. I guess that is all the swimming for today! We delivered Prostin and Ana back on Atata and Yves took us back to Fafa Island.

It was a sad parting. Yves was a good captain and great company. We all had a little sun, lots of swimming and snorkeling and at great experience. Dad even got to sail a bit. Josef, the owner of the boat gave us a warm greeting and accommodated all our needs, ensuring all of us and our luggage were safely deposited back on Tongatapu Island wharf.

Back on Tongatapu

After a quiet Sunday and a Monday morning of more preparation to leave, we tried to find the traditional village where our friend worked at traditional carving. Unfortunately, we never found it, but had an interesting drive, seeing “villages” we had never seen before. They seemed to be some of the poorest on the island (see pictures).

February 18, 2008

It has been two months since I last wrote. After an eventful end of the year, we have been spending a lot of time trying to re-integrate into the American society. This is especially difficult because we were never very well integrated in the first place! I say this only half-joking. It was a joy to live a seemingly simple existence – no house or yard responsibilities, limited choices for ways to spend your time in such a small island community and straightforward jobs. No multi-tasking required. No media influences to distract (thanks to Jen). Life is not inherently simpler in Tonga. Services often don’t work and service people get paperwork confused, but it is all done with patience and smiles. Since our return, we have been fending off the tendency join the rat race. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the opportunities and responsibilities in this culture. As we consider our options and how to simplify our lives, it actually gets more complicated, because simplicity goes against the flow of the mainstream here in the United States.

OK, enough philosophy. Here is a recap of our final weeks in Tonga.

Final Week of School

The primary school had its final week of school, including movies, games, Praise-giving Day and school cleaning. Praise-giving Day is a unique way of acknowledging students strengths and accomplishments without giving awards, which can be divisive. Every student is recognized for the virtues which he or she exhibits. One student may get a certificate for humor and creativity while another may receive it for compassion and perseverance. It is a nice way to end the year. The only problem is that school attendance has dropped to about 50% by then, because all the schools on the island, including our own high school is already on summer vacation. As it was, the primary school had 191 days of instruction. This may not reach the Tongan mandate of 200 days per year, but it far exceeds US schools that average 180 days per year.

Per special request, we had a goodbye dinner with the Year of Service Students. Even though no one was leaving for another week, we knew  we would not have another opportunity to say goodbye. Despite their denial, it was, in fact, the last time we saw two of them. The third stayed in Tonga until the beginning of the new school year in January, so we saw her and her visiting mother and grandmother a few more times. We ultimately never really said goodbye to any of them. I guess it is because they will always be with us. We think of them often and wonder what new adventures they are now experiencing.

So, there we were, experiencing the last week of our stay and enjoying our students for the last time. Cliff used the time to mentally and physically prepare for our departure, cleaning up all the school lab computers, organizing files and wrestling with emotions about leaving his students and going home.

On the last day of school, Thursday, Jennifer’s parents arrived for a 2-week stay. They were able to meet a few of her students, partake in the final staff party and witness the final goodbyes with all the staff and students. It was a joyous occasion as the principal said very complimentary parting words. There was lots of food, of course, and lots of tears, too.

Before Sailing

Friday, we decided to postpone our sailing trip, originally planned to go from Saturday to Thursday. Due to the cyclone that managed to skirt around Tonga a few days prior, the winds and sea swells were still high. We decided to depart on Tuesday and return on Saturday hoping the swells would go down, and we would have a few more business days to prepare for our departure. With the holidays quickly approaching, Tongans tend to be less than reliable when it comes to keeping businesses open. They like long Christmas vacations but don’t always accurately advertise their vacation dates. Thus, the more we could finalize before our sailing vacation, the less we would have to do during the Christmas week.

So, Jen and Cliff dashed here and there while Jennifer’s poor parents patiently waited. The good news is we were able to gain Internet access during the week. The bad news is it was a freak occasion. We are still sure that Jen’s dad doesn’t believe us when we bemoaned our terrible connection. With the exception of a couple of brief occasions, whenever we wanted to use the Internet, we had to go to the school, and wait for 20 minutes to an hour for a few emails to download. Then, the week her parents come, we get access (and a pretty fast connection at that) in the house. Granted, no one could walk across the living room or the connection would get cut, but beggars can’t be “choosers.” It certainly beat sitting  in the mosquito-infested computer room, in back-breaking chairs with no view of the ocean!

We did manage to do a few entertaining events with Jen’s parents. We had a fun-filled evening on Friday with the Fifitas. Jen brought a dish and the Fifitas cooked a feast. Then, the Fifita kids gave a little dance exhibition, showing their wonderful talents in traditional and pop arrangements. It was a delightful evening.

Saturday was a sunny day. Cliff needed some time to finish up some computer tasks, so Kira, Jen and her parents took advantage of Joseph’s offer to meet him at his Fafa Island resort to see the yacht we would be chartering. We took the motorboat ferry to the island. After a nice lunch with the captain at the island restaurant, we tried on some flippers to see if they would be suitable for our sailing trip. Joseph gave us use of one of the little thatched “falas” to deposit our bags, change into swim suits and shower off. Then, we took a nice walk on the trail through the center of the island. Before we knew it, it was time to catch the evening ferry back.

Sunday was another morning on computers and other end-of-our-stay tasks. Then, we treated Jen’s parents to an afternoon at our favorite beach.

Monday, Kira escorted the grandparents to THE cultural museum with dusty exhibits and faded pictures. They had a nice morning while Cliff and Jen closed bank accounts and completed some other final transactions. Even though we had just been blessed with a nice dinner at the Fifitas, we were honored again by an invitation to Lyndsey’s 50^th birthday. Lo and behold, we left a favorite water bottle at the museum. With a few phone calls, we were able to reclaim it and on we went to the Fifitas. Lyndsey’s children and boyfriend put on a huge feast, pig roast, umu and all. Even friends from Vava’u were there to celebrate. Kira’s favorite part was the fried breadfruit chips. Cliff’s favorite part was the acquisition of some genuine Fifita art pieces, traditional tapa wall hangings painted with their own unique style. Jen’s favorite part was… all of it: dancing, card games, food, friends,…

December 10, 2007

We had an earthquake last night! Boy, this has been an exciting week. It was not that big but it was long…..

December 9, 2007

We just went to a Tonga wedding. No one knew that he had a girlfriend or was considering marriage. Then, suddenly, we were all invited to the wedding! Fortunately, the cyclone did not come. It changed course at the last minute and went around Tonga. So, we drove across the island to the church and home of Cliff’s teaching colleague. The actual wedding ceremony was on Thursday (that is the day that all Tongans get married because that is the day that the marriage office is open and gives licenses.) Today, Sunday, was the church service and celebration.

We missed most of the church service. However, it was all in Tongan so I don’t know that I could tell you much about it anyway. Immediately after, we walked across the street to Mr. Kaufana’s house where there were 3 long tables set with benches and food literally piled high. There were a few speeches, a prayer and song. Then, everyone started eating. I don’t know it is traditional or just because Mr. Kaufana is so quiet, but there was hardly any talking. There were lots of tearful speeches and a few laughs and memories and good wishes were blessed on the newly weds. Everyone ate and ate – roast piglet, manioc, tarot, fruit, Chinese food, fried chicken, cake, potato chips, watermelon, crab salad and on and on and on. We listened to speeches and ate for about 2 hours. Then, there was a prayer, a song and everyone left. Well, they first packed up food to bring home. Then they left.

We were very close to the blow hole, so we took a quick detour with our friends to see the blow holes on this stormy day before going home. Cliff is working hard to finish and send a slide shoe to Aunt Ricca for her 90 Birthday. (Happy Birthday, Aunt Ricca!). Then, we are off to another party. Sohrab and Sohayla, the board members who welcomed us are having a going away party for all the teachers who are leaving. 

December 8, 2007

So here we are at the end of our stay. Jen and Kira have one more week of school left. Cliff finished teaching classes a week ago but has been busy settling house moving matters and prepping the computer room for his replacement.

As we shuffle around the house doing this and that task, we feel in the air the approaching cyclone. It is supposed to arrive in about 24 hours, but could do anything between now and then, so we are not worrying too much.

It does remind me of the less ominous, but still exhilarating storm we had at the beginning of the term. Cliff was teaching classes to the upper classmen who were preparing for the Cambridge exams. Kira and Jen had another week of vacation (even though Jen spent most of it preparing for the next term). At any rate, we managed to slip out for a few beach trips that week. There had just been a big rain storm. The winds blew and the rain poured. We were happy to have our rain tank filled.

The next day, we headed for our favorite beach. (You can see pictures of Keleti Beach in the photos section.) Remnants of the storm meant that the waves were still quite high. We like this beach because it is sheltered by a coral reef. However, that day, the tide seemed particularly high and the waves were very high, so the water was way up the beach and the surf was rolling all the way in despite the coral reef break. Cliff taught Kira how to body surf and they spent a long time playing in the waves while Jenny imagined someone eating a big bite of beach or getting scratched up on the coral. But there were no mishaps ad lots of laughing. Once again the beach looked different again from any other time we have visited. It is always amazing how the same place can look so different at each visit.

Tongatapu had their annual trade fair. It doesn’t compare to the trade fairs in the United States. This was housed in a building the size of a roller skating rink (that is what it is used for when there are not big events going on). Local businesses and craft vendors showed there wares. Kira and I went. We met with some friends and bought a few crafts. The whole visit was about an hour or two and we had seen the whole fair a few times over!

Kira went home with Teresa (fellow teacher) and her boys. She spent the night while Cliff and Jen had a nice weekend to themselves. As nice as it was, we missed Kira. We all spend so much time together that we sometimes drive each other crazy, but we also appreciate all the shared experiences we have, from card games to lunches on the school porch to exotic trips!

We continued to spend Fridays with our favorite family, the Fifitas. Lyndsey teaches Class 4. She is a single mother, a Kiwi who was married to a Tongan. She has independently raised 5 wonderful kids now between the ages of 11 and 23. Cliff spends as many Friday evenings as possible teaching aikido with the kids and their friends while Kira does a little aikido and a little playing with the younger kids and Jen hangs out with Lyndsey, chopping veggies, drinking tea and chatting.

It is sometimes hard to arrange these aikido classes because the Fifitas are so active. They are either involved in youth group activities, nursing injuries from various adventures or learning new skills like SCUBA or Tongan wood carving. Just to give you an example of the scope of their interests and the impression they make on others:

• The older boy and girls have been repeatedly given scholarships to attend peace workshops and other youth activities in New Zealand and Australia
• The youngest won a major prize for her recycled rubbish costume
• The older boy was asked to join one of 5 teams that carved authentic Tongan boats from a raw tree trunk
• They are constantly asked to perform or direct all kinds of art and dance activities
• They win most art contests they enter and they enter many
• They play musical instruments roller skate, do modern and traditional dance, and paint traditional tapa and other visual art
• Recently the eldest received a call as an invitation on a pre-paid trip to Uganda for a world youth conference. She had 2 days notice, but she got it all together and had an amazing 2 week adventure half-way around the world!
• There mom is equally talented, single-handedly decorating the school for all the numerous functions that the high school and elementary school put on all year. She teaches the high school students and guides the teachers in teaching art, drama, music and anything else creative.

I can’t say enough about this remarkable family. We have been so fortunate to have befriended them. They are so talented and vivacious and yet such pure souls. We will miss them dearly when we leave.

This term (our final term!) has just flown by. It seems like yesterday when we came back from New Zealand, started the Class 5 students on their new independent study packets and high school getting into their exam schedule.

Jen and Kira busy as school. They took class photos, planned health days when they studied various health topics, planned game days (really review, but don’t tell the students – shhh), a community service trip to a school for disabled children, details reports for each student and their parents and finally a school-wide Drama night.

One day, Kira and Jen walked all the way into town to eat pancakes with the Year of Service Students in their new house and walked all the way home. It is about a 45 minute walk each way. We sure got our exercise in that day!

It is a good thing we walk to school most days because we have been attending lots of parties, and hosting lots of dinners and teas for friends. I think need a few more walks, though as the eating part of our experience is outstripping the exercise part! Jen has been running on and off all year as she struggles with various muscle ailments. So walking may have to suffice.

Kira has her birthday in the middle of the term. She took advantage of the opportunity to have a beach party – a difficult thing to do in the Pacific Northwest in November. She had about a dozen young girls meet us at a beautiful beach where we had. Ana came with her daughter who had turned 15 a couple days earlier, so we celebrated the whole affair with badminton, a treasure hunt, lots of swimming, a picnic spread on mats under a tree and 2 cakes. The weather was beautiful. It threatened to rain at the end. After everyone left and we played one more badminton game a few big rain drops fell, but that was it. Then, we packed everything up, brought it all home, unloaded the car and brought it all in the house. At that moment there was a torrential downpour. Amazing Seretan timing again!

By her birthday, Kira had read all the books we brought two times over many books in the school library. The librarian gave her special privileges. Instead of borrowing books once a week, she would exchange several books throughout the week. So, for her birthday, Cliff and Jennifer found a source of used books and gave her a dozen to hold her over until our departure. The last couple weeks of the term, we have been selling our used books to the students and school so we can buy new ones when we return to the States. It has been a win-win situation. The school and students are starved for good books and now we don’t have to ship them home!

The principal likes to give the parents some kinds of exhibition at the end of every term. This term was a play from each primary school class. As usual, it was an extraordinary amount of work, but very cute in the end. Even the little preschoolers performed – well, they wondered on and off stage and sang a few songs with hand movements. Class 5, of course, chose a play with lots of sets and scene changes. Jen wanted to give every student a chance to perform. It took weeks of preparation. Thank goodness for the high school Form 2 students help in painting scenery. In the end, the dramas were well-done even though it got too dark to see and the parents seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves.

Unfortunately, our dear friends missed the performance. Dan and Gina Gleason from Colorado flew to Tonga to visit us for 4 days on their way to a vacation in New Zealand. Is was one of our busiest weeks because it was Cliff’s last week of classes and Jen’s week to meet with parents to give year-end reports, but Dan and Gina were true sports.

The first day the arrived, it was gray and raining. We took them to the blow holes where huge spouts of water jet out of holes in the coral as the waves roll in. Of course there were no waves that day and the spouts were weenie. The next day was still a bit rainy, but we went to the beach anyway. It turned out to be a great day. The water was warm so we spent lots of time snorkeling. Because of the cloudy weather, the fish were all swimming about. The snorkeling was the best we had ever seen. The next day was a school day, so Dan and Gina had a chance to see our school and our busy schedule. They tried to go on a beach island excursion but, instead experienced Tongan communication. The boat never came so they explored downtown Nuku’alofa.

They flew to New Zealand the next day so they missed our Drama Night, but we were still so happy that they made the effort to visit. It was great to see old friends and share our unusual life here on the Island. They said they really appreciated seeing what the real Tonga was like. We really appreciated visiting with some true friends.

Now, Jen and Kira have a few days of school left. Jen’s parents are due to arrive in less that a week. If the weather holds out, we will take a week-long sailing excursion before they depart on Christmas day. Then, we leave on New Year’s Day. Gosh! It is all happening so fast!

I know I am a bit behind on putting up pictures. The New Zealand pictures are now available. If I don’t put up all the latest photos before we leave, I will be sure to do it early in January. So, keep in touch!