A trip to the beach

Ha’atafu Beach, Easter Weekend

With a 4-day weekend, it seemed that we just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see more of Tongatapu. We hadn’t been to the far west end of the island, and located a Guest House near Ha’atafu Beach that had an opening. We arrived on Friday afternoon. From the porch of the Guest House we could just see the ocean, and also hear the waves. It wasn’t long ‘til we were on the beach exploring and snorkeling. The reef makes the water very shallow, and the only time to swim and snorkel was at either side of the high tide. We ate breakfasts and lunches on the porch, but took advantage of suppers at nearby resorts with restaurants. The weather was wonderful, and the starry night on the beach on Saturday night was the best I’ve ever seen. Truly awesome. We read, relaxed, and enjoyed. We walked to the nearby site of Abel Tasman’s landing in 1643. Sunday afternoon came too quickly. Photos, of course, never are able to do justice to the ocean and sunsets, but here are the best we could do.

On the porch.

The Guest House.

Supper sunset.

The landing site of Abel Tasman.

Tapa cloth

April 16, 2011

Tapa Painting at Langafonua

What an opportunity—to learn from Tongans who practice the craft of tapa cloth  making and painting. When I heard about the class for palangi (foreigners, European descent) at Langafonua, I knew I wanted to attend. Langafonua is a handicraft center that sells Tongan-made crafts, as well as giving demonstrations and preserving the culture.

Tapa cloths are traditionally very large—50 feet long, and have been given for special gifts, such as for weddings and funerals.

There were 6 of us taking the class on Saturday morning. The instructors first told us about tapa, how it is made from the bark of the mulberry tree that is soaked and pounded into sheets. We learned that the red clay that is used to rub over the tapa to show the pattern on the board underneath, which is only found on ‘Eua. The boards with the traditional patterns they had were made from the wood of the ironwood tree. Tapa has two pieces of tapa (One is just the backing, with no design.), one glued to the other with partially cooked manioke root. As Jim said, it’s like a big glue stick.

They demonstrated and taught us, and then gave us each a small piece of tapa ready for painting. The black paint comes from the bark of the mangrove tree, and we used the dried flower of a variety of pandanus for a paintbrush.  We each came away with our own small tapa. Right now, mine is under the mattress for further flattening, just as they suggested.

A traditionally-made tapa cloth.

I probably didn’t explain it very well. Perhaps these photos will help.

Rubbing on the pattern from the board underneath. Notice the fabric in the background that has been rubbed with tapa designs.

A modern tapa design. Used for borders and small pieces. Notice the rubbed pieces underneath, ready for painting.

The brush we used to apply paint to the rubbed design.

Beginning to paint.

My attempt at tapa painting.

Sport Week

April 19, 2011

Sport Week: Track and Field

This morning while at work I could hear cheering and yelling. It’s the beginning of “sport week” and the stadium where all the high school teams and students gather is about a 5 minute walk from here. It will last 3 days, and then there is a 4-day Easter weekend. Of course this looked like the perfect opportunity to see another aspect of Tongan life. Later that morning I enlisted 2 of the JICA volunteers to come with me and we walked to the stadium. I’ll show you the pictures, but you’ll have to imagine the energy, the noise, and the excitement.

There were teams from every high school, and the student bodies of each had a section to sit under tent roofs to cheer them on. They are dressed in their school uniforms. I heard a brass band from one high school, and there may have been more. I saw team uniforms from Vava’u and ‘Eua, too, so I’m guessing Ha’apai also had a team. One of the sponsors of the event gives a cash prize to the school with the most spirit, so the cheers rock the stadium. Both inside and outside the stadium there were vendors selling food and beverages. It had the air of a fair and a time to celebrate and enjoy. Here are the pictures. Just add the sound effects.

A few of the vendors.

Team ready to warm up and compete.

Receiving awards.

 The cheering and bands continued all 3 days. We could even hear it from our house, which is a good 15-minute walk away.

Bits 'n' Pieces: Communication

Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Communication

License plates. They have a system for license plates. What a concept! A rental car plate has an R, and a taxi has a T (very handy because taxis are mostly privately owned and there’s nothing on the vehicle to tell you it’s a taxi). If it’s a Ministry vehicle, there’s a P (for Portungaue), and a rental car has an R.All privately owned cars have a C, leased cars, an L, and pick ups and vans, a J. Prime Minister cars have a PM. There are even a few personal vanity plates around.

Language double-takes. A lot of the time when I’m in a meeting or others are talking in Tongan, I kind of zone out because I understand so little. Then they’ll pop in with an English phrase like “minimum requirements” and my mind wakes up. There are just some ideas and phrases that haven’t made it into Tongan easily.

One day I was walking home from work past the primary school, and the children were all around getting picked up at the end of the day. All of a sudden I heard “I’m riding shotgun. I called it.” What? No, I must have misheard. But then I heard it again. Talk about a mental double-take, and wondering how that phrase made it to Tonga and out of the mouth of a child.

A co-worker recently told me they just keep it “easy-peasy.” That gave me a mental smile. It’s so much fun to be taken off-guard by unexpected language.

Hopa bananas. A co-worker gave me a hopa banana to eat, and gave me a Tongan story, too. “Why the seeds of the hopa banana look like ants.” First, let me tell you about the hopa. It's much more squared-off and rectangular than the bananas we have in the U.S. It doesn't have the banana “smile” shape, either. It has a line of big black seeds all down the center.

One day a rat was chasing a group of ants, and, of course, they were anxious to find someplace to hide and get away from the rat. Finally, they saw a hopa banana up ahead and they quickly ran inside, all in a row, and waited for the rat to run on by. The rat, however, saw where they went. Since he couldn't get at them in the banana, he decided to teach them a lesson and he closed up the end where they ran in and they couldn't get out. That's why hopa bananas have a long line of large black seeds all down the middle of the fruit.

As I ate the banana, I have to admit it was hard not to think of those big black seeds as ants. Somehow, though, I managed it, and the banana was tasty! The story definitely added to my enjoyment of the fruit.

Eyebrow talk. Why talk when a flick up of the eyebrows can say so much? I think people's faces here are so expressive. Where we might say “sure” or “ok”, etc. to show the speaker we are listening or in agreement, or even doubt them, here it's the way you raise your eyebrows. And the message gets across! I've been practicing....

A photo is worth.... Couldn't leave a blog without a picture, especially one titled "communication."

I'll explain this when I write soon about sharing. See if you can guess!

 

International Women's Day

March 8, 2011

International Women's Day

The guest speaker, Hon. Fatafehi O Lapaha Tuita

Once again I found myself at the Queen Salote College hall, this time to celebrate women, as it's been done for 100 years around the world. The theme: “Access to education, training, science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.” Along with the prayers, hymns, and speeches, we were entertained by the Tonga Police Band and traditional dance by students from the Tonga Institute of Education (Teacher Preparation). Awards were given for essays written by high school students on the theme, as well as for the winning team of the debate on the subject. My favorite part, though, were the displays all around the room. The Peace Corps was represented by information about Camp Glow, a camp for girls to improve confidence and self-image. I spoke with women who showed their handiwork, and to those there from the Girl Guides. It is also the Girl Guides 100 year anniversary. When I said I had been a Girl Scout they wanted to know if I still knew the pledge. It's been a long time! But yes, I did. All the women were full of joy and excitement and it was contagious. There was morning tea, too, with many traditional Tongan foods. It's a wonderful worldwide tradition.

Three of my co-workers.

Displayed weaving of a kiekie.

Displayed basket weaving.

Three more of my co-workers.

TIOE students performing a traditional Tongan dance.

Displayed jewelry.

TIOE students waiting to perform.

This is a kafa, used to tie the tu'ovala. It's braided from the husk fiber of the coconut.

Tonga National Soroban Competition

March 30, 2011

Soroban Competition

It was quiet in the hall as I came in. The National Soroban (We know them better, perhaps, as abacus.) Competition was already in progress and there were only a few students seated at the rows of tables and chairs. It was the end of the class 4 oral competition. Sefo was rattling off numbers almost as fast as he could say them and the remaining few students were mentally arriving at the answers. Soon there was a winner to much applause and congratulations.

This is a competition for class 3, 4, and 5 students from all over Tonga. It is a part of their curriculum. Only the best are competing. Students have come from ‘Eua, Ha’apai, and Va’vau, as well as those from Tongatapu. It had been explained to me by a JICA volunteer at the CDU, Toru, that there would be 3 rounds. One with the soroban (abacus), one would be aural (no soroban), and the third would be visual—numbers flashed on a projection screen.  (JICa=Japanese International cooperation agency)

Next the class 5 students took the seats at the tables and had their sorobans with them. After about 5 problems, there were only 20 students left, then 10 (7 girls and 3 boys), then 3 (2 boys and 1 girl). A student from ‘Eua won.

The teachers had a turn, too. Their test was written and timed. (Hey, teachers, that’s some pressure, huh?)

When I left there were students from all 3 classes at the tables and the visual round had begun. After a few problems, I was glad to know I could at least keep up with class 5….

The results: I heard from Toru that students from Ha’apai, Vava’u, and ‘Eua won. Evidently the individual scores are part of a team competition.

Thanks to Toru for sharing these photos!

Fans/The Market

January 23, 2011

Don’t leave home without your…fan?

I’ve been thinking about fans in Tonga, and when I went to church this morning and realized I forgot to bring mine, much to my dismay, I knew it was a worthy topic for the blog.

Even though the church is open to the world with windows and doors, and there are overhead fans whirring, you really want to have your fan. They come in all shapes, sizes, and designs, but the most common is what I’ll call the leaf shape. They can really move air, too! Although mostly women have them, men do, too. You also want them at work, sitting in restaurants, classes---well, everywhere!

I have three now. Two were made and given to me in Ha’apai. They are on the sides in the photo. My leaf-shaped fan, in the middle, I purchased at the Handicraft Center in Nuku’alofa. I like them all, but for real air movement you can’t beat my leaf!

Fans. An art form. Creative. Beautiful. Fashion accessory. Functional. Who knew?


To market, to market to buy….?

The Talamahu Market is in the heart of Nuku’alofa. What a pleasure to shop there. Right now there is so much available, and it’s just a joy to look at the heaps of fruits and vegetables to buy. Here’s a partial list: bananas, pineapple, watermelon, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, manioke, taro, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant---well, you get the idea. Also being sold are handicrafts, eggs, cakes, flowers, leis, and more.

You buy fruits and vegetables by the heap. Usually the cost is 3 pa’anga (Tongan dollars). If it’s full season, you get a larger heap for your money; when they’re scarce you get less. Well, of course I want it all. Luckily we are limited by what we can carry as we are walking and bussing to get there, and also by the size of our refrigerator, which is small. Sometimes the heaps are too big, so we are able to split them with another volunteer.

Here are a few photos. Take a walk through the market with us.