The Freewheelin' Ryan & Abby: Back in the Game

After several weeks out of the village for our Close of Service Conference and work for the Ministry of Education on the main island, Abby and I got back into the swing of things here in the village this past week. It’s been a whirlwind with a lot going on, but its truly been one of the best weeks we’ve had in Peace Corps. We have a ton going on in the village, at school and with our projects and are starting to see some great results. Let me explain.

But first, allow me to make you jealous. Its humpback whale season here in the Kingdom and as it turns out, its been an amazing year for humpbacks in Vava’u. Better yet, Abby and I sit in our library doing our work each and everyday, with a perfect view of the Port of Refuge Harbor. I assure you, work is much easier when you get to see humpback whales breach the surface nearly everyday. Abby and I have developed a sophisticated code in which we scream “WHALE” when one is spotted and all the kids come running to watch. It’s great.

Its not the same as swimming with these bad boys like we did last year.

School is going great and we are a month and a half from the Big Secondary Entrance Exam. This you might remember is the test every 6^th grader takes in the Kingdom to see if they can go to high school. It is the most high stakes educational experience most Tongans have in their lifetime, so the buildup is huge. Not surprisingly, my wife’s lessons have been nearly flawless and the kids are learning a ton. Listening to them read and write in English surprises us all the time and is such a joy.

Here’s a result to be proud of: One of our sixth graders from last year was just named ‘Captain” (i.e. the best) English student in 7^th Grade for Vava’u High School, the one and only government high school on our island. Beating out hundreds of students from much bigger and more affluent villages is pretty damn impressive and she continues to work with Abby to improve. Full disclosure, she was pretty damn good before we taught her last year too, but she keeps getting better which is great to see.

We have also had a lot of fun in the community. Abby and I dropped a little pa’anga to make 25-page, full color picture albums for 10 families in our Church. The albums recapped all the hard work the families did in preparing for the June Conference and showed them cooking, laughing, eating, singing and presenting kutu mats (mats woven with a plant that can only be found in Tu‘anuku’s lake) to the Crown Prince. The families were very surprised and excited by the gift, which felt great. Needless to say, gifts of pig, chicken, eggs, and root crop have been coming in at volumes that no human could possibly eat. But it’s how Tongans show their gratitude and we love them for it.

The water tank and flushing toilets are almost built. The construction began on Tuesday and we should be done by next week. The construction at school has made Tu’anuku a hub for action, which is a big change for our sleepy little hamlet in the middle of the Pacific. Here are some pictures of the construction so far:

The raw material.

The base.

One great thing is while the cement dries, the construction crew is building new teacher chairs and tables for the school. The 5 of us share three chairs and three tables and they are all very faka ofa (sad)!

Abby and I share the one on the left. Its always a balancing act!

One issue I have become very involved in on the island is water security. The drought down here continues, making unclean, undrinkable running water expensive and drinking-safe rainwater nearly depleted. Abby and I often do not have running water and we have to haul our drinking water from school each day. The situation may be worse in Longomapu, a nearby village of 700+ people. I have been working with the Water Committee of Longomapu, in liaison with the Australian Government, to help meet their water needs and we are starting to make progress. It has been a great professional experience and a very stinky personal experience.

( I just read Ry’s blog post and I have to say I think his greatest contribution to water efforts has been peeing in the yard so we don’t have to flush the toilet as much. What a do-gooder!-Abby)

Finally, we got a package from the Coops this week, which just made our day. They are both doing well in Thailand. School is about to start for Mark and Alissa recently got a job working with the Jesuit Refugee Program in conjunction with the UNHCR—the United Nations Refugee program. We are proud of both of them and cannot wait to make it to Bangkok to see them. Abby made the ridiculous claim that I purposefully avoid putting pictures of myself on the blog. Here are some of the pictures they sent us and we wanted to share with you, I apologize in advance for all the ones of me.