My adventure in Tonga is over.
Bye.
23 January 2007
10 January 2007
polynesia, top to bottom. well, almost.
A week or so after the riots in Nuku'’alofa -– which the Tongan media is referring to as 16/11 - I flew out to Samoa. After a period of us wondering '“will they or won'’t they'” the company managing the Australia volunteer programs had decided to offer us the chance to get away from Tonga for a while. As my assignment was so close to finishing, I wasn'’t eligible for the taxpayer-funded holiday to Australia (some of you would say one such funded holiday, to Tonga, is enough). With the centre of town, including my work under tight security and most of the volunteer community boarding planes I chose to stump up for a ticket to Samoa.
Four weeks in Samoa, and two weeks in New Zealand, later I am now back in Tonga. Counting down the days until the end of my placement.
Having already been to Samoa for two weeks in July and already ticked off most of the must-see/must-do attractions, I went for the low-key and relaxed approach the second time around. Many of the volunteers in Samoa thought it strange that I could spend four weeks sleeping-in, reading books, watching DVDs or catching the bus to town for little reason other than to have lunch with Jess. It must be too long since they enjoyed such procrastination while at university. I did do more than what I have described, but going to Samoa really was just about not being in Tonga and spending time with Jess.
A big part of why I didn't busy myself with touristy activities in Samoa was that Jess and I had already planned to travel to New Zealand for Christmas and New Years. By train, boat, plane and car we covered Auckland to Christchurch via Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson and Greymouth in 12 days.
New Zealand was full of highlights, but after my first few posts I made a commitment not to write too much of a travelogue. A few things stood out however. Everywhere we went over our first ten days people apologised for the cold weather, but after the 30-degree temperatures and 90-odd per cent humidity of Samoa I have never appreciated the cold more. The cold also helped to justify a few additions to our wardrobes and lingering in strong hot showers that also provided a pleasant change. It was nice to be in a land of plenty again and our itinerary, focussed on cities rather than nature, reflected our desire for creature comforts. Trips to the supermarket were as wondrous as our train trip across the Southern Alps from Greymouth to Christchurch. Our itinerary reflected our longing for creature comforts.
Coming in to land in Tonga, I was struck by how familiar everything appeared. Tongatapu is such a small island, just a dot on the map, and I have seen much of it over and over again while being here that there was barely a building or landmark that I couldnÂ’t recall having ridden by at some point in time. Chatting to the taxi driver (who also picked up my intake of volunteers when we first arrived in-country back in March) I couldn'’t help but thinking this familiarity was quite superficial. I have enjoyed Tonga and learnt much about the Kingdom this year, as well as myself, but there is a lot I can'’t, or don'’t, want to understand. Some things should remain inexplicable.
Four weeks in Samoa, and two weeks in New Zealand, later I am now back in Tonga. Counting down the days until the end of my placement.
Having already been to Samoa for two weeks in July and already ticked off most of the must-see/must-do attractions, I went for the low-key and relaxed approach the second time around. Many of the volunteers in Samoa thought it strange that I could spend four weeks sleeping-in, reading books, watching DVDs or catching the bus to town for little reason other than to have lunch with Jess. It must be too long since they enjoyed such procrastination while at university. I did do more than what I have described, but going to Samoa really was just about not being in Tonga and spending time with Jess.
A big part of why I didn't busy myself with touristy activities in Samoa was that Jess and I had already planned to travel to New Zealand for Christmas and New Years. By train, boat, plane and car we covered Auckland to Christchurch via Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson and Greymouth in 12 days.
New Zealand was full of highlights, but after my first few posts I made a commitment not to write too much of a travelogue. A few things stood out however. Everywhere we went over our first ten days people apologised for the cold weather, but after the 30-degree temperatures and 90-odd per cent humidity of Samoa I have never appreciated the cold more. The cold also helped to justify a few additions to our wardrobes and lingering in strong hot showers that also provided a pleasant change. It was nice to be in a land of plenty again and our itinerary, focussed on cities rather than nature, reflected our desire for creature comforts. Trips to the supermarket were as wondrous as our train trip across the Southern Alps from Greymouth to Christchurch. Our itinerary reflected our longing for creature comforts.
Coming in to land in Tonga, I was struck by how familiar everything appeared. Tongatapu is such a small island, just a dot on the map, and I have seen much of it over and over again while being here that there was barely a building or landmark that I couldnÂ’t recall having ridden by at some point in time. Chatting to the taxi driver (who also picked up my intake of volunteers when we first arrived in-country back in March) I couldn'’t help but thinking this familiarity was quite superficial. I have enjoyed Tonga and learnt much about the Kingdom this year, as well as myself, but there is a lot I can'’t, or don'’t, want to understand. Some things should remain inexplicable.
16 November 2006
trouble in the fale alea
Over the last few weeks the group of democracy protesters that congregate in pangai si’I, a park opposite parliament house, had grown and become more vocal. I had planned to write about how their number and volume had increased enough that their singing was disrupting parliament. However, on Thursday 16 some of the protesters escalated matters still further and, as you have read, Nuku’alofa was disrupted stopped by riots and fires that destroyed much of the centre of town.
The group gathering in pangai si’I were, or are, protesting about the manner in which Tonga is transitioning from being an autocracy to a democracy. The outcome has seemed inevitable for some time, but the pace and manner of change has troubled many. The singing and, regrettably, rioting have been over the failure of parliament to come to any agreement about the various proposals for reforming itself, particularly how members of parliament should be selected.
The Tongan parliament is an interesting body. While Tonga was credited with a high degree of political stability, there is nothing stable about the manner in which parliamentarians are elected. Filling the Fale Alea (parliament house) certainly is a complicated process.
At the last election, the process started with the people electing nine members and the thirty-three hereditary nobles electing nine of themselves as members. The King then appointed a Cabinet, which is added to the already elected members. However, since the King’s appointments included some of the 18 already elected members, this required by-elections to find replacements – as it seems you can’t be a member of cabinet and an ordinary elected member of parliament.
Following the election, the Prime Minister appointed by the King resigned and was replaced by a popularly elected member of Parliament. His seat then became the subject of another by-election. The new Prime Minister has since appointed his own cabinet with three new members and later expanded the size of cabinet to include two more new portfolios.
Tonga now has a large, for its population, parliament of 33 members. That is approximately one member of parliament for every 3500 people.
And it doesn’t look like the process of filling it will become any more stable in the near future as there are a number of opinions about how this should occur and enough passion. The following is my understanding of the various positions.
The National Committee for Political Reform recently completed nation-wide, and diaspora-wide, consultations and proposed a “roadmap” to achieve political reform including all members of parliament being elected. After the people elect all members of parliament, the King would then appoint a Prime Minister from the elected members, and the Prime Minister would appoint his Cabinet Ministers from the elected members of the House.
Cabinet, prior to the protests, was proposing that that there be nine noble representatives and 14 people's representatives. The Prime Minister, chosen by parliament rather than the King, and the King would have still chosen the 12-14 members of Cabinet with the only limitations being that at least two-thirds be already elected members of parliament and at least two-thirds be the choice of the Prime Minster. The King would still be allowed to appoint a third of Cabinet at his discretion and he and the Prime Minister may have collectively appointed 3 or 4 people of their choice.
It is easy to understand what the pro-democracy movement find the Prime Minister and King being able to appoint non-elected members to cabinet so objectionable. However, given the way government operates in Tonga, there are some good reasons for allowing. The most important is the need for Ministers to be well qualified as they are not provided with the extensive support by their departments that Ministers in Australia enjoy.
Consider the following scenario*:
George: Is there somebody you think would make a capable transport minister?
Fred: Well George, there is nobody elected to parliament with much experience in transport. They are mostly former teachers and lawyers. I could give one of them the job, but I am not sure they are up to it and transport is very important for Tonga.
George: Do you know anybody else who could do the job?
Fred: A friend of mine, Ralph, has worked in transport for several years. He ran a shipping company and has worked across the Pacific advising other governments on transport policy. I would like to give him the job.
George: OK.
Why is Ralph getting the job, because he is the friend of the Prime Minister or because he is the best person for the job? Would Tonga be better off with Ralph as transport minister or one of the teachers and lawyers that was democratically elected? This is why both sides of the debate about democratic reform in Tonga could be right, and why a solution to the current problems is unlikely to be decided upon in the very short-term. Hopefully, at least, we have seen the last of the violence.
* This scenario is fictitious. Any similarity to anybody living, dead or Tongan is entirely coincidental.
The group gathering in pangai si’I were, or are, protesting about the manner in which Tonga is transitioning from being an autocracy to a democracy. The outcome has seemed inevitable for some time, but the pace and manner of change has troubled many. The singing and, regrettably, rioting have been over the failure of parliament to come to any agreement about the various proposals for reforming itself, particularly how members of parliament should be selected.
The Tongan parliament is an interesting body. While Tonga was credited with a high degree of political stability, there is nothing stable about the manner in which parliamentarians are elected. Filling the Fale Alea (parliament house) certainly is a complicated process.
At the last election, the process started with the people electing nine members and the thirty-three hereditary nobles electing nine of themselves as members. The King then appointed a Cabinet, which is added to the already elected members. However, since the King’s appointments included some of the 18 already elected members, this required by-elections to find replacements – as it seems you can’t be a member of cabinet and an ordinary elected member of parliament.
Following the election, the Prime Minister appointed by the King resigned and was replaced by a popularly elected member of Parliament. His seat then became the subject of another by-election. The new Prime Minister has since appointed his own cabinet with three new members and later expanded the size of cabinet to include two more new portfolios.
Tonga now has a large, for its population, parliament of 33 members. That is approximately one member of parliament for every 3500 people.
And it doesn’t look like the process of filling it will become any more stable in the near future as there are a number of opinions about how this should occur and enough passion. The following is my understanding of the various positions.
The National Committee for Political Reform recently completed nation-wide, and diaspora-wide, consultations and proposed a “roadmap” to achieve political reform including all members of parliament being elected. After the people elect all members of parliament, the King would then appoint a Prime Minister from the elected members, and the Prime Minister would appoint his Cabinet Ministers from the elected members of the House.
Cabinet, prior to the protests, was proposing that that there be nine noble representatives and 14 people's representatives. The Prime Minister, chosen by parliament rather than the King, and the King would have still chosen the 12-14 members of Cabinet with the only limitations being that at least two-thirds be already elected members of parliament and at least two-thirds be the choice of the Prime Minster. The King would still be allowed to appoint a third of Cabinet at his discretion and he and the Prime Minister may have collectively appointed 3 or 4 people of their choice.
It is easy to understand what the pro-democracy movement find the Prime Minister and King being able to appoint non-elected members to cabinet so objectionable. However, given the way government operates in Tonga, there are some good reasons for allowing. The most important is the need for Ministers to be well qualified as they are not provided with the extensive support by their departments that Ministers in Australia enjoy.
Consider the following scenario*:
George: Is there somebody you think would make a capable transport minister?
Fred: Well George, there is nobody elected to parliament with much experience in transport. They are mostly former teachers and lawyers. I could give one of them the job, but I am not sure they are up to it and transport is very important for Tonga.
George: Do you know anybody else who could do the job?
Fred: A friend of mine, Ralph, has worked in transport for several years. He ran a shipping company and has worked across the Pacific advising other governments on transport policy. I would like to give him the job.
George: OK.
Why is Ralph getting the job, because he is the friend of the Prime Minister or because he is the best person for the job? Would Tonga be better off with Ralph as transport minister or one of the teachers and lawyers that was democratically elected? This is why both sides of the debate about democratic reform in Tonga could be right, and why a solution to the current problems is unlikely to be decided upon in the very short-term. Hopefully, at least, we have seen the last of the violence.
* This scenario is fictitious. Any similarity to anybody living, dead or Tongan is entirely coincidental.
jess is here
In a great display of how invasive of your privacy signing up to all things Google is, “Jess is here” is what my computer says every time Jess logs into check her email. For twelve days recently, it was actually true. Jess was here in Tonga.
Having Jess here was a great time to see her, to visit parts of Tonga I hadn’t seen yet and to think about what next year will hold for us.
For Jess’s arrival I treated us to a stay at Fafa Island Resort and it was well worth the expense. Fafa is a great example of how good an island resort can be, it is a shame that more Tongan operators don’t learn from them. It was also a shame that we had to leave Fafa on the early boat to whisk Jess of to Vaiola Hospital.
The contrast between the two locations couldn’t be more stark. Vaiola Hospital is not a place you would like to spend one night, let alone several. Fortunately, with thanks to the Australian volunteer Doctor, Jess’s ailment was quickly diagnosed as bacterial tonsillitis and we were out of there in less than half an hour. Finding the prescribed penicillin was a little more taxing, involving trips to two pharmacies before a return to the hospital where we were finally able to acquire some. Good thing we didn’t need any fancy type of drug.
With the penicillin working wonders, Jess and I were able to enjoy a week Vava’u sandwiched between two packed weekends in Nuku’alofa. Jess and I also had a fantastic time getting dressed up for a toga party, a 1920s themed housewarming (think The Great Gatsby in the tropics) and Melbourne Cup.
Unfortunately we arrived in Vava’a too late for the whale-watching season. While there were still whales about, there were too few watchers to fill a boat to go out and see them. Jess and I had to content ourselves with being the only guests at the resort we were staying at and some great snorkelling – including spotting a large, and thankfully sleeping, shark.
The two weekends allowed me to show the best of my life in Tonga. I was obviously a wonderful host, showing Jess the best that Nuku’alofa has to offer, as I was constantly being asked “what have you been complaining about?”. Nuku’alofa is certainly an easier city then Apia to live in. It is much smaller geographically, better provided for in terms of restaurants and the market, and supermarkets, carry a much greater range of produce. It probably helps that Jess enjoyed working showers, running toilets and reliable electricity while here, all of which have been a bit hit-and-miss in Samoa of late.
Jess's visit coincided with good news on the job hunting front, I was offered one position and made progress with another couple of applications. It does concern me, though, when employees at a number of major Australian government departments ask me what time it is in Tonga when they call me. Given the surprise that it isn’t the middle of the night, I think they may have thought Tonga was in Africa.
The upshot of all the interviews is that I have now have a new job to return to and can settle on a return date, probably the end of January. With our trip to New Zealand over Christmas, I have less than two months left in Tonga and a lot else besides to look forward towards. Like working out where I am going to live - Canberra or Melbourne.
Having Jess here was a great time to see her, to visit parts of Tonga I hadn’t seen yet and to think about what next year will hold for us.
For Jess’s arrival I treated us to a stay at Fafa Island Resort and it was well worth the expense. Fafa is a great example of how good an island resort can be, it is a shame that more Tongan operators don’t learn from them. It was also a shame that we had to leave Fafa on the early boat to whisk Jess of to Vaiola Hospital.
The contrast between the two locations couldn’t be more stark. Vaiola Hospital is not a place you would like to spend one night, let alone several. Fortunately, with thanks to the Australian volunteer Doctor, Jess’s ailment was quickly diagnosed as bacterial tonsillitis and we were out of there in less than half an hour. Finding the prescribed penicillin was a little more taxing, involving trips to two pharmacies before a return to the hospital where we were finally able to acquire some. Good thing we didn’t need any fancy type of drug.
With the penicillin working wonders, Jess and I were able to enjoy a week Vava’u sandwiched between two packed weekends in Nuku’alofa. Jess and I also had a fantastic time getting dressed up for a toga party, a 1920s themed housewarming (think The Great Gatsby in the tropics) and Melbourne Cup.
Unfortunately we arrived in Vava’a too late for the whale-watching season. While there were still whales about, there were too few watchers to fill a boat to go out and see them. Jess and I had to content ourselves with being the only guests at the resort we were staying at and some great snorkelling – including spotting a large, and thankfully sleeping, shark.
The two weekends allowed me to show the best of my life in Tonga. I was obviously a wonderful host, showing Jess the best that Nuku’alofa has to offer, as I was constantly being asked “what have you been complaining about?”. Nuku’alofa is certainly an easier city then Apia to live in. It is much smaller geographically, better provided for in terms of restaurants and the market, and supermarkets, carry a much greater range of produce. It probably helps that Jess enjoyed working showers, running toilets and reliable electricity while here, all of which have been a bit hit-and-miss in Samoa of late.
Jess's visit coincided with good news on the job hunting front, I was offered one position and made progress with another couple of applications. It does concern me, though, when employees at a number of major Australian government departments ask me what time it is in Tonga when they call me. Given the surprise that it isn’t the middle of the night, I think they may have thought Tonga was in Africa.
The upshot of all the interviews is that I have now have a new job to return to and can settle on a return date, probably the end of January. With our trip to New Zealand over Christmas, I have less than two months left in Tonga and a lot else besides to look forward towards. Like working out where I am going to live - Canberra or Melbourne.
11 October 2006
the end of black
Yesterday, marked the end of the official mourning period. This morning, for the first time in over a month, I chose an outfit to wear to work that wasn't black. It is a nice change, but the simplicity of black did make life easy. It also suited the dustiness of Nuku'alofa.
The last two weekends have been quite good. Last week, the Fitzroy Reds visited Tonga and took on the national team in a game of Australian Rules. This week, I attended the 21st birthday party of our landlord's niece, Etina.
I did my absolute best to avoid celebrating my 21st birthday party, so a Tongan family pulling out all stops was always going to impress me. The celebrations took place on Sunday, starting with church and then following on with a feast for the village and a few other guests.
As we left the church, the number of "bye"s my housemate and I were greeted with, made me think we might upstage the girl of the moment. This fear was further heightened when we were sat at the head table, as if we were guests of some note. Fortunately, the family of the moment emerged from the church dressed in white (everybody else was in black) wrapped in large tapa mats and equally impressive ta'ovala. They looked liked people-sized presents. Several teary speeches, took any remaining attention away from us.
Tongans serve far too much food at any event, and this was no exception. My housemate and I were squeezed on a bench between several Tongan women who kept trying to feed us more and more. At the end, we were forced to take even more food home with us. I now know why Tongans sleep so much on Sundays, after all that food it is all you can manage, or want, to do.
The aim of the AYAD Program to strengthen mutual understanding between Australia and the countries of the Asia Pacific and make a positive contribution to development in the areas of health, governance, infrastructure, education, etc. Arguably, a single game of Australian football has done more to achieve this aim then my entire year in Tonga. The prospect of playing for a national team was enough of a prize for a group of thirty or so Tongans to train hard three times a weeks for just over three months. They are certainly fitter and have a better understanding of this Australian sport. The Reds, who ran coaching clinics at the local schools in the week leading up to the match, certainly enjoyed one of the more eye opening end of season football trips taken this year or any other. With the spirit the match was played in, the enjoyment the Tongans gained from playing (even though they lost on the scoreboard and the haka and singing before and after the game, it will also go down as one of my highlights of the year.
The last two weekends have been quite good. Last week, the Fitzroy Reds visited Tonga and took on the national team in a game of Australian Rules. This week, I attended the 21st birthday party of our landlord's niece, Etina.
I did my absolute best to avoid celebrating my 21st birthday party, so a Tongan family pulling out all stops was always going to impress me. The celebrations took place on Sunday, starting with church and then following on with a feast for the village and a few other guests.
As we left the church, the number of "bye"s my housemate and I were greeted with, made me think we might upstage the girl of the moment. This fear was further heightened when we were sat at the head table, as if we were guests of some note. Fortunately, the family of the moment emerged from the church dressed in white (everybody else was in black) wrapped in large tapa mats and equally impressive ta'ovala. They looked liked people-sized presents. Several teary speeches, took any remaining attention away from us.
Tongans serve far too much food at any event, and this was no exception. My housemate and I were squeezed on a bench between several Tongan women who kept trying to feed us more and more. At the end, we were forced to take even more food home with us. I now know why Tongans sleep so much on Sundays, after all that food it is all you can manage, or want, to do.
The aim of the AYAD Program to strengthen mutual understanding between Australia and the countries of the Asia Pacific and make a positive contribution to development in the areas of health, governance, infrastructure, education, etc. Arguably, a single game of Australian football has done more to achieve this aim then my entire year in Tonga. The prospect of playing for a national team was enough of a prize for a group of thirty or so Tongans to train hard three times a weeks for just over three months. They are certainly fitter and have a better understanding of this Australian sport. The Reds, who ran coaching clinics at the local schools in the week leading up to the match, certainly enjoyed one of the more eye opening end of season football trips taken this year or any other. With the spirit the match was played in, the enjoyment the Tongans gained from playing (even though they lost on the scoreboard and the haka and singing before and after the game, it will also go down as one of my highlights of the year.
6 October 2006
comings and goings, still in black
A regular part of the volunteer experience are farewells and welcomes. The last fortnight alone has seen the departure of Intake 14, and the arrival of Intake 17, of the AYAD Program. So we have just gone through another round of farewells and another week of orientation. This is ignoring all the other palangi, volunteer or otherwise, whose time in Tonga has started or come to a close in the recent while. As a volunteer here, you get to meet a lot of people in a very short period of time, which is certainly a highlight of being here.
Our, Intake 15's, orientation overlapped with the final week in Tonga for Intake 13. We had five hectic days that covered both the official orientation program as well as a multitude of opportunities to learn all about life in Tonga from the three guys about to depart. The latest batch of fresh AYADs were not so lucky, they have to rely on our mere six months of experience. Maybe they are lucky actually, as you probably get more out of your time if you learn things your own way.
The mourning period for the passing of the King is well into its fourth week now. Thirty days of wearing black and counting. The attitude towards the tapu period is certainly becoming more relaxed. Last night I rode our collection of tins and cans up to the recycling centre, forgetting that I had changed on arriving home. However, wearing a grey tshirt, I didn't look to out of place. Most of the people out and about were in colours other than black, with a strong showing of red. This probably has something to do with the late afternoon/early afternoon being the favourite time for Tongan teens to wander the streets passsing a football around. Many of "the youth", as they are incessantly referred to in Tonga, have been a bit slack about the tapu all along. Now they are just being joined in the lax attitude.
Part of the reason for a more relaxed attitude towards the tapu is that we have now passed ten days since the King's burial, marking the end of the funeral period. The Star Cinema has chosen this time to reopen and a good thing too as we seem to have entered the early stages of the rainy season. On Wednesday, a few of us went to watch atypical example of Star Cinema fare - Snakes on a Plane. This film would seem custom made for Tongan audiences. Or maybe Tongan audiences are custom made for this film. Anyway, as we learnt, a late session on a Wednesday is not the best time to enjoy the raucous, laugh-as-loud-as-you-can approach to moviegoing preferred by the Tongans.
That said, given you start with such low expectations, Snakes on a Plane is not the sort of film you walk away too disappointed from. I was actually impressed with how many cliches they managed to fit in the one film. Who would have known that a film about snakes on a plane could feature both a dirt bike scene and a girls-in-bikinis running down the beach scene. The producers sure were clever to have the snake infested plane and storyline take off from Hawaii. I guess I can't disagree with the reviewer who rated this the best movie about snakes on a plane they had every seen. Besides, it was not like there was something better on.
Our, Intake 15's, orientation overlapped with the final week in Tonga for Intake 13. We had five hectic days that covered both the official orientation program as well as a multitude of opportunities to learn all about life in Tonga from the three guys about to depart. The latest batch of fresh AYADs were not so lucky, they have to rely on our mere six months of experience. Maybe they are lucky actually, as you probably get more out of your time if you learn things your own way.
The mourning period for the passing of the King is well into its fourth week now. Thirty days of wearing black and counting. The attitude towards the tapu period is certainly becoming more relaxed. Last night I rode our collection of tins and cans up to the recycling centre, forgetting that I had changed on arriving home. However, wearing a grey tshirt, I didn't look to out of place. Most of the people out and about were in colours other than black, with a strong showing of red. This probably has something to do with the late afternoon/early afternoon being the favourite time for Tongan teens to wander the streets passsing a football around. Many of "the youth", as they are incessantly referred to in Tonga, have been a bit slack about the tapu all along. Now they are just being joined in the lax attitude.
Part of the reason for a more relaxed attitude towards the tapu is that we have now passed ten days since the King's burial, marking the end of the funeral period. The Star Cinema has chosen this time to reopen and a good thing too as we seem to have entered the early stages of the rainy season. On Wednesday, a few of us went to watch atypical example of Star Cinema fare - Snakes on a Plane. This film would seem custom made for Tongan audiences. Or maybe Tongan audiences are custom made for this film. Anyway, as we learnt, a late session on a Wednesday is not the best time to enjoy the raucous, laugh-as-loud-as-you-can approach to moviegoing preferred by the Tongans.
That said, given you start with such low expectations, Snakes on a Plane is not the sort of film you walk away too disappointed from. I was actually impressed with how many cliches they managed to fit in the one film. Who would have known that a film about snakes on a plane could feature both a dirt bike scene and a girls-in-bikinis running down the beach scene. The producers sure were clever to have the snake infested plane and storyline take off from Hawaii. I guess I can't disagree with the reviewer who rated this the best movie about snakes on a plane they had every seen. Besides, it was not like there was something better on.
22 September 2006
the king's funeral
Very early on the morning of Monday 11 September, I lay awake listening to the sound of bells chiming. At first I didn't think much of it. Bells chime early every morning in Tonga. But the bells kept ringing and I started to turn my mind to why they hadn't stopped after more than thirty minutes. The answer was obvious. The King was dead.
Over breakfast, the Radio Australia news failed to confirm my suspicions and I assumed that all the forewarnings about the King's poor health had made me jump to conclusions and went to work dressed as per normal. When I passed another AYAD wearing all black, my suspicions were raised again. At work, the news finally made it to me. The King had died the previous evening, the country was in mourning. Now to work out what that meant.
As AYADs, we have been receiving advice about what to expect following the King's passing since well before we arrived in Tonga. The scenarios have ranged from a tapu (taboo) period of a few months of mourning to a year, when we would be expected to wear black, act more conservatively than usual. Shops, bars, cinemas, hotels and airlines would close. Government shuttnig down for a significant part of the tapu had me excited, I could take another trip to Samoa.
As it turned out, and as the foreign press largely failed to report, the tapu will only be one month. I will be wearing black only until 17 October. The shops haven't closed, apart from the day of the funeral. The bars and hotels are still open, though not playing music. Life is going on as normal. This is the most remarkable part of the King's passing, the extent to which the new King has dispensed with tradition. There has been some sadness and I have been fortunate enough to attend parts of the elaborate funeral proceedings, but the part that most makes this an historical time to be in Tonga is the departure from tradition.
That aside, the ceremony of the King's funeral has been impressive. It is hard to describe, so I won't. Instead check out my photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/zerogetsamgow
Better still read what the Tongan's have to say. The Government site http://www.tonga-now.to has more about the funeral than I can describe and the online paper http://www.matangitonga.to is equally informative.
Over breakfast, the Radio Australia news failed to confirm my suspicions and I assumed that all the forewarnings about the King's poor health had made me jump to conclusions and went to work dressed as per normal. When I passed another AYAD wearing all black, my suspicions were raised again. At work, the news finally made it to me. The King had died the previous evening, the country was in mourning. Now to work out what that meant.
As AYADs, we have been receiving advice about what to expect following the King's passing since well before we arrived in Tonga. The scenarios have ranged from a tapu (taboo) period of a few months of mourning to a year, when we would be expected to wear black, act more conservatively than usual. Shops, bars, cinemas, hotels and airlines would close. Government shuttnig down for a significant part of the tapu had me excited, I could take another trip to Samoa.
As it turned out, and as the foreign press largely failed to report, the tapu will only be one month. I will be wearing black only until 17 October. The shops haven't closed, apart from the day of the funeral. The bars and hotels are still open, though not playing music. Life is going on as normal. This is the most remarkable part of the King's passing, the extent to which the new King has dispensed with tradition. There has been some sadness and I have been fortunate enough to attend parts of the elaborate funeral proceedings, but the part that most makes this an historical time to be in Tonga is the departure from tradition.
That aside, the ceremony of the King's funeral has been impressive. It is hard to describe, so I won't. Instead check out my photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/zerogetsamgow
Better still read what the Tongan's have to say. The Government site http://www.tonga-now.to has more about the funeral than I can describe and the online paper http://www.matangitonga.to is equally informative.
15 September 2006
palangi wanadaras
A few years ago, I was chatting to a friend about the possibility of me playing cricket. They were fairly dismissive of the idea, suggesting that it was no fun to bat at number 11 and spend all day in the field without getting a bowl. Well they were wrong. Either they, completely misjudged my skill level, or, more likely, they never thought I would get the chance to play cricket in Tonga for the Palangi Wanadaras.
Here I have had the chance to bowl, even taking a wicket, and score some runs batting as high as number six. A fair bit of this is due to the generosity of the captain and opposition bowlers and the discombobulated nature of our team, with players arriving late, that is a reflection of the whole competition.
The competition consists of twelve teams. Eleven represent villages around Tongatapu, the twelfth is the Wanadaras made up of palangis and a few Tongans who like the idea of playing for this team for some reason. Other than the over representation of white people, the Wanadaras are fairly typical of a Tongan cricket team with about half the team made up of people who know what they are doing and the other half living out dreams from the backyard of their childhood and generally having some fun.
Possibly only in Tonga would a cricket competition be so adversely affected by mourning. The cricket season started three weeks ago, after being delayed due to the funeral of the Tui Pelehake. Our second match was a funeral forfeit as somebody in the village we were due to play had passed away. Not someone from the team mind you, just the village. Of course the season is now in recess until late October following the passing of the King.
At least this way I can keep my batting average in double figures until mid way through the season (thanks to two sixes in my first innings), but it does dash my hopes of taking five wickets (for the season). After going for 15 runs off my last over, the captain might have something to say about this last ambition as well.
Here I have had the chance to bowl, even taking a wicket, and score some runs batting as high as number six. A fair bit of this is due to the generosity of the captain and opposition bowlers and the discombobulated nature of our team, with players arriving late, that is a reflection of the whole competition.
The competition consists of twelve teams. Eleven represent villages around Tongatapu, the twelfth is the Wanadaras made up of palangis and a few Tongans who like the idea of playing for this team for some reason. Other than the over representation of white people, the Wanadaras are fairly typical of a Tongan cricket team with about half the team made up of people who know what they are doing and the other half living out dreams from the backyard of their childhood and generally having some fun.
Possibly only in Tonga would a cricket competition be so adversely affected by mourning. The cricket season started three weeks ago, after being delayed due to the funeral of the Tui Pelehake. Our second match was a funeral forfeit as somebody in the village we were due to play had passed away. Not someone from the team mind you, just the village. Of course the season is now in recess until late October following the passing of the King.
At least this way I can keep my batting average in double figures until mid way through the season (thanks to two sixes in my first innings), but it does dash my hopes of taking five wickets (for the season). After going for 15 runs off my last over, the captain might have something to say about this last ambition as well.
25 August 2006
waiting and working
With the news reports of the last few weeks, I was expecting to write a post about the passing of the king and the resulting funeral pomp and ceremony. It seems the news is greatly exaggerated, and short of regicide I have had to come up with other topics.
I haven’t written about work for a while. I wanted to keep the blog humorous and to give the impression that I was enjoying everything about Tonga.
I have certainly been enjoying Tonga, but it is only in the last week or so that I have really started to get something out of going to work at the planning department and to laugh at the if-you-don’t-laugh-it-will-make-you-cry humour of what that involves.
A couple of things happened around the time of my arrival that meant I was always going to have to wait for work to be good. The department had played the Australian volunteer lottery and won twice, with two volunteers for the one role. I arrived second, so was squeezed out of my intended role. Also, the government had agreed to a restructure of ministries – planning would become part of the finance ministry – and large scale voluntary redundancies – a quarter of public servants would be made redundant.
Understandably, working out what to do with me wasn’t a high priority. But they have tried. In June, the minister’s office requested I be moved there then. Planning agreed. In July, the company managing the AYAD program requested I be moved. Planning agreed. In August, AusAID requested I be moved to the minister’s office. Planning agreed. It is September next week. I wonder who will ask for me to be moved in that month.
Any day now, I will go somewhere.
In the meantime, and with the likelihood of me moving to a new role increasing, they are starting to invite me to meetings, ask me questions and, very occasionally, listen to me as if they want me to stay.
Tonga, its fun.
I haven’t written about work for a while. I wanted to keep the blog humorous and to give the impression that I was enjoying everything about Tonga.
I have certainly been enjoying Tonga, but it is only in the last week or so that I have really started to get something out of going to work at the planning department and to laugh at the if-you-don’t-laugh-it-will-make-you-cry humour of what that involves.
A couple of things happened around the time of my arrival that meant I was always going to have to wait for work to be good. The department had played the Australian volunteer lottery and won twice, with two volunteers for the one role. I arrived second, so was squeezed out of my intended role. Also, the government had agreed to a restructure of ministries – planning would become part of the finance ministry – and large scale voluntary redundancies – a quarter of public servants would be made redundant.
Understandably, working out what to do with me wasn’t a high priority. But they have tried. In June, the minister’s office requested I be moved there then. Planning agreed. In July, the company managing the AYAD program requested I be moved. Planning agreed. In August, AusAID requested I be moved to the minister’s office. Planning agreed. It is September next week. I wonder who will ask for me to be moved in that month.
Any day now, I will go somewhere.
In the meantime, and with the likelihood of me moving to a new role increasing, they are starting to invite me to meetings, ask me questions and, very occasionally, listen to me as if they want me to stay.
Tonga, its fun.
18 August 2006
winter and whales
Winter is coming to an end here in Tonga and, in a move that will irk most people I know in Melbourne, I am regretting its passing.
When I arrived in Tonga, the weather that greeted me was hot and sticky to say the least. Winter brought some well-received respite. There are few ways to escape the heat during the week in Nuku’alofa. Unlike when I was studying in Bangkok, there isn’t a 7-eleven on every street corner whose air-conditioning and slushees do the trick well enough. I guess I can’t complain too much, the ocean is just there. Shame I have to go to work rather than swim every day.
The other reason to enjoy winter in Tonga, is that it is whale season. Normally, taking full advantage of this would require a trip to ‘Eua or Vava’u. This weekend just gone, we managed to get close to whales while on a snorkelling trip just off Tongatapu.
Grey skies dominated on Sunday morning, threatening to spoil a day out on the ocean. The clouds cleared even as I rode down to wharf and within half an hour the weather was good enough for us to rouse two extra paying customers out of bed to ensure that we got a nice long trip.
On the way out from Nuku’alofa to the first of our three dive/snorkelling sites we were happy to see a few whales splashing about in the distance. The focus of the day was still very much on the smaller creatures out there under the water, but the whales were an added bonus.
For our second lot of diving we anchored off a small deserted island. It was picture perfect and after swimming the hundred metres or so in to its shores and taking a stroll around the whole island we made plan to come back and camp there one weekend.
The only reason a picture of the island didn’t accompany this post, is that on the way back into Nuku’alofa we came across a much better photo opportunity. Three whales swimming across our path. The crew of the boat spotted them first and cut the engines. As we drifted the whales swam around the boat, coming as close as 50 metres at times (maybe closer). Spectacular.
Everybody was pretty happy with their day, to say the least. For 30 pa’anga (A$20) it was a cheap whale watching trip.
When I arrived in Tonga, the weather that greeted me was hot and sticky to say the least. Winter brought some well-received respite. There are few ways to escape the heat during the week in Nuku’alofa. Unlike when I was studying in Bangkok, there isn’t a 7-eleven on every street corner whose air-conditioning and slushees do the trick well enough. I guess I can’t complain too much, the ocean is just there. Shame I have to go to work rather than swim every day.
The other reason to enjoy winter in Tonga, is that it is whale season. Normally, taking full advantage of this would require a trip to ‘Eua or Vava’u. This weekend just gone, we managed to get close to whales while on a snorkelling trip just off Tongatapu.
Grey skies dominated on Sunday morning, threatening to spoil a day out on the ocean. The clouds cleared even as I rode down to wharf and within half an hour the weather was good enough for us to rouse two extra paying customers out of bed to ensure that we got a nice long trip.
On the way out from Nuku’alofa to the first of our three dive/snorkelling sites we were happy to see a few whales splashing about in the distance. The focus of the day was still very much on the smaller creatures out there under the water, but the whales were an added bonus.
For our second lot of diving we anchored off a small deserted island. It was picture perfect and after swimming the hundred metres or so in to its shores and taking a stroll around the whole island we made plan to come back and camp there one weekend.
The only reason a picture of the island didn’t accompany this post, is that on the way back into Nuku’alofa we came across a much better photo opportunity. Three whales swimming across our path. The crew of the boat spotted them first and cut the engines. As we drifted the whales swam around the boat, coming as close as 50 metres at times (maybe closer). Spectacular.
Everybody was pretty happy with their day, to say the least. For 30 pa’anga (A$20) it was a cheap whale watching trip.
11 August 2006
hingoa tonga
Your average baby names book would be useless to most Tongans. Very few of the hingoa (names) I have encountered here in Tonga would be included.
In Australia, unless you were calling somebody about repairing their toilet or car, are their grandmother or just have a penchant for the word you are unlikely to call somebody "Love". I am now of the above, but, in Tonga, I do this all the time. 'Ofa (Love) is a common name and, surprisingly, more common for guys it seems. So next time you feel the urge to call a guy over 180 cm tall and weighing in at more than a hundred kilograms "Love" without risk or serious injury, come to Tonga. You are sure to meet at least one 'Ofa who answers to that description and that name.
Another name that I recently encountered is Fale (House). Perhaps his parents wanted to raise a solid, dependable child and thought nominative determinism was the way to go. Either that or they were following the example of David and Victoria Beckham who named their first child, Brooklyn, after where he was conceived.
If you accept the nominative determinism explanation and his parents had been more pious, then they may have named him Lotu (church).
The parents of one of Jess’ colleagues obviously wanted her to be academically gifted and named her Sele Pesine (100 per cent). Either that, or they were ecstatic when they counted the full compliment of fingers and toes and discovered she was all there.
The most common names in Tonga are Tonganised versions of biblical names. "Tonganised?" I hear you ask. Those of you who have read the language lessons in earlier posts will know that all Tongan words end in a vowel. So my name, Sam, becomes Semi in Tongan (don't ask me why the "a" becomes an "e"). Also, the Tongan alphabet is only 17 letters long and excludes C, D, G, J, Q, W, X, Y and Z.
Displaying the same ingenuity that you can find on display in the birth notices of the Herald Sun/Daily Telegraph, Tongans have overcome this paucity of consonants and displayed real ingenuity to exhibit their faith.
For example, Isaac becomes Aisake – this is the name of the Secretary of Finance. Joshua becomes Siosiua – the name of the Minister for Finance. John is Sione, Peter is Pita, Moses is Mosese, Gabriel is Kelepi and so on.
In Australia, unless you were calling somebody about repairing their toilet or car, are their grandmother or just have a penchant for the word you are unlikely to call somebody "Love". I am now of the above, but, in Tonga, I do this all the time. 'Ofa (Love) is a common name and, surprisingly, more common for guys it seems. So next time you feel the urge to call a guy over 180 cm tall and weighing in at more than a hundred kilograms "Love" without risk or serious injury, come to Tonga. You are sure to meet at least one 'Ofa who answers to that description and that name.
Another name that I recently encountered is Fale (House). Perhaps his parents wanted to raise a solid, dependable child and thought nominative determinism was the way to go. Either that or they were following the example of David and Victoria Beckham who named their first child, Brooklyn, after where he was conceived.
If you accept the nominative determinism explanation and his parents had been more pious, then they may have named him Lotu (church).
The parents of one of Jess’ colleagues obviously wanted her to be academically gifted and named her Sele Pesine (100 per cent). Either that, or they were ecstatic when they counted the full compliment of fingers and toes and discovered she was all there.
The most common names in Tonga are Tonganised versions of biblical names. "Tonganised?" I hear you ask. Those of you who have read the language lessons in earlier posts will know that all Tongan words end in a vowel. So my name, Sam, becomes Semi in Tongan (don't ask me why the "a" becomes an "e"). Also, the Tongan alphabet is only 17 letters long and excludes C, D, G, J, Q, W, X, Y and Z.
Displaying the same ingenuity that you can find on display in the birth notices of the Herald Sun/Daily Telegraph, Tongans have overcome this paucity of consonants and displayed real ingenuity to exhibit their faith.
For example, Isaac becomes Aisake – this is the name of the Secretary of Finance. Joshua becomes Siosiua – the name of the Minister for Finance. John is Sione, Peter is Pita, Moses is Mosese, Gabriel is Kelepi and so on.
31 July 2006
samoa: the funny bits
I took the weekend to get over my writer's block. I figured I would leave the holiday promotion stuff to Lavinia Nixon and her Getaway program. Instead I have decided to provide snapshots of the funnier bits of Samoa
My flight into Apia also carried weighlifters from New Zealand, China and Italy. At first I thought they were rugby players, I was going to Samoa after all, but no these guys were on their way to the Pacific Rim, Commonwealth, Oceania and South Pacific Weightlifting Championships. The very strong Chinese contingent probably should have been a give away that they weren't rugby players.
As I mentioned last week, Apia isn't full of tourist attractions so it was that I found myself attending an afternoon and evening of the weightlifting. I haven't been to a weightlifting event before and the highlight of weightlifting on TV is Darrel Eastlake's commentary so I wasn't expecting too much. A good thing as well, the weightlifting wasn't overly entertaining. At least the organisers had paired locals villages up to different countries and their vocal support, especially the village supporting the lone Italian, was entertaining as was the tension as the "local" hero, Nauruian Peter Yukio, narrowly missed out on gold.
The highlight of the Championships were the medal ceremonies. The two categories I watched had 8 and 10 competitors respectively. It seems all 18 received at least one medal. Some received five or six medals, and the number of medals was in no way a reflection of performance. Invariably the Chinese guy won, but before he received his gold medal for the Pacific Rim section of the tournament the medals for the Junior and Senior Commonwealth, Oceania and South Pacific Championships had to be awarded. So the kid from Tuvalu who finished last in the afternoon stepped up to the podium for silver in the Junior South Pacific, bronze in the Senior South Pacific, bronze in the Junior Oceania and bronze in the Junior Commonwealth sections. He was a very happy boy. Even the Italian guy got a medal just for showing up. Obviously, it was all about participation.
To fill another day, Jess volunteered me to wait at the house for the plumber to come and fix a running tap. I am not sure whether I should say plumber or plumbers, for 15 minutes after the arranged time (very prompt for Samoa/Tonga) a ute pulled up bearing about six people.
The first to the door was obviously the boss. He drove the ute, introduced his team, found out what the problem was and gave instructions. Didn’t touch the tap.
The second, third and fourth guys were young and obviously the lackeys. On the boss’ instructions they scurried around outside turning off taps, unblocking drains, etc. Didn’t touch the tap.
Next came an old guy with a sack of tools, the plumber. He proceeded to take apart the tap and put it back together with the random assortment of tools he had in his sack and using bits from the spare tap Jess’s step dad had brought over.
It was more like a military operation, but still the tap was broken again before I left two weeks later.
It was nice to be able to settle down each morning with a cup of coffee and the newspaper whilst I was in Samoa. I could do that in Tonga, but reading the headlines alone would take me all day, there are no English language papers here. The Samoan papers use English as their main language, but that isn't to say they are in English. There were some highlights though. Most notable during my weeks in Samoa was the debate about the legality of homosexual relationships. Sex with somebody of the same sex is probably already illegal in Samoa, but that didn't prevent a substantial amount of debate and name calling in the letters to the editor section with some people particularly concerned that homosexuality was spreading like wildfire" and in a manner that was in direct contravention of the Constitution. Samoa is founded on God after all. After a few reads it also became obvious that the people featured in the vox pops where also those in other stories. A great piece of lazy journalism.
Driving on the wrong side of the road, as they do in Samoa, took some practice. Amazingly our one crash in Samoa didn't involve either Jess or I driving. The bus did it all on its own, but that didn't mean there weren't any dramas whilst we were at wheel. A number of times I smashed my hand into the door looking for reverse, which of course was on my right and not my left. Similarly corners and rain caused similar antics as I never quite got the hang of which side was my indicator and which my windscreen wiper. This normally wasn't particularly unfortunate, but one night while we were driving home Jess was admiring a small gecko on the windscreen when it came time for us to turn a corner. To screams of "Sam!" I realised too late what I had done, the poor gecko was whisked from the windscreen by the wiper I had mistakenly cued to indicate that we were turning left.
My flight into Apia also carried weighlifters from New Zealand, China and Italy. At first I thought they were rugby players, I was going to Samoa after all, but no these guys were on their way to the Pacific Rim, Commonwealth, Oceania and South Pacific Weightlifting Championships. The very strong Chinese contingent probably should have been a give away that they weren't rugby players.
As I mentioned last week, Apia isn't full of tourist attractions so it was that I found myself attending an afternoon and evening of the weightlifting. I haven't been to a weightlifting event before and the highlight of weightlifting on TV is Darrel Eastlake's commentary so I wasn't expecting too much. A good thing as well, the weightlifting wasn't overly entertaining. At least the organisers had paired locals villages up to different countries and their vocal support, especially the village supporting the lone Italian, was entertaining as was the tension as the "local" hero, Nauruian Peter Yukio, narrowly missed out on gold.
The highlight of the Championships were the medal ceremonies. The two categories I watched had 8 and 10 competitors respectively. It seems all 18 received at least one medal. Some received five or six medals, and the number of medals was in no way a reflection of performance. Invariably the Chinese guy won, but before he received his gold medal for the Pacific Rim section of the tournament the medals for the Junior and Senior Commonwealth, Oceania and South Pacific Championships had to be awarded. So the kid from Tuvalu who finished last in the afternoon stepped up to the podium for silver in the Junior South Pacific, bronze in the Senior South Pacific, bronze in the Junior Oceania and bronze in the Junior Commonwealth sections. He was a very happy boy. Even the Italian guy got a medal just for showing up. Obviously, it was all about participation.
To fill another day, Jess volunteered me to wait at the house for the plumber to come and fix a running tap. I am not sure whether I should say plumber or plumbers, for 15 minutes after the arranged time (very prompt for Samoa/Tonga) a ute pulled up bearing about six people.
The first to the door was obviously the boss. He drove the ute, introduced his team, found out what the problem was and gave instructions. Didn’t touch the tap.
The second, third and fourth guys were young and obviously the lackeys. On the boss’ instructions they scurried around outside turning off taps, unblocking drains, etc. Didn’t touch the tap.
Next came an old guy with a sack of tools, the plumber. He proceeded to take apart the tap and put it back together with the random assortment of tools he had in his sack and using bits from the spare tap Jess’s step dad had brought over.
It was more like a military operation, but still the tap was broken again before I left two weeks later.
It was nice to be able to settle down each morning with a cup of coffee and the newspaper whilst I was in Samoa. I could do that in Tonga, but reading the headlines alone would take me all day, there are no English language papers here. The Samoan papers use English as their main language, but that isn't to say they are in English. There were some highlights though. Most notable during my weeks in Samoa was the debate about the legality of homosexual relationships. Sex with somebody of the same sex is probably already illegal in Samoa, but that didn't prevent a substantial amount of debate and name calling in the letters to the editor section with some people particularly concerned that homosexuality was spreading like wildfire" and in a manner that was in direct contravention of the Constitution. Samoa is founded on God after all. After a few reads it also became obvious that the people featured in the vox pops where also those in other stories. A great piece of lazy journalism.
Driving on the wrong side of the road, as they do in Samoa, took some practice. Amazingly our one crash in Samoa didn't involve either Jess or I driving. The bus did it all on its own, but that didn't mean there weren't any dramas whilst we were at wheel. A number of times I smashed my hand into the door looking for reverse, which of course was on my right and not my left. Similarly corners and rain caused similar antics as I never quite got the hang of which side was my indicator and which my windscreen wiper. This normally wasn't particularly unfortunate, but one night while we were driving home Jess was admiring a small gecko on the windscreen when it came time for us to turn a corner. To screams of "Sam!" I realised too late what I had done, the poor gecko was whisked from the windscreen by the wiper I had mistakenly cued to indicate that we were turning left.
28 July 2006
samoa
Early Thursday morning I returned from a fortnight or so spent in Samoa. To sum up my trip, anybody with plans to visit me here in Tonga should change them and start planning to go to Samoa instead. Samoa is far more beautiful and at the same time tourist friendly. Admittedly, Jess' presence in Samoa may mean I left with a more favourable impression than any ordinary tourist, but the small slice of Polynesia I currently call home pales in comparison.
My time in Samoa was broken up roughly into four lots.
For the first few days, while Jess was still working, I spent my days exploring the capital Apia. I watched Jess' dance performance (I would share the photos, but I value our relationship too much), snorkelled at the Palolo Deep Marine Conservation reserve (so many fish), visited the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, the Museum of Samoa and generally made my way to almost every tourist attraction in town. Compared to Nuku'alofa, Apia is big. Well bigger, at least. However, it doesn't really contain enough to occupy four full days. Fortunately, friends and relatives hanging out in the workplace is entirely acceptable in Samao (and Tonga) so I was able to spend a few hours each day at Ministry of Women and Community Development, chatting to Jess, reading the paper, checking emails, etc. This was really good, as I wouldn’t have seen enough of Jess otherwise.
With the first week over and Jess on leave for the second, we were able to hop in our shiny, red hyundai getz hire-car and explore Upolu and Savaii the two main islands of Samoa. We started by heading out of Apia, on Upolu, catching the ferry across to Savaii and enjoying three days of sun and relaxation as we circumnavigated the island staying at various beach fales on our way. On the fourth day, we allowed ourselves plenty of time to catch the ferry back to Upolu. Just as well. When we parked at Saleolonga Wharf to confirm that we were on the ferry, a bus backed over our hire car. Read Jess’s blog for a good account of the accident and drama that followed, I am trying to keep this entry to a manageable size.
After a day off at home to catch up on domestic chores and get over the drama on Savaii, we set off to spend a few more relaxing days on Upolu. After enjoying a nice lunch at The Curry House overlooking Apia from high up on the Cross Island road we journeyed down to Samoana Resort, photo above. Samoana is a surf resort so we went with some trepidation that we would be surrounded by 20 guys only interested in the waves breaking out the front. In the end, the place was fairly empty and the other guests included only one small group of surfers. For the most part, we felt we had the place to ourselves. The two days of lounging around by the pool or in hammocks, using the resorts kayaks or snorkelling were very nice indeed. It probably helped that the Channel Nine travel program was visiting the following week, so the place looked immaculate.
After two nights of luxury, we went back to beach fales at Virgin Cove. Apart from the tranquil white sandy beach, we also enjoyed an umu (food cooked in a traditional underground oven) and a fiefia, which included some spectacular fire dancing.
to be continued.
My time in Samoa was broken up roughly into four lots.
For the first few days, while Jess was still working, I spent my days exploring the capital Apia. I watched Jess' dance performance (I would share the photos, but I value our relationship too much), snorkelled at the Palolo Deep Marine Conservation reserve (so many fish), visited the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, the Museum of Samoa and generally made my way to almost every tourist attraction in town. Compared to Nuku'alofa, Apia is big. Well bigger, at least. However, it doesn't really contain enough to occupy four full days. Fortunately, friends and relatives hanging out in the workplace is entirely acceptable in Samao (and Tonga) so I was able to spend a few hours each day at Ministry of Women and Community Development, chatting to Jess, reading the paper, checking emails, etc. This was really good, as I wouldn’t have seen enough of Jess otherwise.
With the first week over and Jess on leave for the second, we were able to hop in our shiny, red hyundai getz hire-car and explore Upolu and Savaii the two main islands of Samoa. We started by heading out of Apia, on Upolu, catching the ferry across to Savaii and enjoying three days of sun and relaxation as we circumnavigated the island staying at various beach fales on our way. On the fourth day, we allowed ourselves plenty of time to catch the ferry back to Upolu. Just as well. When we parked at Saleolonga Wharf to confirm that we were on the ferry, a bus backed over our hire car. Read Jess’s blog for a good account of the accident and drama that followed, I am trying to keep this entry to a manageable size.
After a day off at home to catch up on domestic chores and get over the drama on Savaii, we set off to spend a few more relaxing days on Upolu. After enjoying a nice lunch at The Curry House overlooking Apia from high up on the Cross Island road we journeyed down to Samoana Resort, photo above. Samoana is a surf resort so we went with some trepidation that we would be surrounded by 20 guys only interested in the waves breaking out the front. In the end, the place was fairly empty and the other guests included only one small group of surfers. For the most part, we felt we had the place to ourselves. The two days of lounging around by the pool or in hammocks, using the resorts kayaks or snorkelling were very nice indeed. It probably helped that the Channel Nine travel program was visiting the following week, so the place looked immaculate.
After two nights of luxury, we went back to beach fales at Virgin Cove. Apart from the tranquil white sandy beach, we also enjoyed an umu (food cooked in a traditional underground oven) and a fiefia, which included some spectacular fire dancing.
to be continued.
5 July 2006
the king's birthday
4 July is a major celebration in Tonga, though here it is the King's Birthday (and not independence) that is being celebrated. This year marks King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV's 88th birthday. Which is not bad going for a guy who at various stages of his reign has weighed in excess of 200 kilograms.
Accompanying the King's birthday celebrations is the fortnight long Heilala Festival which culminates with the crowning of Miss Heilala on Friday night. One of the AYADs that I arrived with is working with the Tonga National Youth Congress. So it was, partly out of allegiance and partly through earlier notice, that rather than any of the three other fundraisers that it was with the TNYC Miss Heilala event that I got into the swing of festivities last Wednesday night. On the night we enjoyed a singing, dancing, introduction of the Miss Heilala contestants (accompanied by some very muscular and well-oiled Tongan bodybuilders) and a glass or two of the free Koala Blue Shiraz.
The next birthday function I got along to, was a very unregal hip-hop dance competition. Though I guess kings and hip hop performers share a love of tacky gold jewelry. After sitting through three entertaining, though sometimes torturously protracted hours, of Tongan teen hip-hop dancing I am finally convinced that Tongan children are made indestructible. There is no other explanation for their ability, and willingness, to repeatedly throw themselves around in the reckless manner required for their version of hip-hop dancing. It was also quite impressive that the makeshift stage held up to all the abuse. The crowd competed for our attention with the movement and energy of those in the stands of Atele Stadium often drawing our focus away from the onstage antics. So much so, that one of them even one a prize for her impromptu dancing.
Tuesday was the big day. The King wasn't well enough to attend in person, looking from within his palace instead, but that didn't detract too much from the day for me. I wasn't lucky enough to be inside for the palace grounds for the main festivities, though some AYADs did score an invite. I did however enjoy laughing at the petiteness of the French soldiers, as opposed to their Tongan counterparts, and the kitschness of the Miss Heilala floats in the seemingly compulsory parade that took place on the day. The picture above of Miss Keipi's Cake Art is one of the few I took that worked out. Although there are three Tongans from Australia competing in the competition, Keipi's Cake Art is just around the corner from my house in Fasi, so I am going for her. Though after the early rounds of the competition, she didn't look much of a shot. The winner is announced tonight.
The celebrations were disrupted somewhat today. The King's nephew Prince TuÂ’ipelehake and his wife Princess Kaimana TukuÂ’aho died in a car accident in the San Francisco area. A sad event, but this country is well prepared for a sad event. Expectations about the King's passing were very openly expresssed in the speeches made this week and in the press. So it is that I am well prepared for the need to wear black clothes for perhaps a month starting on Monday (leaving aside my trip to Samoa).
Today was meant ro be a happy day, I moved to my new office with windows and a cross breeze. Can't have it all my own way in paradise, I guess.
Accompanying the King's birthday celebrations is the fortnight long Heilala Festival which culminates with the crowning of Miss Heilala on Friday night. One of the AYADs that I arrived with is working with the Tonga National Youth Congress. So it was, partly out of allegiance and partly through earlier notice, that rather than any of the three other fundraisers that it was with the TNYC Miss Heilala event that I got into the swing of festivities last Wednesday night. On the night we enjoyed a singing, dancing, introduction of the Miss Heilala contestants (accompanied by some very muscular and well-oiled Tongan bodybuilders) and a glass or two of the free Koala Blue Shiraz.
The next birthday function I got along to, was a very unregal hip-hop dance competition. Though I guess kings and hip hop performers share a love of tacky gold jewelry. After sitting through three entertaining, though sometimes torturously protracted hours, of Tongan teen hip-hop dancing I am finally convinced that Tongan children are made indestructible. There is no other explanation for their ability, and willingness, to repeatedly throw themselves around in the reckless manner required for their version of hip-hop dancing. It was also quite impressive that the makeshift stage held up to all the abuse. The crowd competed for our attention with the movement and energy of those in the stands of Atele Stadium often drawing our focus away from the onstage antics. So much so, that one of them even one a prize for her impromptu dancing.
Tuesday was the big day. The King wasn't well enough to attend in person, looking from within his palace instead, but that didn't detract too much from the day for me. I wasn't lucky enough to be inside for the palace grounds for the main festivities, though some AYADs did score an invite. I did however enjoy laughing at the petiteness of the French soldiers, as opposed to their Tongan counterparts, and the kitschness of the Miss Heilala floats in the seemingly compulsory parade that took place on the day. The picture above of Miss Keipi's Cake Art is one of the few I took that worked out. Although there are three Tongans from Australia competing in the competition, Keipi's Cake Art is just around the corner from my house in Fasi, so I am going for her. Though after the early rounds of the competition, she didn't look much of a shot. The winner is announced tonight.
The celebrations were disrupted somewhat today. The King's nephew Prince TuÂ’ipelehake and his wife Princess Kaimana TukuÂ’aho died in a car accident in the San Francisco area. A sad event, but this country is well prepared for a sad event. Expectations about the King's passing were very openly expresssed in the speeches made this week and in the press. So it is that I am well prepared for the need to wear black clothes for perhaps a month starting on Monday (leaving aside my trip to Samoa).
Today was meant ro be a happy day, I moved to my new office with windows and a cross breeze. Can't have it all my own way in paradise, I guess.
29 June 2006
nothing
There isn't all that much happening in Tonga this week. That and I am feeling a bit fakapikopiko (lazy). The next month is sure to be full of excitement with the King's Birthday, the Miss Heilala Pageant and my fortnight long trip to Samoa. As such, I am not going to publish a proper post this week and have more frequent posts throughout July.
For now, enjoy the picture above and, hopefully, my blog looking as it should.
For now, enjoy the picture above and, hopefully, my blog looking as it should.
23 June 2006
the day the princess came to my birthday
This has been a week of celebrations in Tonga.
The group of seven AYADs that I arrived with have settled into three houses. For simplicity, we can call these the boys' house, the girls' house and the couple's house. Last Friday the girls' house had their housewarming. The theme was cocktail, so most of took the opportunity to wear the "semi-formal" outfit we were told we would need in our pre-departure pack and have since discovered we will wear only when taking advantage of the flimsiest excuse possible - like on Friday. Others, as pictured took to the markets and a fabulous store here called The Shop That Time Forgot to put together there creations. As you can see from the pictures and guess from the name, this shop specialises in selling clothes manufactured in the 60s, 70s and 80s that never made it out of the wrapping, let alone were sold, at that time. Anyway, the night was fun. Most of us made it home around 4am.
On Tuesday, my work launched the Kingdom of Tonga Strategic Development Plan 8 (SDP 8). This was the culmination of some eighteen months work, so though somewhat stressed about the day going well most of my colleagues were pleased to finally reach the launch. I was more excited because it was my birthday and the Princess would be attending. It is not often you can say that a princess came to the party on your birthday. Maybe it wasn't exactly my party, but near enough. The other fun part of the launch was the addition of an SDP 8 theme song and dance. If we ignore Unchain my heart and the GST, Australian governments don't do theme songs for their big launches and more is the shame. I can't wait to hear Looking to the Future, Building on the Past on the radio or playing at the Billfish, will have to try and remember the moves to the dance.
That night, I went to dinner and drinks with some fellow AYADs and assorted palangi and managed to celebrate both my birthday and the arrival of the new group of AYADs. With three intakes a year now, there will be arrivals quite regularly.
And, of course, there was the celebrations at lunch time on Thursday amongst a group of Aussies who managed to find somewhere to watch a replay of a soccer match that had happened a few hours earlier on the other side of the world. Our disappointment at missing the first half thanks to the ever unreliable TonFon television programmers was long forgotten by the time the final whistle sounded. There will be a few phone calls to TonFon today to make sure we get the whole match versus Italy tomorrow.
On Saturday, I participated in the 2006 Olympic fun run. The run itself wasn't particularly notable, nor much of a celebration, though I did manage to run more than the four kilometre course by being foolish enough to follow some Tongans who went the wrong way. What was a highlight, was finally meeting somebody who plays hockey. As part of the day's activities, there were demonstration clinics for kids of various sports including hockey. The local competition gets underway next month and I may now be coaching one of the teams. It should be fun.
The group of seven AYADs that I arrived with have settled into three houses. For simplicity, we can call these the boys' house, the girls' house and the couple's house. Last Friday the girls' house had their housewarming. The theme was cocktail, so most of took the opportunity to wear the "semi-formal" outfit we were told we would need in our pre-departure pack and have since discovered we will wear only when taking advantage of the flimsiest excuse possible - like on Friday. Others, as pictured took to the markets and a fabulous store here called The Shop That Time Forgot to put together there creations. As you can see from the pictures and guess from the name, this shop specialises in selling clothes manufactured in the 60s, 70s and 80s that never made it out of the wrapping, let alone were sold, at that time. Anyway, the night was fun. Most of us made it home around 4am.
On Tuesday, my work launched the Kingdom of Tonga Strategic Development Plan 8 (SDP 8). This was the culmination of some eighteen months work, so though somewhat stressed about the day going well most of my colleagues were pleased to finally reach the launch. I was more excited because it was my birthday and the Princess would be attending. It is not often you can say that a princess came to the party on your birthday. Maybe it wasn't exactly my party, but near enough. The other fun part of the launch was the addition of an SDP 8 theme song and dance. If we ignore Unchain my heart and the GST, Australian governments don't do theme songs for their big launches and more is the shame. I can't wait to hear Looking to the Future, Building on the Past on the radio or playing at the Billfish, will have to try and remember the moves to the dance.
That night, I went to dinner and drinks with some fellow AYADs and assorted palangi and managed to celebrate both my birthday and the arrival of the new group of AYADs. With three intakes a year now, there will be arrivals quite regularly.
And, of course, there was the celebrations at lunch time on Thursday amongst a group of Aussies who managed to find somewhere to watch a replay of a soccer match that had happened a few hours earlier on the other side of the world. Our disappointment at missing the first half thanks to the ever unreliable TonFon television programmers was long forgotten by the time the final whistle sounded. There will be a few phone calls to TonFon today to make sure we get the whole match versus Italy tomorrow.
On Saturday, I participated in the 2006 Olympic fun run. The run itself wasn't particularly notable, nor much of a celebration, though I did manage to run more than the four kilometre course by being foolish enough to follow some Tongans who went the wrong way. What was a highlight, was finally meeting somebody who plays hockey. As part of the day's activities, there were demonstration clinics for kids of various sports including hockey. The local competition gets underway next month and I may now be coaching one of the teams. It should be fun.
15 June 2006
the sounds of tonga
Unfortunately, my match on Saturday never eventuated. The Kolofo'ou team arrived half-an-hour late and had to forfeit. It was a bit disappointing to have ridden all that way and not play, but given it was a grey, rainy day I wouldn't have been doing much other than soccer.
As it was, I did get to watch a couple of games whilst I was out at Veitongo. The most entertaining was a junior match where the muddy conditions did little to disrupt the spirit of the players.. About a third of the players didn't have boots and were running, or more accurately sliding, around in socks. There was also a pair of innovative kids, one with the left boot and the other with the right. To add to the absurdity, the game began with one team conceding three goals in quick succession, before settling into a muddy midfield scramble only to come back in the dying minutes and score three goals also. Not world cup quality, but great viewing.
Given I don't have much to report about from my soccer non-match, I though I would move on to the next of my planned insights into Tonga. This week, the sounds of Tonga.
The overwhelming sound of Tonga is UB40. Yes, the Birmingham bred reggae band - that most of us have avoided listening to since their hit about that very unreggae topic of alcoholism in the 80s - are huge in Tonga. UB40 toured here in March shortly before I arrived. If they weren't popular beforehand, they certainly are now. There are probably a few people looking forward to the next major touring artist to take the place of UB40 on the airwaves. It would be impossible to go a day without hearing UB40. In supermarkets, workplaces, restaurants and emanating from peoples cars and homes UB40 is being played continuously somewhere in the Kingdom - except on Sundays.
Tonga's love of reggae is not limited to just UB40. I have heard plenty of Bob Marley as well as a cover of Every breath you take with more of a reggae feel than The Police ever intended. The cover band at our most frequented haunt is gauranteed to play this song, something by UB40, Queen and - recognising their location below the equator - Men at Work's Land Down Under all infused with an extra dose of reggae.
I hope to record some of the more improbable reggae covers and place the recordings on my flickr site for your listening pleasure.
During the day reggae competes with the sounds of Tongan culture - tapa mallets and church bells.
Tapa is the traditional tongan cloth that featured as the photo of the week with my last post. To produce the cloth, Tongan women pound the bark of the mulberrry tree from 5 cm wide strips into a thin cloth about 20 cm wide. The rhythm of this pounding can be heard over most of the island during daylight hours. Sometimes this is quite therapeutic, at others it is headache inducing.
On Sundays, church bells ring out from before 5am calling people to mass. They continue on every hour or so through to the mid-afternoon or early evening. In between, the sound of hymns drifts gently across the island. I think the church nearest my house is at least 500 metres away, but the singing carries quite clearly over that distance. There might be a church nearer to me that I haven't noticed yet. This is very possible as there are churches everywhere.
The last major family of sounds in Tonga come from animals. Every Tongan seems to own their share of dogs, puaka (pigs) and chickens. Even in downtown Nuku'alofa pigs and chickens aren't too far away.
As it was, I did get to watch a couple of games whilst I was out at Veitongo. The most entertaining was a junior match where the muddy conditions did little to disrupt the spirit of the players.. About a third of the players didn't have boots and were running, or more accurately sliding, around in socks. There was also a pair of innovative kids, one with the left boot and the other with the right. To add to the absurdity, the game began with one team conceding three goals in quick succession, before settling into a muddy midfield scramble only to come back in the dying minutes and score three goals also. Not world cup quality, but great viewing.
Given I don't have much to report about from my soccer non-match, I though I would move on to the next of my planned insights into Tonga. This week, the sounds of Tonga.
The overwhelming sound of Tonga is UB40. Yes, the Birmingham bred reggae band - that most of us have avoided listening to since their hit about that very unreggae topic of alcoholism in the 80s - are huge in Tonga. UB40 toured here in March shortly before I arrived. If they weren't popular beforehand, they certainly are now. There are probably a few people looking forward to the next major touring artist to take the place of UB40 on the airwaves. It would be impossible to go a day without hearing UB40. In supermarkets, workplaces, restaurants and emanating from peoples cars and homes UB40 is being played continuously somewhere in the Kingdom - except on Sundays.
Tonga's love of reggae is not limited to just UB40. I have heard plenty of Bob Marley as well as a cover of Every breath you take with more of a reggae feel than The Police ever intended. The cover band at our most frequented haunt is gauranteed to play this song, something by UB40, Queen and - recognising their location below the equator - Men at Work's Land Down Under all infused with an extra dose of reggae.
I hope to record some of the more improbable reggae covers and place the recordings on my flickr site for your listening pleasure.
During the day reggae competes with the sounds of Tongan culture - tapa mallets and church bells.
Tapa is the traditional tongan cloth that featured as the photo of the week with my last post. To produce the cloth, Tongan women pound the bark of the mulberrry tree from 5 cm wide strips into a thin cloth about 20 cm wide. The rhythm of this pounding can be heard over most of the island during daylight hours. Sometimes this is quite therapeutic, at others it is headache inducing.
On Sundays, church bells ring out from before 5am calling people to mass. They continue on every hour or so through to the mid-afternoon or early evening. In between, the sound of hymns drifts gently across the island. I think the church nearest my house is at least 500 metres away, but the singing carries quite clearly over that distance. There might be a church nearer to me that I haven't noticed yet. This is very possible as there are churches everywhere.
The last major family of sounds in Tonga come from animals. Every Tongan seems to own their share of dogs, puaka (pigs) and chickens. Even in downtown Nuku'alofa pigs and chickens aren't too far away.
Pigs in Tonga are like cows in India. They are everywhere and treated as sacred. If you run a pig over whilst driving, then you have to pay for not only that pig, but all its potential offspring as well. Pigs aren't too noisy, but they can certainly keep me awake sniffing around in the dirt if I forget to shut the gate at night.
In the early hours, the neighbourhood roosters compete with the church bells to wake us up. I always thought that roosters crowed at dawn. Tongan roosters must be able to see over the horizon, because the sun is rarely up when they start making a racket.
Dogs in Tonga aren't too keen on people. Rightly so, they are treated appallingly. We were told on arrival that having a dog would be good security, and to have a dog all we needed to do was feed one. Haven't taken to feeding any dogs, their barking is incessant and vicious. They go bark for crow with the roosters. Alongside Tongan drivers, dogs rate as the greatest danger whilst out cycling. Ahead of potholes even.
Finally, my photo of the week that accompanied my last post was nicked by the Tonga Visitors Bureau to promote a forthcoming cultural festival. I will have to find out about the royalties I am due.
9 June 2006
kicking goals for newtown fc
This week has been a particularly good one.
For the first time, I feel that I actually have something to do at work. Not quite make-Tonga-a-better-place things to do. More at-least-it-stops-me-playing-solitaire things to do. Which I am more than happy with, I would like to believe I am not naïve enough to think that I, as a volunteer in town for 12-months, really am going to make too much of a difference to Tonga. Maybe this is an acknowledgement of my laziness as much as it is a commentary on the role of the volunteer.
Either way this week I have been busy and it looks as though I will stay that way, but still with some time for solitaire. I have also confirmed that there will be work for me to go on with beyond the ‘Eua project and an urban planning project I am involved in. I will be working more closely with Minister's staff and have better access to learn what actually goes on here. It should mean I can find enough to do at last.
If nothing else, the Tongan national development plan is released next week. I haven’t had much to do with its preparation so I can sit down in the latter part of next week and read it through for the first time.
Also, this week, I managed to join my local soccer club. Or should that be local soccer team. I am not really sure, it all just kind of happened.
Having been filling 8:30 to 4:30 of each day with not a great deal at work, I was pretty keen to find something to do in the evenings. Cooking dinner, reading books, watching DVDs and drinks at the Billfish, had been only somewhat filling in my evenings so I thought I would join in with a group of Tongans who play soccer each evening in a park near my work.
It has taken me awhile to work out what time they play and get along at that time, but this week I managed to go twice. At the start of the second night, they announced we have a game on Saturday (tomorrow). So tomorrow I will line up for the Kolofo’ou (kolo is town and fo’ou new, so Newtown) Football Club in some tournament. Should be fun, though I think they have an idea of playing me as the goalkeeper which could be rather shambolic as the team certainly doesn’t play with any structure. Let’s hope the opposition is just as bad.
I thought that seeing this weeks entry is a little short I would write rather randomly about anything to do with Tonga. I have chosen to talk about cars in Tonga.
This was prompted by my sighting a battered up old Toyota Corolla whilst riding home the other day. As a kid, I had a matchbox version of this same car. Another kid at school gave it to me when I was at Franklin Public School, so in 1983. This matchbox car was still floating around in my dad’s garage the last time I lived at home, in 1999. You can imagine the amount of abuse this little toy would have received over those sixteen years. I was never gentle with my toy cars and this one would have survived a dozen or so moves, been bashed about in toy boxes etc on top of all the damage that a kid can inflict on a piece of diecast metal. Anyway, the point is that the Toyota Corolla I was following the other day looked exactly the same as my matchbox version circa 1999. Most of the paint was gone, the doors were barely hanging on and whilst there was a windscreen that was about all of the glass. Now, this is reasonably typical of many cars in Tonga. There are some fancy new ones, mostly big 4WDs, but many of the cars are old and judging by the rego stickers have enjoyed previous lives in Japan (or China) and New Zealand before arriving in the Pacific. Already dilapidated on arrival, the cars deteriorate further in a hurry thanks to not-so-meticulous care of the Tongans and the abundant sea air. There is a good chance that this is why drivers stay under the 40 km/h speed limit, to make sure their cars don’t fall apart.
On that note, read my new word of the week.
For the first time, I feel that I actually have something to do at work. Not quite make-Tonga-a-better-place things to do. More at-least-it-stops-me-playing-solitaire things to do. Which I am more than happy with, I would like to believe I am not naïve enough to think that I, as a volunteer in town for 12-months, really am going to make too much of a difference to Tonga. Maybe this is an acknowledgement of my laziness as much as it is a commentary on the role of the volunteer.
Either way this week I have been busy and it looks as though I will stay that way, but still with some time for solitaire. I have also confirmed that there will be work for me to go on with beyond the ‘Eua project and an urban planning project I am involved in. I will be working more closely with Minister's staff and have better access to learn what actually goes on here. It should mean I can find enough to do at last.
If nothing else, the Tongan national development plan is released next week. I haven’t had much to do with its preparation so I can sit down in the latter part of next week and read it through for the first time.
Also, this week, I managed to join my local soccer club. Or should that be local soccer team. I am not really sure, it all just kind of happened.
Having been filling 8:30 to 4:30 of each day with not a great deal at work, I was pretty keen to find something to do in the evenings. Cooking dinner, reading books, watching DVDs and drinks at the Billfish, had been only somewhat filling in my evenings so I thought I would join in with a group of Tongans who play soccer each evening in a park near my work.
It has taken me awhile to work out what time they play and get along at that time, but this week I managed to go twice. At the start of the second night, they announced we have a game on Saturday (tomorrow). So tomorrow I will line up for the Kolofo’ou (kolo is town and fo’ou new, so Newtown) Football Club in some tournament. Should be fun, though I think they have an idea of playing me as the goalkeeper which could be rather shambolic as the team certainly doesn’t play with any structure. Let’s hope the opposition is just as bad.
I thought that seeing this weeks entry is a little short I would write rather randomly about anything to do with Tonga. I have chosen to talk about cars in Tonga.
This was prompted by my sighting a battered up old Toyota Corolla whilst riding home the other day. As a kid, I had a matchbox version of this same car. Another kid at school gave it to me when I was at Franklin Public School, so in 1983. This matchbox car was still floating around in my dad’s garage the last time I lived at home, in 1999. You can imagine the amount of abuse this little toy would have received over those sixteen years. I was never gentle with my toy cars and this one would have survived a dozen or so moves, been bashed about in toy boxes etc on top of all the damage that a kid can inflict on a piece of diecast metal. Anyway, the point is that the Toyota Corolla I was following the other day looked exactly the same as my matchbox version circa 1999. Most of the paint was gone, the doors were barely hanging on and whilst there was a windscreen that was about all of the glass. Now, this is reasonably typical of many cars in Tonga. There are some fancy new ones, mostly big 4WDs, but many of the cars are old and judging by the rego stickers have enjoyed previous lives in Japan (or China) and New Zealand before arriving in the Pacific. Already dilapidated on arrival, the cars deteriorate further in a hurry thanks to not-so-meticulous care of the Tongans and the abundant sea air. There is a good chance that this is why drivers stay under the 40 km/h speed limit, to make sure their cars don’t fall apart.
On that note, read my new word of the week.
31 May 2006
from caves to marches
After a busy week in 'Eua, I returned to Nuku'alofa just in time to enjoy the best weather that we have experienced since arriving two months ago. The days are sunny and in the mid to high 20s. The south-east trade winds keep things very comfortable and even a little cool at nigh.
On Saturday we took advantage of this good weather by going camping at 'Anuhulu Beach. 'Ana is the Tongan word for cave the beach features just that as well as a graveyard and some good snorkelling.
Due to some laziness on our part, we arrived too late on Saturday to do much other than cook dinner and gaze at the stars. The latter is one of the highlights of living somewhere away from the glow of city lights.
The same is true of the sunrises and sunsets. 'Anahulu beach faces east towards 'Eua, so in the morning I rose early and watched the sun sneak over the horizon before we settled down for breakfast ahead of our first exploration of the cave. As much of the cave that we explored didn't quite live up to its full title (hulu means vast or large), but there was still plenty to see including bats, a few large pools and, unfortunately, because this is Tonga, plenty of litter. We took candles in with us and set them up around the cleanest and largest of the pools as we went for a swim. It was little cold and a bit eerie, but we all emerged from the cave safe and sound. Another trip into the cave was organised for the afternoon, and at that time it was a great way to escape the heat of the day.
No photos from inside the cave unfortunately. There are some photos of the graves up on my flickr site.
If that wasn't enought of a highlight for the week, Thursday saw the opening of parliament. This is no dull and dour affair, but starting from about 9:30 in the morning involves schoolchildren and military groups marching and dancing up and down the main street of Nuku'alofa for the best part of four hours. There are plenty of photos on my flickr site, which best capture the colour and pageantry of the day. I am looking forward to the parade for the King's birthday, his health permitting, which should make yesterday's celebration seem rather dull.
On Saturday we took advantage of this good weather by going camping at 'Anuhulu Beach. 'Ana is the Tongan word for cave the beach features just that as well as a graveyard and some good snorkelling.
Due to some laziness on our part, we arrived too late on Saturday to do much other than cook dinner and gaze at the stars. The latter is one of the highlights of living somewhere away from the glow of city lights.
The same is true of the sunrises and sunsets. 'Anahulu beach faces east towards 'Eua, so in the morning I rose early and watched the sun sneak over the horizon before we settled down for breakfast ahead of our first exploration of the cave. As much of the cave that we explored didn't quite live up to its full title (hulu means vast or large), but there was still plenty to see including bats, a few large pools and, unfortunately, because this is Tonga, plenty of litter. We took candles in with us and set them up around the cleanest and largest of the pools as we went for a swim. It was little cold and a bit eerie, but we all emerged from the cave safe and sound. Another trip into the cave was organised for the afternoon, and at that time it was a great way to escape the heat of the day.
No photos from inside the cave unfortunately. There are some photos of the graves up on my flickr site.
If that wasn't enought of a highlight for the week, Thursday saw the opening of parliament. This is no dull and dour affair, but starting from about 9:30 in the morning involves schoolchildren and military groups marching and dancing up and down the main street of Nuku'alofa for the best part of four hours. There are plenty of photos on my flickr site, which best capture the colour and pageantry of the day. I am looking forward to the parade for the King's birthday, his health permitting, which should make yesterday's celebration seem rather dull.
26 May 2006
'eua and error
This last week has been spent in ‘Eua. I didn’t go in to the week with great expectations, hoping only to have a relaxing week away from irritations and to do some work. I was anticipating this post to be quite short as I didn’t want to cover old ground from my earlier visit to ‘Eua. It won’t be, the week was eventful both for me and Tonga. There are also plenty of accompanying photos now up on my flickr page.
This, my second, trip to ‘Eua was to support my newly-adopted counterpart, Winston, and two UN technical assistants prepare a strategic development plan for ‘Eua. This could have been a really dull week, with me just tagging along setting up computers and projectors, etc. As it turned out I was very much involved in the job of developing the plan and this job was a huge amount of fun, though a little exhausting, because the UN technical assistant who made it to ‘Eua succeeded at involving the people of ‘Eua as much as possible.
There are about 5000 people living on ‘Eua, working mainly as farmers, in forestry or as part of the small, but expanding tourism industry. The people live what is described on the sign at the airport a “friendly village life” in 14 villages spread out along the main road and the eastern coast. ‘Eua is also home to perhaps the only national park in the Kingdom worthy of such a name. Our job for the week was to work with people from all across the island and start to capture what they want for the future. The whole exercise could lend itself to pretension, however thanks to good planning on the part of the UN guys, the current popular enthusiasm for change in Tonga and the friendliness of our hosts the whole week was very uplifting.
From our arrival on Friday until the workshop on Wednesday, the days, Sunday aside, were filled meeting the various associations, collectives, chambers and other interest groups in ‘Eua. These ranged from rather dull affairs to more lively sessions, but all were interesting because they were mostly conducted in Tongan (which has inspired me to work harder on the language) and thanks to some quick translations and some participants talking in English, I finally had a chance to get a feel for how real Tongans, rather than just public servants, regard their lives and the good humour with which they approach everything.
In the evenings, we were entertained either at our guesthouse or the home of Winston’s uncle. Getting to go to Va’inga’s house was a real treat. The hospitality was superb with plentiful food and alcohol put on for us. It was also nice to talk at length with Va’inga and whoever else would drop by.
The youngest in the family, a girl of a bit less then two, also thought that these palangis who kept visiting her house were the scariest thing in the world. At the start of the week our arrival would be greeted with a terrified expression before she burst into tears. With each night the little thing became less and less afraid, to the point that she would wave at us from a distance or another room. If we were in the same room, however, she would quickly attach herself to the nearest Tongan adult and stare out at us from within their protective embrace, apprehensive about these strange pale people.
Nights at The Hideway can be great. There is little to do apart from chat with the other guests and the place attracts interesting guests. Our first night involved some generous guests who kept the beers and talk about the current climate of change, including rumours of a possible strike brewing, coming for a few hours.
I didn’t want to go into too much detail now about the current tensions in Tonga, as that will surely be the topic of another blog when the strikes take place in a fortnight. But it is hard to avoid the topic of the moment.
As I think I have mentioned, the Tongan public servants went on strike last year in protest at the disparity in pay between the Ministers and public servants. This dispute quickly escalated into a dispute about democratic and political reform, the escalation being supported at the time in no small part by our fellow and generous guests at The Hideaway. This escalation was momentous for Tonga, as it represented the first time that the Tongan people in large numbers openly criticised their government and sections of the royal family. The strike ended with public servants being awarded 60, 70 and 80 per cent pay rises, however this was later qualified by the need to make a quarter of the public service redundant to pay for the increases.
Also, the then PM, a member of the royal family, resigned earlier this year and was replaced by a new PM who was appointed by the King from members of parliament elected by the people – the first popularly elected, commoner PM in a round about kind of way. (This new PM bears an eerie resemblance to Bob Hawke). In the last week, this PM has announced a cabinet reshuffle that included appointing three additional. Their appointment and the government’s seeming agreement to buy back the power company it had earlier sold to the crown prince, occurring against the background of mass redundancies and a major fiscal crisis has resulted in the public service, supported by business and the democracy movement, to threaten to go on strike again unless the government resign and fresh, wholly-democratic elections are called.
That is, another dispute about equity has quickly become a push for greater democracy. Interesting and historic times in Tonga then.
This enthusiasm for change really affected our final day in ‘Eua, when we conducted a workshop and had the people of ‘Eua choose words for key parts of the plan. Not only was the whole day kept reasonably lively by the current climate of popular empowerment (if I can call it that), but also people were genuinely happy to be working together, rather than at loggerheads and with the exclusion of some groups, such as women and youth. The end result was some genuinely good ideas and all round good feeling.
I can’t wait to go back to ‘Eua in August/September to finish the plans and I haven’t even mentioned the whales that should be migrating through the area at the time.
This, my second, trip to ‘Eua was to support my newly-adopted counterpart, Winston, and two UN technical assistants prepare a strategic development plan for ‘Eua. This could have been a really dull week, with me just tagging along setting up computers and projectors, etc. As it turned out I was very much involved in the job of developing the plan and this job was a huge amount of fun, though a little exhausting, because the UN technical assistant who made it to ‘Eua succeeded at involving the people of ‘Eua as much as possible.
There are about 5000 people living on ‘Eua, working mainly as farmers, in forestry or as part of the small, but expanding tourism industry. The people live what is described on the sign at the airport a “friendly village life” in 14 villages spread out along the main road and the eastern coast. ‘Eua is also home to perhaps the only national park in the Kingdom worthy of such a name. Our job for the week was to work with people from all across the island and start to capture what they want for the future. The whole exercise could lend itself to pretension, however thanks to good planning on the part of the UN guys, the current popular enthusiasm for change in Tonga and the friendliness of our hosts the whole week was very uplifting.
From our arrival on Friday until the workshop on Wednesday, the days, Sunday aside, were filled meeting the various associations, collectives, chambers and other interest groups in ‘Eua. These ranged from rather dull affairs to more lively sessions, but all were interesting because they were mostly conducted in Tongan (which has inspired me to work harder on the language) and thanks to some quick translations and some participants talking in English, I finally had a chance to get a feel for how real Tongans, rather than just public servants, regard their lives and the good humour with which they approach everything.
In the evenings, we were entertained either at our guesthouse or the home of Winston’s uncle. Getting to go to Va’inga’s house was a real treat. The hospitality was superb with plentiful food and alcohol put on for us. It was also nice to talk at length with Va’inga and whoever else would drop by.
The youngest in the family, a girl of a bit less then two, also thought that these palangis who kept visiting her house were the scariest thing in the world. At the start of the week our arrival would be greeted with a terrified expression before she burst into tears. With each night the little thing became less and less afraid, to the point that she would wave at us from a distance or another room. If we were in the same room, however, she would quickly attach herself to the nearest Tongan adult and stare out at us from within their protective embrace, apprehensive about these strange pale people.
Nights at The Hideway can be great. There is little to do apart from chat with the other guests and the place attracts interesting guests. Our first night involved some generous guests who kept the beers and talk about the current climate of change, including rumours of a possible strike brewing, coming for a few hours.
I didn’t want to go into too much detail now about the current tensions in Tonga, as that will surely be the topic of another blog when the strikes take place in a fortnight. But it is hard to avoid the topic of the moment.
As I think I have mentioned, the Tongan public servants went on strike last year in protest at the disparity in pay between the Ministers and public servants. This dispute quickly escalated into a dispute about democratic and political reform, the escalation being supported at the time in no small part by our fellow and generous guests at The Hideaway. This escalation was momentous for Tonga, as it represented the first time that the Tongan people in large numbers openly criticised their government and sections of the royal family. The strike ended with public servants being awarded 60, 70 and 80 per cent pay rises, however this was later qualified by the need to make a quarter of the public service redundant to pay for the increases.
Also, the then PM, a member of the royal family, resigned earlier this year and was replaced by a new PM who was appointed by the King from members of parliament elected by the people – the first popularly elected, commoner PM in a round about kind of way. (This new PM bears an eerie resemblance to Bob Hawke). In the last week, this PM has announced a cabinet reshuffle that included appointing three additional. Their appointment and the government’s seeming agreement to buy back the power company it had earlier sold to the crown prince, occurring against the background of mass redundancies and a major fiscal crisis has resulted in the public service, supported by business and the democracy movement, to threaten to go on strike again unless the government resign and fresh, wholly-democratic elections are called.
That is, another dispute about equity has quickly become a push for greater democracy. Interesting and historic times in Tonga then.
This enthusiasm for change really affected our final day in ‘Eua, when we conducted a workshop and had the people of ‘Eua choose words for key parts of the plan. Not only was the whole day kept reasonably lively by the current climate of popular empowerment (if I can call it that), but also people were genuinely happy to be working together, rather than at loggerheads and with the exclusion of some groups, such as women and youth. The end result was some genuinely good ideas and all round good feeling.
I can’t wait to go back to ‘Eua in August/September to finish the plans and I haven’t even mentioned the whales that should be migrating through the area at the time.
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