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.