Whale of a Good Time

Okay, so I've settled back into my old trend of not keeping you updated as to what I've been up to, but today we'll fix that. I'm on 2 weeks holiday from the Side School so I've been cleaning house, cleaning up my laptop, exploring Vava'u, injuring myself and getting sick, getting over injuries and being sick, and I guess... now... Blogging.

So let's start off with the biggest event, I swam with humpback whales. Yeah that's right! Vava'u is renowned for whale watching and I had the fortune to go out for free on one of these trips. We started out early in the morning and almost immediately came upon a mother and calf. However, they were not very playful and kept disappearing and so our first contact turned out to be just whale watching. Later in the day, after some snorkeling and searching, we found another mother and calf and watched them play for a little bit. Getting to see them come up for air and breaching was one of the coolest things I've seen, but the anticipation of getting into the water with them and swimming was such an amazing nervousness. Finally, after the first group had gone in and swam for a bit, it was our turn. My heart was beating so fast and a million thoughts rushed through my head. In the water, I quickly swam to come along side the pair and from about 10m away, I watched as the calf nursed from the mother and swam around. I was asked before getting in the water where my excitement level was on a scale of 1 to 10. Out of the water I was at a 6 or 7, not sure I would actually get to swim with them. After my first experience though, swimming back to the boat, definitely a solid 10, one of the most amazing things I've done in my life.





Later in the day, we came upon another female whale and two males. We got in with them and the experience only improved. Swimming with them, we chilled at the surface with them for about fifteen minutes. When they moved we gently swam with and were pulled along by their stream. After a total of about 30 minutes with them, all three whales dove down in unison to the deep blue ocean below until they were out of sight. It was the perfect final swim and what I thought would be the final scene of the day. On our return to Neiafu, we came upon one final mother and calf slapping their tails and fins against the water, breaching the water and waving at us. An amazing day it was. Absolutely, a high for my adventures here in Tonga.

In other news, I mentioned cleaning up the laptop and that just to say, I've been going through all the pictures I've been taking the past couple months and organizing them so I can share my experiences here. Don't want people to think I'm geeking out in the tropical paradise I call home.

I've had a circle of bad luck with getting sick lately. I'm currently struggling with some back pain. I was picking up my newly adopted dog, Olivia and sure enough; I heard the pop and now I'm kinda house bound getting over the discomfort. The past two months have been filled with strep throat, the flu, Achilles Tendinitis and believe it or not Strep throat for a second time. One might think poor James, but I'm actually in such a good place, that it hasn't gotten me down. The amazing things I'm getting to do and the amazing people I have in my life here, make it all seem like nothing. However, I am hoping that September will be a injury and sick free month.

I also got PADI certified; finally. My best friend on the island and I went through the course and it's so cool to be able to do scuba here because there are so many cool things to see, 'under the sea.' Forgive my cheese. We're hoping to get our Advanced course done in the next two weeks.

I'll surely write more soon, but for now I'm gonna call it a night. Enjoy the pictures and look forward to more soon.

DVD player is OSI!

Yeah, so the CD-RW part of my drive on my laptop is still working, but it won't play DVD's. Crap electronics that I have a love/hate relationship with. Never fear, Dad is on it. Gonna order a new snazzy, everyone has one now, not so new, DVD-RW drive and send it out South Pacific style (3-16 weeks). I should be sitting down to finish up Season 5 of 24, which I watched the first disc of (man, I'm in such anticipation; will Jack Bauer kill all the Russian terrorists, get the girl and save life as we know it. We should send Jack into a certain country in the middle east, come on Dubya, watch some TV, why don't ya).

Okay, in other news, we've got about a a month until our group 71 volunteers (I'm group 73) close out their two years of service and head home. It's gonna be sad to see them leave. It'll bring our numbers down considerably; 5 out of 14. If you see this guy around, buy him a drink, he's become a very good friend and he has done some really awesome things here in the Kingdom and loves spreading the word of peace.




* My Jack Bauer remarks - I'm neither for or against any political situation anywhere on the planet. I'm a Peace Corps volunteer, I have no opinion. It was a joke.

J

Mufti

So, I've been getting carried away lately, always taking pictures with my new camera. In my defense there is so much cool stuff to take pictures of here in Vava'u. I live in paradise.

Anyway, today's obsession was the kids at my school. Wednesdays are Mufti, which is the day the kids don't have to wear their uniforms to school and instead, wear whatever they want. It's fun to see the styles the kids go for. I don't get to dress down, but I'm not that dressed up to begin with.

Here is a few snaps of the kids and me. One of my good friends, the class 3 teacher is in some of the pics from today too. His name is Pila (which is actually Bill in English). They are all adorable and they love getting their picture taken.











And then some of just the kids.











J

A Quick Trip to Nuku'alofa

So my trip down to Nuku'alofa was a success. Got my passport stuff taken care of, went to the Wesleyan Church Conference feast, got to see some friends, bought some supplies, and most importantly, got back to Vava'u.

It's a cool little flight down there, check out some pictures of the flight and our arrival at the Peace Corps office.









A picture of the church conference feast...



Our flight back to Vava'u was suppose to be at 7AM yesterday, but that flight was canceled and so we hung out a bit longer in Nuku'alofa and were off a little after 2PM. We took a brief stop in Ha'apai and then on to Vava'u. It's always good to get back to Vava'u, I'm really lucky. It's such a great place to call home.

I have loads of pictures to upload from my school, next time I get a chance I'll put up some sort of slide show or something.

J

T-Tap for a New Passport!

Flew down here to Tongatapu to have my passport application signed in front of an official from the embassy in Fiji. Was suppose to have an appointment at 3:30, but got in and took care of it this morning so now I have the day to do some shopping and have some lunch with friends down here in the capital. I think we're going to go to the Wesleyan Church conference for a feast late this afternoon, which should be nice.

I'll be sure to write another post once I'm back in Vava'u, post some pictures of my happenings.

Side note: My replacement gear is all here now, if you remember I was robbed last time I was in Tongatapu. New camera = lots of new pics to be posted, on the blog, soon.

J

"Mom, I've got the throat."

I’m sorry to those that have been following and not getting any posts from me, but as you’ve come to learn I write when I think there is something worth writing about that I also have pictures to go with. This time, I’ve got no pictures, instead strep throat. Before joining the Peace Corps I read about so many illnesses and threats that I would face. I read a quote, “Don’t worry about any of the diseases you can get, because you’ll get three of them during your services.” I like the thought and what it means. It in no way is trying to tell anyone that they shouldn’t be cautious, but that you can be as cautious as you want, but the chances are high that you’re going to get sick/injured during Peace Corps. Since arriving to country, volunteers in my group have scratched, punctured and bruised their bodies, the common cold has become all too common and fevers run high. Volunteers have had bouts with food poisoning and Dengue Fever, homesickness and motion sickness. I now have Strep Throat, not a sickness I was worried about here in the Kingdom, but sure enough, I’ve been out of commission for a week. I finally got on Amoxicillin (at first the doc thought it was a viral infection; common) and am slowly starting to feel better. My neighbors and a lot of the Peace Corps have been super this week, checking on me and getting me things that I need. Steve picked up an enormous jug of Tropicana orange juice, which is such a luxury here.

All is well here in Vava’u. The weather has turned and we’ve had a string of rather sunny days and the rain has been minimal, mostly in the mornings. Suppose to go on our monthly sailing adventure, but might have to opt out unless I’m feeling a lot better. Steve and I head down to the capital next week for a night to fill out passport paperwork in front of the consulate visiting from Fiji.

Thanks to all of you who keep stocked with DVDs and goodies and messages from home. I love hearing from you and would love to continue to hear from you.

J

A Boat Ride to Remember

I recently came back to Vava'u on the 24 hour boat trip with my buddy Joey. It was such an amazing experience for so many good and awful reasons. I was planning to right my own entry to fill you in, but Joey has already said it better; enjoy.

J

Words from Joey

That’s NIUs to Me

“I love the ocean. Boats, not so much.”

-Jeff Goldblum*

Riding the boat sucks. No need for prose or alliteration—it is simply not fun. It’s been two days since I stepped off the Pulapaki onto Vava’u soil and I still feel a little grungy. Simi, Moa and I boarded the vessel at 5 pm on Tuesday, May 6th. After only an hour, we passed the Olovaha, erasing its 30-minute head start.

Though the early onset of dusk aided in our slumber, Simi was awoken by the pounding rain that formed a lake in our little corner of the boat. As he opened his eyes, a few Tongan passengers happily offered him the salutation “wet, eh?!”

Soon after, the rain stopped and by the time we arrived in Ha’apai, our space was dry. After an hour meandering about the wharf, we rested our eyes again at 5 am. At 8, a Tongan woman shook us awake. Glancing about, we first noticed that we were still in Ha’apai and then, saw that another small body of water had formed around our mats and belongings. Our friendly neighbor set us up with a space in a dry cabin. Five hours after arrival we finally set off at 9 am for Vava’u.

Shortly after 1 pm, we caught sight of Late, the volcanic island of Vava’u, and finally arrived in the Port of Refuge at 3 pm on Wednesday, May 7th.

Though the boat can be a hellish ride, there is still enough to appreciate about the journey that makes up for its many pitfalls.

- When else will you take a 22-hour voyage that can otherwise be accomplished in a 1-hour plane ride?
- When trying to fall to sleep the first night, the gusting winds repeatedly un-tucked my blanket (lavalava), exposing my toes to the cold air. Each time this happened, a Tongan woman whom I’d never met, tucked me back in.
- Looking out into the endless ocean, Simi gazed at a pod of dolphins swimming alongside the boat. We watched as light blue fish flew out of the water, extended their wings and coasted for meters above the surface. All the while, seafaring birds would gracefully descend from the sky and hover along the tops of waves waiting to catch their prey.
- After moving to our new dry quarters, a Tongan string band began to play tunes with the accompaniment of a raspy-voiced female lead singer, backed up by the deep baritone of a guitarist.
- Even though we spent five hours in Ha’apai—three hours longer than the usual two-hour max—not one person complained or even showed an expression of annoyance. Never mind that the passengers were sleeping on the dirty, wet ground and risked singeing their nose hairs every time they even stood in the vicinity of the restroom—these patient individuals enjoyed music, conversation, looking out upon the vastness of the ocean, and just being.
- It helps us to understand the true distance between the islands that airplanes now mask. With this perspective, it’s easier to appreciate the reason many Tongans never stray from the island of their birth.
- And finally, we can appreciate NOT being a passenger of the Olovaha, which departed 30 minutes before, and arrived in Vava’u six hours after us.



*It was painful to quote Jeff Goldblum, but this statement was right-on. Whatever—if Harry Carey deemed him worthy of interview, then I can site him in Toungaue.

T-Tappin' It Up

Flew down to Tongatapu (the main island of Tonga) and staying with a volunteer Joey that use to live up in Vava'u. Stan and Steve came down to work on presentations they have for our in service training (IST) next week, I'm just here kickin it in Nuku'alofa. It's funny to see the capital city and how big it seems. I've gotten so use to Neiafu and how quaint it is; not Nuku'alofa. There are tons of stores and so much variety. We're about to head over to the International Dateline Hotel and chill out at the pool. Saw some of group 73 that live down here in Tongatapu. I'll get to see the rest of the group on Monday when people fly in and come in from their villages. I'm excited to hang with the group, it will be the first time I've seen them for almost 5 months.

J

A great day for sailing!

Today was the last day of the school term and I now am on break for 2 weeks, but what a break it will be, I'm going down to Nuku'alofa (the capital) on Tongatapu for most of it. Group 73 is having our In Service Training for a little over a week, so not much of a break. It will be great to see volunteers from other islands and see what the first part of service has been like for everyone.


This past Saturday, most of the Vava'u volunteers got together for a day in the sun and some fun on the water. We went out on a catamaran called Orion and sail around the islands of Vava'u. What an awesome day, we got some great snorkeling in and it's always fun when the volunteers get together in big groups and I get to hangout with some people I don't see as much. Check out the pics and let me know what you think about my paradise.















Missing a few Vava'u volunteers, but this is most of the Vava'u group that are stuck with me.



James

Do it for the kids

Today we had some environmental awareness at the school. Jessie and Jessica (other Peace Corps volunteers here in Vava’u) visited my school to help me teach the kids about recycling. We have a recycling cage at the school, thanks to Jessie, and the kids have really gotten excited and filled the cage in about a week.

We weighed it out and they collected 33 kilos and there is a company that pays 60 cents a kilo, so the kids made 20 bucks picking up cans. I’m excited about where our recycling efforts could go with the schools here in Vava’u. initiative

J

Been a little while...

Yeah, so I’m finally writing again… my plan is to start writing in here more frequently. Steve writes in his blog all the time and my buddy Stan found a renewed energy, so… I will try for the same.

What’s new with me? I’m doing awesome here in Vava’u. I keep myself pretty busy and still have plenty of down time. For those of you that have sent books to this side of the world, I appreciate it. They are getting read and not just by me. As you may remember I am working at the Vava’u Side School, a charter school, similar to a private school. We just had the opening for our school. It was an exciting event; the opening was followed by a huge feast (maybe 1000 people). The feasts here are always a big deal, but this was really big.





During the feast, the students performed traditional dances for the guests and it was a lot of fun. It wasn’t just the students that performed though. I suited up and did a warrior dance with my class 5 kids and another teacher at the school (yes, I danced in front of 1000 people). The picture can show you better than I could ever explain, but it was such an awesome thing to have experienced doing.



I’ve been teaching for about 8 weeks now, 2 weeks in our new facility. It’s going great. Some of the projects I’m thinking about for the Side School are: improving the library, putting together a computer “lab” (3 computers), and building a garden for the students to work on. If you have any children’s books, want to help out in some way with the computer lab, or want to mail some seeds this way, let me know, because I’d love any support.

Hopefully, I will start getting involved in some secondary projects soon. I do want to try and build a ropes course here, but need to figure out a lot of the logistics, before I can even begin to think about it. I’ve also put forth some interest in tutoring at the university here and should start helping with some computer classes soon.

Steve has moved up here to Vava’u. He was down in the capital for 3 months, continuing with some training for his job working at the Tonga Development Bank. This doesn’t happen much, but we are actually next door neighbors and by neighbors; I mean his house is less than 6 feet away. I could probably jump into his house from my porch.



Now I have to end with the highlight of the this month. We went sailing last Saturday and it was truly one of the coolest things I’ve done. It was a beautiful catamaran, definitely one of the largest sailboats I’ve been on. We sailed to a lagoon where we spent the day hanging out in the water and catching some sun on the boat. The whole day has me looking into the possibilities of me sailing after Peace Corps. On our way back we stopped in at Mariner’s Cave. The cave is actually only accessible from underwater, which is one of the reasons it’s so cool. The lot of us swam under and through (6 feet down and 12 feet in). It was such an amazing day.





Thanks to all of you who have sent me letters and packages. They really do make my day when they come and it’s nice to be able to share things from home with my neighbors and other Peace Corps volunteers.

J

Vava'u Side School

My primary job here in the Kingdom is going to have me working at the Vava'u Side School. The school is a charter school and the curriculum is in all English. I'm still waiting to discuss what expectations the school has of me. I know that they want me to help setup a computer lab and teach computers, but not sure what else I will be doing at the school. I am waiting to discuss more about it with my counterpart; the principal.

The school just got a new complex that was funded by Japan. It's a beautiful new site. Here are some shots of the new school, they are still finishing up with some final details.







School doesn't start until February, so I've got a lot of time on my hands. I've been checking out more of the island, going into town, I ride around a lot on my buddies bike. I'll take some shots of town and other scenes from my everyday life and post them in the next couple days.

Hope all is well with you!

Toki sio!
James