Adventures in the Peace Corps

James Gets MedEvaced!! (part 1)

2009-07-08T08:38:00.001+13:00

What an out dated post... oh well!!!

So, it was sometime in the middle of March. All was going well, I was watching a movie and couldn't get to sleep, because of what I thought was a little stomach ache. Well, the fear came on strong when several hours later, the little stomach ache changed to some of the worse pain I've experienced and it was certain I wasn't getting to sleep that night. My phone wasn't working and my friend and convenient neighbor, Steve, was staying out on Ika Lahi consulting for the Tonga Development Bank.

Panic set in a bit realizing that I wasn't able to get a hold of anyone. I was nervous. Finally, around 7, A good friend here in Vava'u, Don, signed on to Skype and I was on asking him to call some folks to apprise them of my situation. The situation was that I had been reading the Internet all night and was fearing sudden death from my symptoms, but at the same time realizing I was probably just sleep deprived and making it out to be worse than it really was. Well, I can tell you, my tone must have scared Don, because within 30 minutes I had 3 different modes of transport to the hospital and the concerned phone calls started coming in. While my direct Peace Corps supervisor was on the main island of Tonga for business, other Peace Corps staff was here in Vava'u and on the case. However, it was my supervisor's sister that really earned my admiration. She was with me from beginning to end in Vava'u. She stayed with me as if I was her own family and the comfort it offered me can't be described in a blog post. I also had my best friends here in Vava'u on the wire to America, informing my folks of the situation. I hadn't wanted to worry them, thinking it might turn out to be nothing, but they are my family here in Vava'u and they did what family does, makes better decisions for you, when you're not making the right ones.

I was in the hospital for three days here in Vava'u and the three days seemed like weeks. The staff was excellent, but the facilities are sparse and if you've ever seen 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' you can imagine where I was staying. I was hooked up to a drip and provided extra strength pain medicine (not just pain pills, as per usual), and amazingly the pain subsided. In fact by the time I was leaving the hospital for the main island to see if I was going to be leaving the country, I was convinced I was fine and had just had a bit of gas. The friends I talked about earlier, were not convinced and made it very clear to me that I was going to have this checked out, outside of Tonga. So, you're wondering what was all the fuss about??? Just maybe, an Appendicitis!

I was flown down to Nuku'alofa and saw some more doctors and the Peace Corps medical staff. With no more pain from me and only my recount of what pain I had, had and some blood tests confirming that it was more than gas. It was decided that I was going to leave the country to have it all checked out. This being said, I nor the in country doctors were very concerned about it being anything serious, because the pain was completely gone. Peace Corps however, was very concerned and were taking it much more serious than I was. The doctor at the hospital in Nuku'alofa said I was fine to fly and so flights were being scheduled; Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji, which will it be? I was an advocate for Australia when it was between Oz and Fiji, but Peace Corps in Washington was concerned about the flight time to Australia and the possibility of me rupturing my Appendix. I wasn't concerned, because I was feeling healthy at this point. After my travel plans were booked and canceled, booked and canceled. It was decided finally, that Australia was the place, until it wasn't and New Zealand was now thrown in the mix. This is a fun part for me, because I gained complete confidence in my country director as my advocate. He got on the phone, telling me, "you might just want to leave the room James." He was going to squash the back and forth and make my plans concrete. Thanks Jeff! It was settled, again my destination was Australia, until a VOLCANO decided it would be a good time to form another island and the Air New Zealand flight couldn't come in because volcanic ash doesn't come up on radars and the flights come in at night. Damn volcanic ash. However, this was a minor issue, we left 10 hours later and I was on my way to Brisbane, Australia with our Peace Corps Medical Officer, Jacinta Tonga as my personal escort. Catch the Australian side of the story next post, I'm late for school...

Where Am I Going and What Am I Doing Now?

2009-06-02T14:12:00.002+13:00

So, we're coming down to the time when a Peace Corps volunteer asks themselves; what next? I have about 6 months to figure out what is next. I have a few ideas of what I am planning to do, but the biggest thing I've learned from my experiences so far, is that you should always be prepared for the unexpected.

Ideas that I am taking more seriously than others:

1. Grad School - I am very interested in design and buildings particularly have me excited right now. I've looked at a lot of Architecture programs back in the states and if this is the path for me, I think I'll be West Coast bound in 2010, where there are a lot of great Master's of Architecture programs focusing on sustainability. Interests are peaked.

2. Travel is of course on the list. Now having lived in 2 foreign countries, I've officially got the bug. I am very interested in checking out the world. I think I could happily spend the rest of my life living in a different country every 6 months or so. I have yet to win the lottery and the rich uncle I never knew about hasn't called, so I'm focusing on smaller trips at the moment. South East Asia is looking like it will be the first stop after Peace Corps. Something that seems to draw so many, is drawing me.

3. Island Life is officially part of who I am now. I would like to come back here to Vava'u and have a go at a non Peace Corps related life. I've given this a lot of thought and to do this I need a plan and I haven't come up with something viable yet. Some great ideas, but nothing that I'm passionate about...yet! The most important thing is that I want it to happen and so now I just need to manifest my want into my reality.

Okay, so those are the biggest things on the mind as far as where I'm going after Peace Corps. As I've mentioned these are the three most frequented ideas. I've have so many and am ready for the unexpected as well. It's exciting to have options.

I've talked about where I am going, but more importantly... what am I doing right now???

I've had some strong challenges in my Peace Corps experience, as all volunteers do. Though I didn't actually ever get a job description sheet, I was told by the powers that be in the beginning of this experience that I would be a computer teacher. Well, I'll start by saying, this is finally true... kinda. The first year and a half, I was a computer teacher without computers. I would have tried grants or donation programs, but I was always told that computers were coming and sure enough 13 months into my service as a volunteer, there were 5 IBM computers delivered to the school. I now started to plan my computer classes and was excited about the prospects of being a computer teacher with computers.

It was all put on hold. I had an Appendicitis and had to be medically evacuated to Brisbane, Australia. Now that sounds pretty dramatic. In all honesty, I was feeling really good by the time I left the country and was feeling like I might show up in Australia to be told I had had a bad stomach ache or something. I was taking the whole thing very lightly; too lightly it turns out. I had a severely infected appendix that was very susceptible to rupturing in Tonga or even worse... 30,000 feet up in the air on a 7 hour journey to Australia. Hmmm, that doesn't sound good at all! Luckily I have very smart and cautious friends, family and Peace Corps staff that insisted I have this all checked out, outside of Tonga.

(I will write separately about my trip to Brisbane, but for now moving on with with getting to where I am right now).

Returning from Oz after 3 weeks, I was back to school, having spent about 4 weeks away from school. Upon returning I got back into the swing of things. I started teaching my computer classes, working on my schools library, helping my school's principal with administrative work, tutoring my class at the local university and the routines of socializing with my friends. About 3 weeks pass and I start to get these really bad upper rib pains. When they don't go away for a week, I fly down to the capital city and get checked out, thinking it has something to do with the surgery (I had the exact same pain right after the surgery, while I was still in Australia that led me on a trip back to the Emergency Room). In the past three months I've spent more time away from school, than at school. This has created a huge problem of detachment. I spent a week back in Vava'u without going back to school. My friends took the stance of kinda laughing at my laziness, I think there were some moments people thought I was getting ready to throw in the towel on the whole Peace Corps experience (cough, Jason) and of course the jokes and fear let me ask the question myself... WTF am I doing?

My Peace Corps site has had many issues, I've had many struggles, but at the end of the day, I enjoy working with kids, I feel like I've been a positive addition and I can still get some cool things done in my last 6 months. I am continuing with my computer classes in the afternoons. I WILL figure out recycling in Vava'u and get the schools program back up and running. The library that I have organized so many times, will get one more attempt put forth at a sustainable organization program and I am now going to be assisting Class 1 pretty much full on in the mornings. My principal thinks its the best place for me, because they will really benefit from hearing a native English speaker so often. My next 6 months is so different than what I pictured for my Peace Corps experience. Expectations are something that I never held onto, through this entire experience and it's done me well. I'm excited about knocking these final months out and am excited for what lies ahead. The future is full of possibilities and I'm going to enjoy getting there.

For Dave!

2009-04-09T04:22:00.002+13:00

My appendix had to be removed, I'm in Brisbane, Australia. I think that's a good excuse for not writing or uploading my new website...

J

Long Time, No Write

2009-03-01T09:19:00.004+13:00

An update from Vava'u. I'm alive. Ha. I guess I've been pretty awful at the concept of blogging, being that the general idea is to give regular updates on what I'm up to, but no apologies, cause I've been living and things have been going.
A new year brings Peace Corps Vava'u a new group of great volunteers, new endeavors as a volunteer and a brand new energy all together. The past months have been as challenging as they come. A group of friends has left, a best friend has started a new adventure in New Zealand (shout out to Jman), and a girlfriend has left paradise and moved back to England. I've felt uncertainty about my motives for being here and my resolve to stay was tested. When things change (as they always do) the reaction is often to reach for what was good. So often we get caught up in reaching for the good we forget about all the good around us. I live in an amazing place; paradise! I still have a tremendous group of friends; Alistair, Jason, Steve and Stan, holding it down on Mt. Talau. And Group 74 brings a motivation and excitement for service that can be lost somewhat, after 18 months in country.
The challenges I've been facing aren't going to go away. It's one of the biggest reason I signed up for Peace Corps. I wanted to test my ability to live outside my comfort zone and for me to gain prospective and appreciation of what I have in my life and the opportunities I am looking forward to: backpacking through Southeast Asia, Portland, sustainable architecture; to name a few.
So my Dad commented recently asking for a blog update and that's where I'm at. I'll hopefully have some exciting updates very soon, along with pictures, because I know everything I write is only improved with a bit of eye candy. Things to look forward to from me: a new website; www.jamesiam.com, new blog design and many more blog posts (honest...), and lots of pictures of all the fun and exciting things I'm getting into during my last 9 months.
I'm excited about 2009, the projects that are hopefully happening at my school, the University of the South Pacific, hopefully a whale watching project to get children from Vava'u out on some donated trips, and another year of unknown and uncertainty. Thanks for checking up and check back soon for the latest and greatest.

'Ofa atu,
James

Whale of a Good Time

2008-08-27T09:48:00.007+13:00

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!

2008-07-20T09:19:00.004+13:00

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

2008-07-09T22:04:00.004+13:00

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

2008-06-27T11:29:00.006+13:00

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!

2008-06-25T10:09:00.002+13:00

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."

2008-06-20T11:11:00.002+13:00

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

2008-05-14T12:36:00.004+13:00

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

2008-04-27T14:28:00.002+13:00

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!

2008-04-23T15:23:00.011+13:00

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

2008-03-13T20:46:00.001+13:00

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...

2008-03-13T19:38:00.007+13:00

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

2008-01-05T13:52:00.000+13:00

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

Okay, I'm Alive...

2007-12-20T22:09:00.001+13:00

Alright, so I'm alive! I'm finally done with training and am officially a Peace Corps volunteer. I'll have to back track my adventures another post, but I can sum up my experience, by just telling you, "it's been an amazing 3 months." I know that doesn't give you folks back home much to work with, but I want to break the silence and start writing again, but catch up just isn't my game this time around.

Where am I now???

I now call home, the island of Vava'u. I'm living in Talau, which is the residential area of Neiafu (the main city in Vava'u).

Yeah, that's the view only about 20 meters from my house... Peace Corps was such a good idea!

What am I going to be doing?

Well, you might already know that I came here to teach English and to work on environmental education. I now know more specifically that I'll be working at the Vava'u side school, which is a charter school that is taught in all English, as opposed to having English classes part of the day. There are also some great opportunities to help out with the recycling initiative here in Vava'u. I'm also interested in working with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which will give me an opportunity to work with humpback whales. The project I am thinking about most is to try and build a ropes course here in Vava'u. I could explain more about what a ropes course is or you could Google it??? Life here in Tonga will definitely be busy.

I'm gonna sign off for now and I promise I'll play the catch up game soon and get some pictures of all the amazing things I'm experiencing here in Tonga.

For now... Toki Sio!

James

One Week!!!

2007-10-08T17:16:00.000+13:00

Okay, so I've officially been through my first week of Peace Corps. There are lots of pictures, but I can't upload them yet... missing a cord. I love Tonga, it's a beautiful country and the people are so nice. I've been eating a lot of good and new food. I ate octopus yesterday after church and it was pretty awesome. All of the other volunteers are really great and we've been getting on good; like old friends. Hopefully, once i have pictures I'll get on a computer and you can see how beautiful the country is and get idea of how big my volunteer group is. For now, I'll wish all my friends and family well and hope to here from anyone.

In the Airport...

2007-10-03T18:32:00.001+13:00

Staging is done and group 73 Tonga is heading out to Tonga in less than an hour. Everyone is great and this has been an awesome two days; exceeded all my expectations. I miss everyone at home, but want you to know that I'm making a lot of new friends. I feel like I've know a lot of them for years. I'll start uploading pictures soon, gotta JET!

I'm Freaking Out Man...

2007-09-29T07:41:00.000+13:00

No, not really! I'm actually just really anxious and really excited. I went by where I use to work yesterday and got to see a bunch of folks that I had the pleasure of working with right out of school. One of my good friends from AOL came and picked me up and took me to lunch(yeah, super nice), since I am now with out a vehicular.

My plans were to keep it pretty low key this weekend, my last weekend in the USA. Now, I'm packing the college weekend (Thursday-Sunday) with about as much as possible. Between last hangouts with all my friends and of course my parents, there will be no sleep this weekend (hey, it's a 5 1/2 hour flight to LA and about 12 hours from LA to Tonga). I'm not such a huge video game person, but living with my good friend Troy, I've put in some time on the Xbox 360 and PS3. So it was appropriate that last night, our last night hanging out for a long time, we played video games. Well... one video game; Halo 3. I got over to the house around 5 and we started playing around 530 and didn't finish until almost 2... when we beat the game. Crazy, I know and tired I am, but it was a fun last night hanging out.

I'll definitely post again before I leave, but everyone that I've been able to see and say goodbye to in the last 2 weeks, I'm so glad I was able to and for those I've missed... Tonga's only a small $1200+ flight away - think about it!

James

Bags are Packed!

2007-09-23T15:35:00.000+13:00

After 9 months, I'm less than a week away. I fly out Monday morning at 830(EST) and and get in to LAX at 1030(PST). I'll catch a cab over to the hotel and check in and hangout until registration and staging begin.

The past week, I've been picking up some last minute items. My sandals are in the mail and should be here Thursday or Friday. I've looked at so many different recommendations and heard from current PCVs and and RPCVs on what to bring. I think I've come up with a pretty great packing list. I've packed my bags a few times, but the bags were always coming up overstuffed. Tonight, I went through and got rid of quite a bit and the bags are nicely packed, comfortable to move and under weight; 74 lbs.

Here's the list:
Clothing

Shirts
T-Shirts - 10
Long Sleeve T-Shirt - 1
Polos - 4
Short Sleeve Button Shirt - 4
Long Sleeve Button Shirt - 3
Sweatshirt - 2

Pants
Khakis - 2
Linen - 1
Jeans - 2
Shorts - 5
Boardshorts - 3

Underwear
Boxers - 5
Undershirts - 5
Socks - 2

Shoes
NB Running Shoes
Hiking Boots
Flip-Flops
Sandals

Miscellaneous
Ties - 3
Bandannas - 2
Caps - 3

Outerwear
Denali Fleece
North Face Jacket

Supplies

Kitchen
Spices
Sauces
Coffee Filters
Propel Water Packets
Measuring Cup/ Spoon Ring
Spatula
Chefs Knife
Paring Knife
serrated Knife
Can Opener
Veggie Peeler
Srirachas Hot Sauce
Tabasco
Wasabi Paste

Electronics
Digital Camera
Rechargeable Batteries
Battery Charger
iPod Classic
Logitech Portable iPod Speakers
Eagle Creek 240V to 120V Transformer - 1
Laptop
Mini Lamp
Clippers
Travel Alarm Clock

Miscellaneous
2-3 Person Tent
Water Bottles - 2
Multi-Tool
Swiss Army Knife
Rope
Bug Spray
Duct Tape
Bike Repair Kit
CatchPhrase
Uno
Cards - 2 Decks
Books
Mosquito Coils - 20

Gifts
Matchbox Cars - 6
Crayola Marker - 1

Well, that's everything I'm taking, hopefully it's enough. Once I've been there for a while I'll fill you in on whether I brought enough stuff. Stay tuned...

The Long Goodbye!

2007-09-19T05:14:00.000+13:00

Two weeks and I'm on my way to LA and then Tonga. I've started in on the packing; trying to get an idea of what my stuff will weigh. I got my new Osprey pack in the mail yesterday and already have it loaded full, only slightly over 25lbs. I know the duffel will be heavier, but things are looking good to meet the 80lbs maximum for checked baggage.

The past week has been spent meeting up with friends for lunches, movies and drinks to say goodbyes. I was able to see some folks from AOL for lunch last week and that was great. On Friday, a night out with the boys, some bar hopping and lots of drinks and then Saturday another night of ridiculousness with one of my oldest friends and other folks. I think I have one or two more lunches, and I'm sure to have one last crazy night out with friends, but really trying to lay low not spend anymore money and certainly stay out of any trouble.

With every goodbye, comes the realization that in two years when I return, things will be different. I will be different, my friends and family will be different, everything around me... will be different. In two weeks, I will say goodbye to my life as I know and welcome a new path in my life. I certainly am sad to say goodbye to all of my friends, but know that in two weeks, it will not only be about goodbyes, but greetings. I'll be meeting a group of people that will have an incredible impact on my life. The truth of the situation is that in two weeks I will probably be meeting people that will be apart of the rest of my life. That's exciting, I'm excited! I look forward to the future, while spending as much of my remaining time here in Virginia, with friends and family treasuring my past.

Tonga Scenery

2007-08-28T04:03:00.000+13:00

After all my searching on the internet, I came across these photos of Tonga, taken by Paul Todd of New Zealand. These are by far the best group of photos I've found of my new home and they really make me wish it was October already.

Paul was nice enough to let me post these photos on here, so please check out his website, he has so many other cool pictures. Visit Outside Images now!

If you want to see the pictures a little larger, view the slideshow here.

Malo e lelei! (Hello!)

2007-08-24T15:16:00.001+13:00

Okay, so a huge developments since my last post. I am not going to be doing agriculture and environmental education, instead I will be teaching ESL and doing community development work. But wait, even bigger news; I'm not going to Africa. I got a call on Monday from a new placement officer with what he called "some really exciting news," I'm going to the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. Hell yeah!

So anyways, if you want to check out some cool facts on the islands, have at it and follow the following links:

CIA - The World Factbook - Tonga
Tonga - Lonely Planet
Tonga - Wikipedia

I'm leaving ~~October 2~~ October 1 for staging in LA and then after two days heading off to my new home. Needless to say, I'm stoked for 27 months of island life.

It's Official!

2007-08-03T03:03:00.001+13:00

SO, it's official, they finally updated my status in their system. The last email I got from the Peace Corps was June 4, so this is exciting stuff kids. Okay, so now we play a new waiting game, 'The Invite...'

Medically Cleared, Kinda...

2007-07-31T07:32:00.000+13:00

Okay, so on one of the follow up sheets I had for my medical, my doctor worded something wrong (according to the Peace Corps). I just have to have her say the same statement, but replace one word (ha!) and I'm medically cleared. I will post again, when it's official...

UPDATE: I sent in the fax, so I am cleared... finally. We'll see how long my invite takes.

Still No Invite!

2007-07-15T08:28:00.000+13:00

It's been almost two months and I'm still not medically cleared and no invite. They had some issues with my medical clearance and I had some follow up tests. I went back to my doctor last week with what appear to be worksheets for her to justify that I am healthy. Hopefully when I get all my results back, I'll be cleared immediately and get an invite... immediately.

My severance pay from AOL, is officially gone! Oh well, I have had one amazing summer up to this point. I've been up to Boston, Colorado Springs, California, Vero Beach, and OBX . Last weekend I had two of my best friends wedding, which was awesome. We had a great weekend, the intense heat cooled for the actual wedding and Bonnie looked amazing. I think all of us groomsmen were more nervous than Paul, he was cool as could possibly be. I'll have to post pictures when I get them. It was also a great wedding because I was able to see so many people that I never get to see. One of these people was my favorite professor from Longwood; Dr. K. We talked for a while and she was excited about where I was in the process.

Okay, back to the Peace Corps... I don't know where I'm going. I had originally thought maybe Tanzania or Zambia (just guesses) and I was almost positive I was going to East Africa, but now I see that a lot of the Agriculture programs are in Francophone Africa. Not going to get my hopes up about anywhere and am going to try to stop thinking about it until I get my invite.

That's enough for today, I'll write again when my medicals done and sent in, maybe I'll have news of an invite???

My Paperwork is Done!

2007-05-25T17:55:00.000+13:00

I've finally sent all of my paperwork to the Peace Corps office. I have had my medical paperwork done for about two weeks, but with all the traveling I've been doing, I started to slack about getting everything in; not good. I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly with the paperwork, because at this point I've spent a hell of a lot on Dr. appointments and would hate to half to spend more. I've read several takes on how long it takes to get medically cleared. Anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months (we're hoping for 6 weeks).
After 2 months of traveling around the country, visiting most of my friends and family, I'm back in Virginia for most of the summer. I need to get a job for the summer; not to make money, but to stop spending my severance money from AOL (if you don't know, I was laid off in March). I also need to start thinking about putting my Land Rover up for sale, but I don't want to get rid of it until at least August.

Well, this should serve as a good update to where I'm at right now. I probably won't post again until I get some news from the Peace Corps; so 6-16 weeks (hahaha).

Sub-Saharan Africa

2007-05-25T03:19:00.000+13:00

So, it looks like I'm going to Africa. I got my nomination the day of my interview, after listing off all that was available I chose Sub-Saharan Africa. My work will be in agriculture and environmental education, which I'm stoked about. As it sits right now, I'll be leaving the states and heading to Africa in September. I've been dealing with a full spectrum of opinions on my latest life decision. Of course there is the opinion that what I'm doing is amazing, which somehow always feels slightly awkward. I've also received a lot of flak from people, that wonder what the hell I am thinking. This can also be awkward. It's the people in between, the unexpected opinions, that are fun, because their the ones that ask questions that I don't know the answers to. This gives me more stuff to look up, which is awesome.
In January, when I started the application process, the idea of volunteering was so surreal, but now; now that 5 months has passed, the little fits of anxiety have kicked in (which is a good thing, because it makes it more real). At this point, most of the people in my life know that I've applied which is exciting. It's fun to see my friends and family get just excited about it as me. I've joined several groups on a bunch of Social Networks and they've been great for getting the answers to all the questions I have, along with meeting others that are in the application process.

Peace Corps on Myspace
Peace Corps on Yahoo Groups