Category: general

I (finally) was able to visit the outer islands I was at Kava a few nights ago, per usual. I love kava. My village has around 400 people. I would estimate 200 of them are between the ages of 50-75, 190 are between 0-17, and there are like 10 people remotely close to my age.…

I’ve been a teacher for, I don’t know, around seven years now? I’ve taught in public schools, private schools, international schools, and all-female remedial boarding schools. Now, I have the privilege to work at a wonderful little primary school on a small island in the middle of the ocean. Longomapu GMS has around 100ish students…

Matangi Tonga Online, Tonga’s leading news outlet, ran an article last year titled “Tonga visitor survey finds people and culture most appealing aspect”. In the article, it talks about how those visiting Tonga love the beaches, the natural beauty, the friendly people, and the relaxing atmosphere. On the other end, they asked the tourists what…

There was a point in my service when 27 months seemed daunting. Sure, there was an end date on paper, but September of 2026 did not seem real; it was just so far away. Having made it to month 15 (and also finding out we can leave a month early if we want to), the…

I’m alive. Some time ago, around the time of my last blogpost, I caught an illness that was (and still is) sweeping through my island. Dengue Fever, also known as “Bone Break Fever” is an illness that occurs when an infected mosquito decides to bite you. I’ll spare the details of every symptom, but I’ll…

I did laundry a few days ago and it’s rained every day since. In fact, it’s supposed to rain every day for the next week. I hand wash and hang dry all my clothes, so rain means no dry laundry. This morning I had to make a business decision to wear wet underwear. I’m down…

I’m approximately five months at site at the time of this post going out. Something that I didn’t even think about before coming to Tonga has been something that coincidentally has been the hardest challenge I’ve faced. Adjusting to the speed and lifestyle of living in Tonga. Being your average broke person in America, my struggles are not unique; I stress over…

I thought about turning that title into an acronym but decided otherwise. Some time ago, my good friend and fellow volunteer, Lesieli, told me that her host father wanted to invite me on an overnight fishing trip. I was hesitant to accept, and not because I wasn’t interested in the prospect of fishing; truth be…

“Whatever site you get is the best site” – Dave Chung I’ve felt during my journey in Peace Corps (this go around) I’ve been extremely lucky. I was lucky to be selected at random for Tonga. I was lucky to be placed in Vava’u. And above all, I am lucky to be placed in Longomapu.…

No matter where in the world you go with the Peace Corps, before you are a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer), you are a PCVT (Trainee). Only one thing stands between a person dropping the T from their acronym and that is PST. Pre-Service Training on a surface level doesn’t sound all that bad. Three months…