So I caved in and finally got a blog. It has been a long time coming; 21 months to be exact. When I first came to Tonga as a Peace Corps Volunteer in October of 2006 I wished to just live my life day to day and saw little value in sharing my experiences other than sporadic letters and emails home to select family members and friends. Now as I quickly approach the end of my service I believe writing about my life in Tonga online is a great way for me to share a significant part of my life, a feeble attempt I suppose to reconnect with so many of you who I have lost touch with over the past two years.
I realize many people from home may feel as though I have dropped off the face of the planet, and they would not be too far off base in that sentiment. The Kingdom of Tonga is located one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawai’i. It seems as though I could not have gotten farther away from home if I had tried. For those of you who do not know, Tonga is an Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean made up of 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of approximately 500 miles. I live on the main island of the Vava’u group which just so happens to be the most excellent island of them all, but then again I may be a little biased…
I was recently reminded by a fellow volunteer who is finishing up his service that my Peace Corps experience is finite and that I should enjoy the remainder of my time here to the fullest, as it will inevitably all come to an end. I have honestly had the time of my life here on this tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is unbelievable to think of how I have been changed by my experience here in Tonga, a country -make that kingdom- that I had no idea existed before I began my Peace Corps application three years ago.
Far too much has happened over the past two years for me to even begin to write about in an attempt to bring everyone up to date, in fact I do not think I will ever be able to explicate just how significant my Peace Corps service has been for me. I have uploaded some photos in an effort to give somewhat of an idea as to what life has been like for me so far, however, in this instance I do not think the idiom "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true.
Starting now I am going to begin writing about my life here in Tonga. Better late than never, right? I figure posting on a blog is the best means of sharing my life experiences over the next six or so months living in such an extraordinary part of the world, if not only for the benefit of others to learn about a far-off island kingdom but also as a way for me to share and document the end of my Peace Corps service here in Tonga. Enjoy!
I realize many people from home may feel as though I have dropped off the face of the planet, and they would not be too far off base in that sentiment. The Kingdom of Tonga is located one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawai’i. It seems as though I could not have gotten farther away from home if I had tried. For those of you who do not know, Tonga is an Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean made up of 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of approximately 500 miles. I live on the main island of the Vava’u group which just so happens to be the most excellent island of them all, but then again I may be a little biased…
I was recently reminded by a fellow volunteer who is finishing up his service that my Peace Corps experience is finite and that I should enjoy the remainder of my time here to the fullest, as it will inevitably all come to an end. I have honestly had the time of my life here on this tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is unbelievable to think of how I have been changed by my experience here in Tonga, a country -make that kingdom- that I had no idea existed before I began my Peace Corps application three years ago.
Far too much has happened over the past two years for me to even begin to write about in an attempt to bring everyone up to date, in fact I do not think I will ever be able to explicate just how significant my Peace Corps service has been for me. I have uploaded some photos in an effort to give somewhat of an idea as to what life has been like for me so far, however, in this instance I do not think the idiom "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true.
Starting now I am going to begin writing about my life here in Tonga. Better late than never, right? I figure posting on a blog is the best means of sharing my life experiences over the next six or so months living in such an extraordinary part of the world, if not only for the benefit of others to learn about a far-off island kingdom but also as a way for me to share and document the end of my Peace Corps service here in Tonga. Enjoy!
The group who fundraised to support the computer lab where I work.
Home sweet home.
Hanging out with some of the women in my village.
Setting up recycling bins with the youth of my village.
Christmas time festivities.
My old co-teachers.
Some of my favorites :)
Typical Tongan classroom.
3 comments:
Sarah:
Welcome to Blogging!! Look forward to reading about your final six months.
Steve
I like this Sarah. It's very nicely done.
Thanks for sharing! I think blogging is an excellent way to bring your experiences home. Looking forward to reading your blog.
Peace - Stan's mom
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