One factor of Peace Corps service that many volunteers have a difficult time with is an excessive amount of free time. The only way I have stayed sane out in my village, that with good reason feels like the middle of nowhere, is by participating in cultural activities and events. This has not always been the case, as last year when invited to join in on the goings on within my village I often refrained or did not completely immerse myself in the activity by arriving late or leaving early to traditional dance practices or koniseti “concert” fundraisers. In Tonga there is never a set schedule and the lack of structure and “waste of time” made me feel restless. It was not until recently that I have taken a more serious and receptive approach to participating in cultural events in my village community.
An example of my newfound willingness to participate in "faka-tonga" activities is my current attempt to learn the traditional “Lakalaka” dance that is to be performed for the king’s coronation next month. Last year when attending practices for the traditional “Haka” sitting dance I never seriously considered taking the time or making the effort to learn the dance well enough to perform for a crowd. This year, however, I have made a serious commitment to myself and my villagers in learning the dance and have been attending about 15-20 hours of practice per week for the last couple of months. Initially when I started going to the rehearsals there were only 15-20 of us. Now there are close to 100 people singing and dancing away night after night. The rehearsals never start when they are supposed to and there is a lot of sitting around, chit chatting, joking, and drinking soda in between the real practice. Instead of growing impatient over the lack of structure and organization I have grown to appreciate the fact that everyone is happy to just be hanging out together. It is remarkable that such a large group of people, ages from about 15 to 55, happily participate in the same activity and are perfectly content to spend their time and energy dancing together.
The dance when performed start to finish is over ten minutes long and is set to a ten verses written by my village chief’s son for the coronation of King George Tupou V. The song lyrics describe notable landmarks within the Vava’u island group and express the happiness and significance surrounding the historic coronation. As the only pacific island never to be colonized, I view the upcoming coronation of Tonga's king as an extremely significant event and am both excited and honored to be a part of the upcoming festivities.
Usually my neighbor and unlikely best friend in the village, 75 year-old Fuiongo, comes over to help me get ready before practice. None of my clothes are shiny or sparkly enough so people have started sewing and bringing me some pretty flashy outfits.
1 comment:
Good words.
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