Outer Island Living

I am a member of the 72nd group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in the Kingdom of Tonga. Initially I was shocked at how much I had in common with the others in my group. All but one of us is female, many are from the New England area, and the vast majority of us were born in the 80’s. There is one volunteer in particular, Sarah Kate, who shares striking similarities with me - with the exception of hair color. Sarah Kate and I (nearly) have the same name, were born in 1984, and both come from Connecticut.

After living in Tonga for nearly two years Sarah Kate and I have little in common anymore, at least in terms of our day to day life. Sarah Kate is one out of five volunteers currently serving in Tonga who lives on an “outer island”. On a bi-monthly basis my water does not work properly, and on at least a weekly basis my electricity is out. Running water and electricity are not even options for Sarah Kate who must “bucket bathe”, use a pit latrine, carry water inside for dish washing and adjust to a very early bedtime - among countless other implications that go along with outer island life, such as dining and bathing by candlelight for non-romantic reasons :)

I am extremely impressed with Sarah Kate's adaptation to this lifestyle, her determination and positive outlook. Throughout training I knew that outer-island life was not for me, yet Sarah Kate was adamant that living on an outer island was the type of experience she wanted. I am extremely grateful that my Peace Corps experience involves electricity, showers, and flush toilets – not to mention consistent internet access, ice cream, cell phones and the option to spend time with other volunteers.

Last week I went to visit Sarah Kate on her island, a two hour boat ride from the capital of Neiafu depending on the weather. As the only native English speaker on the island of about 100, save the lone American Mormon Missionary, Sarah Kate was very thankful for some “palangi time” and conversation. More often than not, Sarah Kate will stay on her island as opposed to coming into town. Personally, I thrive on discussions with fellow volunteers about my life in the village and cannot imagine how I could survive without conversing with other volunteers on a weekly basis.

Sarah Kate’s villagers are some of the most genuinely friendly, generous, and grateful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. There is an axiom in Tonga that the farther you are from the capitol cities, the more friendly the Tongans are. Sarah Kate’s island holds true to the adage, as she lives as far away from Neiafu as you can get while still being part of the Vava’u island group.