COS & 'Eua Trip

Last week I attended the Close of Service Conference for Peace Corps Tonga Group 72. Although we live on different island groups and have had dissimilar experiences over the past two years, whenever the nine remaining members of group 72 get together we enjoy sharing our experiences living and working in Tonga. The conference was held at Likualofa Resort on the main island of Tongatapu and was the perfect opportunity for the group to catch up, relax, and prepare for life after Peace Corps.

The majority of our conference dealt with life after Peace Corps, with resume and interview help being the most significant component of the program. During the conference we took the Myers-Briggs personality test to discover what types of careers fit well with our diverse characteristics. I discovered that I have an “Extraverted Feeling with Introverted Sensing” personality. My knack for organization and outgoing persona apparently makes working with small children and bi-lingual education a fitting career choice. This insight into my personality is extremely reassuring as I consider a future in teaching English as a Second Language.



It is a bit daunting thinking about returning to the states after volunteering in Tonga for two years, however, the conference offered some much needed closure. Luckily the Peace Corps coordinator for the island of Vava’u where I've been living for the past two years was able to attend our close of service certificate ceremony and serenade his Vava’u girls one last time.




Shortly after the conference concluded the first member of group 72 to officially complete her service, Sarah Kate, left Tonga. To celebrate Sarah Kate’s completion of service some of us hired a taxi for the afternoon to tour some of the archeological sites on the main island of Tongatapu before Sarah Kate's flight home.

This past weekend I traveled to the island of ‘Eua with my friend Jessica. The island of ‘Eua is located a 40km boat ride off the southern coast of the island of Tongatapu, and is said to be approximately 10 million years older than the rest of the islands comprising the Kingdom of Tonga. The untouched natural beauty of ‘Eua is extraordinary and is the perfect destination for hiking, caving, rock climbing, bird watching, whale watching, biking, camping, or simply lounging on the beach, and is well worth the three hour, slightly nauseous boat ride.

Luckily as soon as we arrived to the island Jessica and I ran into Jason, a volunteer from group 73 who works closely with the Ministry of Tourism in an effort to make ‘Eua an eco-tourism destination.

Although Jessica and I only had one full day to take in the sights, Jason made sure we made the most of our short stay, guiding us to many well-known sites including a giant banyan tree which we climbed, “rat’s cave”, a stunning waterfall as well as several spectacular lookouts. Luckily we spotted the elusive green parrot indigenous only to ‘Eua during our walk through the rainforest.

After our morning hike we joined a tour of the south of the island where we saw wild horses as well as whales playing, among countless other breathtaking sites. Altogether we walked well over ten miles, a very long yet wonderful day!