My extended host family in the first village, Fua'amotu.
Pigs eat coconut in Tonga!
The part of the ocean I frequently visited in Vava'u.
The small lagoon that connects to the ocean in Vava'u and one of the language teachers, Kiko, enjoying it.
The wall seperating the lagoon and the ocean water.
The view outside my window in Vava'u.
The harbour (I'm around too much British influence) in Vava'u.
Harbour
The harbour at sunset.
Vava'u is beautiful.
Dwellings on the hill facing the harbour...would hate to live there.
Kava in its dry form, before it's pounded into a powder and then mixed with water to make the beverage that Tongan men get together a drink. It's not alcoholic. It makes your body drunk but not your head.
Sarah doing the traditional Tongan dance. She's so cute!
A Tongan baptism.
The American "path to marriage."
One of my host sisters in Vava'u in our bedroom.
Yeah, we had Thanksgiving in a beachside restaurant.
Yummy Thanksgiving.
Yum!
Katie's really excited about Thanksgiving...
Pumpkin pie!
Sarah enjoying the delicious cookies.
Wine and yummy American Thanksgiving food. I'm satisfied!
Someone wants my wine.
Married couple Scot and Karen enjoying the yummy food.
Steve, the news director from Florida, dances!
Mikala's excited! Lose's scared....
Getting down Thanksgiving night.
More dancing...
Everybody dances...
The Tongan band that was pretty good at songs from the US.
Melaia, friend of my host sister, Bay.
Host sister Siale and friends Winny.
Host sister Bay.
Winny showing some knee. Very naughty in Tonga...
Siale in the family's falekaloa...hot hair.
Out...
Ladies in black...
Dancing at a bar in Vava'u with some guy from New Zealand.
I get to dance a lot in Tonga!
Getting down...
In the outfit my host mom made for me with her and her grandson.
Full length. That belt-like thing I'm wearing is called a kiekie. Women wear those in formal occasions such as work or church.
Traditional Sunday lunch (umu) with my Vava'u host family.
Another beautiful beach.
Can't fully submerge in the water since it's Sunday and most people in Tonga won't swim on Sundays.
Myself and Bay.
Me, host sisters, and naughty Winny.
Mmm, Tongan fruit.
Pastey legs...you'll get that when you always have to wear long skirts.
I'm going to climb that rock...
Now everyone is giving in and swimming on Sunday. Yes, I started it.
Getting ready to climb the rock.
Goofy girls.
Host sister Bay all serious.
And smiling.
Finally up on the rock.
I have a crab in my hand.
And I'm putting the crab on the head of Siale. This is after she tortured me with it. Fair game.
Synchronized swimming?
Chasing Bay to get her back for splashing.
I love my host sisters!
WIth Winny and one of the host brothers who didn't really talk to me.
Melinda and her little host brother.
Rare, Tongans not wanting to be in a picture.
Melinda and her host family.
At the airport ready to leave Vava'u with Bay.
Leaving my host sisters.
Host parents in Vava'u.
They don't like to smile...
Patrick' little host brother who might have had a little crush on me..
Justin's host brothers who likely did have a crush....
Too cool...
The pliots on the small plane we took from Vava'u back to the main island. That was my view from my seat.
Ok, so the next few pictures will need explanation. For our swearing in, a bunch of the men in our group decided to grow out beards which they shaved to mustaches. These are after the shaving...
Bobby mustache
Grant mustache
Looking good with the mustaches...
Patrick mustache
Justin goatee
Stan mustache
Andrew mustache and chops
Grant with the most awesome hair (facial and on the head) and hot Melinda.
Since the guys looked all 70's with the mustaches, the girls decided to flip their hair and look all 70's as well.
Hot 70's ladies...
The hairdresser
Men in balck...with mustaches
Myself looking all Farrah Fawcett and Alice looking all hot
Sarah and Patrick in the traditional Tongan dress for formal occasions
Can you tell what decade this was taken in? I can't...
Mustached men
The sarge, the goofy partner (comic relief), the drug runner, and the by-the-book creep
70's ladies
Looking very nice!
Getting sworn in
With my Fua'amotu host parents and Janice, the volunteer I stayed with there, at swearing in
Entertainment at swearing in
Traditional Tongan dancers
Model hot Alexis and her goofy husband, "Boris"
Heading out for the night after swearing in
At the bar after swearing in.
Justin looking creepy in the mustache.
My girl!
Silly Janice
The Ha'apai group. Going to miss them.
More folks going to Ha'apai.
Kitten brothers and sisters. Mine is the one on the left.
Current volunteer Sami mimicking her friend Kiki.
My kitten climbing out of my suitcase pocket.
A modern telling of the "Christmas Story" at a pentecostal church.
Coconut milk = ok. Rum=eh... Coconut milk and rum together= surprisingly delicious!!!
Sarah likes it!
What's going on?
Oh, Bobby's standing on a chair in a bicycle helmet swatting at coconuts with a giant stick. Of course.
Alicia climbing the coconut tree.
Patrick climbing the coconut tree.
Takes a Tongan to do it right...
The Tongan knocking down the coconuts.
Straining the kava. Not sure what Patrick was doing.
Patrick probably telling his 100th joke of the day. At least Justin finds it funny.
My Kulei-Kulei (Gray-Gray). So named because his/her (not sure) mom put him/her in the ceiling. When he was rescued, he was all gray with dust.
My baby!
