Yesterday felt like the perfect summer day.
We taught the kids Lean on Me and This is the Day. We taught them how to play Kickball and Freeze Tag and Elbow Tag. And then, because it was awfully hot outside, we all decided to go swimming at the beach.
We brought ole buster boy with us, because he's growing fat and needs the exercise.
Imagine our surprise when he swims right out into the ocean with us! I was shocked and delighted! Later he even jumped from the wharf right into the ocean. This little pup is something else....
Of course, not to be outdone, some of the Tongan boys went and got their horse and it swam in the ocean with us too.I'm so serious. It was an odd and scary thing that I mostly kept my distance from. Anyone ever seen Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken? Well...I was practically living it....minus the high dive and the jump and the fact that I wasn't in any way on the horse..but, close enough!
(I did ride a horse earlier this week. Just not in the ocean).
Lisi
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Blessings of Mother Nature
It's hard to know where to begin when we're describing our new home to folks - especially those who are probably shivering cold right now in temperate climates way up in the northern hemisphere. This place is so unlike anywhere I've ever lived, in every way. If we're talking physical geography, one of the best things about living here is the plethora of edible vegetation that surround us at all times. Fruit trees and local vegetables are a vital part of daily life here. They make up most of everyone's diet and really do dictate the changing seasons much more than a hot/cold or dry/wet season. So, I thought it would be a neat introduction to the landscape of our home to take you on a little tour and show you some of the growing goodies that are located right here where we live, inside the school grounds.
One of the most plentiful fruits in the whole country is the banana. Inside the school grounds alone, there are probably 30 banana trees, though they all bear fruit at different times. There are a few different types as well, my favorite being the "pata" - a short, fat banana that tastes like a perfect mix of a banana and an apple. This nearly-ripe bunch is pretty close to our front porch.
Bananas are so bountiful, that when someone gives you some, you usually get an entire stalk off a tree. We got this one from a neighbor in exchange for a band-aid.
The papaya is the other fruit that is generally available for the whole year. They've been hit or miss for me in the states, but I've really enjoyed them here. They are especially good paired with some grated coconut or some lime juice. This little tree is also right off of our porch.
PS - I think my first project plan for the summer break next week is to try and convert that little shack above into a chicken coop.
As is typical in most tropical climates, palm trees with coconuts are everywhere. You can, of course, eat the fruit, and use the palm branches for weaving and basket making. The coconuts on shorter trees are usually picked when green, so one can enjoy the delicious, slightly carbonated coconut water. The coconuts on the tall trees ripen until they fall, and are then used to grate and make into coconut milk. These brown, fallen coconuts are so plentiful that they are also used to feed all the pigs.
I know we've mentioned that "root crops" are the Tongan staple starch. But one of the most common of these starchy, usually boiled foods is the "breadfruit", which, as the name suggests, grows on a tree and not in the ground. They are hard to describe...kind of like a mix between a potato and..well, bread. The leaves also make great fans for especially hot days. We've got a few that are almost ripe on this tree.
We are going to wait a few months until the end of the hurricane seasons to start planting some traditional American vegetables. But, the first on our list of native crops to plant very soon is called "pele". Many people call it "tropical spinach" - it's a cooking green, similar to chard or collard greens, that grows tall like a bush. Apparently, all you need to do to plant some is take a few stalks off of a mature plant and just stick them in the ground. We've got one plant now in the corner behind our house.
And finally, by far my favorite growing thing in our yard is our very own lime tree! Right now, there are dozens of slowly ripening limes on it that are making me really excited. Now if only I had some mint leaves and rum...
So there you have it. Really, the only major things we're missing are a mango tree and some pineapple plants. But, when they're in season, they are very easy to get our hands on. I'm still continually amazed at how the Tongans use all of these natural resources in daily life. Even the flowers are picked every week and used to decorate churches, and many other plants still unknown to me are still used to make traditional medicinal remedies and woven handicrafts. It's a neat place to make our home in.
Here's a bonus picture of our flowerbed by our porch. The school has done a great job keeping it looking great. I've tried planting some ginger in those containers on the porch.
'Ofa Atu,
Mark
One of the most plentiful fruits in the whole country is the banana. Inside the school grounds alone, there are probably 30 banana trees, though they all bear fruit at different times. There are a few different types as well, my favorite being the "pata" - a short, fat banana that tastes like a perfect mix of a banana and an apple. This nearly-ripe bunch is pretty close to our front porch.
Bananas are so bountiful, that when someone gives you some, you usually get an entire stalk off a tree. We got this one from a neighbor in exchange for a band-aid.
The papaya is the other fruit that is generally available for the whole year. They've been hit or miss for me in the states, but I've really enjoyed them here. They are especially good paired with some grated coconut or some lime juice. This little tree is also right off of our porch.
PS - I think my first project plan for the summer break next week is to try and convert that little shack above into a chicken coop.
As is typical in most tropical climates, palm trees with coconuts are everywhere. You can, of course, eat the fruit, and use the palm branches for weaving and basket making. The coconuts on shorter trees are usually picked when green, so one can enjoy the delicious, slightly carbonated coconut water. The coconuts on the tall trees ripen until they fall, and are then used to grate and make into coconut milk. These brown, fallen coconuts are so plentiful that they are also used to feed all the pigs.
I know we've mentioned that "root crops" are the Tongan staple starch. But one of the most common of these starchy, usually boiled foods is the "breadfruit", which, as the name suggests, grows on a tree and not in the ground. They are hard to describe...kind of like a mix between a potato and..well, bread. The leaves also make great fans for especially hot days. We've got a few that are almost ripe on this tree.
We are going to wait a few months until the end of the hurricane seasons to start planting some traditional American vegetables. But, the first on our list of native crops to plant very soon is called "pele". Many people call it "tropical spinach" - it's a cooking green, similar to chard or collard greens, that grows tall like a bush. Apparently, all you need to do to plant some is take a few stalks off of a mature plant and just stick them in the ground. We've got one plant now in the corner behind our house.
And finally, by far my favorite growing thing in our yard is our very own lime tree! Right now, there are dozens of slowly ripening limes on it that are making me really excited. Now if only I had some mint leaves and rum...
So there you have it. Really, the only major things we're missing are a mango tree and some pineapple plants. But, when they're in season, they are very easy to get our hands on. I'm still continually amazed at how the Tongans use all of these natural resources in daily life. Even the flowers are picked every week and used to decorate churches, and many other plants still unknown to me are still used to make traditional medicinal remedies and woven handicrafts. It's a neat place to make our home in.
Here's a bonus picture of our flowerbed by our porch. The school has done a great job keeping it looking great. I've tried planting some ginger in those containers on the porch.
'Ofa Atu,
Mark
After all this time...
I still occasionally pick up my phone to text one of you....
I am still disappointed when roasted puaka tastes absolutely noooothing like ham.
I am still unable to successfully open or close our front door.
I still can't tell when it's beads of sweat dripping down my arms, or ants crawling up them.
I still think we are going to drown on this island anytime there's a little (or big) rain storm.
I am still thrilled by the boat rides. (I got my first Tongan slap last week on a boat ride...oh, did you know all Tongans hit everybody? Apparently you aren't supposed to hang your arm over the boat and splash it around in the water whilst driving to town. The slap surprised me, made me laugh, hurt my feelings, and finally made me felt I belonged.)
I still have moments of great pride regarding my Tongan language ability, and moments when I want to rip my brain out because of its inadequacy.
I no longer cry when Tongans cry. A speech is not a speech without some tears, and any gathering is no gathering at all without a speech.
I no longer crave American food...I just crave anything cold...anything.
I no longer freak out when there are ants in the house...a few ants never hurt anyone...
I no longer wear bug spray. My legs are so ugly, I don't want to talk about, but there's only so much deet a person can withstand.
Lisi
I am still disappointed when roasted puaka tastes absolutely noooothing like ham.
I am still unable to successfully open or close our front door.
I still can't tell when it's beads of sweat dripping down my arms, or ants crawling up them.
I still think we are going to drown on this island anytime there's a little (or big) rain storm.
I am still thrilled by the boat rides. (I got my first Tongan slap last week on a boat ride...oh, did you know all Tongans hit everybody? Apparently you aren't supposed to hang your arm over the boat and splash it around in the water whilst driving to town. The slap surprised me, made me laugh, hurt my feelings, and finally made me felt I belonged.)
I still have moments of great pride regarding my Tongan language ability, and moments when I want to rip my brain out because of its inadequacy.
I no longer cry when Tongans cry. A speech is not a speech without some tears, and any gathering is no gathering at all without a speech.
I no longer crave American food...I just crave anything cold...anything.
I no longer freak out when there are ants in the house...a few ants never hurt anyone...
I no longer wear bug spray. My legs are so ugly, I don't want to talk about, but there's only so much deet a person can withstand.
Lisi
Home is wherever I'm with you!
Api o Lisi mo ma'ake:
Porch (mo laundry)
Kitchen:
Mark built those shelves! We have a sink...it just doesn't have running water or a plug....so we use it as the drying rack.
Our Christmas tree!
Bedroom
The "closet" we made
We love this little home, it is such a blessing to us to have our own space, and what a wonderful space it is too!
Electricity
Something that folks are always naturally curious about are the amenities that we have. So, in purely informative fashion, here's our electricity situation.
This is the one light we have in our house. We move it around and hang it on nails depending on where we need it.
It gets its power from the car battery below. Every day, we move the battery and connect it to wires leading to an old solar panel outside the house.
Right now, the only way we can charge our Peace Corps phones or any other electronics is by turning on the school's generator. But, it's expensive to run it, so we only turn it on for about an hour, once every three days. This makes things tricky, for example, when the school ran out of diesel last week, and our phones were dead for 5 days. Which then coincided with a Peace Corps safety check that left the office scrambling, calling people in our community trying to figure out if we were still alive.
However, the village is in the process of installing new, pretty nice solar panels in every house, due to a grant from Japan. This will give us enough juice for a couple lights and an outlet that will charge our phones. There's still no hope for having a fridge any time soon, so we've still got that hurtle to jump. Our current status of eating vegetarian 4-5 days a week is motivating me to learn to fish soon...
Mark
This is the one light we have in our house. We move it around and hang it on nails depending on where we need it.
It gets its power from the car battery below. Every day, we move the battery and connect it to wires leading to an old solar panel outside the house.
Right now, the only way we can charge our Peace Corps phones or any other electronics is by turning on the school's generator. But, it's expensive to run it, so we only turn it on for about an hour, once every three days. This makes things tricky, for example, when the school ran out of diesel last week, and our phones were dead for 5 days. Which then coincided with a Peace Corps safety check that left the office scrambling, calling people in our community trying to figure out if we were still alive.
However, the village is in the process of installing new, pretty nice solar panels in every house, due to a grant from Japan. This will give us enough juice for a couple lights and an outlet that will charge our phones. There's still no hope for having a fridge any time soon, so we've still got that hurtle to jump. Our current status of eating vegetarian 4-5 days a week is motivating me to learn to fish soon...
Mark
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