Anyway, this past weekend was a national retreat in preparation of the trip. There were 600 youth there and at least 3 of the 5 island groups in Tonga were represented. We stayed at a technical college. The girls got to sleep on the floor in big open rooms and the guys had to sleep outside in tents. There were 3 showers for about 300 girls and not too many more toilets! I was really the only "white person" there, so I stood out quite a bit. It didn't help that when I called participants up in front of the whole group for activities, I was often one of their choices. The nice thing about that was that they all learned my name. I got so tired of walking around hearing, "Blah blah blah Palangi" or "Palangi blah blah blah" said in Tongan while the speakers looked at me. Call me by my name or don't talk about me when I'm right there! Just because I don't fully understand your language doesn't mean I don't get it!"
Other than that, I enjoyed the weekend for the most part. In some ways it really reminded me of retreats I had been to back in the US. There were sessions with a presenter, group work, and then reporting of group findings. Also, in true Catholic spirit, there was Reconciliation night and Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist. (Sorry for those cryptic sounding terms, non-Catholics). Lots of masses and singing as well. However, for me I think it was more of a cultural experience than a religious on. Surrounded by 600 Tongans, I definitely learned a lot and had some good experiences to use my Tongan language skills (as weak as they may be). While some of the sessions were in English and Tongan (all Tongan secondary schools are supposed to be taught in English so Tongans should know the language), much of it was just in Tongan. Should be good practice for next weeks' 3 days of language training and oral test with Peace Corps.
The Tongans at the camp were very friendly, sometimes too much so. Of course many of the men gave special attention. There was always the "Emily, sit here" and "Do you have a boyfriend?" coming from numerous directions. Truly interested or out for a US visa? Who knows... Luckily I'm not on the market and don't need to be concerned with those questions. Tongan men are quite attractive with their well-built physiques and close connection to "tall, dark and handsome" descriptions. Could be dangerous!
The women tended to be very friendly as well. I had a conversation yesterday with another volunteer about how strange it is that the women don't seem to care that their male peers give us so much attention. Perhaps that's because they treat male palangis the same way. Who knows. One girl had a soccer scarf on and I complimented her on it early on in the weekend. She told me it was from her boyfriend in New Zealand. The last night she tried to give it to me saying that since I said I liked it, I should have it. Her boyfriend's scarf! Watch out when you compliment belongings in some cultures; you might just end up taking it home! Luckily I got her to keep the scarf by convincing her of how horrible I would feel if I took it. Such a kind gesture though!
The weekend included quite a few showcases of Tongan talents. The first night each church group prepared an aerobics routine to music to introduce themselves. The next night was the big cultural showcase night when the groups did traditional Tongan dances and families were invited. The last night involved "action dances" (think interpretive group dance...kinda) and each group singing their own version of the official World Youth Day song. Those were all really cool to watch. My little church group didn't know these things were being prepared so we didn't get to participate, but it was fun to watch! Tongans from a young age in school (and in church) spend a great deal of time working on dances and singing, usually traditional-style stuff. They have special costumes for the dance and everything (girls are wrapped in just a decorated 'mat' and oiled up in coconut oil- see picture of my girl Sarah in the costume dancing in Vava'u). Lots of talent.
During the sessions I learned the "Tongan way" of saying things in public. If they must say something in front of a crowd, it must be funny. They have to add humor. To me, that makes it seem like Tongans really aren't taking the subject they are discussing very seriously but maybe that's the only way they can discuss serious topics. Also, Tongans will laugh, loudly, at anything remotely funny. When the jokes were in Tongan and the crowd was cracking up all the time, I felt really bad like I was missing some quite funny jokes. However, when they were in English and I understood them and found many to be amusing at best, the Tongans were still cracking up! I guess that's a really good trait to have though. Better to see the world through laughter than cynicism.
Not a lot of sleep this weekend either. The first night the girls camp didn't quite down until about 12 with cell phones still going off after that and then girls started getting up at 3am! Many girls were up by 3:30; pretty much everyone was up by 4; and I finally gave in at 4:30. The next night I needed some sleep (and a warm shower as it had been uncharacteristically rainy and cold all day), so I stayed at the home of one of the participants from my church. I slept at the site again the last night and luckily the other girls were exhausted by that point, so I got a good night's sleep! Overall, a really interesting weekend!
