I see that it's been about 4 months since I've written on here so I should probably write a long update post... Instead I'm just going to share a moment on my walk home this evening.
I was heading home after an evening mass. I was walking along a road on the ocean shore. It was windy and overcast and just beginning to become dark. Good weather for feeling down, which I've discovered is an easy emotion to have here in Tonga if you let yourself. I had missed the English mass and had to attend the Tongan one, which I didn't understand of course. There was a co-worker who sat next to me who I was hoping would offer me a ride so I didn't have to do the 30+ minute walk, but no such luck. He simply asked if I lived in the area and had no response when I told him where I actually lived.
So I begin my walk along the ocean road listening to the MP3 player to make it slightly more enjoyable. Then I walk by the tree. It's all "bark". The trunk, the branches. No leaves. No green. Like a tree in the winter in the States. Except it's not. Because this naked tree has yellow flowers at its tips. This ugly tree with no green has beautiful little flowers brightening its entire appearance. A little further down there's another one with just a few leaves and pink flowers. Now, I've been living here 11 months and should know the name of the tree and the flowers. Shameful for the daughter of a produce farmer. But that's not really the point. I've surely walked by these plants numerous times as I'm often on this road and just never stopped and noticed or have seen them but not fully appreciated.
After experiencing these trees, I noticed the ocean's waves actually looked pretty cool at dusk . And, really, most of what was meeting my eyes was quite pretty. So green. This country is so green and...alive.
The US might have my family, my friends, delicious restaurants, supermarkets, and movie theaters, but my US is never this green year-round and when our trees have lost all their leaves, there are no flowers.
Life here can be extremely frustrating and at times feel quite unfulfilling. It's easy to dwell on these aspects of the experience and rely on complaints to make it through. Sometimes I need to be reminded that beauty and purpose can be found everywhere. Shouldn't be so hard to remember on a tropical island.
