Category Archives: Tonga

Building Bridges to the Future

I just finished teaching the first 10-week term at Ocean of Light International Schools in Tonga’s capital of Nuku‘alofa last Friday. It’s like no other experience I’ve had in my 30+ years in the classroom.

Ocean of Light International Schools

Ocean of Light International Schools in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. Click on this photo to read more about the school. • Credit: Ocean of Light International Schools

Every Monday morning the whole school meets together, students sitting on mats on the floor, and begins the day with a devotional of beautiful singing and inspirational thoughts. Throughout the week, this ritual is continued in each individual homeroom class, not only at the beginning of the day, but also at the end of the day.


As you can see in this video, the students wear traditional Tongan uniforms. The girls wear skirts with a blouse tucked in and a kiekie, usually made of woven pandanus palm leaves, which resembles an apron that goes all the way around the skirt. Girls must wear their hair in braids with yellow ribbons. The boys wear shirts tucked inside their tupenu, a wrap-around skirt, over which they wear a taʻovala, a solid mat also made from pandanus palm leaves. The taʻovala the boys wear at school are woven from nylon since they are less expensive than those woven from palm leaves. Each school on the island has their own colors so you can determine which school students attend by the colors of their uniforms. The colors of Ocean of Light International Schools are yellow and blue. Both boys and girls wear sandals for shoes. Flip flops are not allowed.

My school offers educational programs for students as young as three years old up through high school. It’s run by the Bahá’ís of Tonga. The Bahá’í Faith and its teachings provide the foundation for the school. One of the essential principles of the Bahá’í Faith is the belief in “unity in diversity” and the need to establish communities free of all forms of prejudice. As such, students and staff of all religious, cultural, socio-economic and linguistic backgrounds are welcome at the school and all are treated equally.

Bahai

Bahá’í Principles • Credit: vivaciousvjr via Pinterest.com

All classes are taught in English, but there are several students who speak no or very little English. Most of the students’ native languages at home are Tongan or Chinese. There are several students whose parents are from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and India.

The majority of the students are extremely respectful and well-behaved. They are not allowed to have cell phones or other mobile devices on campus.

Students

Students at Ocean of Light International Schools • Credit: Ocean of Light International Schools

I teach Information and Communication Technology (ICT) using a curriculum based on the Cambridge International Examination Program. My biggest challenge is the technology, or better put, the lack of technology at the school. When I first arrived there were nine computers in the lab that actually worked. Now I have 20 that work most of the time. (Some classes have as many as 35 students.)

OOL Computer Lab

The school’s computer lab within view of a coconut plantation.

Last week, there was no Internet and the server was down since the main building where it was located had no electricity. There is one laptop computer for all the teachers to share as well as one projector. None of the teachers have their own computers in the classrooms so a few usually come to use computers in the lab during their recess or lunch time.

There is no air-conditioning in the school. The first two weeks of school were absolutely miserable with heat. (I was ready to quit after three days!) A cyclone blew through in the end of February and cooled things off a bit. The summer heat has finally abated. I am told that February and March are the hottest months here. Remember, Tonga is in the Southern Hemisphere, so we are in autumn–the equivalence of October in the Northern Hemisphere.

With no air conditioning, the computer lab is open to the outside. Dust, humidity and insects take their toll on the equipment.

With no air conditioning, the computer lab is open to the outside elements. Dust, humidity and insects take their toll on the equipment.

And to make matters even more challenging, the second ICT teacher left in the middle of the term to teach at another school, leaving me to teach all the classes, Grades 3-12, as well as to maintain the computer network.

Despite the challenges, I do enjoy teaching at the school.

I love this quote by Nikos Kazantazkis: “True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.”

At the end of the day I joyfully collapse, in hopes that I will be able to help these students build a bridge to their future.

Taking a Break from Paradise

After six weeks in paradise, in the lovely Kingdom of Tonga, we decided at the last minute to spend the weekend on nearby Fafá Island in Nuku‘alofa Lagoon. It turns out that, even living in paradise, one needs (make that two need) to take a break from day-to-day routines and relax in a slightly different atmosphere.

Actually, I quite surprised Sūsana Friday morning with my last-minute plans. We’ll go for the evening and, if we like it, we will extend an extra day, I told her. That’s exactly what we did. It took less than ten minutes being on the island before we announced to our concierge that we were staying two nights. It was love at first sight.

View of sky and palm trees on Fafá Island–quintessential Polynesia.

View of sky and palm trees on Fafá Island–quintessential Polynesia.

Fafá Island, 18 acres of unspoiled white sand and palm trees surrounded by crystal blue and green waters, is about four miles (6.5 km) north of the shoreline near our home in Fangaloto, a suburb of Nuku‘alofa. We can see it whenever we travel Vuna Road along the coast to and from town, usually several times each day.

Approaching Fafá Island in the launch at sunset with three of our fellow travelers sitting on the top of the cabin.

Approaching Fafá Island with three of our fellow travelers riding atop the cabin.

It’s farther out and just to the left of Pangaimotu Island, itself only a mile (1.6 km) off our coast, famous for Big Mama’s restaurant and swimming place with the half-sunken ship that people like to climb on and jump off.

Motu means “island” in Tongan so Pangaimotu Island is redundant, but everyone calls it that, reminding us of when we lived in Fort Myers, Florida, USA, situated on the Caloosahatchee River. Yes, hatchee means “river” in native-American Seminole language. Redundancy abounds, but I digress.

We took the 5:30 pm launch from the wharf near the fish market and were landed on Fafá about 40 minutes later. The ride was delightful. The Pacific in the relative protection of Nuku‘alofa Lagoon had a slight chop and the occasional spray of seawater splashed our faces, but it was refreshing and ever-more exciting as we approached our weekend resort.

Süsana on the launch getting ready to leave Nuku‘alofa for Fafá Island.

Sūsana on the launch ready to leave Nuku‘alofa for Fafá Island.

Without a dock on the island, we were transferred from the launch, actually a motorized sailboat, onto a motorized platform that gently ran aground on the beach. With a long gangway extended, we were able to step ashore onto dry land.

Landing on Fafá via motorized platform and gangway.

Landing on Fafá via motorized platform and gangway. Our launch, in the background, lies anchored in deeper waters.

How do I begin to describe Fafá Island? The food was amazing. No, really! It was amazing. We ate six meals during parts of three days and did not experience a single forkful of doubtful culinary craft. Flavors were bold when they needed to be and nuanced when subtlety was called for.

We ate fresh fruits, delightful salads of all kinds and main dishes made of beef, fish, chicken and eggs, all garnished with sauces ranging from beans, stewed tomatoes and bacon ranchero salsa to delicate freshly-made tarter to robust gravies and a light and sweet essence of Tongan-grown vanilla beans that we drizzled on marble cake.

Music in the restaurant was melodious and, for the most part, traditional Tongan repertoire. On Friday evening, there was a live band of men who sat around a kava bowl and crooned heavenly strains in their native language and accompanied themselves with four or five diverse stringed instruments. The volume was kept low, as it should be, so that we could converse over dinner without difficulty.

They then performed Tongan dances after dinner, but we didn’t stay, choosing to retire early.

Our accommodation was a traditional Tongan fale or house with the roof rounded at both ends. When Tongans arrived in the islands centuries ago, they mounted their upturned boats on poles to create houses. Or so they story goes.

Our fale on Fafá Island with private yard.

Our fale on Fafá Island with sun deck, shaded porch and private yard. We did not lack for places to sit. Bedroom on the right demonstrates one end of the traditional curved Tongan roofline.

The overriding theme for our weekend at Fafá Island Resort was leisure time. We relaxed. We played rummy. We slept. We watched the bats, butterflies and birds, including a trio of beautiful blue, green and red parrots that took up residence near our porch. (Or had we taken up residence in their front yard?) We picked up shells. We swam and snorkeled. We laid in the hammock and read. We napped some more.

Sūsana relaxing in the hammock with the beach just through the trees.

Sūsana relaxing in the hammock with the beach just through the trees.

We walked island trails to and from the open-air restaurant. We even hiked the beach all the way around the island, exploring tidal pools, sedimentary corals on the shore and experiencing the force of the prevailing wind in our faces as we moved from the sheltered, leeward side to the blustery, windward side of the island.

Tēvita on our hike around Fafá Island.

Tēvita on our hike around Fafá Island.

Most of all, we marveled that such a place exists just four miles from our Tongan home.

This morning, as we drove Vuna Road into town, we cast our eyes toward Fafá Island and, with an immense appreciation for the beauty of the earth, promised ourselves that we would go back again soon, when we need another break from paradise or just for the fun of it.

Fafá Island Resort has completely spoiled us. I’m sure that when we do make a day trip to Big Mama’s on Pangaimotu, with the draw of her sunken-ship diving platform, we will be quite disappointed, yet smug in our cleverness for having discovered Fafá first.

Fafá Island tidal pool at low tide.

Fafá Island tidal pool at low tide.

eautiful and unusual shells were collected on the beach in front of our fale.

Beautiful and unusual shells collected on the beach in front of our fale.

We could not convince this hermit crab to give up his shell home in exchange for another, less elegant abode. No matter what we did to gently coax him out, he would not budge. So we returned him and his spiraling shell to water's edge on the beach–his beach.

We could not convince this hermit crab to give up his shell home in exchange for another, less elegant abode. No matter what we did to gently coax him out, he would not budge. So we returned him and his spiraling shell to water’s edge on the beach–his beach.

Elegant bathroom and private garden shower in our Fafá Island fale.

Elegant bathroom and private garden shower in our Fafá Island fale.

Pacific Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus), a species of large fruit bat, beka in Tongan, peers down at us from a palm frond in our yard on Fafá. This guy and several of his companions put on an aerial show at dusk each evening as they patrolled the island with their wingspans approaching six feet (1.83 meters). Though they appear menacing and remind me of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz, they only eat pollen, nectar and fruit.

Pacific Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus), a species of large fruit bat, beka in Tongan, peers down at us from a palm frond in our yard on Fafá. This guy and several of his companions put on an aerial show at dusk each evening as they patrolled the island with their wingspans approaching six feet (1.83 meters). Though they appear menacing and remind me of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz movie, they only eat pollen, nectar and fruit.

Front-yard path to hammock and Pacific Ocean beach.

Front-yard path to hammock and Pacific Ocean beach.

Day's end on Fafá Island.

Day’s end with pre-dinner sunset on Fafá Island.

 

“Better and Better.”

Sūsana and I left Tonga in early November to return temporarily to the United States. After a month in the Kingdom, we had fallen in love with Tonga and were sad to walk out on the tarmac at Fua‘amotu International Airport to board the waiting jet to Auckland.

Air New Zealand Boeing 767 parked at Tonga's Fua‘amotu International Airport. • Courtesy jokertrekker

Air New Zealand Boeing 767 loading passengers at Tonga’s Fua‘amotu International Airport on Tongatapu Island • Credit: Jokertrekker

Seeing the “Welcome to the Kingdom of Tonga!” sign that greets arriving passengers only served to heighten our awareness of leaving this beautiful place. I got a lump in my throat as I read, “Mālō e Lelei” in big letters, “Hello,” in Tongan.

“I’m going to miss Tonga,” I told Sūsana as we approached the roll-away stairs. “It feels like home and I wish that we didn’t have to leave.” I vowed silently to myself that we would be back.

"Malo e Lelei" welcomes visitors to the Kingdom of Tonga • Courtesy Lindsey Christine

Mālō e Lelei” welcomes visitors to the Kingdom of Tonga • Credit: Lindsey Christine

In the States, we visited family and friends; applied for Tongan employment visas; house-sat for six weeks in Wellington, Florida; concluded our fall/winter/holiday butterfly season; then sold our car, picked up two more suitcases from storage and filled each with clothes and supplies. Soon enough we were on our way back to Tonga, content to have tied up so many loose ends and very thrilled to be going to our new home.

I worked for American Airlines to have flight benefits upon retirement. This is the only reason that Sūsana and I can afford to travel as much as we do. The downside is that we fly standby and can only board when there are empty seats. We’ve learned to be flexible, resilient and to have multiple back-up plans.

Leaving Florida, we flew from Gainesville to Raleigh, North Carolina, via Charlotte. From there we flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, via Philadelphia. From Salt Lake we flew to Honolulu, Hawai‘i, via Los Angeles. All six flights were on American and we got on all six without having to wait for the next available flight: a minor miracle, to say the least.

From Honolulu to Auckland, we were scheduled to fly on Hawaiian Airlines and we almost did not get on. In fact, we were the last two passengers boarded. The nine-hour flight across the Pacific was uneventful. We were grateful to arrive in New Zealand to stretch our legs as we explored favorite stores and restaurants in a now-familiar place, this being our third Auckland layover since October.

We arrived in Auckland late on Tuesday, 19 January. Our flight to Tonga did not leave until 9:35 the next morning. Air New Zealand opened their ticket counter at 4:00 am and we got in line to report in and weigh our bags. Graham, tagged our bags and delivered the discouraging news that the flight was oversold by 14 passengers. He told us to return at 8:30 am to see if anything had changed.

Shortly after 8:00 am, we were back in Graham’s line. When it was our turn, we tentatively asked him how it was looking for the flight to Tonga. His response sent us soaring, “It’s looking better and better by the minute.” He then printed our boarding passes and sent us to bag drop and on to the gate.

During the past week and a half that we have been in Tonga, whenever a serendipitous moment strikes such as discovering a jar of Mexican salsa in a local store or the rental car agency giving a weekend discount (three days for the price of one) or the landlady lowering the rent without us having asked, we look at each other and quote Graham with a smile, “It’s looking better and better by the minute.”

Mālō e lelei and welcome home! School starts Monday.