Watch What We Do in Tonga!

Another busy week here in Vava'u.   I've actually had to start keeping a calendar to remember all of my appointments.   Many have to do with the training of the new Peace Corps volunteers, but I have also been pretty busy at work at the Tonga Development Bank.

Peace Corps Tonga Video

Earlier this year, my friend Scot and I put together a video about life in Peace Corps Tonga.   The Country Director asked us to do it to help explain Tonga to the incoming trainees and also to send to Peace Corps headquarters in Washington.

Despite many issues with cameras, editing, audio, etc, we finally got it done.  Scot was able to get it uploaded.   It's just over 30 minutes long and you can watch it below.

Root Canal

I went to bed Monday night feeling fine.  About an hour after I crawled in, I started having this pounding pain in my jam and mouth.  I could not sleep it hurt so bad.   Tuesday morning, I called my friend Takako, who is a dentist and Japensese volunteer.  After an exam and an x-ray, she told me I needed a root canal.   

I am so thankful that we have Takako here.  I can't imagine what would have happened if I had to rely to the Tongan Health system.   Thankfully, my mouth is much better.  I go back to see her again on Friday to have the canal sealed.

The good news is that the part of the hospital where the dental clinic is located has been cleaned and painted since my last visit when I thought it was a pretty scary place.

Lots of Company

I mentioned in my last post that I've had lots of company in the past few weeks including my friends Trent and Lara, who just wrote about their visit.

James, my next door neighbor has also had lots of visitors.  James joked after everyone left that we were now "Empty Nesters" once again.

However, it won't last long.   In just over a week, we will each be hosting one of the new trainees. They will be attached to us for five days to see what it is like to live as a volunteer.   

Tonga Development Bank Workshop

One of the things I regularly do here in Tonga is help put together workshops to help business owners and potential owners either start or improve their businesses.    Wednesday, we conducted the last workshop of the year here in Vava'u.   We had 36 people show up, our largest crowd to date.  (In addition, we also had 10 Peace Corps trainees watching)


I will be traveling to the Ha'apai group of islands in early December to conduct three additional workshops on outer islands.   

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  1. WOW! Kudos to you and the team Steve! This was a real treat to watch. Am thrilled that I will also be able to share some clips with my students who have been participating these past two years in the World Wise Schools program with Sela. Malo!
    Eileen

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