Today is my 6th day back in West Virginia. It really feels like I never left. Not very much has changed.
Obviously we got to the Pitt Airport with no problems. Seeing Mom again was wonderful! We went out to eat in Pittsburgh then headed home. That night we went through all the presents that we brought home, and we gave Mom the stuff we got for her. We were all exhausted, but we couldn't sleep. Sarah, Petesa, and Dad slept most of Thursday, but I was wired and didn't get much rest. We are all still trying to catch up on sleep and get on a regular schedule. Who knew it would take this long.
This weekend we went to Maryland to visit our family. It was so good to see everyone! We gave them all the gifts we brought back and showed them the pictures and videos. It was really great to show the family here our family in Tonga. We all decided that we need to start incorporating some Tongan culture into our lives here. Sarah, Petesa, and I are going to try to think of some of our favorite traditions from Tonga and teach them to our family here. It should be fun = )
So, it's back to the real world. We all have jobs, school, and other things to think about now, but Tonga will definitely stay with us until we can go there again. When you meet such amazing people and experience your own culture for the first time you will never be the same. I will always be thinking of my family in Tonga and waiting until I get to see them all again.
'Ofa atu.
Much love to everyone.
-Maria
The recreation of Sarah's picture 24 years ago
Dad and Osi
Monday, August 16, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
We're baaaaaack
Hello from LA! Yes, we've made it back into the States with no trouble at all. Amazing right? We had smooth flights from Tongatapu to Fiji and then from Fiji to here. We're all very thankful.
So our last 4 days in Tonga were very nice. We finished up buying our presents from the market and spent as much time with the family as we could. Those last 4 days I felt like I was home. We finally got used to the Tongan lifestyle, and we had to leave.
Our last Sunday there we went to our Aunt Taufa's church. It's a big, beautiful Catholic church right downtown. Sinai, Christian, Heikoti, Valamotu, Sione, and Akoli came with us. Beautiful singing as usual! After church we went back home and ate lunch from the 'umu, the underground oven. When we were done eating my cousin Petesa cut my brother Petesa's hair for him. Now he really looks like a Tongan guy = )
Uncle Pila took Sinai, Motu, and the four of us to Laulea beach after lunch. We have a great picture that Mom took of Sarah on that beach 24 years ago. Our cousin Akram in America made a beautiful painting of that picture that Mom has hanging in her room now. So we swam at the beach for a little bit, and then I tried to recreate the picture of Sarah. The background is pretty different now though because of storms that tore up the beach. BUT we still got great pictures of her, and we got to see the beach that they went to with Mom. It was a really nice afternoon.
We went back home and hung out with the family all evening after the beach. Monday after visiting the market and getting New Zealand ice cream for the last time we went to the family and spent the whole day with them. We talked and played cards and ate for most of the day. When it got dark we lit a little candle and put it on the mat outside, and all the little kids came and sat around it like a campfire. We sat with them for a long time playing and laughing. It was really very sad even though I was having a ball playing with them. It was awful thinking that this is the last night I will spend with these kids until who knows when. Sarah, Tesa, Dad, Litiana, and I walked out on to the road and looked at the stars for a little while before we left to pack our bags. Taufa gave us two beautiful presents for Mom and Grandma Jackie before we left from Grandma Osi. I won't say what they are now because they're a surprise! Sinai came back to the hotel with us to help us pack, and she stayed the night.
Tuesday morning we were out of the hotel by 6am. Pila picked us up and took us back home to say our goodbyes. Taufa made us all my FAVORITE meal of barbecued chicken with homemade tartar sauce and rice for breakfast. It was a pretty somber meal because we were all so sad to be leaving. One by one everyone woke up and came out to say their goodbyes until almost everybody was outside to see us off. It was the saddest moment of my life. We all had a good cry until Taufa got us all loaded into the truck and on our way to the airport. Driving away as they waved goodbye was heartbreaking.
Taufa, Sinai, and Pila came to the airport with us to see us off. We had to move some stuff around because the bags were too heavy, but other than that we got through to the gate very smoothly. We said goodbye to Taufa, Sinai, and Pila, and Sinai promised she will come visit us!
After 12 hours in the Fiji airport and 10 hours on a plane we are in LA. It's bittersweet to be home again because there's so many loved ones here, but we left so many behind too. Now we are just relaxing in the hotel waiting for Bernie to come get us again. It feels like so long ago that we were here waiting for Bernie the first time.
I hope to get all the pictures up from 'Eua, Vava'u, and the rest of our adventures tonight. Sorry I haven't been able to keep up with it!
We miss you and love you so much Tongan family. You've all changed our lives. We will call as soon as we get back in West Virginia.
Can't wait to see all our family and friends here in America though! Thank you for following the blog, and I hope it's been a good look into our wonderful trip. We will see you all soon = )
Love,
Maria
So our last 4 days in Tonga were very nice. We finished up buying our presents from the market and spent as much time with the family as we could. Those last 4 days I felt like I was home. We finally got used to the Tongan lifestyle, and we had to leave.
Our last Sunday there we went to our Aunt Taufa's church. It's a big, beautiful Catholic church right downtown. Sinai, Christian, Heikoti, Valamotu, Sione, and Akoli came with us. Beautiful singing as usual! After church we went back home and ate lunch from the 'umu, the underground oven. When we were done eating my cousin Petesa cut my brother Petesa's hair for him. Now he really looks like a Tongan guy = )
Uncle Pila took Sinai, Motu, and the four of us to Laulea beach after lunch. We have a great picture that Mom took of Sarah on that beach 24 years ago. Our cousin Akram in America made a beautiful painting of that picture that Mom has hanging in her room now. So we swam at the beach for a little bit, and then I tried to recreate the picture of Sarah. The background is pretty different now though because of storms that tore up the beach. BUT we still got great pictures of her, and we got to see the beach that they went to with Mom. It was a really nice afternoon.
We went back home and hung out with the family all evening after the beach. Monday after visiting the market and getting New Zealand ice cream for the last time we went to the family and spent the whole day with them. We talked and played cards and ate for most of the day. When it got dark we lit a little candle and put it on the mat outside, and all the little kids came and sat around it like a campfire. We sat with them for a long time playing and laughing. It was really very sad even though I was having a ball playing with them. It was awful thinking that this is the last night I will spend with these kids until who knows when. Sarah, Tesa, Dad, Litiana, and I walked out on to the road and looked at the stars for a little while before we left to pack our bags. Taufa gave us two beautiful presents for Mom and Grandma Jackie before we left from Grandma Osi. I won't say what they are now because they're a surprise! Sinai came back to the hotel with us to help us pack, and she stayed the night.
Tuesday morning we were out of the hotel by 6am. Pila picked us up and took us back home to say our goodbyes. Taufa made us all my FAVORITE meal of barbecued chicken with homemade tartar sauce and rice for breakfast. It was a pretty somber meal because we were all so sad to be leaving. One by one everyone woke up and came out to say their goodbyes until almost everybody was outside to see us off. It was the saddest moment of my life. We all had a good cry until Taufa got us all loaded into the truck and on our way to the airport. Driving away as they waved goodbye was heartbreaking.
Taufa, Sinai, and Pila came to the airport with us to see us off. We had to move some stuff around because the bags were too heavy, but other than that we got through to the gate very smoothly. We said goodbye to Taufa, Sinai, and Pila, and Sinai promised she will come visit us!
After 12 hours in the Fiji airport and 10 hours on a plane we are in LA. It's bittersweet to be home again because there's so many loved ones here, but we left so many behind too. Now we are just relaxing in the hotel waiting for Bernie to come get us again. It feels like so long ago that we were here waiting for Bernie the first time.
I hope to get all the pictures up from 'Eua, Vava'u, and the rest of our adventures tonight. Sorry I haven't been able to keep up with it!
We miss you and love you so much Tongan family. You've all changed our lives. We will call as soon as we get back in West Virginia.
Can't wait to see all our family and friends here in America though! Thank you for following the blog, and I hope it's been a good look into our wonderful trip. We will see you all soon = )
Love,
Maria
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Back from Vava'u
I have not been able to keep up with the blog, and I apologize! The wireless internet in Vava'u is no good to upload pictures, so I had to wait until we got back in Tongatapu today. We were actually supposed to leave Vava'u on Tuesday, but because Monday was a Tongan holiday our ship didn't come until Thursday. But no worries because Vava'u is like paradise. Who minds being stuck in paradise for a few extra days?
Anyways, the rest of our stay in Neiafu was really very enjoyable. We moved to the Puataukanave International Hotel the day I wrote the last post, and we stayed in the Backpackers lodge. It had a community kitchen, living area, and bathrooms, but we stayed with some really cool people so it was fun. They were both Australian and work for Marine Research groups. They were there with diving and taking photos of the whales that are beginning to migrate to Vava'u to have their babies. We really liked the backpackers lodge, and it was nice to have a little more room to move around in and not just a hotel room.
We travelled all over Vava'u and got to see some of the family property! Dad's land is in Utungake. It has 2 huge mango trees on it, one of which is Dad's and one that is his oldest sister Vasa's. He told us that hers was always better and always had better fruit! Then we travelled a little further into Utungake and saw Grandma's property. It's a beautiful piece of land that leads right over a hill on to a beach. We snorkelled and swam there a good many times during our stay.
Other than that we just spent some time exploring the city of Neiafu and visiting with Vasa's family. It was a great trip, and we got some excellent pictures!
We are back in Tongatapu now to spend what time we have left with the family here. It's going to be hard leaving them in 4 days. Hopefully, I will be able to put some new pictures up before we leave for good.
We love and miss everyone!
-Maria
Anyways, the rest of our stay in Neiafu was really very enjoyable. We moved to the Puataukanave International Hotel the day I wrote the last post, and we stayed in the Backpackers lodge. It had a community kitchen, living area, and bathrooms, but we stayed with some really cool people so it was fun. They were both Australian and work for Marine Research groups. They were there with diving and taking photos of the whales that are beginning to migrate to Vava'u to have their babies. We really liked the backpackers lodge, and it was nice to have a little more room to move around in and not just a hotel room.
We travelled all over Vava'u and got to see some of the family property! Dad's land is in Utungake. It has 2 huge mango trees on it, one of which is Dad's and one that is his oldest sister Vasa's. He told us that hers was always better and always had better fruit! Then we travelled a little further into Utungake and saw Grandma's property. It's a beautiful piece of land that leads right over a hill on to a beach. We snorkelled and swam there a good many times during our stay.
Other than that we just spent some time exploring the city of Neiafu and visiting with Vasa's family. It was a great trip, and we got some excellent pictures!
We are back in Tongatapu now to spend what time we have left with the family here. It's going to be hard leaving them in 4 days. Hopefully, I will be able to put some new pictures up before we leave for good.
We love and miss everyone!
-Maria
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Vava'u
Greetings from Vava’u! We have now officially met all of Dad‘s siblings. When we arrived at the wharf in Neiafu we were greeted by our Aunt Vasa and her husband Sateki. She looks a lot like Siosi and Grandma Osi mixed together.
The boat ride was actually pretty enjoyable. The deck was closed in and air conditioned with air plane like seats and a big flat screen TV. Granted, they blasted a Michael Jackson concert for the first 2 and half hours, but other than that it was okay. It was a bigger ship too, so it wasn’t as rough as our boat ride to ’Eua. None of us got sick, but hours later in the motel we all still felt like we were rocking back and forth on the ship. We left Nuku’alofa at 8pm Monday night and arrived in Neiafu at 3pm Tuesday. We made one stop at the Ha’apai group of islands around 7 in the morning.
Our first stop was at the Twin View Motel in Neiafu. Vava’u is so different from Tongatapu. It’s really beautiful and a bit more like home, full of hills and cliffs. There’s a lot of smaller, rockier islands with caves. The Twin View sits right on top of a hill. From it we had a great view of the ocean and many small islands surrounding us. Driving up to the motel was a much different experience from driving in Tongatapu. It was practically all up hill with little restaurants and houses sitting on the side of the hills. It’s really very beautiful. After a few hours at the Twin View we realized it had a bee infestation! So, we moved to The Balcony, which is a really great hotel right in the middle of town here. They have a bar and restaurant connected to our little porch. We had a great first day here looking at shops and walking all over town.
Tomorrow we are moving to another (cheaper) hotel that I can’t remember the name of. It’s really very nice though and located right on the water. Hopefully we will stay there until we leave.
Everyone is very happy here in Vava’u, although we miss our dear family in Tongatapu. Wish they could be here to share this with us.
Exactly two weeks today until we arrive back in the states.
Lots of love to everyone at home.
-Maria
The boat ride was actually pretty enjoyable. The deck was closed in and air conditioned with air plane like seats and a big flat screen TV. Granted, they blasted a Michael Jackson concert for the first 2 and half hours, but other than that it was okay. It was a bigger ship too, so it wasn’t as rough as our boat ride to ’Eua. None of us got sick, but hours later in the motel we all still felt like we were rocking back and forth on the ship. We left Nuku’alofa at 8pm Monday night and arrived in Neiafu at 3pm Tuesday. We made one stop at the Ha’apai group of islands around 7 in the morning.
Our first stop was at the Twin View Motel in Neiafu. Vava’u is so different from Tongatapu. It’s really beautiful and a bit more like home, full of hills and cliffs. There’s a lot of smaller, rockier islands with caves. The Twin View sits right on top of a hill. From it we had a great view of the ocean and many small islands surrounding us. Driving up to the motel was a much different experience from driving in Tongatapu. It was practically all up hill with little restaurants and houses sitting on the side of the hills. It’s really very beautiful. After a few hours at the Twin View we realized it had a bee infestation! So, we moved to The Balcony, which is a really great hotel right in the middle of town here. They have a bar and restaurant connected to our little porch. We had a great first day here looking at shops and walking all over town.
Tomorrow we are moving to another (cheaper) hotel that I can’t remember the name of. It’s really very nice though and located right on the water. Hopefully we will stay there until we leave.
Everyone is very happy here in Vava’u, although we miss our dear family in Tongatapu. Wish they could be here to share this with us.
Exactly two weeks today until we arrive back in the states.
Lots of love to everyone at home.
-Maria
Dad's Birthday
So, we had our second Tongan birthday… but this time we were actually in Tonga. It was absolutely amazing. Sarah, Petesa and I got ready, and the family picked us up around 4:30. We went back to the home place while all the cooking was going on. I’ve never seen so much food before! We had two roasted pigs, grilled chicken, fried chicken and fish, octopus, cabbage salad, crab salad, stir fry, and, of course, cake! We stopped at the bakery and bought Dad two white cakes on our way to the feast.
The family set up a tent for us to eat under. The inside was lined with tapa, and it was beautiful. When we all sat down to eat, the speeches began. Dad’s uncle Seti said the prayer, and Langima’a made the first speech. Then almost everyone around the table took their turn making speeches for Dad’s birthday, including Dad, Sarah, and Petesa. It was a really emotional thing for all of us, and by the end of dinner everyone was crying together. Taufa’s son Sione played a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday on his brass horn, and one of the girls sang Happy Birthday. After we all had cake (which was delicious!) I sang one verse of Amazing Grace.
It was truly an unforgettable night, and we all agreed it was one of the best nights we’ve had on this trip. This family of ours is so incredibly loving, and they make us happy just by being near them. They all want us to come back next year for Dad’s 60th!
The three of us crashed after the party, but we were up early on Saturday to watch the Heilala Parade. It is part of the Heilala Festival celebrating Tongan heritage. We got to see some great bands and floats, one of which had Miss Heilala on it. Later we went to visit with the family. We played cards and sang a little Country Roads! It was fun, and I was pretty impressed the girls knew our little West Virginia song. I’m pretty sure all Tongans have fantastic voices and a great knack for picking out harmonies.
Vava’u awaits us next week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the boat ride is smooth.
Hope all is well in America and anywhere else you may be reading this. Until next time…
-Maria
The family set up a tent for us to eat under. The inside was lined with tapa, and it was beautiful. When we all sat down to eat, the speeches began. Dad’s uncle Seti said the prayer, and Langima’a made the first speech. Then almost everyone around the table took their turn making speeches for Dad’s birthday, including Dad, Sarah, and Petesa. It was a really emotional thing for all of us, and by the end of dinner everyone was crying together. Taufa’s son Sione played a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday on his brass horn, and one of the girls sang Happy Birthday. After we all had cake (which was delicious!) I sang one verse of Amazing Grace.
It was truly an unforgettable night, and we all agreed it was one of the best nights we’ve had on this trip. This family of ours is so incredibly loving, and they make us happy just by being near them. They all want us to come back next year for Dad’s 60th!
The three of us crashed after the party, but we were up early on Saturday to watch the Heilala Parade. It is part of the Heilala Festival celebrating Tongan heritage. We got to see some great bands and floats, one of which had Miss Heilala on it. Later we went to visit with the family. We played cards and sang a little Country Roads! It was fun, and I was pretty impressed the girls knew our little West Virginia song. I’m pretty sure all Tongans have fantastic voices and a great knack for picking out harmonies.
Vava’u awaits us next week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the boat ride is smooth.
Hope all is well in America and anywhere else you may be reading this. Until next time…
-Maria
Thursday, July 22, 2010
'Eua
So our trip to ‘Eua was absolutely wonderful. ‘Eua is so clean and a lot less populated compared to Tongatapu. We took the ferry on Tuesday afternoon, and I’ll admit I got a little sea sick. It was a very rough trip, but it was only about 2 and half hours long. We were picked up at the wharf and taken to the Deep Resort where we stayed for 3 nights. The Deep Resort is absolutely wonderful! Eva is the owner, and she’s the sweetest woman you will ever meet. She has 3 bungalows on beautiful beach front property. The bungalows are cute and very clean with plenty of room for all 4 of us. I can’t wait to post the pictures of this place. It was like paradise. It was like our own private beach in front of our little house. None of us wanted to leave! Eva and her family cooked us breakfast and dinner every day, and it was delicious. They are really great cooks. We even had a barbeque Wednesday night for Eva’s birthday. American hot dogs, grilled chicken, potato salad, the works! Oh yes, and chocolate cake to finish the meal off.
Anyways, ‘Eua is very different from Tongatapu. Most of it is jungle. There are hills and cliffs, so the scenery is great. Loni, Eva’s brother, took us on a great tour of the entire island of Thursday. We went from one edge to the other. This morning we took a ship back to Tongatapu at 5:30am. It was a much smoother trip, and Tesa and Dad got to watch the sun rise from the deck of the ship. Oh yea, and today is Dad’s birthday! We had a big breakfast at the hotel and gave him his present, a New Zealand rugby shirt. Now we are waiting for the birthday feast to begin tonight! Sarah, Tesa, and I are going to stop and get two cakes at the bakery on our walk home from the internet café.
Hope everyone is doing well. We miss you all.
-Maria
P.S. Dad is 59 today… not 35 as he would have you believe!
Anyways, ‘Eua is very different from Tongatapu. Most of it is jungle. There are hills and cliffs, so the scenery is great. Loni, Eva’s brother, took us on a great tour of the entire island of Thursday. We went from one edge to the other. This morning we took a ship back to Tongatapu at 5:30am. It was a much smoother trip, and Tesa and Dad got to watch the sun rise from the deck of the ship. Oh yea, and today is Dad’s birthday! We had a big breakfast at the hotel and gave him his present, a New Zealand rugby shirt. Now we are waiting for the birthday feast to begin tonight! Sarah, Tesa, and I are going to stop and get two cakes at the bakery on our walk home from the internet café.
Hope everyone is doing well. We miss you all.
-Maria
P.S. Dad is 59 today… not 35 as he would have you believe!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
One week down
Hello from Tongatapu! This is my first Tongan post. We have been here for one week now, and we're really getting used to the island life. We've met all of our family that lives on this island, and they are just wonderful people. We are now staying in the International Dateline Hotel after one night in the Friendly Islander Hotel. It's very clean and right in the middle of things.
So we spent this past week traveling to every beach we could find on this island. We've literally gone from one tip of the island to the other, swimming where we could and taking lots of pictures. Unfortunately I can't update the pictures for some reason, but as soon as I can you will see them.
We went snorkeling the other day at our favorite beach, Masiata Beach. The day before that we went looking for the caves on the eastern part of the island. We actually swam in an underground pool in the cave in Anahulu. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Then we went to 'Oholei to see another cave and walk on the beach. Sarah, Mom, and Dad actually visited 'Oholei when they came here 24 years ago, so we got some pictures of Sarah going in to the cave 24 years later.
On one of our trips we went to see the Ha'amonga Trilathon at Niutoua. It looks like Stonehenge, and it was built in 1200 AD. We also saw an 8 foot tall rock that an old blind Tonga king built to protect himself. He would lean on it and swing his stick so no one could approach him. While we were there we bought Dad a birthday present: a carved fish hook necklace that symbolizes save travels and protection of your family. You will see that in many of the pictures from the rest of this trip.
Tomorrow we are taking a ship to 'Eua, the oldest island in Tonga. Dad hasn't stepped foot on 'Eua for almost 30 years. It should be beautiful. Much of the island is uninhabited, so there is a lot of jungle. There are supposed to be wild horses and cockatoos, but Dad's not so sure about that. I guess we'll see tomorrow!
The week after we get back from 'Eua we are traveling to Vava'u where Dad was born and has land still. He can't wait to get there. Everyone says it's the most beautiful island.
We are doing really well here. It's quite an adjustment with different food, different clothes, and an overall different atmosphere. But Sarah, Tesa, and I are all taking care of each other, and Dad is taking care of us. It's really a great thing for us to spend so much time with Dad. We may never get to spend this time with him again, so it's nice to get to know this world he came from with him.
We miss everyone we left in America, and our family we left in New Zealand. It's so crazy how big our family is and how spread out they are. We all feel so lucky to have such great relatives and friends all around the world. We are sending love to everyone out there who isn't with us. Until we meet again!
Love,
Maria
So we spent this past week traveling to every beach we could find on this island. We've literally gone from one tip of the island to the other, swimming where we could and taking lots of pictures. Unfortunately I can't update the pictures for some reason, but as soon as I can you will see them.
We went snorkeling the other day at our favorite beach, Masiata Beach. The day before that we went looking for the caves on the eastern part of the island. We actually swam in an underground pool in the cave in Anahulu. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Then we went to 'Oholei to see another cave and walk on the beach. Sarah, Mom, and Dad actually visited 'Oholei when they came here 24 years ago, so we got some pictures of Sarah going in to the cave 24 years later.
On one of our trips we went to see the Ha'amonga Trilathon at Niutoua. It looks like Stonehenge, and it was built in 1200 AD. We also saw an 8 foot tall rock that an old blind Tonga king built to protect himself. He would lean on it and swing his stick so no one could approach him. While we were there we bought Dad a birthday present: a carved fish hook necklace that symbolizes save travels and protection of your family. You will see that in many of the pictures from the rest of this trip.
Tomorrow we are taking a ship to 'Eua, the oldest island in Tonga. Dad hasn't stepped foot on 'Eua for almost 30 years. It should be beautiful. Much of the island is uninhabited, so there is a lot of jungle. There are supposed to be wild horses and cockatoos, but Dad's not so sure about that. I guess we'll see tomorrow!
The week after we get back from 'Eua we are traveling to Vava'u where Dad was born and has land still. He can't wait to get there. Everyone says it's the most beautiful island.
We are doing really well here. It's quite an adjustment with different food, different clothes, and an overall different atmosphere. But Sarah, Tesa, and I are all taking care of each other, and Dad is taking care of us. It's really a great thing for us to spend so much time with Dad. We may never get to spend this time with him again, so it's nice to get to know this world he came from with him.
We miss everyone we left in America, and our family we left in New Zealand. It's so crazy how big our family is and how spread out they are. We all feel so lucky to have such great relatives and friends all around the world. We are sending love to everyone out there who isn't with us. Until we meet again!
Love,
Maria
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