This post was originally written on September 11, 2012:
The night time
in Fatumu is my favorite. After I get home from language school I have time to
unwind and practice my Tongan with Una.
She laughs at me a lot but is very patient with my language. Una, along
with my host sister Sala (who is 7), went over the vocabulary I learned today
and I attempted to form simple thoughts. (Side note: At first it seemed that
Sala wanted nothing to do with this palangi, but as I learn more about the
Tongan language and practice with her it is changing. She greets me every
morning with a “Hello ‘Amenita! (my Tongan name)” and I respond with “Malo e
leilei Sala!” and we both giggle as we walk into the kitchen to eat breakfast.)
Tonight Una asked
me if I wanted to go watch akapulu (rugby). The akapulu team in Fatumu has made
it to the finals (for all the villages in the area) and will play another
village in 2 weeks. This is a big deal
since Fatumu is only made up of about 80 families. The boys/men that play
on the akapulu team finish ngaue (work) as soon as they can to get to practice.
Una tells me that they practice every evening at the ‘api ako (school). I told
her that men in Tonga are much stronger than the men found in Amelika (America)
because they can play sports without pads. She called me “fakaoli” (funny), but
I think it’s the truth.
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