The Brief and Wondrous Life of Penny.

I'm not a cat person. Or at least I thought I wasn't. 

And then a little kitten entered my life here in Tonga and showed me that maybe I should be a little bit more open to other animals besides just dogs. I loved Penny right away because she was such a sass. It didn't matter how many times I sprayed her with a water bottle or pushed her away with my foot - all she wanted to do was play... and love on me. When I'd return from town and unlock my front door she would jump out and start meowing at me right away, welcoming me home. And last night when I opened my door she wasn't there. Recently she's learned that there are other exits out of my house - a couple windows with loose screens give her a clear getaway. My students know to put her back in the window once they are finished playing with her. Since I'd been gone all day, I figured maybe she went home with one of them and that is what she wasn't around.

I woke up this morning and skyped with my mom.

The front door was open.

And during our conversation one of the little boys in my Class 5 jumped the fence and got my attention through the front door.

"I fe Penny?" (Where is Penny?) I said.

"Manatee, Peni 'osi mate." (Mandy, Penny died.)

I was confused. 

The little boy continued, "U'u 'a kuli" (A dog bit her.)

Then the boy disappeared.

I translated the conversation for my mom over skype. I couldn't believe it.

Then the boy returned.

This time he was holding Penny's body. 

And I went numb. I played it off like I was sad but fine (non-emotional) and in the moment I guess I was. I didn't want to let myself feel. I had a full day of fun activities planned, a friend staying over, my mom watching me on skype... there was no time to be sad.

And now I'm alone and I'm sad. I know death is a part of life and I probably shouldn't have gotten a pet in a place like Tonga because nature can be a little ruthless sometimes, but man.... this stinks. Part of me is glad I wasn't there to see what happened. I guess a dog came in the gate during lunch time while the students were playing and got her.  I think we'll have a mini putu (funeral) for her on Monday and bury her in the garden.

Even though I only got to spend a little over two weeks with Penny, we became best buds. I'll miss her sneaking into my bedroom and falling asleep in my clothes, pouncing on crickets and playing with my feet until I picked her up and snuggled with her. I'll miss her crawling up my back and sitting on my shoulder while I wrote my blog posts. I'll miss her falling asleep in my lap. I'll miss when all the hair would stick up on her back and she would hop sideways at me thinking that she was being all stealthy.
I'm going to miss her a lot.
Have you ever lost a pet?

Vava'u.

 I have written before about how I live in an outer island group called Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga. It's truly a special place.

  Part of it's uniqueness comes from the rolling hills and rocky cliff faces that make up Vava'u Lahi and the surrounding island. It's also home to one of the most beautiful churches I've laid eyes on.

  Life moves slower here.

 The natural beauty of the islands surround you every moment of every day. Sailboats dot the clear teal water, whales frequently visit, coconut trees tower over brightly colored homes, and people move at a pace which forces you to really slow down and enjoy every moment.

 Which just might include a good cup of Kingdom coffee at a local cafe.

Or a boat ride.
It's easy to smile here.

perfectly wonderful thursday.

 today i participated in the most epic battle of kickball ever. blue vs. green. it was insanity and so much fun. and i played ball in a tupenu ... first time for this girl. so much happened at our little school today - reading, writing, singing, speaking and most importantly... lots and lots of fun! we even had some of the peace corps staff here to say hello and to visit. what a perfectly wonderful thursday.

 happy thursday to you!

po ako :: night school

two or three times a week i teach an after-school class called po ako (literal translation: "night school"). it prepares the class 6 students (5th graders) for the test that they will take at the beginning of october. the test results will then determine which secondary schools they will gain acceptance into. my class 6 students are so curious, excited, enthusiastic and... already a tiny bit drained. i don't want to make this class too tiring for them so we do a lot of fun activities (grammar ninjas!) and have a lot of freedom (library time where they are able to choose the books they are comfortable reading).

physical education class was something else today. i got the entire school excited about doing yoga and when the school bell rang some of them continued working on the poses that i taught them. it makes me giddy when i meet others who have the same passion for things that i do. the teachers watched (one of them participated) and have decided that yoga should be a daily thing. we call it "stretching" at school because some believe that when you teach others yoga you are trying to teach them a new religion. and that's not what it's about. it's about making your body and mind feel good. namaste. :) happy hump day from the south pacific.

||Recently...||

A// I am so grateful for my friends. My friend Kate sends me a photo a month here with a different "power word"/theme on it. I love them so much. They hang in my art corner. B// My Class 5 (Grade 4) kids are the most rascally bunch of Tongan children I work with, but they keep me laughing. C// Penny is eyeing my tupenu (skirt) and about to use my leg as a climbing post. D// Touna still calls me "Manatee!" and loves to come and sit in class while I'm teaching her older siblings. Sometimes she yells "hi!" as the answer to every question. If only English were that easy.

|| Currently... ||

Here is a list of current things. Mmmm.... I love lists. It's Friday in the Kingdom of Tonga and I'm getting excited for my weekend. For being the "dry season" there sure has been a lot of rain recently. For the last four days there have been some pretty gnarly downpours. When this happens the school yard turns into a lake. Normally I love the rain, but when it compromises the structural integrity of my shack it makes me a little nervous. 

This morning I met with the other teachers at my school and talked with them about cumulative assessments and other ways to test for understanding. We talked about exit slips, weekly mini-assessments and ways to integrate assessment into the daily structure of the classroom. Next week we are going to come together to create assessments that work for subjects other than faka-palangi (English).

Currently...

Listening. Alt-J, Passion Pit, Sigur Ros, Bon Iver, Noah and the Whale and Fleet Foxes make the perfect rainy day mix. I'm sipping Zen tea and enjoying a sleepy Penny who is currently dozing in my lap. She isn't too bad when she is in this state.

Reading. I just finished Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and I'm looking to starting something new. I have a bad habit of starting 3 or 4 books at once and then determining within the first 100 pages of each which one I will continue on with. I wish Sabrina Ward Harrison made books for the Kindle. That'd be so sweet.

Eating. I snuck some quinoa into Tonga (shhhhhhh....don't tell!) and finished my final bowl of it today. Sad times. I have enjoyed making black bean, mixed veggie (zucchini, cucumber, green pepper and carrots!) and quinoa dishes the last couple days... I savored every little bite of those little bits of magic.

Watching. I know I am way behind the times in terms of what's new/cool/hip/groovy on TV, but when I was back in the States I scored a copy of the first two seasons of the HBO show, Girls. Lena Dunham is a genius. I spent my high school years mildly obsessed with Sex and the City knowing that their lives were a little over the top but fully embraced the show nonetheless. "Girls" has a SATC vibe occasionally, but is way more relate-able.

 What are you currently up to?