25 Days of Christmas // Day 5

It's Day 5 of the 25 Days of Christmas and I hope you are just as excited as Gunter (he's the little boy in the bottom photo) that Christmas is just around the corner!

Do you know the song? What's the next line?

End of the Year School Celebration

Today our little village celebrated the end of the school year by throwing a celebration for all the students. This is my second end of the school year celebration (wow, that feels weird to say). Today the program included a welcoming speech and prayer by the head pastor of the local Wesleyan Church. The principal ('Atu) got up and spoke and then the littlest students I teach English sang the first verse of Jingle Bells (it took them 2 weeks to learn it - maybe next year we'll add one more verse on?). Then each class came up and sang and each teacher put the students in order from Top Student to Bottom Student. To be honest, it's still as hard as it was last year to see the students put in order of their academic progress so that EVERYONE can see. I know it's a tradition, but it's just so different than what I grew up with and I don't know if I'll ever really understand. I'm trying though! I saw a few tears, but mostly students didn't seem to (visibly) mind if they were the lowest students in their class. Awards and gifts were given to those who were in the Top 3 of each class. Most Improved and Highest Marks in Each Individual Subject were also given. This gave a little variety in terms of who won awards.

Here are some moments caught on film from today:

The Class 6 students made frames from coconut shells. They added way too much glitter for my taste but I think they turned out pretty sweet.

Soni had a special hair-do for the big day.

Class 5 & 6 boys excited for another tutuku'ako (school break).

Kafoatu waiting to go up and sing/

Listening to the opening speech.

Waiting for the program to start.

Project 365 // Week 8 // #50-56

Wow. First off, I can't believe I've already done 50 days of this project. Time is flying.

This week was great for so many reasons.

I probably had 5-10 photos I could have posted for each day. Cool things are happening in my village. It seems that with school winding down, village life speeds up. 

This week I got asked to represent my village in a taolunga (Tongan dance for women) island-wide competition. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not, but I'll keep you posted.

Also, many of my students invited me over to play pele (cards) and it's so much fun to play with them. Every time they throw a card down they do it in the most dramatic fashion and then giggle. It doesn't even matter if you win or not!

 

Here's a recap of this week:

Day 50 (Nov. 27): VEPA (Vava'u Environmental Protection Association) came to our school to teach us a jingle that they made up. They videotaped us and it looks like we may be on the local (country-wide) news soon. The kids loved it and I caught them singing it all week.

Day 51 (Nov. 28): Happy Thanksgiving! We saved our Thanksgiving celebration until Friday so we could celebrate with all the Americans (remember how I live in the future?). I did do a fun activity with my students that involved some of my favorite Christmas lyrics and the chalkboard. So much laughing!

Day 52 (Nov. 29): It was Harrison's birthday today and our Thanksgiving celebration. We went over to Don and Norie's and taught some friends about our traditions!

Day 53 (Nov. 30): We headed to the Secret Beach and explored.

Day 54 (Dec. 1): Quiet Sunday at my house. Did some drawing for a t-shirt I'm designing for our Peace Corps group. 

Day 55 (Dec. 2): King Tupou I Day so instead of having school I hung out with my roommates for a bit (see above) and then went to singing practice in my village.

Day 56 (Dec. 3): First day back from a long weekend and what did we do at school? We cleaned! And cleaned and cleaned and cleaned!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

P.S. Next week's Project 365 is going to be a little late. With Camp GLOW (it's almost here!) going on I won't be able to post until later in the week. But I've prepared some juicy 25 Days of Christmas goodness to enjoy in my neti (internet) absence.

25 Days of Christmas // Day 4

In honor of Day 4 of the 25 Days of Christmas I want to write about 4 reasons I love being in Tonga at Christmas time.

This does not happen in Tonga at Christmas. I just thought it was goofy.

1. The people. Aside from the fact that I love my village there are so many people that journey home to Vava'u for the Christmas season. It's been really fun to watch families get reunited (even if I can't be reunited with mine this time of year). I get to meet more people, too!

2. My fingers and toes are happy. While I lived in Colorado and Wisconsin there were many times when I would "forget" my gloves or warm socks (I thought I was tough) and would end up with very numb appendages. I don't have to worry about that here. Wahoo for back sweat!

3. Local music. Sometimes after school I can hear the students running down the road behind my house singing the Christmas carols they learned from me while in school. There is something really special about that... even if they are singing "Sleep in Heavenly Cheese" instead of "Sleep in Heavenly Peace".

4.  The unique decorations. You won't find Christmas lights on the outside of homes here (we just got streetlights installed last week), but you will find tinsel and garland in stores, used as clothing, etc. The plastic window decorations that were popular in the 1980s are still alive and well here. 

Why do you like being where you are around Christmas?

25 Days of Christmas // Day 3

Day 3 of the 25 Days of Christmas and I just can't get enough of these little ones!
It was too much fun sitting with them and trying to teaching them what each line in the song meant.

P.S. Do you know the next line of the song? Who sings your favorite version of it?

25 Days of Christmas // Day 2

In honor of Day 2 of the 25 Days of Christmas, I'd like to introduce you to my 2nd favorite Christmas movie of all time. Here is one of my favorite songs from it.

I apologize for the choppiness of the video.
FYI: Claymation Christmas is from the 1980's. HD wasn't an option then. ;-)

Day After Thanksgiving // Secret Beach

There is a beach on our island that we, Peace Corps Volunteers, refer to as the Secret Beach.

I guess it's not much of a secret if I tell you about it. Oh well.

In order to get to it you have to hike through the bush for about 30 minutes and then traverse a really rooty, slippery, very steep downhill.

We thought Saturday was the perfect day to get together and enjoy the secrets of the Secret Beach.

Good way to spend the day and good way to stay cool (and also a good way to burn off some of those pumpkin pie calories).