Today is my last full day in Tonga! I'm packed and ready to go, with plans to see the beach one last time before my 9pm flight tomorrow evening. It's a long trip home to Ottawa, with stopovers in Samoa, L.A., and Toronto. While I sit here, drinking what will be one of the last hand-plucked coconuts I'll have, I figured I should write a bit of a retrospective.
After six months on a military base in Afghanistan in 2006, where I made heaps of money but saw little of the local culture, I knew that I wanted a true experience overseas in humanitarian development. With my university debt paid, I figured the time was now. Many organizations offered the opportunity to teach English, but I found only one that advertised an open position for History (my major). That country was...Kiribati! I interviewed for the position and was accepted, but just hours later I was asked if I would prefer another opening in Tonga. Tonga I had actually heard of (in Fahrenheit 9/11's list of the "coalition of the willing"), and a quick Wikipedia search made up my mind. I was Kingdom-bound!
Other "Europeans" (as I would be called) had settled in Tonga. Could I?
Abel Tasman's landing point in Tonga. He was the first European to visit (1643). As curious Tongans approached his ship in canoes, Tasman (in succession) fired a gun, blew a trumpet, played the violin, then played the flute. What fun! He proceeded to trade pieces of iron and glass to Tongans for their pigs, fruit, and fresh water. I'm sure he was the topic of many dinner conversations for generations before more Europeans arrived.
In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them (they're in Tonga), maybe you can hire... The A-Team.
Pushed out of the international spotlight by younger supersentations including the Powerpuff Girls and Bratz, Barbie re-located to Tonga where she could live out her dream as a stylist in relative anonymity.
I've lived in Tonga longer than I have in any other country (aside from Canada, obviously). I've written about many of the experiences here, so there's no point in revisiting them. But Tonga has been a very important part of my life for many reasons.
All throughout my time in University, whenever I was asked the question, "History? Are you going to be a teacher?" I'd always answer with a resounding "NO." Yet to get to Tonga, I accepted a position as a teacher, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, that my only real regret in not staying for a third year is that I won't get the chance to teach my students next year. I know I would consider teaching again, though probably not in a developed nation. There was a lot of freedom here and a real respect for teachers, and I know I wouldn't find that in many other countries.
I learned a lot about all the things you'd expect from living in a third would country: other cultures, my own "culture" through the eyes of others, money, poverty, consumerism, fitness, religion...the list goes on. It may be over-said by people in my situation, but I feel I learned a bit "about the things that really matter in life." I hope my heart hasn't hardened, but I know that I'm less sensitive about some things, including shocking living conditions and the treatment of animals. I imagine I'm much more skeptical then I once was. I now question conventional wisdom, and am less willing to accept at face-value everything I'm told I need to have and need to do.
While adapting myself to local cuisine and the availability of foods on an island away from major trade, I made many changes to my diet. Some foods were easy to find (pork, chicken, fish/seafood of all kinds, coconut, vegetables/fruit in season), some foods had limited availability and/or questionable quality (bread, pizza, sushi, baking ingredients), and some foods were near-impossible to find (particularly vegetables/fruit that weren't in season). Slowly I abandoned many foods, settling for a diet that was mostly meat and plants and did not shy away from animal and coconut fat. This was the traditional diet of Tongans, although many had since abandoned it in favour of the SAD (Standard American Diet). I had never felt better, and saw a vast range of improvements in my health, temperament, appearance, energy, and sleep. Eventually I stumbled across the name for my new eating habits, and completed the transition to a "primal/paleo" lifestyle (Maclean's Article, Video Link 1, Video Link 2). Plants (vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts) and animals (meat, fish, fowl, and eggs) now represent the entire composition of my diet, with some dairy (love yogurt and old cheese). Gone are rice, corn, grains, refined sugar, white potatoes, and anything they're found in. It's served me well in Tonga and is a lifestyle plan to carry on once home.
Hopefully I'll re-adjust quickly to western civilization without suffering the worst effects of "reverse culture shock." I know that, during the month and a half that I was in New Zealand and Australia last year, I wasn't too comfortable in towns and cities, and chose to spend the majority of my time camping and driving open roads. I don't know how my feelings will change once I return to Canada.
Travel remains high on my list of "Likes" in life. During my time away from home, I visited six countries, four of which were radically different from what's found in Europe/North America. My experiences only increased my desire for more. That feeling is something I think about when I consider "What's Next?"
I thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog, and my thanks to everyone who read it (and in particular, those who commented). The positive experience of traveling and writing has encouraged me to do something similar in the future if (or when...) I go somewhere else. But now, it's time for one last coconut. Faka-Tonga!!
