Oh my gosh I have the perfect little house! It was a little nerve racking when they pushed my move in date back a day, is it not done? Is there a problem? But when I got here and saw it WOW. It has two main rooms, a living/kitchen/ dinning room and a bedroom with a door between. The kitchen nook has counters which the gas tank and the fridge (yes the bane of my existence fridge) fit perfectly under. I have a table and two comfy chairs also three folding chairs a beautiful meal set out for us. Unfortunately I didn't tell anyone about the whole vegetarian thing so most dishes had capa pulu (canned beef/ corned beef) in it. Oh well. And in the bedroom, a princess bed. True story! I have a full, 4 post bed with a canopy over it and white satin bedspread. Wow. And the bed is firm which is perfect for me.
Contrary to most Tongan houses I have regular light bulbs, no fluorescents. I feel at home, in fact it is a lot like home, well maybe not, how many cockroaches did you find in your dish water this morning? (2 in mine) The house also comes with many promises. A light in the bathroom, a new socket in the kitchen, a sink, a latch in the bathroom door. Fun stuff like that. I am not too worried as the security screens are up and I can lock my doors so if I don't get anything else at least I am safe. Side note two men came today and fixed the kitchen light and installed a light in the bathroom and by the back door. Way to exceed my expectations. Yea! Life is good.
Now to just learn Tongan...
The following journal is written by me, Alice Birney about my experience living in Tonga as a Peace Corps Volunteer. All views and opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Peace Corps, its employees or the United States Government.
