WOW... seven months down the road and I'm about to write my first blog entry since arriving in Tonga. Well the good news is that i have lasted this long. I think it's more a Peace Corps roller coaster than a Tongan issue to get over the first 3 months after that it's all about Tonga. I'm blessed to be living in a wonderful house with a job that keeps me as busy as I want to be ... I'm project manager @ the department of civil aviation. I think the secret is to commit yourself to a "no suffering" policy .... and that means getting out and about town ... not being afraid to spend your hard earned cash .... you can buy a lot of beer/ice cream with $300 usd a month ... there are plenty of food choices.. lots of cheap resturants .. it's all fakatongan , but that's the reason u/r here .... to swim with the Tongans in the sea of life.

As for riding a bicycle it actually keeps the island small enough that you shouldn't get bored. Well anyhow that's how i have found things .... everyone has good days and bad , but who isn't plagued by that human condition. There is the inital period of getting used to 1000 or more roosters randomly crowing throughout the night and the church bells that seem to be under your pillow when they ring as early as 0500. Thank god in the Capital the number of PIGS are limited and the roads are paved ... more so than i can say for India, Tibet and Nepal. Sometimes it's the barking dogs that will have you lying wide awake wondering ... just what the hell are they trying to communicate to each other ????
It's impossible to come here without any preconcieved notions ... the secret is to let them all go as quickly as you can and experience Tonga as it IS.... not what you thought it would be.