Summary of my last month- back on track after the crack!

Auckland Art Gallery, one of my few trips
Highly recommended

It has been crazy.
I fell off my mountain bike on a rough downhill road a month ago. That was the start of my three weeks in Auckland, New Zealand, where I spent my days coping with the uncertainty of the future, but also how lucky I am in all of this.

Objectively I have had a great time, but the uncertainty of my future (the wrist, the project, etc) has made my life stressful. I was in a zombie mode and I got even more proof of what I learnt in General Practice course last September- Unpredictable and Uncontrollable are two great Stressors.  

I can’t describe everything that has happened… well actually I can since I am a faithfull diary-keeper, but I am not gonna bore you. To summarize, a dorsal avulsion fracture of the triquetral bone with high grade sprains. Or you can say- a small fracture in my left wrist, with good prognosis.

Now- I am back in Tonga and I will finalize my project in three weeks.

The 36th Annual Inter-Collegiate Athletics Competition has just finished after three festival-like days. There has been amazing performances from students in track and field’s, brass band entertaining and plenty of laughter, cheering and singing in the audience.

With a rough estimation of around 1500 people gathered in the grass field turned to sport arena outside of Vava’u High School, this is probably one of the biggest recurring events on the small island of Vava’u (20000 inhabitants, the town Neiafu having  5000 inhabitants).

The atmosphere was on top when the closing ceremony was disrupted by a warm monsoon rain making students scream and run out to play in the field.  

Yoga in the Catholic church

2014-02-22 Saturday

I started the day with Skyping to mum and dad. Then a trip to the market and got fruits and some heavy breakfast (deepfried fish, pasta and breadfruit). Then modifying the project plan and reading more about the methodology.

Evening yoga in the Catholic church in my neighborhood. Sunset over the Port of Refuge.  

 

Island hopping

2014-02-21 Friday

I got the opportunity to go with Aisake, my new friend who works for Digicel. He was going to investigate the opportunities to set up telephone and internet masts in the archipelago and he asked me to go along. It was a hot, but great day meeting different Pa’langi’s (remember? = foreigners) who has lived out on the remote islands making a living of renting out beach huts to tourists for game fishing and whale watching. They had lived there for between 2 and 20 years! The day was ended with finally Skyping with my sweetie!   

Sosefo Niukapu, Aisake's father in law

Beautiful beach hut

Meeting Dr Rey and mapping the surroundings in Neiafu

2014- 02-20 Thursday

The day of the bike. I met my Tongan supervisor Dr Rey Ofanoa for the first time and then I biked around to introduce me to the secondary schools, I managed to visit 3 out of 7 schools before the day was over. Im lucky they are all in the town Neiafu. I wore the traditional wrap-around skirt men are supposed to wear in schools, great in the heat but I had major problems keeping the skirt together while biking! Dozens of kids along the way greeted me with Bye and Hi, I replied with Sai Pe  or Fefe Hake (how are you).

I live in the right upper corner up on the hill. 

On one of the schools I met an American Peace Corps volunteer, Sarah, who told me about yoga in the Catholic church every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. With a slight headache after the biking and the heat I pulled through the yoga and then went with Katie, Mandy and Sarah, all volunteers, to get a pizza. 

Arriving to Vava’u

2014-02-19 Wednesday

I went on the early morning flight to Vava’u. Vava’u is green and hilly and I was shown around town all day by Aisake Lalahi, who works for Jack. 

I met his wife Jennie, his father in law Joseph, ate Vi fruit. The Vi fruit has many names around the equator, most commonly known as ambarella or golden apple. I ate it unripen by mistake, then it looks like a little green unripened mango and tasted kinda like that. Ripened it is supposed to taste like pineapple and mango. Yum!

Unripen Vi

Aisake helped me to buy a bike and he found me this great accommodation called Villa Port of Refuge. This big garden with shattered houses is located up on the hill, just in town, with a beautiful view and a nice ocean breeze. I have this lovely house all for myself! Included are dog, pig and rooster.

The only house occupied is the one beside me, where a super friendly American couple with mother in law visiting reisdes. They invited me to go along for some texmex and after they showed me the best places to buy food, water etc.     

Tongatapu tour

2014-02-18 Tuesday

Last day in Tongatapu was a perfect day for a tour.

tini countryside village, huge church!

When low tide dozens of pigs walk out on the sea floor to look for delicacies!

Ha'amonga Trilithion (see text below)

Ota Ika- raw fish in coconut milk and citrus juice. Kinda like ceviche.  

Kale Sipi (= curry mutton flaps) with kassava. Heavy meal! Anna Anka would love the cartilage!

 Favorites

-          Freshwater pool in an underground cave system (‘Anahulu caves).

-          Crops like yams, taro, manioc/cassava/tapioca (same). The whole island is just one big plantation.

-          Ocean lookout with a natural coral bridge formation under which seawater churns (once again Tonga’s attractions remind me New Zealand where I have seen a similar formation).

-          Mutton flaps, in Tongan Sipi. Are according to some the reason why Tongans are heavy.

I also saw flying foxes, threeheaded coconut palm, different churches and villages, Captain Cooks landing place, royal palace, royal tombs, terraced tombs, and ancient remains (Ha’amonga trilithion- Stonehenge of the Pacific, erected 1200 AD).

'Anahulu caves, driver Cefo to the right.

Tour guide with golden teeth
- almost everyone has at least one teeth covered in gold.

Goodbye dinner with Jack, Joanna, Henry and Chris. Thanks for this time!

Department of Health and Department of Statistics

2014-02-17 Monday

Day of walking around Nuku’Alofa to get documents from Department of Statistics, Department of Health etc.

I ended the day on Billfish bar to meet the Swede Lennie who has lived in Tonga for the last 30 years. He had plenty of stories to tell!  

Fleeing the Sunday rest

2014-02-16 Sunday

Sunday is church day. Everything is closed. Rumor’s got it the police might warn you for being on the beach or working out. You have to rest!

Or go to Pangaimotu.

The small island (include shipwreck and restaurant) is half an hour boat trip away from Nuku’Alofa. This is where all the Palangis go.  

Palangi is Tongan for Outsider, slightly derogative, literally meaning Person from the sky (Pa- to touch, Langi- the sky).

I went together with two other backpackers (German and Italian) and on the island we met a dozen of volunteers around our age. Coming from different organizations and professions, I admire the commitments from the Aussies, Kiwis and Americans agreeing to spend one or two years away from friends and family.  

Blowholes!

2014-02-15 Saturday

This was a day spent at the café with Jack.

But we also went out in the beautiful nature and spotted the famous blowholes, which reminded me of similar blowholes I saw in New Zealand a couple of years ago.

Waves pushed through tiny openings in the coral reef. Cool! 

Arrival to Tongatapu and the third gender of Tonga- meet the Fakaleitis

2014-02-14 Friday

 I arrived to Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga, with a rainbow greeting me welcome outside my airplane window. This was around 10am. I had arrived, but not my luggage. Who cares when in a warm, beautiful place, I thought, and took a cab to the capital, Nuku’Alofa, with approximately 25000 inhabitants. Temperature is a constant 25-30 C/ 80-90 F with a lot of humidity this time of the year adding up on the heat effect. 

 

First I went to meet my contacts Siesi Hala’api’api at the TongaHealth foundation, and Dr Ofa Tukia at the Public Health division of the Ministry of Health. Both were conveniently enough located at Vaiola Hospital. They provided me with the background information I needed about the structure of the government and the educational system, and before heading to town I got some cake from Siesi who celebrated her birthday.

Friends café was next stop with a smoothie and plenty of water. They have wifi and I started my computer to start looking for accommodation. My brother Joa has a friend living in Nuku’alofa and I called him through a bad Skype line to get information about the Valentine party I had heard plans of. Jack invited me to his house to stay over the weekend and that is where I have been since. Jack, his sister Joanna with husband Henry, and Chris have shown me an amazing amount of hospitality and their humor is out of this world!  

 

The Valentine party was a launching party for a new lounge/restaurant/bar and one of the most modern buildings in Nuku’Alofa with a great ocean breeze on the open air upper floor. The parties in Tonga have to close early, (I think around 1am on Fridays and Midnight on Saturdays), but that just mean you start earlier!

 

 

 

 

 

On the party was two Fakaleitis, they were the most sweet and fun I have met in a long time. 

 

The Fakaletitis (faka= in the manner of, leiti derived from English lady) are an old Polynesian tradition of men acting as women, similar to Samoan Fa’afafine and Hawaiian Mahu. It is said families used to choose a son to raise as a girl when no daughters were born, to make sure someone would continue the domestic chores. Today it is more commonly, but not necessarily, a choice for gay men. Homosexuality is illegal but Fakaleitis are accepted, even if they are on the lower part of the social hierarchy.

One of the Fakaleitis performed a killer choreography to Christina Aguilera. As a faithful watcher of Rupaul’s Drag Race I feel confident to say the Fakaleiti performance was world class- high heels, legs to die for, on point lip-synching and crazy splits!

 

 

 

Like a Lady- the Fakaleitis of Tonga

A 10 minute documentary trailer - 

 

Check it out!

 

 

Btw!

If you aren't familiar with the best reality show ever, make sure you Watch the trailer for the new season of Rupaul's Drag Race starting in a week!

 

 

 

Introduction to Tonga and my Master Thesis

2014-02-10

 

It is closing time for departure to the land where time begins, the first country in the world to greet each new day. This mythical place where whales breed and new islands still form on the edge of a trench so deep Mt Everest would fit. Here lies a brave group of shattered islands formerly called the Friendly Islands, today the kingdom of Tonga. The people here are first to see the daylight and proud of their unique history. This is the only country in the Pacific region to never have been colonized. They make up the smallest kingdom in the world and about just as many of their one hundred thousand inhabitants are now living abroad in New Zealand, Australia and USA. For Christmas holidays many expats rejoin with their relatives to feast on piglets roasted in earth-ovens, refreshing pink drinks of watermelon and coconut milk the locals call ‘Otai, and sweet crops like yam and taro.

Tonga means South, and that is where I am going.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But just as I recall the distant memories from my childhood’s glorifying movies Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet and Villervalle i Söderhavet…
 

 

Just as I picture myself in the upcoming movie-

Simon i Söderhavet…

Just in that moment... when I see all the exotic colors of Tonga, I get an odd feeling. I start to see my traveler’s guide friendly text above in the light of an act of exoticism. When I in my vague attempts of being semantically theatrical claim this as Paradise I risk placing myself in an unwanted position. Individually made with good attempts, but on a population level an action of alienation, justifying inequity and inequality. My subconscious wish to find Paradise in the distant Polynesian coral reefs, therefore depicting this island Kingdom in unnaturally bright colors. It seems innocent, but if I am not aware these thoughts may maintain the post-colonization structure I do not want to belong to. The truth is hard to find, and may be different depending on who you ask.

 

  I want to find out what reality in Tonga is for me.

 

I am right now on my boyfriend’s and his brother’s sofa enjoying my last day in Harlem, New York City. The TV is playing, my boyfriend washes up tonight’s dishes, and a plate of Louisiana crunch cake lies on a plate in front of me. Moist, airy, and with white crunchy icing it looks delicious. It reminds me of the obesity epidemic around the world. Traditionally known to affect high income countries like USA, today also low- and middle income countries are increasingly affected. Over- and undernutrition today coexist simultaneously within the border of the same country, sometimes even within the same family.  

In USA 75 % of the adults meet the criteria for overweight or obesity. Tonga, a low- to middle income country, 90 % meet the same criteria, with 15 % suffering from diabetes. Adolescence have shown to be the crucial time for weight gain, and with Tonga having a youthful population with a median age of 20 years old, it is more true than ever that the young are the future. 

What I do know before departing is that resources in Tonga are scarce and the obesity epidemic has struck the island countries of the South Pacific hard, with Tonga in top 4 globally.

 

This is a relatively new phenomenon which has been described as a result of adopting Western lifestyles as well as cultural factors, for example favoring energy dense food, appreciating a larger body ideal, and a strong conservative hierarchal structure for women and men.  

For my Master thesis I will undertake a comprehensive, qualitative approach to address this complex issue. I wish to interview students, teachers, parents and other health authorities about physical activity among adolescents in the Vava’u island. The hope is to avoid the most obvious pitfalls and by early Swedish summer have a Master Thesis to present. I have already learnt plenty about myself and how the world works. If I in the end can help policymakers develop more efficient interventions regarding physical activity, I would gladly walk that extra mile.        

  

The natural harbor Port of Refuge in Vava’u is considered one of the safest in the world, from above looking like a giant octopus with its tentacles consisting of dozens of islands.

 

Vava’u is the perfect spot for sea based activities, with whale watching, diving, superior game-fishing, kayaking and surfing. No wonder the main village Neiafu becomes a busy hub in summer as sailing people, the so-called yachties, arrive for shorter or longer stops as part of their Pan-Pacific adventures.
 

 

 

For spring, when I will be there, pace is slower with lots of humidity, but the risk of tropical cyclones needs to be considered. The storm Ian, January 2014, was the worst in decades and made substantial damage.

 

The Tongan islands occur along the Ring of Fire and the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis are an all-year threat. After an earthquake in Samoa 2009 a tsunami hit the northern islands of Tonga. Undersea volcanic eruptions in 2006 and 2009 resulted in new islands being formed, and in 1946 volcanic activity called for the complete evacuation of the inhabitants of Niuafo’ou, who were allowed to return to their homes first ten years later.