Polynesian Paradise??

People have asked me if I swim in the lagoon which is in front of the house where I live.
I have told them that the lagoon is not really fit to swim in altho' the Tongan kids do and many people walk out into the lagoon to net sea cucumbers, a kind of jelly fish which is edible..but not to me. The pictures posted here show some views of the lagoon and the dump which is beside the lagoon and across the road from my house. The view of the building on the lagoon is around the corner from us and it is a "party room" built on pontoons and belongs to a wealthy family.

I live in one of the yellow buildings shown above and there is a large house beside my building where the managers of the complex live.

Is there poverty in Tonga? This is a picture of the house next door to us. This is a typical Tongan home, however there are also many, many huge mansion-like homes here as well, all owned and lived in by Tongans. In this house there is a young family with a baby and a couple of other kids.

The children here all wear uniforms to school so you can't really pick out which ones come from the mansions and which come from this kind of home but I know there are many from the poorer homes.

Family is very important and I can say that no one starves here. There are coconuts, breadfruit, bananas, etc. growing wild to be picked. Almost every house has part of the yard planted with taro, manioc, sweet potato and other edibles. Pigs roam freely as do chickens and dogs which are seen as suitable for eating and are cooked in the Umu or underground oven. The families consider it their duty of feed relatives if needed so everyone eats.
Tourists to Tonga don't see this side of life for the Tongans but it exists just around the corner.

There are no rules for insurance for vehicles and many of the cars on the road are in unbelievably terrible shape, no back windows, no tail lights, held together with tape and string. No one wears seatbelts and it is common to see drivers holding small children on their laps and kids riding crowded into the back of open trucks.

On the other hand the royalty, nobles (relatives of the royals), etc., live very well. They all have "Palangi" style homes, new cars and travel extensively. Many of them leave their palacial homes sitting empty a good part of year while they are living away in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. It drives me wild to think of the fact that these houses could accommodate at least 3 of the families who now reside in the kind of shack shown above.

The difference between the rich and poor here is very pronounced. There is no such thing as subsidized housing, welfare, govt. pension plans (except for govt. employees) and the people live off the good will of each other. The Tongans make quite a thing of the "culture of looking after each other" but what is considered to be "looked after" would not make it by North American standards.

Insects are rampant and are accepted as part of the environment indoors and out by most Tongans. Insecticide is expensive and not a priority, except for the Palangis. I have been looked at most strangely by teachers at the school for my constant sweeping, dusting and spraying of the library. When I've explained that bugs should only be outdoor beasties they just shrug and chalk it up to another strange Palangi idea. Then I explain that the bugs will eat the books and I think this makes sense to them.

However, despite all the negatives (and I know I've been ranting) the weather, most of the time is fabulous. Constant summer, sometimes a little too hot and a little too wet and a little to many cyclones but mostly great. Fresh vegetables and fruit is abundant for most of the year. The pace of life is slow and stress free..sometimes too much so, and it is a great place to come for a vacation. Would I want to spend the rest of my life here? No! I think that once you are used to the kind of life we take for granted in N. America and Europe even the lure of endless summer no longer appeals except for short stints. I wonder how I'll feel a year from now?

Love to all in Canada, Penny