If you have heard anything about Tonga, you have probably heard about the Sunday Law. All business are required to shut down (except for Restaurants and bakeries because food is considered a necessity). So everyone goes to church in the morning, and then sleeps for the rest of the day. Nothing happens, if you want in to town you might find one or two people walking around who are most likely palangis. It gets really boring, and we usually set up our hammocks and read. It is the laziest of lazy days. The Sabbath is a time to rest. In Tonga this means you go from doing nothing, to do nothingless. A combination of doing less than nothing. Yes, even during the week here it is lazy Sunday. If you want examples, here you go…..
There is a public high school right across the street. Maybe 150 yards from Mizpah’s office door to Vava’u High’s. When the principles need to talk to Vava’u High she goes back to her house gets in the van and drives to Vava’u High.
Teachers have students run to their house to get things they have forgotten.
Church is a five minute walk away, yet everybody drives to church.
I have had students pulled out of the middle of my class to fill a teacher’s water bottle
Ryan’s meeting with the principle was canceled because she has been looking for a saw all morning and couldn’t find it. Needless to say, she wasn’t prepared for the meeting.
To get our exercise in one day, we were going to walk five minutes to a hall for a meeting. I got on my track suit for a good work out, only to find that we were driving there. So they told me we would get our exercise in walking back. On the way back a car stopped to give us a ride back. The Tongans got into the car and those of other nationalities decided to push through and finish the whole five minute walk.
I get really frustrated because there is so much opportunity here. But nothing happens. I am trying to fit into the culture, but I don’t want to get diabetes while I here. However there is an upside to this laziness. We can take our scooter, drive fifteen minutes to a public beach, and have it all to ourselves for the whole day.
