Yesterday's Adventures

I went into SPAR for the first time yesterday – it’s a grocery store that has practically everything in it. I got some mousse-filled cookies. A girl in my group got some Orbit gum that tasted like cough drops. Yum! Haha. The mousse cookies are really good, though! I practiced some Tonga while passing people on the side of the road or the streets, "Muli buti ?" and they would answer "Ah, kabotu! Muli buti?" and be very pleased that we could say hello to them in Tonga. It seems, at first, that there is a barrier that keeps me from using the little phrases that I know in Tonga, but once I start using them the barrier is broken and it is easier for me to use them more often. I also got fabric to make a chetinge - a wrap-around cloth that has multiple purposes, but can be used to keep skirts clean.

What was more exciting during the hours of yesterday was that a small group of us went out to walk the rural road in the evening and got chased down by 8 or 10 little kids. It was fun. There was one little girl who kept on asking for things: "Where is my bag? Where is my shirt? Where is my money?" so, I assume that a 'Magua' has given her something before. It amazed me, though, that they could speak so well in English because a lot of the little kids I meet can't speak English - they only speak Tonga. One of the girls in my group asked, "Muli buti?" and she got a long explanation in Tonga that none of us could interpret. But, when it came to taking pictures, the kids began to pose in karate-like moves as if they had just watched a Jakie Chan movie. They were very enthusiastic about seeing us and followed us back about 3/4ths of the way to the compound. They then returned back to their villages since it was getting dusky outside. On Monday or Tuesday I get to actually go into the rural villages to pass out "Mealy meal". We are all excited to experience!