Things have gone back to normal. We are no longer on the island, the kids are in school and O is working like a madman.
It is hard to believe that we have been here since January the time has flown by. This is the longest we have been in one place since begining this journey. As many of you that read the blog know I have been anxious to settle in one place for a while so this has been a welcome respite for me. Tonga is begining to feel like home. As cruisers it feels strange to be here but not really part of the cruising community, although we have never been a huge part of that community anyway. So we will be here until the end of the season and possibly longer. If we do leave at the end we will make a fast and furious run to Asia. However, as the last three years have proved, this is always subject to change.

Considering we are going to be here until at least the end of the season, I guess we are semi landlubbers. It is hard seeing all of our friends arrive and then move on, but when I drop the kids off at school and go for a walk, stopping to chat with people along the way I am overwhelmed by a wonderful sense of community and security. I guess for once in a long time I do not feel like a visitor or voyeur into someone else's culture.
Our friends on Uliad have been with us here now for a few months which has been great. However, they had to move on and last week left for Fiji. I had be dreading saying good bye which is by far the hardest part of this life. Although saying good bye to them was made a little easier knowing that we will make it a priority to see them again, hopefully sooner rather than later. They really are our cruising family.
The BIG news is that Otis has gainful employment. He is the captain of a 54ft charter sailboat here. This keeps him very busy. He is often away on charter for long stretches of time with a few days turn around before setting off again. However, he loves the job and the freedom/ flexibility that it offers him. The boat has a whale watching license and a whale swimming license which means that they can get teh boat close to the whale and even swim with the humpback whales which is an amazing experience. Tonga is one of only two places in the world that allows people to actually swim with the whales. However it is, as it should be, strictly regulated and monitored. Hence why you must have a license to be around them or swim with them. I think there are only 19 businesses in Tonga that are allowed to be near or swim with the whales. You can see the boat O is running on www.sailtonga.com the name of the boat is Jocara.
Anyway, getting back to Otis, because of his job we will be here for while. While he is away I hold down the fort in the harbor. However, in an effort to keep occupied, I have decided to start working toward my dive masters scuba license. So begining the week after next I am going to take my advance and rescue classes and then hopefully intern with a dive shop here to get the dives under my belt for the dive master certificate.
The kids are doing really well. Although Sam seems to be having a hard time keeping track of his shoes! He lost two pairs last week alone! One of them were actually Ben's. This may sound trivial but Tonga does not really have shoe stores, and most of the stuff sold in the stores is plastic made in China stuff which does not hold up to the normal wear and tear of a four year old boy. I would much rather spend th extra money for quality but there is not much of an option for that here. Thankfully my mom is coming to the rescue with a new pair of durable shoes which I am going to superglue onto his feet....I kid..kind of.
The other day we had the honor of being invited to a first birthday party. IN Tonga they go all out for the first birthday and the twenty first. There were easily a hundred and fifty people there. A jumping castle was rented which the kids loved. The amount of food on teh table was aweinspiring. I have NEVER seen a table so filled with food. There were ten pigs alone. In a table big enough to fit 150 people there was not one free spot. After teh jumping castle everyone sits down, they have a few prayers and speeches and then it's game on and everyone digs in.There are no utensils used and lots of the dishes are in small plastic containers that are for individuals. There was pig/chicken/fish/pasta/ beef salad/ yams/kasava/coleslaw as well as cakes and other various salads. The entire spread was made by ONE family. The men however, do not join in with the sit down meal. THey continue cooking the umu across the street. The 150 people were male village elders/woman and children. There was such a sense of love and community in the gathering. It really brought home their strong sense of family. Everyone was quick with a smile, there was chatter and laughter filling the air( I nkow it sounds hokey, but it realy is true!). It was an honor to be invited and I felt so welcome. To me, the reoccuring theme for Tongans is family. It truly is the most important part of their lives and I have learned a great deal from them, their generosity and sense of community. You cannot help but get caught up in their love and friendship.
Well Sam is off from school for two weeks, O is away on charter and I am trying to write this while watching Sam so I must run. I have pushed my limit.