It's been a little while, but I'm back. Anyhow, a few weeks ago I found out that the King of Tonga had passed away. I didn't intially realize quite what this meant for me as I will be traveling there next month. I learned that in Tonga, when the King passes, the whole country is to be in mourning for three months. That means that, upon my arrival in Tonga, the country will only have gone through the first month and a half of that mourning period. I will get the opportunity to experience the last month and a half of mourning with them all. I believe this will be a really fascinating cultural experience and I intend to respect it 100%. I also think it will be very interesting to learn how closely people follow the guidelines and rules for the mourning months. Some of these rules or 'encouragements' I guess, are to wear black often. Music and celebrations are also discouraged for those three months as well. I plan on making sure I have some black to wear.
With only one month left and my project being reviewed by the Institutional Review Board, I am working on preparing myself mentally for the new culture of Tonga. I will be living in a new place, with a new culture where I will know relatively no one. Last week in one of our classes we discussed challenges that people face while in the field. Amongst those mentioned were that often times people will wake up and feel lonely, sad, and question what they are doing in this foreign place thousans of miles from home. In order to avoid this type of thinking I will make lists of what I love about Tonga and its people. I will ask many questions and learn all that I can about the people and their traditions. I will be a student of their culture, and soak in everything I can for the three months that I am there. I hope to leave a good rapport behind for future students planning on conducting field studies in Tonga as well.
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