Hey y’all!
I am in Tahiti right now and seriously missing Tonga. I miss my 24/7 free internet access and my laundromat! I did laundry by hand for the first time ever and I was sweating like an hour of Body Combat at Teufaiva Gym. I’ve spent the equivalent of 15 American dollars for 30 minutes of Internet time over the past three days! And food in Tahiti is expensive. No Akikos here. People complain about how little we can purchase for our monthly allowance in Nuku’alofa… you should see what three days in Tahiti has done to my entire readjustment allowance! While Mark thinks that we are living the high life, I feel like I’m roughing it for the first time in the Pacific.
This place is awesome!
Tahiti is stunning especially the outer island of Mooria which we are on right now. Tonga is probably more beautiful overall, but Tahiti really caters to tourists with a clean, hospitable environment. The beaches are nice but don’t hold a candle to what’s up in Ha’apai or the Niuas. Tahiti is not conservative at all… the girls sun bathe topless which is pretty cool, but for some reason I find the Tongan wet t-shirt swim attire more appealing. Nothing was closed on Sunday, and customer service exists although I don’t know how to take advantage of it anymore. Everyone speaks French and very few people speak English, so it has been tough communicating with Tahitians and other tourists. Tomorrow, Mark and I will be feeding sharks, turtles, and dolphins. We may also head to the top of the mountain range crater and take a bunch of pictures. There is also a black pearl manufacturing tour we will go on. There lot’s to do here, and as long as we can pay our bills we should be very busy.
I’m having a tough time dealing with the fact that I’m no longer in Tonga anymore. I keep expecting to wake up and be back in homestay! I’ve got another two months of traveling before I go home, so I’ve got a lot of time to reflect on the experiences of the past two years. So far, I’ve realized:
- I am not the same person who left America two years ago. I take a glance at my website which was a snapshot of me two years ago, and realize that it doesn’t fit me anymore. In two years, I’ve moved at least a couple steps up from sociopathic wierdo.
- I still don’t know what to do with the rest of my life. For some reason, that doesn’t bother me as much as it used to but it probably bothers me twice as much as it should.
- Life is meaningless without Troy. I must find a new muse to inspire me. I’ve decided it’s going to be that stunning girl in “Lost in Translation”. Life seems so much better already!
While I ponder these issues, I plan to enjoy my world trip (after Tahiti, I go to New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus) and I want to keep in touch. Please keep me informed about what’s going on in your lives and I will do the same. I’m going to send out a group email at least once every three weeks while I am traveling so if you want to be removed from my list, let me know. If you know someone who wants to be on the list, but was left out due to the fact that I don’t have their email address, please send it to me. My email address is no longer saniko@tupouhs.fwc.edu.to…. it is now sandeep@koorse.com and will be for the rest of my life. I may be clearing up the pictures off my website once I get back in two months, so grab whatever you want from https://koorse.com and do it soon.
I love you guys, and I miss you all. If you are ever within a 100 miles of my current location (see my up-to-date contact info on my website), you will always have a place to stay and eat if you want it.
Take care!
Love, Sandeep (the RPCV formerly known as Sani)