Tonga Part Two: Small Airplane, Roasted Pig, Getting Locked In

Friday

The first day in Tonga we woke up to roosters at 6:30 a.m. ...This was a regular occurrence. We managed to get back to sleep. Our AirBnb host, Isi made us breakfast (one of the reasons why we chose this place: it also was a good price, had hot(ish) water.) This is when I quickly learned that Tongan food doesn't taste the same. There was toast, boiled eggs, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, hot cocoa (made out of Nesquik), and small bananas (also known as lady fingers even though they're short and fat). The peanut butter toast tasted different because there wasn't as much sugar in the peanut butter as I was used to. Sooo I gave it to Spencer and stuck to buttered toast. 

Since we were only going to be in Tongatapu until Saturday, we didn't get a rental car. We started to walk down one street to jog Spencer's memory and found a member who Spencer remembered. She told us where the stake president lived nearby. Since Latu is the stake president, he could tell Spencer who moved and who was still in Tongatapu.

They let us in, and this is where I got to see Spencer's Tongan shine. I took half a semester of Tongan over a year ago, which didn't help much. I got a few words but that's about it (I understood more as the trip progressed). Spencer caught up with them and asked about multiple people and how they were doing (while I enjoyed sitting on the couch as it was humid).

Latu's wife, Fono drove us around as she was picking up her kids at the Liahona school. It was fun to see the temple and more of Tonga. This is when I learned that seat belts are not a thing in Tonga.

Yes, yes that is a little boy in the front seat!

The school was under construction.

A statue that was at the school.

Across the street from the temple is the mission office. We liked this sign. :)

PHOTO DUMP. (Not necessarily all from this day, but I was constantly taking pictures as I was in cars.)

Fono drove us around a bit and we met up with Simima. She's a devote Methodist while a lot of her family are members of the church.  She updated him on her family and took a picture with him.

Later on in the evening, we had dinner with Fono and Latu. I love the bananas in Tonga as they're so much sweeter (I miss them very much). They also made us a chicken soup dish with corn, peas, and green beans. For once I actually liked green beans! I was curious on how Fono seasoned the dish, but apparently it was just paprika and black pepper. So... that was embarrassing. But the color of the broth was NOT the color of paprika and black pepper.

Saturday

We woke up and found out that the power was off. We originally thought our fan broke (a must for sleeping in Tonga) but thankfully it was only the power. After going back to sleep and eating breakfast, we packed up for our flight to Ha'apai!

Fono took us to the airport and saw one of her friends, Lupe. After we checked in, we started talking to her and became immediate friends. (This is the epitome of Tongan hospitality.) Lupe has 11 kids, and some of them live in Utah. It was fun seeing pictures of them and hearing her stories. We talked (some in English and some in Tongan) up until we had to get ready to get on the plane.

Lupe offered to help us get food/linner after we arrived in Ha'apai and to take us wherever we needed to go. She also invited us to Sunday dinner at her son's place where they would roast a whole pig! Spencer was pretty excited about that, and I was too.

We got outside and I thought this was our airplane:

But nope, that's too big.

I don't think I've ever been in such a small airplane. We ended up sitting in the first row- 1B and 1C. I was 1C so I got the window seat, which was as close to the propeller as possible. It was not a good trip.

Pre- take off.

I almost forgot my ear plugs as we checked out of our Airbnb, so I shoved my ear plugs in my purse instead of my suitcase. Those ear plugs happened to be my saving grace! The propeller vibrations were so loud, it was hurting my ears. I put the ear plugs in and made it more manageable, but still unpleasant. The vibrating was rattling my stomach and Baby Hoffman was freaking out wondering what the heck was going on. I was also smelling the planes fumes and other unsavory smells as my nausea got worse. No one was talking on the plane because you couldn't hear anyone.

I felt very sick and twenty minutes on the plane felt like an hour. I communicated with Spencer through typing on my phone. The last fifteen minutes Spencer took my seat, so I was in the middle of the plane right behind the pilots.

Spencer took this photo after we switched seats.

I was grateful there wasn't much turbulence since anything would have tipped me over the edge. As we landed, I knew I was going to throw up (and I did). I'll spare the details for the faint of heart.

So... this next part is a funny story...

Once we got off the plane, I went to the bathroom ... and I ended up getting locked into a bathroom stall. I kept twisting and turning the lock both ways, but the lock was broken and wouldn't budge. I inspected the stall and saw that the stall wall was way too low for me to shimmy underneath. I may be skinny, but not THAT skinny.

Stall from the outside

I tried to fix the lock again and no luck. I decided that I was going to need to jump over the wall so I could be released from this awful prison. At least the bathroom didn't smell bad! I put my purse on a "T section" of the wall up top and started my ascent.

Yup, that's where I put my purse.

I tested the toilet to see if it would hold my weight and it worked. I then checked to see if the toilet paper holder was sturdy enough as the wall was way too tall for me to jump over without the holders help. I was very grateful that I'm small and wasn't super pregnant yet! I contemplated taking a picture halfway between the two stalls, but decided against it. Just in case someone was going to come into the bathroom and see me scale the wall while taking a picture. I managed to get my foot onto the other toilet paper holder in the adjacent stall and stepped down onto the toilet. Didn't even want to think about the last time someone had cleaned those stalls.

The fact that I was feeling really sick and I went through that just makes me laugh now. Who would have thought I would have locked myself into a bathroom stall in Ha'apai?!

Soon after, Lupe asked how the flight went and I admitted to them that I threw up. Lupe gave me a roll from her bag and her Mom gave me some Sprite. They were so sweet and were trying to make sure I was feeling better. Aren't Tongan's great?! They took us to get some fried chicken, but honestly I had no appetite. The Sprite and a roll was enough.

We got dropped off at Kasimi and Serena's house. Kasimi was Spencer's ward mission leader when he was serving in Koulo. He remembered Spencer and was excited to see him. I was pretty tired as I didn't get great sleep, so they offered me to sleep on their bed while Spencer and Kasimi went  around the neighborhood to catch up with people. How I slept with pigs and dogs fighting, plus kids making a ton of noise, and Serena cleaning (as quietly as she could), I don't even know.

Serena and Kasimi. We spent a lot of time in that car!

I woke up after an hour long nap and Kasimi drove us around to see other people. We saw Kasimi's brother and his family.

The brothers look very similar!

We saw someone who Spencer taught as well.  She had a kitty! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of said kitty.

We also went to see the stake president and his family.

After all that, Kasimi drove us to Sandy Resort, the place we were staying next.

The best picture I could get of the sign while in a moving vehicle.

Surprise! We got there ten minutes before dinner was supposed to start. At our dinner table was Freddy and Suzanne- a young couple from Sweden, but they live in New Zealand. They're divers and enjoy traveling a lot.

The room we stayed in at Sandy Beach.

The view from the porch area.

What our bed looked like when we waked in. All real flowers! I was very disappointed since I was going to keep some of the flowers and the maids took them away when they cleaned our room the next day...

Sunday

Originally, we were planning on biking to church since we got to use them for free at Sandy Beach. But Kasimi told us that he would be happy to drive us to church. At church, the conductor welcomed both of us over the pulpit since we were visiting. :) I told Spencer I thought he was going to ask him to speak. Later on, I was right as he was asked to say a few words to the congregation. Of course I have no idea what he said since he said it in Tongan! He translated what he said to me later on.

We took quite a few pictures after church (the majority of them are blurry since 10 year olds were taking them). I love how Tongans love being in pictures.

After pictures, we were outside chilling in the shade as Spencer was looking through his planners trying to see who he wanted to visit in Koulo. I was tired and was pretty comfy lying out on the grass (it is SO soft there) while Spencer put his list together. A girl named Mele came up to us and said that she wanted us to come back to her house. Additionally, I could rest at her place (we had briefly been to her place earlier that day). We agreed, and her mother ended up helping Spencer a lot with who was where in Tonga. While this happened, I slept on their couch. Two naps in two days at complete strangers (to me) houses!

You see that couch behind us? Yup, that's the napping couch.

After my nap, Mele started to walk with us to show us where everyone lived. One of the families remembered Spencer and was excited to see us. It was fun to see them catching up with Spencer.

It was about time to go to Lupe's for the pig feast, but we didn't have her number and only gave her ours. Their son, Sione (far left) knew where Lupe was staying and offered to drive us there. When we arrived, Lupe said it wasn't ready yet. This mean we had time to explore Sandy Beach before she would call us and say they're on their way to pick us up!

Spencer and I went to try and find the petroglyphs (scroll down on this link to see more info) and it was pretty fun although we didn't find them. We saw some cool rocks, creatures, (and some very creepy, HUGE spiders), and Spencer found a dead crab.

What a nice face Spencer is making!

This was ALL coral

One of my favorite pictures of this trip.

After exploring, we had dinner with Lupe and her family. It was my first time with pig skin and it was good! The watermelon there was also the best watermelon I've ever had in my LIFE. I miss the fruit in Tonga. Utah fruit isn't all that good once you've had Tongan fruit.

After our second dinner at Sandy Beach, we prepared ourselves to go swimming with Humpback Whales the next day...

Blood work strikes again!

If you don't recall my last exciting experience doing blood work around my 8 week mark, feel free to read here.

It's mandatory that every pregnant woman takes a glucose blood test between 24-28 weeks. One month ago during my last appointment, they gave me a sheet of instructions on what to expect. They admitted to me that the glucose drink was nasty. Since I'd be fasting for three hours, they told me to bring something to eat right after.

I dreaded getting my blood drawn starting in the beginning of October. Whenever I looked at the monthly calendar, it seemed to laugh at me due to previously being scarred from last time.

I told my family about the test and had them pray for me since I was really anxious to get it all over with!

My test was at exactly at 3:10 p.m., but I had to finish my sugary orange concoction drink by 2:10. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after that. Additionally, I wasn't allowed to eat two hours before 2:10. So I couldn't eat after 12:10 p.m. (but I could drink water). I was nervous about finishing the whole drink within the allotted 5 minutes, so I probably wasn't well hydrated before then.

I cleaned my apartment to distract myself before I came to part one of this distasteful event. I prepare myself for the worst, and was pleasantly surprised by the taste! It tasted like orange soda to me, and I like my sugary beverages! One part down, one to go!

After I check in with the receptionist, I listened to a cute sappy love song that Spencer played for me recently on repeat. (Then by Brad Paisley if anyone is interested.) The previous nurse didn't talk to me last time so I needed a distraction just in case.

I get called in and warned the nurse I passed out last time, but it was most likely due to being nauseous in the first trimester. But since I felt fine, we weren't too concerned. I got to tell her about the song I was listening to and voila! It was over!

I triumphantly go back to the waiting room to later hear my name being called to see my OB. I text everyone to tell them that I survived! Pleased with myself, I scroll the interwebs while eating my protein bar. Then suddenly, I started to feel nauseous and the granola bar didn't seem so appetizing anymore...

(in my head) 

"Okay Emily, you got this. Just take deep breaths, nice and slow..." 


"All right, this isn't working as well as I thought. Where's the nearest drinking fountain? Or the bathroom in case I throw up?! I'm probably dehydrated and that can cause nausea... it's happened before."

At this point, my eyesight was getting blurry with blue sparkles, while the room was moving.

"I remember near the front desk there were some mini water bottles. I could ask one of the receptionists if I could have one since I'm feeling light-headed..."

I stare at the floor and brace myself to walk since my balance was horrendous. I stagger over to one of them and say something along the lines of, "Hey, can I have one of those water bottles? I feel light-headed since I just gave blood."

After they say yes, I grab a water bottle while hoping it's not hard to open since I always need Spencer to open those for me. I almost miss the chair completely while sitting down. I successfully open the bottle and pray for the best as I re-hydrate.

I finished the whole bottle, I continued with my deep breathing and started to eat my fruit snacks. A short while after a few more deep breaths, a nurse called me back and immediately started to ask how I felt and if I needed to lay down.

I was feeling much better by then without any blue sparkles in my vision. I explained what happened the last time I gave blood. And no, they didn't need to prescribe me anti-nausea medication because I already have it! She made sure I had some snacks and let me go back to my seat to wait for my turn after she knew I was okay.

I suppose I only partially survived. Can't wait to see what labor is like if I can't handle losing a little bit of blood!

It takes us HOW long to get to Tonga?

Spencer and I left our apartment Tuesday, September 3rd at 4:30 p.m to make our very long journey to Tonga. We landed in Tonga on Thursday, September 5th around 3:55 p.m. in Tonga. (Tonga is 19 hours ahead of us.) Which made this entire experience 28.5 hours long... not including the driving around we did for dinner after we landed. PHEW.

Since I knew it was going to be a long flight and I'm trying to limit my dairy intake, I packed a LOT of snacks. Some of them aren't even pictured here and I brought quadruples of snacks for our trip back.

Filled to the brim!

My purse couldn't even fit them all in, and Spencer's backpack had to hold some of them.

Spencer all cute and happy on our way during our first leg of the flight. Salt Lake City to Los Angeles!

We got to LAX and it was a whirlwind trying to figure out how to get to our new terminal. I thought it was the coolest thing when we had to slowly walk two by two past a police dog sniffing for drugs. Although, I was slightly nervous that he was going to smell my snacks and I'd get slammed to the ground when he alerted his handler...

We finally got to our gate and were very happy that we could relax for a little while before our 11 hour flight to Fiji. 

Our flight was supposed to take off at 11 p.m., but was delayed until 12:45 a.m.! We got word from the pilot that many travelers checked overweight and over sized cargo. This caused imbalance on the plane and the cargo handlers had to rearrange all of the luggage and cargo to stabilize the plane. A good amount of the passengers laughed since they knew they were part of the reason why the plane was delayed. 

Chicken with rice and peas, crackers with cheese, and a Twix.

We got chicken with rice for our 'dinner' which felt like it was at 3 a.m. My nose knew it was chicken and rice and I told Spencer that as the people ahead of us got their food. I became very grateful for my snacks, as I didn't care for the seasoning or spiciness of the chicken. Plus, the amount of dairy that was in the meal wasn't ideal. Spencer ended up eating most of my food. It's my fault that I didn't notify Fiji Airways about my dietary restriction, but I know to notify them next time! 

Spencer slept quite a bit on the flight there, I was quite jealous. I watched Toy Story instead. I realized that there are a LOT more jokes in Toy Story that I didn't understand as a child. I was somewhat shocked at some of them. This is a kid's movie?!

I struggled to find a comfy position to sleep, which resulted in me sleeping for about 90 minutes total on our flight. Darn those hip and back aches while being pregnant! I couldn't wait to get off this plane!

A couple of the funny happenings while I was awake:

• A man went into one of the bathrooms and was fighting to get the door open. He quickly left and sat back down in his seat. Ten minutes later, a man walked out of the same bathroom. I guess he didn't remember to lock the door and got barged in on! I felt bad for quietly laughing to myself.
• While looking for one of my shoes on the floor to walk the aisles, I accidentally grabbed the mans foot behind me. I retreated quickly and pretended it never happened. I learned later on that 'he' was a 'she', since I saw her fancy-schmancy purse. Whoops, sorry lady!

We had breakfast, and it was about as good as 'dinner'.  I smelled blueberry muffins and my sniffer was right once again!

Wet scrambled eggs, mushy hash browns, pitiful fruit, blueberry muffin, and orange juice. I wish that red thing was ketchup. 

Once the flight was over, I was SO excited to be done sitting on a plane!

This couldn't be more accurate.

Going through customs in Fiji was such a long process, but we had a 7ish hour layover and wanted to say we had a little mini adventure there!

We got a taxi ride to the wharf to have breakfast at the port. 

I took a lot of pictures while we were speeding along on the left side of the road on our way there. That took me some getting used to!

Can you spot the gravestones?!?!

We went to Lulu's and I got French toast with bacon (and Spencer asked them to put my bacon on the grill longer since apparently the South Pacific doesn't like crispy bacon). He got an omelet with toast.

It was a pretty cool place.

After breakfast we walked around and I loved seeing the ocean and the palm trees. I got some earrings as a souvenir to say we went to Fiji.

Then we got picked us up and our taxi driver drove us back to the airport.

I'm uneducated and didn't know Fiji had mountains.

We got back to the airport and was very early for our flight. 

I thought it was cool the airport had a prayer room.

The older plane we got on to fly to Tonga was so much more comfortable than the last Fiji Airways plane. Spencer and I did not understand this. I didn't fall asleep, but I was a lot more relaxed.

The flight to Tonga was pretty uneventful (thankfully). But we learned when we got to Tonga that Spencer had to report to customs that he brought his pocket knife to Tonga. We weren't sure if they were going to confiscate it or not, as the two workers looked at each other and then back at the knife. But our knife was spared and became an important item of our trip.

Our Airbnb host, Isi picked us up from the airport and told us that he didn't have any other plans for this evening. He offered to drive us downtown so we could find someplace to eat and show us around. I was in awe just staring at everything and absorbing it all. In the end, we went to a sub place that Spencer remembered eating at when he was a missionary.

Waiting for our subs.

This is translated to "Blessing Store."

I'm obsessed with the skies in Tonga. LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE.

This university makes me smile. Tongans love Jesus!

Then we got to where we were staying and ate our subs. If anyone is planning on going to Tonga, we recommend The Dayspring Lodge. :)

And this was just the beginning  of a whirlwind of adventure....

How I Somewhat Knew We Were Having a Boy

Before we found out we were having a boy, I told Spencer a couple times that God was preparing us to have boys.

The first event that tipped me off was when Spencer and I taught five very energetic boys at church ages 5 to 7. We didn't have any girls on the roll, and we rarely got to teach any visitors that were girls. Since I'm the youngest  that had all sisters, I had no idea how I was supposed to teach and handle these rambunctious boys! Thankfully Spencer was there every step of the way.

Those boys had so much energy...

The second instance that tipped me off was our next church assignment. We were the Wolf Den Leaders for the cub scouts. More boys, but just a little older than our Primary class. We combined with all of the cubs, so I got to experience many ages. Once again, I didn't have much experience with boys that age, but Spencer was there for every activity.

The last occurrence actually happened within two weeks of Spencer and I dating. We were babysitting my niece and nephew. As Spencer was singing a Tongan song to rock Cooper to sleep, something happened. I saw in my mind Spencer rocking and singing in Tongan to our baby boy. I didn't think much of it since I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination. I even thought it could have been our second child instead of the first when I thought about it later. But once we found out it was a boy, that memory came to my mind.

I may not know how to perfectly raise a boy, but I'm glad to know that Spencer will be there with me.