The Palangi Goes Swimming

For the record, the Palangi is me.

It is the Tongan for word for someone who is white, of European descent to be more accurate. The young girl in the last image has albinism. I was the only palangi on the scene that day (and most others as well).

"Da Palnagi wanna go swimmin eh?"

That's what I heard a young boy yell out to me my first day I was in Tonga as I was down by the wharf watching the kids swim in the afternoon sun. Everyone seemed to think this remark was particularly hilarious. One thing I learned quickly in Tonga was that people will laugh at you, often and openly, especially as a "palangi". So when the boy from the water called this out, I simply hollered back, "Yeah, da Palangi wanna go swimmin!" I snapped a picture, shrugged off my backpack and camera, and jumped in, clothes on. We laughed...together, hard.

I didn't need to speak Tongan to know they were saying to one another,

"She's not really going to get in in she?"

They were surprised that not only did I join them, but I could swim quite well by their standards. This incident would precede me in a number of locations on Tongatapu.

The Fisherman's Son

This boy.

He sails through my dreams.

I close my eyes and see only him over and over again.

During my stay in Tonga, my computer was barely functioning so I wasn't able to review most of the pictures I was taking each day. Imagine my surprise when I found I had photographed this young boy on three different occasions.

And now that I am so far away I find myself looking through his pictures over and over again to see if I captured the spirit of this elusive elf. He seems so small in this picture and I feel so far way from that rainy day on the beach when I sat to watch him and his sister play while his father fished. Looking at him as he dances and leaps through my frames, I feel a unique kinship with him. He was the only young child who ignored me as he played. All the other children would approach me once they noticed me and pose for me, quite willingly, for a good amount of time. If I parked myself, hoping they would continue on with their activities, they assumed I stayed because I needed more pictures so they would generously invite their friends, siblings, and neighbors to have their picture taken as well. They'd even offer suggestions, in quite good English, of what other kinds of pictures I should take. From the teenage boys, I usually heard "Hey Palangi!" followed by some stunt, jump, or pose that look like it belonged on a rap album. I can't tell you how many fabulous pictures I have of boys jumping into the water and posturing with what looks like to this palangi, gang hand signs (ok, maybe I can, 800-1,000).

But this young boy seemed to know what I wanted and needed as a photographer. As his sister stopped her playing and smiled for me, he motioned for her to keep playing. As she turned to dash away, he shot me a quick smile of understanding over his shoulder and then completely ignored me for the next half hour . They ran about the beach continuing their endless game of tag as I sat and photographed them. It was only that as I was leaving that I approached them for a closer shot. I look into his eyes and can't help but wonder if our lives will not cross again. If I came away from Tonga with only his pictures, I would have left a happy woman.

Black Belt Girls

Four Years,

training with the best as sisters under their mothers.

Four Years,

of sacrifice, literal blood, sweat and tears all for something that no one will ever be able to take away.

Congratulations girls on your first degree black belts! Thank you for inviting us to be a part of such a memorable day.

Falling leaves

Labor Day

We woke up to a rainstorm this morning.

Our plans for a hike to the waterfall were cancelled and we spent a long quiet day indoors. We thrlled the sun was peeking though the clouds amd the winds had died down. We were in luck it seemed. We felt we had to get in one more trip before the pool closed for the summer so with only an hour before closing ,we threw on our swimsuits and braved the sixty degree weather.

It seemed the sun was shining just enough for me to get a few shots as the kids jumped off the high dive before the clouds hid the remaining rays. We kept swimming till closing time.

It's funny how that one hour in chilly wind was better

than all of others that day we spent so cozily inside.

Rodeo

Bull Riders

There's a very surreal quality in the air back in the shoots with the bull riders.

This was one of the funniest stories I've heard in a long time. Not to break any confidentiality, but it was about a one armed bandit, a real one.

This was one of the most beautiful cowboys I had laid my eyes on. I don't know what is was about him that made me want to see him win so badly.