Report # 3

Time is flying by! Only 2 more weeks until I leave Tonga!

My project is going well. I only have 2 more people to interview and then I’m done! Things are a little challenging as I try to get ready to come home but things have generally gone really well. My time at Saineha High School has definitely been the highlight! I love it and am really sad that it is almost over. I was able to teach the students some of the lessons and even write a few of the tests. I have learned a lot about what it means to be a teacher and different techniques about teaching. One thing that I have learned is that you can only do so much for the student. They have to do some of the learning on their own. Many times I would teach a lesson and the students seemed to understand but then when it came to test day most of the students wouldn't even pass the easy test I made. Some of them did. It made me sad and a little down hearted cause I thought maybe I wasn't a very good teacher if the students didn't do well on my tests. But then I realized that you can only do so much as a teacher. The students have to study and learn the material on their own as well. It was a good lesson to learn and one that I will take into my teaching once I graduate and become a high school teacher.

This experience has taught me a lot of things and I am really glad I came down here to Tonga. I really hope to take what I've learned here and apply it to my life when I get back.

Report #2

Things have continued to be one big adventure here in Tonga. I started volunteering at the local LDS Church high school and absolutely love it!! I work there 3 times a week working with the new PE/Health program they just started up this semester. I help Pasimati with anything she needs with the class. Last week I taught half of the class and she taught the other half of class. It worked out really well and I enjoyed teaching the students. It is a little bit challenging because even though the subject is taught in English most of the kids don’t understand or speak very much English. I gave them their first test and most of the kids didn’t do very well because I don’t think they understood all of the material. So my next goal is going to figure out a way for them to be able to understand and learn the material. Next week I will actually be taking over the class and teaching the Exercise portion of the class. I have planned the lessons and part of it is scheduled for outside play so the kids can actually participate in physical activity. I am excited though to be able to teach all the classes by myself but I am a little nervous. I love working at the school! It is so much fun to walk through the campus and hear all the students saying hi to me and wishing me a good morning or a nice day. I also get to interact with the teachers too and have learned a lot about different teaching techniques to use as well. It has been a good experience so far and I am really excited to see how the rest of it goes!

My project is also coming along. I started interviews at Saineha High School this last week with two of the teachers. They turned out really good but I realized that my questions need some work. They don’t really allow for any elaboration on the subjects but are mostly yes or no answers. So I need to work on my questions a bit before I do more interviews.

I think that might be all for now. Things really are going great and I absolutely love it here!

Report Number 1

Malo E Lelei from Tonga!

I have been here for almost 2 months now and things are going great. I am in love with my host family! They are so fun! Ofa (host dad) drives around rocking out tunes so we all jam along with him and the kids! We go to the beach once a week and go watch his rugby games on Saturdays. The family is a lot of fun! I am slowly making more friends. The language barrier is hard to deal with because we don’t know who speaks English and who doesn’t. But I am working through it and meeting more and more people.

My project is difficult to figure out when I first got here. I realized that the language barrier prevented me from doing informal interviews so perceptions of physical activity would e harder to recognize. But I did notice that physical activity is everywhere in the culture! Boys play rugby. Girls play netball. Everything in the Tonga culture has to do with some physical activity. So I kind of changed my project to observe the type of physical activity people get, how long and intense it is, and how frequent they do it.

I am also going to start volunteering at Saineha High School on Monday. I am going to help start up their Physical Education/Health classes for the lower forms. They have tried it before but it hasn’t ever stuck. Hopefully this time I can help the program grow and prosper. I was also able to help get PE/Health books down to them to help the school have something to teach from.

Well I think that’s it for now!

Learning Journal 30

I feel like this semester flew by! I swear just yesterday I had decided to go to Tonga on a field study and here I am getting ready to finish the prep class and take off in about 3 weeks. It has been a crazy and stressful semester. I am glad it is over but the prospect of actually having to leave the country and go to a foreign land is still really intimidating. As the time gets closer for me to leave I get more and more excited but I still can't shake the feelings of nervousness and sometimes downright fear. These feelings stem from the fact that I have never been out of the country before I have very little experience with different cultures, and I have very little ideas of what it will be like once I get down there. This will be the first time I have ever been anywhere without a group of friends or family. Anytime I have ever been somewhere other than my home the other people I am with make the decisions and know what they are doing. I am going down to Tonga with a group but we will all be in different families and will basically be doing our own thing, making our own decisions, and don't really know what we are going to be doing. I have really been thinking about things down there and how I'm basically going to be by myself in Tonga. I will be alone to make my own decisions and do my own thing. It is a daunting task that many times has caused me to wonder if I can handle it. Many times I have had thoughts of "what am I doing? I can't do this!". I was talking to my roommates about a month ago and told them I couldn't do it, I didn't want to be alone. I was kind of having a bit of a break down actually. One of them told me that I won't be alone, that I'll never be alone. Heavenly Father will always be there watching over me. This really hit me hard. I knew this principle but I've never applied it like that. I know this sounds cheesy but I firmly believe in this principle. It gives me such hope and comfort and I feel a lot better about going to a foreign country. I know everything will be okay because I have the Lord on my side.

Learning Journal 29

So I had a really good chat with Dallin today about what to expect of my field study experience. He basically just said that it is going to be really hard. Trying to figure out how to live in a different culture is hard work. he said that feelings of wanting to go home are normal so is a little crying. He said not to think its going to be a party down there. There will be ups and downs and it will will be very challenging. While he was telling me this I was kind of having feelings of "oh boy what did I get myself into" and "am I going to be able to handle this" again. It kind of got me worried about trying to assimilate into a new culture. One of the things Dallin did say that really helped me was the part he said after the ups and downs. He said something to the effect of "just like life, it has its ups and downs too and you just have to get through them". I really liked when he said that. It made me think about all the trials and hard things I've had to get through to get where I am today Yes, they were hard but I got through them and even though they were hard the experience was worth it. I grew in so many different ways and learned so much because it was hard. I know these thoughts are a little jumbled and might be confusing but I think I've finally realized that even though a field study is a TON of work and as hard as it will get down there in Tonga, the experience will be worth it! So bring it on!!

Learning Journal 28

So I have definitely been thinking a lot about service. Especially after listening to General Conference. I feel like a lot of the talks were about serving others and watching out for the needs of those around you. It made me think about how service is portrayed in our culture and how it might be different in a Tongan society. In our culture I think that sometimes service isn't readily rendered. Meaning that we either are too busy to notice someone to serve them or we feel awkward. I know I have felt this way many times. I see someone I could serve and then I don't serve them because I second guess myself and think they don't really need help. Or else I am just too busy with my life to notice. I feel like in many instances service requires a conscious effort. by talking to many Tongan's and other people that associate with them I have come to realize that service is just a part of their life. They live to serve others and are constantly watching out for others well being. In fact I met this Tongan and when I told him about my project he was already trying to find ways to help me with it. I am really excited to get into the culture and to truly learn from the Tongans.

Learning Journal 27

I have thought a lot about culture shock and how it will affect me while when I get to the field. I have thought about all the different things I might experience and what things will be different than what I'm used to. In the article, "Coping with Culture Shock" by Ferraro, it talks about all the many different aspects of culture shock that I haven't even thought of. It defines culture shock as precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. I read through a bunch of the items on the list and a lot of them I haven't even thought of. Things like how people meet each other, how they greet and interact with each other, and the rituals or other things they do that are different than what I am used to. I also didn't think about things like our humor being different. I mean I feel like a lot of people think I am funny and laugh at me. One of the things I love to do is make people laugh and I'm afraid that I won't be able to in Tonga. I think the best thing I can do for right now in preparing for culture shock is to not expect anything. Just do my best everyday and remember that I can do anything for a day.

Learning Journal 26

So I have been thinking about the assignment Dallin gave us last class. He told us to go and talk to a random stranger and then write about it. So I did it. Today I went to Seven Peaks Ice Arena to skate with the little girl I mentor. A couple classes were there as well as hers and we were all able to get on the ice and skate. I observed a lot of things about the kids as they were skating. For some of them I couldn't help but make assumptions about. I am still working on the whole just strictly observations. I was skating around and this little girl needed help skating so I grabbed her hand and we skated. I must say for not being such a hot skater my self I did a really good job of keeping both of us on our feet! After awhile this someone else's mother came and grabbed her other hand. We just glided around and we're having a grand ole time. I wasn't really talking to the mom too much cause i was mostly concentrating on staying on my feet. Well the mom must have either wanted to practice entering my community or try to connect with me somehow by asking me about the girl I was helping, "oh is this your daughter?". It completely took me off guard. This little girl was almost 9 years old! Do I really look like I could have a 9 year old daughter? I was so shocked I just said,"oh um.... no we actually just met this morning". I think the mom was kind of embarrassed cause she didn't ask me any more questions after that. Looking back on this experience reminds me of when I tried to enter someone else's community. I asked her if she was preparing for easter and she didn't answer and then thought I wasn't talking to her. So im sure me and the mom that talked to me felt a little bit the same. These two experiences have made me think about the right and wrong ways to enter a community. There are definitely better ways of doing it as Allyson so easily illustrated to me in the bookstore. I have also thought about different ways to enter a community in a different culture. Some ideas might be paying attention to what they are talking about, what interests they might have, and other things like what is important to them. In the next couple of weeks I am going to keep thinking about different ways I can enter a community and maybe practice doing so.... maybe....

Extra Credit Learning Journal 2

I went to "Manulua: Creative Activities between Two Communities" by Prof. Joe Ostraff on Thursday afternoon. It was really good and very informative. He talked about how to get into and navigate different communities. He showed slides of different pictures of Mataika, Tonga and used the parallel between a Tongan little girl holding a kitten and his daughter holding a baby pig. He said that children do the same things. Even though they are from a different culture and have different backgrounds they still do the same thing with animals. It made me think about my views of going into Tonga and how I view the people. I think I sometimes view the people of Tonga by their culture. I think one of the most important things I need to remember when I go down to the field is that Tongan's are just like me. Yeah we have different backgrounds and perceptions regarding certain things but bottom line we are all people. We all have the same basic needs. I really liked Joe's presentation. Especially the part when he said that the Tongan's don't really care when palangi mess up or do something not culturally appropriate because they are palangi and it's okay. That really helped me to feel better about entering a culture I am not familiar with.

Learning Journal 21

I went to the inquiry conference on Tuesday and it was really informative. I went to Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation: Changing attitudes about girls education in Wiamoase, Ghana. It was a very interesting presentation and it reminded me about a movie I watched in my anthrofilms class last semester. It was about microcredit and how it is used to generate wealth among the poor populations. The companies would only loan money to women because they knew that if they gave it to the mothers the whole family would benefit. If they gave it to the men they would just spend it on things that they wanted and it wouldn't benefit the whole family. It made me think about the power of women in societies. I know that T0nga is semi-dominated by women because of the Fau of the families. It made me also think about what ways I might come across women dominance or ways that women are better suited for certain jobs than men in Tonga. Also what ways are men and women's roles different or similar in the Tongan community.

Learning Journal 20

I've thought a lot about the topic of agency lately and how it is used. I agree that agency can be used to discern from right and wrong but I definitely think that agency can also be used to choose between good and better things to do. I was thinking about how the principle of agency we discussed in class could be related to my project and ultimately to my field study experience. I think a lot of it has to do with how we use our agency and the decisions we make while we are in the field. We can choose right and wrong things pretty easily I think but being able to decide better things to do is something different entirely. When we get in the field I don't think it will be hard for us to decide not to cheat or lie. It might, however, be harder to decide how to utilize our time more effectively and do better things with our time down there. For example interviewing people is a very good method of gaining information but going with them to work and gathering food might be more valuable. Observations in the market place would be an effective way of gathering general information on a certain topic but actually talking to people and creating rapport might be better. These are just some thoughts that have been running around in my head.

learning Journal 19

I have been thinking a lot about the article "Helping, Fixing, or Serving" and what it truly means to serve someone. In my last learning journal I talked about the importance of making sure the people you talk to don't become a number. Ashley commented on my journal and asked me if I had thought about ways I can communicate to the people I spend time with that I see them as an individual. I thought about that and came up with a few ideas. First off I think just knowing someone's name goes along way. Last summer I made it a goal to know everyone's name in my ward. I learned everyone's names and whenever I would see any of them I would call them by name and say hi. It was really cool how much of a difference knowing someone's name really made. I made a lot of friends. People were more comfortable around me cause they felt like I really cared about them since I had cared enough to learn their name. Another idea I had was to ask them questions about their life and show genuine interest. Don't talk about myself unless they ask me questions. Try to focus on them and their interests instead of mine. I could also find out about the things that they cared about and ask them about it any time I see them. Also remembering things about the person even after you talk to them goes a long way as well. These are just a few ideas I have come up with so far but I'm going to keep thinking and see what I can come up with. Ps mentoring was cancelled today so I guess I'll have to practice telling someone I have to go next Friday....

Learning Journal 18

I read, "Helping, Fixing or Serving?" by Remen. I really liked this article. It really made me think about the differences between helping, fixing, and serving. The two stories that were told really made me think about how easy it is for people to become a number, or just another customer. Or how easy it is for someone to see a problem and want to fix it for someone else but forget that that person has a story too. They have needs, wants, desires, and dreams. I think it is very easy to get caught up in life and doing things that you forget what is most important to remember. People you see everyday are not just a number or a customer. They are just like you. They have dreams. They have feelings and you can't treat them like a number. I thought about how this relates to doing a field study. I realized that its really important while we are interviewing people to remember that they aren't just a number. That they aren't just another person to interview. They are an individual with needs, wants, and desires. Everyone you interview is different and its really important to keep that in mind.

Learning Journal 17

Today I had good practice with meeting someone new and getting a lot of information out of him. I met him at Wasatch Elementary where we both mentor little kids. Our kids we mentor were put in the same group so I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk to someone new and see how much information I could find out about him. I asked him his name, where he was from, and what year he was in school. I thought they were simple enough questions that should be easy to answer and could run into conversation. He must have thought so too because all he did was give me one word answers. So I thought maybe he wouldn't be such a good candidate to practice getting information from since he didn't seem to keen on giving any. But then I thought to myself, "Well here is a challenge" and I kept asking him questions. He kept giving me one word answers. But then when we were both walking back to BYU he started talking to me. And talking and talking and talking.... I hardly got to get any word in except to practice probing which I'm pretty sure I'm getting really good at! We walked all the way back to the library and stopped in the atrium. I thought this would be where we would part but he had other ideas. He kept talking and talking. I mean I got a lot of information out of this guy and learned a lot about him but I had a ton of homework to do. So we talked for about another 45 minutes and I didn't know how to stop him. I wondered why he was so eager to keep talking to me. I thought it might be because he doesn't really have people to talk to so he latched on to me or maybe he just likes to talk. But then I realized something. I am a girl and he was a guy. Usually a guy doesn't want to keep talking to a girl if he wasn't interested in her and this guy kept talking with no signs of quitting. I thought, "Shoot how do I get away? I'm not interested in this guy and need to leave!" After another 20 minutes I finally saw someone I knew and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to the no shh zone to study and I said oh me too! So I said goodbye to my new found friend and walked away with the words "see ya next Friday at Wasatch!" ringing in my ears. So I suppose my practice of talking to someone new was a success because I certainly gained a lot of information from him but it cost me a lot of lost time. I really needed to leave and do some other important things but I didn't know how to get away. I guess there will be experiences in the field like this one. I will need to leave and my informant will just keep talking. I need to learn how to adequately and nicely say I need to leave and go. I guess it will just take more practice. Good thing I found someone who loves to talk to practice on ;) Till next Friday...

Learning Journal 16

Today I read "Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome". It was a pretty interesting article and really made me think about myself. It made me question whether I think whatever I am told to think or whether I truly do think for myself. I know I ask people what they think about a certain subject and when they tell me their opinion that generally becomes mine. Unless I really don't agree with what they say. Especially when teachers or people in authority say things I generally believe them. I hadn't really realized this about myself until I read this article. It made me think about why I am this way. Why do I believe what people say or think they way the tell me to? Maybe it's because I'm not really confident in my own thoughts or feelings about things. Maybe it's because I don't really believe what I say either. I think this is why I have trouble critically analyzing things and situations. I know that this could be a potential problem as I go into the field because I am not only going to have to get information but I am going to have to analyze it as well. This article made me realize I need to learn how to think for myself and not just believe anything someone tells me.

Learning Journal 15

Lately I have been thinking about the different perceptions and ideas people have that can differ from others. Some people have different perceptions and it can be hard when they differ from yours. I am having this problem with one of my good friends. We both have completely different views on a certain subject and how it should be. I think it should be this way and he thinks it should be a different way. I don't really understand his viewpoints and he doesn't really understand mine. I think a lot of how we came to have the viewpoints that we have are because of how we were raised and how we grew up. I think it also has to do with our personalities and who we are. It causes a lot of difficulties and is hard to deal with. This situation I am in now makes me wonder what situations like this I will run into in the field. I know pretty much everyone in Tonga are going to have different viewpoints on certain things or maybe on everything than I do. My question is how do I deal with that? Do I just ignore my perceptions and just listen to theirs? I guess the point of a field study is to immerse yourself in the culture and do everything their way so you can learn about them and their perceptions. My ideas and perceptions don't really matter. Just some more things I have been pondering lately.

learning Journal 14

I have been thinking about one aspect of my project question a lot lately. The question is how tongans view physical activity. This thought led me to question what they consider to be physical activity or exercise. I thought that maybe Tongans view physical activity separate from exercise. This thought was brought on by learning about the work Tongans do on a daily basis. The men go to the bush early in the morning and work hard all day. The women go to the reefs and harvest clams and other forms of food which isn't easy labor either. They might consider this just work and not exercise. They might even respond negatively if asked if they exercise or not. Hard labor in my book is definitely exercise. They might also think physical activity has to do with playing sports or active games and not working in the bush or on the reefs. They might think work is just work and has nothing to do with physical activity or exercise. Tongans might have a different opinion than I do about what is exercise, physical activity, or just plain everyday work.

Learning Journal 13

So a couple weeks ago I had an experience with my own culture. I was asked out on a first date by this guy in my ward via text message. I didn't really want to go but I thought it was common courtesy to give him a first date at least. I already knew I wasn't interested in this guy but I said yes anyway because that is just what you do if a guy asks you on a first date whether you want to go or not. I went on the date and I didn't have a bad time but it was definitely not the way I would have liked to spend my evening. I went because that is what was normal. I could have said no but I didn't because that is just not what you do in the "culture" I am apart of. This got me thinking about how many other things I might do just because it's the social norm or part of my culture. How many times do I find myself doing things to avoid going against social norms? It also really got me thinking about other cultures and their social norms. How many people do things they don't like just because it is part of their culture? Another thing is if social norms and culture are similar or if they are completely different. I defined culture as how a group of people believed, thought, and acted. When they act according to the social norms are they really just following what their cultural believes or what is culturally acceptable? Culture is an interesting topic to study and some things don't seem to have a right answer. The best way it seems to find out is to go and study a different culture.

Learning Journal 12

My project took a hundred and eighty degree turn this last week. I decided to do a project on physical activity in Tonga instead of obesity. I feel a lot better about my project than I did before and I feel like I will be able to study everything I wanted to and more. My project is going to study how Tongan's view physical activity and how methods they use to stay fit. I also want to study Tongan's viewpoint on what is healthy and their idea of the ideal Tongan.

I think it will be really interesting to study the ideal Tongan and compare and contrast their views of what is healthy and what is not with our American viewpoint. I think that their viewpoint is different than ours in a lot of ways. Our image of physically fit or healthy is skinny and buff. that is not always the case but it is what Americans think is fit and healthy or the ideal American. In my methods 1 assignment the person I asked the person I interviewed about what they considered to physically healthy or fit. Their answer said that someone who is slim and works out is healthy. He even went so far as to say that he thinks someone has to run to be healthy and fit. I also asked him if he thought that eating right or healthy had to do with being physically healthy. His reply was that he thought it probably had to do something with it but "I mean I don't eat terribly healthy but I still consider myself to be pretty physically fit and healthy". This comment made me think about the Tongan viewpoint and if they thought they were physically fit and healthy even though they weren't healthy by our standards. These were just some interesting thoughts going through my head as I thought about my project.

Learning Journal 11

Yesterday Joseph Ostraff came into our class and talked to us about Tonga. It was good to hear about how it will be once we get down there to Tonga from someone who has actually been there and not from articles from the internet. It kind of made me nervous when he told us that we are all kind of in trouble with our projects. I knew I couldn't go up to anyone and ask them why they are fat but he even said I shouldn't really go the route of asking them about physical activity either. A lot of his information was good though. He said that we need to ask questions that apply to us individually because they will be more willing to answer it. He also said to ask them more round about questions and they will tell us what we want to know. It made me think about questions like what is the ideal Tongan? What do they consider healthy and fit? What are their core values? What image is important to them? Thinking about these questions made me think about other things I haven't really thought about before. Things such as how they view obesity. Do they think it is unhealthy to be obese? Is obesity an issue to Tongans? Does it affect them in ways that prevent them from being happy? Is obesity or exercising a priority in their lives or are there more important things for them to think about and occupy their time? These are some of the questions going around in my head now. One thing I did really like that Joseph told us was to shift from being honored guest to part of the family as quickly as you can. The family will treat us like guests and won't let us do anything but if we push it and try to do things with them they will love us for it. Even when we do it wrong. I know when I get there I am going to try and do this with my host family. I really want to become part of the family and be treated like part of the family. He also told us to be willing to give up our identity while we are in Tonga and we will have an amazing experience.

Extra Credit Learning Journal 1

My experience at the Rafa Rafa activity was fun. It was very interesting to be put in a situation where I was not part of the culture and had to figure out what was culturally acceptable. I haven't ever been put in a situation like that so it was very different for me. I was in the Alpha culture. I figured out how to act in my own culture pretty quickly and actually won a couple times. But when I went in to the Beta culture I had no idea what was going on. They were making different animal sounds and trading cards. It was definitely different then what I was used to and I had no idea how to act. I even got shunned a couple times. When I went back to my own culture I felt much more comfortable and even enjoyed watching the people from the Beta culture try to interact with us. Afterward we all gathered back in our original room and discussed the activity. It was interesting to hear exactly what the Beta culture really was all about. It was kind of what we thought but then again it was a lot different as well. It was a good experience and kind of eye opening for me.

Learning Journal 10

While I was looking for an article on kinship in Tonga I found out it is a patriarchal and patrilineal society. Despite this fact women have their own special rights and powers over men because of their respected position as sisters and paternal aunts. This position is known as the fahu. The fahu is the oldest sister in the family. She has total dominance over her brothers. Their number one job is to serve the fahu. When I first heard about this position it intrigued me. Not only is it completely different from my culture but it is different from the world's perception of women. Usually women in the world don't have any power or really get any respect. They have their positions of taking care of the family and are expected to do certain things. In Tonga however, women are shown proper respect and even have power over the men. I still don't quite understand the position of the fahu but I know that it is a deep part of their culture. I would really like to learn more about the gender roles of men and women, especially the fahu.

Learning Journal 9

In the section we read of Agar's book Culture Blends the quote "Culture has to do with who you are" was an interesting way to think about culture. Truly culture has to do with who we are. I think that is a very accurate statement because even though there are different cultures around the world our specific culture is defined as who we are. I liked the example in class Dallin used about how we are all Americans but yet there were many different ways in how we would deal with certain situations. He made the point that it is important to remember that even though we are going into a Tongan culture everyone is different. Although they might believe and do somethings the same they are all different. It was interesting for me to think about culture that way because I always thought culture was just how a group of people believed, thought, and acted. I think everyone belongs to a certain culture but they also have their own culture and way of doing things that has to do with how they were raised.

Learning Journal 8

I have been thinking a lot about Dallin's idea for my project. It does seem like an interesting idea that I haven't thought about. I never thought of studying how people get physically active and what things may prevent them from being physically active. This idea does come somewhat as a relief because I was questioning my project and how I would go about asking people why they are fat and not doing anything about it. Observing and interviewing people about how they are physically active is a much better alternative. This also means I have a lot of thinking to do. I read an article about one of the reasons adults become obese. It said its because once they are older they stop doing hard labor or things around the house. They stop and their kids take over. After that they don't get much physical exercise and sit a lot. This caused me to question whether giving all the responsibility to the kids is the best option. It is good because it teaches them about responsibility and about hard work but does it come with a cost to the parents? Is turning the work over to the children really one of the reasons the parents become obese or is it because of the parents own choices? These were just some questions and thoughts I had when I read the article.

Learning Journal 7

I have been thinking about my project and how I can develop it further. I have also been thinking about some questions I could study while I am down in Tonga. A couple of questions that occurred to me were: Does gender play a huge roll in the obesity problem down there? Is one gender more likely to become obese or is one gender more obese than the other? If so, why? Is childhood obesity as big a problem as obesity is with adults or is childhood obesity a problem in Tonga? How do the children view obesity? These were just some questions that were floating around in my head today as I was doing some research. I think the next thing I need to focus on in my project is organizing the format and figuring out the things I want to do and how I am going to do them once I get down there...

Learning Journal 6

I read an article written by a guy that went to Tonga on an assignment to figure out why the problem of obesity is getting worse in the Pacific Islands. His discoveries didn't surprise me all that much. It was definitely more informative. One part did make me think however. He said that one of the reasons that the obesity problem has gotten worse is because things that used to keep them active are no longer practiced. Gates explained, "Fishing and farming used to keep Tongans active but fish stocks are low and the seas crowded with foreign trawlers, so few bother to venture out; and farming seems to be a dying art (the only farmer I met did it primarily as a hobby)". This made me think about how many things are caused because of other people getting in others way. It doesn't necessarily relate to the article I read but it made me think about problems that could have been stopped or contained if people just stayed in their own areas and didn't encroach on others space. If those "foreign trawlers" stayed in their own waters then Tongans would have continued to be active and fish. Maybe obesity wouldn't be such a huge problem now. They would have stayed active and had fish in their diets. I don't really know exactly where I'm going with this thought cause I apparently can't transfer this thought to paper very well. But it is interesting to look around and see what things could be different if people stay where they are supposed to. Just an interesting thing to think about....

Learning Journal 5

I have been thinking about ways I can expand my project specifically what topics related to obesity I can study. Also what topics I should consider as I research my project here in the U.S. and what topics to consider once I am in the field. I read "Obesity in Pacific Islands", an article about the prevalence of obesity in the Pacific Islands, and it helped me to get an idea of topics to study. Some of them were the amount of physical activity Tongans get, secular trends in dealing with obesity or becoming obese, a traditional Tongan diet, any cultural and socioeconomic factors associated with obesity, the age in which obesity increases or starts, obesity and mortality rates, and trying to compare obesity to other factors. I realized I still need to get a lot more information about these topics. But I do think it is important to start thinking about how these factors might change in the specific location I will be researching in. Things like the prevalence of obesity in Tongatapu might be different then the prevalence of obesity in Va'vau or in Ha'apai.

Learning Journal 4

The last couple of days I have been reflecting on my project and idea. I think it is a good topic and could be really interesting to study in Tonga. The only thing that troubles me is the field research part of my project. I'm not sure how I am going to research. I can observe people and their day to day activity but I think the best way to get the best research is from actually talking to people and interviewing them about my topic. I don't think I would have a problem with talking to people. I just don't know if I it would be socially acceptable to ask people about being obese. Obesity is generally a touchy subject to talk about. From my research about obesity Tongans are not ashamed of their weight and are almost proud to be overweight. If this is true then talking about obesity shouldn't be a problem. Or maybe the reason they are overweight is because it is the social norm and the bigger the better truly is what Tongans think. Given that information maybe a lot of Tongan's are secretly ashamed of being obese but don't show it or change because of the social norm. If that is the case then they won't want to talk about their weight and would be offended if I tried. These are just thoughts that have been running through my head. Hopefully as I get a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking I will be able to get a better idea of how to do research when I finally get to Tonga! :)

Learning Journal 3

While I was researching obesity in Tonga this week I found out that a lot of people are obese. Not only are they obese but the bigger the better. If you are skinny you are looked down upon. A lot of obese people don't like being obese but they don't want to change. They said it is because that is how it is done and has always been done so that is how it will always be done. It is the Tongan way. It made me really think about my own life and if I do things just because that is how I have always done it. I realized that I used to do the same things over and over again because that is how I always did things. Now I don't. I am not satisfied with always doing things how I've always done them. I have wanted to change things and do things better. An example of this is last semester. At the beginning I decided to make a change and try things differently. It was hard but I did change and life has been a lot better. With this experience in mind I think back to my earlier thought about always doing things the same because that is how you've always done it. I think it all boils down to change. Changing something about yourself is hard work. It is much easier to do the same things the same way every time. Tongans are obese and want to change but are more comfortable with doing things how they have always done. This leads me to a new question. Are Tongans too comfortable being obese to change their habits or is it truly the Tongan way?

Learning Journal 2

The time I spent today doing research was very productive. I couldn't really find anything related to my project but it was productive in the sense that it helped me to narrow down my project ideas. My project originally was going to be about the physical education programs in the schools. Upon further research I discovered that no emphasis is really put that heavily on physical activity in a formal education. I realized that I needed to maybe research the effects of not having physical education in the school system. Also I found out that obesity is a big problem in Tonga. I could also research that aspect of their culture and go into childhood obesity as well. Here is a rough plan of how my project might go:

Project ideas

-obesity

-cultural reasons for obesity

-causes

-food choices/availability

-cultural causes

-effects

-problems with obesity

-associated diseases

-prevention

-choices

-physical activity

-culture

-obesity in children

-cultural differences between male and females

-emphasis on physical education?