Peter and Antoinette in Tonga

Peter and Antoinette are volunteers from South Australia:
How strange it is for just the two of us to be sitting down to meals – it seems years since we did it on a regular basis, having had family followed by boarders in the house ever since we were married. Well, guess what?? We were told we would have help to sweep the leaves, dispose of the rubbish, and do other such chores around the yard. Vili came on Tuesday to offer his services. He wandered into the kitchen, and asked what I wanted him to do. I was a bit non-plussed, so I suggested he might pick up leaves and sweep the drive and chop off a bit of breadfruit tree that was hanging over the carport. He did all this and then left. However – we found out yesterday that not only will he work for us, we have actually “adopted” him. Because he is single, and belongs in our “village”, he is now our “son” and will eat the evening meal with us after work weekdays, and also on weekends. He will prepare the “umu” – earth oven - for Sunday lunch and then eat lunch and dinner with us! (It seems he would also do housework – dishes, washing or sweeping indoors – but I think I can manage that!) We were therefore rather embarrassed that we sent him off empty-stomached Tuesday, and were prepared to apologise and feed him yesterday. However he didn’t turn up. We were planning “please come home, all is forgiven” type messages, then discovered that Wednesday afternoon is sport, so work is either later (after six pm) or not on that day. Vili arrived at about 6.30 dressed for socialising rather than work, so we ate together and started to get to know him. He is 25, and in his third year of a diploma course so it is also his final year. His home island is the furthest north (about 600km from here) and closer to Fiji than any of the other islands. It is one of the “beautiful” islands, being an extinct volcano, and a complete circle of land enclosing a circular freshwater lake. He travels to and from by boat which takes three days. I’ve just read that the people were evacuated during the 1946 eruption, and some returned in the mid ‘60s. Vili said about 300 people live on the island, which is nicknamed “Tin Can Island” because mail and goods were once dropped there in sealed tins by passing ships.