Was thinking about this site last night as I was getting on the on-ramp for the expressway and I figured I should start writing again. I miss it sort of.

So I was waiting at a red light last evening, I'm sitting in the right hand lane, there's a red corvette sitting in the left hand lane. The light changes from red to green and across the street there is only one lane so either my car (Ford Contour) or the Corvette idling in the turning only lane next to me is going to get into the single lane. Needless to say, my Countour doesn't have the oomph that a Corvette has and I lose. So as I'm eating this corvette's dust and he's doing like 50 down a 25 I slow down to the speed limit and just take it easy. A few minutes later, I pull up next to him and look over and sort of smile. You see in city driving, all the posturing is for naught because stop lights are the great equalizer. No matter how fast your car is everyone has to stop for redlights and all that muscle-headed dingleberry posturing is for naught. As a citizen, that makes me feel better. I don't know why exactly, perhaps its my personal preference for civility and order, but it does.

So where is my life at now? Well its 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday. Waking up on the couch a little groggy from the Guiness and boozing last night at my buddy's place in New Jersey, a couple of miles outside of Philly with a whole American Saturday stretched out before me and nothing but fun, family and friends planned. Its taken me a couple of months to get to this point, but I'm starting to feel more like I belong again. Its weird, I remember reading this book "So You Wanna Join the Peace Corps?" and the author in the beginning of the book said that its actually much harder coming back to America than it is leaving it. I remember thinking 'bullsh!t!'. But now that I'm here and living it, he's right on. I'm usually not into the fluffy, emotional posts so I'll keep it brief. PCV's coming back to America can be pretty hard so be prepared. I don't know why that's so, but it is. There, I said it.

So me? I'm in this in-between sort of life. My parents are looking to purchase a durable medical equipment company that they've been running for the past couple of years but need some help getting all of their ducks in a row in terms of finances and selecting a biller and vendor negotiating, etc. So I've been spending most of my time with them writing a business plan and getting things set up. The other part of my time is spent in Philadelphia reconnecting with my friends and family down here. Its been kind of hard because I really want to be in Philly and as much as I love my parents, I can't stand the place where they live. Its pretty far out there with not much going on in the wintertime and its almost an entirely different culture too. Its weird.

So I've got a couple more months with my parents then back down to Philly full-time to pursue my own goals. There's a bunch of stuff that I'd like to do that I need to sort through but if there is one overwhelmingly good thing that I can say about America it is this: America is TRULY the land of opportunity. Like no where else in the world as far as I've seen and probably my favorite thing about it.

So that's it. I promised myself that I wouldn't get crazy with my posts and have them drag on for a long time. I'm going to start re-updating the site with stuff that I find interesting now until I can move it to my new secret bat location with hidden un-3-dimesionalizer.

Oh and a word to Tonga... Thank you for everything. As much as I complained about being there in the day in and day out, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't appreciate my life as much as I do now, wouldn't be the person that I'm starting to become and certainly wouldn't have met my extra-awesome moa. There are things that I will never forget and things that I'm glad I've forgotten but all in all I regret nothing and I hope I helped a little bit.

Ofa Atu people that still sort of check out my blog..

PS - Check out the new TTI website! and some pics of the server room nice work Toti, Pila and Siua! 7 comments - Post a Comment

• hey palangi, hope the reverse culture shock isn't hitting you too hard. keep us posted on how things are travelling for you. take care matey.
  # posted by nicole : 3/06/2006 1:53 PM

• goog to see you writing
  # posted by Anonymous : 3/11/2006 9:21 AM

• good to see you writing
  # posted by Anonymous : 3/11/2006 9:22 AM

• I invite ALL Tongans to visit and learn for FREE the Art of Wire Tree-making and spread the WORD of our Instrumental X-CHANGE
  I share this freely with you ALL.
  "To give a person a tree is to give them a present..To teach them how to make a tree is to give them a gift for life."
  your humble servant,
  Ancient Clown
  # posted by Ancient Clown : 6/17/2006 10:28 AM

• p.s. Ment to mention as well that I love the photos...awesome.
  # posted by Ancient Clown : 6/17/2006 10:29 AM

• Hi there, just passing thru and I really admire what you've written up here... I'm a Tongan who hasn't really mastered the language nor have I visited/explored Tonga enough to come across what you've seen... Thanks for laying it out for the rest of us! Cheers :D
  Take care,
  Lesley Tuiniua
  # posted by Lesley Tuiniua : 8/16/2006 10:50 AM

• Jim,
  
  I am one of the lurkers who occasionally check out your website.
  I was motivated to post here when I read you were at Tupou Tertiary Institute. Back when it was known as Tupou High School I spent three years teaching there. 'Alifeleti Atiola was a co-teacher. He came back to Tonga in my second or third year in the Peace Corps. Kalapoli Pa'ongo was my headmaster.
  Pou pou to your comments on re-entry to the US. It was much harder to come back to the US than it was to leave it and as bad as anyone told me it would be. For you and other recently departed or about to COS; Tonga stays with you.
  I haven't been back since I left but a part of me never really left.
  I am thinking about going back in 2008 for the coronation of Siaosi Tupou V. See peacecorpsonline for my post on that.
  
  Roger Reed (Lousa) Tonga 23
  # posted by Anonymous : 4/13/2007 10:46 AM