Emile (Emili) Robert Hons: RPCV 1974-1976
Please meet our November Spotlight: Emile (Emili) Robert Hons!
Emile hails from California. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, he earned his degree in Art and ultimately taught pottery and jewelry at Pepperdine University. He laughingly recounts how he came home one day from teaching and told his mother that he needed to do something with his life and actually earn a living. His mom responded by telling him to join the Peace Corps and off he went!
Emile served in Group 14 (1974-1976) and was placed at Tonga High School as an art teacher. In those days, students needed to have an art class in order to be able to go to university in New Zealand.
When asked his favorite memory from his time in Peace Corps, he recounted the following story:
“As odd as it might sound I missed popcorn a lot. There were three movie theaters in Nuku’alofa in those days and for 25 siniti (cents), you got the good seats. We volunteers, who lived close to downtown would go to a movie once or twice a month, if our pocketbooks could handle it. That’s when I really missed popcorn.
It seemed that all the Tongans who I whined to had no idea what I was talking about. Then, one fortuitous day as I was riding my bike to my village I happen to stop at a falekaloa (store) that I had not shopped at before. I needed a loaf of bread and that was about it. This store was a pretty normal size in those days at about 8X10 feet. You never knew what each store was selling from week to week. As I asked for my bread, I happened to look up and see a whole row of Jolly Time canned popcorn kernels. I was giddy with excitement and bought all ten cans. It was a Friday and my plan was to go to a movie. When I got to my hut I popped a big bag, salted it and even threw some New Zealand butter on it. I was in puaka (pig) heaven as I pulled up to the theater on my bike.
A couple of my students (brothers) walked by to buy their tickets when they saw and smelled MY popcorn. They asked me what it was and said it smelled really good. I gave each of them a small handful. I laughed because they put it in their pocket to eat later. I told them that if they behaved in class on Monday I would give them some kernels and tell them how to cook them. I explained that they would need to get a pot from their mother and some oil and that they needed to shake the pot until all of the kernels popped. Keep in mind that in those days many Tongan homes cooked outside the hut, over a ground fire. The next day they came to class and excitedly told me that the popcorn was very good, but hard to catch...I had forgotten to tell them to put a lid on the pot!”
Other notable memories include: biking to a beach without a single foot print on it, swimming in caves with fresh water pools in them, biking everywhere we wanted to go (no helmet rules back then). Taking a coconut off a tree and opening it with a machete and drinking the milk and eating the meat on the run. Sometimes injecting a young coconut with rum and waiting a few months to harvest it, building my own hot water heater so I could take a hot shower. Drinking beer or martinis with Peace Corps and Tongan friends, on warm breezy Friday evenings, laughing the night away. Sailing to different islands, snorkeling the clear warm waters, living in a real grass hut, and being asked by the village elder to dance with the village in front of the King (which he was told he was the first palangi (foreigner) to do so.
His time in Tonga has stuck with him and continues to learn from his experiences after all of these years. For example, he was always insecure as to how good I was as a teacher. He only had $50 a year for supplies for something like 150 students, so he was always trying to figure out ways to make things interesting. Over the years, when he returns to Tonga, someone always recognizes him and tells him how much they enjoyed my class.
Emile has been going back to Tonga for the past 20 years and has seen many changes. The biggest change he has seen is the amazing amount of cars on Tongatapu. “In his day”, there were a few cars, many bikes and lots of walking. He was also amazed at all of the litter everywhere. He believes the reason is there are a lot more plastic bottles (it all glass bottles in the ‘70’s) and junk food wrappers everywhere as well. He also speculates that the junk food probably has a lot to do with the diabetes epidemic which currently haunts the people of Tonga.
When asked what he would like to see FoT do, he answered “publish photos from every volunteer class.” He believes that Friends of Tonga can engage the RPCV community by letting them know (with their approval) that they will be part of a shared archive of experiences going back almost fifty years. A two year volunteer service within a very special part of the world. This will give them a great opportunity to hook up with fellow volunteers and if you expand this site to Tongans, who were part of the PC world members would get to reconnect with them.”
