Friday, January 30, 2009

Where you going?

So...where are you going? Kinda rude when you ask a random person. Right? Well not so much here. There are a lot of small cultural nuances in Tonga of which I will cover a few.

1. Where are you going?

It is entirely appropriate for anybody to ask you where you are going. This takes a little while to get used to since in the US it is almost not appropriate for people you do know to ask where you are going.

The good news is that you do not really have to tell anybody where you are going.

-=Sample Dialog=-

Random Dude: Alu ki fe? (Where are you going?)
Me: Eva pe (Around)

Success! Which brings me to my next cultural difference.

2. Liar!

It is ok to lie in Tonga. Seriously...I have not run into anybody who was not from overseas who said someone was lying in a negative way. Of course most of the lies are pretty innocent, but can be frustrating none the less. A lot of the lies actually part of what I'll mention next.

3. No means yes...wait...yes means no?

If you ask a question that someone does not know the answer to...they will give you the answer that they think you want. That can be cool for questions like 'can I have some of that food', but not so much for questions like 'is the bread store open' or 'am I dressed ok for this funeral'.


Well that is it for now.

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