When I moved to my site December 15, 2007 I found a perfect little house with a table, some chairs a counter, a rack to hang clothes and a princess bed. Then my town officer started making promises, one of which was a sink.

I started to think about how that would be nice and then immediately cut myself off and put it in the I’ll believe it when I see it category. Well about 3 months later I was working on a project one night and I noticed a PCV pipe coming into my house. One foot, three feet, six feet, what is this? Eight feet, nine and then Sione? my town officers head poked in. “‘Alisi here is your sink!” He brought me a sink, and several different pipes and fixtures which in the right hands could easily translate into a sink and running water in my house.

Unfortunately I don’t have the right hands. Sione assured me that Sio would be by soon to install the sink. After a month or so I asked again, and again was assured that Sio would come. Then maybe another month later I found myself with Sione and Sio at the same time and we decided he would come tomorrow. And he did!

Now it was already late when he came so I figured he couldn’t finish everything and I asked if he would put in the water first. That way if it was another month before he came back at least I would have running water. He did and as I thought he had to go after, but he said he would come back tomorrow to put in the sink.

A few days later I asked about Sio and found out he had left for New Zealand for three months. Wow ok. So I let that one go and enjoyed my running water for a while.

So then life happened and I was busy enough to overlook the sink on my living room floor for a few months. Then spring cleaning and the sink on the floor became a nuisance. So I started asking again and receiving the answer “yes I will come tomorrow.” And after tomorrow came and went I would hear “oh I forgot, but I will come tomorrow.”
Are we seeing a Tongan trend here? So I decided two can play this game and I asked again. The next time I saw Sio and he told me tomorrow I said fine you can come or not, but if you don’t come tomorrow I will come back and ask again everyday until you do. He came the next day and installed my sink.

So it only took 50 weeks to get my sink and water installed! And let me tell you the 3 months without running water make me appreciate it all the more. And the 12 month without a sink has made it amazing. I feel like I am slowly working my way up in the world of conveniences. But this one is really nice.
Happy Holidays everyone,

-‘Alisi