The month of March is nearly coming to a close, which makes it that much closer to my departure date, May 4th. Time is going by so fast and before I know it, I'll be in Tonga. I've been thinking about my research project a lot lately and about things to expect when I get there. I am so fortunate to be able to stay with my first cousin on the main island, who is married and has four young children. I'm really excited to meet up with them again. Looking at what is expected out of my field study kind of feels overwhelming because I will be out there in Tonga by myself and the other two girls will be on another island. To be honest, I'm really nervous that things won't go the way I planned and I won't be able to adapt to the changes. I'm reminded of a quote once said that change will always happen and sometimes we may not have control over it, but we do have control on how we react to change.
The King of Tonga's funeral services will be held today. King Tupou VI (the new king) has stated that the country's mourning period will last three months, from March to June. We will be arriving in Tonga in May which means we will be there for the last month of the country's mourning. I wondered if the country's mourning would have any effect on my research project. For example, no celebrations or events could be held during the mourning period, which I think includes dances and sport events. If so, I would have to make a few changes in my field study to make use of all the time I have there as my time is limited. I think the best way for me to prepare for change in Tonga, is to brainstorm other plans that relate to my research project, and explore those. I can refer to my web of ideas that we did in class earlier in the semester to look at other things such as exploring the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Education, availability of health clinics or hospitals to the people and other things like that. I think what plays a big part in adapting or dealing with change is attitude. How we manage or deal with stress plays an important role in our attitude. I think this is a great time to step back and evaluate how I'm doing, because in the next month or so, I will be alone in Tonga and may deal with stress there.
I think for the most part I can prepare more for possible changes in the field by being prepared with back up research projects and preparing myself mentally for it now. The semester is coming to an end and finals are coming up, which means a lot of stress. I think by managing my stress and dealing with it could help me deal with any sudden changes in Tonga.
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