As you might already know, I served in the Kingdom of Tonga as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2009-2011. I worked as an English teacher at St. Andrew’s High School, a secondary school located in the capital city of Nuku’alofa on the main island, Tongatapu.Teaching was a big challenge for[Read more]
A much more personal post today than my usual thrift finds and creative projects- hopefully you all don’t mind too much! My mom made me these cupcakes for my “Welcome Home” party. Last Monday, November 19th, marked the one-year anniversary of my homecoming after living for 2 years in Tonga[Read more]
As some of you know, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tonga from 2009 to 2011. Of course, it was a major life experience which shaped me in so many ways and I think about it often, but in the last few weeks I’ve found myself thinking of[Read more]
One of my favorite things about Tonga was buying fresh vanilla pods from the market. They are so incredibly fragrant and delicious-smelling. I was so excited when I got home to try my hand at making fresh vanilla extract for my friends and family. It’s amazing how simple it really[Read more]
When I finished my Peace Corps service in Tonga last year, I wanted to give some of my best friends something special from me, so I painted these cards as gifts. They’re all significant in some way and depict memories of my service and time spent with my friends there.[Read more]
When I was in Tonga, one of my favorite things to do was collect shells on the beaches. After a while, I had accumulated quite a few, but wasn’t really sure what to actually do with them. I came upon this ideas of making little flower magnets. It’s fun and[Read more]