A Peace Corps Volunteer in Tonga

The author was a United States Peace Corps volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga from 1984 to 1986. His observations and experiences are frankly recounted in two intertwined short stories. Names have been changed, and the narrative placed in the third person.

The first short story, An American Volunteer at Work, describes a typical day in the volunteer's assigned job as a statistician with the Statistics Department, which was part of the Ministry of Finance, in Nuku'alofa. The second, Polynesian Nights, delves into the volunteer's social life on the South Pacific island, with particular emphasis on inter-cultural aspects, including dating.

The print version includes some of the author's photographs from Tonga.