Papaya Mom

Back home it’s ten a.m. - here it is four a.m. I can’t sleep so I thought to write.
French Polynesia is warm and kind thus far - the rain feels like a warm cloak over the land. Last night I sent Brother to the airport alone to fetch the parents and the aunt and uncle - there is only room for five in the truck and we had no interest in someone sitting in the back of the truck in the rain for the short drive back to the hotel. I slept so well early but now I toss and turn.
I am learning bits about these Society Islands as we go along. This place, although it has modern conveniences, has a very low crime rate and aside from the traditional dislike between Tahitians and French (being a colony does not make for great bedfellows) there seems to be little issue with dislike of Americans. As Brother and I have both experienced the dislike for Americans on our separate trips to Europe it’s nice not to have any obvious prejudice although I am told that the homes with the blue and white flag for French Polynesian Independence may have an imu in the back yard in which to cook me it reminds me of a slightly better organized version of the Hawaiian Independence movement (signaled by an upside down Hawaii State flag in the front yard - thank goodness for flags). Here the independent movement has taken over the parliament (via votes of no confidence) and lost it (in the same way) at least once with no pullout of the French Navy ships in the harbor (what a great port to be stationed in) or Government. The Vice Presidency where Sister-in-Law used to work is one of the nicer buildings in downtown Papeete with cream stone and red roofs, beautiful courtyards and statues all over.
When Husband arrived in New York one of his brothers worried about me - there is a hurricane in the Caribbean you know! Yep, as might be a common thought, he assumed that Tahiti was in the Caribbean. Nope, we are over 2000 miles almost due south of Hawaii and just east of New Zealand (where local beef comes from - I may order some Steak et Frites tomorrow). Sister-in-Law discovered the same lack of global knowledge about this Island Nation when she went on an exchange semester in college (she has a Bachelors Degree in Foreign Language as used in Economics - not bad!) to Australia. On her first day of class as the students went around introducing themselves she said her name and that she was from French Polynesia. Where? Asked her professor. Tahiti she said, using a more common name although less official. Where? Asked her professor. The Society Islands she said - another common name for these islands. Where? Asked her professor. She eventually had to show him on a map. I find this fascinating as French Polynesia is not to far from Australia - in fact my flight that I came on continued to Sydney in only three additional hours.
We visited Hina and her daughter Orihei last night - I had met them before in Hawaii at Willie and Patea’s wedding, only then I had Papaya with me. I got to hold and tickle this little one who spoke only French (and probably Tahitian) but was so much like my little love. She liked to be tickled and read a book about animals, she danced for us all to watch and was a happy little girl. The last time we saw her she was already in underwear at just before two years old and I had to stop myself from comparing or worrying about Papaya just not being ready yet. This time I saw her in a diaper at night - and learned that like Papaya she goes back and forth. She is also newly in preschool and Hina told me this has increased her success at the potty. Amusingly Hina got a phone call from Orihei’s teacher updating on the progress - the little one who spends a lot of time with her father (her Mother sells cars full time for Chery - a Korean Car maker) plays just like a boy - rough! She even has learned to pee standing up as her father, only with girl equipment and they ask her to sit on the potty so as not to confuse the other little girls! Hina laughs with such pride at her little tomboy who loves to dance - I too know a little girl with those qualities.

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