Blake Porter and Heather Lemkelde have just returned from a three year tour working for the Peace Corps in Tonga. Blake is the son of Larry and Billie Porter of Northfield. Blake and Heather told the Girl Scouts about their experiences and helped the girls learn about the food and customs of Tonga. Photo courtesy Northfield Girl Scouts Can you name a main food item that the people from the Kingdom of Tonga might eat?

Ask a Northfield Girl Scout and she could tell you that it is coconut!

As part of the Girl Scouts’ observance of World Thinking Day, an annual event during the Girl Scout year, the Northfield Girl Scouts attended an event and learned many fascinating things about the culture and life in Tonga. World Thinking Day is a Girl Scout tradition, with the day set aside to remember Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all around the world, as a way to promote world friendship.

The Northfield Girls Scouts gathered for a presentation by Heather Lemkelde and Blake Porter, who have recently returned from three years with the Peace Corp in the Kingdom of Tonga. To start the event, the girls participated in a traditional Girl Scout flag ceremony with the singing of our National Anthem. They then listened as Heather and Blake sang the Tongan National Anthem. The girls learned about the language, food, games, clothing and life in Tonga. Heather and Blake were dressed in traditional Tongan clothing and had numerous artifacts from Tonga that the girls could experience. The Northfield Girl Scouts were able to view a slide show of Tonga showing everyday life on the small tropical island nation and compare it to everyday life here in Vermont. They learned a song with motions and a game and also learned to say their own names in the language of Tonga. They even got to taste some fresh coconut!