Kathy and?Rob Beck, here standing on the summit of Strawberry Mountain near John Day, will set off to warmer climes when they travel to Tonga for a stint in the Peace Corps.Photo of Rob and Kathy Beck

When the Peace Corps informed Rob and Kathy Beck they will head to the South Pacific this fall, they immediately started surfing the Internet to find information about their future home.

Key word?

Tonga.

The couple discovered an archipelago of some 170-odd islands just east of the International Date Line and south of Samoa – a place of beautiful beaches, reefs, whales and ancient traditions.

Kathy found a disconcerting description of life for Tongan women, who can’t own land and play a subservient role to the men of the kingdom. Despite the sultry climate, Tongan women must refrain from going sleeveless and dresses must reach below their knees.

“I’m not the least bit nervous,” Kathy said, “but I have a heightened awareness of women’s place in Tonga – women are supposed to defer to men.”

Rob grinned at her as they sat back in comfortable chairs outside Hamley’s coffee shop.

“Men,” he said, “get together at the end of the day and drink kava – women are not allowed.”

The nation’s new king, George Tupou V, is an eccentric, larger-than-life monarch. Some Tongans have criticized George, who succeeded his father, for his lavish $5 million coronation in a nation where many people live in poverty.

The Becks are older than the typical twenty-something Peace Corps volunteer, but joining the organization is something both have wanted to do for some time.

“We came of age with the Peace Corps,” Kathy said. “It is a shining light, a model of what Americans can do in the world.”

Both are preparing to leave full-time jobs. Kathy is the director of early childhood education at Blue Mountain Community College. Rob is a child welfare worker with Oregon’s Department of Human Services.

“The Peace Corps is a bridge from a career in public service to whatever is going to be next,” Rob said. “I won’t use the R (retirement) word.”

Being accepted as a Peace Corps volunteer, they said, means jumping through a series of hoops. The Becks had to prove they were physically fit and able to fulfill financial obligations such as paying their mortgage.

“It’s a different matter for people in their 50s and 60s to get clearance than someone who’s 22,” Kathy said. “We’ll be away from instant, high-quality medical care – they have to make sure we’re healthy individuals.”

They will spend the first three months in Tonga receiving training and learning the Tongan language. After that, Rob will teach English to Tongan students and Kathy will instruct the teachers.

The couple is in suspense about where they will end up in the island kingdom and how their adventure will play out. Tonga’s 100,000 people live on only 35 of the 171 islands. Creature comforts such as furniture and electricity are in short supply in the poverty-stricken nation.

They figure the stint in the Peace Corps will be many months of adventure, sans hot showers, glasses of good wine and possibly a bed. They plan to bring hammocks.

“We’ll adapt,” Kathy said, smiling an intrepid smile.

The Becks, however, are not leaving one thing to chance – their addiction to high-end coffee. They plan to bring a French press coffee maker and a stash of Starbucks beans.

The couple has reached out through Facebook to others on their Peace Corps team. Most are young and single.

“Historically, about five percent of volunteers were over 50,” Rob said, “but that percentage is going up.”

Now, the Peace Corps is actively recruiting baby boomers, he said.

Rob and Kathy will arrive in Tonga on Oct. 8. Until then, they are concentrating on finishing their jobs and winnowing down their possessions, selling everything from their Subaru Outback to their bicycles.

During their time in Tonga, they plan to blog about their experiences. A link to their blog will appear at www.eastoregonian.com in the next few months.