First Impressions of Samoa

Yes, it was a bad hair day when I arrived in Samoa.  I suspect it was the first of many.

It’s hard to believe that a week ago I was enjoying Mexican food with friends and doing final packing to leave for L.A. It feels as if I’ve been in Samoa for a long time, in a good way. Rather than giving you a boring chronology of the week, here are some highlights.

Group 83: We’re a group of 20. One person dropped out before staging and another dropped out after our morning in L. A. 18 of the group are in their 20’s. I’m officially the oldest in the Group. Actually, I’m officially the oldest volunteer in Samoa. There is one other woman in the group in her 50’s. Everyone seems very committed, enthusiastic and has been very supportive and respectful. Also fun. We’re all on the 3rd floor of the hotel and it feels a lot like a dorm, minus the drugs and liquor. Hey, I lived in a dorm in the 60’s. I didn’t inhale.

New name: We’ve each been assigned a Samoan name. You may now call me Nesi. I hope I remember to answer to Nancy in two years.

Samoan people: My first exposure to Samoans was at the airport in L.A. After checking In (aisle seat!), I had to lug my three giant bags the security X-ray machine. I hadn’t taken a step when a Samoan man who was on our flight rushed over and insisted on taking my bags for me. It seems to be true that being a palagi (foreigner), woman and older, I get preferential treatment. I’m willing to accept that. Actually, I’m willing to embrace it and relish being spoiled silly.

The Samoans are also very attractive. And did I mention they like women of a certain size? Thank you, PC Washington for sending me to Samoa. The Samoans also love to laugh, which has helped make our first week easier. Of course, much of their laughter was at our expense, but we gave them a lot to work with. Particularly during the language class. On the day of our arrival. After being awake for about 36 hours.

The food: So far, the food has been stellar. Our first evening the hotel hosted an “umu” dinner, which means food roasted on hot rocks. For me, the roasted pig was the highlight. Some were put off by looking at the pig’s face while dining, but after tasting the moist, flavorful meat, they quickly got over any squeamishness. The food does tend to be bland, but the grocery store has lots of hot sauces, including Siracha and chili garlic sauce, so I’m thrilled.

The religion: Samoa is a nation founded on God and most activities revolve around church and family. Each morning we start training with the trainers singing a couple of hymns in four part harmony. The music is followed by a prayer, in Samoan. When combined with a view of the river and a sea breeze, it’s a delightful way to start the day.

White Sunday: This morning we went to the Anglican Church attended by the Samoan PC training manager. Today is White Sunday, which is a day to celebrate children. It seems that traditionally in Samoan families, children take a back seat. They’re responsible for chores and are fed after adults get the choice bits of food. Children do not run the family and are used to getting a smack to keep them in line. Sort of like being raised in the US in the 50’s. Today, the kids are celebrated. They provided the entertainment at church and it was amazing. It was a 2 hour service, with a mixture of scripture recitals, songs, poetry, skits and dance. My personal favorite was a “musical” done by the church youth. It was titled “Jesus Can Dance”. God was referred to as the King of Swing (among other things) and at one point in the musical, “God” commented that Jesus had some sweet moves. I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.

After the service we stayed for tea, which involved a huge buffet of sweet and savory treats. One of my favorites was a crepe made with flour and bananas, then spread with raspberry jam. I didn’t try the slices of bread topped with canned spaghetti. Seemed to be a favorite with the locals, though.

Sweat: It is spring in Samoa, heading into the hot, wet summer. Actually, the temperature doesn’t change much from season to season, but the humidity is higher this time of year. Based on my experience so far, my sweat glands will be in tip top shape by the time I get home. Like the old saying goes, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Yesterday some of us walked downtown to check out the market and practice our (incredibly limited) Samoan. It was only 7 a.m. and it was cool out, but I was dripping after a 30 minute walk. The sweating has made the transition to no make-up (except lipstick, of course) and no blow-drying a very easy one.

Fashion: We are required to wear culturally appropriate business attire for training every day. For me, that means a long, full cotton skirt worn over cotton boxers, topped with a t-shirt. For shoes, flip flops. I recommend that the US immediately adopt this as standard attire. It’s cool, comfortable and modest. There have been some chafing issues among our group, but other than that, we’re all happy with the dress code. The guys, by the way, wear shirts over lava lavas (the man-version of a sarong, wrapped around the waist.) I have no information about chafing among the guys.

Health: We received our first health lecture this week in training. They chose the most relevant topics: sex and diarrhea. The session on sex reminded me of junior high health, but I suppose policies and guidelines need to be covered. The session on diarrhea reminded me of a bad experience with street food and was a good reminder on what to avoid.

It’s been quite a week. I said goodbye to people I love. Sold my car and had my house packed up and put into storage. I flew over 15 hours. Met more new people than I can count. I’ve learned to say some basic phrases in Samoan. That’s a lot for one week. Overall, though, it feels really good. I miss the love from home, but there’s a lot of love here in Apia (a PEE uh), from the Samoans and fellow PC folks.

I’m glad I came.

If you'd like to see a short video of clips from our first week in Samoa, just click here.