It Was Training, Not Snorkeling!

Yesterday was a National Holiday in Samoa, to continue celebrating White Sunday.  We still had training, though.  Don’t feel too bad for me because it was Water and Safety Training.  A chartered bus picked us up at noon and we headed back toward the airport.  After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at Aggie Grey’s Resort. 

We received our initial training in an open fale on the beach.  We discussed possible dangers in the water in Samoa and use of two types of life vests were demonstrated.  Mostly we were advised to avoid liquor, drugs and stupidity when around water. 

Then we hopped on board a catamaran to sail across the lagoon toward the reef.  After we dropped anchor, snorkeling skills were explained and then they forced us into the water.  Ok, that may be a bit strong, since most of us were in the water about 2 seconds after they said “go”.  We sunned, we snorkeled, we catapulted off the boat, we scarfed sandwiches that we’d either brought or purchased and we laughed a lot.  As we sailed back to the resort a few hours later, the Captain threw a long rope into the water and the first mate demonstrated holding on while being dragged by the boat, then pulling himself up the rope to the boat.  Most of the guys then decided to try it along with Karen and Lindsey (way to represent, ladies!)  All in all, it was pretty funny to watch.  My large, buoyant behind remained on the boat.

We were all in a fine mood as we headed back on the bus to the hotel.  .  A large number of our group started singing on the way home.  I knew when they started with N’Synch, it could be a long ride.  One of our gang, Tevi, seems to know the words to every pop and rap song ever written.  A few of the girls in the back of the bus weren’t far behind, so there was quite the medley of tunes.  I still have N’Synch’s “Tell Me Why” stuck in my head.  I plan to hum “It’s a Small World” all night just to get even.

I doubt if any PCT, anywhere, anytime has enjoyed training quite as much as we did yesterday.  Lest you think we’re part of the Beach Corps, today was back to the routine of classroom training and one morning session took over where our Diarrhea session ended.  We learned about common diseases we may get, including Typhoid, Dengue, Rheumatic Fever and more.  Not to worry, moms and dads, we discussed how to avoid them as well as how to deal with them.  Plus tomorrow we get our Typhoid vaccine if we haven’t had one in two years.

The training has been well done - well thought out and effectively presented, but like training anywhere, it gets old after the first six hours or so.  And my bum was numb after about hour one.  Still, good information that will be invaluable as we go out on our own.

To answer some questions I’ve received:

Do people speak English?  In the capital of Apia, where we’ll be for another 2 weeks, yes, most people speak English.  Some don’t speak enough to carry on an in-depth conversation, but it has definitely been easy to communicate.  That will change when we reach our site villages (that’s where we’ll go after we’re sworn in and where we’ll spend our final two years), since many of the villagers don’t or won’t speak English.  Samoa has two languages:  English and Samoan.  To get an advanced education or a good job, Samoans need to know both.  Which is why so many villages applied to have us come to their schools to teach English.

What are you doing for food?  Well, you know me, just living on a carrot stick and a couple of glasses of water a day.  Actually, the food has been good.  Our first day, the hotel provided lunch and dinner, which both had a lot of variety and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Breakfast is provided each morning by the hotel and is coconut, papaya, toast, tea and instant coffee.  Yesterday, instead of toast, they made pankeke, which is OMG good.  Pancakes made with bananas smushed into the batter.  Today, they added avocado to the menu.  I’m hoping tomorrow they’ll bring back the pankeke.  Most are hoping the papaya will be replaced by…anything.

We’re on our own for lunch and dinner.  Several of us frequent the DeAl Café across the street for lunch.  Curry, chop suey and either rice or plaintains is $4, less than two bucks US.  Not the highest quality, but tasty and affordable.  Scoops is also popular.  Just up the block, it’s an ice cream parlor/café.  I personally have grown attached to the Deluxe Dog ($6.50), which is an American style hot dog on a fabulous bun, with cheese, sautéed onions, ketchup and mustard.  I have only heard about the cheeseburger, which comes topped with coleslaw.  The fish and chips are supposed to be excellent, but at $13 are out of my price range.

A number of us have also “cooked” for ourselves.  For me that meant sardines, cheese and crackers.  For others, it meant pasta with canned sauce or veggie stir fry.  Cooking isn’t so easy because of the limited facilities, but still a nice option to have.  And, most are doing what they can to make sure they eat healthy, with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Karen, one of the group, just reported that she and her husband had my back as they toured a market up the street after class today.  They sell packaged Mac and Cheese.  Knock off brand and I understand the nutritional pitfalls, but consider this:  in less than 2 weeks we leave for our training villages.  We’ll be there for 7 weeks and will be fed by our host families. That’s 7 weeks of a lot of taro and breadfruit and probably limited fruits, veggies and comfort food.  I’ll be indulging in Mac and Cheese this week.  It will be $4.60 well spent.

Speaking of cravings, I haven’t had many.  Yes, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (think they’ll send me some for free if I mention it often enough on this blog?) but not much else.  I haven’t seen TV for over a week and haven’t missed it.  I’ve only used the internet for blogging/emailing.  I haven’t craved Mexican food, although I’m afraid to even type the words.  It could kick up a serious enchilada craving, much like scratching one mosquito bite makes them all itch.

Most of our evenings are spent hanging out in small groups.  Really, like a dorm.  There’s studying going on, some drinking, and lots of speculation about where we’ll be going and what the next two years will be like.  There have also been card games and singing.  Last night, while sitting on the balcony at the front of the hotel where there’s a nice breeze and a view of harbor, a couple of people mentioned their moms were reading my blog.  I told them if they paid me $5 each a week, I’d say they were behaving like perfect ladies and gentlemen.

Actually, no need for them to pay, since it’s a really good group, with sensitive, smart caring men and women who are here for all the right reasons.

Parents, please don’t be alarmed at the level of interest in one trivia fact we heard yesterday.  In the 1999/2001 group, they had 27 volunteers.  17 of them married Samoans.  There are strict rules about dating during training, so you have at least 9 more weeks to relax.

On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is “I wish I’d never heard of Samoa” and 10 is “I can’t imagine ever leaving”, I’m right at about a 9 today.  And that’s only because my butt is still numb.

I’m too lazy and hungry to upload photos, so they’ll come later.  Just imagine the most beautiful lagoon possible, with water a clear turquoise blue and that’s what the photos look like.