The Weather
I swore I would never turn into my dad, who was obsessed with weather. He would sit and watch the weather channel for hours. Here, I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum, since I don’t have television or radio. I heard from the PC that a cyclone was coming, although predicted to be small and miss a direct hit on Samoa.
A cyclone, by the way, is the same as a hurricane. If you’re in the northern hemisphere it’s a hurricane, if you’re below the equator, it’s a cyclone.
We’ve had steady, heavy rain, with some wind for about a week. On Sunday morning as we drove to church we saw that waves had come over the seawall, past the beach fales and across the road. The waves left huge piles of sand, debris and in one stretch, boulders that were washed from the seawall into the road. It was a mess but cars could still get by.
We received periodic texts Saturday and Sunday from PC, updating us on the weather predictions and putting us on alert for possible (although unlikely) regional consolidation. Mostly we were told to just watch the weather and use our noodles, as Granny T. would say.
According to the PC, who uses the most reliable weather sources possible, the threat of the cyclone was over on Sunday night. Monday, I woke up to more rainy, stormy weather. I was a bit stir crazy so used a break in the rain in the morning to walk the mile or so to the store. I’m glad I did, since I got to see the biggest waves I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m guessing the winds at 30 MPH with stronger gusts. Rain was spitting and I made it home just in time for the worst weather I’ve seen since coming to Samoa. Heavy winds and torrential rain that didn’t stop for over 20 hours.
The wind blew rain across the open fale, so Mr. Kindle and I stayed in our room, trying to stay dry, since the windows don’t close completely. Thanks to the generosity of my friend Kay, I’d downloaded the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” before heading here, so I enjoyed a great book during the stormy day. And, thanks to Kia and family, I was sipping Crystal Lite while I read. Very cozy.
Work and Housing
Last week there was a meeting for all school principals and lead teachers. That included the woman I live with, since she’s the lead teacher at my school. When she returned she told me, over the course of two days, that: I had a new principal; I started work on January 26 instead of January 31; and the school committee has to find another place for me to live, since I would not be moving to the house I’d cleaned in preparation for moving.
So, for now, I’m staying where I am. It will mean taking the bus to and from school, or walking six miles or so a day. Not having a place to unpack and settle in is frustrating and having absolutely no control over the situation makes it harder. I’m trying to make the best of the situation and go with the flow. The next few months as I start teaching and find out where I’ll live should be interesting. I hope that’s not the same as the Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times.”
Host Sister from the Training Village
I’ve stayed in touch with Fa since moving to Savaii. I miss her and think the feeling is mutual. When I told her about my housing conundrum, she suggested I just move back in with her. Unfortunately, that would mean leaving the PC, which would mean having to leave the country since my visa would no longer be valid.
When I lived with Fa, she had some health issues, primarily with aching joints. It seems that after I left it got worse, to the point that she’s no longer able to walk. She’s now staying with family and had to leave her beloved home and animals. She went back to check on things last week and one of the pigs, Snow, is missing, along with four of her piglets. It’s not just the loss of a valuable commodity that hurts. Snow was like a pet to Fa. Hard to think of her as Sunday dinner, but that was likely her fate.
Please say a prayer that Fa’s health improves quickly and that she’s able to go back to the home, church and life that she loves. I really empathize because Fa is one of the few middle-aged women I’ve met here who live alone. It’s not easy to do here for a variety of reasons. She values her privacy and independence. I hope she gets it back soon.
Waves made a mess in the road but crews had it cleaned up the next morning.
This may look like debris, but it's actually the materials they use to make fine mats. They put it out to dry in the sun. Not very effective during a cyclone. Amazing that it didn't blow away.
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