A friend who’s been here a year cautioned me to take notes on all the things I find unusual now, since in very little time, they’ll have become part of my new normal. Here are a few:
A big, burly Samoan man strolling down the street in a wrap around “skirt”, carrying a man-purse and frequently holding hands with another man. Or,carrying a fan. Nothing effeminate about it, trust me.
There are some beautiful Samoan women. Some of them are actually men. Some men dress and act as women and seem to be readily accepted in the society although homosexuality is still against the law in Samoa. Last week in church a person who appeared to be a young man stood with the women in the choir. He wore make up and long earrings. He wore a shirt, tie and formal wrap around “skirt” worn by men.
I told a Samoan from Upolu that I was moving to Savaii. She sneered “They let their children run naked.” She was 100% correct. Yesterday I saw two neighbor kids walking along the beach. They were collecting pieces of coral to take back to use as a walkway to their fale. That’s backbreaking work, by the way, and these kids were about five and six. The older girl was wearing a pair of panties. Nothing else. The boy was wearing a pair of boxers that had a huge rip in the front. Children frequently swim naked, even older boys of 8-10. No fear of nudity here.
Ever try to explain what cottage cheese is to someone who’s never seen or tasted it? How about explaining the trophies a friend has mounted on his wall, animals he killed in Africa, to a six year old. Or, try to explain a theme park to someone who’s never heard of the concept. Or a mall. Yesterday I was talking about going to the mall and said they don’t have them in Samoa. “Oh, yes we do! The Bluebird Mall in Salelologa!” Ok, how to explain that I’ve been in houses larger than the “mall” they’re referring to?
I haven’t seen many baseball caps here. I’ve seen a ton of t-shirts worn as hats though. I think it’s an excellent idea. You’re a young guy with abs of steel and it gets hot. Just take off your t-shirt, wrap it around your head and you’re good to go. And, eye candy.
I’ve been in a lot of countries where transportation provides an opportunity for personal expression. I’m lucky enough to live in a location where I can take a variety of buses. The variety of inside and outside décor along with music and creative names is amazing. I’ll start taking photos and do an entry on bus décor soon.
There’s more than one way to mow a lawn. Some do it with machetes. Kids, women, men. Just grab a machete and start hacking. Next time your 12 year old complains when you ask him to power up the gas mower, just hand him a machete. The most common way here is with a weed whacker. It seems you can make a decent living with a weed whacker and willingness to work. I’ve only seen one “real” lawn mower since I came to Samoa.
I have yet to see an infant or toddler car seat here. It’s like being back in the 1950’s, when you just held the baby, or, if you were driving, put the baby on the front seat next to you.
Speaking of driving, I watched a neighbor and his four year old son driving home yesterday. The four year old was driving. I had such a flashback to sitting on my dad’s lap while he let me steer. Another thing I remember from my youth is riding in the back of pickups. You see that a lot here. Old ladies, little kids, entire families. Some standing, some sitting on the wheel well.
Meal times are a bit different here. The families I’ve lived with don’t do breakfast. Instead they wait for morning tea, about 10:30 a.m. It can be tea and toast or it can be a full spread. Lunch usually happens between 1-2 p.m. and is usually fairly light. Dinner tends to happen late. For my current family, dinner frequently isn’t until after 10:00 p.m. The constant thing about dinner that I’ve noticed is that as soon as dinner, frequently a fairly large meal, is over it’s time for bed.
I’ve noticed that items I buy in the store aren’t always sealed. Bleach, dish soap, shampoo, etc. I don’t want to cast aspersions, but I’d bet you a lot of tala that many of those items have been diluted. Maybe I’m just suspicious, but I don’t remember dish soap being the same consistency as water.
Lard buckets are a hot item in Samoa. They’re white with red print and red tops. They’re labeled Salisbury Edible Drippings and hold 18 kgs. I bought two in Apia and was happy to pay $15 tala apiece since I’d been to six other stores, trying to find them. I bought another one for a bargain price of $6 tala in Savaii. The reason they’re so popular is that they seal tightly and are the only bucket around, reputedly, that the rats can’t chew through.
I’m used to any kind of outside-of-work meetings being held in the evening or on weekends. Sure, if it’s a gathering of the ladies from the country club, they’ll probably meet at lunch time on a week day. But, if you’re planning a meeting of the committee for the Sunday school, or if you’re scheduling a bingo game, you’ll do it outside of normal work hours. Right?
Not in Samoa. Many Samoans work on the plantations, growing everything needed to feed the family. Their hours are their own. There is also an incredibly high rate of unemployment. Something like 78%. So no regard is given to “business hours” when planning activities. I’ve heard numerous stories about people not showing up for work because they had another obligation. Work doesn’t seem to take first priority.
One thing that is a priority is taking care of the front yard. I’ve watched someone dispiritedly drag a muddy mop over a floor for a few minutes, spreading more dirt than cleaning and then run outside to energetically begin digging weeds. I’ve seen people out in the pouring rain, collecting the fallen breadfruit leaves. And then toss an empty soda can in the backyard.
Samoans don’t queue. Buying a ticket for the ferry is a great example. No line is formed. Instead, a mass of people huddle around the cashier’s cage, with arms outstretched, holding out their money. I’ve been physically shoved aside on numerous occasions when trying to buy a ticket. Getting off the ferry is similar, with people jammed into stairwells and corridors, pushing to get off.
One time, a guy shoved past me on the stairs of the ferry. The stairway is narrow and I’m not. He was determined to get to the step in front of me. Ten minutes later, the same guy jumped out of his seat on the bus to offer it to me.
Women touch my butt. A lot. My bum hasn’t had this much action for 40 years. Shortly after we arrived, I asked one of the Samoan trainers about it. She said, “No, that’s not a Samoan custom. You must have just run into a cheeky lady.” Which I thought was hysterical. Cheeky? Two hours later, she tapped my butt to get my attention. I called her on it, in front of some of the other trainers and they laughed and agreed they did it, just weren’t conscious of it.
It's a cash society. I'm used to using my cell phone at home. I had a plan that gave me so many minutes at one price. If I went over, I had to pay a bit more when the bill came. Here, I have to buy credits, paying cash at almost any store. Usually $10 tala at a time. If I run out, I can't use my phone to call or text. I can get messages, just can't respond. And if I happen to run out on a Saturday night, which has happened occasionally, I can't buy more credits until Monday because stores aren't open on Sundays. I did just find a site where I can buy credits over the internet - or you can buy them and give them to any phone number. But that requires the internet, which most people don't have.
Electricity here is much like the cell phone situation. You pay in advance for your electricity and when you run out of credits, you have no electricity. I know that because it happens fairly regularly to me. It's called "cash power" and is purchased in town. The people I've lived with try to let it run as close to zero as possible, without running out. Sometimes, the calculations don't work and there's no power. This morning, for example. Hopefully they'll make it into town today to buy more cash power or it will be a weekend without electricity.
The pay-as-you-go system has made me much more conscious of how much I spend. Not a bad thing.
All good information and well written.
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