ESC is moving right along. I thought I'd share a few more observations and some photos - new and old, for your enjoyment.
I didn't buy the beverage at Chan Mow the other day. It was "Creaming Soda". Hmmmm.
I walked to the spa today where I get my hair cut. The owner offered to let me have her old magazines so I could cut out photos for school. Magazines are VERY expensive and rare here. Worth the 1 1/2 mile walk in blistering heat. As I was strolling along, trying to decide if I was going to stroke out, two boys came from a side road and started walking in front of me. They were wearing typical attire, t-shirts and lava lavas. One was eating an ice pop with his right hand. He was wearing an oven mitt on his left hand. I have no idea why.
Mika's Mom - ask him what he said to me last night about unconditional love. I think it will make you cry. In a good way.
Honeymoon suite on the western side of the island. $85 tala (about $40 US) per person, includes dinner and breakfast. That's my buddy John the Welder in the foreground.
John's kitchen. This was his first and only digs in Samoa. He did not know how good he had it. 2 bedrooms. Hot water. Lucky dog. I now have his floor lamp (heaven) and radio. And TV. Miss you, John.
Soursop. Tasty. They sell it at the market in Apia but I've only seen it once in Savaii.
A teeny little bathroom sink. Saw one in the hardware store. About $50 US.
What is cuter than Year 1 kids playing soccer for the first time? Wearing jerseys meant for Year 7? No positions, they just all followed the ball.
These are the largest and only poisonous bugs around. I found 3 in 2 days in my house before I left for Apia. Won't kill you but hurt when they bite, I hear. They're slow moving so that's a plus.
My family's horse, which sometimes stays just behind my house. Like in this picture.
A sign near our hotel in Apia. It's also a laundromat!
At the wharf, waiting for the ferry. A Samoan tot and a New Zealand toddler made friends through the bars.
The newest ferry, Lady Samoa III was out of commission for awhile for refurbishing. Here's the quality of work in painting the floor. From my observations, it's typical. Not exactly the "What's worth doing is worth doing well" adage that I grew up with.
Speaking of quality. New shoes I bought. After 2 weeks one still has a sole. The other..not.
My family has a new calf! And they were taking it across my front lawn to spend the day. The boy in back is carrying the grass for it to eat.
This is Tiger. Or Bunko. I'm not sure. She belongs to the neighbors but loves me. She sleeps in front of my door and guards me and my house. I think she's channeling the flying nun.
I felt heat and heard noise about 10 p.m. one week night recently. Family decided to burn trash. Right behind my house. Everything I own smells just a wee bit of smoke.
Someone left Kung Fu Panda on my door step. Then My Little Pony joined the party. Then the Pony disappeared. Like most stuff, I have no idea why.
During the energizer when we made letters with our bodies...Does this look like a J?
PC meeting refreshments are not elaborate. That's a bowl of sugar. A can of creamer. A box of tea bags. A tin of instant coffee. A tin of graham crackers. The most popular item? Oranges, not shown. They'd been devoured.
This is what I see every morning when I head out to school. Tough way to start the day, eh? I miss hearing the waves at night here in Apia. I'm looking forward to going back to my family/village in Savaii next week.
Nicely edited display of photos - - - you just had to end the series with that vista, didn't you? If you listen carefully you can probably hear the world-wide explosion of envy!
ReplyDeleteAll photos are interesting in their own way and taken together convey a good sense of your experiences. By The Way, that photo of the Year 1 kids playing soccer (futbol?) is a great depiction of what I called Bee Ball when I coached little kids because they just buzzed around the ball.
Also, I had read about your buddy "John the welder" in another blog from Nick Shuraleff ('shuraleffinpeacecorps.blogspot.com'). Have you met Nick? He and his wife served in Samoa 2007 - 2009 and he has recently returned at the request of Dale Withington to coordinate Samoa Challenge III. I was following his blog because he is also a 'seasoned' PCV.