Missing Samoa

I'm settled back into my home in Florida and it feels great.  I'm reconnecting with friends and starting to look forward to the next adventure.  It seems that I should stop spending money and start earning some.

While I'm excited about the future, I'm nostalgic about the past and my time in Samoa.  I DVR'd Bizarre Foods the other day and started to watch it last night.  What a surprise - it was about Samoa.  I didn't watch but instead saved it so I can watch it with friends this weekend.

Instead, I looked at some photos I took before I left the village last November.  It seems so long ago in many ways.

One thing I DON'T miss is the almost always packed bus to the wharf.  

There's no "p" in the Samoan alphabet, so they have trouble discerning the difference between a "p" and a "b".

I brought some candy back from Apia for the teachers.  As with all food, it was carefully divided.  

Tulouna and Tivoli - two of my favorite Year 8 boys.  They made me smile every day and were always willing to help.

The view from where I usually sat during interval.  

I introduced the kids to the idea of Halloween and trick or treating. They had fun with it and wore the masks for weeks after.

Two of my friend Mafa's granddaughters.  The older girl is smart, cheeky and has such potential. She has an irrepressible spirit and was my faithful companion.

One of Mafa's only grandsons, Lua.  He's a master tree climber and frequently climbed the tree next to the school to fetch me tipolo (lemons).

This is Mafa and the beautiful mat she made for me as a going away gift.

Big News for Someone in Group 84

I found out today that one lucky new volunteer, part of Group 84, will be living and working in ….Pu’apu’a! Whoever gets it will be lucky for a variety of reasons.

First, the bus. The Pu’apu’a volunteer (who will henceforth be referred to as the PPPCV) will be taking the same buses I take. There are a lot of them and it’s a beautiful ride, especially the part between my village, Faga, and PP. Plus it means that you can take advantage of the Tuisivi store on your way to and from Salelologa. And, you won’t be far from the Tuisivi hospital.

I didn’t realize that would be a plus when I arrived, but since it’s the only pharmacy in the area, it’s nice to have it close to get the antibiotics that I can pretty much guarantee you will be taking at some point.

Next is the school. The building is large and nice and the field is huge. Check out the netball photos – that’s your school. Complete with Mickey Mouse painted on the side, welcoming everyone. The PP kids are the ones with pink shirts.

I’ve had a chance to chat with the teachers and principal at the school. Nice folks and some speak English well. One teacher recently hugged me and thanked me profusely for the work I’ve done for her country and her children. It was one of the few times I’ve been thanked and it was much appreciated.

The teachers range in age from 60’s to 20’s and there are at 2 men. One is an expert with computers and your school has a huge computer room with about 15 networked computers. Plus you’ll have a copy machine, laminator and giant paper cutter.

You’ll have the same SRO I do. She’s terrific and although we’ve butted heads more than once on some fundamental issues, she’s a caring woman and will have your back. Plus Pu’apu’a has the best restaurants in the area! That, of course, is a joke.

  Pu’apu’a, like most villages, has no grocery store (just the small faleoloas where you can buy chicken and canned mackerel) and no restaurants. Bring chicken recipes. Lots of them.

Another plus is that another principal in our district lives in Pu’apu’a. She hosted a group 80 volunteer and is terrific. She also drives and comes into Salelologa a lot. She gives me a ride every time she sees me waiting for the bus and I assume will do the same for you. Your principal and his 20-something year old wife live near the school. She used to teach at my school and is cool. She’s the only teacher who’s invited me over for dinner or offered to take a walk with me and I assume she’ll be equally friendly with you.

Whoever gets Pu’apu’a is lucky for so many reasons. Not the least of which is that it’s easy to pronounce.

Update:  Just found out that anyone in the village can use the internet at the school for $5 tala an hour.  1/3 of going rate.  Lucky dog, oe!

More Savaii Photos

My Sunday dinner recently.  From top left - giant chicken thigh, hot peppers, squash, taro and palusami.   Palagi food meets Samoan food.  Yum.

My washing machine.  Also known as a bucket.  These were just-washed clothes waiting by my door for me to hang them out to dry.

Tino in a tree.  He's 12 and like most of the Samoan kids, an amazing tree climber.  This is the breadfruit tree that drops huge ripe breadfruit on my tin roof.

Love this little girl.  I yell "Gutu!" and the kids put their finger to their lips to remind themselves not to talk.

The Photos Keep On Coming

I am sitting in air conditioning, watching a rerun of last night's opening ceremonies for the Olympics.  Happy as a clam.

Three of my little buddies.  They carry my bags home from reading center twice a week.  They're standing in my doorway.

Some of our pigs, waiting for dinner.

I've talked so much about the sores I've gotten on my legs.  This one took about six months to heal.  This is month 4.  Many of the kids have numerous sores like this.

Sunset view from the beautiful Le Vasa resort on Upolu.  Samoa - Island Paradise.

More recent photos

My buddy Lefu, the Year 3 teacher at my school with her beautiful baby girl.

My favorite bus driver.  We have an on-going joke about him marrying me, although he has a wife and several children and is 30 years younger.  I have no idea why he was wearing this mask, other than to get laughs.  I also don't know how he kept it on because there was no rubber band to go around his head.

One of the fales near me was stripped down and rebuilt.  I'd gone there to wait in the shade for the bus. 

Three of my students from last year.  We were on our way to church.  The sign overhead was to welcome people to the village and the 7th Day Adventist meeting.

Spider in my bathroom.  This is the kind I take showers with.  They are harmless but large and disconcerting when only a few inches away.

Samoan flags have been everywhere since the 50th Independence Day celebration.  This is inside one of my buses.

My church.  The car is a rental belonging to a couple of tourists who came to church that day.

Sex. Chicken and Otherwise

It started again yesterday.  The comments about finding a Samoan man for me to marry so I won’t leave.  A couple of names were tossed out for my consideration.  I think they’re joking.  I hope they’re joking.

I have the opportunity to witness a lot of sex here, in the animal kingdom.  Mostly chickens, although dogs run a close second.  Chicken sex is fast.  At least the act itself is.  The prelude takes much longer because that involves the rooster chasing the hen all over the yard so he can have his way with her.

While she squawks and puts up quite a fuss prior, the act itself seems to be a non-event and afterwards she just shakes smooth her ruffled feathers and walks off as if nothing ever happened.

You may wonder why I bother to write about chicken sex.  Have you ever seen it?  It’s new to me.  Just like lizard sex was new to me before I moved to Florida.  There, they did it next to my pool all day, every day.  Just like squirrel sex was new to me before I moved to Michigan.  I was amazed when I saw a pair doing it on the side of a tree, upside down.  That would take some serious concentration.

Can you tell I'm getting desperate for things to write about as I try to put off the deep cleaning my house needs?  Delving into cupboards and under suitcases where spiders and other creatures live is not my idea of fun.  I think I need to take a walk first...