It's Been a Week Already?

The beach where the Water Safety Training was held.

Hard to believe that we’ve been here a week, because it feels like we’ve been here so much longer.  I understand now, the volunteer blogs that say the days drag, yet the time flies.  This week started with Water Safety Training and has continued with classroom training, primarily focused on the skills we’ll need to teach English literacy. 

We’ll each have a class of our own, one day a week, of year 7.  They’ll be 12-13 years old.  I met a year 7 girl in the market last Saturday and she was very excited to speak English (with her mother encouraging from the sidelines) and even more excited when I told her I was here to teach English.  Her dream?  To have a book in English.  If all my students have similar attitudes, I’m going to love teaching.  If they don’t, I’ll have an opportunity to test my creativity.

We had language class for only the second time yesterday.  Given that we’re going to be tested and must achieve a certain level to be sworn in, I find that a tad worrisome.  Having said that, the PC has invested a lot in us and I believe that if we’re making a real effort, limited language at the beginning won’t be a deal breaker. 

I’m keeping flashcards of the words and phrases we’re learning.  Partly for practice and partly so I have a tangible sign of what I’ve learned (and what I still need to learn).  I’m proud of the 20 or so words and phrases I’ve learned in a week.  And, that I can have a 30 second conversation in Samoan (Hello!  How are you?  Fine, thanks.) I’ve even learned the 3 titles to be used depending on your level – talking chiefs are referred to as Tofa, for example.  And just to keep me on my toes, Tofa also means “bye” and “sleep”.

I’m interested in watching the dynamic of our group, given my background in team development.  So far, we’re clearly still in the happy “forming” stage.  The pressures of classes increase every day, but we have relatively little other stress. Our food/sleeping conditions aren’t ideal (think backpacking rather than luxury hotel) but are fine.   I suspect that will change when we go to our training villages.  Plus, we’ll be separated in 4 different villages.

Here’s the plan.  A week from Saturday, we’ll take the bus to our villages.  We’ll leave most of our stuff in the hotel here in Apia, taking only toiletries and a few clothes.  No computers, no electronics, nada.  They want us to have an immersion experience with our host families.  We’ll be dropped off in groups of five at each village.  The groups will be determined on our language proficiency at the time.  I expect to be in the Bluebirds (euphemism for the slow group).

We’ll be in our villages, living with a host family while having training every day with our four fellow PC villagers.  Each Friday, we’ll hop on the local bus to commute to Apia for “center day” which means training for all 20 of us.  It will be a two hour bus ride each way, using the public buses.  After seven weeks, we’ll all be back in Apia for our final week of training, testing and swearing in.  The shifting dynamics of the group will be interesting to experience.  I think we’ll need to make a conscious effort to maintain our group vibe.

We have incentive.  Group 81, who just celebrated their 2 year anniversary, is a tight group.  Everyone who started is still here.  Group 82, however, is a bit different .  23 PCTs started 1 year ago.  Now they are down to 17.  Apparently, some chose to leave.  Others had the decision made for them when they broke the rules and some left for medical reasons.  We hope to replicate the group 81 experience and have all of us still together in 2012. 

December, 2012.  That’s when we’re due to end our tour.  That brings me back to the whole quirky time thing.  My roommate Chelsea mentioned last night that it still feels like vacation to her.  I feel as if I’ve lived here forever.  I was enjoying some quiet time last night, sitting in the dark, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the native drums.  Just letting my mind drift.  What the heck, native drums????  Yes, Nesi, you’re not in Lake Mary anymore.  Lest you think the folks whip out the drums every night in their backyards here in the capital, the music/drums were coming from Aggie Grey’s resort (the one in town, not the one where we snorkeled).  Apparently a fiafia for the palagis.  We get our own fiafia Friday night.  Can’t wait.

Check out the brief water safety video here.  Folks were jumping off the boat and convinced Tevita the PC training manager to jump, too. Dave, PCT, is closest to the camera and provided support by joining him in the jump.  It was a good time.

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.

More First Impressions

Enjoying food and conversation during Girl's night at Blakey's house.

It’s 1:09 pm in Orlando, which means it’s 7:09 am here in Apia.  I’m the first one up and it’s quiet.  A few cars driving by, birds calling, a light breeze and the sun coming up behind large clouds, creating a spectacular sunrise.  Linda Lavin is singing quietly from my computer and the scene matches my mood…serene.

Since I’m feeling chatty this morning, and this is an excuse to delay studying Samoan, here are some more first impressions:

The 4-piece live string band at the airport beats the heck out of Muzak.  They were smiling, nodding and making eye contact, along with making music.  Now, that’s the way to greet tired strangers to your country.

I’ve had a tough time wrapping my head around the “fale” concept.  Fale is the word for house (and, apparently also the nickname for people, since both my language teacher (a woman) and the culture and language manager (a man) are called Fale).  Anyway, fales are traditional homes that are oval in shape, with high ceilings and are open air.  They have Roman-style blinds made of woven palm fronds that can be lowered in case of heavy rain, but otherwise are wide open. 

As we drove in from the airport, we saw a lot of them.  Most were large and looked very nice.  But have to say it felt weird.  Imagine driving through a subdivision where all the walls on the houses have been removed and you can see all the furnishings and people inside.  Oh, I guess that would have been like driving through sections of Orlando after Hurricane Charlie.

Anyway, the concept makes sense.  The temperature here is very comfortable, if you’re in the shade and have a breeze.  An open house allows both.  Still, will take some getting used to.  The other day as part of training we discussed the type of housing we’ll have once we get to our sites.  Most of us will have an open-air fale.  There will be a small room attached, with walls and a door that locks.  A relief, since I had visions of changing clothes in full view of the entire village, while humming the Stripper song.

The other thing that struck me as we made the 45 minute drive from the airport to town was the number of people who smiled and waved as we drove by.  We asked our Samoan trainers if it was genuine.  They assured us it was and it had nothing to do with us being Pisi Koa.  Nope, they just like falagis. 

Something that we’ve all been talking about a lot is money.  Tala is the local dollar.  I exchanged my US dollars at $2.31 which gives me way more Tala than dollars.  We’re encouraged (and are committed to) living on our Peace Corps budgets.  We received $120 (US dollars) for “walking around” money in L.A., which was quite generous.  And a good thing, since we only got $185 (tala) for our first week in Apia.  That’s for all meals and other expenses (taxis, etc.)  Since we were required to buy a phone for $89 tala our second day here, that really put a crimp in our food money.

I’ve been to two supermarkets since arriving and the prices were similar.  Not surprisingly, anything imported costs more.  If it’s imported from the US rather than closer New Zealand, it’s even more.  Local beer is a couple tala at the grocery store and $4-5 in restaurants.  Liquor is very expensive.  Low-end vodka is about $70 a bottle.  Soft drinks are also expensive – costing more than the local beer.  Sprim is only $1.20 and makes a liter of water taste better than Kool Aid.

At the open-air market, fruits and vegetables are very affordable.  Tasty avocadoes are $1.  5 large cucumbers were $3.  Squash started at $3 for a small one (enough to make a meal for two). 

Many of us cyber-stalked the current volunteers on their blogs before arriving, trying to get insights into what our lives here would be like.  I started reading Matt’s blog even before I knew I was coming to Samoa.  I just like the way he writes.  He’s featured a lot of photos and stories of his Group 81 compadres, including Blakey.  So I was pretty darned thrilled when I exited customs and the first people I saw were Blakey and Matt. 

On Friday night, we enjoyed “boys’ and girls’ night”, which is a tradition in Peace Corps Samoa.  Jenny and Kaelin came to the hotel to help us get cabs to head to Blakey’s house, while some Matt, Koa and some other guys came to take our guys back to Matt’s house.  I can’t speak for the guys, but the women had a great time.  Blakey lives on her school compound, just outside Apia.  Her house is large (about 1,500 sq. ft) and has all the amenities.  We were quickly told that she has the largest house and we should expect something much smaller.

Two Jennies, Kaelin, Blakey and Chris were our hostesses and had made sure that there was plenty of wonderful food.  We’d stopped at the liquor store so anyone who wanted could have a beverage of choice.  There was oka (raw fish, marinated in lime, onion and coconut milk – delicious), vegetarian and non-vegetarian chili that was wonderful and perfectly spicy.  There was a huge pile of fried chicken and a variety of other dishes that I can’t remember.  My favorites were the spicy chili and the awesome dessert that didn’t have a name.  It was “liquid fruit salad”.  Imagine a cup filled with small pieces of tropical fruit and a liquid made of coconut milk and fruit juice.  It tasted like liquid ambrosia.

The best part of the night was the conversation.  As you can imagine, we’ve got lots of questions, some of which can really only be answered by a woman who’s been through it.  While the men are apparently obsessed with poop, for women it was periods.  An important topic when you’re in a place where feminine hygiene products aren’t available.

Blakey’s pule (principle) stopped by for a bit and was wonderful.  Middle-aged, she’s head of a school with more than 500 students.  She was funny and gave us great insights into the Samoan world.  Some in our group have been concerned about the very strong gender roles in Samoa and our willingness/ability to take on the female role.  The pule explained that while there are strict rules about gender roles, that doesn’t mean that women are subservient.  In fact, just the opposite.  She described the wife/mother of the home as the iron, responsible for smoothing out any issues within the family. 

She was dressed in a beautiful puletasi (traditional long skirt and fitted, matching blouse) and carrying a jungle purse, with a flower in her hair.  The yellow flower is the symbol of the school.  They refer to the campus as the “jungle” (it’s actually a beautiful, well-manicured school campus) so when she made her small purse out of a palm frond, she called it a jungle purse.  It’s not a traditional design and she’s planning to teach some kids to make them to sell at the market.  We’re hoping for a PC discount, since we all want one. 


Something else I noticed about current and new volunteers.  They're all good looking.  Several of us have commented that it seems that "more attractive than average" men and women seem to be drawn to the Peace Corps.  I'm feeling a bit like Dodo the dog face girl at cheerleader camp.  Oh, well, I have a "special" kind of beauty that comes with age.

Enough rambling for now.  Tea, toast and Samoan vocabulary await, since e la’ititi la’u fa’asamoa, which means I don’t speak much Samoan.  And yes, that’s one of the phrases I’ve learned.  I also learned “fia le tau” (how much is it?), which I proudly used at the market, only to feel like an idiot, when I was answered in Samoan and had to trot out “e la’ititi la’u fa’asamoa” again.

BTW – I now have a cell phone so I can receive texts (free for me, not sure of cost to you) and calls (not sure of cost for either of us).  I understand that I can receive Skype calls for only $.01 per minute from the U.S.  That means using Skype to call my cell, rather than going computer to computer.  That option is also available, at least until we leave for training in 2 weeks.  My phone number is 1 685 725 7126.  That includes the area code and should work.

The biggest impression I’ve had is that people here seem to be relaxed, smiling and happy.  That’s rubbed off on us trainees and even after a very eventful first week, everyone seems happy and well.  

Squash in the market.

 Sarah and Patricia on the main road in Apia.  We were walking home from the market.

Breakfast every morning in the hotel is tea, toast, coconut, pawpaw (papaya) and banana.  With an amazing view of Upolu.

Some of the food at Blakey's house.  Chicken on the left.  Salsa and chips (chips are uber expensive here and quite the treat) and in the foreground, some type of root vegetable, boiled, then topped with coconut cream.

First Impressions of Samoa

Yes, it was a bad hair day when I arrived in Samoa.  I suspect it was the first of many.

It’s hard to believe that a week ago I was enjoying Mexican food with friends and doing final packing to leave for L.A. It feels as if I’ve been in Samoa for a long time, in a good way. Rather than giving you a boring chronology of the week, here are some highlights.

Group 83: We’re a group of 20. One person dropped out before staging and another dropped out after our morning in L. A. 18 of the group are in their 20’s. I’m officially the oldest in the Group. Actually, I’m officially the oldest volunteer in Samoa. There is one other woman in the group in her 50’s. Everyone seems very committed, enthusiastic and has been very supportive and respectful. Also fun. We’re all on the 3rd floor of the hotel and it feels a lot like a dorm, minus the drugs and liquor. Hey, I lived in a dorm in the 60’s. I didn’t inhale.

New name: We’ve each been assigned a Samoan name. You may now call me Nesi. I hope I remember to answer to Nancy in two years.

Samoan people: My first exposure to Samoans was at the airport in L.A. After checking In (aisle seat!), I had to lug my three giant bags the security X-ray machine. I hadn’t taken a step when a Samoan man who was on our flight rushed over and insisted on taking my bags for me. It seems to be true that being a palagi (foreigner), woman and older, I get preferential treatment. I’m willing to accept that. Actually, I’m willing to embrace it and relish being spoiled silly.

The Samoans are also very attractive. And did I mention they like women of a certain size? Thank you, PC Washington for sending me to Samoa. The Samoans also love to laugh, which has helped make our first week easier. Of course, much of their laughter was at our expense, but we gave them a lot to work with. Particularly during the language class. On the day of our arrival. After being awake for about 36 hours.

The food: So far, the food has been stellar. Our first evening the hotel hosted an “umu” dinner, which means food roasted on hot rocks. For me, the roasted pig was the highlight. Some were put off by looking at the pig’s face while dining, but after tasting the moist, flavorful meat, they quickly got over any squeamishness. The food does tend to be bland, but the grocery store has lots of hot sauces, including Siracha and chili garlic sauce, so I’m thrilled.

The religion: Samoa is a nation founded on God and most activities revolve around church and family. Each morning we start training with the trainers singing a couple of hymns in four part harmony. The music is followed by a prayer, in Samoan. When combined with a view of the river and a sea breeze, it’s a delightful way to start the day.

White Sunday: This morning we went to the Anglican Church attended by the Samoan PC training manager. Today is White Sunday, which is a day to celebrate children. It seems that traditionally in Samoan families, children take a back seat. They’re responsible for chores and are fed after adults get the choice bits of food. Children do not run the family and are used to getting a smack to keep them in line. Sort of like being raised in the US in the 50’s. Today, the kids are celebrated. They provided the entertainment at church and it was amazing. It was a 2 hour service, with a mixture of scripture recitals, songs, poetry, skits and dance. My personal favorite was a “musical” done by the church youth. It was titled “Jesus Can Dance”. God was referred to as the King of Swing (among other things) and at one point in the musical, “God” commented that Jesus had some sweet moves. I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.

After the service we stayed for tea, which involved a huge buffet of sweet and savory treats. One of my favorites was a crepe made with flour and bananas, then spread with raspberry jam. I didn’t try the slices of bread topped with canned spaghetti. Seemed to be a favorite with the locals, though.

Sweat: It is spring in Samoa, heading into the hot, wet summer. Actually, the temperature doesn’t change much from season to season, but the humidity is higher this time of year. Based on my experience so far, my sweat glands will be in tip top shape by the time I get home. Like the old saying goes, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Yesterday some of us walked downtown to check out the market and practice our (incredibly limited) Samoan. It was only 7 a.m. and it was cool out, but I was dripping after a 30 minute walk. The sweating has made the transition to no make-up (except lipstick, of course) and no blow-drying a very easy one.

Fashion: We are required to wear culturally appropriate business attire for training every day. For me, that means a long, full cotton skirt worn over cotton boxers, topped with a t-shirt. For shoes, flip flops. I recommend that the US immediately adopt this as standard attire. It’s cool, comfortable and modest. There have been some chafing issues among our group, but other than that, we’re all happy with the dress code. The guys, by the way, wear shirts over lava lavas (the man-version of a sarong, wrapped around the waist.) I have no information about chafing among the guys.

Health: We received our first health lecture this week in training. They chose the most relevant topics: sex and diarrhea. The session on sex reminded me of junior high health, but I suppose policies and guidelines need to be covered. The session on diarrhea reminded me of a bad experience with street food and was a good reminder on what to avoid.

It’s been quite a week. I said goodbye to people I love. Sold my car and had my house packed up and put into storage. I flew over 15 hours. Met more new people than I can count. I’ve learned to say some basic phrases in Samoan. That’s a lot for one week. Overall, though, it feels really good. I miss the love from home, but there’s a lot of love here in Apia (a PEE uh), from the Samoans and fellow PC folks.

I’m glad I came.

If you'd like to see a short video of clips from our first week in Samoa, just click here.

Ready as I'll Ever Be

Today's the day.  In a few hours I'll be heading toward Samoa, via Los Angeles.  And I'm ready.  I think.  As friends will attest, I've been more emotional recently than a 13 year old girl at her first dance.  Displaying a Zen-like calm one minute, getting teary eyed the next and five minutes later, laughing like a hyena.  Just before I turned to snap at an innocent victim.  Yup, it's been a roller coaster.

For those who think I'm being overly dramatic, here's a challenge.  Forget the emotions of leaving the people you love.  Forget leaving all your creature comforts.  Forget leaving a place where everyone speaks your language and you know exactly when to expect the Kohl's coupons.  Let's just deal with packing for this challenge.

The challenge:  You'll be gone 27 months and need to take all you need.  You can pack 2 checked bags.  You can bring one large bag and one no larger than a roll-aboard.  They may not weigh more than 80 lbs, combined.  You may have 1 carry on.  You MAY NOT bring a carry on and a backpack, computer case, etc.  That would create a penalty situation, in which your belongings will be confiscated and disposed of by cranky airport employees.  In addition to clothes, you will need electronics, kitchen items (knife, frying pan, can opener at minimum), sheets, towels, ziplock bags, 10 lbs of training books, a Bible, 5 lbs of PC paperwork and any other items you want to remind you of home.

 You can have things sent to you, but there's a penalty.  You must pay the USPS $48  for a tiny box that can weigh no more than 20 lbs.

Ready, set, pack!  When you're sitting on the floor, surrounded by all your treasures and you're trying to decide between underwear and a frying pan, you may be on the verge of tears, too.

You'll need a scale, so after packing each bag you can weigh it.  Penalty if you weigh the bags on carpet, since that reduces the weight by about a third.  Excellent tip, though, if you're feeling fat. Just weigh yourself on the carpet.  Overnight you can go from 160 to 120!

You are allowed to go through the cycle of sort, pack, weigh as many times as needed.  If you use the "f" word and take a martini break, a penalty will be incurred.

I'm ready for the judges at the airport.  They'll let me know if I need to get rid of the frying pan, too.

Looking for the Humor

I began to have an out-of-body experience as I was calculating how to pack too much stuff into too little luggage, so decided to give it a rest and share some of what I think are hilarious questions/comments I've heard when telling people I'm going into the Peace Corps.   I swear, I did not make these up.

Will you be coming home on weekends?
Really?  After I just told you I was going to Samoa in the South Pacific?

Are they giving you a gun?
No, but I'm hoping for my own machete.

Will you be the oldest person there?
Presumably some Samoans are over 60.

Are you going to meet a man?  
Actually, given the relative populations of Florida and Samoa, I think my statistical odds of finding a man are better if I stayed home.

I hear a lot of PC volunteers get married to other volunteers.
I've heard that too, and I do like younger men.  But my idea of a younger man is, oh, about 55.

But if you don't have electricity, how will you blow dry your hair?
Actually, I'm likely to have electricity.  But if I don't, I think blow drying my hair will be the least of my issues.

Aren't you way too old to be in the Peace Corps?
I didn't respond to this one.  Just shuffled away on my walker.

My son can't get in the service because of his criminal record and no GED, so we thought we'd send him to the Peace Corps.
Anyone who has gone through the application/screening process may laugh out loud at this one.

My daughter was in the Peace Corps.  They sent her to France for 6 months.
I used to lie to my mom sometimes, too.

That's it for now.  I'm headed off to the AARP concert (Crosby, Stills and Nash.  Judy Collins.  Richey Havens.)  Gives new meaning to rocking with the oldies!

Less is More

A Samoan house/fale.    

As usual, things came together perfectly in the end. I've had my car for sale for a few weeks, with no serious interest. Then as of Wednesday I had 3 interested parties. And the winner is...Bob, who flew in from Texas with cash in hand. Ironically, a couple of hours after we signed the paperwork, I got a 4th offer.

I had a moment as I sat in my functional but nondescript rental car, watching Bob drive "my" red convertible down the road. Seconds later, though, it felt great. No need to worry about what to do with a car I couldn't use for 27 months. No more insurance payments.

This morning I got up early and continued the final sorting/packing process. I made 4 piles of all my clothes: pack for Samoa; pack for storage; give away; throw away. Friends make fun of me because I not only am fine with wearing ratty old clothes, but I find it really hard to throw them away. Sure, they may be really faded, have a few tiny holes and may have bleach marks, but they're still perfectly functional, right? And, I only wear them around the house. Admittedly, friends might also be in the house and see me wearing them. When I announced to a group of friends that I was retiring (aka, tossing in the trash) two of my most worn items, it got a round of applause. It was hard today to toss them in the trash bag, but really, after 11 years of frequent wear, they've served me well and it's time for them to go.

It really does feel good to get rid of things that are just taking up space. I keep finding that out as I sort/clean out, then go back for another round, with a more critical/brutal eye.

Don't think I've gone crazy, though. My favorite shoes are coming with me to Samoa. Yes, they only cost a quarter. Yes, they've been favorites for several years. Yes, they're the Thai version of Jandals and I love them.