Just One of Those Days

Computer issues continue.  I apologize and promise that photos are on the way.

 

The house is still full of guests, so the minute I walked out of my room this morning, the conversation with me started.  I love that they like me and want to chat, but have I mentioned I prefer solitude in the morning.  On the way to school we stopped to pick up some kids.  Because of limited space, they were standing on my new computer and bag of school supplies.  I jumped out of the truck to rescue my stuff and landed ankle deep in a mud puddle.  So much for the clean feet and puletasi.

I tried to print some stuff at school, but the printer driver I downloaded for my other computer wouldn't work on my new computer.  So, here I am in Salelologa instead of at home doing laundry.  I had just finished typing a witty and insightful blog entry when the power went out.

Since it could happen again and I need to download the driver this is brief.  Life is busy with teacher's meetings and teaching.  The house is still being worked on.  The owner now says I can move this Saturday.  My fingers are crossed.  Getting up alone in the morning and having a cup of tea before I have to be social would be lovely.  It will be the first time in five months I'm not sharing living space.  It will be wonderful. 

Elections, Mail and Housing

Yesterday was a big day in Samoa.  It was election day.  I haven't gotten into the politics here, and know little of the details.  I do know that the current party has been in power for 28 years.  While there was stronger opposition this year, the balance of power was unlikely to change.

Yesterday I got a surprise when my "sister" from New Zealand arrived.  No one knew she was coming so it was a treat.  She joined me in walking to the beach fale at the other end of the village.  I'd planned to go snorkeling and she wanted to take a nap.  Also, the owner of the fales, her cousin, was running for parliament, so she was excited to see how he did.

While she went into the house to hang with family and discuss the elections, I went snorkeling.  We'd been warned to steer clear of all election activties so as to not give the impression we were taking sides.   We spent the day with me going into the water occasionally and my sister going to and from the house to check on what was happening.

Polls closed at 3 p.m. and results were expected at 4.   I know it's a small country, but they use paper ballots.  How could that work?  Seems it wasn't really that fast but results started coming in then.  Cars, trucks and vans filled with men started arriving at the candidate's house.  I watched from the beach fale across the street.  It was very low key.  Lots of people, about 90% men, most wearing lava lavas.  About 4:30 a young girl came over with two styrofoam containers.  One had a note on it, saying "Enjoy your dinner.  Ruta" Seems the candidate was providing food for all the supporters and I got to share. 

The young girl and I enjoyed our dinner together on the beach and were just finishing when Ruta came out to give me the good news.  "Our" cousin was winning and the preliminary tally shows him as a new member of the Samoan parliament.  Even better, he lets me use his beach fale for free. 

Ruta stayed to enjoy the festivities, but I started to walk the few miles home.  No busses on election day.  I stopped by the new house to see what was up and was given the grand tour.  The bathroom is about done.  It's a good size with a toilet and shower stall.  There's still a hole in the wall between the toilet and the main room of the house. It was a window before they added on to the house, so they need to patch that.  Works fine for me but could be awkward if I have guests.  They were busy working on putting in a ceiling, so I won't have to worry about leaks from the tin roof.

I came in to Salelologa this morning to buy some stuff for the house, like silverware and another plate.  As a proud new homeowner, I might have company and thought it would be nice to have more than 1 fork and 1 plate, which is what I have now.

While checking email, I laughed out loud.  I got a letter from a dear friend in San Francisco.  She shipped a package to me months ago and kept anxiously asking if it had arrived.  No, it hadn't.  Then one day recently, she found it on her porch, looking like it had been around the world.  Not quite, but the USPS had sent it to South Africa instead of Samoa.

She repacked it and took it back to the PO.  Asking them to send it to me without her paying additional postage, which only seems fair.  Here's her description:

"The PO worker first used the excuse, "Well, it's our job to get the box to the country, then once it's in the other country, we can't do anything about it." My response was, "Yes, you see, that's the problem. Samoa isn't in Africa.""

Perhaps instead of teaching English in Samoa, I should be teaching geography to Postal Service employees?

Housing and More Odds and Ends

Today is Tuesday March 1, 2011.  It's the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, although you couldn't tell it here in PC land.

I stopped by the new house after school to drop off the locks they need to use on the doors - dead bolts provided by the PC. I got a peek at what's been happening. 

I was told yesterday that I'd be able to move in on Thursday.  I don't think that's going to happen, but progress is underway.  The great news, instead of an outhouse, they're building a bathroom on to the house.  Indoor plumbing.  And a kitchen.  Yeah, life is going to be very good.

The bath, which will be toilet and shower in one room, has been framed in.  They still need to finish that, install windows, which shouldn't take long and install a new back door.  Would be silly to put deadbolts on a screen door, eh?

I'm excited about the move and when I couldn't sleep the other night was imagining how I'll decorate.  I'm thinking food color in water in plastic vodka bottles I've collected will work to hold candles and add charm.

Other stuff:

Mirrors are very expensive here.  I have a compact mirror in my purse.  There's a mirror over the bathroom sink in my current house, but I leave for school before sunrise, and there's no light at the mirror to I head out having no idea how I look.  It's kind of freeing and I recommend it.  I blow dry in the dark, just to get my hair dry, not for style.  Then, I slap on some lipstick.  That's it.  And the men are still hitting on me.

I'm at war with lizards.  I love my lizards in Florida.  The ones here are athletically challenged.  This morning another one fell on my head as I was walking out to school.  Yesterday I did laundry and forgot to shake out the clothes before I washed them.  So, dried lizard poop became wet lizard poop and I didn't realize it had smearing all over a skirt until I was hanging it to dry.  Didn't matter though, since about 5 minutes after I hung my clothes out a storm blew in and soaked them all.  Washed off the lizard poop.  Thank you, God.

I have ice about once a month when I go to Apia.  I drink something cold about once a week when I splurge for a soda at the faleoloa.  I drink water, almost exclusively.  Everytime I have water with Crystal Lite I say a silent "thank you" to Kia, Michael, Madonna and John who sent me a bunch.  I can't tell you what a huge difference a small luxury like that makes.

My mission to bring Mexican food to Samoans is working.  The family is now requesting my "Fa'amolemole Guacamole" and the Mexicanesque chicken/chile thing that I make.  Sadly, avocado season seems to have ended.  I haven't had one in a couple of week.

I took five bean salad to school for lunch today.  The teacher's eat ramen every day.  With salt added.  I bought a can of five bean salad in Apia and added some onion and cucumber.  It was tasty.  When the teachers all tried it, I was laughing my head off.  The first one made a horrific face, then smiled and thanked me.  "Did you like it?" I asked.  "Oh, yes, thank you."  She lied.  The next victim asked for a taste and had a similar reaction.  So did the third and fourth.  A fifth declined to taste it.

Beans are not common here.  I've yet to find a place to buy dried beans or lentils which is a drag.  I eat a ton of canned chili beans, though.  Would be so much cheaper to make them myself.  Also, the sweet/sour taste of bean salad was a bit too tangy for their taste.  Oh, well. 

I've promised to bring more palagi food samples once I move next door and have a good kitchen.  I'll keep you posted on what flies and what they think is just not edible.

Odds and Ends

Every day I notice stuff that I find amusing, amazing or just different. I often wish I could just shout out to you what I’m seeing. Maybe someday they’ll invent a way to do that. Oh, they did. It’s called Twitter.
Anyway, here’s some stuff that caught my eye:

• One of the people who sells snacks at school is a typical Samoan guy. Good looking and kinda burly, without being fat. I find it hilarious that he uses a child’s tiny teddy bear backpack to store his change.
• I realized that I haven’t used a drawer since I came to Samoa. Desks here are usually just tables and kitchens rarely have cabinets, let alone drawers. I realized it when I was fantasizing about my new house and where I’d put stuff. I was dreaming of a junk drawer when I realized I won’t have drawers. Or a closet.
• It is rare to cook for one person here. Living alone is very unusual. So I sort of understand the reaction of the butcher at Frankie’s, but it doesn’t make me like it any better when he rolls his eyes when I ask for one piece of chicken. Every time, he repeats “One?” and rolls his eyes. Then looks at me like I’m the most pathetic loser in Samoa as he hands it to me. When I get a fridge someday, I’m going to buy two pieces. Maybe that will make him happy.
• Last Sunday I was in a friend’s apartment in Apia. He started living there when he was in the PC. Not that I’m jealous but he lives in a palace, by PC standards. 2 bedrooms, ceiling fans, huge bathroom with hot water, built in shelves, a pantry and internet. Yes, I’m house obsessed. Anyway, he cranked up his computer to show me some photos of his life back in the U.S. Then turned on the internet and we started researching places we both want to visit. At one point we realized we’re on an island in the South Pacific. A place most people dream of visiting and we were busy planning where to go from here. That’s wanderlust for you.
• Yes, the apartment did belong to a man. Told you I was hot. Kidding. He’s a great guy and a friend, not a romance.
• You can hear the heat here. Literally. The house has a tin roof. As the sun heats it, it makes quite a lot of noise. My brother always wanted to live in a house with a tin roof so he could listen to the rain on it. I wish he was alive to tell about the noise the sun makes.
• I gave a pair of earrings to the teacher who sewed my school puletasis. When I handed them to her she asked how much I paid. Sort of like when my Samoan sister from training village told me what she’d paid for my birthday cake. Everyone talks about money openly here. When I explained PC doesn’t pay me, just gives me money for food, everyone wanted to know how much. Frank discussions about money are not considered rude here. Please excuse me when I come home and ask you how much you paid for your house, car, blouse, etc.
• There are a lot of rats here. I’ve seen two so far today and it’s only 2 p.m. I use three of the “edible drippings” recycled buckets to store all food stuff that rats could get into. They do keep the rats out. Unfortunately, they have a certain odor that becomes absorbed by the food. I realized that everything I’ve stored in them, from M&Ms to bread has a faint taste of “edible drippings bucket.” Not awful, but slightly off-putting.
• Speaking of M&Ms, two large bags that I was storing for a rainy day have disappeared. I don’t believe I ate them in my sleep one night. I now lock my door even when I go to the bathroom. Annoying, but my own fault. Not the first time that small things have disappeared from my room. I’ve been warned by several Samoan friends not to allow anyone under 30 in my new house or the temptation to walk away with palagi stuff could be too great. If you recall, someone walked away with my shoes one day during training, so I’m taking their advice seriously.
• I had my weekly meal with my host family today. It was a type of large eel. Quite tasty, although I preferred the pieces that had been cooked through. I asked where I could get a spear like the ones used by the local fisherman. I explained that while snorkeling I saw a number of fish and would like to learn to catch them. My host “mom” almost spit out her eel she was laughing so hard. Then she realized I was serious. I asked if they liked sea (pronounced “say-uh” - sea slug). I’d seen several and could bring them some. It’s really expensive at the market. Again, hysteria ensued. “ How could you find a sea slug?” “Diving with a mask.” “You’re old and a woman.” “Yes, I’m an old woman fisherman.”

They thought it was just funny until I pointed out that if I learn to fish they won’t have to buy as many fish at the market. Hmmmm. Perhaps there’s something in this idea of the old lady fishing.
• The subject of my housing came up today (Feb. 27) at lunch. My “dad” said they have all the supplies now and it should be built and I could move next month. I pointed out that next month starts next week. “Oh, not that soon. “ “Maybe April?” “Maybe.” Said with a shrug. Please let those who think it could be done next week be right.

Sex Ed, Men and Clothes

I’m hot.  I’m not talking about the weather, although it is a bit warm today; I’m talking about sex appeal.  I clearly have become hotter since I came to Samoa, based on the number of offers I’ve received.

Last week, while waiting for the ferry, a 52 year old widower introduced himself and we started chatting.  In 15 minutes I knew his life story, had a fairly clear idea of his financial assets and had received an invitation to spend time together so I could get to know his family before we got married. 

I thought a guy I dated briefly in the U.S. was a fast mover when he proposed after four dates.  He was a slow poke by Samoan standards.

Recently I was walking along, looking fetchingly sweaty in the afternoon heat, when I heard the sound that every woman who has been to Samoa knows.   It’s a kind of loud (and obnoxious) kissing noise that guys make to get your attention.  I looked over and there were two young soles (prounced so-lays and means guy/dude) sitting nearby.  One was smiling and waving.  I looked around to see which attractive young teine he was flirting with.  There was no one else around.  Really, kid?  I bet I’m twenty years older than your mother.  Still, flattering to have a guy with a six pack giving me the eye.  Speaking of eyes, I bet he could use glasses.

Another day recently I met a very charming, handsome man.  I’m guessing he was about my age.  Very distinguished looking and spoke excellent English.  We had a lovely conversation that included topics such as travel, religion, politics, Samoan food and our respective marital status.  He’s married and a minister.  I’m still single.  He suggested we get together privately, without telling anyone.  Then introduced me to his wife, who had been in another room.  I declined, by the way.

I assume I’m becoming more accepted and trusted based on the amount of gossip I’ve been told recently.  One tidbit was about a young single guy I know.  According to the gossip, he’s fathered six children in two years, all by different women.  Another piece of gossip was one woman telling me that another woman we both know is sleeping with her husband, which is why they are separated.

There’s a lot of joking about sex and hooking up outside marriage.  Friday while folks were sitting around the faleaoga waiting for donations, one woman asked me who my boyfriend was.  I know the drill now so I asked her husband’s name.  “Tui.”  “Yup” I replied.  “Tui’s my boyfriend.”  Big laughs all around, including the lady who asked the question.  She said “Just Tui?”  “Nooooo. I’m also sleeping with her husband and her husband and her husband.” I replied while pointing at women of all ages.  Everyone laughed and agreed that I’m a very funny palagi.  It wouldn’t have been so funny if there was any indication that I was stepping out with anyone, but I’m doing my best to dress and act conservatively so that there’s no question that I’m a “good girl.”

Speaking of dress, I have a bone to pick with the missionaries.  They came to Samoa bringing the word of God and a new dress code.  Out with wearing a few leaves and flowers and in with the puletasi.  The puletasi here is what the suit was to women in the 80’s in the States.  I wear one to school every day.  I wear them to church and for other special occasions.  I own six.  Four have a wrap-around skirt, two have zippered skirts.  They are all floor length.  The top is a fitted (aka really tight) tunic top that comes to mid-thigh.  Four of mine are made of polyester, which is the hottest fabric known to man.

The missionaries, who are now presumably enjoying eternity wearing just wings and comfy white robes, brought the puletasis to Samoa.  I’m guessing they never tried to play Duck, Duck, Goose in one.  They’re hot and not very comfortable.  Plus, my two skirts are too big, so they tend to droop and when I walk upstairs at school, which is about 20 times a day, I step on them and trip.   I’m not sure I could have embraced teaching topless, but it would have been cooler.

Another thing about clothes.  Men wear lava lavas which is just a piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and tied or tucked in.  When getting on/off busses, when it’s windy and at other random times, men place a hand or two around their package.  I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism or if they’re concerned about a wardrobe malfunction, but there’s a lot of cupping going on.

Back to talking about sex.  Three high school students joined me at the beach fale one day.  One of the girls was raised in New Zealand and speaks fluently in both English and Samoan.  The subject they’re most interested in, of course, is boys.  We talked for awhile about whose boyfriend was cuter then they said they wanted to ask me about sex.  I asked if they received sex education at school.  No, not even the standard stuff we get in sixth grade about puberty.  Sex ed at home?  No.  Church?  Nope. 

I asked a few questions to get an idea of their current level of understanding.  Two had seen a movie (yes, it was from the USA) that showed a naked man plus they’re seen their little brothers so they know boys have a “thing”.  I explained the basics of biology and how intercourse works.  I also explained that it works best when the couple is in love and married.  Since they know I’ve never been married, they wanted to know how I knew about sex.  I told them I read it in a book.

Anyway, the conversation continued and they wanted to know about getting pregnant.  They were under the impression that touching (anywhere) and/or kissing caused pregnancy.  I asked if they knew what condoms were and they had seen them.  They didn’t know what to do with them.  They said they could get them at the hospital.  I can’t imagine a young Samoan girl strolling into the hospital and asking for a supply of condoms.

After our talk, they all agreed they are way too young (they’re 15) to even think about sex and babies.  I hope they keep thinking that way for awhile.

Week of February 21, 2011. A Five Popo Week.

Sorry, but with the change in computers I'm having some technical difficulties.  Imagine cute Samoan kids on a turquoise lagoon.  That's my life.

I’m happy to report it’s been a 5 popo week here in Faga. Having the kids and structure of school has made a huge difference in my mood. It’s also a big help to have adults recognize that I’m a teacher and greet me and exchange a few words. Walking home from the beach yesterday was a great example of how things have changed.

For the first month I was here, I felt as if I was invisible. I was rarely greeted except by children who asked for money or said “bye bye, Palagi” as I walked by. Yesterday kids ran up to walk along and practice their English, parents called out from their homes and on the street people said hello and asked me what’s up. I’m no longer invisible and it’s good to feel like I’m becoming a part of the village.
School was good. It was my last day of “observing”. I used quotes with that because while I have observed, I’ve also been teaching. Thursday the Year 8 teacher was at a meeting for the day so I was the sub. I started working on phonics with the kids and they thought the games were fun and didn’t want to stop. I was happy that they were beginning to be able to differentiate between “ch” and “sh” sounds, and learning some new words.

Fridays continue to be a mystery. I was told that there would be school clean up for the first two hours so no teaching. The clean up actually was 45 minutes of girls weeding with butcher knives and boys using machetes to hack at shrubs and grass. One of my favorite Year 7 boys had to be taken to the hospital to have his hand bandaged after another boy hacked it by mistake. It wasn’t serious and he took it in stride.

After 45 minutes, the kids went to their classrooms, so I headed to the Year 7 room to observe. No teacher arrived, so I started a lesson. First on phonics, then practicing asking and answering questions. They drill a lot, responding as a group to questions from the teacher but rarely actually practice conversational English. They had fun with it and after just an hour and a half there was some improvement. A lot of what they need is the confidence to try to speak. I’ll be giving a sticker as a prize each week to the student who speaks the most English to me outside of class to encourage them. I’ll also be giving prizes each week for “Most Improved” and other things that every student, no matter their current level, have a shot at.

Notice that I taught for 1 ½ hours rather than observe? That’s because the teachers were hanging out together while kids hung out in the classrooms. I use downtime like this to grab any class and do an impromptu English lesson, sing songs or play games that involve words or phonics. Teachers don’t seem to mind and the kids eat it up.

The big downer for the week was the purchase of a new laptop. My old one (and it is a few years old) is no long useable. Computers are extraordinarily expensive here and I’m notoriously frugal. Ok, cheap. I researched going to American Samoa to get a better deal or buying a laptop online and having a friend ship it from the States, but opted for the speed and ease of buying the Toshiba that was on sale where I get my internet. So, the good news is I have a functioning laptop. The bad news is I had to spend a bunch of tupe out of my “at home” money.

I’ll be using the laptop at school next week. I’ve already given Year 7 & 8 a heads up that I’ll be interviewing them individually while filming them. They’ll get to see themselves on the laptop. I’m guessing most have never seen themselves on video. It should be fun. I want to have the tapes as a benchmark so at the end of the year we can do it again and they can see how much they’ve improved. With Year 7, we’ll also be able to do it again at the end of next year and they should see huge progress, knock on wood.

The highlight of the week was yesterday. I spent the day at a beach fale in Lu’ua, which is a subvillage of Faga. The beach fale near my current home is lovely but you have to climb over a lava boulder seawall to get to the water. I am a klutz and am afraid of breaking a leg or spraining an ankle which would be a huge problem here.

Lu’ua is a hike. It’s a couple of miles walk in tropical sun/heat. I kept thinking I was moving near there so was waiting until it was a shorter trek. I got tired of waiting so did it yesterday. I was lucky and hitched a ride there. It was a hot day, but in the shade by the water the temperature was perfect. The water temp was cool enough to be refreshing without being cold. I swam out about 50 yards and snorkeled over a huge bed of coral. Lots of small fish and beautiful to see. I wouldn’t say it was world-class snorkeling but it was comparable to most you’d do in the Caribbean and will be a 10 minute stroll from my new house. Thank you, God and Peace Corps for sending me to Samoa.

About the house. Something else that made this a 5 popo week was about my housing. The meeting with the parents was uncomfortable and difficult. It’s hard for me to concentrate on rapid Samoan that intently for so long. It felt like begging to have all the parents discuss how they can find me a place to live and come up with the money to do it.

The upside was the support they showed. That support continued. On Friday, two of the most outspoken people at the meeting were in charge of collecting money from each family. They spent several hours sitting in the faleaoga, accepting the donations. Along with them were several other parents, who spent the afternoon there to show their support. I was touched.

The meeting is also what got everyone into greeting me and being so much friendlier. The principal said the meeting should have been held before school started. Peace Corps assumed, I think, that the school committee would be communicating with the parents. That didn’t happen. If this meeting would have been held in October, when I first visited Faga, I would have had my own house in December and a very different first month here. I’ll be suggesting it to PC for the next group of volunteers.

I heard yesterday that they collected all the money they needed on Friday and took it to the hardware store to order the necessary supplies to build the outhouse. I was dreaming that it might be done this week and I could move in over the four-day weekend next week, but that’s not likely. At least I hope to see some progress.
I heard a story about a previous volunteer here who was in my boat. One day he got fed up and went to a plantation and started hacking down small trees with a machete. Someone asked him what he was doing and he said “Building my house.” Word spread and a group of men helped him build his house, in one day. It can be done, just need to get the momentum going.

The other big thing this week started out badly. I can’t go into details but after significant ugliness this week, someone I care about was able to move to a better situation.

I hope you had a 5 popo week, too.

Rating System

Life’s full of ups and downs and I thought I’d track how things are going for me on a weekly basis.  Sort of like in Diary of Bridget Jones.  Except instead of going by cigarettes smoked and pounds gained or lost, I’m going local, with coconuts.  Or, as we call ‘em here, popo.  Here’s the scale:

5 popo:  A stellar week.  All things large and small went well and you’d have to drag me out of Samoa by my thin white-girl hair.

4 popo:  A good week.  The big stuff is good and most of the little stuff went my way. 

3 popo:  Not a bad week, but not a good week either.  Average.  And I’m not a fan of average.  Think about it.  People complain that’s life’s a roller coaster, with dizzying ups and downs.  But would you pay to ride a roller coaster that was straight and level? 

2 popo:  A week that I wouldn’t want to relive.  Small things annoyingly bad and some big stuff not aligned.

1 popo:  Tell the renters living in my house that if I have a couple more weeks like this they better pack up, because I’ll be coming home.  A one popo week means things are seriously bad and I can’t find the humor in it.