This and That Plus Photos from Apia

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.

Photos!

Here are some photos for Early Service Conference, held in Apia. We've just finished our first term of teaching and are talking about what worked/didn't and getting ideas for next term. We're also going to be talking about PC paperwork and reporting (that should be fascinating) and projects.

I apologize that my camera seems to be succumbing to the humidity and quality isn't what it used to be.

I had dinner with "my boys" last night.  From L to R - Devon (Tevi), Danny (Elu), Mike (Mika).  The pizza was great and the company was wonderful.

I was excited to take a picture of my new black shoes, which are identical to my favorite blue shoes.  With the flash I realized that once again I was wearing different colored shoes.  I need a keeper.  BTW - you may think these look like shoes you'd wear to the beach.  They are my dress shoes.  Casual shoes means barefoot.

Our conference room is upstairs over this large store, filled with items typical of what we can buy here.  All made in China.  All very poor quality.

Air conditioner is our conference room.  Same as in hotel room.  Why don't we have these in the States?  They only cool the room you're in.  They do it fast, quietly and relatively inexpensively.  They are used a lot in Latin America.  Can you buy them in the States?  Beats a window air conditioner by far.

Nap time or group work?  Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

 Good looking Samoan PC staffer.  Had to wear a dress for a skit.  The things you have to do for a paycheck.

 The rest of the admin team in the skit.  Denise, one of my best buddies, is in the bicycle helmet.  That's padding she wearing, not fat.  This is our admin team.

 The hotel graciously put a (misspelled) sign up to welcome us.  It's the thought that counts. The rooms are very nice and the lunches have been excellent. 

 I did an energizer where teams of three had to depict a letter of the alphabet.  Tevi, Pat and Sa'u are a "Y".

Responses to Comments

A couple of people asked questions recently so here are my answers:

Lew - first, congratulations on your nomination to Macedonia. You're in for a fun ride! Yes, I still wear a watch. I have to get to school on time and I have to move from class to class on time. Plus, since most teacher's don't wear watches, I'm the official timekeeper to have kids ring the bell for interval and end of school day. Besides, I just like knowing what time it is. Yes, I always wear a watch on vacation, too.

Congratulations to the woman heading to the PC in Africa! In addition to Hangman, the kids love any computer game. I have a program called Sebran that a previous volunteer left on the external hard drive at the office. It has a typing game, a matching game (words/drawings) and some math games. Hangman is the most complex and most popular but they love them all.

I bought a game called Text Twist that I think they'll like but am having trouble loading it because of a conflict with my anti-virus program. I'll figure it out eventually.

I've found coloring books that have stuff I can copy are great - connect the dots with numbers or letters are fabulous. I use the internet a lot to get games, songs, etc. One would think PC would have a huge stash of such things after 50 years, but if they do it's a closely guarded secret.

Best of luck to you both on your upcoming service. Be prepared to be challenged, frustrated in ways you can't imagine and delighted to tears. It's a great ride.

Shocking!

“Just get high!” said Samoa Country Director Dale Withington. He was making an impassioned speech during the first session of our Early Service Conference (ESC). Before you call 60 Minutes or your Congressman, Dale immediately clarified his statement.

“Just get to high ground.” he clarified. “Don’t get high!”  Poor Dale.  It was one of those moments we’ve all had when the words just don’t come out right.  He was talking about what to do when an earthquake lasts for 30 seconds or more.  That is the signal of a likely tsunami and Dale was making the point that we should not wait for direction from PC.  We should just haul ass uphill as fast as possible, since we might have only minutes to escape.

Thanks to Dale we started off the 1 ½ week conference with a good laugh.  That was a good thing since many of us were dreading being back in training together.  We all like each other well enough but our initial training was long enough, boring enough and put us in such close contact that most of us were not looking forward to revisiting the experience.  A few volunteers visited my village recently and were moaning about going to ESC.  One tried to be upbeat and said “Well, it will be nice to see everyone again.”  Someone else glumly piped up with “For about five minutes.”

I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far with ESC.  It is nice to see everyone.  Lots of hugs.  And since I prefer interacting in small groups or one-on-one, I’m doing my catching up over dinner with people I really like rather than hitting the bar with the whole group in the evening.

Tonight will be a special night.  Pizza with my boys.  Just me, Mika, Tevi and Danny.  Moms, this one is for you.  I’ve already gotten the scoop on love life and school.  I’ll be digging for any more info tonight and will keep you posted.  All three guys seem very happy and look well.  Mika has gained some weight and it looks good on him.

The content of the conference itself has been a pleasant surprise.  It is relevant, worthwhile and is giving me a lot of good ideas that I can immediately go back and put into practice at my school.  Exactly what I was hoping for.  Tevita and Mafi– you guys rock!

Another quote worth noting was also during the medical session with the new Dr.  One PCV asked how long it would take for her fungus to clear up.  “Two years.” piped up another volunteer and that got another laugh, since we’ve all dealt with or are dealing with a variety of infections and jungle crud.  Actually, I’m soaking my still nasty big toe in hot water and antiseptic as I type.

Aside from the professional development aspect of the training, we’re also getting some time to do a little shopping.  I’ve been very successful.  Here’s what I’ll be taking back to Savaii:

·          Chili peppers in a jar.  They look like pepperocini, but I think are hotter. $5.50

·         A travel Parcheesi game $3.90

·         Lemon juicer thingy $6

·         Can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.  $6.50

·         S.O.S scrubber sponge $9.00

·         Small jar of no-name-brand peanut butter $12.00

·         Small jar sweet relish $8.00

·         2 frisbees for the kids $12.00

·         Vifon Tuong Ot which is an awesome sweet/hot sauce $1.20

·         New skirt and blouse from the used clothing store $26.00 Yes, I’m buying used clothing in a third world country.  I’m in the Peace Corps, where they don’t give us many of your tax dollars to keep us fed and clothed and clearly I spend my extra money on food.

·         I did not find olives after looking in 4 stores.

Things I didn’t not buy because it was so freaking expensive:

·         Quaker oatmeal  - $22.00

·         Brie - $34.00

·         Nutella $22.00 

·         Yogurt $3.50 for tiny carton

·         Diet Coke $5.00

I have no dinner plans tomorrow night.  I scoped out the steaks at Farmer Joe’s.  I’m planning to cook in the hotel kitchen.  The current menu is:

·          steak (bloody rare),

·         salad made with HTG lettuce ( which they have here for only $3.20 and don’t have on Savaii for any price)

·         corn on the cob (I didn’t check the price, so that may not happen)

·         icy cold beer. I’d prefer an icy cold Blue Sapphire martini, straight up

Overall, it’s been a good week so far.  I’ve splurged on a massage, eaten both Chinese and Indian food, gotten a haircut and talked to friends I see only once every couple of months. 

Photos to follow.

Random Observations

Written sometime in the last couple of weeks. I’d tell you exactly when but can’t remember. Time flies here in the tropics.


Here are some random observations and things I’ve seen that may point out some of the differences between my home here and my home in Florida…

Décor – home and personal. One of the biggest houses in my compound is a large palagi house. It has one enclosed room in the rear and the remainder of the house is one large room, with lots of windows on 3 sides. Part of one back wall is open to the outdoors. My Easter guests asked why it was abandoned. They assumed that because there is no furniture. Just a large empty room. It is, in fact, lived in. The furniture consists of sleeping mats which are rolled up and stored in the enclosed room during the day. Minimalist, to the extreme.

Personal style, among women, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The overwhelming majority of women here have long hair. It is worn in a bun, at the back of the head. Usually held in place with a hair clip. The clips frequently are made to be decorative. They are colored, or have artificial flowers or something else attached. I frequently see women wearing 3 or 4 at one time, each with a large flower attached. A real flower is then placed behind one ear. Rhinestone studded sunglasses are sometimes then placed on top of the head. And, for practical reasons, a pen is stuck in the bun.

As I waited for the bus yesterday morning I watched a Year 3 boy walking to my family’s faleoloa to do some shopping for his family. As he walked back, bag of onions in hand, a young woman carrying an infant and leading a toddler was headed toward the store.

She called the boy over. She took the bag of onions and gave him her money. He turned and ran back to the store, clearly sent to buy her groceries. Back he ran, a few minutes later with the items she’d asked for. He gave her the change and her items and she handed back his onions. It saved her some steps.

Kids are commonly used to run errands. I didn’t do it at first, thinking it was taking advantage of them. When I realized that they wanted to run errands for me and would argue over who got to do it next, I caved. I will miss having small, willing helpers when I get home. Who will fetch a cup of Koko Samoa for me? Or run to the faleoloa during interval to buy some ramen?

Yesterday was a typical bus ride to the market. That’s the only place to buy fresh vegetables and fish. Occasionally neighbors sell fresh produce on the street, but that’s rare in my village. Between the wait and the bus ride, it took me 1 ½ hours to get to the market. That’s also how long it takes to get to the internet café, which is why I post sporadically. It took 2 hours to get home because I had to wait longer for a bus.

I got up early this morning, about 5 a.m. It was raining and I enjoyed lounging in bed listening to the rain on the tin roof and the roosters half-heartedly crowing. Shortly after I got up and was opening my curtains, one of the boys of my family walked by. He said “Happy Mother’s Day.” And we chatted. I find this type of conversation disconcerting. Why? Because as we were chatting, he was taking a shower. 2 feet outside my window, while wearing a lava lava.

The whole sleep thing in Samoa fascinates me. Where and when people sleep is somewhat fluid. I’ve had numerous conversations with Samoans who find it very odd and somewhat upsetting that I sleep alone, in my house. Why would I choose to sleep indoors, alone, when I’m perfectly welcome to join them in the open fale? Explaining that I’ve had my own, private bedroom since I was 4 seems bizarre to them. Why would you force a child into a room alone? As opposed to my view at the time which was “Finally, I got rid of the brother and have my own space!”

Yesterday morning I left early for the bus. My family was still sleeping. Generally mom and the girls sleep in one house while dad and the boys sleep in the open fale. But not always. There’s a third house where they sometimes sleep. That’s also where they made the cement blocks a couple of weeks ago. Inside the house. Mixed the cement on the floor.

Anyway, as I walked past their fales I saw bodies in two of the houses and one girl sleeping on one of the graves in front of the house. Later, I was talking to one of the boys and asked how he was. He explained that he hadn’t slept well. Seems he was the last one home after bingo. When he arrived the two houses were locked and the open fale was full, so he slept on a chair on the lawn.

We also discussed who was taking a shower at 1:30 a.m. and then at 2:00 a.m. He explained that his mother showered first then he showered. They’d both been asleep. So why get up to shower in the middle of the night? “I don’t know about my mom, but I woke up and realized I’d forgotten to shower before I’d gone to bed.” Personally, I’d have rolled over, gone back to sleep and showered in the morning. It’s just one of the many small things that’s different here.

Christmas in May

I'm in my school uniform puletasi here, rocking the ulas (leis) that I received.  Can't remember why.  The green leafy one has a lovely smell but makes me itch like crazy.  Yes, I need a haircut.  Make up, diet and a face lift wouldn't hurt, either.

Written Wednesday, May 11, 2011.

It feels like Christmas. Our PCMO (PC Medical Officer) brought the new guy around for a howdy tour. His name is Dr. Sam and he’s based in Tonga. Seems like a nice, down to earth guy. I’m trying not to take it personally that the Peace Corps hired a doctor for us who used to be a vet. At least he’s from the South, so I don’t have to explain the difference between “ya’ll” and “all ya’ll”. For any Samoans (or Yankees) reading this, the first one is singular, the second is plural.


After a brief exam, Dr. Sam thinks he has the answer to my ear issue that has caused severe hearing loss in my left ear since just after I arrived in Samoa. Likely that I have a problem with my Eustachian tube and it could easily be fixed with minor surgery. I’ll pass for now, but good to know.

In addition to bringing the obligatory stethoscope, they brought loot. It was great to meet Sam and see Teuila, but they weren’t out the door two minutes before I was checking out the boxes of stuff they delivered.

My friend John the Welder left recently after almost 4 years in Samoa as a volunteer. He was kind enough to pack up all his stuff and send it out to those who might use it. Or who begged loudest/longest. Whatever, he sent me a TV, radio, extension cord and a box of assorted goodies including spices, really good balsamic vinegar, wasabi powder, Febreze and a huge box of gallon size zip lock bags.

Are you aware that Samoa is a tropical island? Are you familiar with the aroma of mildew? Do the people who market Febreze not have a clue that we are a huge untapped market? Two large bottles of brought-to-Samoa-in-luggage Febreze is worth its weight in gold. John, I’ll miss you, but will think of you fondly as I use your stuff. Be safe on your ride home from Vegas.

BTW, the TV works and I get one channel that has a very snowy picture but pretty good sound. I get several radio stations very clearly and will have access to daily news for the first time in over 7 months. I think that’s a good thing. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Next, I ripped into the box from one of my best buddies. She moved to Florida the week before I left. Ironic, huh? I talked to her yesterday and she was telling me about their new pool. She knows how much I used to enjoy looking out at my pool at night, all lit up (the pool, not me, although wine was frequently involved). She said I’d be jealous because she has a remote control for her pool light. I used to have to walk ten feet. I’d just finished doing two buckets of laundry, by hand. I told her as politely as I could to shut the hell up.

Anyway, my friend wanted to share some of life’s luxuries and sent me treats for my new bathroom. A shower curtain and very nice shower hooks. Up until now I’ve been letting the water just spray all over the bathroom and then wiping it up after I shower. Now, I have a very attractive shower curtain. I don’t know if she realizes that the container for the shower hooks has a note on the label “Use container as tumbler or cotton caddy.” Reusable packaging. Very cool.

She also included, drum roll please, a set of sheets. Nice, soft, palagi sheets. Not like the current sheet I’m using that is roughly the texture of fine sand paper. Roughly…get it? I crack myself up.

Years ago I discovered the meaning of thread count. I prefer 800 count Egyptian cotton sateen sheets. When I was living in the lap of luxury with a room in my home whose sole purpose was to house a washer and dryer, I used to change my sheets often. As in 2-3 times a week. In the summer, I’d sprinkle a tiny bit of talcum on the sheets. In the winter, a wee spritz of cologne. “Green Tea” by Bulgari. How my life has changed. Did I not just wax poetic because I now have Febreze to spritz on my “it’s been raining/I’ve been too lazy to wash my laundry for over a week” sheets?

After putting down the new bath mat and contemplating how I’ll hang the shower curtain (there will be rope involved), I turned my attention to the last package. It was from cousins in Yuma, Arizona. Second only to Tucson, AZ as having the best Mexican food in the country. Yes, I know that people living in New Mexico think their Mexican food is best, but when you’re born in AZ, you tend to prefer the AZ version of Sonoran. We can argue about Hatch chiles and red vs. green another day.

I didn’t expect this package. A fabulous reminder of how someone’s unexpected thoughtfulness can have such a huge impact. I did not just rip into this package. One of my family had stopped by between package openings and I let him admire my new electronics. I allowed him to gaze at my new shower curtain and bath mat. I even allowed him to touch my fabulous new sheets while we hummed along to Enrique Iglesias on the radio. I was not, however, going to share the glee of package opening with him.

I’m very selfish that way. I wanted to be alone to slowly savor every object in that package. To think about what my cousins were thinking/talking about as they chose the objects and packed them. To allow myself to get a little homesick because we are so far apart. That’s part of the joy of opening a package, you see. Whoever it’s from, it’s about the care and love that went into it. The actual items are just incidental.

Well, not completely incidental. Especially when you have cousins like mine who are not only generous but f’ing brilliant (genetics, runs in the family.) Ok, so here’s what I found in that magical box:

• Jello. They took it out of the boxes to save room but remembered to cut the directions off one box and include it. I have not seen Jello in Samoa. I think we’ll be starting off the second term with a special treat for the teachers. Can’t wait to see their reaction! And there could be jello shots made with the cheap Niu Vodka.

• Individual size artificially sweetened drink mix. You may not be aware that I can’t drink the tap water here. I have a PC-provided water filter. If I forget to fill it, I get very thirsty. If I forget to clean it, I get very sick (hasn’t happened yet.) Diet soda is rare here. I drink a lot of water. Thanks to my buddies Kia, Poolboy (aka Michael), John and Madonna, I’ve been drinking a lot of different varieties of Crystal Lite. But, I’ve been hoarding my stash, since it’s getting low. Now, I have a new stash with a new brand and some new flavors. A delightful change of pace from plain water that may not sound like much to you, sitting in the United States surrounded by more food and drink choices than you could ever need, but for me, it’s a big deal.

• Cocoa. I don’t know who Swiss Miss is but I’d like to meet her. As much as I love koko Samoa, it’s a pain in the neck to make for myself at home. This morning as I made my 6:00 a.m. tea I was thinking how nice it would have been to have some cocoa instead. I have a friend who believes that God will provide so we shouldn’t worry about the future…it will be taken care of for us. I believe in a balanced portfolio, myself. I don’t think that because I wished I had cocoa that God made it appear. I believe he’s likely got much bigger fish to fry. All the same, the timing works for me.

• It is early May. Easter was last month. And what better way to celebrate Easter than with…PEEPS!!! Have I ever mentioned that I buy all my Easter, Valentine’s Day and Halloween candy at the ½ off sale after the holidays? Yes, I’m cheap. And I prefer my Peeps to have a little age to them. These should be awesome. Tonight, Mr. Kindle and I will be gorging ourselves on Peeps. In bed.

• And it will be romantic, because there will be candlelight from my new SCENTED, FLAMELESS CANDLE! For over 7 months people have been asking me what I wanted/needed. I never would have thought to ask for a candle like this. They included the batteries needed for the candle. Did I not say these cousins are brilliant?

• Fruit roll-ups, granola bars and a bunch of nutty goodness items. Like trail mix. Are you aware that peanuts are expensive here and any other kind of nut is not available? A good person would bring these snacks to share at next week’s training. I am not that good. Ok, Danny and Mika since your moms have been so generous to me, you may be in luck. May being the operative word. (Dear Danny/Mika's moms:  I had full intentions of bringing some caloric love to your boys, but forgot the snacks.  Didn't even bring any for myself.  I apologized and gave them extra big hugs instead.  I think they would have preferred fruit roll-ups, but they were gracious.)

• Black beans and chicken bouillon. I have some bouillon from a couple of other generous friends, but trust me, it will not go to waste. Samoans boil chicken in plain water and call it soup. I demonstrated what happens when you add some bouillon cubes, a few veggies and a bit of rice. They were impressed. And black beans…I’m already planning a Cuban night of gustatory delight that involves black beans and green bananas, which are very much like plantains.

• Lipstick. Did I mention that my lipstick bit the dust last week? I figure when you cut your lip by sliding it over your mouth when the lipstick is well below the level of the metal, it’s time for the trash. So imagine my delight when I found 2 tubes of new lipstick?? Love the colors. Subtle. Lipstick is the only makeup I still wear every day.

• What do you need when you have lipstick? A mirror! A giant hand mirror. I used the small mirror I have along with my new gift mirror to see the back of my head. For the first time in four months. Since the last time I got my hair cut she couldn’t show me the back because her mirror was broken and they’re too expensive to buy. Sadly, the back of my head is looking better than the front.

• Candy. Have I mentioned my sweet tooth? And they sent special candy, from Mexico. For those without a map, Yuma is very close to the Mexican border. This candy is suckers. They’re mango flavored and in a pouch of salt/chili powder. Lick, dip, lick, dip. What, you’ve never dipped green mango slices into salt and chili powder? Very popular in Latin America. I plan to introduce it here when mango season arrives. In the meantime, I’ve already enjoyed the first sucker.

• My cousins are not only brilliant but they’re a talented bunch. Terre included some of her homemade greeting cards. Beautifully done and I promise to try to be better about sending snail mail. Samoa does have very nice postage stamps, including one shaped like a butterfly that covers about 1/3 of the envelope.

It’s been a stellar day. It was clean up day at school and when the kids were done doing yard work I played games, sang and generally acted the fool with them. It was nice to see Peace Corps staff. It was great to get the loot. Yes, I love the stuff, but it really is the thought that counts. Knowing that my friend took the time to look closely at the pictures of my house so the items she sent would color coordinate…that my cousins took the time to find small and very special treats that will brighten a less than stellar day. I’m feeling the love. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Sports Day

Today is the May 13, 2011. It is the last day of my first term teaching in Samoa. It feels as if I got off the plane yesterday. Time really is flying by. I’m watching the sun come up over the lagoon as I type this on my bed. A bowl of oatmeal and a cup of Swiss Miss (straight from the U. S. of A.) next to me. I’m dawdling because school starts late today. I’ll still go in an hour early because kids will want to play hangman on my computer. It’s been a good last week.
Yesterday was Sports Day. I finally figured out the mystery of how everyone but me knows what’s happening next. Like Sports Day. There was no discussion or planning for the event. My limited Samoan, though, allowed me to understand what the pule was telling the kids at assembly Monday. On Thursday we’d have Sports Day. 4 teams, or “houses” as they call them. A teacher was assigned as coach for each team. Two Year 8 kids were named as co-captains for each team. They were told to bring baskets with six coconuts for each team.
There was a committee of 3 teachers responsible for the event, but I knew they hadn’t met to discuss it, so how would they know what games to play? Sequence? Judges? Scoring? This is the riddle that I’ve finally found the answer to. They all know because they do exactly the same thing, in the same way, every year. And they’ve done it the same way since the teachers were in primary school. No need for planning or discussion because it’s always done the same way.
OK, it’s not like I solved the mystery of life, but it has perplexed me and a lot of other PCV. How do they all know to come late tomorrow but we don’t? It’s because last year they came late on that day. How do they all know to wear a certain outfit on a certain day? Because that’s the traditional day for it. They don’t think to tell the PCV because it would be like telling us every day to breathe. Duh, everybody knows that.
On to Sports Day. The kids were majorly geeked about it. On Wednesday before the end of school each coach met with their kids to select which kids would participate in which events. Not all kids got to play, sadly. I don’t agree with the philosophy of many Americans that all kids should win every event because there are no losers and we don’t want to damage their self-esteem. That doesn’t prepare them for life, where there are winners and losers. Some get the scholarship, some don’t. Some get the job, some don’t. I think it’s better to prepare them and teach them about sportsman ship with small losses, as children.
I do think all kids should be able to at least suit up. There are no schools for kids with special needs on Savaii. We have children in class who are slow academically. They rarely get a chance to shine in the classroom. Sports Day would let them show off their physical talents. Some didn’t get the chance. That was the only downside to the day, for me.
We started with some standard relay races. Lines of kids passing a ball over their heads to each other. Passing the ball through their legs. Kids taking turns throwing the ball to each child on their team. First game was the elementary kids, years 1-3. Next came intermediate, years 4-6. Seniors were years 7-8. The SRO and Infant Supervisor kept track of scores, by division, for each event in new notebooks, brought out for the occasion. The judges sat at desks on the stage of the faleaoga. As an esteemed staff member (aka white and old) I sat with the judges.
Team members sat on the edge of the faleaoga to watch and cheer on their teams. Coaches sat on benches behind the observers. This was all arranged without discussion. Not because Samoans are psychic, which is what I’d begun to suspect, but because they do it exactly this way every year. Except for having a PCV there, which required explanation to the PCV on where to sit.
After the initial races we had sack races, using 50 kg sugar sacks from Thailand. Which explains why the kids next door were practicing sack races the other night. They knew it was coming, because they did it last year. An aside. I planned to visit southeast Asia while I was here. Shorter flight than from the U.S. But, about the same price as flying from the U.S., which is about the same price as flying home from Samoa. So how can they get the sugar so cheap from there to here? BTW, kids here are strong. I’ve seen year 8 boys carry the full 50 kg bags. I couldn’t lift one onto my shoulder unless my life depended on it.
We also had 3 legged races. We had a longer distance relay race that required running the length of a soccer field. The final event was a race to see who could peel and eat a hardboiled egg and drink a mug of water the fastest. I was impressed that in the senior division, the girl who is number one in her class academically was also the fastest peeler/eater. One of my favorite year 7 boys got robbed. He could have won easily, but the peel to his egg stuck and ripped the egg apart so it slowed him down. Clearly the cook didn’t put vinegar in the water when she boiled the eggs.
After the races, the bell rang for recess, which meant we all stayed outside, but the play became individual and the kids just did what they normally do during recess. The teachers also did the normal routine, except they cooked ramen and ate outdoors. Tea yesterday included the leftover boiled eggs, ramen and sandwiches provided by one of the parents. Avg. was 2 eggs, 1 package of ramen and 2 sandwiches per teacher. I had an egg.
After an hour or so of recess we had the announcement of the winners. They were told at the beginning not to cheer or applaud until the end. The SRO made a very traditional speech, first thanking the committee, the teacher/coaches, me for showing up to watch and God for allowing us all to be there. She then announced winning teams, by event, by level. When the big announcement came of overall scores a huge cheer came from the winning team, which was quickly silenced. She went on to announce the scores of the losing teams. They didn’t seem overly disappointed and when told it was ok to cheer for the winners, everyone did.
A couple of side notes. No parents were present. I was surprised, since parents are routinely there to watch me do the Hokie Pokie in the morning with the kids. Apparently it’s also traditional for all parents to stay away for Sports Day.
Before coming to Samoa I did a lot of reading and learned that Samoa is a collective society and as such there is little individual competition. We were told in training that children are shy about being called out individually and would not want to compete against each other.
I’m here to tell you that the people who said those things have never seen four Year 2 girls eating hardboiled eggs in a race. They were going for the glory.

If you look carefully you can see the ball being passed through their legs.  These are the youngest kids.

The beginning of the egg eating contest.  They were really into it.  Us teachers got to eat any eggs not used in the contest.

3 legged race - this is also how the kids walk around, arms around each other.

There were some collisions during the 3 legged race. 

Samoan sports shoes.  Also known as "socks".  Most of the kids just went barefoot, as usual, but some went for socks.

An action shot of the sack race with the lagoon in the background.

The sacks are sugar bags from Thailand