FaleFor two years I lived with a Samoan family…and as many crazy stories I have to share about them, I am sure they have equally as many to tell about me. I loved living with them because they made my life so simple and easy. Food was almost always taken care of, the house was always cleaned (or in the process of being so) and there was always people to talk to. It was real enjoyable. Now, I am living on my own (until I can get a lock on the door to my bedroom and then I will have a few roommates). It is a big house and like all big houses it has a lot of upkeep. It is nice in some ways to be on my own again, but there is sometimes not enough hours in the day to get everything done. There aren’t doorknobs on most of the doors, allowing you sometimes to get locked inside a room….A huge problem if you are there by yourself. Also, mosquitoes swarm into my room, even though there is mosquito wiring on the windows….because I can’t shut my door and there is not mosquito wiring on the other windows. One of the bathrooms currently doesn’t have water for the toilet. The electricity runs on cash power, in which you put money on the meter to let the electricity run, and when your money runs out, your power also runs out. And because of having a full size refrigerator, my money goes quickly! I haven’t been there a week and have already run out of power twice! (The first day and again today.) The box to check and see how much power I have left is so high up that I have to climb on the windowsill to check it. The other difficult problem I am having is that I loved half of my stuff into my new house the day I arrived, but because the Peace Corps office hours and my office hours conflict with each other, I have been unable to retrieve my boxes. But the worst of my problems is in my kitchen. I currently have a giant slip and slide there….and no one can figure out while. Each day it looks as if several gallons of water have been spilled on the floor and as many times as I try to mop it up, more and more water shows up. It seems strange because it is coming from under the carpet (not real carpet, Samoan carpet!) I have had so many days of sliding around almost falling.With all of these problems to start off, it makes me miss having a nice stable family.

FaleFor two years I lived with a Samoan family…and as many crazy stories I have to share about them, I am sure they have equally as many to tell about me. I loved living with them because they made my life so simple and easy. Food was almost always taken care of, the house was always cleaned (or in the process of being so) and there was always people to talk to. It was real enjoyable. Now, I am living on my own (until I can get a lock on the door to my bedroom and then I will have a few roommates). It is a big house and like all big houses it has a lot of upkeep. It is nice in some ways to be on my own again, but there is sometimes not enough hours in the day to get everything done. There aren’t doorknobs on most of the doors, allowing you sometimes to get locked inside a room….A huge problem if you are there by yourself. Also, mosquitoes swarm into my room, even though there is mosquito wiring on the windows….because I can’t shut my door and there is not mosquito wiring on the other windows. One of the bathrooms currently doesn’t have water for the toilet. The electricity runs on cash power, in which you put money on the meter to let the electricity run, and when your money runs out, your power also runs out. And because of having a full size refrigerator, my money goes quickly! I haven’t been there a week and have already run out of power twice! (The first day and again today.) The box to check and see how much power I have left is so high up that I have to climb on the windowsill to check it. The other difficult problem I am having is that I loved half of my stuff into my new house the day I arrived, but because the Peace Corps office hours and my office hours conflict with each other, I have been unable to retrieve my boxes. But the worst of my problems is in my kitchen. I currently have a giant slip and slide there….and no one can figure out while. Each day it looks as if several gallons of water have been spilled on the floor and as many times as I try to mop it up, more and more water shows up. It seems strange because it is coming from under the carpet (not real carpet, Samoan carpet!) I have had so many days of sliding around almost falling.With all of these problems to start off, it makes me miss having a nice stable family.

Coral Reef Academy You seem them around town, and can be amazed at what these kids can do. The Coral Reef Academy is a program for “troubled” children in the US, in which they come to Samoa to learn coping mechanisms. Hearing what they are, first gave me the impression of ulavale, horrible teenagers, but it is far from the truth. The children that attend school there always put their best foot forward and show the best mannerisms. Today, they came to visit my school, and put on such a nice musical performance. It was wonderful, because they brought a piece of their own cultures, which showed the children the diversity that lives in America. It was truly beautiful as all of the Coral Reef kids were of different races. Most of the people here think that if you come from America you are white and it is nice that they are able to go around showcasing the cultural diversity in the United States. They also shared some of the different musical styles in the US, and even had the children from my school join in with them. Without them realizing it, they are helping the Peace Corps out tremendously with our goals of showing Samoans what the people in the United States are like. Fa’afetai Coral Reef!

Truly FamousYesterday while meeting up with some of my Samoan friends, I learned that my friend’s brother had watched me on the news. I usually talk in English to my Apia friends because that is basically all I knew when I met them. It was really funny because his brother was impressed that I knew the language, and was understandable from my interview. It was nice for my more English speaking friends to see what I can do. (It would have been nice to have a television to watch it on….)Also he told me that before the dateline change, my friends from group 82 and I (and some from 81 and 79) had our picture in the paper. It was about how Samoa was switching from the last sunset in the world to the first sunrise in the world. The picture was us in Falealupo enjoying the last sunset of 2009. My mission is to see if I can still find a copy of the article.

Malaga+falavelave=vacationI left Colorado on a snowy Sunday morning.  It was weird to see snow, since the previous day I was walking around in just a t-shirt, since it was so warm.  I was ready for my four flights and day and a half of traveling so I can arrive on my new island in Samoa.  My first flight left without a problem and I landed in Salt Lake City, which also had their mountains covered in snow.  I waited for my flight, and when the flight was supposed to board, we were notified about a problem.  The maintenance crew was onboard fixing something and they said they had to wait for a part to come in from Atlanta.  We were delayed by a few hours.  The good news was that I would be able to watch some of the NFL playoff game on TV (They switched off CNN news for it!), but the bad news was I was going to miss my connecting flight in Hawaii.  The problem with heading to this area, is there are not many flights a week.  To get to American Samoa there are only two flights a week.  Sunday and Thursday.  I was told that while I waited for the next flight I would be put up in a hotel in Waikiki Beach.  So my falavelave allowed me to have a little mini vacation in Hawaii.I tried to make the most of my time there, since it isn’t everyday that you are FORCED to vacation in Hawaii.  I did everything I possibly could fit in during that time period.  I went to the USS Arizona, which is always an interesting place with a great museum.  The following day I decided to scuba dive and explored a shipwreck.  The shipwreck was awesome as we were able to swim through the inside of the ship.  There were also the friendliest turtles on the ship.  They just swam right next to our shoulders and hung out with us.  After diving, I decided there was still plenty of time to do something else, so I went to the zoo.  The Honolulu Zoo is pretty nice, but my highlight there was spending time with the goats in the children’s petting zoo.  The following day I awoke before sunrise to hike Diamond Head.  Diamond Head is a beautiful hike that was carved into the mountain, making the ground completely uneven and rocky.  I should have been smart and brought my flashlight, but for some reason I went against my better judgment.   It was fun having the stars to guide me as I hiked the trail.  It was beautiful at the top and the sunrise was nice.  Afterwards, instead of resting in my nice, comfortable hotel room, I went to Sea Life Park.  At Sea Life Park, besides having amazing aquatic life, they have the world’s only wholphin.  The wholphin’s dad was a 2,000 pound killer whale and the mom was an ordinary dolphin.  They created a huge 900 pound wholphin.  She looks like a normal dolphin, just much bigger and stronger.  The dolphins and the wholpin seem friendly and are extremely talented in basketball.  I also got to spend time with my cousin whom I barely see because of geographical reasons.   When my flight was finally ready to take off, I was “adopted” by a Samoan family, who had me stay with them the entire time at the airport.  When I got on the plane, I was fortunate enough to get two seats to myself…My adopted family saw this, and the little 8 year old girl decided to join me…and talk to me for the entire 5 ½  hour flight.  I went through customs with my new family but said my goodbyes as we parted ways..me to another hotel, and them to their family’s house.  That flight was such a great experience as I got to review my Samoan and met so many friendly people.  A had many offers for rides while I was there.  The following day I was off again.  Back through customs, I was ready to arrive in Samoa.  Although I left on Friday, I arrived in Samoa on Saturday.  It was strange how one short half hour flight is the difference between a work day and the weekend.Although I am in a new setting, it is nice to be back to the country that has provided me with a nice home for the past 2+years.  It’s good to be back.

New Office Switching jobs can always be an interesting and rough period. Where in the last I would stare at the lush green plantations, now I have a view of the mountains (and a parking lot.) In my old school, it sometimes was so quiet you can hear the mice and other creatures hiding; now I have the Samoan Police Brass Band practicing all of the time next to me. In my old workplace, the hours were laxed, and people ALWAYS lied about their hours to show that they arrived early and stayed late. Now it is a strict 9-5 job (until next week when school starts…)In my old workplace someone would take a half day every other Wednesday to go to the bank for all of the staff members, now the bank is a ten minute walk (or less depending on your bank).In my old workplace, food was provided, and eating was often more important than teaching. Now, it is rare for someone to break for lunch.This city job is pretty different from rural working.

SuperstarAbout two weeks ago I was on the jumbotron at a Nuggets game. It was really exciting, not only because I won an awesome prize and got to be courtside to see how tall the players really were, but it is always cool to see your face somewhere else.Last week I was on TV (Altitude), since I was at the location where they were filming the fans for the Nuggets away game against the Knicks. (Are you sensing my Nuggets pride yet?)I just finished being interviewed by TV3 about my current job assignment. The interview was conducted in English, and was pretty intimidating since I am still brand new to the job. Afterwards they asked if I wanted to try the interview in Samoan, they told me it is okay if it is broken Samoan with incorrect grammar. After the first question about my job, the rest of the questions were about learning the language and how I plan to use it in the future.I am a complete superstar, who knows where you will see my face next? Maybe a movie?

Back to WorkWow this feels strange….after a month and a half of just looking for things to do, here I am back to work feeling overwhelmed! I just started at my new job at Samoan Victims Support Group and I can already see how challenging of a year it is going to be. My job title is the Home School Coordinator. I knew it would be a lot of work, but after one day, I feel like I jumped into the deep end and I hope I can tread water long enough to survive!The school is basically for foster children who live in a shelter behind my house. Last year was the first year of the school, and it struggled, but it made it by. Like most schools in Samoa, sometimes there were teachers, but more often than not the older students watched the younger students. There was no curriculum and volunteer teachers came in to teach whatever they felt like. Often the entire school was placed together for lessons. Primary through College level learning the same thing….There is one full time teacher under me, and I have put her to work to help me try and devise a curriculum. I am going to piece together a curriculum for math(s), English, Social Science, Basic Science, Art, Physical Education, Technology and Library Education. The other teacher will do Christian Education and Samoan. After spending waaaaaaaay too much time on the internet, I have a guide on how I plan to do some of the curriculum and am just hoping that I can get the first week (or few) planned out before the start of school on Monday! I wasn’t thrown into the wild completely….we did receive a “curriculum” of some math worksheet, English tests and biblical stories.It is Tuesday and we decided to give a test to place the students into the multilevel, multi-ability classes. I have finished my sections of the English and Math for the two primary classes, and have a math test for the college level, and now I am just waiting for the other teacher the Samoan section of her tests. In addition by Friday, I was told to interview each student to help guide their placement.Yesterday we decided on a school schedule, as we are adding two additional hours to the school day from previous years. We are making progress…slowly but surely….I am just hoping I can keep my head above water long enough to pull it off!

Greetings from the westernmost place on Earth...American Samoa. It has been a long trip back to Samoa, since I left on Sunday, and although I leave in just a few short hours back to Samoa on a half hour flight, I won't arrive until Saturday. This is do to many factors...The first getting to Samoa is much harder than a year ago when there was a nonstop flight from Los Angeles. I had to take four flights to get to the mainland, and 4 flights to get back to Samoa. On Sunday while I was waiting for my flight in Salt Lake City, Utah (I never realized how beautiful those mountains are...it is a perfect view right outside the airport.) my plane broke. It had maintenance issues and while we awaited a new part, many of us were scrambling around to figure out our connecting flights. Most people were just heading to other Hawaiian islands, which is easy as there are many flights out a day, and I think I was the only exception. "You know there aren't many flights to PaGo PaGo" the airline attendant told me as I chuckled with the hard emphasis on the G's. The next flight was not until Thursday, so I would have to wait it out in Honolulu until then (what a hard task!).

Hawaii was full of adventure. I packed so much into those four days that I made it really worthwhile. I went to the USS Arizona, scuba dove a ship wreck, went to the zoo to visit the lion from Denver (and hang out with goats in the petting zoo), sunrise hike up Diamond Head, and a trip to Sea Life Park (where I got to see the only wholphin in the world-Mom was a dolphin and Dad was a Killer whale which made a gigantic dolphin weighing 900 pounds.), and hung out with my cousin who for geographical reasons, I barely ever see. I also continued on my quest to eat America and eat everything I can possibly....which was so delicious!

Thursday came, and upon arriving at the airport, I was thrilled to see so many happy Samoan faces. (Not to say that Hawaii isn't full of them as well!) I got myself adopted into a family, and when no one was sitting next to me on my flight, a little girl name Katie decided best friends sit together. Katie talked to me the entire trip, quizzing me on my Samoan and telling me about EVERYTHING! It was really cute how the father was always waiting for me to catch up so we can do everything together, even going through customs.

Thursday night, I recieved my last treat of airconditioning and hot water in a hotel in Tutuila (American Samoa), and today, Friday, I travel back to Western Samoa.

As you probably know, while I was away Samoa decided to skip a day (Dec. 29th) and go into the future by moving the international date line. Fridays are good days to skip as you go directly into the weekend. I am glad I can follow their advice and go straight into Saturday.

It will be nice to be back in Apia, and I am really looking forward to the next year.

Let the adventures begin!

For the past few weeks I have escaped the heat of Samoa and have been visiting my parents and brother in NYC. I have learned there are a lot of differences between New York and Samoa which at some points might have gotten me confused......Here are some of the differences about public transportation.

The Staten Island ferry is always a smooth comfortable 30 minute boat ride. The Samoan ferries can often often make you feel a bit seasick. Depending on the boat, and the water conditions, the ride can be anywhere from 1-2 1/2 hours.

Colorful Samoan buses . Sleek looking buses in NYC.

About public transportation:In Samoa the buses are amazing as the bus drivers "pimp their rides" and have it decorated in so many different ways from posters to flags, to a billion mirrors to anything else they can find. In New York, they are not decorated at all-except with the occasional poster letting you know about the holiday schedule. In Samoa people don't worry about the bus timetable. They know about when it comes, and it might mean waiting outside for several hours, or maybe hitchhiking if you missed the last bus, but no one worries as they know they will find a way to get where they need to. In New York, people check the timetable religiously. They will make every effort to complain if the bus, train or ferry is even 5 minutes late. In Samoa, there is a ferry schedule, however you never really know if there is a 10:00 or noon ferry, as one of them is always skipped and you might have to wait an extra two hours if you show up for the wrong ferry. In New York, ferries run 24/7 quite frequently so there SHOULD be no reason to complain.In Samoa, if you see someone who is older you will give your seat up to them. Why would you want someone who you should respect look for a seat when you can find one in the back yourself. Fuggedaboutit in NY. Although there are signs saying for people to do it it is rarely done, only if the person is extremely old. In Samoa the buses are made completely of wood, which can make for a soar bum for long trips. Often there is a screw digging into your side or knee, but you can usually get used to the indent there. In NY, the buses are completely modern and the seats are so comfortable-you can easily go to sleep on them.In Samoa you get to enjoy wonderful (sometimes) music blasting on the bus making you want to stand up and dance. In NY, you have to provide your own music....and make sure there are headphones because otherwise there might be a fine. In Samoa, if you run out of seats, people pull you around to have you sit on their laps. If you are already sitting, you start grabbing kids and babies, as they are much lighter to be on you that some adults. In New York, if you grabbed someone's baby you might get arrested. There is also no lap sitting on the bus. No people sitting 5 to a double seat...In Samoa you will often hold things for other passengers. It may mean a bowl of soap, a bag of groceries, or more often than not a purse. In New York, if you grabbed someone's bag to help them out so it will not be on the floor they might smack you. In Samoa, people go out of their way to sit next to you. Personal space does not exist. In New York if you sat directly next to someone, it will usually cause them to get up and look for another seat. In Samoa, anywhere on the route is your bus stop, and the bus can stop 20 times in a 100 foot area. In New York, only use the designated bus stops.In Samoa the taxi prices go off of a fare sheet and are predictable. In New York the meter never stops running!In Samoa the taxis are all white. In NY the cabs are all yellow (except in outside boroughs).In Samoa, if you forget something on the bus, the bus driver will try to get it back to you. In NY consider it lost forever.In Samoa, you know everyone on the buses. In NY, you only know the people you are traveling with.In Samoa, if you don't know a person on a bus, there is no fear in talking to them. In NY don't talk to strangers.In Samoa the buses are used to transport things to stores and huge items to households. This may mean the floor of the bus is full or concrete, bags of rice, boxes of chicken, or have all the passengers helping to hold pvc piping out of the window. You can stop the bus driver and give him money to shop in the city for you. In NY, people travel light with only small personal items. Stores can get their own items and people need to find their own way to get to the store.In Samoa the bus drivers assistant helps everyone around the bus with bags, making sure there is a seat, or a lap to sit on. In New York, you are on your own.In Samoa the sides of each bus are decorated amazingly with funny phrases to let you know the difference between each bus. There is the Bon Jovi bus, the Beautiful Savai'i bus, The Forget Me Not bus, and so many more. In New York, the only difference between the the buses are the numbers letting you know the route. In Samoa you sometimes have to worry about the status of your bus. There is always a chance it may break down. Sometimes it is a quick fix and the bus may just "be a little thirsty", other times you can be at the side of the road for longer. No matter what people don't leave the bus as they know the bus driver will tell them everything they need to do. In NY, people would be running off of the bus IF it did break down (they are in much better condition than Samoa). The only time I was on a bus that became inoperable, one of the wheels fell off and we got on a new bus within two minutes. In Samoa the ferries carry cars back and forth. In NY because of terrorism (I think that was the original reason for stopping it), cars can not go on the boats. You need to take bridges and tunnels.I am sure there are many more differences in transportation....but Samoa and NY differ quite a lot!

Malaga

Today my trip started early in the morning as I had to travel to the 6

am boat for upolu in order to ensure I was able to get everything done

that I needed to do.

After one last trip to the fish market for a delicious lunch, I was at

the airport ready to begin my 2 days of travel.

I am currently in the middle of my first layover-one that lasts 10

hours.

I was on the flight with miss Hawaii's family- who was just runner up

at the miss south pacific pagent-miss Fiji won, and met the beautiful

miss American Samoa.

So far in pago pago it is cold. I am wearing my long sleeves, pants

and am wrapped in a lavalava. I have closed toe shoes, but in the

spirit of samoa, where shoes all seem to meet their graveyard at the

most inopportune times, the bottom rubber just began to come off, and

it is peeling quick. If I was in Samoa I would have probably ditched

the shoes and began going around barefoot, but I don't think walking

around barefoot is as appropriate as it is in samoa-besides did I

mention that it's cold????

I was told that my next destination of Hawaii is really cold right

now. I can't imagine what will it be like in the mainland as I make my

way to LA and then over to the Rocky Mountain Coldness of Colorado.

Sent from my iPod

Fun fact of the day

Did you know the Tongan Trench (situated between the islands of Upolu

and savai'i) is the second largest trench in the world. I enquired

about the largest trench, but was told to not be fiapoto.Rumor has it-without news sources except coconut wireless,rumor is the

best you can go by- that scientists are worried about the volcanic

activity there. Sounds pretty scary if you ask me!

Sent from my iPod

Last Day

Well, I didn't have much of a fa'amavae (going away party) at my

school, but one of my village churches more than made up for it.

On my last day in the village the church sermon had a large part

dedicated to me. It was so beautiful to hear what members of the

congregation and the pastor had to say (I've heard so many nice things

about myself that I might start to get a big head...)

Afterwards I spent hours walking around visiting people and delivering

last minute gifts. It was nice to enjoy the time sitting on

falas(mats) ad drinking Samoan cocoa.

In the evening my sister and I walked over to the construction site of

the new building.

Looking around, it was amazing to see how much I accomplished in such

a short time...wow my big head is really kicking in!

But I never expected to work so well with my community to help in so

many (somewhat random) ways. It really showed me that you can do

anything if you just put your heart into it.

It was the perfect way to end my Savaiian experience. Being around my

community that helped me grow into the person I am today and spending

quality time with my youngest sister who reminded me how lucky I was

to be a part of an amazing Samoan family.

If anyone is lucky enough to visit the villages that make up

Gaga'emalae, you are in for a treat!Sent from my iPod

Yesterday while I was sitting at the blowholes, admiring their beauty for a final time, I realized my list for top places to relax, unwind and take things in. 1-Vedauvoo, Wyoming (probably spelled incorrectly). It was the most amazing rock formation that you can just play on the boulders for hours, or just sit and relax. There is great camping and sledding there….it is just fantastic. (it you want to go, take I80 it will be about 5 miles from Laramie, WY if you are heading west from Cheyenne. 2 Alofaaga Blowholes- The blowholes in Taga, Savaii. They just take you in. I was sitting there watching them for an hour….and didn’t realize that any time had gone by. 3. Staten Island Ferry- It is such an amazing boat ride and you get to see so much. It makes you really appreciate NYC (and I guess enjoy the parts of NJ that you see along the way…)

I tried my hand at being a local fisherman today. I went down in the ocean with my mask and snorkel and had a great time swimming amongst the fish. What did I bring home from this expedition, my only catch, which was a lavalava. I don’t think I am as good a fisherman as the rest of the people in my village, better stick to teaching as a career path.

When I first learned that I would be coming to Samoa, my cousins in Hawaii tried to teach me a few words, but it went in one ear and out the other… My first few weeks in this country I remember walking along the sea wall telling everyone, “Manuia le aso,” or any other polite phrases that I learned in class. It was a slow, long hard journey to learn this language, but when I finished training, I was told that my skills had reached intermediate middle, which really impressed me. Teaching English, I knew it would remain a difficult journey as you need to find the right balance of speaking English with the children and Samoan to practice for yourself in order to communicate with everyone else. However, in the end, I somehow managed to make it work. I am coming back to America with an Advanced low achievement on my Samoan proficiency test. (I was told It would have been higher as my understanding is comprehensive and I can respond, however, my grammar is off.) So if you see me wandering around the US speaking Samoan, feel free to say, “Manuia le aso,” in return…it will make my day. O a’u poto teine….ma aulelei…ma teiene le fefe…ma o le teine o le tama uma mana’o! haha

A Week To Go…What Happens Next? Well, that time has come…time to leave the village….which is why I have been too busy to post any blogs….I am backlogged and will probably finish the ones I started a few months ago while I am back in the States. Yesterday, I had a farewell barbecue with a family that I have become close with, and it just seems surreal that I will not be seeing everyone daily….not laughing with the children as we make monkey or other strange faces. They seemed excited for me, as they rolled off the names of my family members that they met and are excited for me to see again. (They also are happy for me to see my very fat cats, as it is not normal for cats to be that fat!) I became at a loss for words when the eldest of the family gave a long speech about how I am welcomed into their family. When it was my turn to speak, I know I could not match the nice things he said about me in Samoan, which made me a little sad because I hoped they knew how I felt. Today, someone sang a beautiful song to me, and then presented me with a small mea alofa. It was too sweet. For my last week, the teachers are taking me out for a BBQ to celebrate the year, and I am supposed to have a famavae (going away party)…but I am not sure when. I plan to just enjoy the village life until leaving. Some of my girls invited me to their dance practice so I can try to learn dances from other Pacific nations before returning to the States. What are my plans? Well after spending a month and a half in a reversed culture shock mixed between Colorado and New York (freezing my bum off!)…I will be returning to Samoa! I have been granted an extension to work with Samoan Victims Support as their Home School Coordinator. It is nice to know that it doesn’t have to be goodbye to all the people I have come to love as they have become a part of my family. And I get to share my adventures with all of you from the other island…which will be a different experience as Upolu is sooooooo crowded and there are too many cars! (How am I going to survive in NYC for a few weeks?) Thank you all for your comments and encouragement over the past two years, it has helped to share things, and never expected an audience of people, especially of people I did not know at the start of this trip. I have gotten more out of this blog than expected, as I just wanted to document my adventure for myself for later. (I kept a diary…and then a flood happened and I lost all of my entries…so paper did not seem worthwhile to do again.) But I have also gotten the opportunity to connect with many of you, and friendships have evolved because of it. Fa’afetai tele lava. I hope you have a great holiday season. Ia manuia le kerisimasi, po’o Chanukkah, Kwazaa, po’o ese ese tu'uaga mo outou, ma manuia lava le tausaga fou. Thank you again, Love, Lili

Since I only have a few weeks left, I wanted to take advantage of the time I do have here…and here is some of the fun happening on the South West of Savaii

Cat For the longest time we have only had a male cat…..so when I came home and saw a female cat in a pot with a kitten I was puzzled…Where did this cat come from? My prediction is: my cat knocked up his girlfriend and he decided to bring her home to help take care of the baby…. But now the other question is, why is there a book in the pot with the two cats?

Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns were carved from papayas with candles inside, the mood was set for a nice spooky Halloween. The Halloween weekend kicked off with a murder mystery party…..what could be better than that.  Although and my best friend and I had planned to host one when I was much younger, I had never actually attended one (Ashley and I never made it past the planning stages).  This party had well over 20 people, and although it was fun playing the part of someone else, it was hard to keep everyone’s new identity straight.  The night was a lot of fun, and I was not one of the 7 or so people to die, even though I could not figure out who the murderer was.  The real funny part of the night that we had pseudo identities, and it was a costume party on top of that, so it really tripped us up.  There was a ninja Merlin, many vampires, a coconut tree, and much, much more.  The next night we celebrated Halloween with all of the other volunteers from other countries and Samoans.  At the café we were at we had a costume contest, and somehow I ended up winning one of the prizes for best costume.  (I was the Statue of Liberty…I think I did a good job of doing the Peace Corps goals with that costume!) It was impressive to see how much everyone put into their costumes.  There was a snowman, 4 legged woman, Minnie Mouse, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Palolo Hunter, Pebbles and Bam Bam, Cowboys and Indians and much much more.  It was great to see the creativity everyone put into their costumes with as little resources as we have.  

Drought to Rainy Season It is amazing how quickly the seasons change. One day I am sitting here complaining about all of the fires and drought, and two weeks later I find myself getting a text warning about flooding due to the massive amounts of rainfall. The past few weeks have been full of rain, making me bring my raincoat wherever I go. It has rained so much that the river in Samalaeulu returned. (The strongest river in Samoa that only appears about 3 times a year.) Our water levels have not returned to a “safe level” yet to allow people in all villages to have piped water during more hours of the day, but if this weather pattern continues soon, we’ll get there.

Oceania Cup Two weekends ago I was in Apia for a weekend marathon of events, one of our staff members hosted a murder mystery party for us, then most of us were volunteering at an event hosted by Samoan Victims Support, there was also a Halloween party, and still if there was more time, a rugby tournament was taking place. Family Fun Day through Samoan Victims Support was held at Apia Park, to ensure it was able to reach out to the most amounts of people. Many people were volunteering at it, there were representatives from JICA (the Japanese Volunteers) AYD (Australian Volunteers), Peace Corps (USA Volunteers) and many host country nationals. I woke up and it was a day like any other day…nice and sunny. However, that changed quickly… the hour leading up to family fun day was complete downpour and the rain never stopped. You would think this would deter people from attending this outdoor fun event, but it didn’t too much. Everyone was having a blast playing the different carnival games, relay races through the mud, eating, dancing and doing many many other fun activities. There was a fire truck there to give the children rides as well as a police car. All of the kids that stopped by my station had a blast as we used wire hangers to make gigantic bubbles. As the day continued, so did the rain. In many places on the grass the water reached well up my calf, which made me covered in muddy water. When it was over, I decided why leave the park when there is rugby going on and I wanted to see Samoa win another cup. My wishing came through as Samoa was dominating against the other teams from the Pacific coming out undefeated. There were so many amazing games to watch because of the weather there was so much sliding and falling all over the field. The Australian games made me laugh the most as they were covered in so much mud by the end of each of their games they came out looking the same as the other non Palagis from the Pacific. In the end, it really made me feel pride for this country I have been in for the past two years. (Of course I did cheer for my fellow Americans from American Samoa when they played….well except for their game against Samoa…)

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? If you ask kids in America, they will normally give you the joke response of, “to get to the other side.” However in Samoa, where chickens cross the road sometimes more than people, children have a different response….Here are some of them now….

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? If you ask kids in America, they will normally give you the joke response of, “to get to the other side.” However in Samoa, where chickens cross the road sometimes more than people, children have a different response….Here are some of them now….

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? If you ask kids in America, they will normally give you the joke response of, “to get to the other side.” However in Samoa, where chickens cross the road sometimes more than people, children have a different response….Here are some of them now….

Palolo Day 2 Since last year I went several times on the wrong day to kapalolo, I jumped at the chance to go again to make up for the previous year, and to get a different experience I went with different people to a different location. This time I was going in my village. It is hard to get to the ocean in my village. I mean it is right there….but there are so many rocks on the hill and other obstacles to make it hard to travel. I was told to leave my telephone, what a use as a torch. This worried me because I have fallen walking to the ocean when it wasn’t dark outside. Our first stop was to pick up the paopao (canoe) so that everyone would have a safe place to keep their buckets of sperm. When we arrived, the paopao was broken. The bottom that allows the canoe to float was split in two. The men set out to find other pieces of wood to fix this and using vines from the tree to tie it into place. It is always so amazing to watch how inventive Samoans can be. We then set off. Although we walked on the slimy rocks next to the water the entire time, it was still at least a ten minute climb to get to the spot where everyone was. When we arrived, there were several people in the water searching with their flashlights, similar to the previous day. However, they were not given as colourful commentary. We sat on the rocks hanging out until those in the water mentioned the sign of palolo swimming in the Pacific. One my one, the rocks emptied as people swam over to the coral to catch the palolo. I waited until the sun was about to rise. It was hard to find my paopao of people since the ocean was so crowded and it was still dark. I spent a lot of time by myself in the water until I saw them. I helped one of the young girls guide the paopao so it was easy for everyone to access, as I enjoyed the scenery. All of the people that I have come to love as a family were there in front of me. There was the old man who runs the shop who made a little raft for his bucket out of wood and tied it to his stomach. Another person came over to me with their bucket to offer me a taste. One of the pastor’s mothers was perfecting the art of catching the little worms. My brother was there with the mosquito net eating the palolo faster than he could catch it. It was magical. I decided I wanted in on the fun. I still didn’t have a net, and even though I knew any of my students would have given me theirs, I didn’t want to deprive them of the fun. I put my hand in the water and started catching them that way. The little green and brown worms I was often able to catch, however I sometimes broke them in half (they still swim) or took all of their colouring off of their bodies. I popped them in my mouth for an early morning snack and sometimes put them in whoever’s bucket was closest to mine. It was a lot of fun. As the sun rose and the whole scene became more and more visible, I realized I had to leave to get ready for school. I swam back to shore with a big smile on my face. I learned later from someone at the market the previous day that someone was selling palolo in a small mayonnaise jar for $400! It is incredible how much it is worth. I am really lucky to be in a village with such amazing coral that we have an abundance of it.

Palolo He came up to me with a pair of scissors, “This will get it out,” he said as he pointed to my leg. “No, no, no!” I replied knowing that he failed at looking for a needle to help me. Finally with the use of fingernails, he took the tiny shards of coral that were causing me pain out of my leg. In several places, I think my leg got infected, but I did a good job cleaning up the rest of it, so I am no longer seeing green there. How did this all happen? Am I really that accident prone? Well maybe… but I was fishing for palolo. I had heard that palolo, the sperm of the coral, were coming either Monday night, Tuesday night, or Wednesday night, and after getting it wrong several times last year, I wasn’t going to miss it this year. My sister and I awoke at 3:30 in the morning, not sure when the others would be going. We decided to head to the bus stop to wait it out and watch. Lying around the bus stop we saw many people with their homemade palolo nets and buckets going either left or right. Right was the ones who would try to catch palolo in the next village, and the left were the ones who enjoyed a “rocky” start and would climb on rocks to use our village water. Finally we saw one of the teachers from my school and set off with her. We were going to our neighboring village, which was nice. When we arrived there were very few people on the sand, but soon, it became more crowded with people playing music to make it like a beach party. If you looked tai, in the ocean you would see half a dozen men with flashlights scanning the cold morning water, ready to let others know when to jump in with their nets. They screamed out many updates, such as, “Maybe this is the wrong day.” Finally, maybe half passed five, the time had come and everyone bound for the water. It was an amazing site to see, because many of them had flashlights, they were all pointed at the water, and we had gotten so used to the night’s sky being our only source of light. It was beautiful to watch everyone at work. They did their own, “palolo dance” to capture them in their nets. One of my year 8 students who had a huge national exam was in the water, because he knew palolo catching is one of the best days of the year. (I am NOT saying this is a good test taking strategy to wake up in the middle of the night to do this…) Other kids were having the time of their lives, picking up some of the sperm and eating it fresh. Finally when the sun became to come up, and we would be able to see what was happening, my sister and I headed into the water. I only stayed on the sandy bottom, but there were still many palolo swimming my way. I was amazed at how long they were. It was so nice to be a part of my village and go kapalolo. It really is an experience that shows you pure acceptance into the village. Besides who doesn’t love a slimy wormy sperm from the ocean to eat in the morning?

Palolo He came up to me with a pair of scissors, “This will get it out,” he said as he pointed to my leg. “No, no, no!” I replied knowing that he failed at looking for a needle to help me. Finally with the use of fingernails, he took the tiny shards of coral that were causing me pain out of my leg. In several places, I think my leg got infected, but I did a good job cleaning up the rest of it, so I am no longer seeing green there. How did this all happen? Am I really that accident prone? Well maybe… but I was fishing for palolo. I had heard that palolo, the sperm of the coral, were coming either Monday night, Tuesday night, or Wednesday night, and after getting it wrong several times last year, I wasn’t going to miss it this year. My sister and I awoke at 3:30 in the morning, not sure when the others would be going. We decided to head to the bus stop to wait it out and watch. Lying around the bus stop we saw many people with their homemade palolo nets and buckets going either left or right. Right was the ones who would try to catch palolo in the next village, and the left were the ones who enjoyed a “rocky” start and would climb on rocks to use our village water. Finally we saw one of the teachers from my school and set off with her. We were going to our neighboring village, which was nice. When we arrived there were very few people on the sand, but soon, it became more crowded with people playing music to make it like a beach party. If you looked tai, in the ocean you would see half a dozen men with flashlights scanning the cold morning water, ready to let others know when to jump in with their nets. They screamed out many updates, such as, “Maybe this is the wrong day.” Finally, maybe half passed five, the time had come and everyone bound for the water. It was an amazing site to see, because many of them had flashlights, they were all pointed at the water, and we had gotten so used to the night’s sky being our only source of light. It was beautiful to watch everyone at work. They did their own, “palolo dance” to capture them in their nets. One of my year 8 students who had a huge national exam was in the water, because he knew palolo catching is one of the best days of the year. (I am NOT saying this is a good test taking strategy to wake up in the middle of the night to do this…) Other kids were having the time of their lives, picking up some of the sperm and eating it fresh. Finally when the sun became to come up, and we would be able to see what was happening, my sister and I headed into the water. I only stayed on the sandy bottom, but there were still many palolo swimming my way. I was amazed at how long they were. It was so nice to be a part of my village and go kapalolo. It really is an experience that shows you pure acceptance into the village. Besides who doesn’t love a slimy wormy sperm from the ocean to eat in the morning?

O le Tulafale A new movie came out recently, and it was the best movie that I have seen in a long time.  The movie is titled O Le Tulefale or The Orator.  I went to Apia for a meeting, and as soon as I arrived I was hearing so much buzz about this movie…and being where I am which sometimes has a media block out (no radio, no newspapers….and who really wants to sit in front of a tv?) I had never heard of it before, but I agreed to go with someone for my first Samoan movie experience. I had never been to the movies before, and from what other people told me, I didn't expect much.  I was surprised though, the movie theatre was much better than I thought.  It is not like movie theatres in New York (which you pay about 4x the price for a ticket, and about 3x the price for popcorn), but the seats were comfortable to screen was perfect, what more do you need? O le tūlāfale is a Samoan movie that really captures the Samoan experience.  Listening to the sounds puts you directly in the village.  It is so beautiful.  The movie is in Samoan, but subtitled to ensure everyone will get the full picture.  The movie tells the story of a dwarf man (surprisingly not Stoe, there is a new dwarf actor now!) and deals with Samoan issues on family, and banishment.  The setting takes place in the village that I had my training in, so I lived for several months.  It was excited to see the places I hung out on the big screen. I even saw my host father in one of the Matai meetings.  Sadly, they did not go down the road to show my house with the camera. If the movie comes to you, make sure to watch it, it will tell the Samoan experience far better than I ever could!

The Samoan Factor The Samoan Factor is when things are meant to go one way, and in fact every other country, and every other situation they would play out perfectly, but here things get Samoan and don’t. On Saturday my back started hurting, by Sunday it was pretty bad, and by Monday I knew for sure it was a boil. I wanted to see the doctor, but did not want to spend an entire day travelling to go to the main hospital on my island. The doctor comes on Thursdays to my district hospital, which is how it has been forever (except for when there was doctor shortage and there was none….) I suck up the pain, self treat myself, and wait until I know the doctor is there. When Thursday arrives, I get excited thinking that I will be healed soon… and learn that the day of the doctor has been changed to Wednesday. I decide to see the nurse anyway, because I really want my back to stop hurting! In any other situation, if I wanted to see the doctor, I would have been able to….but here the Samoan Factor always comes into play and you never know what will happen. Nothing is ever a sure thing.

Boils When reading about ancient history, you have to stop and think about it….how did people survive? The Jewish people were plagued with boils…that means way more than one or two at a time…and without antibiotics, how did they keep on living? I am on boil number three (numbers one and two were in the armpit area last year). This one is different because I cannot see how it is getting worse, or even check and see if there is any improvement; why because it is on my back and I live in the country without mirrors. Well I take that back, there are some mirrors, many families have a piece of a broken mirror somewhere, but nowhere can you get a true look at yourself. I have been using my bike mirror to judge this boil, and so I can not completely see the extent of it. My boil looks like a pimple…and now it has grown a little bit bigger…not sure exactly how big though…My opinion is it looks like when those teenagers in junior high pops their pimples and they explode into a little crater. Although it is small, the area in which it hurts is large, bigger than my hand. The problem with back pain is it hurts in everything you do. You can’t lay down, sit, walk, or skip without feeling pain. So it is a constant annoyance! I’ve been trying to self treat myself for the past few days, and might go today for traditional medicine, and if it continues….there is a doctor in the hospital on Thursday afternoons. I am sure the ancient people didn’t whine as much as me...but I am pretty good at whining, just ask my family in America. I’m on the home stretch before going to the States, body please try to stay healthy!

Last week I met with Samoan Victims Support to interview about working in their school as the Home School Coordinator. The Job Responsibilities entail: 1. Plan, lead, organize and control educational work plans, teaching materials, and curriculum at SVSG Home school 2. Maintain complete and accurate records of student attendance, non-attendance, and extra curriculum activities in accordance to office requirements from time to time 3. Coordinate and organize volunteers and their schedules in accordance with home school schedules for the relevant classes 4. Research and gather materials to create a multilevel/multiage curriculum for ease of networking with other mainstream educational institutions 5. Facilitate after school extra curriculum activities of home school students 6. Assist with livelihood programs as well as physical education of home school students 7. Report to Executives on a weekly basis on the operation of the home school 8. Assist SVSG with fundraising activities and any other duties as directed from time to time. I am really interested in working with them starting in January..What would my next steps be? Thank you all for your help! Regards, Lillian Watson

Fires Last week I was driving home from Salelologa and all I could see was the smoke from the fires. Every village we passed was being plagued by forest fires…it was insane. I knew that Savaii was struggling with wildfires due to the lack of rain for the past several months, but I didn’t think it had gotten that bad. There is a fire brigade in Savaii, but many of the fires are far away from the main road that the fire fighters are unable to reach them. This duty falls on the men of the village. They can spend all day making the lines to try to fight this fire, while hoping it does not reach their family’s houses that are nearby. I was told by someone that many people had gone to their plantation and realized their whole plantation was aflame and lost all of their crops. This means all of their food. Unlike people elsewhere, these people do not have a steady income and rely on this food for survival, which is a huge blow, and the importance of neighbors extremely important. Another devastating loss is a school burnt down, which means that school is forced to have school in village houses like we are currently doing. Some villages had run out of water as well, and I am surprised we haven’t since the dryness was so bad it was making my skin break out in rashes. Thankfully, October starts the rainy (cyclone season) and for the past 5 days we have had rain 3 of those days. I hope the rain continues so these fires and other health problems will end. (Pictures are from one of the forests that burnt down months ago)

Kope Keige Wins the Race Wow…this blog is a little late…. In September I competed in my fourth race ever-the Perimeter Island Relay. Our team had been shaken up a lot due to injury, and we were completely unsure of how we would perform. We were nervous, and many of us felt that we were not in the good conditions we were last year. Natalie, one of our new members to the team lead us off, and she gave us a great way to start. We were so lucky to have her on our team. She gave us the perfect amount of energy to get us excited about running. Next up was Kaelin. Kaelin is by far my favorite person to watch run. I don’t know if you have ever seen the Friends’ episode where Phoebe tries running….and says the way to run is to run like you did when you were a little kid….Kaelin runs just like this, and it is my favorite to watch. It always gets me motivated. Going third was Jenny, our other newbie to the team. She just started running a few months prior, and was not taking it seriously, but we were so happy when she said that she would try the race with us. Jenny was by far the most valuable runner we had. She was so dominate in all of her runs, and had by far the toughest legs. I don’t know how she was able to do it, but it was beyond amazing. I was fourth, and I feel like I did okay. I pushed myself on the last leg to ensure that I did not walk, even when the heat of the sun felt like it was begging me to just take a break. Fifth was Dana, my Savaii sister. Dana had been unsure about the race because she was not given the opportunity to train properly because of many falavelaves happening in her village causing it to be inappropriate to exercise for several months. Dana runs faster than anyone I know, her legs just keep going, it is especially impressive on the hills. Last was Corina. Corina had been training for this race, and you could see it. She was faster than I have ever seen her. She was simply incredible, and brought us to the finish line faster than anyone would have thought…it must have been her fastest run. Our driver was one of our fallen runners, Rachel. She gave us such motivation and helped us so much during the race. She looked like she was ready to take one of our places, with her matching shirt with us and running shoes on. When we finished at the government building we were overwhelmed with the support from the Peace Corps Staff and other volunteers. It was so beautiful. We made it in before the other Peace Corps team, Toa Pisi Koa, and it was nice to cheer them in. Our team, Kope Keige won the women’s open category for the second straight year, and even beat our time with 11 hours and 42 minutes (we really had nothing to worry about!). Toa Pisi Koa, a team made up of Kyle, Karen, Chris, Rivka, Danny, and Katie won the Mixed open’s category. No one was able to beat the record our boy’s team set last year. After the race, Jenny sent me a text saying how great she felt about her accomplishments...not only had she just finished running around Upolu, but earlier in the year we both biked the island. We have been able to excel in exercising in Upolu. The Perimeter Relay was such a great experience, and remains one of the best highlights of my experience in Samoa.

Apia Kids vs Kuai I have gotten used to living kuai (away from the city-excuse my spelling!). I never realized that children are raised differently in the different areas. Living by the city, with working parents, children are spoiled a little more it appears. I base this solely on a visit that a primary school from Apia took here, and I know it is not true upon everyone. Here everyone eats everything on their plates. They eat their meat to the bone, and even suck on the bone. Although I don’t devour meat like they do, I do find myself eating much more off the plate than I did in America. Food is not wasted, as whatever you take on your plate, you eat, since that is what is expected. I have gotten used to that, because I know people spent a lot of their money and time preparing the food, and it is a way to thank them. The Apia children were given a buffet, and filled their plates (who could blame them with the delicious food they had!) to the brim. What surprised me was they were handing back their plates saying they were full, with their plates still full and only a few bites taken out. (Like good Samoans, we went to the back, and finished up their plates for them, and it was delicious!) These children were also not allowed to drink tap or water tank water, and had to buy bottled water. It was shocking to see, because so much money was wasted on water, water that most people feel is suited to drink, especially when you are living here. Having their visit made me extremely happy for where I am. I love living amongst the people who waste less and seem more down to earth on their mannerisms (which I probably would not have thought two years ago…) On a different note, a few of us were staying at a hotel last month, and did not pay extra to have breakfast there. A few people were sitting in the kitchen area, and when a palagi couple got up, another peace corps had to really restrain herself from finishing the avocado and eggs left on their plates. (The workers took the plate away right away….and I think that was the main reason for her restraint!)

Books I used to be picky on books, and put books down at the first sign of disinterest. Recently I have learned how less picky I have become. I have found myself finishing books that from page one seemed dull, and in anticipation of it getting better, I continue to read, and continue to get disappointed to the end. I have been lucky growing up in America, not with so many choices on food and activities to do, but as I have learned, lucky with literature. Our libraries are full of so many amazing novels, books that many other places around the world are not fortunate enough to get. I don’t know if my reading habits will change back at home with more options out there, but for now I will continue to read anything I can get my hands on.

Ghost Update I thought my aitu (ghost) left me, things had calmed down for awhile. And then Friday happened. I went in my room to lay down for a bit, and left my room for about half an hour. I left my key on my bed, and shut the door. The door has a bolt lock that is only lockable with a key. When I came home, the door was locked, and I had to break in again. The key was still on my bed. I am convinced my ghost is still here.

Pineapple Challenge I was biking home, when I saw it. It was so big and beautiful. I had to have it. There are so many eating contests out there, why is there never a fruit eating contest? I bought the pineapple, and decided I would challenge myself to eat the entire thing in one sitting. It would be my own personal eating contest. I cut it up and immediately started to devour it. Halfway in I was full, I was receiving encouraging text messages from my friends whom I had told about the challenge. “You are living the dream,” one said, which made me laugh and continue. I kept on eating when my family until my family came home, and then began to feel guilty that I was not sharing. I shared the last little 7 quarter pieces of my pineapple. I had gotten so close, and failed. I am going to have this challenge again with myself-and maybe bring others into as well…

Lalomanu We sat there doing our small group discussion. There was an amazing view of the ocean where we were, two small islands in site, and yet the past right next to us. There were graves for six children who passed away on that horrible day two years ago. I know we were not there the day of the tsunami, but arriving in Samoa one week and a day later; we have had to deal with the effects of what happened for the past two years. I remember driving through this area after we first arrived; it reminded me of a horrible war zone, which is odd in such a peaceful country. Houses were half missing, tents for temporary shelter were set up, cars and boats were overturned, people’s possessions were scattered about. For months on the news we heard about all the people struggling for food and water, it felt like the tragedy would never end. Now, to the outside eye, it is difficult to see the extent of that day. They have done an amazing job cleaning up. There are still little artifacts to remind you, mainly the house foundations that are left, some with still a few columns, but most people have done a great job trying to move on and not live in the past. I did not go, but I am told you can really relive the 29th of September 2009, if you go in the water there. With a snorkel, instead of seeing the amazing coral around Samoa, you will see the remnants of that day. Doors, silverware, tires, basically anything that was washed to sea, is still there. From what I am told, the beach resorts in this area are back to where they were. Villages have mainly moved inland (a common theme after any disaster), which means people have a longer walk to catch their food, or catch a bus. Lalomanu was a place that first brought me to tears, and finally it brought me fond memories of my group for the few days we stayed there.

Cos We stood on the porch watching the whales breach and jump in the distance. It was amazing that from so far away we were able to see so much activity from them. Down the hill from us was one of the destruction sites from the tsunami, an event that played a big role in the start of our time in Samoa as we were unsure for the longest time if we would even come to Samoa. Were we on holiday? Nope, we were enjoying the down time of our COS conference. Close of Service….the end of two amazing years….and as I heard from a few of my group members over and over again, “It’s the beginning of the end.” While others said, “It’s the end of the beginning.” Both statements are true. It is the beginning of the end. For two years I have had 12 sisters and 2 brothers that have been the best family I could have unexpectedly asked for. We started out as strangers, and now have grown to love one another. We often get on each others’ nerves like siblings do, but it only brings us closer. I remember being intimidated by some of my group members, I mean it felt as if Peace Corps had picked the best of the best….and I was confused at how I fit in there… The end of the beginning is true as well as since it feels like our life has now restart. We are going to be coming back to America with a new sense of who we are. Sessions were filled with helping us map out for the future, think of the past two years and remembering to enjoy the present. We learned a lot, and ate a lot. I really mean we ate a lot! We must have looked like savages as we neglected to use silverware, since we were not used to having more than a spoon. There was also so much palagi food that reminded us of home that we felt the need to shovel it into our mouths quickly because we wanted to make sure we all got to eat as much as possible. During our downtime, besides eating and watching whales, it was nice to see the individuality that is brought to Samoa Group 82. We are a group with a billion different interests and we show that each time we are together. While some people snorkeled and swam in the ocean, others ran, while some sat on porches and read. There were some on the grass doing yoga, while you could hear the guitar strumming as some members were singing. We did have some group time together, where we had a dance party, which in the spirit of Samoa looked similar to a Bar Mitzvah party was we danced to only pop music and even limbo-ed on the dance floor. By the end of our time together we sat around a circle and one by one we told stories about each other and it was the most beautiful experience. I had Kyle. Kyle I feel like I did not get to know as well as I wanted to because of geography, but I still loved to spend time with him since he is my brother. He takes care of us all, and is always there with a smile (and an ice cream). Now, from what I learned from him during Close of Service, he is quite the comedian. Kyle will do amazing things in his life, you can just see it in him. Emilie had me, and she brought me to tears as she talked about me. Even though Emi and I were on the same island, we only saw each other less than once a month. But it was nice to know she was always there with a smile or an inspirational text message. It was sad to see our conference come to an end, because in less than two short months our group will begin dispersing as we go on with our lives. We will forever be 82.

The Best Day Today was an exciting day for me….for the first time in almost four months I was able to treat myself to a hot shower. I had forgotten how amazing hot water is; it just makes you feel so much cleaner. It makes me happy that I have been ka’a from the village because I got warm water out of it!

Manu Was it a holiday? A Sunday where more people were at church than normal? If you were to look at Apia, it appeared to be a ghost town. No busses were running, no taxis were on the road, for that matter no cars were on the road. You could zig zag up and down the middle of the road without any problem because there were literally no cars. Businesses were all closed, and if they couldn’t close for some reason, everyone either was in the back watching tv or listening to the radio. Where was the country? Tuned in to the television of course! Go Manu! Who knew rugby would play such a big part of my Peace Corps experience? Watching Samoa’s opening match against Namibia, I don’t think you can help being impressed by the athleticism Manu put forth. Within one minute of the game starting the whole establishment where I was cheering because Samoa had scored their first try. No one stopped screaming until the end. Sixty minutes into the game, I jinxed the team, thinking it was going to be a shutout, and said out loud how amazing it would be to see a shutout in the World Cup….and then Namibia scored. You could tell Manu was tired by the end of the match, but they still finished strong. The final score was 49-12. As soon as the final points were up, I ran to do an errand, it was amazing to see the ghost town of Apia come to life. It was so quiet when I left with not a single car on the road. Then all of a sudden there were so many cars honking and waving Samoan flags. It was simply incredible. The noise did not stop for hours! Saturday Samoa plays their next match, and I have a bit of a conflict with this….The race ends at the same time as the start of the rugby game. We all need to make sure we run extremely fast to not miss a second of it!

Relay Three more days, gosh that’s scary! Are we ready? I sure hope so… We are almost to the perimeter relay race, my fourth race ever. Our team has had its ups and downs, with three runners having to drop out because of health issues, and several of our team members are not as healthy as last year, but we should do okay. The Kope Keige team consists of Dana, Corina, Jenny M, Kaelin, Natalie and myself. Rachel, one of our fallen members, has agreed to get her Samoan drivers license to drive us around the entire day. We realized yesterday that there is also one more complication to the relay…the Rugby World Cup. Samoa is playing Wales at about the same time as the end of our relay. This means everyone will be rushing to the finish line to be able to watch the game….who knows what will happen to the Prizegiving.. Wish us luck Saturday as we tackle Le Mafa Pass, dogs, and crazy drivers as we run around Upolu. (Pictures are from last year’s relay)

Manunu 23 months ago we were in training in this small mountain village of Manunu. The village was wonderful in so many ways as it forced you to be in tuned with the Samoan culture. We lived in a fish bowl, as most of the houses were in a circle around the malae allowing you to see what everyone is doing at all times. There were some ups, and there were many downs during that period. We were in such a state of adjustment that it was difficult to see the many positive aspects of living where we were at the time. I remember sneaking over to the ruins of a house, or the “main” road to call my sister and secretly cry to her about what I was going through. Reminding her not to tell my parents because I wanted to seem strong, I did not want them to have any reason to doubt me or the decision I made and tell me to come home. Living with so many people (Was it 13 or 14?) and sharing a room for sleep with so many young babies and toddlers seemed so impossible after living on my own for so long. Feeling malnourished as I was not getting the food that I felt was healthy, or even liked. (I remember my family trying to constantly splurge on their finances and give me a bowl of noodles for a meal. They were so confused at why I did not like this treat as much as they did.) Never having a place to change your clothes without everyone watching, seemed like the most difficult thing. Always wondering if there would be toilet paper or old school notes in the bathroom to wipe yourself seemed to cause some stress as well. The constant noise made sleep darn near impossible to get and I remember just spending days crying because I was so tired and knew I had to have classes from 8-5, and sometimes later anyway. Four or five hours on a Sunday dedicated to church seemed impossible, and I remember once or twice hiding in bed pretending to be sick as the thought of doing the half hour walk to church in the sun seemed like walking the plank on a pirate ship. And it was the place where cold water showering was introduced to us. And believe me, those showers were extremely cold! I had a family there that truly cared about me, and showed it in such an extreme that I was not used to. I was not used to a curfew in which I should be home well before dark, and warned about rapists and ghosts in the village if I went anywhere when it was not daylight. Though there was plenty of craziness in my eyes, I really did enjoy my family, and was only really able to focus on how much I loved them until I was removed from the area and was able to think about the good times without all of those other distractions. All of these fond memories have made me able to keep coming back for more and more visits. On my last visit last weekend, I realized how much I have grown as a person, and how Samoanized I have become in the two years. The family has changed as people have moved away, others have gotten married and some have had children. In my last visit, the faleo’o where the boys would sleep had been torn down because of it being old and weathered, but other than that the family is the same loving people I have always remembered. When visiting a family, the nice appropriate thing to do is bring food. I have learned how important this is when you visit some families than some others. In many families there is no one working to support the family, or possibly only one person making the minimum wages of 2 tala per hour. The family you visit want to make only the best food for you, but sometimes it is impossible for them as all they can afford is the sugar for the cocoa, as the rest of their food comes from the land. I usually try to bring several bags of groceries for this reason, as I do not want to spend several days only eating boiled bananas. But as I was saying, I have realized how much I have grown on this last visit. The water pipes were not working at my family’s house, so I joined my sister as we walked across the road to a neighbor’s house and showered outside there. There are many parts of this experience that I would have feared two years go. First of all, showering outside where everyone can see you I used to think was strange, I mean what happens if your lavalava falls down? Also, having someone there with you showing can seem strange. But it felt completely natural. My sister made sure I scrubbed my shoes for church to make sure they were as clean as possible. For sleep arrangements, I remember during training how much I complained and lost sleep over sharing a room with 4 people including a 1 year old, 2 year old, three year old and a 25 year old. It drove me insane. However, on this visit I was perfectly comfortable sharing me bed with my sister and having 9 of us in the room. I walked in different people’s houses in the back door and hung out with families for hours, just to talk and let them know how their Peace Corps is doing. I went on countless walks with my sisters to catch up on life. It was just an amazing time being with them. I have also gained a lot of confidence being in Samoa, and I feel like I have grown and am not the same person I was 23 months ago. (Hopefully in a better way!) (Pictures are from our Close of Service Conference)

Hobos Yesterday we had a VAC meeting (Volunteer Advisory Committee) and we discussed several important issues facing us volunteers, one of them included the cleanliness of our resource room. We discussed the status of how the office looked now, and everyone agreed it looks much better, but I had to admit to the committee I missed our cardboard boxes. (I am glad someone else on the committee agreed with me as well, since the staff told us we looked like a bunch of homeless people at the time.) The cardboard boxes were flatted and laid out under tables for people to take naps. It was really nice to have a place to hide and take a break, especially when you have had a horribly long commute or just a long week. It was our little cave to escape our host family and whatever problems we faced there. Why did we sleep on cardboard boxes? Here are some of the reasons we loved them: 1. Cardboard boxes are extremely comfortable. 2. They prevent you from lying on the cold tiled floor. 3. They somehow radiate a little bit of warmth into what could be a cold air conditioned room. 4. They limit the amount of bugs and other creepy crawlers from crawling all over you. 5. When you are feeling ill, somehow lying on them always seems to magically make you feel better. 6. It felt as if by laying a few boxes around the room, we have now transformed into a free hotel, and sometimes you just really need a nap. Okay, so looking at the last reason, maybe we did look like a bunch of hobos, but after sleeping on many cardboard boxes, I will never mock the life of a hobo again. They seem to have gotten it right as cardboard boxes are the way to go for a comfortable sleep.