Peace...Love...Samoa: 2010

I arrived in Samauga this past Saturday. After Swear in on Friday group 83 celebrated together one last time before parting ways again, but on our own this time. The Savaii group had to wake up at 5:30 to catch the 8:00 Ferry. We had two vehicles, one that was hauling all of our stuff and was going on the ferry with us; the other was just to transport us to the ferry. We were a little off schedule that morning. The truck did not fit all of our belongings, it was piled so high that one speed bump and all of it would fall off. The van transporting the PCV’s ended up transporting the rest of our stuff that did not fit. The trip was a success, making the 8 o’clock ferry without losing any of our belongings.

The plan was to be picked up by our host families or someone from the school committee at the wharf. I was greeted by my host family as well as my pule(principal). It was a good thing my pule came with a truck, otherwise my stuff would have been left at the wharf. I arrived to Samauga to a finished house and fried chicken. I talked with a member of my host family and pule for a while and then they left me to unpack and have a rest. I woke up to a feeling as if someone was watching me. Sure enough I rolled over to my 5yr old host sister just staring at me and then in a creepy smile saying “hiii jenny”. I knew that this was the moment I met my new best friend. She has quite a sassy personality. She bosses everyone around and I have noticed that most of the village children are afraid of her. I think she is awesome, her name is Sarai.

I live on a family compound. In the first house, which is also connected to the family shop, is a couple with their three daughters. The house behind them is the grandparents and then the guest house is in the back which is occupied right now by the family members visiting from Australia. My house is across from the grandparent’s house. It is a small western house with one bedroom and bathroom. It just needs a little love and decorating, and then it will be perfect.

I am sure you all are wondering how it is going my first Christmas away from home. It is a little tough. Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year. I have been thinking about drinking peppermint mochas with Kristine, trimming the tree with my family (no matter how chaotic it is), waiting last minute to take the Christmas card picture, trying to find where my mom is hiding our Christmas presents, the smell of a real Christmas tree, watching my mom pull post its and gum out of her stocking, Christmas pjs, and of course Christmas morning. I do miss all those things, but I knew that being away for the holidays was all part of this experience. A former PCV told me I had to “Own it” and do whatever I needed to do to make it feel like Christmas. So taking his advice Christmas music is playing nonstop in my fale and I colored some Christmas pictures to hang on the wall.

All in all it has been a good first week in Samauga. I haven’t received any more letters or packages. That’s not to say that they aren’t here, it’s just the matter of me traveling back to Upolu and picking them up. I do have a new address which I will post below. Keep sending letters and e-mails. I will have regular internet access within the next couple months but I am able to use the PC office in the mean time.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays….

Most of our stuff...

Crazy Sarai

My House :)

New Samauga Primary

View from the school

I will try to sum up the past eight weeks of my life the best I can. I have to do it all in this blog post because I know the likely hood of me talking about training again is very slim. So here it goes….

October 24^th group 83 split up into four different training groups in four separate villages. We gave our goodbye hugs acting like we were leaving one another for good. In reality we were a ten minute bus ride from everyone and met in Apia for center days every friday. I packed in a bag which I would usually use for a weekend getaway and of course my backpack. The Peace Corps arranged transportation and dropped us off at our new homes for the next eight weeks.

8 weeks.....?

Italianos.....PC hotspot

Tafitoala is what I consider my first home in Samoa. I would have said Pacifica Inn before these past eight weeks, but many events have happen over training that changed my feelings. The other PCs in my village were Sam, Mika, Mikaele, and Karene. We had the best language trainer, Fale. I lived with a wonderful older woman named Sene (ironically my same Samoan name). She was like a sweet Grandmother who took very good care of me. Her husband had passed away a number of years ago. She has eight children, some living in Apia and other living overseas. Her children and grandchildren would come over throughout the week and we would spend weekends together. They all were so wonderful to me and made me feel welcomed and apart of the family. My host sister even took me to a wedding. It was very similar to the ones back home. The main difference was the food portions. I had my own tray of food which I originally thought was for the whole table. My family’s main goal was to make me fat like them. I would get teased at the table for how little I ate, but I was okay with that. Every Sunday the family does a to’onai. The best way to describe this meal is to compare it to Thanksgiving…just every week.

Samoan Wedding

Me and little Sene at the wedding

Me little Sene and my sister Patsy

My home in Tafitoala

My village was right on the coast. I fell asleep to the sound of waves. Downfalls of village life….roosters, no AC, and cold showers. How cold showers quickly change into something you look forward to in the heat of the day. There was a language barrier, well there still is, but it gets better every day and I feel myself becoming for confident with the language. Highlights of village life were afternoon walks and fia fias which I translate into DANCE PARTY.

My Boyfriend..Sa

Mika..the ladies man

Mika...the fafafine

For most of the weeks our days were filled with too many hours of language training. My two favorite weeks of training were the two that we spent teaching at the village Primary school. For me, those two weeks were a reassurance of why I was doing this whole thing in the first place. I knew practically no Samoan but I have never felt more comfortable being in the classroom. It was so rewarding to see the children’s faces during our lessons and also hearing feedback from the Samoan teachers. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the educational system here needs work. Hearing stories from the past I can tell that improvements have been made, but there is a lot to do still.

Tafitoala Primary

Teaching year 2

Half way through training we were given our site assignments. I have never been more anxious to receive information. For those of you who don’t know I will be on the bigger island, Savaii, in the wonderful village of Samauga. I spent a week visiting the village and the school. The last PCV that was in this village received a grant to build a new school. That was in the process of being built when I arrived. It is finished now. The village also built me my own fale which is exciting!!! There is not much to say about the trip. I spent most of my time at the school and with the Pule (principal). Group 83 met back in Apia at the end of the week, and without any explanation on my part, that day was an important experience for us.

My home in Savaii

Just kidding...if you look to the left you see the house being built...thats mine

Samauga Primarys Next Top Model

When we returned to our training villages the daily schedule resumed. Lots of language training and lots of downtime after that. I started to read during training. Did you know you can actually read books for pleasure and not just because you have a test on it? When our training group couldn’t fit anymore Samoan into our brains we would have our LCF teach us Samoan sivas and songs. Which brings me to culture day…….

I am sure a lot of you heard through the St. Pete grapevine that I killed a chicken. Let me clear up the story…I attempted to kill a chicken, however I failed. When I thought it was dead I drop it and then it popped back up to life as soon as it hit the ground. I begged the rest of the women to let it live….a Samoan women just smiled and grabbed the chicken by the neck and finished the job. My job was not done with the chicken either… once it was dead I had to pluck the feathers out. One word…Gross. So this happened on Culture day. All of 83 joined together in Lotofaga with other PC staff and village people. We learned how cook a traditional Samoan meal. Some of us went to the Plantation to retrieve coconuts and firewood. The females stayed back and made supoesi (papaya soup) for the “plantation workers”. Now I of course volunteered to go to the plantation and I was expecting to be served soup when I returned…but because I am a female I had to jump back into the female role and serve the plantation workers, which I thought I was!!! We learned a lot that day. We watched how they prepare the pig for the umu, and by prepare I mean kill and take the hair off. If you ever wanted to become vegetarian just participate in Samoan Culture Day. Another fun part of the day was learning how to weave baskets from the palm leaves. My teacher left me at the end so I made up my own way to finish the basket, needless to say there were large holes in mine and it wouldn’t have been very effective. When it came time to eat we all picked our roles out of a cup. There was the high chief (Lindsey), she got served first followed by the matais and other important people. Then there was the people who served the food and fanned the people while they were eating….that was me. So we all had to wait until Lindsey was done eating and then the rest of the group eating could be finished. After cleaning up the servants were allowed to eat. They really are not servants; they are usually just the women and children of the family. Don’t worry there is plenty of food for everyone. Once the meal was finished the awesome Tafioala group performed our Sasa dance. After our dance and making all the other groups jealous (just kidding) it was time to go home.

Bring coconuts back from the Plantation

Rachel having trouble with the heat

Me and Vavega

Killing the chicken?

Plucking the chicken

Tevi, Chris, and Lopati

Sorry vegetarians....

Doing our Sasa

TAFITOALA SAUNI

The last few weeks were days filled with preparation for our Language Test, which all of group 83 completed and passed yesterday!!! The last week in the village was bittersweet. I was excited to spend the week in Apia with everyone and for swear in and to go to my new site. But like I said earlier Tafitoala has become my home and I will miss it. Thursday night we watched Karene dance with the Catholic youth at their FiaFia. Friday we had our LPIs and later that evening we had a party with our host mothers. We performed some sivas and songs. We prepared speeches and gave gifts…and then we danced the night away. Last night was the best night in the village and our group realized that we have a special bond. It was at times a love hate relationship but at the end of the day I appreciate every single one of the Tafitoala crew. We made our last walk from the training fale together and attended the EFKS fia fia.

And now it’s today. In Apia with air conditioning and hot showers. In one week Group 83 will be sworn in as official volunteers. These past eight weeks have been a rollercoaster but on Friday it will make it all worth it.

On our last walk together I was talking with my fellow Tafitoala trainees and we were saying how we feel like we are done and now it’s time to go home. But really we are just getting started……..