Missing My Momma

Having Mom here to see where I live was really special, and it was great being able to spend so much time with my mom. Now I have 2.5 weeks until my next visitor comes! 

Last Night (Mom’s Visit: Thursday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Well, it’s here; the last day of my trip. I was a bit sad today knowing I would be saying good bye to Jessie tonight, but made my mind up to enjoy the day and save the sadness for the plane trip home. I took Jessie to school today then went to Sadie’s for a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns with coffee and tea. Yum! It was a good breakfast. At the table right next to me was the “60 Minutes” T.V. crew that has been filming here over the last week or so. I recognized the main broadcast guy, Scott ????, and could overhear a bit of his conversation thanking a Samoan guy for all the help with their filming and for use of a boat. I’m not sure who the Samoan guy is but possibly the Governor.  I learned later that they will be leaving on the same plane with me tonight. Note to self, be sure to find out when this 60 Minutes story will air. After breakfast I made a post office run for Jessie to mail some letters including some gifts from Western Samoa to her friends back at home. I also ran back to Jessie’s house to get her camera because I planned to take photos of Aiga buses after lunch. Jessie has an early lunch at 11:15 today, so I made it back just in time to pick up her lunch from Sadie’s (I ordered before I left) and get to her classroom before the bell rang. I sat with her while she had lunch then headed back to the house to get a shower and clean up before going back to pick Jessie up after school. I had to take the rental car back by 4:00pm so our plan was to take the rental car back to the Tafuna area, then ride a bus back to LauFou where we would meet up with Jessie’s friends for their regular “Thursday Night Dinner”.  Dinner was at 6:00 but we got to LauFou around 4:30 and worked on grading papers until everyone else arrived. I helped with grading the “Before the Bell” journaling, which I thoroughly enjoyed because it’s fun to read her students stories.  One by one, Jessie’s friends arrived. It was great to meet all of them after hearing Jessie’s stories about them all.  What a nice group of young people! After dinner, Scott, of the Scott and Taylor duo, gave Jessie and I a ride home. They are the only ones in the group with a car so they are used to giving rides.  Jessie took a little nap while I finished up a few things to prepare for my journey home.  It’s been a great trip and wonderful to spend the time here with Jessie, seeing where she lives and works and meeting the people she spends her time with here in American Samoa.  My flight leaves Pago Pago at 11:20pm tonight and I arrive in Houston around 10:30pm tomorrow night. It’s quite a journey. 

School Day (Mom’s Visit: Monday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Jessie’s back at school today so I got up early to drive her to school. After breakfast I decided to drive to Leone and check out the “Well Being Zone”, a small local day spa. From the outside it looked like a house with a car port and a pretty little garden, but when you step inside it’s a very nice and zen-like place. As you enter there’s a sitting area with 4 wicker/cane chairs around a coffee table and lots of large tropical plants. By the door is a water feature that provides a nice soothing sound for the entire place. Candles burn to give off a nice aroma and soothing music plays in the background. The place just had a good vibe.  I was greeted by a friendly Fijian woman named Nisha. She provided me a class of cold water to drink while I looked through the book of Spa treatments.  I selected the 60 minute Aroma Therapy Massage.  Nisha showed me to one of two massage rooms.  Nisha provided a very relaxing massage.  After the massage I headed out and drove around the Leone area for just a bit before heading back east to Samoana to take Jessie to lunch. I picked Jessie up and we went to the “Taco Place” for lunch. We split a box of 5 crispy chicken tacos.  After lunch Jessie only had one class period remaining, so I stayed and sat in on her class. As before, it was fun to see Jessie and her students interacting. One of her students, Prqynce, is my favorite and was in this class. He is just the cutest thing.  After school let out, we went down the street a block or two to the gas station that has the best ice cream on the island. We both had a milk shake to go. After that, we made a stop at the teach supply store to pick up a few items, then we went in search of a hair salon that one of Jessie’s friends told her about. That salon was closed but we found another that was open and Jessie got her hair trimmed.  We decided that we would go to the movies at 7:30. It was just now 5:30 so we had some time to kill. We went to Pizza Hut to grade papers and get a bite to eat before show time.  I helped Jessie grade some papers and it was fun reading some of the “before the bell” writings. Most of the students are way below their grade level in reading and writing but I still found the work entertaining. We wrapped up our work at Pizza Hut, which by the way is one of the nicest restaurants on the island, and headed to the movies. The Nu’uuli Cinema is a two show theater which shows current feature films. We decided on the movie “2012”, a drama about the end of the earth. It was an ok movie even though most of it was computer animated.  I think it was just after 10:00 pm when we got home. This was a late night for American Samoa.

11.20.2009_MomComesToSchool

Sliding Rock and Sadies (Mom’s Visit: Sunday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

We slept in today until about 10:00. We got ourselves up and dressed and went in search of a good breakfast. Sadie’s was our original plan but they stopped serving breakfast at 10:30; so we ended up at the Deluxe Café. We had a really good breakfast there.  After breakfast we ran back by the house and changed into swimwear and shorts then headed west to Leone. 

We were going to visit Sliding Rock which is really close to two of Jessie’s World Teach friends, Kate and Thanh. We parked at their house and stopped in for a quick visit before heading down the street to Sliding Rock. Thanh joined Jessie and I for the walk. Sliding rock is an area right on the coast where there are somewhat flat layered lava rocks smoothed by years of being washed over by the ocean waves. According to the girls the tides and waves are coming in much higher than they have ever seen them before. There are places where there are small pools filled by the surges of ocean water where you can cool off. We watched a group of boys who were playing in a larger pool. It’s very beautiful here but can be quite dangerous due to the strong waves washing in with great force. 

We didn’t get into the water at all. We enjoyed the view, climbed around on some rocks, and talked awhile, then headed back to Thanh and Kate’s house. It was really hot out so we were pretty hot and sweaty by the time we left. We went home via Tafuna Road so we could swing through McD’s for a cold diet coke. 

We went back by the house and changed back into clothes and gathered our computers to spend the late afternoon and evening at Sadie’s so Jessie could get some school lesson planning done. Jessie’s internet card usually works much better in town. By the time we arrived at Sadie’s the wind had kicked up considerably so we sat at a table by the windows inside instead of out. I read a magazine while Jessie worked on her school planning.  Over the course of the afternoon a pretty strong storm blew through with heavy rain and strong winds. We sipped iced tea and passed the time. As dinner time approached we ordered a dinner to split and dessert for both of us. It was good food and a nice relaxing evening and Jessie got her lesson planning completed. Around 7:30 we headed home. Back at the house I helped Jessie by making some posters for her classroom while she worked on other things for her week ahead. I think it was around 10 or 10:30 when we turned in for the night. 

Champions! (Mom’s Visit: Saturday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Game Day! The Samoana High School and Tafuna High School have both made it to the championship playoffs in football and the rivalry is escalating and both are ready for game day. Yesterday, throughout the villages team colors were on display with banners, flags, and posters. There was everything from carefully painted banners spouting “fight” phrases to shrubs decorated with little strips of fabric tied all over its branches. It was really neat to see such community support and team pride. The Samoans love their football. 

We had a bit of a lazy morning then headed to Samoana High School for a pep rally that was supposed to start at noon. All the students and teachers were dressed in their Royal Blue & White school colors of the Samoana Sharks. Some kids had their faces painted, there were painted t-shirts, and a variety of uses for the school i ‘e. The band was playing and several students let cheers which included traditional fight songs as well as a few Samoan songs. It was a lot of fun feeling the excitement of the students. During the pep rally the football team had warm-up drills on the football field. At 1:00 the buses started to pull up in front of the school to load up students for the trip to the stadium. My rental truck came in handy for toting some of Jessie’s teach friends to the game. I took a few of the blue streamers off of the school fence and tied them on my antenna so we would be identified as Shark fans. The area was active with fans from both teams as we made our way to the stadium. 

As we arrived we could see that the stadium seats were almost full. There were 6 of us and we managed to find a spot, near the 50 yard line but up high enough to see well, where we could all sit together. The group included me, Jessie, World Teach friends Max, Matt, and Bobby, and another teacher, Femi. The crowd was excited and cheered and sang throughout the game. There was a pretty lengthy pre-game intro by some high up official who talked for quite some time thanking people and reminding the students about playing a fair game. There was a prayer and the national anthems, including both the US anthem and the American Samoan anthem. Finally the coin toss and the game started between the Samoana Sharks and the Tafuna Warriors. 

The first half was very exciting and ended with Sharks – 7, Warriors – 0. At half time cheerleaders from both teams performed at center field. The second half the Sharks held the score to 7-0 until just before the end of the 3^rd quarter, when the Warriors ran a running play that pushed through the line to score. The play of the game was on the extra point attempt; the Sharks blocked the field goal attempt! The score was now Sharks – 7, Warriors  - 6. The Sharks managed to hold the line for the remainder of the game and took the team to a 7-6 win. As the clock counted down the last 2 minutes of the game, the crowd started to go wild with excitement. As the clock ran out and the Samoana Sharks became the 2009 Football Champions, the lady next to me turned around to me screaming with excitement and gave me the biggest hug. The kids were beyond crazy. The coaches held a congratulatory talk with the team and students out on the field. They also said a prayer of thanks. This very morning the quarterback of the team buried his father who passed away earlier in the week. He wanted to play the game for his dad and during the prayer following the game was down on his knee in tears knowing his father would be proud. 

As we headed to the parking lot the crowd continued to cheer and yell. We loaded the truck and pulled into line to exit the stadium. There was a string of cars a mile long heading out and the streets were lined with students from both teams cheering as the cars passed. The stadium is in the heart of Tafuna country so as we headed out of the area back toward Samoana High School, the stream of cars sporting Royal Blue made an impromptu parade, honking, cheering, and waving to the fans that lined the streets. This continued all the way back to SHS. It was really a lot of fun to be part of the excitement. 

We decided to have dinner at Sadie’s by the Sea and Jessie’s WT friends joined us. We had good food and I enjoyed visiting with Jessie’s friends. It was a nice dinner and time at Sadie’s. After dinner Jessie and I went to the McDonalds in Fagatogo, a village just past the school, to take care of my diet coke addiction. The place was hopping with the Samoana football team and students celebrating their victory. Jessie chatted with a couple of her students while I waited in line for our drinks. I enjoy seeing the interaction between Jessie and her students. I get a kick out of them coming up and calling her “Miss”. After McD’s, we returned home and did some house cleaning. Jessie’s roommate will be home sometime tomorrow and we have our stuff strewn all over the place. We did some laundry and tidied up while chatting so time went by quickly. After getting things cleaned up, it was time for a shower and bed. 

11.28.2009_Championship

Shopping and Touring (Mom’s Visit: Friday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday….. Jessie and I decided to do our part and support the economy. First we went to breakfast at Koko Bean restaurant in the Lau Fou shopping center, and then took care of booking Jessie and Ethan’s plane tickets for their trip to Western Samoa at Christmas time. While at the travel agent booking the plane tickets, I asked the lady who was helping us if she would check on a rental car for us and after a few tries we were in luck! She found a pickup truck for us at Friendly’s Car Rental. We hopped in a taxi and went right over to pick it up. Score one for us! We were going to have a difficult time with our shopping if we had to do it all by bus and taxi. So now with wheels we were free to shop. 

First stop Ace Hardware where we picked up some shelving for Jessie’s kitchen and bedroom and a few more towels (yes, towels at Ace). Next stop was the Tutuila Store to look for some plastic bins or baskets, but we didn’t find any there. Next was Cost-U-Less, where we picked up a couple of new fans and other odds and ends, but still didn’t find the baskets and bins. After the shopping, we took all of our purchases back to the house and grabbed some swimwear and towels and jumped back in the car for a drive down the east coast of the island. 

We stopped by the golden arches in Fogatogo to get a some drinks and a bite for the road. We drove around Pago Pago harbor where some of the worst tsunami damage was, and on around the eastern side of the harbor to a turnoff road that goes over the mountain through the National Park. This was a beautiful drive through the villages of Alfono and Vatia. We stopped along the way to admire a couple of waterfalls and take a few scenic photos. The view from on top of the mountain was really amazing. There’s a scenic overlook that’s part of the national park and they have story boards that tell about the formation of the volcanic islands, the birds and other critters, as well as the rainforest. The mosquitoes were eating Jessie up so we didn’t stay too long. We went back down the mountain and continued on east passing through quite a few little villages which seemed almost abandoned. There just weren’t any people out and about. As we winded around the coast line what was different from the other parts of the island was that it seemed sunnier. Due to the proximity of the mountains, the central part of the island gets more clouds and rain. As we rounded the area near Tisa’s beach bar, and on a bit further in the village of Alofau, I saw the perfect house and spot that I would love to live. It was a blue-green house with yellow trim sitting just up a small hill off the beach. There were lots of trees and foliage so it was at least partly shady and the house had a covered patio on the back. What a view that house had. I told Jessie I want her to investigate and find out about renting that house….. It’s mine. Details later on my idea for earning a living here. 

We took the coastal road as far east as you can go until the road actually starts to take you north. The road ended at the village of Onenoa, where we turned around to head back. One of the villages we passed on the far eastern end of the island was Tula, which was a village badly affected by the tsunami. The damage was still very obvious there and the only tents the people had been given were the little flimsy white dome tents with no bottoms. It’s sad to see so little help for these families. 

As we continued our journey westward back through the villages we passed earlier, there was much more activity than before. This time there were kids out playing volley ball and people moving about. I guess everyone waits till the sun is lower and things start to cool off before spending time outside. Jessie nodded into a snooze while I enjoyed the drive back through Pago and the other areas that I am now becoming more familiar with. 

We reached the house around 5:30pm and spent some time putting together the shelving we bought today and organizing the dishes and some of Jessie’s things. We still needed to find the baskets and bins for her bedroom shelves so we took another trip out to shop, this time at KS-Mart first and this time we bought the baskets for her bedroom, a basket for the kitchen, a laundry basket and a few other things. Then we made a quick dash into Cost-U-Less for some lunch meat and cheese, and then stopped at the video store to rent a movie for the night. Back home again we ate sandwiches for dinner, and worked on organizing photos and journaling before stopping to watch the movie. We enjoyed the movie (The Cleaner) then after hanging some laundry out to dry we called it a night. 

11.27.2009_AroundTutuila

Happy Turkey Day! (Mom’s Visit: Thursday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Today is Thanksgiving Day in American Samoa! We got up by about 8:00 to begin the rest of our cooking for dinner this afternoon with Jessie’s friends. First the carrot cake cupcakes so they could cool while we worked on the dressing. The dressing was a bit of a gamble since we couldn’t find cornbread mix and were using cornbread stuffing crumbs we bought readymade.  I forgot the crumbs were already seasoned and added a bit too much sage. I also added a bit too much broth which made the mixture too wet. With a lot of effort and baking time, we finally had something that resembled dressing. 

Cooking here in a kitchen with no A/C and 110% humidity is rather uncomfortable. I was all but dripping. We had the fan pointed at us but it was still HOT. As it neared 1:00pm, the time we were supposed to be at Brandy’s house, Jessie received a call and Brandy said she was running late and could we make it 2:00. That gave me an extra hour before I had to try and get showered and dressed in the heat. Tomorrow, I am going to buy Jessie another fan. I got dressed and almost as quickly started to sweat again. I put my makeup on sitting with the fan flowing straight in my face. Somehow, Jessie still looks fresh, and she showered first. 

The taxi arrived and we loaded our Thanksgiving fare into the car and took a short drive to Brandy’s. She is the World Teach field director, and only a few years older than Jessie. The other guests were, Kara, a previous WT teacher and now contract teacher with the DOE, Marina, a ½ Samoan ½ American, who is a counselor at Samoana HS, Marina’s son Eldon who is 13 years old, and another Samoana teacher, Rachel, who is also part Samoan and part American. 

After saying grace and everyone telling what they were thankful for, we shared a great meal of all the Thanksgiving dishes, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, ham, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate cookies. We stuffed ourselves with all the good food then sat back to chat and play some games. We played a few rounds of catch phrase, where our team won all the rounds, and then we tried a game called “Scene It” which was a sort of trivia game about Disney movies. After that we just sat and talked. 

I enjoyed hearing stories about life in American Samoa both for the World Teach teachers and the native Samoans. Around 9:00pm Jessie and I took a taxi home and pretty soon after hit the sack. This was a nice and memorable Thanksgiving, spending it in American Samoa with Jessie!

11.26.2009_Thanksgiving

Upolu to Tutuila (Mom’s Visit: Wednesday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

We were early to rise again this morning, for another travel day. I was up at 6:30 to get a shower before other people starting getting up. The cove was beautiful this morning. We got dressed and finished our packing, then loaded up the car and headed out by 8:00am. We decided to skip breakfast at Virgin Cove in hopes for something better at Aggie Gray’s in Apia. So we bumped our way down the dirt road and out to the cross-island road for the trip back to Apia. We were looking forward to a good western style breakfast and from the guide books, Aggie’s seemed our best bet. We paid our $15 per person for the buffet then entered the food line. We saw poached eggs, fried eggs easy over (yuck!), spaghetti with tomato sauce…… things weren’t looking good here! Our faces must have shown our disappointment and we were just about to ask for our money back when the chef at the head of the food line asked if we would like an omelet. We were thrilled and both order a ham and cheese omelet. That dude saved the day! 

We had an okay breakfast then realized we were going to have way too much time before we needed to be at the airport so we took a drive down the eastern end of the island for 45 minutes or so then turned back to head into town for the airport. That’s when Jessie commented that we didn’t know where the airport was. Our map didn’t show it. We stopped to fill the rental car up with gas and asked for directions. Even with directions it took us a few wrong turns and some backtracking to finally happen onto it. The Apia airport is small so it didn’t take long to check in, even with all of our extra baggage and goodies we were toting. We managed to get our “weapons” through customs without a problem. Our plane arrived on time and quickly started taking on passengers. Jessie and I were some of the earliest passengers to board and we sat more toward the back of the plane this time. It was interesting watching a group of “larger” Samoans try to get down the aisle and into their seats. At last all were boarded and we headed down the runway and were quickly flying the friendly skies again. I still don’t feel too comfortable in these small planes. Thirty minutes later we’re on the ground and collecting our baggage in American Samoa. Again, a quick pass through customs and we snagged a taxi for the ride to Jessie’s house. 

We hoped to get a rental car from a place near the airport but were disappointed when they told us they had no cars. It turns out that all the rental car places are out of cars due the Fema and Red Cross workers in town after the tsunami and the locals who are renting due to their cars being damaged. So we went home and unloaded our luggage then had the taxi driver come back to take us to the grocery store. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we are having Thanksgiving dinner with some of Jessie’s friends so we need to pick up the things for our cooking. I had a good time checking out the KS-Mart and all the foods that they have. I was surprised at the number of US brands that they carry. We ended up with a full cart including stuffing fixings, the ingredients for carrot cake cupcakes, a cake mix, and a few other odds and ends. Our taxi driver waited while we shopped so it was a quick ride back home. We spent the evening doing some laundry, backing, and working on organizing photos and writing this travel journal. Jessie made us some chicken tacos for dinner too. As usual, we showered and turned in by about 10:30. 

11.21.2009_WesternSamoaWithMom

A Day of Falls (Mom’s Visit: Tuesday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Today is a sightseeing day. At breakfast we talked with a couple who we overheard giving sightseeing advice to some other guests, so we got the scoop on the best things to see. We headed down the south coast to our first point of interest, Togitogiga Falls in Pupu Pu’e National Park.  The area was just beautiful. We walked down a dirt trail for several hundred yards before we got to the area where you could see the falls. This was a double water fall but both falls were fairly short, about 20 feet at the highest and fell into a beautiful fresh water pool then trickled on down into a stream. First we took some photos to try and capture the beauty of the place but photos just don’t do it justice. 

Jessie took the first turn going up to jump into the pool below the upper falls. She jumped from the upper fall then climbed from the pool and jumped from the lower fall into the pool below. I took photos to capture the event. 

Now it was my turn. I climbed up to the same spot that Jessie jumped from but it was too high for the chicken. I just couldn’t make myself jump. I switched to another jumping spot which was maybe 3 feet lower than the first but still stood there paralyzed with fear. I just hate the falling feeling that comes with jumping off things. After about 15 minutes (at least) of talking to myself and being scared, I took a sitting position on the rocks to get me a little closer to the water and I finally managed to jump. After all that worry it wasn’t so bad and the water felt great. Now for the second jump; I had to do this one because once you jumped from the first pool, there was no other way down. Again, I stood there scared for at least 5 minutes then finally got the courage to jump, again from a sitting position. Woooohooo! I did it. Jessie didn’t understand my fear or the big deal but was happy that I finally jumped. We played a bit longer in the water and took a few more photos then headed back to the car. 

From here we go to the Sopoaga Falls. Jessie is the navigator as we follow the island map to our various destinations. This Sopoaga Falls is extremely tall and falls down into a deep gorge beneath. The viewing area is located on the property of a Samoan lady who has created a really nice cultural experience to go along with the viewing of the falls. You enter the property through her garden, where she has signs labeling all the plants with both the common and botanical names. There are roosters and hens wandering through the garden too. We found the lady seated under a fale in the garden working on weaving a mat from the leaves of a palm grown on her property. She told us it will take about 4 months to complete the mat. This type of mat is very fine, woven from ¼ inch strips of palm leaves. This type of mat was once used as currency here in Samoa, and is now used for gifts at weddings and funerals. We saw one in the market later that sold for 2000 Samoan Tala or about $1000 USD. 

Next we made our way to the Piula Fatumea Cave Pools which are fresh water pools that flow from inside two different caves located on the property of a College of Theology. Jessie decided she didn’t want to get wet again so she stayed on the edge of the pool while I took a brief swim. I swam to the back cave wall and it was pretty eerie swimming in the dark but it wasn’t too far in and you could always see the cave entrance. There were some fish in the pool but nothing too interesting. It was just a nice fresh water place to cool off.  After the swim we took advantage of the changing facilities there and changed out of our swim wear because our next destination was back in Apia. 

It was around 2:00 and we hadn’t had lunch so in Apia we found a coffee shop which served sandwiches and salads so we split a chicken wrap and had a drink.  We wanted to visit the Marketi Fou which is the fruit and vegetable market but it also has some similar souvenir items to the flea market. Marketi Fou was a very colorful place with Samoan people displaying a variety of fruits and vegetables. Everything from bananas, pineapples, mango, star fruit, pumpkin like gourds, peppers and some things I had never seen before. They sold our favorite banana chips here and stocked up on them. Some of the children thought it was neat to see white people and would run up and say hi and want to touch us. One little girl followed us around for a while.  We took a walk through the craft market and Jessie bought a few more pairs of the polished coconut earrings. 

After the market we drove down to Aggie Gray’s, one of the most popular hotels on the island which was built back in the WWI era. We went in for a look around and hoped they would have a spa for some pampering and to waste some time.  It was still early and we wanted to have dinner at Giordono’s Pizzeria. We left Aggie’s and just drove around the outskirts of Apia for a while but finally decided we weren’t going to be hungry for a while and it wasn’t worth waiting around wasting time so we decided to go back to Virgin Cove for dinner. 

Along the route of the cross-island road which leads from Apia to the south coast, we stopped at a scenic overlook to see Papapapaitai Falls. You can see it from an overlook area right off the road. It’s a spectacularly tall water fall (about 180 feet high) that drops into a gorge. The surroundings are covered with palm trees, the biggest fern trees you can imagine, along with a variety of other vegetation. It is just so lush and green. Beyond anything I have ever seen before. A few photos and we are on our way again zipping along the curving roads through villages toward the south coast. 

Once you hit the south coast the paved road takes you to the turnoff to Virgin Cove. Not long after turning toward Virgin Cove you take a very bumpy dirt road the last 10 – 15 minutes or so and pass right through a few little villages right on the road. In the evenings there is quite a lot of activity, people out walking from house to house, lots of young people out playing volley ball, rugby or other activities, and little kids everywhere. On our journey today we also encountered quite the variety of animals crossing our path, pigs frequently run across the road, chickens, a herd of cattle and 1 buffalo were crossing the road, we rounded one corner to come face to face with a horse in the middle of the road. You always have to be ready for the unexpected. We took some time to wrap up all the treasures we bought at the market today and prepare them for the airplane ride tomorrow. At a store in Apia we found these nice large plastic tote bags that we filled with most of the items. We used garbage bags and packing tape to wrap up the weapons. Jessie and I joked about what to tell the customs agent when he asked what was in the package. Weapons probably would not be a good answer; carvings might be better. We were a bit late for dinner and they were out of the one entre that didn’t include fish, so we both had a salad and French fries for dinner. The local Samoan group serenaded us again tonight. After dinner we did some packing and reading before bedtime. 

Apia Day (Mom’s Visit: Monday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

We got up extra early this morning, I was up by 5:15am and Jessie a bit later. Our plan was to be in a taxi at 6:00 in order to make it to the wharf in time to catch the 8:00am ferry back to Upolu. We wanted to make sure we would get a seat on the ferry.  The taxi picked us up just a bit after 6:00 and we arrived at the wharf around 7:15. We only had a short wait until tickets went on sale. Jessie watched our luggage while I waited “in line”. The Samoans don’t know the meaning of lining up. It turned into a mob and pushing fest. I was about 3^rd in line to start with but all these people just pushed their way to the front. I stood my ground and quickly learned the trick of just sticking your money clinched hand up and into the ticket window and just yell out how many tickets you want. After shoving a few others out of the way we had our tickets in hand. (Go Mom!)

Shortly after the gates opened and we boarded the ferry, carefully selecting our seats this time based on where we would get the best shelter from the wind, rain and spray. The ferry quickly filled up with people, cars, and trucks then set sail for Upolu. Again, a fairly miserable passage; this time due to being cold from the wind but luckily it wasn’t raining. We both wrapped up in a lava lava for a bit of warmth and snuggled up for the ride. We arrived in Upolu around 9:30. Whoever said the ferry ride is only 45 minutes, doesn’t know what they are talking about. 

We quickly grabbed our luggage and found a taxi for the ride from the wharf to the car rental place in the center of Apia. We quickly made our way out of the car rental place and set out on our next adventure. The main issue with driving in Western Samoa is that they drive on the left side of the road. It was only a few months ago that they made the change from right to left hand side driving, in order to better accommodate car imports from New Zealand. Our car was still a right hand drive car so it made it just a bit more difficult. We were on our way and ready for some lunch. We found a nice restaurant near the flea market where we were planning to shop. It was owned / operated by a New Zealander and the food was really good. So after enjoying the “western” style food and surroundings, we set off to shop the flea market for native made souvenirs.  Siapo or Tapa fabric made from mulberry bark and hand painted with natural dyes were one of the items on our shopping list. We also purchased some Kava bowls made from the “Ifilele” tree, some wooden carved traditional Samoan weapons (Jessie’s favorites), and a variety of other coconut jewelry and trinkets to take back as souvenirs. I think we made at least 3 trips to the car before we completed our treasure hunting. 

After that we set out to find where we would be staying on the south side of Upolu. Apia, the capital, is on the north coast near the port.  Our journey took us through the middle of the island through some really beautiful villages. The plant life here is just magnificent. Everywhere you look there are blooming trees and shrubs and I love the giant tree ferns and palms. It is more rural here than in American Samoa. It took just about an hour to navigate our way to Virgin Cove, where we would stay for the next 2 nights. We were greeted and taken to “secluded fale #10”, our new home. These fales are a bit more upscale from the standard fales, which were similar to those we stayed in at Tanu. The secluded fales are raised up on stilts and include a raised bed, a lock box for your valuables, mosquito net, and electricity (both light and electrical socket). The fale also had a small porch out front with a couple of chairs for taking in the view. Our fale sat right on the beach with an amazing view of the cove. We dumped our gear and went for a swim before getting cleaned up for dinner. Virgin Cove is out in the middle of nowhere so their restaurant is the only choice for dining unless you drive back to Apia. The restaurant serves several options for dinner, which is served by candle light to the Samoan tunes of a 3 man band. They music was really good and set the ambience for a nice meal. Following dinner we returned to our fale for a bit of reading before turning in for the night. 

Relaxation (Mom’s Visit: Sunday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Early to bed and early to rise is the way of the Samoans and when in Samoa you do as the Samoans. 

Breakfast was served at 8:00am and as with dinner; it was served to all guests at the same time with no menu selections. You eat what you are served here. 

At Tanu Beach Fales, you live among the Samoan family who owns the place. They occupied several of the fales but also had a house on the opposite side of the road where the parents and some of the kids slept. Sleeping in the open air of a fale is very common practice in the Samoan Islands. Breakfast consisted mostly of fruit which is grown on the property. 

Today was a relax on the beach kind of day for us. We changed into our swimwear and took up our spot on the beach with books and magazines in tow. Laze a little, swim a little, was the course of the morning. We swam down the beach a ways to check out a few other fales owned by other families.

 After noon, we had enough sun and decided to walk down the road to a “resort” we passed on the bus ride in to have lunch.  I remembered reading about it and it was supposed to be one of the nicest places on the island. It took us at least 30 minutes to walk to Le Lagoto resort and we took photos all along the way. We were quite impressed. Jessie had a pasta and chicken dish and I had spicy chicken skewers with a salad. It was a tasty lunch. 

Following lunch we took a look around and they showed us what the “fale rooms” looked like on the inside. They were individual fale shaped buildings but were fully enclosed and air conditioned with private bathroom facilities in each. They were really nice! We saw that some spa services were offered so we decided on pedicures. 

After a short wait, we entered the spa area and had what was a bit of a different pedicure experience. You laid on a massage table on your back with your feet in a pedicure bath. The Fijian woman doing the pedicures was a bit rough with the cuticle work. After the fact, Jessie and I both shared that we felt like kicking her when she was being rough. At least we have sort of soft feet and fresh polish. Following pedicures we split a banana crepe type desert which we consumed out on the patio near the pool. We called a taxi for our return to Tanu Beach. Our lunch was a bit late so we weren’t too hungry when dinner rolled around but we joined the other guests at the table and sampled some of the dinner. We both got way too much sun today and were rather rosy and sore. We showered and called it a night pretty early. 

Off to Western (Mom’s Visit: Saturday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Today we left for Western Samoa. Our plan was to go straight to the island of Sava’ii and stay for two days then back to Upolo for two days.  Our Polynesian Air flight left at 8:30am, so it was an early morning for us. We taxied to the airport, arriving with plenty of time before our flight. We checked in at the ticket counter and they weighed our luggage and then asked each of us to step on the scale with our carry-on bags. As 8:30 approached and passed, one of the airline guys came by to tell us there would be a 30 minute delay. The extra time came and went and we received another visit from the airline guy; this time he said due to the additional delay they were going to provide us with refreshments in the airport restaurant. We followed him and the other passengers (14 in all, I think) to the restaurant where we all placed orders for breakfast. The plane arrived before our food and everyone started getting up to leave. A Samoan family at the table next to us asked for their food to go and also asked the waitress to take care of our food too.  They were really nice and were making sure we were taken care of.  

So off we go with breakfast in hand to the tarmac to board the 14 seater plane that would take us to Apia, Upolu, Western Samoa. It was a short 30 minute flight from Pago Pago to Apia. We got off the plane and made our way into the tiny airport immigration line. While waiting in line we started talking to our “Samoan Family”. Roy was the guys name and he worked in the EOB (Executive Office Building) in charge of the Office of Youth and Women’s Affairs, and I don’t remember his wife’s name, but they were extremely helpful. Roy took care of finding us a taxi and negotiating the rate for us and also gave us his sister’s phone number in the Apia area in case we needed anything during our visit. We jumped in the taxi and started our journey to the Upolu wharf where we would catch the ferry to Sava’ii. 

The taxi ride was quite long, taking about an hour airport to wharf. We reached the wharf and the taxi driver put us out in front of a dingy looking snack bar. The ticket area for the ferry wasn’t open yet. We had about an hour and a half wait until departure at 2:00pm. There were picnic tables there under a covered area where we waited and during our wait it started to rain. By the time the ticket office / ferry loading area opened it was pouring pretty hard. We trudged across the parking lot with our luggage and I attempted to use my umbrella to stay dry while Jessie just ran for it. (Things you learn to do when living in Samoa) Once in the ticketing area we purchased tickets and by then they started the boarding. Trucks, cars and lots of people made their way on board. There was a place to stow our luggage, then we found a seat toward the back of the seating area on the outer side of the ferry. The rain continued as the ferry made the journey from Upolu to the island of Sava’ii. The rain and spray from the waves soaked us and we were shivering cold. I opened my umbrella and used it as a shield. Jessie thought I was crazy and thought people would think we were weird, but she also enjoyed the warmth the shield from the wind and rain provided. This was the most miserable 1 ½ hour ride.

 At last we arrived at the Sava’ii wharf and followed the crowd off just as we had when we boarded. It was still pouring rain and as we entered the ticketing / boarding building lots of guys were greeting us and yelling, “Taxi, taxi” and trying to take our luggage. We were looking for a bus that would take us to Tanu Beach and finally a guy grabbed our bags and hurried us to a waiting Aiga bus that was already packed to the gills with soaking wet people. He shoved our luggage under a couple of seats and we grabbed the last two seats as the bus started to roll out of the parking lot. I sat right up front next to an old Samoan woman and Jessie sat a bit further back. 

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What a cultural experience riding a local bus. The driver had Samoan tunes blaring and after the rain let up, the windows came down. At one of the stops a woman was getting off who had a fruit basket sitting at my feet. As she took the basket, it caught on the plastic shopping bag of the old woman next to me and her raw chicken went sliding across the bus floor. She scooped it up and stuffed it back into her bag….. Ewwwww! An hour and a half later we arrive at our stop, Tanu Beach Fales. We were greeted at the gate by one of the family members that own the fales. She was a sweet soft spoken Samoan woman with a New Zealand accent. Two teen girls came to carry our luggage and show us to our fale. A fale is a simple structure with a platform raised off the ground and a number of support poles holding up a roof made of palm leaves. The sides between the poles have woven mats in sections that may be raised and lowered for privacy or to allow the breeze in.  We stowed our luggage, changed and headed for the beach for a little dip and relaxation after a long day of travel. When the sun started to set, we returned to our fale to change and then spent some time taking photos before dinner. The dinner bell rings at 7:00pm and all the guests gather around the long tables and eat together. The Tanu family women serve the prepared plates of chicken, slaw salad, bread fruit, pausami (some leaf creamed with coconut). It was ok but nothing I would want to eat again. It’s a Saturday night which at Tanu is Fia Fia night.  Fia Fia is a traditional Samoan cultural show with music, dancing, and fire dancing. The show was put on by all the members of the Tanu family including the smallest kids. One of the little boys, who came out at the beginning of the show, lost his I’e (sarong for men) and was in front of the crowd butt naked. He grabbed it up and ran off to hide. The guys did traditional hoka dances and the women the traditional siva dances. They ended the night with two of the older boys doing fire dances. After the Fia Fia ended they turned music on for dancing and all the family members along with some of the guests danced to popular tunes. There was one little boy who was the “Michael Jackson” of the group and boy could he dance. He was really strutting his stuff. He and a little girl, both around 7 years old, danced until the music stopped. As the dancing went on it started to rain lightly but that didn’t stop the music and dancing! We turned in for the night to our fale which had foam mattresses on the floor and mosquito nets hanging from the ceiling. It was a cool evening from the rain so the sleeping was pretty good. 

First Day (Mom’s Visit: Friday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

Today is my first full day in AS.  I’m going to school with Jessie today. After getting dressed, we headed out across the street from her house to the bus stop. The scenery is beautiful here but the houses and buildings are very small and primitive. Most people here live very simply.  

We get off the bus a block or so before the school and go into a little grocery store to pick up some breakfast for Jessie and some candy to give out to her students today. A short walk from the store, we enter Samoana High School where Jessie teaches. It was a bit intimidating for me to walk through the school yard where all the students stared as we walked past; a new palagi in town.  I stayed for the first 10 minutes or so of Jessie’s 1^st period class. I heard the students sing morning prayer and they recited the Lord’s Prayer. It was just wonderful to hear their beautiful voices. One young man, “Prqynce” (pronounced as Prince) sang at the top of his lungs as they sang in harmony.  Jessie introduced me to the class then I departed.  At 9:55 I rejoined Jessie in her classroom to sit in on her 4^th period (favorite class).  Each of the students stood and introduced themselves, and most gave their full names…… Oh my, I could never remember their names.  After that, Jessie carried on with her lesson for the day and I observed and took pictures of her and her students.  This was such a neat experience and treat!  I got to see Jessie in her element and also see the real Samoan kids. After spending the class time with them, the intimidation I felt earlier left and I felt so good and blessed to have had this experience. The kids were great and really showed their child like nature (the Samoan kids are more immature than American kids the same age); it was really cute. At the end of class I asked to take a group photo with them.  They were all happy to oblige and then they each would ask, “Take my picture with Ms. Jess. … And I did.  After class, Jessie, her World Teach friend Max, and I jumped on a bus for a short ride further east to the Taco place for lunch. We had our tacos then jumped back on a bus going the other way for the short ride back to school. The Aiga buses are very colorful; both the physical bus and those on board. What a true experience. Jessie had 2 more classes to teach before she was through for the day, so I went back to Sadie’s to sit by the beach and catch up on my journal. And here I sit, writing; on the beach with a glass of iced tea….. heavenly.

The Arrival (Mom’s Visit: Thursday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

As we prepared for landing I was beyond excited. I felt like jumping up and down and telling the entire plane that I was going to see Jessie.  Jessie told me that we would get off the plane on the tarmac and that she would be able to see me from the viewing area. I was looking for her but couldn’t pick her out in the crowd.  I made it through immigration and customs inspection very quickly and was one of the first out the door.  Eyes focused on the crowd looking for my little palagie girl. There was Jessie, with a fresh flower lei for me and a giant hug. I couldn’t hug her enough and teared up with joy. It was so good to see her! Jessie negotiated the taxi fare then we loaded up my luggage and headed to the village of Mesepa where she lives. It was exciting and definitely another world.  At Jessie’s place I met her roommate, Julia, and then Jessie showed me her house and room and my sleeping spot. We chatted a while about the week ahead, then went to bed. Her house doesn’t have A/C so it is a bit balmy; at least she has a fan in her room. You just have to lie still and in the breeze.  As I laid there trying to fall asleep, all of a sudden the fan stopped. The power went off. Oh my gosh, it was so hot and humid without the fan!  Despite the heat I eventually went to sleep but woke up again before too long when I heard Jessie messing with the fan. She woke up because of the heat and was trying to figure out why the fan was off. We both managed to sleep some and eventually the power came back on. 

(My perspective)

I was so excited to see Mom at the airport. After seeing my friend Brigit get a visitor a month before, I was anxious for the airport experience. An Am Sam, everyone, and I mean everyone, comes to greet arriving family members. The airport was packed but I managed to squeeze and in get a good spot to watch Mom come out from customs! I was so anxious, but luckily she was one of the first ones out! Whew! We were both so excited, and it was amazing to have a my mommy dearest in Samoa. 

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Mom Visits

Mom Visits:  November 18 – December 4, 2009

The following 2 weeks of posts are from my mom’s visit to Samoa. She was excellent about documenting her trip each night, so most of my posts are from her trip journal!

Aunu'u Island

Today, our long awaited Aunu’u trip arrived! (sound effects  **Dun dun dun**)

For those of you not too familiar with American Samoa, it is made up of 6 islands (Tutuila, Aunu’u, Ofu, Olesega, Ta’u, and Swains Atoll). Tutuila is the main island, and, therefore, the most populous. Just off the southeast side of Tutuila is the small island of Aunu’u. It’s only approx. 3 square miles and now is only home to only approx. 500 residents. Aunu’u is visible from most of the coast, so we have been looking out at it and talking about going their for many months. Finally last weekend we agreed that the trip had to officially make it onto the calendar books.

This morning Scott and Taylor picked us all up (and by that I mean all 6 extra of us). Since we have a group of 8-9 of us that always hang out, we have become experts at jamming us all into to tiny cars. Scott and Taylor drive a very small Susuki hatch back (just slightly larger than the mini-cooper) and we routinely fit 7 in it. For today, they borrowed a friend’s car which was slightly larger, so we fit 8! 2 in the front, 3 in the back seat, and 3 in the trunk space. Since Thahn and I are the 2 smallest in the group we got the pleasure of always getting the trunk! 

We drove for about an hour to the far east side and got to the boat wharf. To get to Aunu’u you have to take a small boat for a 10-15 minute ride. Once in Aunu’u, Taylor led the way. We headed east and eventually ended up at a small beach. The tide was low but there were a few pools to sit in. (The waves and current are too rough to swim in open ocean). Scott took us to a cave at the base of the mountain. You have to lower yourself down into this small hole. From there you crawl on your hands and knees through a little tunnel as the water is just a few inches deep. After a 15 yards or so it opens up to this amazing cavern. You can wade through it and climb up onto some of the rocks as the waves rush through. It was an awesome discovery. After a few hours there we headed back to the village and the wharf. We went snorkeling by the wharf and checked out a sunken boat and then relaxed on the sandy beach just west. The water around Aunu’u is such an unbelievable color of turquoise. We joked that they must pour packets of dye in it each morning. 

The little village of Aunu’u’ is very quaint and idyllic. The houses are all small fales that are nestled into the palm tree jungle. It would be an ideal (yet isolated) place to live and absorb yourself into the Samoan culture. 

Days Memorable Moments:

• The boat ride across, looking back at Scott, John, Cynthia, Kate, and Taylor with the bright blue sky and beautiful Tutuila behind them. 
• Standing in the cave with the waves rushing through- an exhilarating rush
• Watching Taylor giver her performance of the Little Mermaid... Since Taylor has long, red hair and we live on island with big rocks jutting out of the water, we always tease her that she should re-enact the famous Little Mermaid scene where Ariel lays on the rocks singing. As we were all sitting in a swimming hole, Taylor suddenly gets upon the rocks, flips her hair, crosses her feet and shakes her ‘mermaid tale,’ and begins singing! 
• Watching this adorable girl play upon a rusted beached boat. 
• Sitting with Thahn on the beach.
• Dinner at Koko Bean.... After a long day in the sun, we went to Koko Bean for dinner. I think the sun fried my brain and gave me a bad case of the giggles. I laughed until tears several times. 

Aunu’u Day Trip Clan: Taylor, Scott, Thahn, Kate, Cynthia, John, Rosemary, Jess, Me (Jessie)

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Mr. & Mrs. Pageant

Each year Samoana High School has a Mr. and Ms. pageant. 5 senior boys and 5 senior girls pair up and compete for the title of Mr. and Ms. Samoana. The 1st runners up become Mr. and Ms. Senior and the 2nd runners up hold the title of Homecoming Queen and King. 

The pageant consisted of 4 events plus numerous entertainment acts that allowed the constants time to change and prepare for the next category.

Judges are not allowed to be SHS teachers, but Max and I were asked to be “scutineers”- we calculated the scores and determined the winners. As a job perk we got front row center VIP seats and an awesome dinner. 

For the show, the student council members transformed the gym into a beautiful setting. They lined the walls with huge palm leaves and create a stage and runway. They also decorated tables for all the contestants families.

In each category a boy-girl couple performs together, yet they are judged individually. Thus, the winners may not be from the same partners. 

First, the students competed in a traditional category in which they have to create costumes made from plants and flowers. They then model this designs and perform the traditional Siva dance. It is custom to come up and throw money if you enjoy the performance and support the couple. So throughout the routine people flock the stage to throw dollar bills. The winning couple earned $660 during their dance! (It was donated to charity.)

After that they competed in the Blue and White Sarong Competition. The couple must design sarong style beachwear in Samoana colors.

The next competition is talent. 2 groups performed traditional dances while the other 3 performed lip sync/dance routines. Oddly enough, lip sync are popular hear in Samoa. Each couple remixed several songs to tell a story and acted/danced them out.

The final category was evening wear/ interview. Each contestant was asked a question pertaining to their education and Samoana High School. 

The pageant was definitely entertaining and provided some great entertainment. It was especially interesting to watch all the traditional dances.