Adjusting

I used today to start mentally adjusting to life in my new house. John called around 10, so he and his wife Cynthia (WT friends) came over to check out our place and use the washer and dryer. (I think our washer and dryer will create many social hours!) The 3 of us just sat around chatting for a few hours comparing experiences and talking about the upcoming year. They had had a rough time the night before - their house isn't nearly as nice as ours and were experiencing some first-night-shock. The trip over definitely helped them get out of their little place, and it was a great chance for me to get to know them a little better! After they left I went for a walk down the road to see all the different local stores and bakeries (all little mom and pop establishments/shacks). I got a chance to meet a few of the other Faleniu residents - being palagui (white) allows you to meet everybody! Walking down the street at least 3/4 of the cars honk at me (or at the minimum shot and wave). We palagi are a Samoan spectacle, as everyone watches my every move. "Oh look... she's going to the store now." or "Oh! A white girl just got on the bus!" About halfway through my walk Kaleo drove by with a present.....a 2.5 foot pvc pipe. He told me not to walk with out it or else the dogs would get me, and I wouldn't be able to protect myself. So I had to walk back home, feeling silly with a pipe in my hand. 

A traditional Samoan Sunday involves Church, Feast, Nap, Church. I felt I had to at least use part of my Sunday observing Samoan custom - so I took a "moe," nap. I woke up just in time to scramble over to Samoa Tasty (a store that has just a little more than a gas station convenient store) to grab a few necessities, and then encountered Faleniu Sa for the first time. Most of the villages in Samoa observe a daily Sa (curfew) for 20-30 minutes each evening. First comes the 5:55p warning, then then 6:00p curfew bell, followed by the 6:30p end bell. While curfew is in effect, everyone is expected to go inside their home and pray with their families. No one is allowed to walk through the village at this time, and the Sa police line the streets to enforce the prayer time. A warning bell also rings at 9p and the final night curfew tolls at 10p. No one is allowed to walk outside after that time. 

All of these curfews take time to adjust to since the buses stop running with the weekday 6p Sa curfew, at 3:30p on Saturday, and don't run at all on Sunday. So all errands have to be done early. This is a big change from life in the US, but it ensures that evenings are free to relax and take care of stuff at home.