Ethan Comes to Samoa! Highlights of his Visit!

While Ethan was here I didn’t make the time to blog, but I thought I would give you one long re-cap post about our adventures together. 

First off, having Ethan here for 3 weeks was amazing and just what I needed to help me get through this time so far away from family and old friends. I picked him up from the airport on December 20th at around 10:30pm, and he was able to stay until January 10th!

The following are some random memories from our 3 weeks:

WEEK 1: Exploring Tutilia

• His first days on island we spent moseying around my neck of the woods and I gave him tours of Utulei (where my school is) and the Fagatogo area. 
• Ethan and I were walking through Leone when all of a sudden we heard a man calling out to us from a faleo’o. Ethan starts laughing as he recognizes the man; it was someone he made friends with on the flight from Honolulu. Tutuila is such a small place that random meetings like this are known to happen, and it was exciting for Ethan to introduce me to a friend of his own. The man introduced us to his brother and made sure we took some water before we headed back out on our journey. 
• On our trip out to Scott and Taylor’s in the far away village of Fa’ilolo, we were walking west with the hope of catching a ride along the way. Traffic was scarce, but a little beat up pick up truck stopped and offered us a ride. The catch?? It was a tiny pick up with 9 people (I’m not exaggerating!) already in the back! We kind of looked at the guy like he was crazy before the people in back started shifting around trying to make room for us. I was mortified when I realized that there was no bumper to step up on and I was wearing a skirt! (Sorry to whoever I flashed!) It was probably the most uncomfortable 15 minutes of our life, but, eh, it was a fun island experience!
• We rented a car for a few days so we could thoroughly explore the island. Taylor and Scott we AMAZINGLY generous and let us house-sit for them while they were vacationing back in the US. Like I’ve said many times before, their house is a dream. A house with a private beach and western amenities was a perfect place to relax on our brake. On the days before Christmas we made it to every part of the island - from the west to the east. 
• We spent an afternoon at Taylor and Scott’s exploring the cove they live in. We climbed up the rocks and through parts of the forest. We each got a bit scuffed up from  small falls and coral run-ins, but it was a memorable afternoon. (I felt a bit like Beargrills from Man v Wild).
• In Vatia we hiked to the tip of the bay and saw the amazing view of the smaller island that is one of Tutuila’s northern most parts. 
• At the top of the ridge to Fagasa we staged an elaborate and silly photo shoot with the rainforest, ocean, and beautiful sky behind us.
• On Christmas Eve we spent the afternoon at Tisa’s Barefoot Bar in Alega. Tisa’s is one of the best spots on the island: sandy beach, outdoor deck, and amazing view. The guy working whipped us up a delicious lunch, and we drank pina coladas while admiring our breathtaking surroundings. While relaxing on the deck we met an odd couple. The woman was a bit nutty; she was probably 60+ but has spent the last 10 years of her life traveling randomly around the world. Crazily enough, her daughter is living in Lebanon in a town right next door to where Ethan’s grandparents live! Such a small world. The man was also quite a character. He was working for FEMA and just taking the day off to relax. I think he had a few too many drinks and kept giving Ethan and I inspirational speeches about life. “The world is your oyster. Go conquer it!” he told Ethan. A bit cheesy,  but very friendly none the less. We definitely enjoyed meeting and talking to the quirky pair- a good memory for sure. Before leaving Tisa’s we decided to try snorkeling. The tide was low, but Ethan had never gone before so we thought it would be fun! No way Jose! The water was so low that there was only about a foot or 2 of water about the reef. Ethan got in several fights with the coral and came away with some nasty little cuts. 
• Christmas day felt a bit weird with the heat and no family. We were cooking out at Scott and Taylor’s when Ethan added to his list of injuries. He had become an expert at husking coconuts and was trying to scrape the meat of the coconut out with a knife when....SLIP. He puncturing his palm pretty deep and blood went everywhere. Once we got that under control, we headed back to my house for Christmas presents. My parents, and his, had sent some goodies that allowed us to have a bit of real Christmas.  Mom had sent me a small tree to put on my coffee table so we sat around it and opened out Christmas surprises. 

WEEK 2: Western Samoa

Ethan and I took a 5 day trip to Western Samoa that was absolutely amazing! 

• We hadn’t booked a car before leaving Am Sam, as I didn’t think it would be a big deal.... boy was I wrong. Since we arrived on Sunday most rental places were closed and many were out of cars. We were so LUCKY to find the most awesome cab driver on the island. He refused to let us walk away without a rental car and drove us all around Apia in search of a reasonably priced car. Around place #8 we scored! 
• With our car we spent the afternoon exploring Apia. We were starving, but couldn’t find anyplace to eat since it was Sunday. Eventually we found a little hotel cafe. We had great food as we looked out at the ocean. We walked along the coast for a while before heading out to our fale.
• Ethan and I decided to stay at Virgin Cove (the same place I stayed with mom), and it was a great choice. Once we arrived at Virgin Cove, I was determined to go swimming.  Literally as we hit the water, though, the sky opened up and pelted us with rain bullets. I didn’t care and managed to convince Ethan to stay in for about 15 minutes or so.
• After my trip with Mom, one of my favorite things about Western Samoa was Apia’s flea market. Ethan and I went back and were like kids in a candy store. He loved it as much as I did, and we spent a whole afternoon picked out souvenirs and gifts for people back at home. We “ewww-ed and ahhh-ed” over all the local treasures: kava bowls, coconut shell jewelry, and carved pigs (Ethan’s fascination)! After the flea market we went to the fruit market where Ethan marveled over all the amazing fruit and vegetable varieties. Before leaving I bought a bunch of bananas -about 14 banana for 2 tala (about 70 cents!) Amazing! Western Samoa rocks!
• Sliding Rock: Ethan and I had a great time at the sliding rock just outside of Apia. There are some natural waterfalls that are smooth and are okay to slide down (as the name hints). The first waterfall is the big daddy at about 30 ft, and then there are 2 more smaller falls at about 10 and 20 foot drops. We took turns sliding down and plunging into the icy water. Such fun.
• Togitogiga Falls: On one of our last days in Western, I was feeling a bit sick but I took Ethan to the national park falls so he could make the awesome jumps. Due to a combination of my poor video skills and his love of the falls, he probably made the pair of jumps about 5 times!
• Piggies: Western Samoa has a ton of pigs that just roam the yards, and I am obsessed with them! A good portion of my time was spent making plans on how to steal a pig, get it through the airport, and back to my island. Ethan bought me a carved  piggy to commemorate my love for these adorable creatures! 
• During our time on Upolu I think we nearly had a head on collision with every animal known to man: a dog, a horse (who leapt out in the middle of the road), a herd of cattle (just chilling at the top of the hill), pigs of every size and color. Animals run free and don’t look both ways before crossing the street and jumping into the middle of the road.
• The great loss: On our last night on island, Ethan and I decided to change it up for dinner (we had been eating at Virgin Cove’s cozy little restaurant) and make the hour drive to Apia for an extra special dinner. We finally settled on Paddles and enjoyed a great meal! Once we left the restaurant, though, I reached for my camera......and it was GONE! I am 100% sure I had it in the car on the drive to Apia. Somewhere between the car (parked 20 steps from the restaurant) and the end of dinner, my camera was lost/stolen. We searched the street, the car, the restaurant... but no camera. I was crushed and proceeded to sob for hours. TWO WEEKS WORTH OF PICTURES (EASILY 1000) AND VIDEOS WERE GONE. Since Ethan and I had been separated for 6 months, we had been so good about taking pictures of the 2 of us. Hundreds of super cute couple pictures in front of waterfalls and beaches were gone, as were pictures and videos from jumping off various waterfalls. Thus, we have no proof of our fabulous vacation together. It’s terribly depressing and I will still burst into tears if I think about it too much, but as one of our friends put it, “At least you have the memories!”  
  

  12.29.2009_WesternSamoaTrip

Week 3: Back on Tutuila, Back to School

• After many failed planned visits, we finally made it out to sliding rock (the area on the west coast formed by black volcanic lava rock). We climbed the rocks and hung out at a little perch for a while while watching the waves and some kids play.  
  

  01.02.2010_SlidingRock

• I took Ethan to one of the island’s hidden secrets, the Nu’uuli waterfalls. A bunch of high school kids were already there playing, and we watched in awe as they scaled the rocks 30 feet up. Ethan was impressed by how ripped some of these kids get from just their daily life (football, outdoor chores, and climbing waterfalls in their spare time).  The water was so refreshing as it is always freezing cold.
• For the last week of Ethan’s visit I was back in school, so he came to many of my classes and sat in on the craziness of teaching in Am Sam.  
  

  01.05.2010_Classroom Fun

• Ethan made a CRAZY trek on Thursday. He walked from my school to Pago, then from Aua to Alega, THEN from Alega all the way back to my school in Utulei. The boy is crazy. If you look on a map of Samoa he walk a decent part of the island’s southern coast! Impressive! (Although he paid for the journey in his very sore muscles.) 
  

  01.05.2010_Around The Island

• Thursday night Ethan was FINALLY able to meet all my friends. Everyone had been gone for their Christmas vacations, but he was finally able to put faces to the names of my awesome Samoan family that I talk about all the time. 
• On Friday we (Ethan and I + my clan) stopped by a party/art showing for a man named JR. His house was full of his latest paintings, and we toured around looking at all his art. We spent a good portion of the night out on the porch chatting and eating great food (JR had convinced his grandchildren to play waiter/waitresses for the evening, and they did an impressive job!) Taylor, Scott, Kate, Thahn, Ethan, and I rounded out the night with a trip to Maliu Mai (the beach bar). It was totally dead (not a pay day Friday) but we enjoyed the company none the less. 
  

  01.09.20010_JR's + Maliu Mai

• I was bummed that we had our Mid Service WT conference on Ethan’s last weekend, but it turned out to be not so bad. He came with me and sat in on all of our official business (mostly swapping various experiences from 1st semester). After the paperwork was done, we all headed up to Blunt’s Point for a picnic. It was a tiring but quick hike up to the point, but the view was spectacular! The point is maintained by the  National Park and houses 2 enormous military cannons. Ethan and I finally left Gaitaivai and enjoyed a few hours laying around next to the water in Lion’s Park. Eventually, we went to our favorite Chinese food place and met the whole group for a delicious meal.  

  01.09.2010_Inservice&LionsPark

• Saying goodbye to Ethan was unbelievably hard. As you can imagine there were lots and lots of tear, but I guess it’s down hill from here. 5.5 more months!