It’s 4:47 in the morning and I can’t sleep. Probably too much exercise riding my bike yesterday. It started out with Sitivi, Keke and I getting up at 7AM at the Fuasa hotel (fua means fruit, sa means Sunday or church). Our intended hotel, Rosalota Beach Fales, wasn’t able to accommodate us the first night so we spent it at Fuasa. Had we had dinner at the hotel instead of a restaurant in Salelologa we would have met an older Australian couple and their two daughters. Instead, we met just the couple over tea the next morning. Chatting with them we learned that they were in Samoa on holiday and were expecting to receive the Australian equivalent of a Peace Corps nomination when they returned home. They had already learned that Sri Lanke or Mali will be where they areassigned — I would have liked either.
The previous night I was sitting on the porch when their daughters were walking after dinner to their fale. Although it was dark I could tell they were Palagi by their decidedly non-Samoa shapes. As they got close enough to see me and said hello in English. The next morning we crossed paths again in the daylight, this time I was the one retuning from the fale and I could clearly see they were palagi and very attractive. I said “Malo†and they said “Helloâ€. I’ve noticed that about tourists, or perhaps I notice that about myself, I used the Samoan greetings exclusively here. It’s hard to shake.
Papu, one of the Peace Corps drivers, had arrived to take us to Rosalota so I helped him pack our bags and bikes into the hilux and we drove out to our new digs. The fale we have been assigned at Rosalota is a small round house on stilts over the water.
There is a small deck in the back barely large enough to accommodate three adults. It overlooks the ocean towards Upolu and Apia where most of my group is now. We unpacked and then one of the Rosalota staff asked if we wanted tea. We said yes so Tuli ushered us into her dining fale. The other two staff members, Lualima and Tina, brought out a lot of food for tea: tuna sandwiches, two large plates of toast, fried eggs, a plate of popo and esi, and other items. This was way more than we could eat especially since it was the second meal in an hour. All I really wanted was tea. Lualima indicated in Samoan that we are very handsome. It was a test to see if we spoke Samoan. They to diffuse her comment she asked if we liked Tina. This is fa’asamoa and is always expected.
Afterwards, Sitivi and I headed into town via bike and Keke took the bus. On the way we decided to check out my house. Using the description they gave me, we found a likely candidate.
That’s Sitivi eating an esi we found on the fale floor. I really like this fale. It needs a lot of work to be livable but it is just what I want: a faleo’o with a falepalagi attachment. The roof needs patching or replacement, the plumbing works but some of the walls are rotting and bugs are coming out, the cement floor is cracked and washed away in spots, the toilet looks like a portal to Hell, it’s infested with mosquitos, it is missing security screen and wire, and has no vinyl flooring. I LOVE IT!
Unfortunately, I’m not sure it’s mine. On the way back we heard construction on the school’s compound. As we rode closer, we could see a brand-new, fancy, cinderblock falepalagi being constructed at one end of the school. That’s great but it isn’t traditional and it looked pretty close to the classrooms. One advantage is that it is within the school fence. On the other hand, the location of the blue house is more private and more gardenworthy. A strong disadvantage in my opinion is that, lacking the faleo’o, it’s not a traditional building and I’d like to live in fa’asamoa whenever possible.
Jordan, one of the Seattle volunteers, called to say she was coming over on the ferry with a bunch of the other volunteers. We rode the rest of the way into the Salelologa office to check our mail and wait for her. She arrived alone because one of the other volunteers passed out after stopping for a rest. They assumed it was dehydration and were going to make the next ferry. The members of group 76 were getting together for a birthday on the other side of the island. Some are planning a ride around the island, a trip that will take three days. When they showed up, we got on the road and everyone stopped at Rosalota for a break. Two of the riders looked like they could have used naps and the others looked like they might have wanted to rest too but still wanted to get to their destination before nightfall. So, back on the road. I went as far as Tai’s village to tafao with him.
After only a day, Tai’s place is shaping up. He finished some cleaning and gardening and it’s starting to look comfortable. We hung out on his back step while some kids knocked pods out of the tree, played with a speaker with two wires sticking out of it and a battery, and followed us around the garden. It was approaching 5PM and so I headed back home.
Dinner was at 7PM in the dining fale. The food included fried chicken, fried fish, whole lobsters (a peculiar looking and small local breed), taro, potato salad, and it was followed by orange ice cream for dessert. We went home and sat the rest of the night on the deck watching fish as long as my arm swim in the water below us. There was lightening in the distance but it never got close enough to dump rain on us very hard. In fact, the water was quite still the whole night.
Until around 4:30, that is….
No, not really. I’m not a jelly-filled doughnut. However, I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. I have a card to prove it and everything.
All of the current trainees hopped a bus to Ma’asina where the villagers had decorated the fale, cooked two large pigs in the umu, and made us all ulus. The four women in our group looked aulelei tele. In attendance was the PC Country Director (CD), the US Charge de Affairs, the Samoan Minister of Education, our Associate PC Director (Fata, the APCD), the entire training staff, several current volunteers, representatives from each of our families, the Pulenu’u, the Catholic faifeau, and the whole Women’s Komiti.
Before the ceremony, the Komiti sang songs as their procession entered the fale where they put ulus on each of us. Fata started the show and acted at MC. He welcomed everyone and turned it over to the faifeau who lead an opening prayer. Next up was our CD who spoke for a few moments. She was followed by the Charge, George. He gave a moving, if short, speech about why we decided to join the Peace Corps. In it, he described the stereotype of PCV and the retro nature of the program. The interesting part was where he explained that when the people we encounter are asked about America, they won’t think of him, nor the Ambassador in New Zealand, nor even George Bush, they will think of us. He continued to say that this ambassadorship is possible because we are not crossing only a physical distance but a human distance as well, something that three weeks on a cruise ship could never deliver. I’ve never been on a cruise so I wouldn’t know.
Next up was HP. He said some great things about us that were very encouraging. If I might write on behalf of the entire group now, we are all really grateful for the work and professionalism of Henry and the rest of the training staff. I commented about the quality of their operation in all four interviews. If all government programs were run this well, DMV visits would be drive-through, the IRS would fill out our tax forms for us, and the replacement for the Twin Towers would have started the day after they came down. The one thing that Henry said that can’t be overstated is “Group 77 is the best one ever….†He qualified that with “so far†but I suppose he has to leave room for the possibility of improvement, however unlikely it might be. I’ll also mention we are his first group and I’m not sure if that is included in comment.
After that the MOE’s talk sharply contrasted the speech by the Charge. Basically, he sent a warning about the dangers of treating our stay as a vacation and not sincerely trying to integrate the fa’aSamoa into our daily lives. Included in that was caution about skimpy swimsuits, topless bathing (especially for women), and making out in public. He also mentioned his experience with a previous volunteer who didn’t seem to do much work, a volunteer who ETed. The point I took from this was how one bad apple can spoil the bunch.
Finally, we were asked to stand and give our oath fa’aPalagi ma fa’aSamoa. Then the Charge called each of us up individually, where we received a handshake, handed a PCV ID card, and someone took a picture. Tai, our group mouthpiece gave a quick talk thanking the village and staff, promising to the MOE there wasn’t a bad apple in our bunch, and apologizing for anything we might have done wrong (as is proper in the Samoan way). This was followed by a closing prayer and then the ceremony was over.
Sort of.
Typically, there is a lot of gift giving after big events and this was no different. Certain dignitaries were given money, there were fine mats, the pigs, and a lot of shouting between both sides. This yelling is a public affirmation of the thanks and wishes from both sides, but it sounds aggressive and angry. My Samoan mom, Peati, gave me a big huge and she said fa’aPalagi that she loved me. I said I loved her too and she asked if I was coming back for Christmas. The Pulenu’u was standing under a tree watching the festivities and called me over. He’s a large, older gentleman and highly respected within the district. He gave me a long, strong handshake, congratulated me and asked if I was coming back for Christmas. I thanked him for all the hard work that he and the rest of the village had gone through and for their hospitality (fa’aSamoa).
And then….
The Komiti started to sing and dance. They eventually called for us to come dance with them and, as usual, Wes was the first volunteer out there. The rest of us followed after the Komiti got more insistent. My mother was leading the dancing. I can’t begin to tell you how funny of a person she is — a great sense of humor and love of fun. But then they asked us to perform by singing the “we’re sending the fire to you†song. We looked at each other and then sang the “we don’t want the fire†song. They sang the “you’re getting the fire whether you want it or not†song and started moving the tables out of the way. We huddled and agreed to do the sasa, a seated dance that we had performed during our fiafia. This time it was a bit more lively and a bit more naughty, especially when the Komiti got involved. Laura did her best to shock and amaze everyone by jumping around, screaming, crawling and even grinding. It’s really her show, I think the Komiti was barely aware of our presence. At one point she was yelling in my face, which I kind of liked — maybe I should see a doctor.
Then it was over and people hopped on the bus. Jeff and I instead headed down to see all of our sisters who couldn’t make it because they were working. First we saw Sanita and then Mele. Sivai then showed up and on our way out we saw Telesia and a new one from Australia we hadn’t met before. I tried to speak Samoan to her kids but they spoke English. After a quick goodbye (Fono, the 10 mo old) had a huge smile and wouldn’t let go of my finger. It was sad but Sivai asked if I was returning for Christmas and this reminded me that it was only ten days away. I said yes.
Tomorrow we will return to the village to have the swearing in ceremony. I hear it’s an all day event.
On Thursday, we’re supposed to go out to the villages but there are many of us who have housing issues. My particular situation is that the construction of my fale hasn’t been completed. In lieu of a fale, I’ll be staying at a beach fale not too far away. It’s a nice place on the beach, a stilted fale above the` water. All four new Savai’i volunteers will be staying there because we all have housing issues. There are also about four people who will be staying at a hotel in Apia until their issues are resolved. Housing problems are supposed to be resolved before the beginning of school, which is January 11.
The government provides most Peace Corps volunteers with a bike for transportation. Today we’ll receive ours. A group of us went over to the office yesterday to assemble them and they did a fine job. The bikes that were purchased are what I might have chosen to buy for us.
In the meantime, a lot of us are doing shopping for our move-ins.
On a completely different topic, I saw recent Seattle pictures from Brian, Cyndi and Peej. And it was snowing. Another person in my group told me a couple of weeks back that it was snowing in Seattle and the traffic was a mess.
On this side of the planet, there is no traffic. Think about that.
It was 90 degrees and sunny yesterday. It’s almost summer. The sun was beating so hard I had to get a hat. Yet, the Christmas season continues. Before I left the village yesterday, for the last time, I stood on the steps of my fale and looked out onto Fagaloa Bay. The tide was high and I could see patches of turquoise and navy blue beneath the surface framed between two coconut palms in the foreground . A gentle breeze whipped up just enough waves to create patterns on the surface. I was about to head back inside to grab my bags and make my final walk down to the fale where our van would be waiting.
Then reggae music, reggae Christmas music, coming from the falekuka behind our fale. Oh, right, it’s Christmas. Most Christmas music here is island style beats and instruments, coming out of boomboxes with the bass turned up so high the CDs skip. And it’s everywhere: in the houses, in the buses, in the stores, everywhere. My walk to the van had become a march.
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