Guest Contributor: Jen and Tommy (Part 2)

Hi. I’m Jen. Still. Tommy and I have a list of things we really loved about being in Samoa. While this list isn’t complete, it gives you an idea of some of the fun things we’ve encountered in our short time here. Some other things that don't show up below but are still awesome are fish and chips, sunsets, friendly Samoans, the clean air, Scout the cat, the noises that lizards make, mosquito nets, and highway landscaping.

The list of Samoan Awesomeness:

1. Drinking from coconuts. Niu, as the drinkable coconuts are called, are delicious. I do NOT like dried/shredded coconut at home, so I was skeptical of this practice. Thankfully I gave it a chance. It’s light, refreshing, and a little bubbly. Also, Scout the cat seems really excited about getting into a coconut, which is both cute and entertaining.
   
2. Walking. I really like that most places in Apia are within walking distance. I would prefer the walking be done with a breeze and in the shade, but I like it nonetheless. You get a better opportunity to take in the environment from your feet than from a car window.
   
3. The buses. This was one of the biggest surprises for me. As a faithful blog reader, I had a pretty good idea about a lot of things to expect here in Samoa. The buses, however, were a hilarious surprise. They have the most random murals and funny sayings on them. We didn’t get a picture of this one, but it says “Jungle Boys” across the side with a picture of Mickey Mouse holding a Digicel phone (a local cell phone company). On the back there’s a mural of Scar and Simba with the words “No More Hate”. It doesn’t get more awesome than that, but I’m going to keep going.
   
4. Tanu Beach. Savai’i is beautiful and we were lucky enough to experience it at the Tanu Beach Fales. There’s something to be said for falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing and taking a walk along the beach minutes after waking up in the morning. Tanu Beach Fales is run by a family and they extend that family atmosphere to their guests. Breakfast and dinner are served on a long U-shaped table and the cultural show on Saturday night is put on by the entire family, from babies to grandpa. It’s relaxing, the ocean water is the perfect temperature, and the scenery is postcard-esque.
   
5. Breakfast foods. Both at Apia Central, where we stayed in Apia, and at Tanu, breakfast was provided. It turns out I’m not papaya’s biggest fan. However, I am a fan of New Zealand butter on toast, miniature bananas, and mangoes fresh from the tree. Tommy insists I also write a sentence about the panikeke, which is much like a banana flavored cake-donut hole. Besides Seki ā Pizza, it was his favorite food experience here so far.
   
6. Seki ā Pizza. A four-village walk from Tanu Beach Fales brings you to the best pizza I’ve had in a long time. The crust was thin and flakey and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. Not only was the pizza delicious, but the owner, Andy from Austria, gave us a lift back to Tanu. Matthew rode shotgun with the pizzas that needed delivering.
   
7. Fire Dancers. As I mentioned above, there was a cultural show at Tanu on Saturday night. At first this reminded me of a Logan cultural assembly. They danced and sang after feeding us a traditional Samoan dinner (also delicious, by the way). It was nice to see the entire family participate, including the very young children and to experience traditional songs and dances. Being the Logan alumni that we are, we assumed there would be a fire component to the show. We were not disappointed. These boys have been practicing their craft since the age of 5 and it shows. The pictures don’t do any of them justice, of course, but we had to include one.
   
8. Beach pigs and other animals. I knew from some of Matt’s Cultural Explorations there would be a fair number of animals roaming around. Maybe it’s the city mouse in me, but for some reason I find them fascinating. At Tanu they have a pet pig (which is probably more likely an eventual dinner than an actual pet), which one of the Kiwi’s started calling “Xena the Warrior Pig” because she was friendly to the women and bit the men. She had a number of incidents with some of the men while we were there. She also had free reign of the place and found herself on the beach a number of times. A pig on the beach? Fantastic.

Of course getting to spend time with Matthew and his Peace Corps friends was the main highlight of the trip (minus the brutality during Friday’s soccer match). After reading about them for so long it was nice to get to meet and hang out with everyone. We’re off to Australia now, where we’ll need long pants and raincoats. Thanks to Matthew for hosting us and thanks to you for reading.

I hope you’re well! Pictures below.

THis is just one of many different murals painted on the sides and backs of the buses.

Tanu Beach Fales. Yay!

Bananas at the bus stop

Matthew becomes a pizza delivery man

The fire dancer finale

pigpigpigpigpigpigpig

A boat at the beach

Happy (early) Birthday, Carla!

Guest Contributor: Jen and Tommy (Part 1)

Hi. I’m Jen. Tommy and I came to Samoa to visit Matt for a few days before heading to Australia. Unfortunate- ly, our trip was cut a bit short when our original flight was canceled, but we did the best with the time we had and enjoyed ourselves. It was good to see Matt, of course, but it was also good to experience the things and meet the people I’ve been reading about for the last year and a half. Today I’m going to review the things that I found to be not awesome about Samoa. Don’t worry, tomorrow I have a much longer list of awesome and very awesome things to discuss.

There are some things that are not awesome about Samoa, and while I don’t want to be a downer, I want to give an accurate picture of my experiences:

1. Mosquitoes and other bitey bugs. I think my non-tropical blood is especially tasty to these tropical bugs. I have a nice constellation of bites on my legs and ankles. I’m really lucky it’s too sunny for vampires here because clearly my blood is delicious.
   
2. Soccer injuries. On Friday evening we went to the Faleata Sports Complex to watch a rousing soccer game between the Peace Corps and one of the local businesses in Apia. Shortly after halftime a dramatic turn of events took place and things got a little heated and raucous—let’s just say Samoan emergency response time could go on the awesome list.
   
3. Standing on the bus. I think public transportation is an excellent way to travel, generally. At home when you have to stand on the bus or BART it can be uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Standing on the bus here is entirely different. The roof is about an inch shorter than I am tall and today’s bus had nothing to grab during the bumpier moments. It’s also a lot hotter and stickier in close proximity to others.
   
4. The Heat. Let’s face it. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area. Anything above 75° is pushing my comfort level. Give me 90° and humidity and I feel like I’m cooking in my own juices. I realize that this is “winter” (extremely questionable terminology requires quotation marks) but it’s still very uncomfortable, especially in Apia.
   
5. Roosters. I am not a bird lover. I feel the need to be up front about that before I go on to complain about them. Because of the jetlag, I’ve been getting up between 4:30 and 5:30 each morning. The roosters start up about 6:00, it seems. Since I’m already up, that’s neither here nor there. HOWEVER, once they start, they never stop. Right now it’s 4:15 p.m. and roosters are crowing. A normal person may have already tuned them out, but I want to slap a permanent snooze button on their foreheads.
   
6. Diesel exhaust. There are a lot of diesel-powered vehicles in Apia. The exhaust they spew doesn’t smog up the beautiful sky, thankfully, but it does add to the heat (blerg) and make the city smell like...diesel.

Just so you don’t think I didn’t enjoy myself here, stay tuned for the list of Samoa awesomeness that includes some of the following: drinking from coconuts, the buses, fire dancers, Seki ā Pizza, Tanu Beach Fales, beach pigs and other animals, breakfast foods, sunsets, and walking.

I hope you’re well! Pictures below.

Here's an action shot of the soccer game pre-confrontation.

Here's the rooster's quieter girlfriend(s?).

It's hot.

Tommy would have liked the ocean to go on the not awesome page. He calls this disdainful respect.

Scout is so cute! She's a lot smaller than I thought she would be.

Decidedly not not awesome. Yeah, I said it. The best fish and chips I've ever had.

A picture of what's to come...beach fales

The view from the pier at Lusia's where the Peace Corps kids hang out. Awesome, right?

Guest Contributor: Dustin

It comes with great honor and privilege that Matt has asked me to write for the world famous Samoa blog. It’s difficult for me to realize that my two weeks in the country are coming to an end. I arrived here in an emotional whirlwind, very tired from the long flights. We took it easy for my first few days here—Matt felt bad that we hadn’t done or seen anything, but I assured him that it was okay. I had two weeks to take everything in, so no rush.

This was my first true international trip, and in my mind I had imagined everything to be so different. The biggest difference between Samoa and life in the United States, that I noticed, was that there isn’t too much of a difference. Sure, the heat and humidity is a big shock to the senses after growing up in the cool San Francisco Bay Area climate. But in Samoa, English is spoken just about everywhere. The people are generally friendly and helpful – but also very curious. “How long are you here for?” “Where are you staying?” Most of the dining options in Apia are similar to what I’ve tasted at home (I did have a chance to eat more authentic Samoan food when staying at the two different beach fales). And of course, drinking adult beverages after dark is not uncommon.

Matt asked me tonight what my favorite part of my vacation has been, but I couldn’t come up with just one thing. The scenery is absolutely amazing, so I can’t help but think of the different sights. Looking out at the turquoise-colored water on Savai’i is something I’ll never forget. Passing by the numerous villages and watching the people go about their lives will also stay with me. And the view high up on Le Mafa Pass was great simply because the green mountainside and clouds contrasted so much with the rest of the island.

The Peace Corps Volunteers I have had the pleasure of meeting here seem very at peace with themselves in Samoa. And now I can understand why. I know that class has been out, and life is very different when everyone will be once again focused on teaching. But Samoa is an amazing place, and when your escape from the real world is sliding down rocks at Papase’ea or snorkeling at the beach, I would be at peace with myself too.

Pictures below (Editor's Note: During the last 24 hours my camera was stolen and returned.  The thief erased most of the pictures from Dustin's stay.  Thus today's picture section is frustratingly skimpy.  We're hoping the photos can be recovered from the memory card sometime soon.).

Pawn shop!

Behind the camera at the TV3 studio. Rotaract scrutineers in the background.

Guest Contributor: Luisa

To say nothing of the fact that I was able to travel to Auckland and Sydney last year, I was also fortunate enough to meet up with Matt. On both occasions he would sometimes suggest that I write a blog entry from time to time. I declined, but now that I’m actually in Samoa, it seems I can no longer postpone my contribution to Matt’s Samoa Blog. Plus, I’ve already broken protocol by not posting on the appropriate Guest Post night. Apologies. Apologies, everyone.

As you have read from recent entries, the end of the school term is busy with rugby games, activities, and testing, which means I’m left to entertain myself for the first part of the day. Typically, I’ll spend some time sneaking into local hotel to lounge at the pool, going to the fish market for oka, and taking full advantage of the DVDs here at the house with the cat. It’s been fun to meet some of the other volunteers whom I’ve only known from blog photos up to this point, too. In spite of the busy school schedule, we’ve still been able to squeeze in a comprehensive sightseeing schedule.

I put in special requests for the Baha’i temple and the Papase’ea Sliding Rocks (of Death?), but the real highlight was the weekend trip to Savai’i a few days after I arrived. Phil was a most gracious host, and his backyard rivals the properties of some of the resorts we walked through this past weekend. Staying at the Tanu Beach Fales in Manase was a real treat, too. I could get used to rolling out of bed and straight into the ocean.

Another unexpected adventure for me was renting the car and driving all around Upolu. The rental company was unable to fulfill my request for a left-hand drive car, but the agent assured me that my “free upgrade” to a right-hand drive car of the same model would be easier to drive on the roads here. I was skeptical, but I climbed into what I would normally consider the passenger seat, and we were off. The rental guy was actually right about driving the roads here, and the only problems I encountered were some nasty potholes on the less-maintained roads outside of Apia.

After hearing about and seeing pictures of life here in Samoa for such a long time, it’s almost surreal to be experiencing it myself. There are many things that remind of the times I travel to the Philippines with my parents, but I was particularly struck by a seeming lack of socioeconomic disparity. Samoa is unquestionably a developing country, but you never get a sense that the people here are devastatingly poor, perhaps because there are very few ultra-rich to juxtapose them with. Apia is clean and functions well, and I never once saw a homeless person or was harassed for money, even when I walked around alone. I couldn’t say the same thing for other developing countries I’ve visited. Hell, I couldn’t even say the same thing about living in San Francisco.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I’ll admit I’m ready to escape to the more temperate weather in California.

Pictures below.

A view of Sinalei Beach Resort as seen from Coconuts Beach Resort. We walked through and looked around on the drive down to Faofao.

The ceiling of the Baha'i temple.

Phil's backyard.

One of the pink flowers in Phil's backyard. They bloom for a day and then die.

Guest Contributor: Chris

Hi everyone. Five days into my Samoan trip, Matt has kindly (and repeatedly) asked for my participation in his blog franchise series: Guests Speakers.

I’ll try to impart a few observations of what my Samoan experience has been thus far, but I’ll also incorporate a few thoughts about Matt from someone who’s known him in The States.

In baggage claim, as I waited and waited for my luggage—which would not appear for another day—I started to sweat. This is a reoccurring theme for me. Apparently, I came to Samoa during the middle of a heat wave. Walking to the bank = Sweating. Eating = Sweating. Doing anything out of range of air conditioning = Sweating. I think Matt has adapted to the climate and sweats about half as often. He particularly loves to walk and still somehow doesn’t sweat. Other PCV members recommend taking a taxi, but we’ll probably walk. He is a walking non-sweating machine.

My favorite way to cool off (besides air conditioning) has been a tasty treat called niu, a particular type of coconut with sweet juice, which tastes a little like semi-sweet water… but not really. Maybe more like a slightly sweet, watered down Vitamin Water? Ehh, those descriptions don’t do niu justice. Just know that it’s heavenly.

I’m still not sure what the food equivalent of niu would be. Samoan food has been a mixed bag for me. On Thursday a local family invited us to a barbeque, which was great. Other meals have been so-so. We made it out to the fish market for fish and chips, which was tasty. Matt has mentioned Mexican food a few times in the blog, and I can tell he still really misses good Mexican food. His eyes tell the story. He also really wants to make his famous taro hash browns before I take off. There’s still that to look forward to.

During my stay we’ve been venturing back and forth between a local hotel and his place, which isn’t unlike his apartment in Pasadena—although it does get incredibly hot and is insect-filled. On these trips, I’ve encountered a few roaming dog gangs. They are intense. I fear Matt is now officially a cat person.

Finally, I’ll mention one of the craziest experiences of my life and definitely a lasting memory of Samoa. The River Fales hike in Falese’ela has left me cut, bruised, sore, and extremely happy. We traveled for 5 hours through the beautiful Samoan outback climbing rock faces, jumping off cliffs, and treading through rivers. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

As I write off into the distance, I’m happy to report that Matt is doing a-ok. While it’s been over a year since I’ve seen him, things are like they always have been. Only now he can direct a cabbie in Samoan and write detailed reports on what Samoan’s think about rain.

It’s been a pleasure exploring Samoa with a good friend.

Pictures from the River Fales Hike below.

Blakey and Chris with the guide climbing the waterfall in the background.

The hikers.

There were long stretches of river-wading.

Chris jumping off a waterfall.

Jordan jumping off a waterfall (He didn't jump from the top.).

Matt and Chris in a waterfall.

Guest Contributor: Amanda

Whereas my mom and dad were treated to luxury acc- ommodations and sightseeing, Amanda’s experience has been a little more true to the Peace Corps lifestyle. It’s as though she’s a visiting volunteer from a post where they get paid a lot more. She’s been sleeping on the couch, we took the bus to Faofao, and she’s been traipsing back and forth across Apia like it’s old hat. Since tomorrow may get a little hectic since it’s her last day here (also, tomorrow’s the Road Switch), I’ve asked her to guest-blog about her experience in Samoa today. So here goes:

I am being forced to write this against my will, but here goes… Tomorrow I will be leaving Samoa after such a short time. Although I haven’t been here long, I feel like we’ve done so much—despite today when Phil, Matthew, and I played gin-rummy for like 5 hours. It has been pouring rain all day which is a much-appreciated break from the past two hot, hot, hot days. It has been really fun to be in this place with the people that I have seen pictures of and read stories about.

The highlights of my trip include…
• Riding the bus to the FaoFao Beach Fales. The bus offered a scenic tour of the island and it was interesting to ride with native Samoans. I liked how they stopped to drop each person off at their house. I wish they did that when I lived in San Francisco.
  
• Staying in the beach fale with Matthew on a cozy double bed—almost one-ups my mom, dad, and Matthew staying in the honeymoon suite. The water was beautiful, I fell in love with a cat there, and Matthew found a starfish.
  
• Waving to beautiful Samoan kids, and saying “Bye-bye!” repeatedly, despite Matthew telling me not to.
  
• The 685 New Zealand dance group at the McDonald’s Variety show was hilarious… and hot. The fire-dancing was also cool, but frightening when one boy’s body caught on fire.
  
• Shopping and walking all over Apia with Phil. It was hot. It’s embarrassing how much I was sweating.
  
• Eating fish and chips twice in 12 hours.
  
• The Miss Samoa Pageant. The outfits, the talents, and the interview questions were all awesome. Plus, the female impersonator that sang as both a man and woman was amazing.
  
• Learning to take cold showers.
  
• Observing Samoan nightlife outside of On the Rocks and V-Bar.
  
• Facing my fears and going down the sliding rocks after some 7-year-old boys talked me into it.
  
• Meeting and eating Indian food with a fun group of Peace Corps volunteers.
  
• Getting drinks with Supy, Briony, Koa, Dan, Erin, Phil, and Matthew and listening to their funny stories about Samoa and being a volunteer here. Samoan margaritas are yummy.
  
• Eating a breakfast of Weet-Bix , pumpkin jam, and sweet bread.
  
• Listening to Matthew and Phil play with our childhood Casio keyboard and Phil calling it a “little guy.”
  
• Nap time every day. For like 3 hours. Super!
It’s been exciting to be a part of Matthew’s life in Samoa. I’m sad to be going home, but I can’t say that I’m sad to sit in business class! Awoohoo! Happy birthday Zac Grow!

Hope you’re well. Pictures below.















Matthew feeding the cat at Faofao.















Kids I saw from the bus.















'Ava bowls at the flea market.















Nifo'oti clubs at the flea market.















Dirty feet after walking around Apia.















Matthew and Phil drinking niu.
















Supy and Matthew at Zodiac.

Guest Contributor: Joe and Patty

Though my knowledge of most of Samoa is cursory at best, I’ve been playing tour guide all week for my parents. It’s been fun and strange to be in company with non- strangers for the week, and it’s been enlightening to contrast the Peace Corps experience in Samoa with the tourist experience. My parents leave for New Zealand early Friday morning, and since tomorrow may get a little hectic since it’s their last day here, I’ve asked them to guest-blog about their experience in Samoa. So here goes:

Joe

It’s Wednesday, so we must be back in Apia. Today I’m going with the flow. It’s cooling off a bit now but that just means the rain is coming – again. I woke up this morning thinking I need a vacation from my vacation. It’s been an adventure daily starting from when we left San Francisco. United was three hours to LAX so we missed the connecting flight directly to Apia. So we wound up in Los Angeles for a day, another day in the air, and another day in Auckland; all meaning we missed two days with Matthew.

This morning we left the island of Savaii on the 10 o’clock ferry coming back to Apia. We spent two days in Savaii at the Lusia’s Lagoon Chalets, a not-too-modern place for a getaway on a beautiful cove with pristine waters. Though we saw only a small part of the island, it is plush with dense green growth and seems further from the world than Upolu, the main island, though Savaii is larger in area. Yesterday, we swam at the Palalaui waterfall. It was raining and it was hard to tell the water from waterfall from the water from the sky. I’m sure the Aussie family that dropped by to see the falls and the rain thought the three people swimming must be a little touched. The falls is over 30-feet high and is a wonder of rocks, caves and flora.

Back at Lusia’s there are fish in the cove so I thought I would engage in a little fishing for catch-and-release or maybe have a few for dinner fried up by the cook. Well, I could not find a place around us that sold hooks and line… on an island that depends on fishing. So the fish are still swimming happily at Lusia’s.

We’re very fortunate that Matthew speaks a bit of Samoan and knows the fares, or who to call if he doesn’t. He’s been able to keep most of the drivers honest.

Patty

Samoa has been neither as hot nor as humid as I had expected (feared?). It has rained quite a bit – thankfully mostly we’ve been indoors. However, yesterday we swam for an hour at the Palalaui waterfall while the rain came down in huge drops. Fortunately it was still warm enough to be fun. This place is incredibly green, lush and beautiful. The ocean is so blue. Too pretty to describe.

It has been a busy week — we arrived Friday (after an unfortunate delay) and had a fun dinner with Matthew, Paul, Phil and Supy. It was great to meet them after reading so much about them. What an impressive group! Jane – I hugged Paul twice! I’m so happy that we got to see them before they left for Fiji. It was fun to go to dinner and get a tiny taste of where Matthew has spent the last eight months.

We spent Saturday in the village meeting Matthew’s Samoan family. They prepared a feast for us and I ate a lot more than Matthew indicated in his blog. I had some fish soup, omelet, rice and coconut juice. Everyone seemed happy to see us, and they were very welcoming. Asolima, her cousin, and her brother gave us a preview of the dance they were going to perform at church on Sunday. The two little girls, Akanese and Leme, are beautiful! Joe got to hold the baby and I got to play a game of Popo Mano with Akanese. Akanese also danced for us. She is darling!

On Sunday we went to the English Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The mothers received ulas, or leis, that had been blessed by the new priest. After communion the youth choir sang a song about mothers. It made me cry. There’s something really comforting about being able to attend Mass anywhere in the world and still feel at home. Later that day we had a great Mothers’ Day dinner prepared by the two most important men in my life! The stir fry was really good and the taro hash browns were excellent. The only thing missing was my precious Amanda.

On Monday we went to the Baha’i House of Worship – one of only seven in the world. The grounds are beautiful and the atmosphere is reminiscent of Holy Family Motherhouse – definitely a spiritual place. Monday afternoon we took the ferry to Savai’i. At Lusia’s Lagoon Chalets, Joe, Matthew and I were assigned the Honeymoon Suite. What fun! They were filming an ad to promote Samoan tourism so at dinner that night we got to see an impressive floor show featuring Miss Samoa 2003 and an Australian newsreader (Tracy Spicer).

Tuesday we swam in the lagoon then Joe and Matthew went kayaking and snorkeling while I read on the dock. Afterwards we took a taxi to the waterfall and then returned to Lusia’s for a yummy dinner.

Today we took the ferry back to Apia and finally made it to Skippy’s and did a little window shopping at the flea market (can you window shop if there are no windows?). Tonight we went to Giordano’s with Blakey where we ran into Koa and his parents. We drank a little Australian wine and had some delicious bleu cheese pizza.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last day in Samoa. The time has gone way too fast. On the one hand I’m grateful that we got to see where Matthew is living and to meet some of his friends. It will definitely make it easier to imagine what his life is like here in Apia. On the other hand, being able to spend some time with him will only make it harder to be so far away. While intellectually I totally support what he is doing, the mom part of me wishes he were closer to home. I’m very proud of what he’s doing but my heart hurts at the thought of the continuing physical separation.

That’s all for today. Hope you’re well. Pictures below.
















At the flea market.
















Sleepy sleepy time.