Prizegiving

Just as there is a celebration at the end of each school year in America, every school in Samoa also marks the end of the school year with a celebration called prizegiving. Prizegiving is exactly what it sounds like. Students at the top of each class is given prizes.

Now, when you think of prizes, you probably think books, pencils, school supplies, maybe a trophy or a coloring book. Well, this is not the case. Prizes in Samoa are more for the family than for the child. Prizes include things like tea kettles, cups, plates, and trays. Really makes you want to get first in your class, right? Especially if you're 6 years old! (That's sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on that).

But wait, how do you decide who gets the prizes?? In each class, students are ranked from 1st to last in their class based mostly on mid-year and end-year exams. The students who were ranked 1st through 5th in each class at my school got prizes. First prize was a tea kettle and set of a dozen mugs. Second prize was a dozen plates and six metal mugs. Third prize was a tray and a dozen mugs. Fourth prize was a tray and six glasses. Fifth prize was a large bowl and six glasses. Finally, each teacher could give out special prizes for most improved or best behavior. These students got a tray and set of glasses.

I decided to give out prizes to my most improved students, but I didn't want to go the traditional route and give out plates and cups. Instead, each of my students got a book, pencil, stickers, bookmark, eraser, and certificate. I think the kids enjoyed that a little more than a new set of cups (although I could be wrong).

After all the classes had given out their prizes, there were also top prizes for year 8 students. In the primary schools in Samoa, year 8 is the last year before they go to college (high school). They gave trophies to the top student for each subject as well as for students who won in a spelling bee or at culture day for a speech.

Also in year 8, they give a prize to the top student overall in the school. In America, we call this a valedictorian, in Samoa (and apparently Australia and New Zealand) they call it the dux. I'll let that soak in for a minute.... So this year, there was a lot of gossip and debate at the school over who the dux would be. The dux is supposed to be the top scorer on the national exams according to MESC (Ministry of Education Sports and Culture). The girl who earned this was a student who transferred to our school this year and was repeating year 8. Because of this, however, several teachers thought she shouldn't be the dux. After all, she hadn't been at the school since year 1! (I know, I don't agree with it either.) They ended up naming the girl who technically earned 2nd place the dux because she had been at the school since year 1.

Prizegiving was quite the Samoan experience. It was a long day, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm sitting in a hall with all the teachers in our lovely, matching outfits. Afterwards, I spent time with some of my teachers at the school chatting and drinking. It was a nice integrating experience.

Who run the world? Girls!

About a month ago, the sixth annual Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) conference was held in Apia, Samoa. GLOW is a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) initiative throughout several different countries where PCVs serve. In Samoa, the GLOW conference has become better known throughout the years. It started with just a conference six years ago and has been working more toward sustainability this year.

Each PCV who chooses to do so, can crea

te a GLOW club at his/her school. The purpose of GLOW clubs is to empower girls in upper primary years (typically years 6-8). GLOW is built on three pillars: careers and education, healthy bodies and healthy minds, and ending domestic violence against women and children. These topics are explored throughout the year in each GLOW club and the PCV and a local counterpart at the school run each club.

Even though the GLOW conference was in its sixth year this year, this was the first year that having a GLOW club at the school was a requirement for attending the conference. The goal of what PCVs do in their communities is meant to be sustainable. By introducing the idea of a GLOW club at each school and requiring that for the conference, the idea was to have GLOW be sustainable in Samoa.

This year, the GLOW conference brought together 78 girls and 14 local counterparts from 14 primary schools throughout Samoa to a 4-day conference held in Apia. I was privileged enough to help plan and run the conference and was so thrilled to see the girls selected from my school learn more about how they can become leaders.

Very often, Samoans do not have many opportunities to leave their villages (or potentially their island). They often find themselves growing up and staying in their village or possibly a village not to far from the one they grew up in. Their friends are often Samoans from their village. Being able to take girls to a conference in the capital helped them to expand what they know.

My girls made friends with some girls from other schools at this conference. They became so close with them in just 4 days that they cried when they had to leave them. They also got to hear from Samoans about how to stay healthy, possible careers, and how valued they are. This conference was an amazing opportunity for them.

Before joining Peace Corps, I had no idea about GLOW or why it is important, but I am so grateful that I got to be a part of it this year. The best part though, is that I get to do it again next year as well. I am so excited to grow my GLOW club at school and help to grow the conference so that more girls throughout Samoa have this opportunity. So many PCVs work hard to have GLOW clubs and to run this conference so a big thank you to them as well for putting in so much time and work to make this initiative grow in Samoa. I look forward to the day where this becomes a Samoan led initiative so that they can take girls’ leadership and empowerment into their own hands. 

A'iga means Family

Family is an important part of many people’s lives. I love my family, but have spent the last 10 years loving them from a distance. They are important to me. I simply have tended to do better being far away from them. Being in Samoa, however, has changed this for me for two reasons: 1. 7,000 miles and not seeing them for 14 months is a lot of time and distance even for me. 2. Family is an important part of Samoan culture.

In Samoa, family is everything. The whole culture in Samoa revolves around service, first to the church and then to family. Children grow up taking care of their parents. They are there to do things for their parents, serve them, clean, cook, and take care of younger siblings. Children continue to live with their parents until they get married and then the married couple decides whether to live with the wife or husband’s family. It is not unusual to find 3+ generations of a family in one house.  This is because family is so important to Samoans.

Peace Corps Volunteers in Samoa all have their own Samoan family in their village. While not all volunteers live with their families, many do. I am one of the volunteers who lives in a room in my host family’s house. While I was nervous about this given that I have not lived with my family in years, I am very thankful for my family. I want to introduce my family to all of you.

First, there is the matai of my family, my father, Mila. Matai means he is the chief, or the head, of my family. While Mila speaks English, he has been insistent since I moved in that everyone should speak Samoan to me. He is very proud of his language and culture. We don’t typically talk much, but we often simply laugh at each other. I can’t even say how many times he has laughed at me when I have come out of my room with a book in my hand. He is extremely protective of me and wants to make sure I am well fed and well taken care of.

Next, there is my mother, Malu. She is a teacher at my school so I see a lot of her every day. Malu, like my own mom, does not care what other people think. It is not uncommon to find her dressed oddly or dancing around just for fun. She also regularly tells people exactly what she thinks of them. She encourages me to be the same way. Despite the fact that Mila doesn’t want people to speak to me in English, Malu nearly always talks to me in English.

 

I also have a brother who lives in the house with me, Pati. Pati is 22 years old and a student at the National University of Samoa. He is only home during the weekends since his University is on the other island. Pati works really hard to take care of his parents since he is the only child who lives at home. Him and I like to joke with each other about boyfriends and girlfriends.

I have three other siblings who all live overseas. It is not uncommon for Samoan children to live overseas and send money home. I have been lucky enough to meet all of them since they have come back to Samoa to visit. I have a sister, Dreina, 20 who now lives in Australia, although she has been in Samoa for the past 4 months. I also have 2 brothers, Potoa’e and Brett who both have their own families and live in Australia.

Due to many health problems with my parents this year, one of my aunts has also regularly stayed with me at the house. Amataga is a sweet and caring woman. She helps me work on my Samoan and always asks how my day was. She offers to do my laundry and makes sure that I eat well.

I also have more family who live in my village including aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. The one thing my house doesn’t have though is young children. That’s where my neighbors come in. My neighbors next door have 8 children all aged 14 and younger. Five of the children regularly come over to hang out with me, knock on my bedroom door, watch movies, and color.

My Samoan family doesn’t stop with just who is in my house. In Samoa, family is more than just blood relatives; it is the village. I am so thankful to those in my village who I call my family. I am happy, however, that I get to see my mom (my real mom) in just three weeks.

Hospitality the Samoan Way

Samoan hospitality is none like I have ever seen before. When it comes to guests at their house, Samoans treat their guests with the highest of respect and show it in so many ways. It has taken me time to get used to this and my host family has adapted to the way I like things as well.

You may be thinking, “Wait…you are living there for 2 years…you’re not a guest!” Well, that may be technically correct, but Samoans don’t see it that way. I am a guest of their home no matter how long I may be staying. It is typical for Samoans to visit their family overseas for months at a time or for family from overseas to come to Samoa for months at a time. Length of time does not determine if you are a guest or not.

Particularly during training, when I lived with a family for 8 weeks, I was treated like the ultimate guest. This was shown through me literally doing nothing for myself. This was extremely difficult for me given that I am such an independent person. I did my own laundry once and my host father was shocked and appalled that I should do it myself. If I went to sit on the floor, I was given a chair and told to sit in the chair. When I had to wear a puletasi for formal events or practice teaching, my host family provided me with one (or about 8).

Hospitality is partially shown through food. All of my meals were provided by my host family and were large. I was given all kinds of different food and when there was something I couldn’t eat (because of my Celiac), they would rush to figure out something else I could eat. Plus, I was constantly given snacks.  A fat guest means that they were well taken care of.

In training, trainees are treated much more like guests than at site because it is a much shorter period of time. This does not mean, however, that when we become volunteers that we become independent people. Of course how each volunteer is treated depends on the family, the volunteer, and the living situation. I know many volunteers whose families do their laundry and clean their rooms for them. This is simply Samoan hospitality.

I, personally, do not have that, but I am perfectly okay with that. My family has allowed me to be more independent for so many reasons. First of all, I have made it pretty clear that I like it that way. Secondly, I live with a very small family so it is not as though there are several children and teenagers in my house to do my laundry and clean my room. This does not mean, however, that I am exempt from Samoan hospitality, particularly from people in the community.

At school, I have had children bring me food, typically coconuts or fruit. Sometimes, teachers will bring or buy me lunch. When we got a new uniform, a teacher sewed my puletasi for me. I’ve been invited in for tea at a person’s home simply because I was running by and this woman knew another volunteer in a different village. At home, I eat first and am given the food that is considered the best of what we have that night (such as this weird looking lobster).

Once, I even got offered a puppy by my family because they could see how much I liked the puppy. I didn’t take it.

With this hospitality, I feel like part of so many families. Samoans have truly made me feel welcome wherever I go.

A Year in Samoa

When I first decided to join the Peace Corps, I knew I would be serving 2 years. I thought that 2 years didn’t seem like that much. I did 2 years of graduate school to get my masters, and that was half the time it took me to get my bachelor’s degree. I taught in a NYC public school for 3 years and some of those days can feel like the longest days ever. After all these experiences, I thought, 2 years is totally doable.

And now, I have been in Samoa for 1 year. The last year has been quite the roller coaster ride. There are days when I think, “I’ve already been here a year?” and then other days where I think, “I’ve only been here a year?” That’s what living in another country, far away from friends and family can be like.

In the beginning of my time here in Samoa, everything was new. It was all a novelty. I was intrigued by the language, the food, the clothes, and the customs. Every day was a new experience for me during those first few months. I spent a lot of time not really understanding or knowing what was going on. Now, this culture has become my life. I no longer feel like an outside observer all the time, but rather another Samoan (although I am still sometimes simply an observer still).

So how has Samoa changed me in a year? Well, if you know me, you know how I love lists so here is my list of how I have changed:

·      I am much more comfortable sitting on the floor than on a chair.

·      I no longer cringe at cockroaches, but rather let them co-exist with me.

·      I rinse my dishes before I use them, even though they’ve already been washed, thanks to all the ants in this country.

·      If I feel something small crawling on me, I know it’s an ant and simply find it and kill it.

·      If you ask me what time it is, I will probably have no idea.

·      I feel I have mastered the art of bucket washing my clothes.

·      Having my hair down and my shoulders out is a luxury to me.

·      I accept that flip flops (jandals) are definitely formal wear.

·      I no longer think a bra is necessary, ever.

·      My hands are just as good of utensils to eat with as a spoon or fork, except with soup.

·      I can have a full conversation with someone using just my eyebrows.

·      I appreciate taking at least two showers a day.

·      When I go to a store, I must search every aisle because I never know when something really good might be on a shelf.

·      I accept that I don’t know what is going on about half the time.

·      Sitting and doing nothing is one of my daily activities.

·      When I get sunburned, I know that it will be a tan in a day or two.

·      My day feels strange when I don’t read.

·      Napping outside is appealing to me.

·      I think that below 80 degrees is cold.

·      I enjoy going to the beach and swimming in the ocean.

·      I think a city that has more than 2 streets is too busy for me.

·      I can ration Reese’s peanut butter cups.

·      When I see a dog, my first thought is “how likely is it to attack me?”

·      I can sense when rain is coming. (This may be an exaggeration, but still…)

·      An exciting night for me is when I have a new show to watch.

·      Having a fan is essential to my well-being.

I’m sure there are other ways I have changed, but I’ll let some pictures do the talking for now.

Before:

After:

 

All about that church

Religion is not something that was a large part of my life as a child. My family and I did not go to church. We did not typically discuss it on a normal day in my house. I had friends who were and are religious. I even went to church with some of them when I was younger, but it has never been a large part of my life. I do respect people’s religious views however and believe it to be a part of a person’s culture. 

Knowing this about myself has helped me in Samoa where religion permeates through everyday life. Samoa is a primarily Christian nation where there is no separation of church and state. This is reflected in everyday life here.

First of all, there are churches everywhere in Samoa. It is hard to go even a mile without seeing one. The primary churches that you will find in nearly every village are EFKS (pronounced eh-fa-ka-sa), Methodist, Mormon, and Catholic. That does not mean there are not other churches, but these are the main ones that nearly every volunteer attends in his/her own village. During training, I attended an EFKS church and in my current village I attend a Methodist church.

Church services are held often and regularly. My church in my village has morning and afternoon services on Sundays as well as evening service on Mondays and Wednesdays after the children’s Sunday school at the church hall and an early morning service on Fridays. Not everyone goes to every service. The main service that most community members will attend is the morning service on Sundays. After this service, Samoan families have to’ona’i, which is just a special meal on Sundays after church that consists of traditional Samoan food cooked on the umu (Please refer to my post about food for further explanation on this).

Part of going to church is also looking the part. Sundays are the days that you will find Samoans looking their best. Some churches have their parishioners wearing white every Sunday. This includes the Methodist church. In an EFKS church, many parishioners typically wear white, but it is not necessarily a requirement. The women often wear their nicest hats and their dresses or puletasis adorned with sequins. 

Part of church services in Samoa is reading the offerings that each family has given to the church/pastor. Pastors (faifeau) are held in very high esteem in Samoa. They are considered the closest to God and the one who speaks to him directly. Therefore, Samoans believe the pastor should be given much for this great service. Much of a Samoan family’s money will go to the church, which pays for the pastor’s living expenses. On Sundays, and sometimes other days, Samoan family’s will also take over food for the pastor and his family as part of their offering to him.

While there are a lot of church services, Sunday school sessions, and church choir practices, that is not the only way in which religion is a part of the Samoan culture. Every evening, at sundown, a bell or horn will go off in nearly every village throughout Samoa. This is the signal for evening lotu or Sa. This is the evening prayer time in which all families go inside their homes, typically sing a hymn, and do a prayer. While this does not necessarily happen in every village or every home, it is very common throughout the country. Depending on the village, you may even get fined for being out on the street during this time. In my village, we have one bell to tell people to go inside (ulufale), then one bell to begin Sa. After Sa has begun, a horn will blow and the matais (chiefs) of the village who stand on the street to make sure people have gone inside will go to our community faletele to have their Sa.

Prayer is also part of every mealtime. There is a prayer before eating each meal. In my house, I am usually the one who says the prayer before eating. I stick with the one the children say at school since it is simple. It goes: Fa’afetai Iesu foa’i mai mea’ai tausi ai le matou le fa’anau. Amene. Translation: Thank you Lord for the food we eat. Amen. Even though I am not religious, this has become second nature to me since living here.

Prayers and religion also make their way into schools on a daily basis. In America, I would never dream of even bringing up religion in school, except when discussing history of cultures. In Samoa, religion is an essential part of the school day. Every day, either the whole school or individual classes will sing a hymn and/or give a prayer to start the day. At lunchtime, classes will pray prior to going to eat.

There is no way to separate Samoan culture from religion. It really is an integral part of their culture. A common question they will pose to an outsider is what church you go to. This was something I got regularly at the beginning and I had to be careful about how I answered since religion is so important to them. I merely answered with, “I didn’t grow up going to church.” I have come to appreciate some of the ways in which church affects life here and continue to learn about its significance for the Samoan people. 

Let's talk about...FOOD!!

One of the most talked about topics amongst volunteers here on our small islands is food. It is important to human existence, but it is also an integral part of Samoan culture. Every Sunday, families take food to the pastor and present it to him. They also share food with others both on Sundays, as well as any day. I have been a part of taking food to the pastor as well as other members of our village. It is part of life here that people share food. If you go to someone’s house, you are bound to get tea and at least a little bit of food. It is a way of showing hospitality. Since it is so prominent, of course it becomes a large topic of conversation amongst volunteers.

I especially talk and think about about food at least once every 20 seconds. Almost 3 years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac disease and had to go on a strict gluten free diet. No wheat, rye, or barley for me. I had to make some pretty big changes to my life in America due to this, but I then had to change again when I came to Samoa. Living with a host family and eating with them, I had to explain my dietary restrictions to them. I can’t really explain what Celiac is so I simply tell them I have a wheat allergy. This helps, but I still on occasion am offered saimini (essentially ramen) or some soup with macaroni in it. I do end up being pretty limited here with what I eat, but I am (kind of) getting used to it.

One of the things that makes not only my situation difficult, but any volunteers is that the availability of different foods is quite limited. Living on an island in the middle of the South Pacific, many food staples are obviously grown here. Many things are imported, but those items are limited. Volunteers get excited when we find our favorite candy, or TORTILLA CHIPS! (That is the ultimate find, although it’s not real tortilla chips, just “Original Salted Doritos”.) Most volunteers also eat with their host families for at least one meal each day, which means we stick to a Samoan diet.

Most traditional Samoan food is made from ingredients grown on the island, although there are some exports that have become staples in Samoan homes.  Samoan food is traditionally cooked on the umu, which is essentially an outdoor oven pit made with heated rocks and coconut shells. Especially on Sundays for to’ana’i (a traditional meal on Sundays after church) members of the family will get up early to make the umu and cook the meal.

Some of the common foods one may find on a Samoan table are:

‘Ulu (breadfruit): a type of starch that gets cooked and tastes bread-like

Talo (taro): another type of starch that is like the potato of Samoa

Rice: only white rice is available on the island

Fasi Pua’a: pig that they kill and cook on the umu

Pipi: turkey tails imported

Papakiu (barbecue): barbecue here is made with a soy sauce mix

Sapasui: bean noodles cooked with soy sauce and typically some kind of meat

Falai elegi: tin fish fried in a skillet with oil and usually some kind of vegetable

Falai moa: fried chicken

Saimini: ramen, essentially, imported

Falaoa: bread, especially enjoyed with lots of butter or some canned spaghetti on it

Panikeke: small fried doughnuts essentially

Pe’e Pe’e: coconut cream made from opening the coconut, shredding the meat and squeezing the cream out of it

Pisupo: imported canned corned beef

Some of my personal favorite Samoan foods are:

Oka: a cold soup made with coconut cream and raw fish

Palusami: baby taro leaves filled with coconut cream and cooked on the umu

Fa’alifu talo: taro boiled and covered in coconut cream

I’a: fresh fish, especially good with coconut cream on it (are you sensing a pattern??)

Vai fala: a mixture of coconut, milk, pineapple, and usually peanuts

Niu: not technically a food, but the water of a delicious coconut and best when you are given them for free by your students

There are definitely many other foods that Samoans eat, but these are some of the most common. While Samoan food isn’t all bad, it is pretty common to end up getting the same thing to eat for dinner for days or even weeks at a time. This can be draining on anyone. So it is nice when I get out of my village and go to the capital where I can get gluten free pizza (only one place to go in the entire country) or perhaps find that a grocery store got a (magical) shipment of American cereal. And when I do find something I’ve never seen before and love, I stock up, because there is no guarantee I will see it again.

Bugs, bugs, bugs

When I lived in New York City, I got used to rats and cockroaches being a part of life. In school, bed bugs and lice would sometimes invade as well. I thought this would prepare me for the bugs I would have to deal with in Samoa, but was I wrong?

The cockroaches. First of all, every single cockroach I see here is at least two inches long. It’s like there are no baby or teenage cockroaches. They all just sprout to adulthood immediately. Also, they fly like their life depends on it. I knew cockroaches flew, but these ones fly far, which kind of freaks me out.

The spiders. Along the same lines of the cockroaches, the spiders here seem to be of super-human size. Sure, I see small ones that I have no issues killing with my hand or foot, but then I see ones that are the size of my hand. For example, the picture below is a spider in my bathroom one night whose body alone was nearly the size of my palm.

The ants. While these are actually normal size, they are EVERYWHERE. I find ants in my books, on my arms, in my clothes, on my table, in my bed. You get the idea. I just can’t seem to get rid of them.

The crabs. Now, these are pretty cute and not really a bug. I don’t mind them, but when they show up in your hotel room or your house, they can be a little scarier. Like the one below, which we found in our hotel room before heading to a Peace Corps training.

The lizards. Also, not really a bug, but they are everywhere. Again, these guys are pretty cute, except when they poop all over your clothes: not as cute.

The centipedes. Now, I have been saving this for toward the end of the list because these things terrify me. Just like most of the bugs in Samoa, they are huge. I have been lucky to have never been bit by one because I hear it really hurts, but I have encountered a few at home as well as another volunteer’s house. The one below was probably close to seven inches long and tried to cuddle with some of us when we were sleeping.

The scorpions. Last, but not least are the scorpions. Now when we got to country, we were told there were no scorpions in Samoa. However, one volunteer found one live one as well as a couple of small dead ones in her house. I’m pretty lucky that I have not actually encountered one and I hope I can go the next year and a half without having to.

While there are a lot of bugs in Samoa, I have two things to help me. 1. My cat who is slowly getting big enough to actually take on some of these unwanted bugs. 2. Mortein. Mortein is a magical bug spray that kills these bugs pretty quick. I don’t know why it doesn’t exist in America.

Wait…you really just want to say hi??

Having lived in New York City for the past 9 years, I got used to certain things. Don’t smile at strangers—it may give them the wrong idea. Definitely don’t wave at strangers. A car honking means that you need to move. And finally, if a stranger wants to talk to you, it’s probably not just to say hey.

In Samoa, all of those things are pretty much not true. It took me the past 9 months to really get used to this idea.

First, if you don’t smile at a Samoan, they assume that you are rude and may not really like you. They all smile, practically all the time. As such, smiling at people you don’t know is perfectly normal.

Along those same lines, Samoans love to wave to people who they don’t know. I constantly have people saying hello or goodbye to me with a wave and I have no idea who they are. The best thing to do? Just wave back.

Car honking is like a wave in Samoa. It is not to be rude, it is not to get the next car to go or for a person to get out of the way. It is like a hello. This was definitely the biggest thing for me to remember as I walked down the street. Even just the other day I was walking and had about 10 cars and a bus honk at me to say hi (the driver also waved).

As far as a stranger talking to you as you walk down the street, it could mean that it is a guy hitting on you, but more likely in Samoa, that isn’t the case. People will regularly ask passersby where they are going. This isn’t because they really want to know though; it’s just small talk in Samoa. People just want to be friendly and talk to anyone, even if they don’t know him or her.

 Now, I am not saying that people in New York City are rude, I actually think true New Yorkers can be quite friendly, but Samoans are just extra friendly and nice.

Tattoos

In America, tattoos have slowly become more and more mainstream. Most young people have at least one tattoo now. In Samoa, however, tattoos have always been a large part of their culture. It is rare to find a Samoan who doesn’t have a tattoo.

Tattoos traditionally have been given to Samoans who earn a chief title. Families give titles to those members of the family who have shown service to their family. This means they have to earn their title by taking care of the family. Once a person receives a title, they traditionally get a tattoo as well. The male tattoo is called the malofie. It starts at the waist and goes down to the knees and includes everything in between, and I mean everything. It typically takes 2 weeks of tattooing every day to complete. The female tattoo for a chief title is called the malu. This is much less invasive and not nearly as time consuming. It is on both legs and begins at the thigh and continues down just below the knees. As Samoa has changed, there are people who get these tattoos who do not have chief titles, but merely want the tattoo.

Even though the malu and malofie are the most traditional of Samoan tattoos, plenty of Samoans (and non-Samoans) get Samoan style tattoos. There are several patterns that have different meanings in Samoa. The spear, for example, is a symbol of death during war times and a symbol for life during times of peace. The shark symbolizes guile and royalty. The turtle symbolizes wisdom and leadership. There are several symbols with different meanings that become incorporated into a Samoan style tattoo.

Not only do Samoan tattoos hold meaning, but it is also one of the few places on Earth where a person can get a traditionally done tattoo. In America, you go to a tattoo shop and they use a tattoo gun to give you your tattoo. Tattooing in Samoa has been around since before tattoo guns and this practice continue today. Traditionally, tattoos are done with tap tap. This is representative of the sound made in the process. One stick has one to several small needles attached to it, while the artist taps it into your skin with another stick. The tap tap process is how Samoans get traditional chief tattoos.

Since being in Samoa, I have gotten two tattoos. One done the traditional tap tap way. The symbol comes from the malu and means protection. The other tattoo I got using a gun. It is a wristband of spearheads. Regardless of if you would want a tattoo or not, it is an experience to get one (or at least see one done) in Samoa.

                       

Special shout out to the culture center in Samoa for my tap tap tattoo and Manamea Art Studios for my wristband tattoo.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Probably because it could. Especially here in Samoa.

In America, there's a lot of talk about free-range chickens and humane treatment of animals. In Samoa, there's no such thing as putting your pigs or chickens in a fence. Cows are usually fenced in, but we'll get to that in a minute.

Like many Samoan families, my family has many chickens an pigs roaming around. I have actually become so used to the sounds they make that when I am on the phone with someone back in America and they hear a chicken crow, I don't even notice. Chickens freely come in and out of my house. It sounds like it could be messy, but the reality is that they eat the bugs and we shoo them out before they can poop on anything.

Pigs don't really come into my house, which I'm okay with. I never really thought pigs were super loud animals, but then again, I'd never really lived around them. At my house, a couple of our pigs had some piglets. They are so cute and adorable, but they sure do make a lot of noise, especially in the middle of the night. The other time that pigs are nice and loud are when it's feeding time. We open up and scrape the inside of the coconuts to feed to the pigs and they just snort away with excitement when it is time to eat.

So if pigs and chickens can just roam free, you might wonder how each family knows which pigs and chickens are theirs. After all, they are still food and you don't want to be taking someone else's. Each family has a way to mark their animals. Usually by cutting an ear or the tail. The real trick is to catch them in order to mark them.

Cows, on the other hand, don't tend to roam free. The main reason? Probably because they would cause too many traffic jams. While my family doesn't have cows, my family I lived with during training did. They kept them in a fenced in area. The fence was not always the most secure though. I remember one Saturday night, after bingo, we had to go wrangle in our cows who had gotten loose. Keep in mind this was at about midnight. It took some time to get them in, but we managed.

Fences are not really something people have between them and neighbors here, so why put pigs and chickens in fences?

Running as an Extreme Sport

When you think of extreme sports, running is probably not what comes to mind. In Samoa, however, running is very much of an extreme sport for one reason: dogs.

In America, I think of dogs as cute, cuddly animals who I want to snuggle. As a matter of fact, I very much miss my dog who I left in America. In Samoa, however, dogs are quite different.

In Samoa, dogs are not viewed so much as pets as they are protectors. Typically, Samoans have dogs to protect their homes. As such, the dogs here tend to bark and chase other dogs as well as people. There are many nights that I hear dog fights happening just outside my house. Due to the way dogs are viewed and brought up in Samoa, it makes running quite difficult.

For some reason, dogs in Samoa feel more inclined to chase you if you are running past them. On several occasions when I have been running, I have been chased by dogs. The trick is to yell "alu" (go away) at them, stop running, and/or pretend to or actually throw a rock at them. One or all of these things tends to do the trick.

It is very easy for me to talk myself out of running because of the dogs, but I still try to run. I figure I am just extra athletic since I am doing an extreme sport. Right??

A'oga

A’oga: school

It is easy to think, growing up in the American school system, that culture is separate from school. Being in the small country of Samoa, with a population of 192,000 people, I see how the culture seeps into every aspect of the educational system. I taught for three years in a NYC public school prior to coming to Samoa and I can see how the culture affects the way the school system works. There are some pretty major differences between the schools I went to and taught at in America and the school I work at here in Samoa. Each system has benefits and negatives to it. This post is not meant to point out flaws, but merely to expose people to the school experience I am getting here in Samoa.

The schedule. In America, the schedule at school is very strict. There are specific periods and times that subjects, classes, and each day starts and ends. In Samoa, it is all about island time. When you ask a Samoan what time something starts, you may get an answer like “Maybe 5” or “Early.” This idea of time trickles into the schools as well. While I teach at a larger school so we tend to have a stricter schedule, we still have some flexibility about when things start and end. According to our schedule, school starts at 8:30, but it may start around 8:45 or 9:00. Interval (the lunch period), usually starts around 11:30, but may start early and end at 12:00 or 12:15 or 12:30. Time is very flexible to Samoans and that is seen during the school day.

Tea time. Probably the biggest difference between American and Samoan schools is the abundance of tea in Samoan schools. Nearly every day, I will be asked by my pule (principal) if I want a cup of tea when I walk by her room.  Students are sent to refill tea during interval. It is simply part of the culture in Samoa to drink tea multiple times a day.

Teaching methods. Just like in America, Samoa is pushing to have more student-centered teaching methods implemented in the classroom. America, however, started pushing for this longer ago and has had more time in order to implement these teaching practices. In Samoa, it is not uncommon to walk past a classroom and hear a teacher say something, and the students simply repeat it. Memorization and oral teaching methods are predominant here. This is not unlike America 20-30 years ago. One of my goals in working at the school is to help teachers to incorporate more student-centered teaching methods. Right now, they are just simply teaching the way they were taught and I hope to help them to start to change their teaching in order to hopefully help more students learn.

Principals. In Samoan, the principal is called the pule a’oga or pule (pronounced pool-ay). In America, the principal has the sole job of running the school, which includes a wide range of to-dos. In Samoa, the pule not only has to run the school, but due to teacher shortages in Samoa, he/she also has a class to teach. I am fortunate that my school is well staffed, however, my pule still teaches a year 4 class on top of her duties as the pule.

The school year. In America, our school year is from August/September to May/June depending on what state you live in. This was determined because of the farming season and the need for children to help harvest crops in the summer/fall. In Samoa, the school year runs with the calendar year. It is split up into four 10-week terms with 2-week breaks in between each term. Then, there is a 6-7 week break between each school year that runs in December and January. I am nearing the end of my first term teaching in Samoa and I have to say I like this schedule.

I am still learning about the school system in Samoa and working within it, however, I love teaching so much that you could put me in almost any school and I would find a way to make it work.

The Indirect Effect

I would be lying to everyone and myself if I said I didn’t want to make a difference in other people’s lives. It was a big part of why I became a teacher to begin with. I wanted to have an impact on at least one child’s life. Of course I would love to say that every student I have had has been changed in a positive way by me, but that is just unrealistic. Joining the Peace Corps is another example of me wanting to make a difference in people’s lives. I know that my presence in Samoa is not going to change everyone in my village and what I do may or may not have a lasting effect, but I saw a small, indirect effect of something I do on a regular basis here.

Every day (or close to every day), I sit outside and read. When I first started doing this, my host father would laugh a little. This was just a strange behavior for Samoans. It is very rare that you will see one of them just sitting and reading a book for fun. I actually can’t think of a time that I have seen it. I, on the other hand, have been doing this nearly every day of my service and I think nothing of it.

I finally realized the impact of this small behavior on those observing me. While my host dad may laugh at me and my host mom may say that she wants to read like me, I actually saw someone’s behavior change. My host cousin who is regularly at my fale (house) has seen me read a lot. Sometimes she would read the titles of my books or read a few words on the page I happened to be on. When I got up to get some water, I came back and she was reading my book. When I asked her if she wanted to read, she said she did. Her English is good and she can read it so I got one of the books I had already read to give to her.

We spent an hour lying on the floor, reading. Does she understand what she’s reading? I have absolutely no idea. She was stopping me, however, to ask how to pronounce words or clarify the meaning of a few words. Even to see her reading for pleasure was something that brings absolute joy to my heart.

I didn’t set out reading every day because I thought it would change someone’s behavior. I did it because I like to read and I did it outside because I liked it better than just sitting and staring at the street with my family. To see that this small behavior of mine has had this indirect effect on one person in my village makes me so happy. It really does go to show that while I came here to make a difference, I may make small changes that I won’t even realize initially.

Being in the Peace Corps in Samoa is like…

…being a celebrity. Or what I would imagine being a celebrity would be like. I never was famous in America despite all my effort…

Peace Corps has been in Samoa since 1967. It was one of the first countries the Peace Corps ever went to. Peace Corps has helped Samoa with infrastructure, health, education, and even brought them the flush toilet (thank goodness for that one). Needless to say, it has quite the reputation here. I have even heard older Samoans reminisce about how they had a Peace Corps volunteer (Pisikoa) in their village when they were children.

Because of this amazing reputation that so many volunteers before me have brought, I have the fortune of feeling like a celebrity. It also helps (or doesn’t help, depending on how you look at it) that I stick out like a sore thumb.

I have now been in my village for over 2 months, yet somehow even within the first month, everyone in my village seemed to know my name. This is no easy feat given that I live in one of the larger villages of Samoa. I go for runs and hear people calling my name. “Hi Sana.” “Bye Sana.” I walk through the town and taxi drivers ask, “Sana, do you need a ride?” I walk home from school and every child is outside, waving and yelling, “Bye Sana!” Meanwhile, I wave back and think, “Have I ever even met you?”

This particular aspect of my life in Samoa has positives and negatives. I have gotten a couple free taxi rides thanks to my celebrity status. However, it is really weird to have everyone know my name. I don’t get a lot of quiet if I want to go for a walk.

I am just hoping that my celebrity stays with me just a little when I go back to America. I need to be a washed-up celebrity so I can finally go on Dancing with the Stars.