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: