On the Hunt for Palolo

Palolo is a delicacy in Sāmoa and sometimes referred to as the caviar of Sāmoa. 

In the last quarter of the moon in October or November, palolo worms reproductive portions are caught along the reef. Sāmoans make homemade nets out of mosquito nets, tree branches, and buckets. They go out into the water to the reef at low tide around 5-6 am to catch palolo. Families either eat it themselves or sell it. The price of palolo is typically a lot.

Catching palolo is a once a year activity that many Sāmoans enjoy. I had the pleasure of going with my family this year to go catch palolo. It is typically a two night event. The first night, no one caught anything as it seemed there were just no palolo. On the second night, there were palolo abound. The experience of getting up so early and going with dozens of Sāmoans to catch palolo was a unique cultural experience I won’t forget. I will not be eating any palolo anytime soon though...

My host mom: "Sana, do you want some palolo?"

Me: "No. I don’t eat worms."

Too Many Fa’alavelave

This is the biggest complaint I hear from Sāmoans on a regular basis. I am told not to marry a Sāmoan because there are too many fa’alavelave. Sāmoans are so busy because there are too many fa’alavelave. So, now you’re probably wondering what on Earth fa’alavelave is.

The literal translation for fa’alavelave is inconvenient. So I guess it lives up to what it is called.

Most Sāmoan events (weddings, funerals, etc.) are pretty similar to what I’ve been to and seen in the U.S. The difference, however, is that each one of these events includes a fa’alavelave. This is essentially an exchange of  gifts. Typically, whoever is hosting the event is the one giving the majority of gifts. For example, with a funeral, the family who lost someone gives gifts to the people who attend. Same with a wedding; the families of the bride and groom are the ones giving the gifts.
So what kinds of gifts are exchanged? Traditionally, just ie toga (fine mats) were exchanged at fa’alavelave. Who gets the best fine mats (the largest ones) depends on matai (chief) titles. Faifeau (pastors) are given the best ones, followed by the highest matai titles. Typically only those with matai titles are given ie toga.

In modern Sāmoa, more gifts than just fine mats are given. Now, one can find anything from laundry detergent to ie (fabric) to ula (necklaces) to wine to money to pusa apa (boxes of tin fish or corned beef) being given to guests at fa’alavelave. I once witnessed someone get 60 boxes of eleni (tin fish) at a fa’alavelave. Now that’s a lot of mackerel.

The way that gifts are presented are also an important part of fa’alavelave. One person is typically announcing the gifts and who they are for. Women and taule’ale’a (untitled men) then present the gifts. Small items are usually brought over on trays and the woman sits to present it (out of respect). Fine mats are unfolded and at least two people hold it and run it over to the receiver. While gifts are presented, you also have your "choo girls". These women shout "choo-hoo" as they present gifts. I have been to many fa’alavelave where I have been a "choo girl".

Fa’alavelave are a very unique part of Sāmoan culture that Sāmoans seem to have a love/hate relationship with. They happen pretty often and go with any welcoming, goodbye, wedding, funeral, reunion, etc. It’s no wonder that I regularly hear Sāmoans say "too many fa’alavelave."

For the Children

My first Sunday in Sāmoa was spent celebrating the holiday White Sunday and now here I am two years later, celebrating it for the third time.



White Sunday is a holiday I find unique to Sāmoa and was first instituted by the missionaries when they came to the country. It can also be called Children’s Day (Aso Sā o Tamaiti) as it is a day to celebrate the children of Sāmoa.

In Sāmoa, children are constantly doing feaus (chores) both in and out of school. It is a strong belief in Sāmoa that you should work and serve in order to earn respect (and titles). Therefore, service and work is instilled in children from a young age. They are typically seen cooking, doing laundry, making tea, serving tea, cleaning and generally doing things for their parents or other adults.
It is not unusual across the world to see children doing assorted chores. The biggest difference I see in Sāmoa, however, is that 99% of the time, children do what they are told without complaint. It is a part of their life to take care of and serve adults, particularly in their family. I honestly don’t know how I’ll go back to children in the USA who can be so whiny when you ask them to do something. But I digress...
Children also typically eat last in their families. There is a particular order to the way a family eats as not everyone usually eats at the same time. Chiefs, guests, and the elderly of the family typically eat first. They are then followed by any other adults. Children then eat last.

White Sunday, however, is a time to celebrate children and the Sāmoan way gets turned around just a bit for the day. Like any holiday in Sāmoa, it is based in church. During church, children and families get up to do performances of songs, dances, and/or skits. During to’ona’i (the lunchtime meal after church), children get to eat first and they are served by the adults. This whole day is a special treat for the children and a lot of preparation goes into it. I have been hearing song and dance practice in my village for two weeks leading up to it.

All of the families in my church who lost someone this year performed in the afternoon service. This year, my family even performed a song in dedication of our late father Mila.

Empowering Women and Girls

Just this past week, we had our annual GLOW (Girls Leading our World) conference once again. Throughout the year, I have been a part of the team working to plan and organize the conference and I could not be more proud and happy about how the conference went! The girls, counterparts, and speakers all gave wonderful feedback.

GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative meant to empower girls to become leaders in their communities. In Sāmoa, volunteers can start GLOW clubs at their schools or in their communities. Each club has a Sāmoan counterpart who helps run the club and can run the club when the volunteer is no longer here. Clubs typically meet once a week and can include girls aged 10-15. Then, once a year, any school or community with a club can send girls from years 7 and 8 to the annual conference.

At the conference, we focus on three main pillars of GLOW: careers and education, healthy bodies and healthy minds, and ending domestic violence against women and girls. We planned out the conference so that each day focused on one of the pillars. 

On the first day, 93 girls, 22 counterparts, and 12 PCVs made their way to Infant Jesus in Le’auva’a on the island of Upolu. We began with an opening prayer, which is typical of any Sāmoan event. We then had opening remarks from the current Miss Sāmoa, Sonia Piva who spoke to the girls about working hard to achieve their goals. She was so excited to be there that she even stayed and participated with the girls when the next speaker presented.

Next up was Doris Tulifau, who had the girls working in teams to build teamwork through different activities. She even had the girls make a recycled outfit for one person in their team. Our counterparts really enjoyed this activity and some even were the models for their recycled outfit.

Last of the day was judo. This was a big hit with the girls. They learned about self defense and basic judo moves, which they safely practiced on each other.

After a long day of travel and then a restful night’s sleep, the girls and counterparts got up nice and early on day two ready to learn about careers and education! First up on the agenda were trips to National University of Sāmoa (NUS) and Australia Pacific Technical Coalition (APTC). After breakfast, we loaded up the buses and headed out. The bus I was on had an energetic group and became quite the party bus!

At APTC and NUS, the girls and counterparts learned about the different schools and the types of courses provided. At each school, they had women who studied in the trades talk to them about what it was like studying in a field dominated by men. At NUS, the woman who spoke is studying carpentry. At APTC, the women who spoke are studying plumbing, fabrication, and cookery. It was a great opportunity for the girls to learn that they don’t have to just be teachers or nurses, but they can be anything they want. 

After heading back and having lunch, the girls had three speakers who are leaders in Sāmoa speak to them about careers and education. Fiti, the owner of SSAB in Sāmoa, engaged the girls in setting short and long term goals as well as following their hearts. Petronilla, who helps to teach women traditional Sāmoan handicrafts, came to talk to the girls about their futures. Finally, Cherelle Jackson came to speak to them about environmental education.

After a long day and hard work, the girls were rewarded with a trip to the movies. We saw the movie Small Foot, which seemed to be a big hit with everyone. (Definitely a cute movie that I highly recommend).

On Friday, we moved on to discuss healthy bodies and healthy minds. Due to some scheduling issues, the day started with me teaching kickboxing to 93 girls. This was a first for me, but the girls seemed to have fun and I did too. Next, Sāmoa Family Health came to talk to the girls about menstruation and reproductive health. And last that morning, Sāmoa Red Cross cake to teach the girls about basic first aid skills.

After our lunch break, it was time for a busy afternoon. We started with a rotation where the girls split up into smaller groups to do three different activities. We had yoga, done by our very own PCV, Carinne. We also had tie dye, which was taught and organized by our PCV, Aftan (who also redesigned our amazing logo this year). And last was the pool at a nearby hotel. While it was a busy three hours, the girls had a lot of fun!

Last agenda item that day was a visit from MANA Care. This company is run by two Sāmoan women who bring environmental awareness and menstrual health together. They make and sell reusable pads. They generously made packs of 4 pads for each girl (400 pads total!) and discussed menstrual health with them. The girls had great questions and were so excited for the pads.

To end the day, we had a pizza, cake, and dance party. You never would’ve guessed what a busy day it had been when the girls hit the dance floor (just in the hall we had dinner) that night. 

After finally ending the dance party, the girls reflected on the day and went to bed. The next morning, they got up and were ready for the final day. After breakfast, representatives from UN Women came to speak to the girls about ending violence against women and girls. They read about different ways to do this then performed skits and songs to show their understanding. Everyone was engaged in the activity.

Edit

After a quick snack, the girls and counterparts then worked on making posters about what they learned at the conference. The purpose was to take them back to their GLOW clubs and share what they learned. Some groups have already shared their knowledge with their clubs or whole schools since coming back!

Last up on the agenda? A visit and closing remarks from our Honorable Deputy Prime Minister. In order to hold a position in parliament in Sāmoa, one must have a matai (chief) title. Not many women in Sāmoa have titles, but the Deputy Prime Minister does and is the first woman to hold her position. She talked to the girls about leadership, matai titles, and asked them about their GLOW clubs. It was such a pleasure having her.

Finally we handed out certificates of completion and the girls made their way back to their villages. It was a busy few days, but we made it through with smiles.

It was also a special conference because for the first time, the counterparts had their own speakers to come and speak to them about being women leaders. They spoke to a lawyer about women in government, and two other Sāmoan leaders about the importance of women’s leadership in Sāmoa and other areas of interest to the counterparts.

I am proud of all the PCVs who worked to organize and put on this year’s conference. It was a great opportunity for everyone involved.