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.