This is a story about a cat named Tusi

If you follow me on social media, you have probably seen many pictures of a cat named Tusi. He is a cat that I rescued/adopted here in Samoa. Unlike in the USA, pets in Samoa all typically serve a purpose. Pigs, cows, and chickens are for food, horses are for transportation, dogs are to protect the property, and cats are to get bugs, mice, and rats. Pets are not just for pets’ sake here in Samoa. This is why the story of Tusi is a unique one here.

I am a big pet person. I have had lizards, fish, hermit crabs, dogs, and cats in my life. I love animals and enjoy them as company. I even have a dog and cat back home waiting for me to come back (although I think they are being very well taken care of). This is important to the story.

In May of my first year serving in Samoa, my group had training in Apia. As we were walking to dinner one night, a few of us heard a little meow. We stopped to try and find the source. We found this tiny little kitten that seemed to be all alone. He was so little; we wondered where his mother was because there was no way he would be able to survive on his own. We couldn’t find his mother, but decided we would go to dinner and if he were still there alone when we came back that we would figure out how to save him. 

On the way back to our hotel, he was still there and no mother in sight. We discussed who could take him. It’s not so easy to commit to taking in a cat because some people have vicious dogs, other cats, live with host families, etc. Even though I live with a family, I decided to take him without consulting my family. We didn’t have any dogs or cats and hoped my family would be okay with a cat. 

I kept him in a hotel for a couple nights, trying to feed him things like baby food or milk. He was so small that he could fit in one of my hands and I could easily cover him with my other hand. After doing some googling, I guessed he was about 3 weeks old. When I showed up at my house with him, my host aunt was surprised that I had a cat. When I explained how I acquired him, she thought it was sweet that I brought him home. My host dad was less enthused, but accepted it. My host mom was out of the country so I got to wait for her reaction.

During the first few weeks I had the cat, I would keep him with me other than when I went to school. He was kept in my room during the day and I would bring him out to sit in my lap at night. He loved lying on my books while I read, which is how he got his name: Tusi. Tusi means ‘book’ in Samoan.  

He eventually got big enough that I stopped worrying about him dying. He was just so little and sickly when I first got him, I was almost certain he would die. I surprised my Samoan family and neighbors by the amount of attention and love I gave to this cat. I’m sure they thought I was crazy.

Eventually, the kids who lived around me as well as my host cousins would come over and play with Tusi. One of my neighbors even to this day will come over, say hi to me, then ask where Tusi is. When my host mom eventually came home, she wasn’t very thrilled about a cat in the house, but it was too late for her to tell me to get rid of him by that point. Although there was one time she told me I’d have to get rid of him after he was locked in a room all day and of course made a mess. She did get over it eventually though.

Tusi has become a part of not just my family, but my village. The kids at my school ask me about Tusi sometimes. I have even found Tusi roaming around the village by the church or at a neighbors’ house. He even goes next door to catch the mice there, and then brings them to me.

Now as much as I love Tusi, he will be staying in my village when I leave. He was raised to be a Samoan cat and he can fend for himself. I know that there are enough people who live around my house who will take care of him and love him when I am gone. Recently even, I was leaving my house and Tusi followed me. Some kids said, “Fa Sana” (Bye Sana) and then saw Tusi and yelled, “Fa Tusi!” (Bye Tusi). He is a beloved village cat and that’s a major accomplishment for me.

Filemū

Americans are known throughout the world for their hustle and bustle lifestyle. They work 80-hour work weeks and practically run from one place to the next. They are known for a work, work, work lifestyle. Even when they go out, they tend to go hard. It tends to be a life of all go, go, go with very little rest.

Yes, I am generalizing, but I was even guilty of this lifestyle when I lived in the USA. Especially living in New York City, my life was all about constantly going and doing. I did not often have rest time or time to just chill. Even on days when I could relax, I typically spent them going to the gym, doing lesson plans, or going on walks with my dog. It was very rare that I spent a day actually just "chilling" and that typically was only when I was sick.

Samoan lifestyle is quite different. They describe their lifestyle as filemū (peaceful) and it is reflected every day in their actions and attitudes. As I approach living in Samoa for 2 years, I find that I have adopted that lifestyle and enjoy it as much as I can.

Unlike the States, there are not a lot of places to go and things to do in Samoa, especially in the village. I remember when my mom came to visit and she was sitting outside my house one morning. My host aunt sat with her and said, "Yes, we sit out here and watch the road and the ocean." This may sound crazy, but it is very typically of what you can find Samoans doing on a day-to-day basis. 

When I first moved to my village, I found it so odd when my host mom would sit in the house and just stare at the road. This was before we had a television and was basically the only thing we could do at home. Even if we go out to do something, it is typically to drive to the market and pick up food or to go to the beach for the day. Sometimes, we may even go for a walk to get some ice cream. There are not really events to go to in Samoa except for in the capital (although the Miss Samoa pageant is coming to my village soon and I am so excited!!).

Samoans have learned to thrive with very little. I find my students creating games with just string or even nothing. Adults spend a lot of time talking with each other about anything and everything. And they all nap, often and anywhere. They find ways to spend their time that are simply different than those of Americans. 

This is not to say that I am bored in Samoa. I simply get creative with my time. I read a lot and it is so nice to finally have time to read! Check out all the books I have read here. I exercise a lot, which Samoans found funny at first, but the people in my village have gotten used to it. I also have just learned to enjoy sitting and staring at the road sometimes.

I sometimes think to myself what do people even do at night or on the weekends in the States anyway??  Having "down-time" has become a part of my peace here. I am able to ponder life, think through my future, reflect on my past, and even just think of nothing in particular, letting my mind wander aimlessly. 

I think it is easy to get caught up in always having somewhere to go and something to do that we often forget how nice it is to truly relax and have nothing to do. Samoa has allowed me to reconnect with that side of me. On Sundays especially, when I cannot go out and everywhere is closed, I have found that naps, reading, and just watching movies can make a great day. I embrace the idea of doing nothing and having nowhere to be. It is a release that I did not get in the states.

Island Hopping

During the July break, I had the opportunity to go and visit American Samoa. It consists of a five islands and an atoll. It is part of the Samoan Islands, but these particular islands are a United States territory. Before I go into my visit there, let’s start with a bit of history about these islands.

The French, British, German and American visited the Samoan islands regularly. They used Pago Pago in what is now American Samoa as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping and whaling in the 1830s. These countries colonized much of the South Pacific. Due to international rivalries in the late 1800s, the 1899 Tripartite Convention was put into place. This partitioned the Samoan Islands into two parts between Germany and the Untied States. The eastern group was taken by the United States for the naval advantage of Pago Pago harbour, which is very deep and cannot be seen from the ocean. Germany ended up taking the western islands, which had greater landmass.

In 1962, (Western) Samoa gained its’ independence, but Eastern Samoa continues to be an American territory. Tuna canneries and the navy are main sources of economic income and development in American Samoa. It is also home to one of the United States’ national parks. They have a sitting representative in the American government to take concerns to the U.S. congress. However, people born in American Samoa are born as American nationals, not citizens, and therefore cannot participate in federal voting.

The fact that people born in American Samoa are born as nationals rather than citizens is a popular choice of its’ citizens. They do not wish to be U.S. citizens. When I asked a native of American Samoa why this was, he responded that many people feel the U.S. government would take away the land and culture of the people so by accepting being nationals, they are able to keep their land and culture how they want it.

The culture is still apparent there despite an American influence. Villages, schools, and houses still have that Samoan look and feel. The presence of the church is obvious just driving around the main island. The matai (chief) system still exists there where the matai make and enforce rules, but the police also enforce laws, which is different than in Samoa. Samoan and English are both spoken throughout the country and signs are in both languages as well. 

Samoa has a beauty, but a lot of it is not protected by laws and some beautiful places in the country end up being destroyed. American Samoa’s nature is protected by the fact that much of it is part of the U.S. National Parks.  While there, I was able to hike a couple of the trails in the National Park. Unfortunately, it had been raining a lot the week prior so many of the trails were closed. It was still easy to see the beauty of the country and park, however. It was so green and lush with many little animals that I never see in Samoa, like frogs. 

The buses in American Samoa were converted from old pickup trucks. They still had the same feel as a Samoan bus with the wooden seats and the Samoan music playing. They also are independently owned so there is no time schedule. This is how it is in Samoa as well and when we were told this, we said, “Oh, we know.” The main difference, however was that the buses were not crowded! Samoan buses sometimes get so packed that everyone has someone sitting on them and there are people standing in the aisle. In American Samoa, there were times we were the only ones on the bus.

And now on to the real excitement of the trip: the American food! American Samoa has some American fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr, and Pizza Hut. The real excitement, however, was the grocery stores. The best part of these? NO SALES TAX!! We stayed near two amazing stores. First up, KS Mart, which was just like any American grocery store. I got stuff to bake with, gluten free pasta, gluten free frozen dinners, a French press, chips, salsa, queso, etc. There were so many things to choose from! The even better place: Cost U Less, which is essentially Costco minus the need for a membership. Everything in bulk and at a low price. We spent nearly an hour and a half just walking around this story at first. They had things I haven’t seen in two years: CREST TOOTHPASTE! CINNAMON RAISIN GLUTEN FREE BREAD! DELI MEAT! MOZZARELLA STICKS! I think you may be noticing a trend… All I have to say is that most of my money went to food shopping.

Going to American Samoa was worth the tiny little propeller plane we took to get there. The plane fit 8 people and was just a 20-minute flight from Apia to Pago Pago. I’m so happy I got to go there because, like most Americans, I probably never would have visited it otherwise. 

Being a Teine

Recently, in America, there has been a lot of talk around gender equality. Women have come a long way in terms of equality, but have far to go. Being a female is a large part of my identity. Anytime someone has tried to help me carry or fix something, I have always thought it was because I was a female and refused the help. I wanted to prove that being female doesn’t mean I’m weak.

Being in Samoa, being female has continued to be a strong part of my identity and something that I am constantly reminded of. Gender inequality tends to be more prominent here with clear gender roles. Obviously, there are always exceptions to the rule, but gender inequality is something I have noticed and been subjected to since being here.

 

During pre-service training, my host family would not allow me to go anywhere alone. I always had to have someone go with me, even if I was just going down the street to the shop. The majority of the male volunteers did not get subjected to this same treatment. I know that part of it was about my safety, but I also felt like I was being treated like a dainty little flower, which I am not.

In my village, I have a lot of freedom. I can go mostly where I want and mostly when I want. This was a nice change of pace. I do, however, end up doing a lot of chores at my house. I clean and do my own laundry and cooking. I know several other female volunteers who do chores at their houses as well. I do not know as many male volunteers who even do their own laundry. 

 

When it comes to clothing, women are expected to cover up in Samoa. While in my village, I can run and walk in leggings and a t-shirt, however, any other time, I am expected to wear a lavalava in my village. I even wear a lavalava when I bike. I am typically expected to keep my knees and shoulders covered when out in my village. Males, in general, as well as male volunteers can easily walk around their village in shorts and tank tops (or no shirts) without anyone saying anything.

 

While this has not happened to me, I know other female volunteers who have had the experience of a male volunteer coming to visit her school and the male will get automatic respect. Male teachers at my school are called Mister, yet female teachers are never called Miss or Mrs. This ties in with the fact that in some villages, females are not allowed to get matai (chief) titles. Typically males hold matai titles and even when females have a matai title, they do not out number the males.

 

Gender inequality is more pronounced here than I am used to. This is not to say that women have no power or authority in Samoa. I believe, in fact, that women have more power than the majority of the males even realize. Samoan women are some of the strongest women I have ever met and I have no doubt that one day, things will change and women will be seen more as equals.

Government Issued Friends

When you join the Peace Corps, you automatically make friends with people who you probably never would have met otherwise. You all chose to go on this journey of Peace Corps service for 27 months. Because of your similar passions, you are forced into these friendships. I don’t use the idea of forced friendships or government issued friends in a negative way, but rather as a very realistic way of looking at how friendships are formed amongst PCVs. 

 

My group is the 88^th group of volunteers to come to Samoa. Samoa is the smallest Peace Corps post in the world. We come in groups of 16-22ish people in each group.  Group 88 went to staging in Los Angeles with 21 people. During training, one person left and we swore in as volunteers with 20 people in my group. Over the past year and a half, some people have left early for medical or personal reasons and we are now down to only 16 people in the group. These 16 people (and even some of the people who have left) have been my greatest support system while serving in the Peace Corps. They are the only people who understand 100% what I am doing and going through whether good or bad.

I am not saying that everyone in my group is a best friend, but we all respect each other and support each other. We have celebrated each other’s accomplishments, birthdays, and random little successes. We have also been listening ears when things have not been going well. My group will always mean the world to me. I have even had the privilege of traveling with some of them!

 

While I am closest with the people who I came to Samoa with, I have also been able to make friends with volunteers in both the preceding group and the group who came in more recently. Samoa receives a new group of volunteers every year so each group spends a year with the previous group and another year with the next group. Last year, I had a site mate who was from group 87. She was an amazing support for me and we still often talk even though she is doing great things back in the states and I am still in Samoa. I helped to train group 89 so I had the opportunity of getting to know a lot of them and there are some really amazing people who I enjoy spending time with in that group. 

 

 

In a typical friendship, people slowly get to know each other and it takes some time to really talk about very personal things. PCV friendships are quite different. During pre-service training, we spend almost all day and almost every day with people from our group. We quickly start talking about almost too personal of things. It is not uncommon to talk about bowel movements with another volunteer.  One of the volunteers in my group who previously served in another country always says that PCVs talk about three things: food, sex, and bowel movements. That is pretty accurate. 

 

I may not have chosen who would be in my group when joining Peace Corps Samoa, but I would not have it any other way. They are amazing people and I look forward to seeing where life takes each one of them. To my government issued friends, you are amazing!

Constant Change

The title ‘Constant Change’ may seem like an oxymoron, but in Peace Corps, it is a fact of life. When signing up for Peace Corps, you know that you are agreeing to give up 27 months to live in an underdeveloped country and help to develop the skills of the people in that country. What you may not expect is that there is no such thing as a "normal day" or knowing what will happen in a day. Depending on the program, there may be more or less structure. I currently serve in an education program, which tends to be a much more structured Peace Corps program since I work in a school. Even then, I can never fully know what any day might bring.

 

A few weeks ago, I was video chatting with my friend Megan who is a teacher in the U.S. We were chatting before I had to go work and she asked me when I had to be at work. My response was, "Oh I usually leave around 8:00." Of course this caused her to ask if I had to be there at a certain time. The truth is that here in Samoa, there is a time that schools "start" and then there is a different time each day that they actually start. According to my school’s schedule, we are supposed to have our assembly at 7:30 each morning. Any given day, however, the bell might ring at 8:15 am, 8:30 am, or maybe even 9:00 am. There is no guarantee as to when the day will start.

Even with that, the schedule for each day is very different. I have my own schedule, which I do my best to keep every day. I teach two groups before lunch, then one group after lunch. After that, I try to co-teach with 1-2 teachers depending on the day. Some days, lunch goes late and I cannot co-teach with 2 teachers. Other days, we end early and I am unable to do everything I want in the afternoon. Just this past Thursday, I was in a teacher’s room co-teaching when the bell rang. At first we both thought it was for years 1-3 (they get out earlier than the rest of the school), but then my teacher pointed out to me that everyone was leaving. Not even my teacher knew that we were ending early that day.

Even outside of school, there is not a lot of consistency.  I live with a host family in their house. In my family, in particular, there has been a lot of change in the last year and a half that I have lived with them. When I first moved in, it was my host brother, my host mom, and my host dad. Since then, there have been brothers, sisters, aunts, and cousins who have moved in and out along with my host mom leaving for New Zealand twice and my host dad getting sick and passing away. There has not been one single person who has lived in my house for the full year and a half that I have lived here. At one point, I didn’t know who would be in my house when I came home from school.

The constant changes I have experienced have probably been one of the most challenging aspects of my service. I have always been a major type A, schedule keeping person. I like to know what to expect and how to plan my life out. When I was 10 I knew I wanted to be a teacher and figured out how to do it. I got my master’s right after undergraduate school because I knew I would need it eventually anyway and wanted to get it then. I have always planned out my life and known ‘first this, then this, then this…’, but Peace Corps has shown me to go with the flow. This does not mean that I have totally lost my type A personality. I have simply mellowed out and learned that not everything can be run on a schedule. It is with the change that I find some interesting times. 

This change has also come at a time in my life that I am not 100% sure what will come next. I guess we shall see!

Turning 21

In Samoa, birthdays are not often celebrated. Often when I even ask children when their birthdays are, they tell me that they do not know. This is very different from American culture where every year, we think of what to do on our birthdays. Turning 21, however, is a very big deal in Samoa. When I first came to the country and found that out, I thought...but why?? The legal drinking age here is 18 so 21 does not have the significance that it does in America. The significance is quite different.

In America, adulthood happens when you turn 18. You can buy cigarettes, vote, or buy lotto tickets (and pay those taxes). Welcome to adulthood!! In Samoa, however, 21 is considered adulthood. Now, Samoans who turn 21 have already been able to buy cigarettes, drink alcohol, vote, and buy lotto tickets; some of those things they may have been doing for quite some time. Being an adult in Samoa is more about getting married and having children.

Samoans are often called children until they get married. I still have plenty of people in my village think of me as a child simply because I am not married. At the age of 21, Samoans are then encouraged to go off and find themselves a husband/wife so that they can be real adults and start having babies of their own.

At a 21st birthday celebration in Samoa, the person turning 21 is given a key. The key is to represent the person's key to freedom. In reality, however, it seems it is the key to go and get married. Samoans get married young here, especially considering that more and more Americans are waiting to get married and start families. The majority of people my age in my village are already married and typically have at least one child. I even had one Samoan who is my age tell me that I need to get married because I am getting old. For those of you who don't know, I'm 28.

A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of celebrating my host sister's 21st birthday. She was able to be in Samoa for it with her family even though she normally lives in New Zealand. We ate a lot of food, had cake, decorated our fale, and took a million photos. It was a bittersweet day as my host dad was not there to be able to see her "become an adult," but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Hope you enjoy the pictures I took from this wonderful occasion.