My Birthday and More

I realize that my last post may have come off negative, or portrayed as if I’m trying to gain pity from my readers. That’s not the case. The purpose of this blog is to document my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa, and the reality of my life is not always sunshine and butterflies. There are some days when I feel like the luckiest person alive, and there are other days when it’s a struggle to get out of bed. But if you only read about my happy days, then you’re not getting the entire picture of my life here, and that’s not fair. So I will continue to blog about the good, the bad, and the ugly times I face, all while being respectful to the Samoan culture, of course. 

So without further ado, I will get into the topic of this blog post: my birthday.

The Pre-Party

The Saturday before my birthday, I met my friend Kiri at Lusia’s, a popular hangout spot in Salelologa, Savai’i. She surprised me with a cake, in honor of my birthday that was approaching. We had lunch and chatted for a bit. Our friend Tui, who works at the hotel, ended up joining us. We ordered kava, and went to the dock, where the lagoon is located. I’ve had kava before, but only during ava ceremonies, so this was my first experience drinking kava for leisure/the experience. In between the kava drinking, I climbed down the ladder and went into the sea. 

Kava! Yep, it tastes just like it looks… like dirty water! 

 First time drinking kava outside an ava ceremony

I see Peace Corps as a once in a lifetime experience. And during this experience I will continue to face my fears and push myself to the limit. A newly adopted motto of mine is: What’s the worst that could happen? Sure, some choices/actions result in consequences, but I’ll never know what those outcomes will be unless I attempt. I don’t want to live my life wishing I’d done certain things, things that will someday be out-of-reach. I’m proud to say that up until this point in my life, I’m living with no regrets.

Now, back to my pre-party.

After Lusia’s we went to Jet Over, a hotel in Salelologa, for drinks. The waiter knew it was a pre-birthday celebration, so he gifted me with two plates full of samosas (one of my favorites!) and spring rolls. We ended the night at EvaEva, a popular dance spot in Savai’i. EvaEva is different than what I’m used to back in the States. We had a fun time, but I don’t think I’ll be going back there often, if at all.

My Birthday

My mother read my last blog post, The Month of March, where I write about my birthday, and how it’s going to be a sad day because I’m alone. She told me some powerful words that stuck with me, and may have been the sole reason why my pity-party attitude was turned around. She told me that I won’t be alone on my birthday; God will be with me, and the smiles and laughter I receive from my students would be my birthday gift. She was right. At 9 a.m., I walked into the Year 4 classroom to get my first group of students. As soon as I walked in, I heard the children whispering “groups, groups!” I replied with “i” (yes). The children responded with excitement, and some even clapped! It was a great moment. 

Throughout the day, I was gifted with food that the parents provided. The food was delicious, consisting of an egg sandwich, French toast (syrup-less, but it’s okay), fried chicken, taro, pisupo (corned beef, which is a treat here), spaghetti, sea grapes (something I’d never had before. They're good), koko Samoa, and a niu (coconut water, which is my favorite drink). I’m pretty sure I gained a few pounds from the meals! While no one knew it was by birthday, I still felt like somehow they knew, and made it special for me.

At the end of the school day, I gave a presentation to my fellow teachers and principle. Every two weeks, during the teacher workshop meetings, I introduce and explain the resources I’ve created and use in my groups. I train and encourage the teachers to use them. The whole point is to gear the teachers from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered classroom/teaching approach. The presentation ended with me singing a phonics song that I taught my students. My co-workers got a kick out of it, and some even joined in! It was another great moment.

After work, I went home. Since it was my birthday, I did something I enjoyed: I napped! It was wonderful. I woke to a rainstorm that went on for about an hour. Once it stopped, I walked to a store in the next village. As I was walking, the rain started again. Within seconds, I was soaked from head to toe. I didn’t mind because I like the rain. Plus, it’s not everyday I get to take an outdoor shower!

Eventually, I made it to the store. I bought an ice cream cone and chatted with the shop owner. When the rain stopped, I walked across the street to the beach. I pulled out a Nicholas Sparks book from my bag, and read. The sky was cloudy, having a cozy feel to it. The sound and site of the sea, with a good book on my lap, made for a blissful birthday. Before I headed home, I took in my surroundings and had a moment where I realized how blessed I truly am.

My birthday dinner: split red lentil soup and samosas

My slice of my birthday cake, topped with a match as a candle

The day, my special day, was a beautiful one.

The Post-Party

The following evening, my host family was having a party at their house. They always invite me to their parties, which happen every so often. Usually, I agree to go, and end up going to sleep instead. When my host father called my phone twice, I decided the least I could do was go to the party for a few minutes, and then make an excuse to go home.

I walked into my host family’s house and saw familiar faces: two teachers from my school and a teacher from a different village. I took a seat and began chatting with them. I asked my host mother what the occasion was, and she responded with: “It’s my birthday!” I knew it wasn’t her birthday, so I told her jokingly, “Pepelo, oe!” (You liar). I don’t know what possessed me to tell them that my birthday was the previous day, but I did. I explained to them that it was still my birthday in America, so I’ve been in contact with family and friends all day. My host father said that I should have told them about my birthday because they would have roasted a pig for me! So I guess my birthday would have been celebrated after all. The positive in all of this: A pig didn’t get murdered in my honor! Awesome!

They asked my age. I told them I’m now 16 years old. They knew I was joking, but didn’t protest my answer. Then, they sang the Happy Birthday song… In English! I just about cried because I was so happy! My host father ended the song with 16 claps, counting after each clap, to represent my age. I’d never witnessed clapping at the end of the birthday song before, so I’m guessing it’s a Samoan thing. The rest of the party was in my honor. I had a good time, filled with laughter and American music. I’m glad I attended.

Cultural integration at its finest!

Final Thoughts

Bringing in a birthday in Samoa was a blessing. Why? Besides stating the obvious that Samoa is paradise, I’m looking at the bigger picture. I see myself evolving into a person that doesn’t need much anymore, materialistic wise. Sure it’s nice to get showered with gifts on my birthday, but sitting on the beach, on March 27th, made something click. I realized that while my family and closest friends are 6,000 miles away, I know that they love and miss me, and that’s all that matters. I don’t need a party and gifts from them to verify this. I realized that over the next 20 months I will keep missing things back home, special things that will make me sad, but I could do one of two things. One, I can be depressed and act like the world needs to stop for me because of how I’m feeling. Or Two, I can accept it. I choose the latter. Why? Because there’s nothing I can do about it. The world isn’t going to stop and feel sorry for me, and it shouldn’t. Like I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, life is still happening back home. There’s a lot that I’m missing, but all I can do is accept it. So like I accepted being alone on my birthday, I will accept everything else I will miss.

I know that life in Samoa is not forever. Before I know it, I’ll be back in the States. So until then, I will keep looking at the bigger picture.