American Samoa

The last week of my break was spent in American Samoa. The purpose of the trip was to ship a suitcase home. You may recall in my last blog post mentioning how expensive it is to ship packages from Samoa to America, so going to American Samoa ended up being the cheaper alternative.

In my opinion, Samoan tala wins the beauty contest. But--I was excited to use USD! It's been nearly two years (I used my bank card when I was home for Christmas last year).

A fellow PCV in my group named Millie joined me on the trip. The scenery from the plane was absolutely breathtaking. What’s even more impressive is that it’s just a 35-minute flight!

Smallest airplane I've ever flown with

I felt like I was a co-pilot

Absolutely breathtaking!

Once we arrived on the main island of Tutuila, we went through customs and waited for our suitcases. Unfortunately, our bags never made it on the flight to American Samoa. It was a bit frustrating because as I explained to a Polynesian Airlines staff, the whole purpose of the trip was to ship the suitcase, so I needed to have it in my possession. A worker made a call to the Samoa office and requested that the suitcases be put on the next flight. I’ve read that this is a common practice of Polynesian Airlines: to ship the heavier suitcases on later flights, even as late as the following day. Luckily our suitcases were on the next flight, with a “Rush” tag attached. What a relief!

Hello, American Samoa!

My friend Matt, who’s a PCV in the new group, had been in American Samoa for a week, so he met us at the airport. He has a friend named Bill who lives on Tutuila and was kind enough to drive us around the island that day, giving a mini tour. One of the stops was in the village of Vaitogi to see a turtle and shark/blowholes. Neither the turtle nor shark arrived. Legend has it that they’ll arrive when sung to. We didn’t know the song, so maybe that’s why they didn’t arrive! Ha. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful place to see.

After this, Bill took us to Cost-U-Less, which is a wholesale store, similar to Costco and Sam’s Club. At first I felt a bit overwhelmed with so many options, but this only lasted a short while and then I went into shopping mode!

A bit overwhelming and then so exciting! 

Then we went to Carl’s Jr.! I don’t have access to any fast food in Samoa, besides McDonalds, so this was quite exciting! I never eat Carl’s Jr. in America, so was pleasantly surprised to learn that Carl’s Jr. has Mexican food!! I found out about this a few months ago when a friend who was visiting American Samoa brought Carl’s Jr. to Samoa. I definitely took advantage of having access to Mexican food, eating it several times throughout my trip. 

My eyes were bigger than my stomach! Ha

After an amazing and filling lunch, Bill drove us to the post office. I shipped 45lbs home, costing just $79USD! It would’ve cost me about $1,000USD to ship from Samoa to America, so I couldn’t be more thrilled with my savings! A couple of weeks earlier, I ordered my Halloween costume on Amazon.com and shipped it to the main post office in American Samoa. I picked the costume up and was expecting another package from my family. The package was supposed to arrive two days prior, but when I tracked it, it was still in Honolulu! This was problematic because I was planning on being in American Samoa for just one day. I explained this to a worker who told me that flights arrive just once a week, on Fridays, and packages aren’t ready until Saturday! This was upsetting because the package was a camera. Bill was kind enough to offer to pick it up on Saturday and ship to Samoa. I was lucky to have that option!

At this time, Bill drove us around Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, and then we headed east to the village of Alega. We stayed there, at an awesome place called Tisa’s Barefoot Bar. It is predominantly a bar and restaurant, but can accommodate a few guests at a time with their two ocean front beach fales. The three of us booked out the resort, which was nice because it felt like our own private beach, and for the most part it was! If you’re ever in American Samoa, I recommend staying there. The beach is gorgeous, surrounded by jungle-filled cliffs, the food is AMAZING, and the owners are so welcoming and hospitable. Oh and they have FREE WiFi! On the beach! Hallelujah!

With the owners, Tisa and Candyman

If you don't mind showering in the open, with no walls and privacy, then this is the place for you!

You can't go wrong with a shower view like this!

Our cute room

It is hard to see, but the room has an ocean front view

How to "lock" the room: With these two sticks pushed against the door. Ha

A feast for dinner!

Delicious breakfast, topped with fresh coconut jam

It's the little things in life!

Gorgeous scenery

We had such an amazing time that we decided to stay an extra day. We didn’t think about calling the airline to confirm flight ability and thought that it would be simple to change flights. Our original flight was scheduled for 4:30 pm. We arrived at the airport around 4:00 pm to request a flight change. Turns out all flights out were booked for several days due to a conference held in Pago Pago. All our belongings were at the resort, which was a one hour bus ride, so it was impossible to make the original flight. We found the situation humorous and weren’t upset because well… American Samoa is a BEAUTIFUL country! The trip was meant to last one day, but quickly turned into four days. While I loved every moment I was there, I was relieved that a flight was available because I didn’t want to miss my Close-of-Service (COS) conference with the Peace Corps.

The rest of our time was spent eating amazing food, hanging out on the beach, and touring the east side of Tutuila. The final night was spent at a Samoan family’s home in Pago Pago. Also, since my new flight didn’t leave until Saturday afternoon, I was able to get my package. I arrived at the post office early that morning and quickly left disappointed. I was told that the truck was still being unloaded and probably won’t be sorted that day, but to try back before they closed. I went back a few minutes before the post office closed and guess what? My package was there! I was so excited. Special thanks to my family who shipped the camera, and included a beautiful dress inside!

Some PCVs in my group jokingly said that I was cruel for the food photos I was posting to Facebook, so I thought it would be nice to surprise them with soft tacos from Carl’s Jr. Millie and I bought the food about an hour before the flight left, and we gave it to them this week during our COS conference. They loved the food, didn't mind that it wasn't fresh, and were thankful for the gesture. 

Internationally traveled, Date Line hoppin' fast food is oh so good!

The trip to American Samoa ended up being longer than originally planned, but I can’t complain about it one bit. The country is beautiful and the people are kind. It was a breath of fresh air to walk the streets and not deal with catcalls and other things I've had problems with in Samoa. It was nice to feel like a normal person and like I don’t walk on water because I’m palagi (white). One thing I found interesting is that some American Samoans look down upon Western Samoans. I've heard Western Samoans referred to as, “Uneducated people who beat their kids and women.” I got the sense that since American Samoa is American territory, the people feel superior to their neighboring country, and one woman confirmed my suspicion. She told me that American Samoa is the better Samoa because it is America and Samoa all wrapped into one, and Western Samoans are jealous by all the money American Samoa has. I wasn’t expecting to hear such a big divide between Samoans in the two countries.

Overall, I loved American Samoa so was a bit sad to leave and go back to reality. But I was fortunate enough that my reality consisted of a week-long Close-of-Service (COS) Conference with the Peace Corps, located at a 5 star resort. I’ll talk about the COS Conference on my next post.

Below you’ll find photos from my trip… Enjoy!

I was most amused by the tiny buses called "aiga buses." They're so cute!

This made me happy! The sinking Titanic bus did not.

Flags at half post in remembrance of September 11th

The Pago Pago marina

The market. This was taken near closing, otherwise it would've been boomin'

I'd never seen orange bananas before

Most homes are western-sytle

I couldn't believe my eyes: A bus stop in the village! This does NOT exist in Samoa

Beautiful Tula beach

Picture perfect

Mountains surround Tutuila

Other homes have the open fale-syle

The streets of Pago Pago

The Samoan family we stayed with on our final night in American Samoa

This little beauty was so excited with the Barbie I gave her, courtesy of a McDonald's happy meal 

Free WiFi at the laundromat! What a magical land!

Term 3 Break-Year 2

Term 3 break was a long one this time around, consisting of three weeks off of school. The first week I was in my village, where I spent copious amounts of time sleeping, exercising, and TV show watching. That relaxing weekend was much needed for the busy and hectic break I had ahead of me.

I kicked off the second weekend of break going to my favorite beach fales: Taufua, which is located in the beautiful village of Lalomanu. I have one bus each day at 6 am, so I hopped on it early one morning. Before my bus heads to Apia, it takes a detour in the opposite direction to pick up villagers nearby. My bus goes as far as the village of Vavau, located in Southern Upolu, then turns around and heads for Apia. Since I’m so close to Lalomanu, it is ridiculous to go all the way to Apia, which a two hour bus ride away, then hop on a Lalomanu bus, which is about a 2.5 hour bus ride. So I got out of the bus at Vavau, and waited for the sun to rise. Then I began my journey of walking to Lalomanu. I did this for term 2 break but didn’t walk the entire way, getting a lift at the beginning of Lalomanu. This time around I wanted to walk the entire way, just to say that I can do it. And guess what? I made it! And it only took me 3 hours and 5 minutes. Not too shabby, eh? 

The Aleipata Islands are in sight!

I've made it to Lalomanu!

Shortly after my arrival, two fellow PCVs arrived at Taufua. We had a great time celebrating Michelle’s birthday!

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

The rest of my school break was spent touring Savai’i, a bit of Upolu, and American Samoa. Below you’ll find photos taken around Samoa. Photos from American Samoa can be found on the next blog post.

Enjoy!

Chips and salsa (in a used noodle bowl) on the beach... Ya!

We felt like kids at a summer camp

Asau, Savai'i, Samoa

Canopy Walk

Picnic on the beach, while overlooking the gorgeous sunset

Falealupo, Savai'i, Samoa

Bat caves

Seen inside the bat cave

Attempting to feed the sea turtles 

This little guy wasn't pleased. I was!

Manase, Savai'i, Samoa

First time driving in Samoa AND it's with a right-side steering wheel, on the left side of the road!

Life is perfect

Hangin' with my students on my village's beach

One of the 8 Baha'i temples in the entire world!

Vavau, Upolu, Samoa

I can finally say that I've climbed a coconut tree!

Better Friends

Any guesses what I'm touching?

If you guessed a LIVE cow named Terry, then *ding, ding, ding* you are correct! My life is full of adventure!

One Hundred Days

This week is a big one: I leave Samoa in 100 days! On a Facebook status about this topic, I wrote that I don’t know if I should jump for joy for burst into tears; I have mixed emotions about having such a short amount of time left.

It seems like only yesterday it was 100 days until I was going home for Christmas. Now, one year later, it is 100 days until I leave Samoa. A few weeks ago I dreamt that I was back in America, and in my dream I realized that I’m not going back to Samoa; my two years as a PCV was over and I was genuinely sad. When I woke, it hit me that I’m really leaving and I was overcome with a sense of grief. Samoa has been a struggle for me (my biggest issues are the lack of privacy, sexual harassment, humidity, and transportation), but looking past these difficulties, I’m sad about leaving a country that is full of people I’ve grown to love. I’ve met and made friends with people from all over the world and if it wasn’t for Samoa, most likely they wouldn’t have came into my life. Samoa will always be here, but it’s the people who won’t be—friends, no… family, will no longer be a part of my everyday life, and that’s what saddens me. This sense of loss doesn’t help the homesickness I’ve been feeling lately. It’s interesting how I’m sad about leaving, yet am yearning for home. I suppose these clash of feelings are normal.

This past week I’ve been extremely homesick. It all boils down to the fact that I’m not able to communicate with my family and friends; the people I talk with on a daily basis. The reason I haven’t talked with them is because my phone was stolen in Apia two weeks ago. At first I thought I lost it; I had it one minute and then the next it was gone. I honestly don’t know what happened to it, and instead of accusing someone of taking it, I went ahead with the notion that I lost it. My phone is a dual sim, so the other day I called the number that I hadn’t deactivated. To my surprise, it rang and a guy answered. I was so excited and told him, “Hi! You have my phone!” The next thing I heard was a click and the phone was shut off and/or the sim card was taken out. I was so upset and sent him a long text message about how he has my phone and God is watching (whenever God is mentioned, the Samoan in question usually feels shame). A PCV in my group also sent him a similar text message written entirely in Samoan. The voice message goes on instantly, so I doubt the guy read the messages. Like I’ve mentioned, I didn’t want to accuse anyone of taking my phone, but now I know someone has it. Maybe he found my phone, but now he’s aware that I’m looking for it. Instead of giving it back, he hung on me and kept it, which is stealing. While I know phones are stolen throughout the world, I’ve never been a victim of theft until I came to this country. The first instance happened last year when a guy stole a handful of my money, before my very eyes, and claimed that it was his (you can read about the occurrence here), and now this phone incidence. It’s all very frustrating and disheartening because I’ve given two years of my life to be here, and I feel taken advantage of. I’m trying to remember something that my mother said, which is not to dwell on my phone because it will get me upset and there’s nothing I can do about it. She’s right. I’m in charge of my emotions, so I choose to let this go because I don’t want to be angry with Samoa right before it’s time for me to leave. Plus, it isn’t the end of the world. The stolen phone has a horrible battery life, so I needed a new one anyway. I ordered a replacement phone from Amazon.com and it will be in my hands in two weeks. Also, another positive is that I’m using a basic phone that can only call and text, so I’m saving a lot of money on data. And finally, not having an internet capable phone is forcing me to live in the moment—I’m no longer fixated on my phone. This is a positive because currently I’m on school break.

Yes, that’s right, another school break! My final school break before I’m out of here. Many people have told me that it seems like I’m always on a break and indeed it feels that way. This break is a big one, with four weeks off— three weeks off of school, and a one-week Close-of-Service (COS) conference with the Peace Corps. So what’s on the agenda this term break? So far I’ve spent a weekend at my favorite beach in Samoa: Lalomanu Beach. My friend Michelle celebrated her birthday at Taufua Beach Fales so it was a perfect start to the break. This week was spent sleeping, working out, and TV show watching. I finished the Sopranos (and am disappointed with the ending) and started (and finished) season 3 of New Girl. Also, I’ve spent some time cleaning and packing up my bedroom. In my last blog post I’ve mentioned that I’m going to American Samoa to ship a suitcase home. While I’m not leaving Samoa for 100 days, I’m going to American Samoa in two weeks, so this means that it is time to start packing up the things I don’t want to leave behind. Also, I’ve started working on a Peace Corps Samoa Cribs video, where I’m giving a tour of my house and village. It will be uploaded to YouTube and this blog in the coming weeks. The rest of my school break will consist of playing tourist on Savai’i and Upolu, traveling to places I’ve never been, as well as going to places for the final time. I’ll blog about it mid-September and will upload photos from this break and the previous one.

Overall, I am sad about leaving Samoa, but my time here is finished. I’ve given my all to a country I’ve called home for two years. These next 100 days will be spent soaking up the breathtaking scenery and enjoying the presence of those I love and will miss dearly.

Throwing away heaps of stuff

I put my belongins into three piles: shipping home, taking with me on my trips, and leaving in Samoa

Well, I'm all packed and ready to leave Samoa... 100 days in advance!

I’m going on an Adventure!

My Peace Corps service ends in four months. It’s hard to believe that this journey is nearing an end. As many of my previous posts depict, it hasn’t been an easy two years of service; I’ve faced heartbreak, sadness, and tears, but I’ve survived it all! As a reward for myself, I’m going on an adventure—a little detour before I make my way to America aka home aka freedom! I’m heading west, traveling to three countries before I make the long journey home.

Originally, I wanted to do a Round the World trip, or a trip enabling me to travel to several countries, but for that to happen, I needed time, at least 6+ weeks. Well my COS (close of service) date is December 18^th. Peace Corps has a rule that allows PCVs to end their service up to 30 days early. I thought, “Great, I’ll leave Samoa around November 18^th, allowing me to do a Round the World trip, and be home in time for Christmas.” In order to leave PC service early, a PCV needs permission from their Country Director (CD). Unfortunately, my CD made it very clear that he will NOT be approving any COS dates in November because the schools are still in session and we made an obligation to complete the entire school year. So the first week in December is the earliest my CD will allow PCVs to leave Samoa. I was a bit upset that I’m not allowed to leave in November, but I understand my CDs reasoning. So, this puts a damper on my big trip. Instead of having 6 weeks to travel, I’ll have just three weeks. Sure, I could very easily travel through the holidays, but that would mean missing Christmas with my family and I don’t want to sacrifice family time during the holidays. My family means the world to me, so I’ll always choose them over anything else. Also, there’s the possibility of doing a Round the World trip after the holidays, but airfare from America to this side of the world is crazy expensive! Plus, I already have travel plans in the works for next year: A PCV reunion in Las Vegas and Coachella, and a trip to Europe. I’m planning on visiting a friend I met during my first year in Samoa. He lives in Europe and I hope to visit him early next year. So I’ve decided to put the Round the World trip on hold, and do a mini trip instead. I’m on the side of the world that has several counties I’ve always wanted to visit, so it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of the opportunity to see a few of them.

As of this week, all my major flights are booked! The countries I’ll be traveling to are: Fiji, Australia, and Thailand, spending about a week in each country. I’ve always wanted to travel to those countries. In fact, Fiji and Australia top my list at the #1 and #2 spot!

Who will be traveling with me?

Two fellow PCVs in my group, Millie and Michelle, will be traveling with me to Fiji. After that, we’ll part ways and each head to different locations. At this point I’ll venture off by myself, heading to Australia and then to Thailand. I’ve never traveled alone, and I must say that I’m looking forward to it. To have the freedom to come and go as I please, without having to cater to anyone but myself is…thrilling!

What are my travel plans?

For security reasons, I won’t go into detail about my trips until I’m in America. In fact, at this moment there isn’t much detail to report on anyway because all the planning is still in the works. And actually, in Australia and Thailand, I know the areas I’ll be traveling to, and a few things/places I want to see, but I probably won’t plan anything major and just go with the flow. Above I’ve mentioned that all my major flights have been booked. I need to make one more: Bangkok to the south of Thailand. I’ll arrive in Bangkok one night and don’t know if I should venture off into the city, or wait in the airport for several hours, until the flight leaves to the south. I’d LOVE to see Bangkok, but I must say that the thought of being in that city by myself is… intimidating! I’ve lived in Samoa for the last two years, where the population is 180,000. In Bangkok alone, the population is 10 MILLION! Ten million, people! Oh my goodness! I was thinking of looking up couch surfer hosts in the area who could show me around the city. Also, Thailand has PCVs, so that’s an option as well, although I’m not sure if they’re allowed in Bangkok. Anyway, if I decide to stay in Bangkok, I’ll leave for the south of Thailand the following evening. If I don’t, I’ll arrive in the south early the following morning. I don’t want/need a couch surfer host anywhere but Bangkok because the rest of my trip I’ll be in small touristy areas. I’m a social butterfly, so I don’t think making friends with my fellow travelers will be too difficult.

China

When I was looking for flights from Australia to America, I saw one route had a layover in Shanghai. I thought I’d make a trip of it, traveling north to the Great Wall of China and surrounding areas. I begin looking up other attractions, as well as visa information. Then it dawned on me: China is in the northern hemisphere, so it will be winter in December. I forgot that the rest of the world actually has seasons, unlike Samoa where it’s usually hotter than hell and beyond humid on a daily basis.

Well, I’ll be coming from Australia, where the hottest time of the year is in December. Going from that to straight winter will be a shock and not enjoyable. Yes, I realize that America’s winter is in December as well, and I know that I’ll freeze once I’m home, but I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, I want to enjoy my trips in hot climates, where I won’t have to buy a new wardrobe to prevent hypothermia. So China’s winter was my main deciding factor. The other was my father. He’s always wanted to see the Great Wall of China, so I’ve decided that I’ll wait for China, so I could travel with him.

So that is when I started looking into other countries, and boom, Thailand became official! It is so cheap to fly from Australia to Thailand. Flying from Thailand to Albuquerque, New Mexico is not so cheap. But flying from Thailand to LAX is! So I booked a flight to LAX, and booked LAX to ABQ separately, saving me about $750USD. I recommend breaking up flights and coming up with your own routes, instead of letting a computer do it for you. The savings are HUGE! And on top of saving $750, I chose Southwest Airlines to fly from LAX to ABQ, which means I won’t have to pay baggage fees, compared to the other airline the automated computer wanted me to fly with. Also, flying from Australia to Thailand, then Thailand to LAX, and then LAX to ABQ is just a tad more expensive than flying from Australia to ABQ, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t go to Thailand. I’ve really lucked out with flights this trip. My flights from Samoa to Fiji and then Fiji to Australia were dirt-cheap. Flying from America to these countries is outrageously priced, so (early) Merry Christmas to me! I’ve booked almost all my flights on www.cheapoair.com. I recommend them because they have amazing deals. I’ve used them once before, and didn’t have any issues, so check them out!

Luggage problems

I want to travel with just one backpack and one luggage at the most. Well I have two, so this a dilemma: Do I abandon one luggage, along with half of my belongings, or do I ship it home? I was in Apia last Friday and got price quotes from three companies, ranging from express shipping to sea freight. Any guesses on prices? If you guessed $1,800-$2,000WST ($780-$870USD) then you are correct! I understand that Samoa is in the middle of nowhere, but that’s just crazy prices. After discussing this with PC staff, I was given the idea of going to American Samoa and shipping from there. Because the country is American territory, shipping to America is domestic, and so much cheaper! So I think I’ll do that, flying in a few weeks during my term break.

Random facts

There are quite a bit of them, so I thought it would be fun to include in this posting.

In just three weeks, I will have flown in 10 planes, in 7 countries, and have gone through 9 different time zones… talk about jetlag! I have layovers in Indonesia and China (that’s where the 6^th and 7^th countries come from). If I had more time, I’d make a trip of those two countries, but that would be pushing it. Plus, China’s tourist visa is quite pricey and not worth just a few days of travel, and the reason why I’m holding off on China is mentioned above.

I love that I’m traveling east to go home, over the International Date Line because I’ll gain a day by experiencing December 23^rd twice, which will be beneficial to my long journey home.

As I’ve mentioned in the beginning of this post, my Peace Corps journey is coming to an end and I’ll be in America before I know it. Until then, I plan on going into a major beach coma over the next four months. Then on December 24^th, it will be back to the desert (and winter’s cold) for me.