I purchased my
flight to America in August, which was the day I found out I get to stay in Samoa.
Since October I’ve been writing a continuous blog post, leading up to my big
trip home. I told everyone that I was going to Fiji for Christmas, so the blog
post talks about my surprise. It’s quite long, so as soon as I edit it, I’ll post it
on here.
I left Samoa on
Friday December 13th, at 5:25 pm. I was going through a personal matter, so the timing of the trip couldn't have been better; I was ready to leave the country for a while. My friend Dan and I shared a
cab to the airport, meeting up with Kiri and Michelle (two PCVs in my group)
who were on the same flight. Being at the airport was so surreal. On several
occasions I imagined that moment, but when I was finally living it, it felt
like a dream.
Off to America we go!
Fa soifua, Samoa!
Because of the International
Date Line, we arrived in Honolulu the night of Thursday December 12th. This
meant that we experienced (and survived) TWO Friday the 13ths, in just a
48-hour time span. I don’t think many people can say that. It’s a good thing
I’m not a superstitious person, otherwise I would’ve been nervous flying on
these days.
After 14 months, I'm on American soil!
Kiri has a
cousin named Aaron who’s in the Navy and is stationed in Hawaii. He was kind
enough to pick the four of us up from the airport and take us to the hotel he
booked for us. I was happy that we arrived in Honolulu around 11 pm because the
roads were empty, so it was a good way to get used to being on a highway, in a
large and I mean LARGE city. Kiri, Aaron, and I left together, to take Aaron to
the Naval base. On the way back to the hotel, Kiri drove, while I navigated
the GPS on her iPhone. When I lived in America, I owned an iPhone, but the last
time I had my hands on one was 14 months ago, and it felt brand new to me.
After about 20 minutes of feeling electronically-challenged, I got the hang of
using the Maps app. During this time we got the idea that we wanted to go to
Taco Bell. If you’re not familiar with Taco Bell, it’s a fast food chain,
serving delicious Mexican dishes. I love Taco Bell. Frequently readers of this
blog may recall me mentioning that I occasionally dream about food. Well, Taco
Bell has made an appearance in my dreams. We drove around for over an hour,
looking for an open Taco Bell at 1 am. They were all closed, so we settled for
Jack in the Box instead. I ordered tacos and a vanilla milkshake. I can
honestly say that at that moment, I experienced genuine happiness. Yes, it’s
the little things in life.
Dan had an early
flight the next morning, so he didn’t get to roam around Honolulu with Kiri,
Michelle, and me. The three of us started our morning at Starbucks. I didn’t
order anything, instead was thrilled that I was back in America, the land of
free WiFi. I took advantage, using up my time sending messages to a couple of people. I limited my Facebook usage because I didn't want my location (Honolulu, HI, United States) to accidentally pop up in a message, ruining my surprise.
Santa Claus in front of Starbucks! America!
Our first proper meal in America: MEXICAN FOOD!
Then we met up
with a friend of Kiri’s who lives in Honolulu. The four of us ate lunch at a
Mexican restaurant. I ordered my favorite Mexican dish: cheese enchiladas and
we all drank margaritas. Our next stop was at the Naval base to pick up Aaron.
He took us to a shopping mall, and let me tell you, I definitely experienced
reverse culture shock there. I never thought it would be a problem for me, but
it was. Boy, it was. The mall on the base is huge, with so many colors and
options. My eyes didn’t know where to look. So I focused my attention on my
phone, taking advantage of the free WiFi.
This was me in Honolulu!
We took Michelle
to the airport, and then headed back to the Naval base. Kiri, Aaron, and I
talked, listened to music, and watched music videos. Then we went to the bar,
and met up with one of Aaron’s friends for a few hours. That night I got my
Taco Bell! Hallelujah! Some people have asked me if I went to any beaches in
Hawaii. The answer is no. I was in Honolulu for 23 hours, which is plenty of
time to catch some sun, but the truth is, I live in paradise. Samoa is
absolutely breathtaking, so going to a beach in Hawaii wasn’t appealing to me.
I wanted to see a little bit of the big city, and that’s what I did. I realize
that I sound so spoiled living in Samoa. And indeed, I am.
Our "welcome to civilization" drinks
The time came to
go to the airport. My original flight to Phoenix was at 11:50 pm. I was able to
get an earlier flight, leaving Honolulu at 11 pm. The moment I sat on my seat,
I was sound asleep. I didn’t even make it past take off. Six hours later, I was
in the mainland. I needed to catch another flight to Albuquerque, so I quickly
lined up on the aisle, waiting to depart the plane. This is when I met a lady
named Terri. Turns out she’s from Albuquerque and had the same connecting
flight as me. I told her how I’m a PCV and am surprising my family and friends
for the holidays. She asked me how I’m getting from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. I
told her that I was using public transportation. After our meeting, I went into
the bathroom to change into jeans and other “warm” clothes I had with me, which
wasn’t much because I live in a tropical climate, so winter clothes are not
necessary. I must add, when I got to Albuquerque, I put on my bright orange water shoes to keep my feet warm because I didn't take proper shoes to Samoa. Talk about a Beach Corps problem!
About an hour
later, I was in my home state. Seeing the New Mexico flag displayed in the airport
was such an exciting feeling, and was another surreal moment for me. As I was
waiting for my luggage, I ran into Terri. She told me how she had been thinking
about me, and about the way I was going from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, and
because of this, she felt it necessary to give me a ride to Santa Fe. She said
that she called her husband Dave who was picking her up from the airport, and
he agreed to drive me. This was such a blessing because like I’ve mentioned, Terri
and Dave live in Albuquerque, so they were going out of their way to take me to
my parent’s house, which is about a 50-minute highway drive, one-way.
I'm home!
During the ride,
the three of us chatted about our lives and I told them a little bit about my
time as a PCV in Samoa. I was really happy that I came across such great
people. If my flight to Phoenix never changed, it’s likely that I
wouldn’t have met Terri. It’s funny how life works out. Before we arrived at my
parent’s house, we exchanged contact info. I’ll definitely be in touch with
them in the future.
So now it’s time
to talk about my big surprise! I arrived in front of my parent’s house at
around 12:30 pm on Saturday December 14th. Dave had my video camera in hand,
recording the encounter. Terri rang the doorbell, as I hid behind the gate. My
father answered the door. Terri asked if my mother was home and told my father
that she had a surprise for the two of them. My mother was busy arranging the
living room area because I had set up a Skype date with my entire family for
later that evening (It was my excuse to make sure they would all be home). I
had told my mother that I wanted to be on Skype as I watched them decorate the
Christmas tree. So she was preparing for that. A couple of minutes later, my
father and mother came out, and Terri told them how she had a present for them.
This is when I came into their view. It was a very happy, exciting, and
emotional moment!
Moments after I surprised my parents!
The lovely couple who gave me a ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe
The way I
surprised my sisters, brother-in-laws, niece, and nephew was different. They
arrived at my parent’s house at 5 pm. I was hiding in my parent’s bedroom
closest, Skyping with them as originally planned. They thought I was in Samoa.
It was awesome. I told them that I had arranged for their Christmas gift to be
delivered at 5:15 pm, during our Skype date, so I could see them open it up.
Then I told them, “Hold on one-second, I need to get my phone.” I left my
computer, and that’s when I came into their view saying, "The Christmas gift is me!" Their reactions were
priceless!
Moments after I surprised the rest of my family!
Below you’ll find a video I put together of the surprise. I
apologize for the video quality with my second surprise reveal. I didn’t
realize my camera was out of focus, but the audio is still good, so you get the
idea.
I surprised the rest of my family and friends on social media sites. On Facebook I posted:
"I’m going going,
back back, to Santa Fe Santa Fe. Actually… I’M ALREADY HERE!!! Until January 16… Surprise, family and friends!
P.S., like my
song reference? And—I must apologize to those I lied to. I wanted to keep this
trip a surprise and needed to keep all my lies straight; Fiji seemed like a
great place to
pretend I was traveling to for the holidays."
On Instagram I
posted a photo of my family and me, with this caption:
"Round
trip airfare from Apia, Upolu, Samoa to Albuquerque, NM, USA: A pretty penny. Total
travel time: 38 hours. Traveling halfway around the world to surprise family and
friends for the holidays: priceless! I'll be in America until January 16. Hope
to see you
guys! #family #surprise #christmas #iloveamerica"
So now you know
how I surprised the people most important to me.
I’m in America
for a total of five weeks. You may be wondering how I’m spending my time. Over
the past week, I’ve seen a lot of my best and close friends, and some family. I made it home in time to celebrate my dad and aunt's birthday! I’ll see more family on Christmas day. If you guessed eating is another way I’m
passing time, then you’re absolutely right. I’ve indulged in New Mexican
dishes, covered in green chile, along with other food that I don’t have access
to in Samoa.
Yes, this is 100% true!
Going from 85-90 degrees F (29 to 32 C), with high humidity, to
15-35 degrees F (-9 to 1 C) is a bit of a shock, so if I’m not out with
friends, then I’m almost guaranteed to be indoors, keeping warm while spending
time with my family. I’ve been spending a ridiculous amount of time on the Internet.
Having unlimited access to Internet is a beautiful thing. And of course, I’ve
been spending time on Netflix. Did I mention eating? I feel bad about
eating so much, while being so inactive, so as soon as I upload this post, my
P90X workout sessions will continue, for the rest of the time I’m home. I’ve
yet to go to another shopping mall or grocery store. My one experience in
Honolulu was enough for me. Plus, all my Christmas shopping is done, so it’s
pointless to partake in the last minute shopping madness. Maybe I’ll face the
retail world in a couple of weeks. Maybe not.
Manuia
Kirisimasi ma le Tausaga Fou! (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)
Below you’ll
find photos with some of my friends from home. Enjoy!
