It's not always sunny in Samoa

During my 2nd "drop-off", I jumped on a bus to Solosolo (because that's where I heard the experts go to surf). On my way there, I met a girl around the age of 13 who was heading to Salesa, but told me she'd help me get to where I needed to go-- and told me to follow another girl on the bus named Susannah. We kept talking and were having a great conversation, and when we got to Solosolo she ended up getting off the bus as well. Susannah was so excited and told me to come to talk to her mom, and kept insisting that I stay with them. But then Telesa kept insisting that I keep walking with her to her village.

So, for most SIT programs, "drop-offs" typically last for only a few hours at the most. But in Samoa, the busses only make their last round to Apia around 4, so anyone in the village without a car is stranded (or has to take a taxi-- which is NOT safe to do alone) and will typically just stay with a family. As it was already 3:30 and I hadn't really gotten to see much of Solosolo, I seriously started to consider staying the night out in a village, and not returning to check in with our group until the morning. But then, Telesa pulled me aside and said "you REALLY don't want to stay here in Solosolo!" And then she started speaking Samoan really fast and I didn't understand... but I caught her say "last month" and "the girl" and "her parents" and "that tree" and "in Solosolo!" while she was making gestures of someone getting hung and stabbing their side. "Pule i le ola!" she said over, and over. I had her write it down so that I could ask my AD when I returned. After attempting to decipher her gestures, I assumed that a girl got hung or something, and although I'm an adventurous kinda gal, I really didn't want to risk anything on my first night.

When I returned to meet with the group, I showed our Academic Director the note, and she said that "pule i le ola" literally means "to take control of ones own life"-- meaning suicide. This was my first brush with understanding how Samoans view life and death. In America, individualism reigns, and it's considered a good thing to be self-interested and "take control of your own life". But in Samoa, it seems like that's nearly impossible. The family structures have just seemed so rigid, that no matter what you do, you will always be defined by a larger group.

Suicide rates have been a concern in Samoa, and I was interested in that before I came. In Sia Figiel's Girl in the Moon Circle, she says that suicide in Samoa is about breaking ties with or dis-associating yourself from your family. Usually when someone dies in Samoa, their body is encased in an elaborate monument looking thing in their family's front yard. The family is constantly reminded of this person and openly meditates on them. Those who pule i le ola don't get any of this, and they are said to just be "forgotten"... but this little girl didn't seem to forget.

The time I ran into a kid from my high school... in SAMOA

P2180448, originally uploaded by mandy.mantzel.

My very first day in Samoa, our academic director dropped us each off in random places around Apia and told us we had to find our way to the market. I was wandering around a village for a while, and this man was sitting down eating and asked for me to join him. I really didn't want to, but he mentioned that he had seen me get off the plane the night before (yes, Samoa is THAT small). And so we talked for a while, and he helped me get to the market. On our way there though, he kept telling me he needed petro for his car. I was trying to play dumb, but he kept pushing me and saying "Do you understand? I need YOU to help me so I can buy petro!" So finally, I gave him 5 tala, and he was like you don't have a 20? And I was thankful that I honestly DIDN'T have a 20, opened my wallet to prove it, and after that he left me alone. But he did help me find the market, so to make sense to a westerner, I was basically paying him for his assistance. But in Samoa, people are very generous, and I now see that that kind of exchange is normal-- and I keep telling myself I wasn't really getting scammed.

As soon as I found the market, I was walking around looking at things and I heard someone say "Where you from?" Already being nervous and frustrated about being in a strange new place alone (and at the time, I kept worrying that everyone was going to scam me like that guy or have other bad intentions), I walked faster and ignored him. But he followed me and finally I bluntly said "The States" and kept walking. Then he said "what part of DALLAS are you from?" I stopped dead in my tracks and flipped around... slack-jawed. He said "I went to Trinity. You were a cheerleader. I graduated in 05, played football-- #37." I was still in awe. He told me he was on his mission for LDS, and I had talked to my friend Tevita (who's Tongan/ a LDS missionary) the day I left for Samoa to see if he knew anyone there, so I wondered if he just told this guy to look out for me. But then he started naming all the different people we both knew, and I'd say a first name and he'd say their last name. This guy really went to my high school. And picked me out at the market in SAMOA!

As I write about this two weeks later, I'm still in shock.

Drop-offs and my journey to the State Capitol

287, originally uploaded by mandy.mantzel.

SIT does these things called drop-offs, and during our hectic orientation week in O'ahu, this was a breath of fresh air. We really have been in the classroom almost all day every day. So on my drop-off, I walked back to the location (rather than taking the bus, even though it took me over 3 hours).

First, I went to this planetarium show at the museum that talked about how the polynesians first navigated through the pacific using only the stars. That was so cool, and if I had more time I'd like to write more on that.

Next, I went to Chinatown and attempted (very poorly) to converse in Chinese. Side note: I've made a friend here named Allie that is fluent in Chinese and we have been practicing together.

Then I went to the state capitol, where this picture is taken. Their house and senate floors are on the ground floor, and visible from people passing in the streets. I thought that was SO cool... given that it makes participation/observations much more accessible. Too bad nothing was going on... but it seems cool in theory.

Then I came across a workers' strike against a convenience store. I talked with them for a little bit about some of the issues facing local workers and again, I just wish I had more time to blog about this.

Finally, I met back up with the group at the International Marketplace. The end.