Savai'i Friends

So, volunteers that live in Apia have more of an opportunity to run into each other throughout the week than those that live on Savai’i. Most of us on Savai’i live in our villages and maybe go into Salelologa (the town at the wharf) once a week or so. We don’t usually see each other throughout the week or month even. Maybe we will run into one or two people at the PC office in Salelologa. Not always though. We see those we live near often, but usually not the rest of us out here. So, one of the volunteers on the island decided that we needed to have a Savai’i get together.

This last weekend those of us that live on the island and were not currently in Apia, got together for the weekend. We hung out, ate food, chatted and all spent the night at one of the volunteers’ houses on Savai’i. It was a blast. They have an open air fale in their front yard and we all sat out there that night and just really had fun hanging out with each other. It wasn’t just PCV’s either. There was an Australian volunteer there and 6 Jica (Japanese Volunteers) there as well. We ate sashimi (a great raw fish meal here), spaghetti, I made lemon bars… It was a lot of fun. It is nice to be able to see the other Savai’i volunteers. This isn’t to say that we don’t see each other ever, we do all head into Apia every now and then and run into each other there as well, but it was nice to hang out and not worry about catching a boat back, or what time the buses stop running or where we were going to stay that night. We all stayed the night there, and then caught our own buses home that next morning or headed into Salelologa for the day.

Things are going well. I am just working and fitting into the day to day life of living out here. It is nice to chat with other volunteers that live it on a day to day life too. When I get frustrated and head into Apia, 90% of the time I love it, but sometimes it doesn’t help. There are times I find myself missing things that are available to Apia volunteers that are not to me. That isn’t a good attitude to have either because every volunteer has good and bad parts about where they are staying and what jobs they are working on. For me, I think it helps to stay out in my village. I get used to what I have and the people that live out here. Once the rain lets up, I will go on a lot more bike rides to other volunteers’ villages. Sarah lives pretty close; about an hour bike ride away. And La La and Josh are the closest. Bob and I are getting along great. We are just getting into the groove of working and living on the compound.

The rain has been letting up a little bit. I think we saw the sun for a brief period of time yesterday. It is sure getting muddy everywhere. My feet are constantly muddy. I am starting to get used to the rain, I am from Seattle after all. Although I really am starting to miss the sun and the heat, being able to bike everywhere as well as clothes drying on lines outside. To add to the mold and ants, I now have bed bugs. I have them in the pillow that I love, which I brought with me from the states. I don’t want to get rid of it, but I am starting to get some serious bites on my face from the bed bugs and it itches like crazy. I guess it’s either my face or my pillow. But it’s such a great pillow… :)
So, things are well. School ends around 1:30 each day. If we don’t have an assembly afterwards (which happens often), it is nice to have a good chunk of the day left over to head to town and shop, or get some chores done around the house. I also work on my lesson plans every night. Sometimes I think it is funny that I am a teacher. I know the material because it is pretty basic, but there are a few lessons I have to teach where I feel like I don’t know anything about it at all. I laugh. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I am doing at all, other times I feel really over prepared and confident. The previous volunteer at my school, Travis, left me with a lot of material and homework assignments. I feel pretty well prepared to teach these kids, just sometimes I laugh at myself. Sometimes I think it’s funny that I joined the PC and am here. Who would have thought? Years ago, if you told me I would join the PC and live in Samoa, I would think you were crazy. And yet, here I am, living it and loving it. It’s amazing where the Lord will lead you.