Samoa

Samoa was really amazing and there was so much that happened that there is no way that I could express it all in a blog so I am just going to hit the highlights. Our group got to Apia (the capital city of Western Samoa) and we spent two days there. We went on a hike in a torrential downpour, but that honestly made it so much more fun. We also spent a lot of time at the market getting lava lavas (a wrap that males and females have to wear that goes past your knees at all times) and souvenirs’.

Then we went Safua (a village on the island of Savaii), we stayed at a hotel were the rooms were traditional style huts called Falas. The food was great and the people were amazing. While there we took tours to lava fields, a waterfall and swimming hole, rainforests, and the most westerly point. All of which were amazing!

Our last four days were spent in Fanga village with host families. Each of us had such different experiences based on the level of English the families new and their wealth. The hardest part for me was the food, it is no wonder Samoan people are known for their size because the staples were: top ramin, hot dogs, spam, deep fried pancake batter balls, and coconuts. But our family did speak very good English and we were able to spend more time with them than the other groups because of that. That’s definitely the short version but I hope that it gives some idea of what we were able to do.

Laundry

I am going to explain the long process of washing clothes CCSP style. On the side of the house there is an old bathtub on top of it they have built a counter with two sinks that drain into the bathtub. One sink you fill with detergent and water (from the hose) the other sink is filled with clean water. You scrub your clothes with a
washboard; yes you read correct a WASHBOARD! Then you rinse them off in the other sink and ring them out with something that looks like two connected rolling pins. Then you hang them on the line and pray it doesn’t rain. When that is complete you get on a bike that has a pump connected to it, the tub and a hose used to water the gardens. You have to bike for about five minutes to empty out the bathtub and get that water into the hose to water the gardens. This process takes about two hours. Needless to say, today I am opting to bike 10 minutes with a backpack full of clothes to the laundry mat.

Homestay

Willy and Inga were Tracy and I’s home stay parents. They are a Dutch couple in there early 60s. They love to laugh, learn new hobbies, tell stories, and play Rummikub. They took us on a hike, to play minnie golf, to church with them and to go shooting.

I was definitely never hungry, they enjoy every tea time possible. Every day we would wake up and have breakfast, about an hour later we would have morning tea (usually toast, cheese, fruit, and coffee), then about two hours later we would have lunch, next came afternoon tea (similar to morning tea), and a few hours later dinner which was followed by a full dessert; I have never been so full in my life.

The high light of the weekend was probably going shooting. We went with Willy and some of his friends so Tracy and I got to try five types of pistols and each shot six rounds. Tracy is a much better shot than I am but we both had a great time. We plan on staying in close contact with them while we are in New Zealand.