Samoa (cont.)

One day we just drove around Apia taking pictures of things. This is where the fafafine pageant was going to be held. I didn't realize the dates until it was too late, but we could have gone in person to watch the silliness of that. (Fafafine (not completely sure that is spelled right) is a gay guy that dresses up like a girl.) We actually stopped by the restaurant because Kuso was hoping to speak to the owner who also owns one of the big hotels in American Samoa where he used to dance. These next few pictures are also for Kuso. He took pictures of the scaffold. That is what he builds for a job, so it was interesting for him to see a large building being built with the help of scaffold. Plus, this is a HUGE building for Samoa. H-U-G-E. We never got a clear answer of what it is going to be either.

Above: An old court house.

Below: The new court house.

It was kind of awesome to see this underdeveloped country becoming more "civilized." There were actually stories on the news about kids being charged for crimes (this case was a child molestation case) that happened when he was 17 and now he is 19. The reports were about how to handle the case, whether to treat him as an adult or as a juvenile. This may not interest many of you, but because of what I do for a job, it was VERY interesting to me...especially in a country that is so jam packed with tradition and culture that to see them handling a case like this in a civil manner was very interesting.

Also, a side note to remind myself: There were a few sandwich signs along the side of the road that said "Say no to rape and other indecent acts." I'm wondering if it was in relation to this case, or if that is becoming more of a problem over there and this is an attempt to educate the public. I saw both signs on opposite sides of the island, so it wasn't localized. Just interesting.

Samoa (cont.)

Kuso really wanted to show us the plantation during this trip. The previous post showed the small plantation that is just a short walk from their house. This is their big plantation. I was just amazed at how thick and green everything is. And that they don't get lost. I was SO twisted around as we drove there. Above: this is the road leading toward the plantation.
Most of these pictures just show the thick, green, jungle.

Above: Eggplant - Kuso's favorite

Below: Super Mom coming back with a bunch of bananas. Those suckers are heavy. She chopped them with that big knife, then carried them back (with ease) from deep inside those trees. Amazing. This is the house where Kuso's brother and wife stay when they come to the plantation. They used to sleep there for most of the time, but now Atonio has an old truck that takes them back and forth, so they don't spend many nights there anymore.

I started to follow Kuso down one of the paths just to see how deep the plantation goes. I had to go back. The mosquitoes were ridiculous and I was being eaten alive. Made me wonder if Survivor provides their contestants with insect repellent because there is no way those little white girls spent that much time on this same island and didn't get eaten alive. NO way.

Beautiful.

This is the toilet. Yep, just out in the open. But who is going to see you? I'm not sure it's working...but I didn't want to get close enough to see.

This is the Teuila plant. This is a very special plant...not sure the meaning or the reason, but every September they have a Teuila festival, named after this plant. It is so pretty.

Just imagine...Kuso's cousins used to live not very far from this area. They used to WALK ALL the way through this thick, green, jungle to the main road to catch the bus to go to school. It took us an easy 20 minutes driving to get there from Kuso's house. Then the school is another 20+ minute DRIVE in the opposite direction once you get to the main road. Imagine how long these kids spent walking just to get to school. I'm not much of a girlie girl, but I think life growing up there could have been rough...especially for those families that have houses a long distance off the main roads where the buses can help get you to where you want to go.

Samoa (cont.)

During this part of the trip, we had a rental car for a few days. This time we stopped by another bank to cash in some more money. While in line, Kuso looks over and sees yet another classmate.Then outside, he looks over and sees another classmate and "ex-girlfriend." After song practice, Kuso's mom decided to join in the volleyball. This lady amazes me with how active and strong she is. She is in her 60's and she does not sit still the entire day. She works at the house, in the yard, at the plantation, does all her church involvements, cooks, cleans, takes care of dad, takes care of the kids, laundry, and the list goes on. I guess I can see what we have to look forward to with Kuso's energy level.

Below: Keli and Imi. Imi is Kuso's cousin/close friend. My last two trips down there we have spent a lot of time with him, so it was a friendly face for me to be reunited with. These two were just married a couple weeks before we got there. They are hoping to be able to move to Utah in a few years.

In the village next to Kuso's, there is a swimming pool. It is fresh water that has been somewhat blocked off from the ocean. The ocean water still merges with this water, but the water is more fresh. Not so salty and tight on your skin when you get out. We weren't there very long because that village had started their sa'a (?) - this is when everyone is supposed to go home to have family prayer and quiet time with their families. When the bell rings, you head for home. When the bell rings a while later, you can go back out. During that time, you need to be in the house and quiet. No walking or messing around. We thought we would be okay since we weren't splashing around and making noise, but the man knew we were there so he came and asked us to leave.

Below: Taken from the side of the swimming pool toward the ocean. I love how calm and peaceful sunsets can be.

Grandma with her two youngest granddaughters.

Samoa (cont.)

Almost every day, we went to the church so Kuso could play volleyball. I actually enjoyed going because Leila could run around and play with other kids. Also, the way their church was designed, where I sat offered a slight breeze and it was so refreshing. You can't see it from this picture, but the back part of the church has 2 levels. If I sat right next to the railing, on the volleyball court side, there was a nice breeze, plus I could see where Leila was playing and see the volleyball. We seriously went to the church for volleyball nearly every day we were there.Every LDS church in Samoa is white, with blue trim. Very classy looking.This is the volleyball/basketball court. Just to the side of the chapel. It is concrete, but much nicer than anywhere else they have to play. On Monday's, this is overrun with missionary's for their Prep-Day. It was fun(ny) to see the white Elders from the states put their gym clothes on because then their tan lines from their white shirts were VERY prominent. This wall leads up to the gates of the volleyball court. Behind it is the chapel. Leila thought it was really fun to walk up and down this wall. It freaked me out a little, but Kuso kept a close watch. I took this picture from my second floor perch. This is looking away from the chapel, toward Kuso's house (well, the road leading to Kuso's house.) I just thought it was pretty with the coconut trees, the ocean, and the rainbow.
This is Kuso's auntie/uncles house. It is considered a nice house here, but for over there, man, this thing is NICE. I would love to see the inside, but it is just nice. Everyone always comments about how nice this house is. It is right next to the volleyball court.This is the yard to that nice house. This is the yard between that last picture and right in front of that nice house. You can kind of see the rainbow in this shot too. Kuso's house is basically straight behind those trees. If you were to walk right in the middle of this picture and go straight, you would be at his house (mostly.)

These two pictures were taken directly across the street from the chapel. I took about 4 steps off the side of the road to take these pictures. Plus the sun was starting to set, so the lighting makes it that much prettier.All of these flower pictures were taken at Kuso's uncles (?) house that lives right next to the street, right down the small road from Kuso's house. These are all wild plants that just grow there. Awesome.

Kuso got this coconut from the trees along the shoreline. Basically, the trees directly in front of your family property are your family's. So anyone from that property can get the coconuts. But if you go down the street where it's not your property anymore, you should not be getting any coconuts from the trees. This coconut was brought down by throwing rocks. That kind of amazes me because when I picked that one off the small tree in front of the house, it was kind of hard to get off. So just by throwing rocks and having this coconut fall was awesome. (speaking of throwing rocks...one of the first nights we were there, Kuso and his brothers ate a bat. YES. A bat! They just kill it with a sling shot. I'm not sure if that one had been in the freezer, or if it was fresh, but he showed it to me and that was way too much...gross, but true.)

Also, most people don't know that coconuts come in a shell that has to be taken off before you get to the actual coconut that we all know. And yes, there is still another shell (the furry one) that you have to get through to get the fruit and/or milk. These things are pretty big.

Samoa (cont.)

This day we made a trip into Apia to do some shopping and get Leila something good to eat (ie McDonald's.) :)

To get to town, we just walk out the door, wait by the side of the road, and wait for a bus to come by. We get on the bus, ride into town, and pay on your way off the bus. When the buses get full, children sit on parents laps, people stand, or they might just sit on your lap. But it's fun to watch the young kids know to get up and sit on their parents to give someone else a seat. If an older person or a woman comes on the bus, the teens and younger people in the bus give up their seats to let them sit. Very nice.

These pictures are the view from the street in front of Kuso's house waiting for the bus.

Above: Looking slightly to the left (toward the airport)

Below: Looking slightly to the right (toward Apia)Above: Looking just slightly around the side of the road to the right. I love seeing these little tiny fishing boats head out into the huge ocean. It freaks me out, but it amazes me too.

Below: The Bus - kind of like a short bus in the states.At the market in Apia, all the taxi's and buses go to the drop off point. It is crazy busy there. The buses just park in a line and wait til they get full, then they leave. There is no bus schedule. You just have to wait for it. And make sure you are getting on a bus that will go past the village you are trying to get to. Old wooden benches. No air conditioning. But it's kind of fun. (all the taxi's in Samoa are white.) Most of the taxi's and the buses have fake fur dash covers and extra mirrors and all types of things hanging from the top of the car to decorate and make it look cool.

While in town, we went to a bank to trade some more money from U.S. dollars to Samoan tala. During this trip, the conversion rate was $2.30 tala for each $1 US dollar. At the bank, Kuso ran into an old classmate.

Yes, we ate at McDonald's. Yes, it tastes the exact same as it does in the states. No, it is not the same price. Kuso ate a meal, his mom ate a meal, and Leila and I shared a meal...it came to $50 tala. That is almost $22 US. Still, that's a lot of money. While we were there, Kuso saw some more classmates.

Samoa (cont.)

When I tell people that in Samoa, most of the showers are outside and that there is only one temperature of water (meaning no hot water), most of them can't believe it. Well, here are the pics to prove it! As you can see it is just PVC pipe and it comes out whatever temperature it is at in the ground. Kind of like the hose water in the summer. That first little bit is kind of warm, but after that, basically chilly.

In my past trips and the first couple days of this trip, I used the indoor shower. It's just made of cement so it's kind of dark and gloomy. A few years ago I took an outdoor shower at a girl's camp in the middle of the day. It was AMAZING. Ever since then, I've wanted an outdoor shower at my house just for those hot summer days. So I decided I wanted to try the outdoor shower in Samoa since the weather definitely warrants having an outdoor shower. BUT, my first experience with an outdoor shower was basically like the indoor showers in Samoa...just made of cinder block and had a shower curtain, just open to the top. But not in Samoa...there it is ALL open. So...I decided my first experience better be at night time so in case something went wrong, I wasn't COMPLETELY out in the open, literally.

So, you just wrap an ie lava lava around you and go at it. Just bring an arm inside with your soap and wash away. When you wash your hair, the ie is wet so it just clings to you. And yes, I even shaved this way. After you are done, you have to be tricky to wrap a towel around you, then drop the wet ie without dropping your towel. I was getting pretty good at it by the time we left, but that was always the most awkward part. It was so nice and refreshing, and truthfully, your time in the shower is the only time you feel that way. Once you turn the water off and get back inside to get dressed, you are hot and sticky again. Kuso was so proud that I was acting even more Samoan that he had to take pictures of me in the shower....nice. But it's great. Truly great. Probably my favorite part of spending time in Samoa.