Graves, superstition, and ghost ....OH MY!

I've been writing a lot about religion here in American Samoa and one of the things I find so interesting is the unique mix of mainstream religion and old-world (pre-missionary) Samoan superstition and beliefs.  It seems, at least on the surface, that they have found a way to seamlessly blend these two seemingly opposing lifestyles.  On one hand, they are VERY religious and sing many of the same songs I grew up singing in church, and then on the other hand, many Samoans are superstitious and have extremely strong beliefs in ghosts, spirits, curses and so on.  I grew up in a strict Christian household and ghost talk and superstition were things that were never allowed.  So to me it's so interesting to see an effortless melding of these two belief systems.  People go to church, but they also pay attention to the superstitions and traditions that were passed on through the generations of Samoans before them.  Since we are approaching Halloween, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at some of these fascinating beliefs. 

During our second month here on the island we ran into a couple of health problems with Levi.  Poor kid had a string of high fevers and various illnesses.  One night was so bad that we had to rush him to the ER in the middle of the night.  I think a month later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  Very scary.  Grant was telling some of the people at work about Levi's sickness and one of them very seriously said, "Well, it's probably a good idea to keep him in after dusk and out of the water too..."  OK, sounds reasonable enough.  Grant pushed a little more and the gal smiled and sort of shyly said, "Well he's a beautiful boy and you don't know what kind of spirits might be after him."  Interesting.  I researched this idea a little online and found this quote:

"While Christianity and churches dominate life on the islands, many Samoans still believe in spirits or ghosts who come out at night, and can jump inside a person, and make him or her sick."

So it looks like Levi had a little ghost for awhile, but i think we shook it. :)  

Another interesting aspect of life here in Samoa is graves.  They are everywhere.  More often than not, a person will have at least one grave in front of their home.  Samoans don't use cemeteries like we do in the U.S.  I should mention there are actually a couple of small cemeteries around the island for pelagis (non-natives) and I think there's a military one too.  But the majority of burials occur right in the front yard of the deceased ones family. Our Samoan friends have explained it simply to us saying, "wouldn't you want your loved ones as close as possible?" Um, no, not really........I, along with most in the U.S., like a healthy dose of denial with my experiences with death.  I like a little distance.  I'm not meaning to sound flippant, but it's the truth.  But I do understand that point of view, and it's probably a healthier way to view death. I think in the U.S. we are so uncomfortable with death that we prefer to have loved ones buried away from everyday view.

At first I was a little freaked out seeing and walking by so many graves, but then, like so many things here, I just got used to it.  Often you'll see kids sitting on the graves playing cards or other games or dogs taking naps.  I also sometimes see people stretching out for a nice afternoon siesta on these graves. I guess it makes sense; it's a nice cool spot, elevated from the dirt and fairly clean.  

I did some searching online to find some more common Samoan superstitions.  Here are a couple of them.  If I get a chance, I want to ask my Samoan neighbors for more info about these.......

Cover your mirrors at night because it is an opening for a ghost or spirit to enter your home

Don't comb your hair at night because it will make an aiku fafine (female spirit) jealous.

If pregnant:

Don't go out after dusk.  

Don't walk too close to graves because the spirits may affect the baby.   

Don't have a necklace or lava lava tied around the neck because it may cause the baby's umbilical cord to wrap around its neck.

These are just a couple of beliefs I found online.   Probably to the dismay of the early missionaries, many of these superstitions have been passed down verbally from generation to generation and have a strong hold on the Samoan people.  And I think it adds to the richness and mystery of the culture.  While I don't personally believe in ghosts, I may start covering our mirrors at night just in case.  You just never know....

BOO!!!!  :-)  Have a safe and fun Halloween!!!!

For Whom the Sa Bell Tolls....

Saying that American Samoa is a religious place is like saying Elton John likes sunglasses and tight clothes.....no kidding!?  I would say Samoa is far more enthusiastic about religion than any other place I've been in the US.  It easily beats the bible belt. Everything, except a couple of stores, close on Sunday and everyone puts on their finest dress/lavalava and marches to church.  I've had a couple of Samoan friends ask me very matter-of-factly which church I attend here on island.  I usually kind of stumble around a lame answer about only being here for a short time and not knowing which one to choose, etc.  (I really need to work on a better answer, damn it).  This is usually greeted with a look that makes me feel like I just stripped off my clothes and called the devil my lover.  But then, they usually recover and just chuckle amusingly as if saying, "ah, you are a crazy palagi".  But as you know from my previous post, we did attend a White Sunday service and it was fantastic.  I actually want to go to another service and get a feel for another church.  I don't think you should come to Samoa without going to church because it's such a part of the culture.

Quite often, when my window is open at night, morning, you name it, I can hear the sound of church music and prayers.  It's actually very soothing and I really enjoy it.  Sometimes I can even recognize the hymn being sung and it reminds me of my childhood church days.  Another thing I hear a lot is the sound of bells being rung at different times of the day.  Bells are everywhere and they indicate when it's time for prayer, church, bedtime, tsunami warning, etc.  Well, bell is a relative term I suppose.  They are really just empty oxygen tanks hanging from a tree.  Sa is special time of day in the evening where a bell is rung indicating it is time for family prayer and reflection.  They usually ring the Sa bell around 5:45pm and it last about 7 minutes.  Then it is rung again to indicate that Sa is now finished and everyone can go about their business.  People are very serious about Sa; kids stop playing and run in their homes, cars pull over on the side of the road, and stores stop transactions.  Everything is supposed to come to a halt for a few minutes. 

The breaking of Sa is not taken too kindly.  I remember one evening (when we were new to the island) we were passing through a village on our way to Tisa's Barefoot Bar for an umu and all of sudden we noticed that there were people standing about 30 or 40 feet apart on each side of the road with arms folded.  It was strange.  They were just staring.  We kept driving slowly (speed limit is only 25mph) and I was about to roll down the window to ask them what they were doing.  I made eye contact with a very hostile looking, older samoan lady and changed my mind about asking.  I later learned that we were breaking Sa by driving through their village.  I feel bad, I always want to respect and honor every culture and religion, but how were we supposed to know?  A posted sign would've been helpful.....  :) 

White Sunday

Wow.  I've been a bad blogger.  We've been pretty busy here (as busy as you can be in Samoa) and I've just keep putting this blog on the back burner.  Well, today I decided it was time for an update.  I'm hoping to write at least a couple more entries before we leave because this, along with pictures and facebook, will be my way of remembering this last 6 months.  So far, it has been such an extraordinary experience on so many levels.  And so many things have happened over the last month: Levi started school, we visited Western Samoa, we've made many friends and have been able to participate in so many interesting Samoan events and cultural experiences....... I don't even know where to start.

Last sunday we had the fun of experiencing one of the bigger holidays here called "White Sunday".  It's a celebration honoring the children of Samoa.  One of Grant's co-workers said it was almost as big as Christmas.  And sure enough leading up to Sunday, people were out in force at shops, and traffic was slow around the island.  Everyone was buying food for their big Sunday meal, shopping for toys and treats for the kids and finding that perfect "White Sunday" outfit.  I could just feel the excitement oozing from the kids too.

We were invited to visit a church for the "White Sunday" service and I wasn't sure what to expect.  Were Grant and I supposed to wear all white too? How formal is it?  etc.  I couldn't find an all white outfit for Levi that fit properly, so we just went with a white, button-up shirt and khakis.  But I wanted to make sure that we fit in OK and was hoping we weren't going to stick out more than normal.  So as we drove up to the church we all felt a little trepidation.....  It was in a village we hadn't visited before and we just weren't sure what to expect.

Right as we got out of the car Grant's co-worker warmly greeted us as she was beginning to lead the children into the church for the opening song.  She assured us that we were welcome and we could sit anywhere we wanted and to just enjoy!  And enjoy we did!  The kids marched in wearing their best whites, singing and clapping.  For two hours we were entertained with gospel songs, pop songs, scriptures and dances.  The kids were very talented.  A little boy, probably around five years old, started things off with an acapella version of the gospel song "Majesty" and it was so sweet and heartfelt.  It was such a great experience and I'm really glad we stepped out of our comfort zone a bit and did it.

island happenings....

Here we are on this rock in the middle of the Pacific ocean.  Sometimes it feels like the rest of the world, and the world I'm most familiar with, is so very far away; and apart from the ache of missing friends and family, this is not always such a bad thing.  For instance, sometimes while reading a news article on my yahoo home page, I find myself feeling strangely removed from the happenings of the world.  It's not that I don't care about what's happening around the world, I just don't feel as connected to it for some reason.  I guess I'm fully engrossed in the experience here and that is just about all my mind can handle right now.  But this last week a huge sports star visited the island and the outside world and the world of American Samoa came together.  Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers flew in to spend a week here in Samoa and jolted this sleepy island into a frenzy of excitement.  Now, to be clear, I am not a big follower of football, by any means.  I probably know just a handful of names, but even I had heard of this guy.  He is the Samoan football player with the really big hair.  He's done Coke and shampoo commercials.  Anyway, it was really fun to see all the excitement on the island.  Everyone was wearing "Troy" shirts and colorful signs were erected around town welcoming this Samoan hero.  He held a football camps for local players and made appearances all over the island to encourage the youth here to go for their dreams. Even Charlie the Tuna from the StarKist tuna factory got in on the excitement.

I was really curious to see what the 4th of July would be like here in American Samoa.  The connection between America and American Samoa is very interesting.  American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States.  Because of their strategic location in the South Pacific ocean, American Samoa is considered a prime spot for a U.S. military base and in return for this land and access to the port at Pago Pago, they receive financial aid from the U.S.  But they are self-governing.  They have their own laws, political leadership, and language.  Also they don't vote in American elections or pay taxes.  However, American Samoans do serve in the U.S. military. Most of what I've read about American Samoa (and what I've experienced myself) states that American Samoa is culturally MUCH more Samoan than American. But even though American Samoa is so culturally, and geographically, removed from the U.S. it seems that many people here have a real connection to the United States.  The people I've talked to seem to think pretty highly of the U.S.  They even seem eager to show their patriotism.  When I drive around the island I see lots of cars sporting American flags and homes flying both the American Samoan flag and the U.S. flag.  So as the holiday approached I was eager to see how much fuss would be made of a day celebrating U.S. independence. After all, American Samoa has their own independence day of sorts called Flag Day (April 17th, I believe). Would the 4th of July really mean anything to the people around here, many of whom had never even stepped foot on U.S. soil??  Just like in the U.S., lots of businesses were closed and government workers had the day off.  As we drove around the island we saw Samoans enjoying BBQs, swimming, hanging out, and having a good time.  There were a couple of 4th of July signs and people with flags.  It actually seemed a lot like back at home, except without the fireworks.  Even though I was a little bummed to be away from family and missing fireworks, I gotta say there are worse things than spending your 4th driving around a beautiful island while listening to U2's Unforgettable Fire and then ending the day at Tisa's with a fresh pina coloda.  :)

So while in Samoa, do as the Samoans do.  One of the first things I remember reading about American Samoa and the South Pacific islands is that Kava comes from this area.  In Samoa it's actually called 'Ava'.  Grant and I have been talking about trying it but I hadn't seen much around.  On Friday night we went to the public market place.  It's a fun event with all kinds of vendors selling food, produce, locally made items, crafts, music, dancing, and fun.....think tropical version of Thursday night market in Chico.  We found a booth selling small bags of dried 'ava' so we decided to buy some and give it a try.  I asked the young girl who sold it to us how to prepare it and she crincked up her face a bit and said, "oh, I don't do that stuff".  The old lady next to her waved her away, leaned in close and with a twinkle in her eye said, "I will tell you".  I felt like we were getting ancient wisdom from a Kava aficionado.  I know this lady has enjoyed a few 'ava' bowls in her day.  :)  She told us to "use patience" and kneed the kava like dough.  Kneed it until the water looks like dark mud and then it is time to drink.  She smiled a knowing smile as we left.  Hmmm.  Interesting.  

So Saturday night we decided to make our 'ava'.  I thought we had some cheese cloth in the kitchen, which the lady recommended using, to hold the dry ava while submerging it in water.  Oh yeah, that was our kitchen back in Chico, not Samoa.  So the only thing we could think of using was a clean sock.  We decided to use one of Levi's little socks.  He doesn't wear socks here in Samoa anyway. :)  So we measured out the right amount and poured it into the sock and submersed it in the water.  I worked for awhile and sure enough the water started to turn brown and take on the look of a delicious bowl of sludge.  And it smelled even better.  Yuck. I made Grant take the first sip.  "Not too bad" he said.  

So we sat down and drank our bowls of ava.  Almost immediately my tongue felt numb and then my throat.  I felt like I had used about 20 sprays of cloraseptic sore throat spray on my mouth.  Not too horrible, but not great either.  But then as that feeling went away, we both felt a sense of calm alertness.  I felt a little more talkative and happy.  Kava claims to promote feelings of relaxation, well-being and patience, as well as a heightened sense of alertness, making it different than alcohol.  I can't say I felt extraordinarily different or relaxed, but it was a pleasant experience.  Pretty cool.  I just found out that they serve kava bowls at Tisa's.  I'll have to try it.

Sweet, lazy, summer days.......  While Grant is working away during the day, Levi and I are busy filling our time with activities, exploring and some cartoon time (mom has gotta have a break now and then).  I've tried to do a good job of finding connections and things for us to do and it's taken me (and Levi) a little time to get adjusted to the way things are here in American Samoa.  There are a couple of pretty decent play structures, and a library, but other than that there aren't a lot of things set up for young kids to do during the day.  I anticipated this and packed lots of art supplies, activity books and legos. But what I'm noticing is that kids here are more adept to find their own entertainment.  For example, it's much more common here to see a kid, or group of kids, sometimes as young as Levi, barefoot and playing a game of peek-a-boo in the hanging laundry between the neighbors' houses.  Or kids playing with sticks, mud, empty plastic water bottles (or whatever they can find) in our alley or even the street.  And most the time these kids are without adult supervision.  While I have a hard time thinking I would let Levi play in the alley without a parent watching, I can't help but feel that there is something refreshing about seeing kids able to play outside and just be kids without fancy toys and play structures and without much worry.  One really nice thing about American Samoa is that the crime rate is very low.  Yes, there are robberies, things stolen and such.  But from what I've heard, violent crime or kidnapping is virtually unheard of.  So I can definitely understand parents here who know all the neighbors and are sure their kids know to watch out for cars, feeling a sense of security with letting their kids play outside without supervision.  

We are getting to know all the neighborhood kids.  Sometimes Levi and I will play t-ball outside and it usually doesn't take long to attract a good-sized group of kids with big, curious eyes.  They linger at the open gate for a couple of minutes, a little shy and then I motion for them to come and play and before you know it we have 15 youngsters lining up to hit the ball.  I think Levi was a little overwhelmed the first time this happened.  They all kind of huddled around him and wanted to watch him hit the ball (which, by the way, he is getting really good at!)  :)    It's funny when I step back and watch them with him.  They love to touch his hair, pat his head and hug him.  He is warming up too.  But still a little overwhelmed.   On other days we do sidewalk chalk or bubbles with the kids and there is never a shortage of interest in these toys. 

We've also been exploring the beaches.  This is a great way to spend the morning.  The water temperature is perfect and there are a couple of good, clean beaches with really nice shallow water.  Levi loves putting his feet in and waiting for the waves to come.  We look for shells, hermit crabs, and coral.  There are a lot of beautiful shells and coral to be found here.  I'm starting a little collection.  :)  Our neighbor doesn't have access to a car because her husband uses it for work, so sometimes we take her and her one-year old son with us to the beach.  It's nice to have company and someone for Levi to play with. 

Driving around here is pretty fun.  I actually love the chance to go for drives because it's so beautiful and I get to drive along a road that winds right along the coast almost everyday.  The speed limit is 25 miles per  hour everywhere on the island.  I don't know what I'm going to do when I get back in the states and have to drive on a freeway!! :)  I love driving 25 because I can look around a bit and enjoy the scenery.  Everyone gives the right of way here, even when they actually have the right of way.  It takes some getting used to, but it's actually kind of nice.  I'm getting good at stopping, even though I have right of way and no stop sign, and letting cars turn who are stuck at a stop sign.  It's funny though, if you let one go, you better be ready to let them all go.  At first I thought I had done my duty letting one go and I started to go again, but the second, third, fourth car all decided to pull out and turn in front of me.  They all smiled and waved.  Now I've seen this happen lots of time to other drivers, so I know to go ahead and stop and wait for awhile and just let everyone go.  There is a lot of smiling, waving and friendly flashing of lights that happens around here.  :)

Speaking of driving, I can't wait to try riding on the Aiga buses.  They are smallish-sized, colorful buses that sport tassles, feathers, and slogans that say things like "God is Awesome" and "Practice Patience",  "Take it Easy", etc (I'll post some pictures soon).  They play fun, upbeat music and I can sometimes hear the riders singing to the music when they pass by.  Seems like fun. :)

This week has been full of new things and people.  We've definitely had some ups and downs too.  We had to make an emergency trip to the LBJ hospital at 2am on Sunday with Levi.  Poor guy woke me and had a fever of 104! I've never seen it so high.  It really scared us when he started shaking and saying that he saw an alligator in his room.  I know the alligator part sounds funny, but I could tell he was being serious and I knew he was probably hallucinating.  I started going into panic mode.  Got him a wash cloth and some tylenol and told Grant to get things together for the hospital. We jumped in the car and sped off.  I just held Levi in my arms for the 20 minute ride.  His breathing was labored and I just didn't know what was happening to his body and I didn't know what kind of an environment we were going to find at the hospital.   We've heard mixed things about LBJ; mostly that it has fallen into disrepair and such.  We pulled up and began the check-in procedure.  The emergency room was dingy, with peeling paint, and chickens wondering about outside the door. Grant was instructed to go to a different office to get a registration card for Levi since he was a new patient.  The lady in charge of the patient cards was asleep behind the desk, so Grant had to wake her up so that we could get the process started for Levi.  Not a great start!!  However, once we got past that, we had a really thorough doctor who did a great job.  She ordered labs, got Levi's fever down, and found out he had an ear infection.  As soon as his fever came down, he switched back to his old self.  We could tell he was better when he tried climbing the walls (literally) next to his hospital bed.  He also thought it was great fun removing the sheets of the bed and singing ABC's to all the nurses who came in to help him.  But before his fever came down, he was lying in the bed and you could tell he was uncomfortable and Grant and I noticed he was trying to do something with his hands.  We realized he was making the "hang loose" sign for us.  When we were in Hawaii Grant taught him that sign and he loves doing it now.  Sure enough, he worked on it and in a hoarse little voice he said "Hang Loose, daddy".  :)

 

So the "up" part of this week has been meeting some great people.  For the most part, the people here are very friendly; they wave and smile when you drive by and they are trusting.  Just the other day we were headed out to find a lady who sells house plants from her home.  There are no addresses on the island, so directions usually go like "OK, you know that yellow laundromat on the corner?  OK, turn right there and you'll see a white house with a blue truck and we are the next house with the ginger plants in front."  :)  Well we were having a hard time finding this lady.  We were talking to her on our cell and she said she would meet us at the laundromat closest to her house.  We met her there and she asked, "Can I just jump in the back of your car and show you how to get to my house?"  OK.  I guess we don't look like serial killers.....but you wouldn't find too many people who'd do that back in the states.

I also met a lady named Mary who heads up the Children's program at the local library.  She actually has been to Chico!  I can't believe it's the second person I've met who lives here and knows little ol' Chico.  Amazing.  Anyway, she told me about a children's playgroup that will be starting in August at the library for Levi's age group.  We are definitely going to do that.  She also told me that they have activities and art projects going on throughout the week.  Levi met a new friend named Tupu (he informed me that his name means "king").  Tupu is five years old and his mom works at the library so he hangs out there quite a bit.  The three of us looked at picture books and he taught us a couple of Samoan words.  Then we all went outside and Levi and Tupu took turns playing on the monkey bars and trying to hang upside down.  Oh by the way, Mary said I would do fine here because I'm "from Chico and Chico is so cool and laid back, kind of like Samoa."  So I got that going for me...

Tonight Grant and I went to Tisa's Barefoot Bar.  Definitely the best business we've been to so far here in Samoa.  We enjoyed a traditional umu.   I'm just going to copy and paste the description of the food below.  I can't even tell you how delicious it was.  Just too good for words.  You eat this food straight off of a table covered with banana leaves--no plates or utensils.  Also, people are fanning you while you eat to keep flies away, but it made me feel like some sort of royalty.....A Samoan princess perhaps?  LOL.  A girl can dream, right?  Also, they are filming a reality show called "Ghost Hunters International" in Samoa right now and the crew was at Tisa's tonight to film.  We had to sign waivers to agree to let them use footage of us on the show.  Candyman (Tisa's sidekick) said the show would probably air in July or August and it's on the SyFy network.  So keep your eyes open.  That reminds me, yesterday I overheard a palagi (non-Samoan) say "this island is spooky as shit".  It just made me laugh. 

Here's a description of the Umu at Tisa's

When all of the food is ready, and the rocks are hot, the umu is built. The hot rocks are leveled in the shape of a circle, with the larger rocks sorted to the outside. The rocks are dusted off (to remove most of the ash), and then covered with a layer of mango leaves. For extra moisture (our secret), fresh banana trunks are shredded and laid on top of the mango leaves (banana trunks are very high in water content). All meats are then laid down, followed by taros, cooking bananas and breadfruits. The larger rocks previously sorted to the outside and then place on top of the food. The palusami and fai ai pilikaki (fresh fish casserole in coconut shells) are placed on top of the top rocks, along with fresh squash or pumpkin, and fresh papaya with cinnamon. Layers of banana leaves and tamu leaves are then place over the entire umu to seal in the heat and steam. Cooking time is about 2 to 3 hours.

Getting into the groove

After a 5+ hour flight from Hawaii, we arrived in American Samoa late Monday night.  The air was thick, moist and hot as we climbed down the stairs off the airplane.  Actually the airport is probably about the size of the Chico airport.  Pretty tiny.  We stood in line for a long time under bright lights in a hot, stuffy room to go through customs and baggage claim.  Finally we made our way out of the airport and were greeted by what seemed like the whole town.  The crowd graciously parted for us as we struggled to push our huge luggage carts.  I felt like such an outsider.  We probably couldn't have stood out more if we tried.  The three of us, obviously non-Samoans, pushing what seemed like all our worldly possessions through a crowd of Samoans who seemed to all know each other.  We were not in Kansas anymore. 


Thankfully, Grant had arranged for one of his coworkers from the department of education to meet us with his truck.  He was very friendly, spoke passable English, and helped us load up the truck.  We took about a 5-minute drive from the airport to our house.  I was beyond exhausted.  We pulled up to the house and stepped inside.  It was nice, but except for a couple of couches and two beds upstairs, completely and totally empty.  But I couldn't believe Levi's energy.  It was about 11:00pm and we were still sort of on west coast time, which would've been around 3:00am.  He ran up and down the stairs and was as happy as a clam.  I, on the other hand, felt overwhelmed and completely worn out.  Levi found a baby gecko in his room and was excited about that too.  We put sheets on the bed, tried to get a bedtime routine for Levi to wind down with and go to sleep.  That first night was a little rough.  I had a hard time sleeping, though exhausted, just thinking about this new place and all the things I needed to do in the next couple of days to make it home. 


The next morning I was talking with Grant about all the things we needed to do and I was probably sounding a little stressed out and Levi reassuringly said, "Mom, we're going to make it homey!"  Grant and I both laughed and then I realized I can't be stressed when Levi is so happy. He gives me perspective. It's funny, Levi seems to handle all these changes better than I do.  He loves his big bed (he went from sleeping in a crib in Chico to a queen-size bed in his own room) and seems to love the Samoa house. 


The next day I was busy getting the lay of the land and settling in.  I drove around while Grant pointed out different places that might be of interest to us.  We stopped at a tiny playground, which was right on the water, but quite different from anything you'd find in Chico.  It was more like some two by fours nailed together to form a ladder and fort.  Then we went shopping for house wares and food.  It has been so interesting to see what is available in terms of food here.  Cost U Less is a one of the biggest stores in town (sort of like a mini Costco).  They had a good selection of items (spices, Nature's Harvest granola bars, tea, Quaker oatmeal, organic almond milk, pasta, Classico sauce, even Milton's bread).  We also bought some apples from New Zealand and they are really good.  In fact, I'm noticing lots of items from Australia and New Zealand, since it's just a hop, skip and jump away.  Also, Fiji water is in every store.  I love Fiji water, but usually don't buy it in Chico because it's a little pricey, but here it's almost just as cheap as the Kirkland brand bottled water.  I guess because Fiji is in the neighborhood... 


Today Grant went into work and Levi and I hung out at the house.  We organized a bit, played, mopped the floor, and waited for the Internet/cable guys to come by.  It's been nice being away from Internet and TV for a couple of days, but it's also nice to be plugged in again.  Tonight we went to dinner at a place called Deluxe Cafe.  It was pretty good.  We struck up a conversation with the ladies at the table next to us and discovered that one of the gals went to Chico State and graduated in '97!  It was so crazy to randomly meet a Samoan person who actually knew of Chico!!!  She said she loved it there and went back often.  Her three brothers actually live in Chico now.  Just talking to someone here who knows about Chico made me feel a little closer to home.  So far, whenever I tell people I'm from California they kind of shake their head and say something like "wow, you're a long way from home".  And they certainly have no idea where Chico is.  So it was nice to meet that gal.  I'm sure we'll run into each other again.  It's such a small island and a small world! :)


After dinner we went to KS Mart.  Grant was tipped off to this store today by someone he works with.  It's actually right around the corner from our house.  It is such an amazing, wacky store! I wish I would've brought my camera.  There are definitely some photo-worthy pieces of awesomeness there.  It's a grocery store/clothing & shoe store/drug store/bakery/housewares store/toy store/a little bit of everything.  BUT I was so excited because I found organic soups, Amy's organic canned refried beans, Nutella, garlic, butter and lots of other goodies.  By the way, real butter seems to be hard to come by here.  I've been to about four stores and this is the first one that had butter.  It's butter from New Zealand.


When we got home we relaxed outside a bit.  It's been really nice and breezy and mild today.  Beautiful night.  Grant showed me the Southern Cross constellation.  I guess you can only see it from south of the equator.  Oh that reminds me, we see lots of bats around here.  Big, Batman-type bats.  Kinda crazy.  :)
So far I am liking this place.  It's going to take some getting used to.  I just want us all to stay healthy and I think everything will be fine.  I'm really trying to be extra careful about the water.  Brushing teeth with bottled water and everything.  Levi already has a wet cough and today had some tummy problems, so hopefully he'll quickly fight off whatever he has.  He seems to have no shortage of energy though.  The people seem really nice and I'm happily surprised at the amount of good food I've been able to find so far.  On the downside, I was surprised at the amount of trash everywhere.  So much litter and it's such a shame because it's truly a breathtakingly beautiful place. 


This place sort of reminds me of Mexico.  Nice people, lush tropical setting, but a lot of poverty and run down areas of town.  I think it will truly be an adventure.  I'll keep ya updated......