Welcome to American Samoa

      So here comes my first posting from American Samoa. As I write, it is Sunday afternoon and I've been here almost 3 full days now. First impression: what a laid-back, frustrating yet wonderful island this is! First night in a small, rather primitive (but clean!) motel, then in my rented new home furnished with a bed that I had to buy, and nothing else but bare floors. The major compensation is that I can walk no more than 50 feet and be on the ocean front, with waves crashing against the coral rocks at my feet. Local kids have a swimming hole there, in an area somewhat sheltered. A local feature is the blowhole – openings in the coral which expel air and at times water like a geyser – as the waves come in and out. There is a blowhole right here where I live. The kids swim through it at low tide. I think I made a few neighborhood friends when I bought a bag of chocolate chip cookies and passed them around. Later, more kids showed up, then some older ones, then a Samoan PeeWee football practice broke out on the grassy area in our compound. Turns out that after the 60 Minutes feature about American Samoa and all the NFL players that hail from here, those players banded together and arranged not only to buy equipment, but to form a league for the younger kids to learn the game before reaching high school. I was seeing the local team doing their calisthenics. Oh yes, the sun sets straight out to sea from here. Whales occasionally pass by close in. Sigh.

I live in a village called Leone towards the western end of the island. Leone, and many nearby villages, were severely hit by a tsunami in 2009. The damage is evident everywhere, from washed out bridges (temporarily repaired, but repairs here tend to remain temporary until they become permanent with no additional work added) to heavily damaged homes. Some people still live in square tents given through FEMA. Much junk is everywhere, all over beaches and roadsides, spoiling what otherwise is a simple paradise to the eye. I didn't photo some of the more singular features here. One is the churches; they are everywhere, always the best looking buildings in town, and every Samoan man, woman and child has his or her place in their church. All protestant denominations are here, as well as Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses. All seem to co-exist amicably. The other very striking feature is the burial sites for the deceased; they are usually in the front yard. There are no graveyards as we know them. Each family cares for its own. I hope to write more on this later. Today being Sunday, all the churches held services. Samoans gathered in their churches, all dressed in their best attire. I could hear the singing everywhere. Not only in church, but everywhere, the Samoan language and people must be the most musically delightful in the world. Particularly the women, their voices have a lilting quality that is makes even normal talking almost a song. In chorus it is most powerful. Sunday is sacred here, most businesses close, and little other activity takes place. People rest, stay home, visit family, and in general become more laid back than normal, if such is possible. I refrained from photos of churches and especially the grave sites from respect for the people and their customs. Perhaps later I can discretely photo some examples.

     Another feature here are the fale, which are the ubiquitous shelters that you see in Polynesian pictures. The original fale was a thatch roof over wooden poles, with open sides all around. The modern fale is the same design, but now with concrete pillars and a metal or tile roof. They come in all sizes; batches of large ones in some areas (each family has its fale, often several in different places) down to small ones in someone's yard. Families gather in their fale – for parties, weddings, funerals, weddings, everything. The roof keeps off the rain, the open sides let in the breeze, and people hang out there in comfort for hours on end.

     On Friday, my first day, I met Tua our investigator. I waited for him in my motel lobby; the owner there chatted with me and taught me some necessary words in Samoan. Did I note that Samoans are very friendly? They are indeed. Tua took me around to show me my prospective new home (I came, I saw, I rented) and other sites. There is an 18 hole golf course here. Tua is nuts about golf.  Joe, my new colleague, brought his clubs all the way from the good old USA. Junior (see below) plays. There is indeed a God, and He looks after me. We ended up at the office, then Kelly took us around to run errands – a bed and supplies for me, stuff for Joe & Sarah, down to Leone to meet the bed delivery man (who turned out to be the owner of the store where I bought it), back for more stuff, then out to dinner with a few other palagi friends. Palagi is the Samoan word for a foreigner. I don't think it is meant derisively, but how can I be sure?

     Last night my new boss, Ruth, threw a BBQ at her home for the 2 newcomers (myself, and Joe from the Seattle area, who is here with his wife Sarah on a 2 year contract). The other two lawyers in the office came too. Steph is from Minnesota, she's been here over a year; Kelly hails from San Diego and has more than a year left. I was driven there by my neighbor 2 houses down, Moi and his wife Polu.  Moi is a special prosecutor here, appointed to go after corruption in the administration, which is endemic. Ruth and her husband Junior certainly showed us what true Samoan hospitality is like. From the first greeting by handing us a coconut with a straw (the water within is pure and delicious) to the BBQ by Junior, his specialty, throughout the night we were welcomed most warmly. Junior is a treasure; he literally will give you the shirt off his back; he in fact gave me his car for a couple days. Soon he will take me fishing, and to a cricket game. He made sure we all had a tsunami alert plan. In the Samoan style he gave a welcoming speech to us, his PD family, and he talked about family with all that means in the Samoan culture. He (and his sister) even showed me how to properly slice a mango to eat, and what a treat is a fresh Samoan mango! We swapped stories, a beer or two went down, laughed a lot (a bit at the dumb palagi with mango juice all over him). Ruth talked about our office here, its problems in the past, and her determination to make this the best it can be. Looks like we have the people to do just that. It was an exquisite evening, one I will long remember.

     Dogs run around everywhere, some owned, many not. Junior & Ruth have a great, protective dog. Kelly is a major dog lover, her Tucker remains stateside but never forgotten by Kelly. I haven't been bothered much by the local canines, the Samoans yell “ALO” (“Scram, muttface”) at them and they take off. Seems to work. Fact: rabies doesn't exist here, a major reason why they are so careful and quarantine for 4 months any animals that arrive on the island. Kelly & I talked dogs a lot. And there are chickens. It's not true that roosters crow at dawn. They crow well before dawn. Often.

    Today I gratefully used Junior's car to explore this island. I went clear out to the end of the road in the west. Every curve brought a new view, each more spectacular than the last. Leone is the last village of any size here; to the west the villages are small, and get smaller the further you go. Once over the ridge that runs through the island, the road goes up the western side for a mile or two and then simply ends at a small bay with a very small village. I sat there an hour or so, by the shore under a banyan tree, watching the waves roll in and the birds circle, hearing nothing but the singing in church and the swell of the waves hitting the rocky shore. One doesn't wander around here without getting permission, and never on Sunday at all. So I just sat and quietly experienced. It is a hot day, but cool in the shade and sea breeze. If there is anyplace a heaven on earth, this must be pretty close to it. Cyndi – destination 1 when you arrive. Also, I realized that when you see a photo of the island and it appears the mountains rise straight up, that is not a perspective thing. They in fact rise straight up. And the jungle that covers those near vertical slopes is thick as can be. I now know what “impenetrable” is. I then returned back to the center of the island to get familiar with the roads and locations of stores, etc. Roads here are funny, few have street names and there aren't signs. Some of the routes have numbers, but hardly any are marked. So as you drive, unless you know where you are and where you are going, you just cannot get there except by chance. The speed limit is 25 mph; funny thing, you neither can nor desire to go faster. They don't have Infiniti G35xS cars here. But I did find one open store, Cost U Less, which is the local version of a Costco. I bought a table and a chair! My home is filling up! And to Cyndi – yes, I recall all your frustrating years attempting to train me. I filled the car with gas for its return. I also made a gift of a bottle of Wyndmere lotion to my neighbor lady next door, Laiana, and her daughter Tasha; and to Polu also. And, in the end, home to a glass of wine (cheers Cyndi) and my first Samoan sunset.

Check next post for photos; tomorrow, to work.