Happy New Year

December 31-

Happy New Year and I'm still in Apia!


On Friday I went over to Savaii for V's 24th birthday party. Everyone from my group went to his village and spent the night and had a great time. We barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, and heated pork and beans in the can on a metal plate over an open pit fire of coconut husks and pretended it was just like home. From there I went to R and J's Saturday and stayed until Monday when I came back to Apia.

Here are some pictures I took at the party, of a church in V’s village, and a shot of the reef and Apolima Island from the ferry on the way back to Upolu.

The painted glass windows are of Samoan religious legends and Bible stories Samoan style, including Jesus with a body tattoo holding an ava stick and wearing a lavalava. The sun was really bright and these are the only two that turned out.












I checked in at the office as soon as I got back and they told me the new potential date for the move to the new village is January 10th. I'll believe it when I'm there!

I went to my training village to spend Christmas with my host family. That was great. It was really nice to see them again and I even had a little fake tree in my room with lights and everything. It's just not the same though when it's so darn hot. Santa doesn't even come to Samoa. Totally true folks. Gift giving at Christmas is not part of their culture, though I am sure some enterprising marketing executive is working on that. We did have carolers though. About 12:30am I was roused from sleep by the sound of beautiful music. I got up and looked out and what to my wondering eyes did appear but the choir from the Methodist church in the next village, all dressed in white, carrying candles in half coconut shells, 40 or 50 people walking down the road singing. I have commented before on how beautiful their singing is and that night was no exception. The church functions are pretty much like ours. Sunday morning service, evening youth program, and then a Christmas service too. All I did for four days was eat, sleep, read, and go to church, then I headed back to Apia where I embarked upon the next chapter of my continuing saga.