Mr Lavalava

It's just a problem

2007-04-26T23:36:00.000-11:00

As one travels, certain things become emblematic of the trip. That small part of your back that hurts after lugging your backpack around for a day. The throb in your left foot that makes itself known in the afternoon. And, very often, the things that you or others say. The mantra for this trip has definitely been, "It's just a problem!"

When ordering some lunch in Vienna's market area I stumbled on what little German I can remember. I asked the waiter if he spoke English. He replied (in English) that he only spoke a little English. I reassured him that was fine as I only spoke a little German. He grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said quite simply, "It's just a problem!" No doubt he was aiming for "It's not a problem" but he didn't quite get there. No matter. Food and drink was ordered, consumed and all was good.

As is common when travelling, little things go wrong. Buses are late. Trains are delayed. Items are misplaced and cross-language communication can lead to bizarre results. This trip has had it's fair share (such as riad bookings not being honoured in Marrakech). But in all cases we've reminded ourselves that "it's just a problem". And all problems can be (and thus far have been) solved. That one phrase has preserved sanity a couple of times and definitely kept our senses of humour buoyant.

As the trip continues (three days of the ATP music festival starting tonight) I fully anticipate something else to go wrong. But it'll be fine. After all, "it's just a problem."

Florence

2007-04-20T03:23:00.000-11:00

In 1982 UNESCO declared the entire centre of the city a World Heritage Site and it's easy to see why. Florence is amazing. Cobblestone streets wind through the city, small side streets branching off in all directions. A plethora of amazing buildings catch one's eye. The Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno river. The Sante Croce which houses the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Dante. The Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David. And towering above them all, the astonishing Duomo, designed by Brunelleschi. It is truly staggering. Luckily I had an excellent vantage point of the Duomo, as the picture from my hotel room (above) shows. Leaning out of the other window afforded a view of the actual dome itself but this was a better picture. Even so, wow!

Early one morning I took the long climb up the Duomo dome itself (some 500 or so steps) to enjoy a fantastic view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan hills. Just beautiful. Walking through the streets of the city was incredible enough but to see it all from such a vantage point was fantastic. And such great weather for it too.

I didn't bother spending four hours in line to see Michelangelo's David but did enjoy seeing the replica in situ in the piazza where David originally stood. I visited the library of the Medici family where a great exhibition on fantastic animals (unicorns, sirens, etc.) in literature, etc., was held and bought and ate great food from the Florence food markets.

More photos and stories will come as I find the time, though I suspect a lot of that will happen once my trip is over. I'm in Barcelona now and tomorrow I head to Morocco. Who knew that being on holiday could be so much hard work. ;)

Vienna

2007-04-15T00:31:00.000-11:00

I've just enjoyed two glorious days in Vienna. The city was at its best with crystal clear blue skies and warm weather. A very beautiful place indeed.

Some of the architecture is astonishing. The Museum Quarter off Maria Hilfer Strasse is particularly stunning with many very grand buildings. Sadly the computer I'm using at the moment disallows me to grab a coupel of photos off my camera. I'll fix that later but for now trust me; it's brilliant.

One of the highlights for me however was one of the transport options available within the city. A project called City Bike Wien (see their home page) is just fantastic. Fifty bike stations are located across the city and after a quick and cheap registration of just €1 you can hire a bicycle and ride across the city. The first hour of usage is free and additional hours begin at €1. With bike lanes everywhere and so many bike stations, it's a very attractive mode of transportation. Even better, you don't have to return your bike to where you hired it. Simply return it to any station and you're done. Sydney isn't nearly as bike friendly (geographically if for no other reason) but I'd love to see something like this there.

The other big highlight for me was without a doubt the food markets. I was in heaven, seeing and smelling the vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more on offer. Being a Saturday the markets were bustling with activity as well. A quick stop for a local beer and some freshly made hummus and flatbread recharged the batteries and allowed for some people watching. Again, when the opportunity arises I will definitely post some pictures.

Two days is, of course, never enough time to see any place but I do feel like I had a chance to begin to see the heart of Vienna. I was greatly impressed.

Have lavalava, will travel

2007-04-09T21:03:00.000-11:00

It's with great delight that I note that Mr Lavalava will shortly be holidaying across Europe. Whilst the weather will be decidedly colder than that in Samoa, rest assured that at least one lavalava will be packed in the luggage. I will endeavour to update the blog with pics as is possible.

In other news, by sheer chance I stumbled across a Sydney Samoan radio station the other day. It airs every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am. If you want to hear the latest Samoan tunes and find out what's happening with the Sydney Samoan community, I suggest you tune in to Nu'u Samoa next Saturday morning.

News from Samoa

2007-03-04T11:12:00.000-11:00

One of the harder challenges since leaving Samoa has been that of keeping up with the local news. It's easy enough to pick up the phone and call friends but one only learns so much. The focus of those calls is, understandably, much more personal.

Imagine my delight then at discovering that the Samoa Observer has recently decided to resume online publication. As a source of news about Samoa it far outstrips the efforts of ABC's Pacific Beat and Radio New Zealand International. Those sites have - necessarily - a broader focus on the entire Pacific and with the troubles in countries like Fiji and the Solomon Islands, reports from Samoa tend to be a little thin on the ground.

Not all of the Observer is online but enough of it is to make me very happy. Best of all, their Street Talk section is updated daily. Street Talk is the Observer's vox populi page and whilst in Samoa it was arguably my favourite part of the paper (for a whole lot of reasons).

Looking over the last month's headlines it's easy to spot some recurring stories. The issue of doctors' pay has flared up again, more than a year after I was first aware of it. More village banishments have occurred, one in particular catching my eye. A family has been banished from their village of Gagaifolevao, Lefaga after it was discovered that a tourist currently facing charges of sex offences had stayed with them. On a happier note, Manu Samoa won its first Rugby 7s tournament, claiming top spot in the Wellington round.

Rioting in the Pacific

2006-11-21T12:58:00.000-11:00

The recent news of the rioting, looting and destruction in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa is quite sad. With eight deaths and the rebuilding cost already estimated at $75 million USD it's a heavy blow to the country. The healing process will no doubt take many years.

A short news story on the Radio New Zealand International website caught my eye this morning. Apparently some palagis have suggested that Samoa will be the next country in the region to "have the same troubles as Tonga". Samoan Prime Minister, Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, responded by stating that "the strength of the Samoan cultural ties and the people’s respect for its traditional leaders and traditional avenues in resolving dispute will always prevail". But isn't all of this missing the mark?

Tonga is a constitutional monarchy and the Tongan monarchy plays a very strong role in the country's political process. The Tongan Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and peoples representatives serving three year terms. There are no elections; the prime minister and deputy prime minister are appointed by the monarchy.

For several years a strong pro-democracy movement has been growing in Tonga. It "emphasises reforms including better representation in the Parliament for the majority commoners, and better accountability in matters of state" (Wikipedia entry). Recently, a Constitutional Commission has been considering suggestions as to how Tonga's constitution might be reformed.

With the September succession to the throne by Siaosi Tupou V, it was believed by many that there would be advances in the reform process sooner rather than later. The rioting is said to have been triggered when it seemed that the parliament would adjourn for the year without having made any advances in increasing democracy in government.

By contrast, Samoa is a mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The Samoan monarchy, generally speaking, plays little role in the political process. There are elections held every five years and the government has been very open to political, judicial and legislative reform, driven particularly by cooperative foreign aid/development projects.

In short, Samoans have democracy where Tongans do not. It's certainly not perfect and does have its fair share of problems but by and large it works. As such, Tuila’epa's comments about the strong ties within Samoan culture, the respect for traditional leaders and traditional disputation processes are valid but in my eyes don't really strike at the heart of the matter. Furthermore, as the legal challenges following the March 2005 elections illustrate (see here, here and here), there is a growing tension between the traditional power structures and the newer judicial and legislative structures. Since I left Samoa in September, I have heard of two more cases held in the Land & Titles Court challenging village rulings over banishments.

Nonetheless, I agree completely with Tuila'epa's refutation of the claim that Samoa will be the next Pacific nation to endure mass civil disobedience and rioting. I simply cannot imagine it happening. I hope Tonga can solve the problems it faces and wish the very best for my friends in Tonga and my friends elsewhere with family in Tonga.

Mau nofo a e.

Something a little off topic

2006-10-24T01:04:00.000-11:00

I've just been watching Foreign Correspondent on Australia's ABC. It contained a story about the hazards of living with elephants in Sri Lanka. An elephant trainer interviewed for the story said, "There's no point to a country if it doesn't have elephants." I couldn't agree more.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

2006-10-22T17:59:00.000-11:00

It's an island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean yet Samoa has water supply problems. According to a recent news report from Radio New Zealand International, the Samoa Water Authority has publicly acknowledged that there is a problem, stating that low water levels at the major treatment plant in Fuluasou are to blame.

Of course this isn't news to anyone who's lived in villages like Vaitele, Vailele and Fagalii-uta (where I lived). Watching the water emanating from the taps turn from clear to milky white to murky brown then shortly after stop running at all was a fairly regular past time. I was fortunate enough to have a water tank that at least allowed for a few showers and cups of tea/coffee beyond what my neighbours typically enjoyed.

The water would most often run out during and after periods of heavy rain; soil blocking the pipes and all that kind of thing. This time around however the problem really is supply. The dry season has yet to run its course so there's not an awful lot of rainfall that would result in blocked pipes. Just before I left in mid September I drove past the major dam on 'Upolu and noted that it was almost entirely dry.

I've been told by a friend still in Fagalii that they've been without water for a while now. And whilst the rain isn't falling readily or steadily enough they're unable to catch much water in buckets and have "outdoor showers" as I was want to do. Their situation is a bit of a catch 22. No rain means no mains water; any big dump of rain is likely to lead to blocked pipes anyway. Bugger.

Miss Teuila controversy

2006-10-15T15:47:00.000-11:00

This year's Miss Teuila pageant has not been without a degree of controversy. Supporters of Miss Samoa, New Zealand, a contestant who was named second runner-up, were extremely vocal in their disappointment. In the few days prior to my departure from Samoa, their letters of complaint filled the pages of The Observer.

I believe that it was these supporters who discovered that Pearl McFall (Miss NUS), who was crowned Miss Teuila, was 17 at the time she registered in the pageant. Pageant rules dictate that contestants must be 18 years of age or older to enter. This news was, of course, picked up by the media and became the only story worth telling for a few days.

McFall officially relinquished her crown five days after being crowned Miss Teuila, holding a press conference at the National University of Samoa campus to make the announcement. This resulted in Poinsettia Taefu, the first runner-up, being crowned Miss Teuila 2006. Having cleaned up seven of the ten individual category awards (e.g. Best Talent, Best Puletasi, etc.), it seems fitting that Poinsettia wears the crown. Congratulations 'tia!

Fine with my wife

2006-10-10T20:26:00.000-11:00

I've wanted to post more photos and write more about Samoa but unfortunately my computer is in for repair. This might take a few weeks, so my chances of posting are going to be slim. Nonetheless, I will endeavour to put something up in the next week or so.

In the meantime, for those of you with broadband (or similar) Internet connections, might I suggest you check out this video clip (YouTube) by the biggest musical group in Samoa, Zipso. It's the song "Fine With My Wife". Nothing beats a song with the chorus

She came and said, "Sole! Zipso. You and me. My house, let's go."
"It's ok. It's alright. Girl, I'm fine, with my wife."

Enjoy the clip. I hope to get some more tales and photos to you soon. Cheers.

Gone bananas!

2006-10-01T01:46:00.000-11:00

Dear me. I'd heard about the price of bananas going through the roof in Australia thanks to Cyclone Larry early in the year but it didn't really mean anything until I saw this earlier today in downtown Melbourne:

Bloody hell! That's $34 WST (Tala) for a kilogram of bananas. I've seen numbers that suggest your average banana weighs about 100 grams. If that's the case, it's fair to say that Samoa is living the good banana life. Ten bananas will set you back no more than $3 or $4 WST at Fugalei markets.

Just to make life worse, a morning of extreme cold a week or so ago destroyed a significant portion of the stone fruit crops in Victoria. If the stratospheric prices for bananas weren't enough, it now looks like stone fruit like apricots, nectarines and plums will cost a fair amount this season too. Crisis!

Whilst much stone fruit isn't available in Samoa, send me back anyway please! Cheap, tasty bananas and mangoes that just fall off the trees everywhere you look. Count me in.

Tofa soifua

2006-09-17T11:59:00.000-11:00

When you leave Samoa by air, the last thing you see before you enter the plane is this sign. Sadly for me, it was what I saw on Thursday. My assignment completed, it was time for me to say farewell and fly to Sydney.

It's been very tough saying goodbye. My time in Samoa has been incredible and I've been so fortunate to have worked with, and otherwise meet, so many wonderful people. Not to mention how beautiful a country Samoa is.

I know Sydney has its own beauty but at the moment, I'm having to work harder to find it. It smells funny, it feels far too busy, there is a cacophony of noises that are both familiar and strange and no one smiles as they walk down the street.

On the flipside, I've already had some amazing food; simple food that we too often take for granted. Incredible cheeses, good Chinese cuisine and, my highlight thus far, fresh strawberries.

Other than sheer exhaustion (sensory overload!) my main problem thus far would be accepting the reality of my situation. I keep referring to things, places and people in Samoa in an inclusive way. Next week our paddling club will start regular training nights (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm if anyone's interested). We commence an interesting project at work this week.

In spite of the change of location, I'm hoping that it will continue to make some sense to talk about Samoa in such a way. I'll still be in touch with friends and I'll definitely be requesting the latest news and gossip that's doing the rounds of Apia.

If nothing else, I certainly have many more things I want to say about Samoa and my time there on this blog. And having taken close to six thousand photos, I'm sure I can find a few more to put online.

Teuila races

2006-09-13T07:50:00.000-11:00

After the Miss Teuila pageant, the fautasi race is probably the most popular event of the Teuila festival. As in the Independence Day race, fautasi crews compete in a five kilometre races that starts at Faleula and ends in Apia harbour. Once again, two teams were the ones to beat. The Manono crew that won the Independence Day race and the Don Bosco crew that took top honours in American Samoa earlier in the year.

Unfortunately, I didn't watch the race live. Due to the reef and shallows, the race needs to be held in conjunction with high tide, so it started at 6am and I'm not much of a morning person. This didn't stop me from making a bet on the outcome with a colleague from my paddling club. We made a deal that if the Manono team won I would buy him a beer; if the Don Bosco boys took out the prize then he would buy me won. I'm happy to say that I'm now owed a beer. The Don Bosco team beat the Manono crew by a decent margin. I think it's a good thing. The Manono boys have won everything in sight for the last three or four years, so a changing of the guard is healthy.

The fautasi race isn't the only race during the festival however. This year our paddling regatta was incorporated into the program. It was a great day and we had a fantastic turn out. We had nine teams in the social division and three clubs submitted teams for the more professional divisions.

We decided after the last regatta that we needed a uniform. You have to look the goods even if you're actually not that good at all. Thus, we decked ourselves out in matching tshirts and lavalavas. Alas, it didn't bring great results, but that doesn't matter. We had a good time of things. In the more senior divisions there were some fantastic races. The Pualele club edged out the Paddles club in the big races but had to fight hard for their wins. The 500m final for example saw less than a second separating the first two boats, with third place finishing less than two seconds behind them. Very exciting stuff.

Teuila!

2006-09-13T07:09:00.000-11:00

Teuila festival. It's the biggest event on the Samoan cultural and social calendar. It's a week long celebration of the fa'asamoa and is full of events aimed to attract Samoans and palagis alike. Fairy lights are strung up all along Beach Road, making Apia harbour look even more beautiful at night. Stalls are set up next to the Government building where people sell clothing, art, food and demonstrate traditional crafts such as tattooing and weaving.

The biggest event of the festival is of course, the Miss Teuila pageant. Eleven women from Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and the United States competed to win the illustrious title. The build up to the pageant is pretty big but the event itself is even bigger.

I watched the pageant live on television with some friends of mine. It turned out to be far better than going to the event itself (well, I think so anyway). My friends were caustic in their appraisal of the contestants' efforts, which was hilarious. Mind you, the girls don't do themselves many favours. The talent round was particularly awful, with only one girl really showing any considerable talent. The highlight however, was (as always) the interview round.

On the topic of what she would focus on if voted as Miss Teuila, contestant number 1 had to say that "fundraising for the old people so they have more days to live on earth" would be one of her priorities.

Contestant number 11 stated that, "as a strong believer that women can do anything, women can do anything."

Yet another contestant, when asked what the best things about Samoa's environment might be, simply responded, "The best thing about the environment of Samoa is its features." The pregnant pause that followed, and the laughter from the audience, eventually convinced her to think about her answer and elaborate somewhat.

Miss Samoa Australia, when pausing for breath at the end of one mindless statement, demanded that the audience wait: "Please, I haven't finished......just kidding". No. You weren't. And I'm beginning to wonder what on earth you were raving on about when you mentioned the chattels in all the other countries of the world, that clearly made Samoa the best place to be.

The comments of the evening came from the outgoing MissTeuila, who bemoaned the loss of title. No more free air travel and "free lunch will be a distant memory". She even begged the owner of a beauty salon in Apia for just one more full body workover. Still, she insisted that any tears shed by her on the night would be tears of joy, not sadness, and thus my friends and I took her at her word.

The winner on the night was Pearl McFall, this year's Miss NUS (National University of Samoa). A work colleague's daughter came second, although thanks to winning seven of the ten category prizes, I'm pretty certain she doesn't mind one bit. She has something like six or seven return flights to New Zealand, hotel accommodation, cash prizes, wine, manicures, massages, etc., to enjoy.

Followup on the follower of fashion

2006-09-10T20:33:00.000-11:00

Early last week I had several of my clothes disappear from my clothes line. I discovered a few of them on the body of the village security guard. Hilarity ensued.

Later that week I was called over to my landlord's house (conveniently no more than 30 metres away) and I was formally presented with my clothing and an apology on behalf of the security guard, his family and the landlord's family. It was an interesting moment of fa'asamoa.

Anyway, the end result of all of this was that not only did I have confirmation that someone liked my clothing enough to pinch it off the line, I even had it returned. Fantastic!

Sadly, my dreams came crashing down this morning as I discovered that the security guard was in fact fairly critical of one item of clothing. Imagine my horror as I noticed that he'd "coughed his rompers". No. My rompers. Now imagine my horror at discovering this after I'd been wearing them for half a day!

That's one pair of shorts that won't be making the trip back to Australia with me.

Isa, Sala and Te'a

2006-09-06T23:30:00.000-11:00

Meet Isa, Sala and Te'a (l to r). They live on Namua. They're wonderful kids with infectious attitudes and brilliant smiles. Their family is similarly delightful. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know them all over the last year.

A small exercise in irony

2006-09-03T09:56:00.000-11:00

Saturday's Observer contained a story and a letter to the editor, both of which caught my eye. The letter to the editor bemoaned the poor quality of the quiz show that has just started on local television:

I agree that it is high time that such a competition should take place in Samoa. HOWEVER, the quality and the phrasing of the questions are very poor, very confusing and need considerable improvement.
But more importantly, there needs to be a proper evaluation that the answers are correct. A lot of the answers given by the quizmaster are WORNG!

I had to laugh.

The story, following on from the recent decision to shut the majority of the nightclubs in Apia for three months, focused on two tourists to Samoa who think that the shutdown order is great. Mr Backlet, in particular thinks it's great because

Despite the nightlub business being a fast money turner, only violence, corruption, prostitution, gambling, immoral sexual and gangster activities will happen as a result.

His travelling companion, Mr Coan, was in complete agreement, saying that Samoa is a wonderful country because Christian values are being upheld. Mr Backlet continued, warning Samoa against accepting foreign cultures and ideas. What? Like Christianity?

A dedicated follower of (my) fashion

2006-08-30T10:19:00.000-11:00

A couple of days ago I noticed that some of my clothes were missing. Some shorts and maybe a t-shirt or two. Someone had taken them from my clothes line. It's not that big a deal; clothes can be easily replaced. I didn't think that much of it.

This morning, as I left for work in a taxi (I'd missed the bus), I saw the village security guard (all villages with government housing employ security guards) walking down the road in a nice t-shirt and what looked like a comfortable pair of shorts. My t-shirt and shorts. I had to say something.

I asked the taxi driver (pictured here) to stop the car and I hopped out to have a chat with the man. I enquired as to why he was casually walking around in my clothes. Thanks to my poor command of Samoan and his equally poor command of English, we didn't make much progress. At just the right moment, my taxi driver stepped out of the car and proceeded to give the security guard what seemed like a fair bollocking. A hasty conversation ensued and finally, with smiles all around, claps on the back and handshakes, we parted ways.

Back in the taxi and somewhat bewildered, I asked the driver what had just transpired. He assured me that the security guard would wash and return my clothes tomorrow. It seems his threat of taking me immediately to the police (!) seems to have carried some weight in the conversation. Fair enough.

Still, my driver was not satisfied. He drove us down to the fale owned by the pulenu'u of my village to see if he was around. I assured him that it was unnecessary and that I would talk to my "landlord". Satisfied, he proceeded to drive me to my destination.

So, it seems that (at least some of) my clothes may be coming back to me after all. A pleasant surprise. I also take heart in the knowledge that at least one person out there approves of my taste in clothing. Result!

And as for the taxi driver, Fa'apine, well he's a legend. He stepped in to help me without a moment's hesitation. A typical demonstration of the amazing attitude of the overwhelming majority of people I've met in my time here. Fa'apine; fa'afetai tele lava sole. Ou te fa'amoemoe o lau Eagles e tatau ona manu malo i le vaiaso fou!

Apia's drinking problem worsens

2006-08-24T10:28:00.000-11:00

Three weeks ago, on advice from the Liquor Board, police issued closure notices to six popular nightclubs in Apia. Complaints from Apia village matai about underage drinking, fights, damage to property and the clubs operating beyond the midnight curfew were given as the justifications for the decision. As best I can ascertain, these were general complaints; there was not a single specific incident to which the Liquor Board referred in making their decision.

On Tuesday this week the Liquor Board ended two weeks of deliberations and decided to extend the closure period for a further three months. The decision, according to chairman Tuu'u Anasi'i Leota, would allow the board "to look at the social impact of our decision." They don't need three months to see the social impact; it's started already.

The first "social impact" of the board's decision is the immediate unemployment of almost 100 workers. Of the six nightclubs, only Lighthouse has been able to retain all of their staff because of the catering business they also operate.

With ongoing expenses such as rent, electricity, water and National Provident Fund contributions to staff, and unable to generate income, it's looking increasingly likely that a number of the clubs will simply shut down. Perhaps the next social impact the board can expect to see will be a strip of rundown, vacant buildings right in the heart of Apia.

Vale Dennis

2006-08-21T12:08:00.000-11:00

For the last seven or eight months I've been fortunate enough to enjoy the company of a wonderfully happy (if fairly stupid) dog called Dennis. He would accompany me on walks on the weekend, wait for the bus in the mornings with me (and others) and more often than not be waiting for me in the afternoon when I returned home.

Apparently he would on occasion chase little kids around the village and could be a bit aggressive at times but I never saw it. Sure, he was an absolute pain in the backside from time to time (dirty paw prints don't look good on freshly laundered white shirts for example) but he was a genuinely happy and fun friend to have around.

Yesterday Dennis came to my place in the morning and was moping around a lot. I didn't think much of it except that perhaps he'd been in a fight with other dogs and was coming to my place to rest. Sadly, my assessment was very wrong.

Over the course of the next couple of hours he became increasingly lethargic and refused to budge from my laundry. When I discovered him lying in his own vomit I called a friend of mine who works at the Animal Protection Society (APS) and she in turn called the vet. We were far too late. We buried Dennis in the park next to my house. He will be sorely missed.

Sadly, dogs are poisoned in Samoa all the time. The poison of choice is Paraquat. One of the more widely used herbicides, it's an extremely powerful and nasty drug. For humans, the lethal dose is 35 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. In dogs, the lethal dose is somewhere between 25-50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. There is no antidote for Paraquat.

Once ingested, Paraquat is distributed by the bloodstream to practically all areas of the body, resulting in systematic organ failure. The liver, lungs, heart and kidneys all fail but it is in the lungs that the damage is most concentrated. Pulmonary oedema is the most common type of failure, the lungs accumulating fluid until they fail. It makes for a particularly horrible way to die.

The frequency with which dogs are poisoned (and otherwise ill-treated) illustrates that there is an enormous need for better education. This is the reason why my friend is at the APS. She develops and implements education programmes for schools and villages. No one contests the need for a dog control programme in Samoa but organisations such as the APS fight to make sure that any programmes are carried out in a sensitive and humane manner. I wish my friend and the APS all the very best of luck in their work.

Court rulings and village rulings

2006-08-18T15:28:00.000-11:00

On Wednesday the court handed down its ruling in the case between Su'a and Mulitalo. The two judges found that Mulitalo was guilty of bribery as alleged. The judges arrived at the same outcome though for different reasons. These reasons are very interesting and are bound to have consequences for future cases.

Justice Shepherdson's reasoning rested, as I thought might happen, on where the presentation of o'o is made. Section 97A of the Electoral Act, which sets out the regulations surrounding 'o'o' and 'momoli' speaks of "Constituencies", "Members" (of parliament) and "Candidates for Parliament". As such, Shepherdson has argued that

There remains the vital question which is whether the "o'o" and "momoli", in order to gain exemption from illegality, must be held within the territorial limits for the particular constituency.

In my opinion, s97A should be construed so that a "o'o" and "momoli" referred to in the section is limited to those made within the territorial limits of the constituency of the Member or Candidate for Parliament who makes the particular presentation.

Justice Slicer's reasoning is, I think, more interesting. He reflected on the nature of modern life in Samoa and how custom changes over time. Specifically, he argued that

Culture and traditions adapt to new conditions. If they do not they die or are lost...More people come to work and live in Apia. Their children live and are educated in the city. Apia is a significant provider of facilities and employment. But the electors retain their identity and voting rights through their villages and through those villages their constituency. But there are compelling reasons to conclude that the traditional presentation ought not be adapted to permit the holding of 'o'o' and 'momoli' in Apia. If Apia, why not somewhere else? Should there be one for each constituency and each member or candidate?...Will the extension of custom harm the villages as political units? These are complex and important matters requiring time for consideration. They are matters which ought, at this time, remain the province of the Parliament. I do not conclude that as of November 2005 the traditional presentation, because of change of custom, permitted its making outside of the Constituency. This Court ought not legislate change, but only determine whether change has occured. I am not satisfied that there has been a change of custom.

Despite their different reasoning, both Justices agreed that Mulitalo committed bribery and found him guilty of corrupt practices. The election result for his constituency was declared void and a by-election will have to be held. Mulitalo will be ineligible to run for candidacy. Su'a will be able to run in the by-election, although events since the court ruling may convince him that to do otherwise.

Mere hours after the court ruling was handed down, the maota (headquarters) of the Su'a family in Lano village burnt to the ground. Su'a family members residing in Lano have suggested that the residence appeared to have been doused with fuel before being set alight.

Su'a matai Fa'atoafe Kaisala said that "the persons who burnt down the house were weak of mind because ahead of them was a possible fine of 100 sows and baishment from the village." Not to mention the potential for legal proceedings.

Police are currently investigating the fire and have been questioning many Lano village members. Lano's top ranked orator Malaeulu Lafaele told the Observer that "the matter [of the fire] would be dealt with when their village meets next, perhaps next week."

In spite of the arson attack, Lano village elders are insistent that conflict has not broken out in their village. I'm not so sure. Over the weekend a group of matai publicly supported Su'a even after the pulenu'u of Lano had stated that the ostracism order against Su'a would not be dropped. It would appear that this is no longer just about the tensions between village and legal rule. The tension now seems to exist within the village power structure itself.

Manase, Mt. Matavanu, dinner and back home

2006-08-18T14:13:00.000-11:00

After saying goodbye to Maka we drove from Papa to Manase. Along the way we passed through some beautiful parts of the island (including the quite picturesque Asau harbour). Manase is the most popular destination for tourists to Savaii and there are several places to stay. Tanu's would probably attract the majority of custom given its cheap nightly rate of $50 Tala but Jane's, Vacations and Stephenson's all have many guests. Tanu's was booked out for Sunday night so we chose to stay at Vacations. At $75 we could afford it and their fales looked like they were in good shape. We didn't regret our decision.

We timed our arrival perfectly, climbing out of the car to see the Sunday to'onai lunch waiting for us. It was a feast. Bugs, palusami, pig and taro, oka. Fresh salty seaweed, baked fish, potato salad and stir fried vegetables. We ate our fill then proceeded to our fales where all four of us crashed out for an afternoon nap. Eating's hard work you know.

The rest of our time at Vacations was spent in very similar fashion. We either slept or floated in the ocean. We'd covered a fair bit of ground by this stage so it was good to take some time out and enjoy doing nothing.

Not long after breakfast we packed up and headed back towards Asau harbour, turning inland at the village of Safune. Our destination was Mt. Matavanu. Mt. Matavanu erupted between 1905 and 1911, its lava flows spilling north and north-east towards the villages of Asau and Saleua especially. The lava fields I visited earlier in the year are the result.

Thanks to the efforts of "Da Craterman" getting to the top of the mountain is much easier than it used to be. We were able to drive most of the way, stopping once we reached the Craterman's small hut. From there we walked with the Craterman as our guide.

He's an intriguing character, the Craterman. He spends his days in his hut up the mountain waiting for visitors but he doesn't pass his time idly. He maintains the tracks leading up and around the mountain and spends a lot of time fashioning signs to place along the way. For a fee, interested visitors can have their very own sign made. Creating these signs takes a little time, so the Craterman sends a photo of the sign and a letter to the people who have paid for it once it's completed.

The Craterman also keeps statistics about the number of signs he's created (541 as of this writing) and the number of visitors from different countries he's received. By his latest count he's had people from 85 different countries come to Mt. Matavanu.

We walked with the Craterman up to the first of two craters. The view was amazing. Standing at its lip, we were able to look down into dense foliage. Countless trees, shrubs, vines, moulds and fungii populate the crater and we had the perfect view to appreciate them. Looking north towards the coast we could see Asau harbour and Manase.

As the rain started to fall we made our way back to the Craterman's hut and our car. We said our farewells and drove back down to the main road. We stopped in at a neighbouring village for a swim in freshwater pools and chatted with a Peace Corps volunteer stationed there. Afterwards we headed back through Manase and drove along the east coast on the way to the wharf at Salelologa. After two and a half days our road trip was coming to an end. Or so we thought.

We reached Salelologa and joined the queue of vehicles for the 4pm ferry. We discovered that the ferry was already booked to capacity and we were placed on stand-by. We waited and waited and eventually realised that we were not going to get the car onboard. The next service with barely any spare car space would be the 10am ferry the next day.

We said goodbye to Alexa who absolutely had to return to Apia that day and drove back to Clair's place in Palauli. There we caught up with Maka and another Peace Corps volunteer Laura. We decided to take advantage of the hire car and picked up a couple more Peace Corps before driving around to the east coast of the island for dinner at the Italian restaurant there. We had a great meal and a lot of fun. Once again the language competency of the Peace Corps shone through as they casually joked with our waiter and proprietor of the restaurant.

At the conclusion of the evening we drove the Peace Corps back to their village not far from Clair's (Satupaitea I think) and returned to Clair's to crash out for the night. The next morning we returned to the wharf and managed to get ourselves aboard the 10am ferry. Our trip from the wharf was a little interesting, as our car developed engine problems but we made it home in one piece.

All in all, it was an excellent weekend. We saw some amazing things, hung out with great people and had a lot of fun. Savaii is a wonderful place and is well worth visiting.

A visit to the village of Papa

2006-08-16T11:59:00.000-11:00

After we left Falealupo we returned to the main road and drove another three or four kilometres down the road to the village of Papa. With the exception of Clair we all work and live in Apia so we were keen to visit Maka and see an example of how the village-based Peace Corps volunteers live.

Maka lives with Papa's pulenu'u (town mayor). One of the first orders of business after his arrival was the construction of his fale. Maka and twenty or so untitled men built the small one person fale in two days. With this out of the way, Maka was able to start working on his two year project, focusing on sustainable crops and agricultural techniques for use within the village. In the year that he's been in Papa he's built a small nursery and a large garden which provide the clippings and seeds he needs to help other families within the village develop more robust farming practices. He has a range of different crops growing successfully including three types of basil, spinach, sweet potato vine, three types of tomato and watermelon.

After a brief tour of his gardens we hopped in the car and drove down the (rocky dirt) road to a secluded beach. The land is owned by a matai of Papa village but he doesn't use it too much. He's allowed to let Maka head down there whenever he likes. In essence, Maka has his own private beach!

It was a little windy and overcast when we arrived but still beautiful. We had a wander along the beach and chatted away. We came across a plant which was covered in butterflies. Maka told us that the sap of the plant was what attracted the butterflies and to demonstrate the point he used his machete to hack away the tips of the leaves. Within seconds the butterflies went crazy and swarmed over them.

Whilst we watched the butterflies Maka headed off to a nearby coconut tree and hacked away until he'd brought four coconuts down. He then showed us how to prepare coconuts for drinking. I've done this before with a large stick and husked them that way, but this was the first time I've seen it done solely with a machete. Two of the coconuts were niu - young drinking coconuts - and two were popo, the older coconuts good for the meat. After we drank the two niu, Maka used his machete to make a spoon from the remaining husk of the niu and then chopped them in half so we could scoop out and enjoy the young jelly-like meat. Very tasty indeed.

Maka leads a very different life to ours in Apia. His resources are considerably more limited but his experience is far more in line with the majority of Samoans. One of the most profound differences is that of our language skills. Listening to Maka converse freely with his host family was illuminating. The Peace Corps program begins with three months of fairly intensive language lessons. By comparison, we have five hours of lessons. I couldn't help but feel a little envious. That said, if I was really serious about picking up the language I'd have arranged private lessons and pushed myself much harder. Maybe next time.

A little while after we finished off the coconuts we drove back to Maka's fale and said our farewells. Our day was still young and we had more ground to cover before stopping for the day. Our next stop would be the village of Manase where an afternoon of relaxation awaited us.

The last place on earth

2006-08-15T19:37:00.000-11:00

Savaii, much more so than 'Upolu, bears the scars of nature's power. Volcanic eruptions and cyclone activity have made an indelible mark on the landscape and the people of the island. The village of Falealupo, on the western most tip of Savaii, bears that mark more than most.

Today, the village of Falealupo is a mere shadow of its former self. From the second to the fifth of February in 1990, cyclone Ofa battered the north-western part of Savaii, wreaking considerable destruction. Strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas led to the complete destruction of Falealupo. The village was abandoned. Resources were recycled as best as possible but the villagers chose to leave some ruined buildings stand as they were, as testimony to both the power of cyclone Ofa and the village of Falealupo itself. The most striking of these is the Catholic church that stands close to the water's edge.

With its roof long gone and walls crumbling away the church is slowly giving way to nature. Trees, vines and low shrub are reclaiming the structure, as they have much of the surrounding landscape. The concrete walls are stained with mould and streaked with cracks. The few remaining bas relief sculptures along the walls are losing their features.

The remains of Falealupo were not the main reason we headed there this weekend. The International Date Line passes within about 60 kilometres of Samoa, making Falealupo the last place on earth. It also means it is possible to watch the sun set over today and tomorrow simultaneously.

We took some photos of each of us standing at the "edge of the world" (as you do) and watched the sun set. It was quite beautiful. All the while I couldn't help but laugh and think of Monty Python's Crimson Permanent Assurance and how "they sailed off into the ledgers of history...or so it would have been, if certain modern theories concerning the shape of the world had not proved to be...disastrously wrong." Unlike the Crimson Permanent Asssurance, we didn't see the edge of the world, but we did see today and tomorrow all at once, which I'm more than happy about.

We spent our evening in beach fales about a kilometre down the road from the ruined church. Whilst there we bumped into a friend of ours, Maka, who is a US Peace Corps volunteer living on Savaii. He was heading home to the nearby village of Papa and invited us to visit him the following day. After breakfast and a quick swim, we packed our bags into the car and drove away from the last place on earth to take him up on his offer.

Olemoe waterfall and Alofaaga blowholes

2006-08-15T18:10:00.000-11:00

A few friends and I have just spent three (and a bit) days on Savaii touring around the island. It was great fun; we managed a complete lap of the island, seeing sights I'd never seen before, eating great food and catching up with friends.

After completing the hour ferry ride from 'Upolu to Savaii's port at Salelolga, our first port of call was the village of Palauli. There we collected Clair, a fellow Australian volunteer who works at a Marist school in the neighbouring village of Vailoa. From there we travelled about a mile or so up the road to stop off at the beautiful Olemoe waterfall. I've been to Olemoe before and like the last time, this visit didn't disappoint. Recent (unseasonally large) rainfall guaranteed that the waterfall was running at full steam. In her many visits, Clair hadn't seen it as powerful as it was on Saturday. The water was cold and very refreshing and the little freshwater prawns were nibbling our toes as we relaxed.

After our swim we returned to the main road and continued west. Our destination was the village of Taga. Located at the south-western tip of Savaii, Taga is home to the Alofaaga blowholes, perhaps the most powerful blowholes in the South Pacific. The coastline here is very rugged. Past volcanic activity has resulted in the inter-tidal area being almost entirely covered in lava flow and sharp lava cliffs jut up from the sea. The eponymous coconut trees are, unlike most places, some distance from the water.

When we arrived the tide was high, which meant that the blowholes would be operating with some ferocity. We paid the village fee to enter the area and had a young village member hop into the car to show us around. We made our way to a parking area then walked across the lava to the blowholes. There, our guide collected some coconut husks and used them to demonstrate the power of the blowholes. We watched as the husks were shot skywards, easily seven or eight metres high.

We were on a little bit of a time limit so didn't really explore the Alofaaga region of Taga as much as we would have liked. Those with more time might consider the walking trail that leads to an old village called Fagaloa, the lava tubes and caves to explore and some rock pools that are safe enough for swimming. As for us, we bundled ourselves back in the car and set our course for the last place on earth.

Old versus new (cont.)

2006-08-12T08:47:00.000-11:00

One consequence of Su’a’s court submission has been his ostracising from the village of Lano. Unhappy that he continued with his petition against Mulitalo, Lano matai decided to banish him “for the good of the village”. This decision is not unusual or rare. I’ve seen reports of three such banishment orders since I’ve been here. What is interesting about this case however is the court’s response. The Observer reports that Justice Pierre Slicer told the Lano pulenu’u, Malaeulu Amoni, that “Lano was not more powerful than the Legislative Assembly, the Constitution, the Electoral Act, the Head of State, or the Supreme Court.” As such, the ostracism of Su’a was “unlawful conduct.” Justice Slicer, along with Justice Tom Shepherdson (both judges from ~~New Zealand~~ Australia), ordered the matai of Lano to lift the ostracism resolution or “be jailed by us for contempt of court.” A well-established and understood mechanism of the fa’asamoa has been overruled by Samoa’s adopted legal system.

“K.T” asked in Wednesday’s Observer,

Who are these judges to raise havoc about the cultural values our people have cherished for so long?

Despite the hardships, our matai system has never failed to impose peace and unity amongst our people. Our forefathers must be turning in their graves and we need to solidify their profound wish i.e. Tofia e le Atua Samoa ina ia pulea e matai. (God chose Samoa to be governed by matais).

Such forceful instructions levelled at the Lano village mayor is an unprecedented call to all other village mayors that not following the norms of the Westminster model could be reason to waive and abandon their cultural prowess in this traditional culture that has survived and had persevered for centuries.

What we have guarded with life is suddenly declared illegal…and this court decision is seen as rather hostile towards the fa’asamoa and coming from a judge, I feel it is simply inappropriate.

This is not an uncommon feeling. A vox pop in Thursday's newspaper was dominated by similar sentiment. There is a very real need to find ways of satisfying both the traditional and modern systems of power and regulation in Samoa. Whilst it might prove unpopular from time to time, I suspect it is going to be legal cases such as the one between Su'a and Mulitalo, where legal interpretations of the fa'asamoa end up being defined, that will be the major drivers for this process.

Old versus new

2006-08-12T08:44:00.000-11:00

At times, the tensions between the traditional fa'asamoa (Samoan way) and the modern world become quite visible. The recent debate surrounding the issue of homosexuality is one example but it is within the legal sphere that this tension is most visible. The Westminster system is still new to Samoa, having only been established at the time of the creation of an independent Samoa. Unsurprisingly, forty years later, understanding and incorporating the fa'asamoa within the Westminster system is an ongoing challenge.

Shortly after the General Elections in March this year, court petitions were brought against several of the successful candidates. All the petitions alleged bribery had taken place to secure the votes of individuals, and more commonly, of entire villages. Whilst most of the petitions were withdrawn, two petitions went to trial. One has been settled already and the other is currently being heard in court.

The petition currently being heard in court, brought by Su'a Rimoni Ah Chong against Mulitalo Seali'imalietoa Siafausa Viu, has focused around the presentation of gifts by Mulitalo prior to the election. The presentations of gifts, known as an o'o, is a long standing tradition within the fa'asamoa. Individuals newly bestowed with matai titles always present an o'o to their fellow matai in their fono ale nu'u (village meeting). The presentation is often quite elaborate, with an ava ceremony and exchanges of very formal speeches.

The Electoral Act states that "the traditional presentation of 'o'o' and 'momoli' by a Member or candidate for Parliament...shall not be considered as treating or bribery...provided that the presentation is made within the period commencing with the 180th day and ending within the 90th day from the expiry of the then Parliament at five years from the date of the last preceding General Elections." The timing of the presentation is not being challenged here. The heart of Su'a's submission lies in how the term "traditional presentation" is to be legally interpreted. He alleges that as Mulitalo's presentation was not held in his own constituency, was not presented only to matai, did not include an ava ceremony nor any exchange of speeches, it could not be considered an o'o.

Is a "traditional presentation of 'o'o'" one that has an ava ceremony, formal speeches and that is only presented to matai, as Su'a claims? Furthermore, in the context of an election, can such presentations only be considered o'o if they take place within the presenter's own constituency? A legal definition of a deeply held Samoan tradition is required before these questions can be answered.

Some good, some bad

2006-08-06T22:57:00.000-11:00

Tonight I sleep in a house with no electricty nor running water. Unfortunately, it's my house.

In the span of less than twelve hours I've had first the electricity, then the water, stop. On a Sunday. I'm obviously having a run of good luck.

Still, it's been quite pleasant to sit and read a book by candlelight and enjoy the sounds of the village. The dogs are keeping largely quiet tonight; a nice change from the last couple of weeks. The night sky has been wonderful too, a waxing moon casting its soft light over everything. It's almost like sleeping at the beach in an open air fale.

A few quiet nights in

2006-08-03T10:29:00.000-11:00

Crisis! Yesterday the police served temporary shutdown orders to all the major night clubs in Apia. So for the time being, Bad Billy's, Crabbers, Lighthouse, Paddles and RSA night clubs are all shut. Apparently Police have been frustrated by the clubs not meeting their obligations. These include keeping a lid on fights, foul language in public and, in particular, shutting up shop in a very timely fashion on the stroke of midnight.

It was suggested yesterday that in spite of the fact that not all clubs were breaking the rules, the police had decided to shut every single one, on the grounds of "fairness". I wouldn't know about fair but it's true at least that every club is suffering as much as the others.

So how long will the shutdown last? No one's entirely sure yet. One night club owner told me that the order was stated as being "indefinite" but there has already been talk that the clubs will be up and running as per usual tonight. We'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, patrons will probably just buy cases of beer and sit themselves on the sea wall across from the clubs. There, outside of a controlled club environment, they'll be able to get as drunk as they like, get into as many fights as they wish and not have to go home at midnight. As for me, I think a couple of quiet nights in are in order. (Yeah, right!)

Views from up the hill

2006-08-01T23:21:00.000-11:00

This afternoon after work I joined a few friends in a walk up Mt Vaea. We didn't take the track normally travelled, rather the one that leads up to the mobile phone and microwave relay station. It's a gravel road all the way up which makes it a little easier to navigate, though one has to be careful about slipping on the gravel on the way back down.

Apart from the health benefits of going for a good walk up a mountain, the reward in the case of Mt Vaea is a fantastic - and different - perspective on Apia. I've been on the roof of the government building a few times, which affords a pretty great view, but the view from the mountain is brilliant.

The first shot is towards the north-west. The point just leftof the middle of the shot is all reclaimed land and is home to a few key buildings and organisations in Samoa. The white domed building is Samoa's parliament house. Across the road from the parliament (but not visible here in this closer view) are the offices of the Land and Titles Court, Samoa Broadcasting Corporation and the Yacht club (which has a great restaurant out the back). A bit further up the road, right at the end of the point, is the Meteorology Division. Notice the extent to which the reef stretches out from the coast and those huge clouds are so common here.

Looking more directly north we had a great view of the eastern part of Apia. It's a great view of Matautu wharf and Aggie Grey's hotel is visible in between the two telegraph wires. The large building to the left is the John Williams building. It houses the head office of the country's electricity company, EPC. It's this side of the harbour where I go paddling each week.

Looking east, we were afforded a great view of the grounds of the national hospital. I knew it was big but never really appreciated the full size of the place until this afternoon (surely that's a good thing right?). Just left of the foot of the mountain in the background is a clear straight strip of grass (I know, it's hard to spot). It's the disused airport at Fagalii-uta. I live about two minutes' walk south from its eastern edge.

Finally, looking towards the south-east, a special treat. There was obviously a bit of rain about as were treated to rather a spectacular rainbow. I captured it peeking through the trees but the thing was enormous. It completed a full arch and its colours were strong and vibrant. Of course, the thing you have to be careful of once you notice the colours of a rainbow getting stronger, is the high chance of impending rain, but we were spared with little more than a very light sprinkle that lasted all of about two minutes.

All up I think we took a bit over an hour to make the walk up and down the mountain. It was a great way to end a day that was mostly spent sitting at a desk staring at a screen. I'll be doing it again I can assure you of that.

It's regatta season

2006-07-30T13:07:00.000-11:00

The second outrigger canoe paddling regatta of the season was held yesterday. A bunch of us have been paddling for a while now but never really in races. The regatta (like the first of the season a few weeks ago) gave us a great chance to get some experience.

We ended up competing against some fairly strong crews as many of the other social teams were unable to make it. As a result we weren't quite able to make the impression on the social division as we did in the first regatta. Nonetheless we had a great time.

The standard race length is 500 metres but there is also a 250 metre sprint and the longer 1500 metre race. The junior men's and open men's teams were the only ones that raced the 1500 metres. The mixed social teams and open women's teams competed the 250 and 500 metre reaces. The photo above shows the open men's teams in the second leg of their 1500 metre race.

The sun never really came out all day so the temperature was quite mild making for perfect conditions for paddling. At the conclusion of the day however, whilst we were sitting back with a couple of beers, the sun came out from behind the clouds and put on one of the best sunsets I've seen in Samoa.

It was an excellent day, replete with exercise, relaxation, good conversation, remarkable scenery and beer. We're already talking about the next regatta with much anticipation.

Non-verbal communication

2006-07-28T21:07:00.000-11:00

One of the features of daily life in Samoa is the extensive use of non-verbal communication. Walk down the street and you'll be nodding your head, raising your eyebrows, grinning, using your eyes and flicking your hand out to quickly wave at a lot of people. It's something you get used to fairly rapidly as it's so immediately obvious.

Some of the non-verbal signals used here are quite backwards to what we're used to in Australia. Meetings are a fine example of a situation where one can be baffled at the conduct of the attendees. I've sat in meetings and watched people clip their toenails, play on their mobile phone, look as if they're falling asleep and otherwise seemingly ignore the speaker. If being spoken to, one may find that the speaker avoids eye contact for the entire conversation. This physical disengagement is a sign of respect. In those meetings, in spite of appearances, everyone is aware of every word that is being spoken.

Other non-verbal signals can inadvertently get you in trouble. If someone senior (in age but particularly in social status) to you is sitting, you should not stand. If you're sitting, never point your feet at someone. I've mentioned the taboos surrounding whistling already.

The one signal that I've really enjoyed seeing is the hand wave. Sure, it's just waving to someone as they (or you) pass by but here in Samoa it's an art form. I've never come across so many unique, odd and humourous ways of waving to someone. Stay in Samoa for any significant period of time and you'll find yourself developing your own style. I have. Several of my palagi friends have too.

This culturally based non-verbal communication isn't the only kind I've learnt since I've been in Samoa though. Thanks to some very good friends I've been learning Samoan sign language. It's heavily based on Auslan which means I'm learning a language that I can use when I'm back in Australia. For a significant portion of the last ten months, I've spent my Monday evenings learning how to fingerspell, expand my vocabulary and converse fluently. It's been immense fun and my friends have been fantastic teachers. I've now reached a point where I can hold fairly involved conversations with my deaf friends without having to ask for the definition of a sign too often.

I find the linguistic characteristics of sign languages fascinating. At the moment I'm learning classifiers, which are a fundamental part of many languages (such as Japanese and Samoan), but particularly important in sign languages. What is most fascinating for me is the spatial grammar that is employed. Meaning is frequently conveyed by a combination of the hands, the facial expression and the body posture in the same moment. Multiplicity of meaning can be derived from changes to just one or all of these information "channels". As an example, I can use a hand sign in reference to myself, then use that same sign but change my facial expression to turn it into a question to the recipient.

There's a wealth of material online about sign languages and Auslan in particular. I'd recommend looking at Wikipedia's entries on sign language and Auslan as a good introduction. The online resource I've benefitted from the most though would have to be the Auslan Signbank. It's an online dictionary of signs (free registration required). You search for the keyword you're interested in and if it's there, you'll see a small video of the sign and relevant definition(s). It's a great idea very well executed.

My classes will continue up until about one or two weeks before I head back to Australia. I do want to keep learning after I leave though. Thankfully, the Deaf Education Network runs a variety of courses in NSW on a regular basis. Organisations in other states have similar offerings.

Thanks to friends here I already have a couple of deaf Samoan-Australians to call upon once I'm back in Sydney. I'm excited as it'll be a great way for me to continue to improve my sign language but also continue my relationship with Samoa and Samoan culture. In short, it'll be a lot of fun!

The buses of Samoa

2006-07-25T11:35:00.000-11:00

The buses in Samoa are fantastic. A throwback to the old school buses of the United States they make a big impression as you wander the streets of Samoa. There are a small number of companies that operate most of the buses, most notably Queen Poto Transport (pictured here) though many of the operators are individuals, running what may be the single bus that runs to their village.

Whilst the companies like Queen Poto make sure their buses are identical in look, most of the buses feature highly individual designs. Of course I've managed to miss most of these whenever I've had my camera in hand, so the best example I can offer is one of the buses that run to the village of Letogo - the "God Is Good All The Time" bus. Other notable buses include "Queensland - Samoa" and "Poetry in Motion" but my favourite would have to be the "Don't Tell Mum" bus. Apparently the driver's selection in music was so good that schoolkids would stay on the bus instead of getting off and going to school. Their catchcry, "don't tell mum!", now adorns the side of the bus.

The music on the bus is just as important as the way it looks. The buses here are loud. Very loud. I'm able to leave my house at the very last minute in the morning because I can hear the bus coming from a good 200 metres away. If I'm half asleep when you get on the bus, I'll definitely be awake by the time I get off it. The selection is predominantly Samoan but a fair whack of hip hop/r'n'b gets played. Bob Marley is also a favourite.

So what does the interior of a typical bus look like? They're spartan affairs. Hard wooden benches that seat two people line the sides of the bus. Apart from the odd dashboard adornment (see the koala clipped to the top of rear vision mirror?) and the mandatory oversized speakers at the front and rear of the bus, that's about it.

Seating arrangements are very particular on the buses here. There are a raft of unspoken rules that govern who sits where. Typically, women and children tend to sit towards the front of the bus, the men towards the back but as the bus fills up with people, a cramped version of musical chairs gets underway. If an older man or woman, or a person with a young child gets on the bus, one of the younger passengers will instantly offer their seat and move towards the back of the bus. This will continue until there are no spare seats left. Things get fun from that point on.

To deal with the lack of seats people will simply sit on the laps of other passengers. In this way, seats that are designed to hold two people end up holding four. People will also stoop in the aisle (the roof is very low) once things really start to get busy.

My village isn't that far out of town so my bus tends not to get too full but a bus trip to the village of Manono-tai (some 40km out of Apia) felt like an unofficial attempt to break a Guinness world record. It was Friday afternoon in peak hour, so there were lots of people heading home for the weekend. Every seat held at least four people. The aisle was full of people, plantains, taro and other essential supplies. It was madness!

Every visitor to Samoa must catch a bus at least once. It's an extraordinary experience and one that is very Samoan. Your bum might be a bit sore from the seat, your ears might ring a little from the loud music but I guarantee you'll hop off the bus with a smile on your face.

Crazy as a coconut

2006-07-20T04:43:00.000-11:00

One of the things I never really gave much thought to before I arrived in Samoa was what little skills I'd pick up here and there. Sure, I was certain to learn aspects of the language but beyond that, what else could I possibly learn?

Plenty as it turns out (unsurprisingly). The least expected however would be learning to obtain free coconuts. In the ten months (!) I've been here I've had ample opportunity to learn how to climb a coconut tree (and climb down as well), how to husk a coconut and how to crack it open to eat or drink its contents. Of course I'm still nowhere near as good at all of this as most Samoans I've met but I have the basics down well enough to guarantee I won't starve if stranded on a tropical island without an alternative food source.

Beach basketball

2006-07-17T23:41:00.000-11:00

Fellow volunteer Darren and I have just spent the last couple of days on Namua. We needed some time out from our hectic life in Apia and Namua's the perfect place to relax. Whilst there, we spotted a rather sensational basketball ring. Yes, it's a car tire. Bound to a tree branch. On the beach. Perfect playing conditions don't you think?

For a little fella, Darren's got hops. This photo is a rather excellent demonstration of good vertical extension, with the ball held high to make the shot easier. Nice one Darren. Good on you!

Thankfully for some of us, we don't have to rely on a good vertical leap or sound technical skills to make our shots count. Eschewing Darren's excellent technique, one of our hosts on Namua went for the far easier, "I can grab the ring whilst standing flat footed on the beach" approach. I took a similar approach but somehow still managed to stuff things up and make the ball sail over the ring more times than I should have. They do say that practice makes perfect, a mantra that I may use as another reason to head back to Namua again soon.

Manu Samoa vs Auckland PNC

2006-07-17T23:14:00.000-11:00

On Saturday Manu Samoa played their one home game of the year against the Auckland NPC squad. Auckland won last year's NPC title and are a quality side full of Super 14 and All Blacks players. Coached by former Manu Samoa captain Pat Lam they've been on the road these last few weeks getting some matches under their belt before the NPC tournament kicks off next week.

It was always going to be a tough match for the Manu Samoa, made harder by the absence of many of their top players. With the international season over for the team, most of the overseas based players were recalled to their clubs. Consequently coach Laulii Michael Jones (himself a former Samoan All Black) looked to local players to make up the squad. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the players were selected from the recently successfull Savaii Samoa team that took out the inaugural Pacific Rugby Cup. A few players from the 'Upolu Samoa squad were there too though and Super 14 player Loki Crichton was prominent.

The match was fairly close. Manu Samoa opened up the scoring with a penalty conversion but Auckland struck back with winger David Smith slipping past two defenders to score the first try of the match. The score see-sawed through the rest of the half with Auckland taking a slim 14-13 lead into half time.

Auckland came out much stronger in the second half and played some great rugby. They persisted in attacking the Manu Samoa goal line and were rewarded for their efforts. All Black Jerome Kaino scored his second try of the match to seal the win. The final score: 21-16 in Auckland's favour.

Despite the loss, it's a fairly positive result for Manu Samoa. Michael Jones only had a week or so to put the team together but they played very cohesive rugby. That the majority of the team played together during the Pacific Nations Cup no doubt had a lot to do with it. Also positive was the fact that the match gave a lot of local players their first opportunity to don the national jersey. With the Rugby World Cup just around the corner it was a good chance for Michael Jones to assess the quality of the players available to him and he will, inevitably, need to draw from the pool of players based in Samoa as well as those overseas.

As for us in the stands, we had a great day. We'd splashed out and bought the "corporate" tickets (though I negotiated a discount) and were able to enjoy drinks and nibblies as part of the package. Sure, the bar ran out of beer earlier than we hoped, but we had a great view of the field, the atmosphere was fantastic and we were entertained by some quality rugby. It's just a shame that Manu Samoa only had the one home game this year.

Should gays be banned?

2006-07-13T11:54:00.000-11:00

Last week the Worship Centre Church of Samoa urged the Government of Samoa to consider criminalising and banning gay people from the country. The National Council of Churches General Secretary, Reverend Fepai Kolia, said that whilst they shared the Worship Centre Church's objections to homosexuality, they would not be calling for a ban, as it would transgress the boundary between church and state. This is an interesting comment from the Council, considering how heavily they trampled over that boundary in the case of the censor's banning of the Da Vinci Code. Reverend Kolia went on to state the "the Holy Bible condemnds homosexuality, which is a Western value (emphasis added)". Really?

Samoa has long accepted homosexuality in the form of fa'afafine. This has traditionally meant being effeminite and submitting oneself to a life of domestic responsibility. What Rereverend Kolia really means when he says that homosexuality is a Western value is that he finds the notion of a homosexual person being equal to a heterosexual one foreign. In other words, the idea of a masculine homosexual man is viewed as abnormal and an affront to heterosexuals.

Picking up the story, today's Observer asks, "Should gays be banned?" The people they asked had the following to say:

I think they should. To allow gay relationships in Samoa is like turning our lives back to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Being gay is not right and not normal. It is against our religion and it's evil. It should be banned.

It is a sin and it will bring a curse to this country. We've got to stand up and be vocal about this issue.

It is a sin to be attracted to a person of the same sex and we should not allow it here. We've got to be very careful that our children do not grow up in that kind of environment.

I'd love to see the Observer run a follow-up question asking people if fa'afafine should be banned as well. I think it would be quite a revealing question to ask. In the meantime, I'll have to be content with continuing to ponder the subtleties surrounding these - at times contradictory - understandings of homosexuality.

Table Tennis anyone?

2006-07-12T22:26:00.000-11:00

Thanks to our ever-growing friendship with the staff at the Chinese Embassy, we now have a ping pong table in our office. Productivity at work over the last couple of days has plummeted as a result. We've had to resort to locking the net, paddles and balls in a cabinet. We're trying our best to only unlock the cabinet when we've reached the end of our normal working day. We're not quite there yet, though we're getting better with each day. Pictured here is our boss, Fouina, as he prepares to return the serve of another of our staff members (Jacob, left of shot).

What's news in Samoa?

2006-07-11T09:44:00.000-11:00

It would seem that the hoo-hah surrounding the Da Vinci Code has finally subsided. I think most people are bored of the endless rhetoric and in light of two particular developments, it's pointless to continue. First, the appeal to overturn the ban was declined. That pretty much nails it there. The second reason however, is that everyone now has access to it on dvd anyway. As was predicted at the outset, illegal copies are making their way around town. Arguably it's a win for both sides of the debate.

Far more important than some silly ban however, is the matter of how one acts when nature calls in public places. Moments prior to the kickoff of last weekend's match between the Wallabies and the (Samoan) All Blacks, Jerry Collins felt the urgent need to heed Nature's call. After the completion of the haka, he knelt on the pitch and urinated, using his body and arms to shield himself from view. Nonetheless a camera operator at the stadium managed to catch it all on tape. Class.

Being Samoan, Jerry has received lots of support from Samoans, as evidenced in the newspaper over the last two days. The best line however would have to come from New Zealand website stuff.co.nz:

In my opinion if he keeps playing the way he does he can piss wherever he wants.

Indeed.

The only other news to really hit the pages recently is that of the impending home match between the Manu Samoa and the Auckland NPC squad. The NPC tournament in New Zealand is the feeder comp for the Super 14 and the Auckland squad is full of talent. The Manu Samoa return after two wins on the road (against Tonga in Gosford and against the Western Force in Perth) and are keen to notch up a win on home turf. It would seem however, that the squad will be comprised largely of local players, as the European clubs have already demanded the release of their contracted players. For the most part this seems to be taken in a very positive light. Much is made of the fact that the majority of the Manu Samoa players are based overseas. Any opportunity for local players to get a run in the blue uniform is always heralded as a "Good Thing". I guess we'll know how much of a good thing it is after the final whistle blows on Saturday.

A Commission of Enquiry

2006-07-04T15:18:00.000-11:00

If T. Aitu's letter in today's Observer is anything to go by, the (HRPP) Government's Commission of Enquiry into the Electoral Act 1963 runs the risk of being discredited even before it makes any official recommendations. The Commission is comprised of ten individuals, of whom

six members were all unsuccessful HRPP candidates in the recent...elections. This means 60% of the Commission are HRPP, 20% are part of Government and HRPP employed and only 20% are non-HRPP.

This isn't exactly the kind of balance one would hope to find in such enquiries. I haven't seen the Terms of Reference for the Commission, so can't comment on whether the whole process has been crippled in a way similar to how the Australian government established the AWB Commission of Enquiry currently underway in Australia. I'd love to see what kind of recommendations it will be able to make.

I'm not suggesting for a second that the enquiry is a complete loss. I've had informal discussions with members of the legal community in the last few days who assured me that there are provisions within the Act that do need to be reviewed. Recent electoral experience has also highlighted a need to review the processes that are used to vette voters' identities, etc. With the membership of the Commission so heavily stacked in the HRPP's favour however, it is hard to imagine a thorough examination of the recent allegations of bribery. We'll wait and see.

Lake Lanotoo

2006-07-02T15:45:00.000-11:00

As its name suggests, Cross Island Rd connects one side of the island to the other. It's the fastest way to make it across to the southern coast and the multitude of beaches and hideaways on it. Along the way however are dotted a number of sites of interest. Robert Louis Stevenson's old house Vailima, Papapapai-tai waterfall (say that three times quickly!), the Baha'i temple and Lake Lanoto'o are all found along the road. Today I travelled to Lake Lanoto'o.

Lako Lanoto'o is a pea-green body of water in the crater of an extinct volcano in the middle of the 'Upolu highlands. It's a fair way off the beaten track however; after our taxi deposited us a few kilometres down the off-road from Cross Island Rd, we spent the next hour and twenty minutes hiking through lush tropical jungle to the lake.

Whilst we didn't have a guide, it's not that hard to find the way. First you pass the paddock full of cows. Keep that to your left as you go and pay attention so as to avoid the occasional cow pat that marks the way. Eventually you'll reach a fairly high wall of dense foliage. A small sign tells you that's where you need to go.

The track gets a little muddy here and steep quite rapidly. It's advised that you have long pants and good shoes for the hike but a couple of us managed with thongs today. If it had been raining, I'd have definitely worn shoes. Your mileage may vary.

Pick your way along the track and gradually ascend the mountain ridge. You'll eventually reach a part of the track that provides a pretty spectacular view north-north-west out towards the ocean. Don't rest here though because you're not even halfway to the lake. Keep climbing!

You know you're almost there when you stumble across the crumpled remains of a telecommunications tower. The tower is situated on the eastern ridge of the crater. The track heads downwards pretty quickly and as you make your way, you're afforded your first peek at the lake. It really is pea-green!

Once we arrived it didn't take long before we were in the water. You'll be in the drink in a flash too. The water's definitely cool but not freezing cold. Look underwater and it's a lush green colour, deepening in tone as the lake's bottom drops away. It's very refreshing and very necessary; the hike through the jungle will leave you sweaty and dirty.

We stayed at the lake for just about an hour before we turned around and made our way back to Cross Island Rd. Along the way I snapped a few more photos, including this one of some moss on the side of a tree. It's such lush jungle.

We called our cab driver on our way back (there's mobile phone coverage for much of the hike) who was waiting for us at the end of the dirt road. A quick stop in at a supermarket on the way home for an ice cream capped off a fantastic day's trekking. It's a bit out of the way but Lake Lanoto'o is definitely recommended!

A great park

2006-07-02T15:39:00.000-11:00

I just spotted this sensational bit of parking in the neighbouring village of Vaivase-uta. Full marks for effort but none for execution I'm afraid. Even I park better than this!

Namua

2006-06-28T11:14:00.000-11:00

Off the south-east tip of 'Upolu lies Namua island. I've already written about it, but didn't really say all that much. This is a shame, as it is without a doubt my favourite place in Samoa. It warrants a far better description that I've previously given it.

It may not have the best beach in Samoa but it certainly has one of the most secluded. Just one family lives on Namua and they provide accommodation and meals for their guests. The only way to and from the island is in their little tinny. Upon reaching the small jetty on the main island in the village of Aleipata you have to hoist up a large pole with a white flag on it to attract their attention and let them know guests have arrived. You'll be greeted warmly by your hosts and most likely find yourself the subject of the curiosity of their young daughter.

Guests stay on the side of the island facing the 'Upolu. The fales are open, with just woven coconut shutters for dealing with inclement weather. Mosquito nets are provided and that's a good thing too. Namu means mosquito and namua is the plural form - lots of mosquitoes - and the island lives up to its name (although I've stayed at several other places with far more). The family provide three meals a day and have lots of extremely tasty lemongrass tea. They just pick the lemongrass from their garden and put it in the kettle.

There's not a great deal to do whilst you're there. It truly is a fantastic place to relax. The one thing I try to do every time I'm there however, is make my way around the island. At low tide it's possible to walk around the southern edge of the island and the reward is well worth it. The rocky point is a great place for snorkelling and I've spent a lot of time just sitting there watching the waves roll over the nearby reef break. It's beautiful.

Round the southern tip and you discover steep cliffs stretching up over your head, with sea birds circling about searching for food. Carefully navigate the very slippery rocks for a couple of hundred metres and you reach another small headland. Round that and suddenly you stumble across a secluded little beach. I love it. The tracks of hermit crabs criss cross over the soft sand and a fantastic array of shells wash up on the shore. You really do feel like you're living in your own private tropical paradise.

You can spend hours there just sitting and watching the waves roll in and the hermit crabs scuttle by but don't forget to head back before the tide turns. Navigating the point as the water comes in makes the going much harder. The rocks get very slippery and when you're carrying a towel and camera and water, etc., it becomes a bit of a challenge.

Dinner is served between 6pm and 7pm. You know it's ready when the sound of a wooden drum punctuates the air and raises you from your afternoon nap. There's no electricty on the island save for that offered by a generator, so after you finish your dinner the generator is shut down and hurricane lamps provide soft light for your fale. Watch the last of the sunset, read a book and fall asleep to the soft sound of water lapping against the sands of the beach. And go to bed with a smile because when you wake up in the morning, you get to experience the beauty of Namua all over again.

Samoan parliamentary democracy

2006-06-27T10:39:00.000-11:00

The 31st of March this year saw the ruling HRPP re-elected to govern Samoa for another five year term. Since their return to power they have made a couple of decisions that have provoked criticism from a number of areas. The appointment of twenty Associate Ministers and the recently announced rise in VAGST and excise being two notable cases. These decisions are examples of actions that cause serious concern for some observers about the parliamentary process and political governance in Samoa.

Another example is the issue of electoral petitions and their resolution. Several unsucessful parliamentary candidates filed petitions claiming electoral fraud shortly after the general election. Some of these cases are still ongoing but the majority of the cases have been withdrawn, with little or no discussion as to why. An opinion piece in today's Observer's by Toleafoa Afamasaga Toleafoa touches on all of this and sheds some light on why and how these petitions are typically handled:

What we have...is a one party system, the result of a series of very unhealthy political developments in the last twenty years, two of which I want to mention here. Aspiring politicians have always been attracted to the party in power. That is where the gravy is. It also reflects the opportunistic character of Samoan politics.

And because of the length of time our present government has been at the controls of the train, it means that it has been a magnet to politicians, with terminal results for the concept of parliamentary opposition and parliamentary democracy. Everyone wants to ride the gravy train.

The other development is the way money can now buy almost anyone a seat in parliament. Take this all too familiar scenario today for example. First, candidates at election time buy the parliamentary seat from the voters with money. That is a corrupt practice according to the law. But when the law intervenes, the candidates then buy their election opponents as well. The opponents go home with a bagful of money, and the successful candidates take their seat on the gravy train.

It's a pretty grim picture of the Samoan political process, but from what little I've seen and understand, quite accurate. The HRPP currently enjoys 35 of the 49 parliamentary seats. Only 30 of those seats were won by HRPP candidates at election time. The last five seats were won by independents who immediately joined the HRPP. These people knew where the gravy was to be found. As for the electoral petitions, the fact that the majority of petitions were withdrawn before proceeding to trial seems to lend serious credibility to Toleafoa's comments.

This kind of behaviour is by no means unique to Samoa. We've seen, for example, Australian, British and American governments all take advantage of their parliamentary and political power in the pursuit of their agenda in recent years. It's a telling demonstration of the need for real plurality in democratic political systems. Viable opposition parties are needed not only to provide voters with a range of different views to consider but more importantly to provide the kind of oversight that is so sorely lacking here in Samoa (as in Australia).

For Samoa the big question is how to break the stranglehold on power enjoyed by the HRPP. I thought the SDUP did a reasonably good job during the election campaign in presenting itself as a meaningful alternative government but clearly that wasn't enough. Many, including the SDUP, think that the electoral process itself requires close scrutiny and reevaluation. The HRPP has esetablished an Electoral Commission to do just this but whether its members are interested in shaking up the system or staying comfortably on the gravy train remains to be seen.

Vavau

2006-06-27T09:40:00.000-11:00

The village of Vavau on the south coast of 'Upolu is home to some of the most beautiful coastline in Samoa. The beach, with its soft white sands, stretches off far into the distance. One end of the beach meets a small headland. The currents there can be quite strong, but the cautious swimmer/scrambler-over-rocks is well rewarded. Just around the headland is a small network of inlets and pools, rich in coral and fish. The rocky outcrop pictured here is also home to a pretty spectacular blowhole.

Just a couple of minutes up the road from the side road to Vavau beach is another turn off to what is called the Su'a Ocean Trench. It's amazing. A few hundred metres inland from the coast one comes across the trench. The ground drops way sharply, leaving a large circular shaft down to sea level. It doesn't look like much of a trench as one would normally think of it, but that's because the trench can't be seen from the top. Climb down the step ladder and jump into the water at the bottom. It's sea water! The trench itself is underground and runs out to the ocean. It's possible, when the conditions are right, to swim through the passage and out to the ocean. The conditions must be right however as the current is frequently very strong.

The grounds surrounding the ocean trench are quite beautiful. Colourful plants and flowers are dotted throughout and there's a lookout that affords a spectacular view of the coastline in both directions. Those not sold on the idea of rounding the headland from Vavau beach can stand here instead to watch the blowhole.

Developers have already signed a deal with the village and the Government of Samoa to build a resort in Vavau in the near future. My advice would be to get in early and appreciate the beauty of the area before it changes forever.

Pssssst!

2006-06-23T10:55:00.000-11:00

No one whistles in Samoa. Ever. Same applies for Tonga. Instead, as you walk down the street you'll frequently hear a variety of sharp hisses or "pssst!" as people attract the attentions of others nearby.

There are two reasons why whistling is considered a no-no here. First, there are those who believe that if you whistle at night, you risk the ire of ghosts who may visit you in your sleep and punish you (the Tongans believe this too). The second reason is more mundane. Whistling at people is clear indication that you consider them no better than a dog. And given the rough treatment that dogs cop here, that's pretty poor.

All one season in one day

2006-06-21T11:42:00.000-11:00

Samoa, like many tropical countries, really only has two seasons: wet and dry. We suffered a pretty wet wet season at the beginning of the year and now we're in the middle of a fairly dry dry season. Quite straightforward really.

I know they do work hard, but I reckon given this state of affairs, staff at Samoa's Meteorology Division must have things pretty good. It doesn't really seem to matter what time of year it is, or what the actual weather is outside, their weather report always seems to be the same. Here's a selection of reports I managed to find whilst rummaging through old copies of the newspaper.

24 Feb 2006
Partly cloudy with some scattered showers and a few thunderstorms.

2 May 2006
A moist east to northeast wind flow covers Samoa. Fine weather except for some isolated showers.

5 May 2006
A moist east to northeast wind flow covers Samoa. Partly cloudy with isolated showers...on highlands during afternoon.

9 May 2006
A weak convergence zone lies over Samoa. Partly cloudy with isolated showers possible over highlands.

25 May 2006
An active ridge of high pressure to the south generates a fresh to strong east to southeast wind flow over the group. Fine apart from some passing showers mainly on highlands.

29 May 2006
A ridge of high pressure extends over Samoa...and directs a fresh southeast wind flow over the group. Generally fine apart from a few showers possible over highlands.

6 June 2006
A moist east to southeast wind flow covers Samoa. Continuing fine weather.

13 June 2006
A moist east to southeast wind flow covers Samoa. Generally fine weather apart from some afternoon showers.

16 June 2006
A moist easterly wind flow covers Samoa. Cloudy at times with some isolated showers becoming frequent at times tomorrow with isolated thunderstorms.

19 June 2006
A moist northeast wind flow covers Samoa. Cloudy at times with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms mainly on highlands.

20 June 2006
A weak trough of low pressure to the south lies slow moving over Samoa. Partly cloudy with some afternoon showers.

21 June 2006
A weak trough of low pressure remainds slow moving over Samoa. Partly cloudy with some isloated afternoon showerws and a few thunderstorms, mainly on highlands.

On the basis of these reports, I'd hazard a guess that tomorrow we can expect there to be wind flow covering Samoa and it's likely to be partly cloudy and it might rain on the highlands.

A battle of the bottle openers

2006-06-19T15:56:00.000-11:00

Perennial favourite, BoingBoing, has a post with a link to video (YouTube) of what they call "the Scandinavian way" of opening beer bottles. Let me just say, for the record, that this is merely one of the ways Samoans open bottles. The bottle opening repetoire here is quite expansive. In my time I've seen the following items employed to do the work: other beer bottles, spoons, knives, forks, table edges, lighters, seatbelts and teeth. With the exception of teeth I've pretty much used all of them too. I keep trying to convince one of my work colleagues to try and open a beer bottle with his eye socket, but thus far he's been reluctant. Can't imagine why.

We see your bottle opening way Scandinavia and are not impressed. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

Dying of thirst

2006-06-19T14:11:00.000-11:00

On Saturday morning I helped Darren (a fellow volunteer) set up a couple of basketball courts for a new competition he's organising for schoolkids. We had to head down to Matautu-tai (right near the wharf where the HMAS Stuart was docked) and measure out the court distances then construct and place the rings accordingly. Sure, the courts are grass (but what great grass!) but we're still happy with the result.

The work was pretty tough though. It's been hot in Samoa lately. The dry season is well and truly upon us, with only two days of rain in the last two months. Even at 10am it was really hot and the sun beat down on our backs as we undertook the work. It was clear to us that equally as important as erecting the rings was the matter of how we were going to cool down afterwards.

As we left the courts, we saw Scoops from afar and, dying of thirst, knew what we had to do. Scoops is the best ice cream & drink parlour (as it were) in Samoa. We made our way there and ordered the largest, coldest drinks they had. Two jumbo-sized chocolate thickshakes were shortly placed before us and we were as happy as pigs in poo (doesn't Darren look excited?). I think the shake would have to qualify as the single largest drink I've found in years. Probably as one of the best for value for money too. The shakes cost us $11WST a piece ($5.50AUD). Bargain!

Sure, it's not as refined as drinking a beautiful white wine from the Yarra Valley. If I could lay my hands on a good wine from the Yarra I would. But on Saturday, in the heat of the day after our labours, the largest thickshake in Samoa was exactly what we needed.

A Samoan Wedding - more photos

2006-06-18T22:14:00.000-11:00

I took a lot of photos today and I'm fairly happy with a number of them. Here are a few more to enjoy.

Some of the children from the Vaitele-fou congregation (the clown wearing my sunglasses is Aukuso's younger brother Faith).

Two more young members of the congregation.

The groom Aukuso (middle) and two of his groomsmen. Smooth.

Aukuso's father, flanked by the father and mother of the bride.

A Samoan Wedding - the reception

2006-06-18T22:06:00.000-11:00

Aukuso and Tasi's reception started immediately after the church service finished. It was held under a large tent in the yard next to the church (and Aukuso's home). Whilst the guests snacked on various nibblies and ice cream (it was a very hot day) my attention was caught by a formal presentation from the bride's family to the groom's. Two matai, one from each family (and hence village) stood some twenty or thirty metres apart from each other. The matai representing Aukuso's family received the other, who talked for quite some time in relatively elaborate speech. (No, I couldn't understand any of it, but the language itself was different from the day-to-day Samoan you hear on the street.)

All of this was quite relaxed in its delivery but it was clear that it was an important part of the day's proceedings. Gifts of fine mats were presented to Aukuso's family and the receiving matai spoke on behalf of the family to acknowledge and thank the bride's family for their gift. Later in the afternoon the presentation was repeated, but with the groom's family presenting many gifts to the bride's family and indeed to the pastor who supervised the wedding ceremony.

After this initial presentation concluded, we were seated to enjoy some lunch and each other's company. Without even trying I found myself sitting at the bridal party's table. I sat with the pastor and we ate and talked as the afternoon progressed.

Aukuso and Tasi had two cakes for their wedding. One was a four tier cake and the other a single layer cake. Rather than cut the cakes up for everyone to enjoy, the cakes were apportioned and presented to select individuals in recognition of their social standing and importance to the day's proceedings. The four tier cake was split between twelve or so people. The other cake was cut into quarters, two of which went to individuals with the rest being cut up for everyone to enjoy. As each (large) portion of cake was presented to people the best man acknowledged them and thanked them for attending. Imagine my surprise when I heard my name being mentioned ("Thank you to John from Australia for being with us today"). Before I knew it I had an enormous slab of cake sitting in front of me to take home. This, on top of the not-insignificant amount of food already sitting in front of me.

The reception ended with a small number of performances by the church's youth groups. They danced to a few songs, some words were spoken by Aukuso's father and finally the pastor led the gathering in the last prayer for the day. Within fifteen minutes of the conclusion of the prayer pretty much every guest had taken their leave. I stayed behind to help clear up and relax with my hosts (whom I had not seen since Easter). Perhaps an hour or so later, after many hugs and kisses, I took my leave of the family and made my way home.

A Samoan Wedding - the ceremony

2006-06-18T21:58:00.000-11:00

Last week I received a call from a friend of mine, Fa'amao, asking if I would like to attend her brother's wedding. The wedding, held today, replace the normal Sunday morning service delivered by Fa'amao's father. Having attended a "normal" service twice before (for White Sunday and Easter Sunday), I was keen to see how a Samoan Christian wedding would unfold. Of course, I also wanted to join my friends in their celebration of the occasion.

Their church, the Light of Life (Malamalama o le Ola), is a small one, a little way out of Apia on the way to the airport in the village of Vaitele-fou. The congregation is of reasonably small size, although today there were not only the usual attendees but also friends and family of the bride and groom. Consequently the church was filled to overflowing.

Fa'amao's father did not conduct the service today, leaving that task in the hands of another pastor from the bride's village. I'd be hard pressed to really say much about what his service contained as it was entirely in Samoan. Nonetheless, with my (extremely) limited knowledge of Samoan and a reasonably decent idea of how wedding services go, I was able to follow most things. Certainly I understood each "Amen", "Hallejuah", "Praise Jesus" and "Glory! Glory! Glory!" as they were shouted out many times throughout the service by most of the congregation.

The bridal party made its way into the church one couple at a time. Four sets of bridesmaids and groomsmen entered first, then the two young boys bearing the bouquet and ring. The groom, Aukuso, entered the hall next, the young children behind the pastor craning their necks to get a good view of him. They strained their necks even further when Aukuso's father accompanied the bride, Finatasi, shortly afterwards.

Tasi was not delivered to Aukuso's side as one typically sees in Western ceremonies. Rather she held back and Aukuso turned to her and sang a song of love and praise (to both her and God) as he made his way to her. Only then did they walk together to the pastor to take their vows. Aukuso slipped the wedding band on Tasi's finger, they were pronounced husband and wife in the eyes of God and Aukuso lifted Tasi's veil and they kissed. Lovely. The ceremony concluded with Aukuso and Tasi leading the way out of the church to the area set up for the reception.

Hello sailor!

2006-06-14T23:45:00.000-11:00

This morning Samoa said farewell to the HMAS Stuart, an ANZAC class frigate which has been docked in the harbour for four days. On Saturday evening a function was held onboard the ship for invited guests. The Australian volunteer community in Samoa was invited; we tend to be good at filling out the numbers and making a party look well attended. Especially when there's free food and drink.

The Stuart was here on its way to Hawaii, where it will be taking part in a month-long war games exercise. The biannual RIMPAC wargames make for the larger naval exercise in the world. It runs out of Hawaii and sees defence force assests from the majority of the militarised Pacific nations take part. Australia, the United States, Japan, Britain, Chile, Peru, South Korea and Canada have all committed forces to the exercise. With roughly thirty naval vessels and upwards of 200 aircraft, it's going to be big.

On its way to Hawaii, the Stuart has made a few stops. First it stopped in New Zealand followed by a brief stopover in Tonga. Samoa was its final port of call before heading to Hawaii. These stopovers serve several purposes. They obviously give the crew some down time before they knuckle down for work but they also serve a purpose in terms of international relationship building. If they're going to throw a party onboard and invite me, I'm more than happy to help with the relationship building.

The evening kicked off with a ceremonial lowering of the white ensign. Known as "sunset" (despite being conducted after dark) it is a long standing tradition in the Australian and British navy whenever ships visit foreign ports. Replete with bugles, silly walks, national anthems and crew in crisp whites it's a sight to behold. It's loud too. The firearms seen here were discharged (blanks I assure you) and when you're standing no more than four or five metres away they really make one hell of a noise.

Whilst we sipped cold Australian beer and ate the national coat of arms (the emu was pretty good, the crocodile sausages great and the kangaroo kebabs truly outstanding) we had an opportunity to meet and talk with many of the officers of the ship. Those I spoke to were, without exception, interesting, polite and down-to-earth people. They were genuinely interested in who we were and what life was like in Samoa and were keen to share aspects of their life. I confess to being somewhat surprised by this, but certainly pleasantly so. There I was expecting a bunch of sheltered workshop, "I kill people for a living" weirdos.

After the conclusion of the ceremony and as the party started to wind down, we were given a tour of the ship by the officers. Wandering through a naval frigate is fascinating. Certainly much of the technological complexity is hidden from our eyes but what struck me was the intricacies of the human complexities onboard. Each role is clearly defined in terms of what the key responsibilities are, but also in terms of the lines of communication particular to that role. It's not as straight up-and-down, "the captain talks to his XO, who talks to the chief of the watch", etc., all the way down to the grunts in the engine room as one might think. Reporting and supervisory responsibilities cut across the different areas of operation onboard as much as they do up and down, reflecting the fact that the ship is comprised of a number of highly complex, specialised (human) systems that have to interoperate with as little margin for error as can be achieved. But I digress...

Our tour was excellent (thanks Dougald and Sam the navigator) and ended at the officer's mess. Here we discovered the real party and continued drinking with the officers for some time longer. A friend and I had an excellent conversation about a whole range of topics with the captain of the ship, Commander Peter Leavy, and we all got to know many of the other officers better. The night was still young however, and with just a few days in town, everyone was keen to sample the Samoan nightlife. The choice was simple: we had to go to Bad Billy's.

All but a few of us made our way to Billy's and then spent the next two hours dancing, drinking, watching the Australia vs England rugby match and having a great time. As midnight struck and the house lights came up, there were cries for more. Whilst we're used to it living here, I don't think the officers of the HMAS Stuart were quite ready to believe that there simply was nowhere else to keep partying after twelve. With nowhere else to go, we had to call it a night. We dropped them off at the ship and made our way home.

It was an excellent night. The ship was fascinating, the food excellent and most importantly, the company and conversation was great. I said before that the point of stopovers such as this one is to improve international relationships, but I think it's fair to say that on Saturday night the Australian navy improved the opinions of many Australians as well.

The Gospel Gangster

2006-06-13T20:37:00.000-11:00

Bring me your tired, your rich, your gulible

2006-06-13T19:48:00.000-11:00

This Saturday night sees "International Evangelist" John Perry (from Australia no less!) conduct an evening of "MIRACLES / GOD'S POWER / HEALING". I'm excited. We're promised that "they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover". Sounds like Perry's serious too; his advertisement in Sunday's Observer implores readers to "bring the sick, blind, deaf, lame, cancer victims, arthritis, breathing problems, car accidents, rugby injuries" (see the image, right). Well...

I call bullshit!

I'm sorry John but go stick your lying, manipulative, insensitive and irreligious schtick up your arse and get the fuck out of Samoa. I've seen your kind before (as have Samoans) and wasn't impressed the first time. Benny Hinn anyone?

Several years ago I went to the Sydney Entertainment Centre to see what this whole Benny Hinn malarky was about. Sadly my friend and I couldn't stay as the venue was filled to capacity. On our way out we passed a woman standing with her physically disabled daughter in a wheelchair. The daughter was in a flood of tears because they were unable to get in to see the show. That was awful enough; that we saw Hinn's staff setting up their shop stalls directly behind the two women ("we're ready to take your credit card details now") made it far worse. That sight said far more to me about Benny Hinn and his "miracle crusades" than any number of Hinn's sermons and "annointings" ever could.

Perry's pulling the same wool over people's eyes. It's fucked. Samoa is a nation founded on God ("Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa" is the country's motto). Samoans take their faith very seriously. It's a fundamental part of their national and personal identity. I'm disgusted that someone is going to come over here and abuse it. Evangelism is one thing, mercenary evangelism is another. "Man cannot serve two gods" (Matthew 6:24) anyone?

I have a question: who the fuck is John Perry anyway? I've been having a hard time finding any reference to an Australian "International Evangelist" by that name. If anyone can find anything about him please post a comment with a link.

“Sala'ilua's Cahill creates history”

2006-06-13T11:36:00.000-11:00

That's right. The Savaii village of Sala'ilua's own Tim Cahill has created history, becoming the first Australian, no wait, Samoan, to score a goal for Australia in a World Cup final tournament.

One can hardly begrudge Samoa for being proud of the achievements of one of its sons, even though he does not hold Samoan citizenship and hasn't lived in Samoa at all. The reason is simple: Samoans have unfortunately had to become used to seeing those sporting talents who are eligible for Samoan representation get snatched up by neighbouring countries. Take a look at the New Zealand All Blacks lineup, of which about half are Samoans. Even if we exclude Tana Umaga due to his retirement from the ABs, we still have Mils Muliaina, Jerry Collins, Chris Masoe, Casey Laulala, Aaron Mauger, Rodney So'oialo, Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu, Neemia Tialata and Ma'a Nonu in the squad. Maybe we should start calling them the Samoan All Blacks.

This is not to say that it's outright thievery. Obviously these are individuals who have grown up in New Zealand (or Australia in the case of Cahill) and have benefited from the sporting resources available to them. But without a comparable economic base and training and development infrastructure it's difficult to see how Samoa could ever really compete in securing quality players. This is why initiatives such as the IRB's High Performance Unit program, which will see a far greater investment in local sporting infrastructure for Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, are very necessary.

The IRB and its investment in Samoan rugby is not the only initiative worthy of mention. There is considerable effort being expended by aid agencies in boosting the capacity of most of Samoa's sporting organisations. Coaches and trainers from overseas are helping local coaches develop better training programs for their players. New facilities are being built to international standards (such as the FIFA-approved soccer field at Faleata). The provision of this aid has been timed to ensure Samoa will be able to successfully host next year's South Pacific Games, but the longer term goals are also clear. Improved sporting infrastructure and greater opportunities for local players can only have a positive effect on the future prospects of Samoa's national sporting teams.

Go the Samoaroos!

2006-06-12T14:47:00.000-11:00

The Socceroos opened their World Cup account against Japan this morning. I didn't get to watch the match but it sounds like it was a real nailbiter. Most importantly, a win first match in to the tournament bodes very well indeed for the prospect of progression through to the elimination rounds.

The hero of the match was Tim Cahill, a player with a rather unique playing history. The son of an Australian and a Samoan, Cahill has represented both nations at international level. His first international matches were played for Samoa in a FIFA Under-20s tournament in 1994. Such representation immediately denied him the ability to represent Australia and a long ten year battle finally saw FIFA amend the rules in 2004 to allow a conditional change of national representation. 2004 was a good year for Cahill as he also won the Oceania Football's Confederation's Player of the Year award, edging out Socceroo team mates Schwarzer and Bresciano.

At the end of the day Cahill is an Australian and a proud member of the Socceroos. But make no mistake - after his performance this morning we can expect much adulation from all Samoans of the "Samoan midfielder" (as described in today's Observer) and his game-winning two goals.

A splash of colour

2006-06-12T12:00:00.000-11:00

It's not Japan in the autumn but Samoa does have a fair splash of colour in its local flora. The one flower I must mention is Samoa's national flower, the teuila. It's a beautiful brilliant red/pink and is visible throughout the country. I'm pretty sure it's found throughout many Pacific nations but only Samoa lays claim to it as a national flower. And only Samoa has a week-long festival named after it.

I've been taking photos of flowers and other flora on and off over the months as I've made my way around the country. Here a few I've taken. Enjoy.

Lalomanu

2006-06-12T11:30:00.000-11:00

I've had a friend from Tonga visiting lately and on Saturday she and I went for a drive around the island of Upolu to visit some places of interest. Our first stop was at Piula cave pool, after which we headed straight to Lalomanu beach. Lalomanu is a truly beautiful place. Crystal clear aquamarine waters, a soft white sandy beach and lots of reef fish to make for some great snorkelling. This picture shows the view down the beach towards the south-east, with Nu'utele island in the background.

I've been to Lalomanu many times now. It's a favourite getaway for a weekend. Our visit on Saturday was, alas, only for a few hours but we had a great time nonetheless. With our underwater cameras we headed into the water to do a spot of snorkelling and we weren't disappointed.
There are huge numbers of fish feeding amongst the coral at Lalomanu. Indeed, much of the waters off the south-east tip of the island are feeding and breeding grounds for all manner of marine life, in particular turtles. They tend not to feed at Lalomanu beach so much, but can almost always be seen off Nu'utele.
It's impossible to go snorkelling at Lalomanu and not see large schools of fish moving from coral outcrop to coral outcrop, feeding en masse. Whilst the majority of the fish are relatively small there are a number of larger fish that slowly glide around the coral, occasionally chasing smaller fish they consider good enough to eat. Starfish and anemones can also be found hiding under rocks and pieces of coral. It seems that every time I head into the water at Lalomanu with my snorkel and mask I find some species of marine life I've never seen before.

With a couple of accommodation options, Lalomanu can offer travellers pretty much whatever kind of experience they want. If you want to just spend your time relaxing on the beach, reading a book or two, you can. If you want to party with friends and locals in the evening, you can most definitely do that too. There's almost always a game of volleyball or touch football being played on the beach, the snorkelling is brilliant, you can hire outrigger canoes and go on snorkel and dive trips out beyond the reef if you wish. No wonder Lalomanu is the most popular destination for travellers on Upolu.

A slight reduction in the high cost of living

2006-06-07T15:50:00.000-11:00

One of the concerns surrounding the recent changes to SamoaTel's pricing model for landline telephony was the impact it might have on the affordability of Internet access. Compared to many other countries, Internet access is expensive enough as it is without having to pay an additional $0.04 + VAGST per minute. This increased cost is bad for the customer but also potentially quite bad for the businesses that provide Internet access. Increased prices can only lead to fewer customers and a decline in usage by those customers that remain.

It seems the three Internet service providers in Samoa have taken up this issue with SamoaTel and had a degree of success. Effective immediately calls made to special dialup numbers for the three ISPs will be charged at $0.01 + VAGST per minute only. It still makes for expensive Internet use but $0.67 per hour is much better than $2.70 per hour for the base call cost.

The quick change in position by SamoaTel does make me wonder. How much money does domestic telephony really cost them and how much of a profit are they making on it, that they can rapidly agree to the drop from $0.04/minute to $0.01/minute for Internet calls? Given the smoke and mirrors game they played when advertising the changes to their pricing model I doubt we can expect them to be a paragon of transparency and actually disclose that kind of information any time soon.

A day at the races

2006-06-04T13:49:00.000-11:00

The Independence Day celebrations culminate on Saturday with the annual Independence Cup races at Faleata race track. This year's race day had everything required for a great day out and a lot more. There was champagne, frocks, elegant and extraordinary hats. Oh, and some horse races too.

A lot of people turned out for the day's events. As one might expect there was a healthy contigent of well-helled Samoans and ex-pats in attendance but there were lots of Samoan families enjoying picnic lunches and children running around everywhere. A group of us had a great time, enjoying a picnic lunch, having a flutter on the horses and soaking up the fantastic atmosphere of the day.

A total of nine races were held with many of the horses racing multiple times. The track wasn't exactly in the best condition, though I believe it was far less dusty than for previous meets. Indeed, the facilities don't compare with any of the racing venues I've visited in Australia but quite frankly, that was part of the enjoyment. Where in Australia would you find children clinging to the fence directly adjacent to the track as the horses bolted past? There were very few places where public access was denied. I was able to take a stroll through the jockey's rest area, which included the spartan, yet no doubt fully functional, weigh-in facilities. As the horses were paraded before each race I was able to stand no more than a couple of metres from them and inspect them up close. Which horse is looking revved up? Which one's requiring a little too much salve for sores? Too much strapping on the legs? The important questions could be asked and answered.

The races themselves were ran over a number of distances, from short sprints of 1000m to the premiere race over 3200m. The funniest race would have to be the village pack horse race. An open invitation to villagers to bring their pack horses along for a day at the races, there was no list of entrants, no odds and consequently no betting.

Nonetheless, the sight of seven or eight men ride their horses bareback over 700m was very funny. At the end of the day, these men weren't leading their horses into trailers for the drive home. No, they just hopped back on their charges and made their way homes the long way.

Being right up against the fence for a race made the excitement quite palpable at times. Some people were so overjoyed at the success of their chosen horse (indeed, the totes were running hot throughout the day) that they leapt in the air in celebration.

Unfortunately however, the day wasn't all beer and skittles. The big race of the day, the 3200m Independence Cup, had a rather tragic end. At the conclusion of the race I noticed a man running down the track being followed by a car. At first I thought that perhaps a drunken spectactor had decided that he was himself a horse and felt like a bit of a run. Once two more cars, the track ambulance and several more stewards joined the chase I realised something far more serious was up. Sadly, immediately after the conclusion of the race one of the horses collapsed at the end of the home straight. After a significant period of time the horse was declared brown bread and carted off on the back of a flatbed. I was told by the race caller at the end of the day that Kate's Gift was the third horse the owner had lost at the track over recent years.

In spite of the unfortunate departure of Kate's Gift, the afternoon continued in high spirits. The races continued and the obligatory hat competition was held. The field was a little slim but there were some great hats. Friends Kim (right) and Nicole (left), pictured here, entered the competition with Kim taking out the "Most Elegant Hat" prize. The "Most Eccentric Hat" was a shoe-in. Who could possibly compete with the toy horse and Barbie doll entry here?

The afternoon wrapped up around about 6pm and we packed our gear up and headed off to Giordano's closer to town for some of the best pizza available in Samoa. After which a few of us came back to my house for a viewing of The Princess Bride and some Lindt chocolate. It was a great way to wrap up a great day.

Independence Day - Traditional dance

2006-06-04T13:42:00.000-11:00

After the fautasi race, the focus of the day's celebrations turned to the parliament house. The afternoon saw a marching girls' competition followed by a number of traditional performances by a number of colleges around the country. To my eye the marching girls' competition seemed out of place, being so strongly modelled on the kind of thing one sees in the United States. That said, each team's performance was well received by the crowd and some of the performances were impressive indeed.

I was more interested in the traditional performances that followed. They featured huge groups of perfomers. I went for a wander around the park where the performances were being held to the area where the various groups were preparing themselves. There I stumbled right into the middle of the CCCS Tuasivi College (from Savaii) wearing their matching pink puletasis and lavalavas. They looked fantastic as you can see here.

The group that most impressed me was that from Don Bosco. They performed a variety of pieces that were really impressive. In particular, their performances of the Maori haka and the Samoan haka were awesome. The sound of more than a hundred young men chanting and slapping their thighs was astounding. The kind of thing that gives you goosebumps. Great stuff.

The Don Bosco performance was also pretty light hearted in parts too. In the middle of one piece that featured singing, body slapping and clapping they segued into a brief rendition of Queen's "We Will Rock You". They were, without a doubt, the most impressive group I saw perform that day.

Independence Day - Fautasi race

2006-06-04T13:37:00.000-11:00

Samoa gained self sovereignty 44 years ago after many years of colonial rule. First under German then New Zealand colonial rule, at the end of World War Two and the formation of the United Nations, Samoa became a United Nations Trust territory under New Zealand administration. Complete independence was achieved on the 1st of January 1962 after a referendum was put to all Samoans.

Today Samoans celebrate their independence on the 1st of June each year. I sure because it helps spread the public holidays through the year better. The celebrations run over a few days and feature a range of different events. One of the highlights of the celebrations is the fautasi race from Faleula to Apia harbour. After a great breakfast at the best cafe in town (where we picked up our hats) we made our way to the Apia harbour seawall to watch the race. This year ten fautasi boats entered the competition, each crew keen to win the five mile race and claim the $22,000 first prize.
The race was fiercly contested by two teams; the crew from Faleu, Manono and the crew from Don Bosco college in Siusega. These were always going to be the two teams to beat. The Faleu team has been a consistent winner of this event over the last few years and the Don Bosco team recently took top honours in the American Samoa Flag Day race (a real accomplishment as they were the only team from Independent Samoa to field in that event). Five of the other crews from around Upolu and Savaii had their own contest to determine who would claim third but all eyes were focused on the Faleu and Don Bosco battle.

By all accounts it was a close contest throughout the entire race but as the boats rounded the point and entered the harbour it was clear that the Faleu crew had gained enough of a lead to win. A huge cheer went up as they crossed the line.

Coming second can't be all that bad however. Not long after the race, as a group of us made our way up to parliament house, the Don Bosco crew drove past, chanting, clapping, singing and laughing all the way. I'm not sure what prize was awarded second place, but it must have been good given the smiles on the Don Bosco boys' faces.

The sunset slide

2006-06-03T22:49:00.000-11:00

New viewers of Samoa's SBC One tv station rapidly become accustomed to the "sunset slide". It's a lovely image of the setting sun over the waters of Samoa. SBC uses the sunset slide to block out scenes in shows that are deemed inappropriate. Is the action movie hero about to bed the femme fatale? No problem, just produce a quick fade to the sunset slide. Joey and Rachel kissing in an episode of Friends? A quick fade to the sunset slide as they begin to embrace solves that issue.

A letter to the editor in today's Observer has a long rant about the (mis)use of the sunset slide:

As the bodies make contact, the two faces get close, the rousing orchestral music building, then ... you guessed it, cut to the sunset slide and silence. For about a minute. Then the movie comes back with the couple still embraced, fully clothed, discussing their real feelings then ... back to the sunset slide.

Other than the obvious censoring of material there are two things that really drive people mad about the sunset slide. First, the tape operators at SBC don't believe in fast forwarding the show past the inappropriate material to reduce the time that the sunset slide is displayed. Second, they have a tendency to skip significant scenes in the show. The above writer's complaint continued as when the show did return, the protagonist was in jail. Sadly the sunset slide blocked out the scene that explains why. Kind of kills the flow of the movie.

One point raised several times in the recent debate about the banning of the Da Vinci Code, was that of there being a double standard in the censors' work. The censors are unprepared to show scenes of people kissing and having sex, nor are they prepared to allow a movie that offers a fictional take on the story of Christ, but they are more than prepared to allow scenes of extreme violence reach the movie and television screens of Samoa. As today's letter asks:

More to the point, in this troubled post 9/11 world in which we live, I am confused as to why behaviour which leads to the very natural act that has put us all on this planet gets sunsetted SBC style, whereas behaviour which leads to our unnaturally forced removal from it does not. Whatever happened to "Make Love, Not War"?

The, hopefully unintended, irony of today's letter is that it appears directly underneath a reproduction of an editorial cartoon from Wellington's Dominion Post newspaper commenting on the recent Hurricanes vs Crusaders Super 14 final. A cursory glance at the cartoon shows that it too has been censored; one of the words in the cartoon obscured by a string of *!?*!?*?! characters.

The higher cost of living

2006-05-31T13:12:00.000-11:00

Roughly ten days ago, SamoaTel, Samoa's sole landline telephony provider, announced significant changes to its pricing model. Announced right in the middle of the (ongoing) Da Vinci Code furor, it has received no attention other than its initial reporting until today, the day before the new charges come into effect. The SamoaTel press release stated that their "interim analyis" indicated savings in excess of $200 per year for domestic and international calls, yet to my eye this seems highly unlikely. The changes in pricing look like nasty. In brief:

International calls drop 50% in price for off-peak calls and 30% in price for peak calls for residential customers. Business customers enjoy a 30% reduction in price only.
All calls within each island (Upolu and Savaii) will now be charged as a local call only (instead of "inter-zone" calls).
All local call charges will change from 11 sene + VAGST per call to 4 sene + VAGST per minute.
All directory service calls will now be charged 27 sene + VAGST.

The introduction of charged calls to the directory service line doesn't really bother me. Further, any reduction in international call rates can only be a good thing. That said, the real pinch is the local call costs. Switching from per call charging to per minute charging is going to make local calls extremely expensive unless people spend less than two and a half minutes per call.

Here's some excerpts from a letter to the editor in today's Observer which I think sums up a number of my concerns and adds to them rather well:

Do you really believe that 4 sene + VAGST per minute reflects your slogans FAMILY FIRST and KEEP IN TOUCH FOR LESS?
Your new advertisement shows a Residential Access of $19 + VAGST. Was this the charge once called Rental and One-off Charges which was $10.23 inclusive of VAGST? If so, is this an increase of more than 100%?
My current phone bill had 129 local calls. Those calls cost me $15.96 VAGST included. With the pending charges, if I keep my calls to 5 minutes it would cost 129 x .20 = $25.80. Is that not a massive increase of 61.6%?
Another concern, I often work from home using the Internet. Does the 4 sene per minute also apply when I access my ISP/Internet?
Would the new local charges now have a greater impact on the cost of living of vulnerable people & those on minimum wage earning only $2 per hour?

...and finally a really important question...

Why did you not advertise your charges earlier rather than only about 2 weeks before the effective date?

I'm not sure what kind of regulatory mechanisms are in place to govern the business operations of SamoaTel (which, whilst privately operated, is government owned). If there are any, they don't seem to be functioning in the interests of transparency and accountability. Being able to make these kinds of large-impact changes with no more than two weeks notice seems to me ample evidence of that.

With SamoaTel enjoying a monopoly on Samoa's landline telephony I can't see these charges being seriously contested. Much like the budgetary changes announced yesterday, Samoans are just going to have to live with the consequences.

The high cost of living

2006-05-31T12:37:00.000-11:00

Yesterday saw the first session of the new parliamentary term, opened by the Head of State, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II. It also saw the 2006-2007 budget delivered by new Minister of Finance, Niko Lee Hang. Amidst the ceremony of the parliamentary opening, it was the budget announcement that really caught everyone's attention.

The new budget sees a number of changes to taxation and pricing. In brief, the major changes are:

VAGST will increase from 12.5% to 15% from October 1, 2006.
Excise rates on alcoholic beverages and soft drinks will increase 10% from July 1, 2006.
Excise rates on tobacco will also be increased from February 1, 2007. The excise on roll-your-own tobacco will increase from $127.36/kg to $185/kg. Excise on cigarettes will increase from $149.18/1,000 sticks to $175/1,000 sticks.
The tax free threshold will be increased from $10,000 to $12,000. The top personal tax rate and the company tax rate will decrease from 29% to 27%. These changes come into effect from January 1, 2007.

These are not small changes and are bound to have a significant impact upon the cost of living in Samoa. This is already a topic of much concern amongst the majority of Samoans and I cannot see how these new changes are going to be received well. Even worse, these changes were not mentioned by the HRPP during the several months leading up to March's general elections. It makes for pretty disappointing, yet entirely unsurprising politicking. This sort of thing is seen the world over.

The main opposition party, the SDUP, raised the concern of increased excise rates and taxes during its election campaign but with the HRPP remaining silent (ie. outright refusing to discuss their budgetary plans if reelected) they gained little traction on the issue. I have to say that I'm not particularly surprised either. The HRPP's plan for increased excise rates and a likely increase in VAGST would have to be one of the worst kept secrets in government leading up to the election.

Yesterday, the SDUP's response to Niko Lee Hang's budget announcement was a resigned, "We warned you." With the HRPP holding a significant majority in parliament (and note that Samoa has a unicameral political system) it would seem there is nothing any opposed members of parliament can do. With each parliamentary term lasting five years, it's going to be a long time before any of these changes can be contested meaningfully.

Puppies!

2006-05-28T14:35:00.000-11:00

Meet Boris (left) and Molly (right). For most of last week and the coming week they're my charges. A friend is travelling overseas so I'm staying at her place to look after these two. They're very young, only a few months old. Both have been rescued by Samoa's Animal Protection Society, an NGO that works to improve the "care and management of companion animals". They're a couple of lucky puppies.

Everywhere you go in Samoa (with the exception of Manono) you will see dogs on the side of the road. The majority of them are strays and can occasionally be a threat. One of the first things you learn upon arrival in Samoa is how to deal with the dogs. Carrying a couple of stones is a pretty good approach and having the word halu under your belt is essential.

Every now and then the issue of stray dogs comes up in the Observer with fresh calls for improved education and organised spaying and castration programs. The Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment has taken a leadership role in co-ordinating the goverment approach to the problem but I'd argue that it is the APS that really leads the way. They have mobile veterinary clinics, hold education campaigns in villages and schools, offer the aforemention spaying and castration services but also de-worming and immunisation treatments. They're a quality organisation.

Like a tiger!

2006-05-27T14:39:00.000-11:00

Crabbers nightclub on Beach Rd is probably the venue most popular with Samoans looking for a good night out after a day's work. It gets very busy on a Friday night and last night was no exception. I spent the night there with some very good friends and we had a great time. The place was packed, the music was booming and the dance floor was jumping. One particular man was busting some outstanding moves. Meet Tiger.

Elena could not resist and had to dance with him. Thankfully Tiger was more than capable of dancing with a beautiful woman and posing for the camera at the same time.

After they had finished dancing we had a bit of a chat with Tiger. He seemed like a nice enough fellow. According to a couple of my friends, he used to be a fa'afafine but gave it away a few years ago.

With that winning smile it's hard to see how anyone could refuse Tiger whether in super tight jeans or a lovely flowing evening gown. Henry though did show some resistance.
Do you think you could resist the Tiger's charms?

A bitter taste in paradise

2006-05-26T16:59:00.000-11:00

Samoa truly is a beautiful country. Replete with amazing scenery and wonderful people, it is the quintessential tropical paradise. Such a shame then, that one of the first things visitors to this island paradise see is this advertisement in the baggage claim section of Faleolo airport. Even worse, the McDonald's is situated on the corner of the busiest traffic intersection in the heart of Apia; you can't avoid it.
It's not all bad though. If you can put up with that smell that permeates every McDonald's restaurant in the world (I'm sure it's the same smell everywhere) you can enjoy some of the cleanest restrooms available to the public in the country. Or so people say. After eight months in Samoa I still haven't ventured onto the premises.

Life's priorities - Rugby

2006-05-23T21:05:00.000-11:00

Today the Samoan Rugby Union announced the Manu Samoa training squad for the upcoming Pacific Five Nations tournament. It's a new tournament meant to afford the "Tier 2" rugby nations far greater opportunity to participate in quality games that will see an overall improvement in the quality of international rugby.

I'm rather excited about the upcoming tournament despite the absence of Manu Samoa home games. As Apia Park, the premier rugby field in Samoa is undergoing renovations, there are no fields of international standard in the country. This is disappointing but not all is lost. Manu Samoa will be hosting the Auckland Blues in July for a match to celebrate the reopening of Apia Park.

I'm hoping Manu Samoa does their country proud. There are some exciting players in the squad and they should be able to provide good competition to Tonga, Fiji, Japan and the Junior All Blacks. On the flipside, one of them is a lawyer I've been working with based in the Attorney-General's office. He and I still have some business to wrap up. I'm guessing that getting in touch with him over the next few weeks might be a little tough. I've decided to take this as a lesson in life's priorities.

The Da Vinci debate rages on

2006-05-23T19:55:00.000-11:00

Hot on the heels of Samoa's decision to ban the Da Vinci Code from video and television screening and video and dvd rental comes news that both the Phillipines and the Solomon Islands have followed suit. It seems this is an issue that's picking up steam throughout strongly Christian countries.

I don't really know anything about the situation in either country but I do know that the decision here has provoked a remarkable amount of dissatisfaction. Today's Observer has a full four pages of letters regarding the ban and all but one or two of them are negative. In the eight months I've been here I've not once seen this much page space devoted to letters (we're normally talking about half a page at best). Most of the letters boil down to the following question: does the Council of Churches worry so much about the strength of faith of Samoans that it has to ban a movie that is clearly a piece of fiction?

Whether or not the censor reverses the decision I suspect will be irrelevant. The movie will find its way here. The fact that easily 95% of all dvds for rental here are illegal copies in the first instance confirms that. The real question is how the Council of Churches acts. I'll keep you posted.

Censors: 1; Crap film based on crap book: 0

2006-05-21T19:53:00.000-11:00

"Huzzah the censors!" Words I'd never expect to hear come from my mouth but today I utter them with glee. After a preview screening to leaders of the Samoa Council of Churches, the Samoan government's principal censor has banned The Da Vinci Code from cinema, dvd and video rental and television broadcast. Result!

I've made the mistake of reading two of Dan Brown's books but have steadfastly refused to go anywhere near The Da Vinci Code. If you want to read a compelling, absorbing, intelligent and at times quite humourous book that looks at Christian conspiracy theories (and a whole lot more), please do yourself a favour and read Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.

The upshot of the censor's decision is that the one cinema in Samoa now has more time in its schedule to screen its three other current offerings. Thank goodness. Just what everyone needs. More time for Poseidon, The Sentinel and Mission: Impossible III.

The inaugural IRB Pacific Rugby Cup

2006-05-21T11:01:00.000-11:00

In an effort to help lift the performance of the Pacific rugby nations, the IRB last year announced two major regional initiatives. The more important of the two is the creation of High Performance Units for Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The other is the creation of an annual Pacific Rugby Cup. tournament The tournament is designed with providing locally based players greater opportunity to play competitively at a high level. Importantly, it provides these local players (who come in all shapes and sizes as evidenced here) a chance to train, travel and play rugby in a fashion very similar to that of the touring international squads.

The tournament is comprised of six teams, two each from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Over the last six weeks these teams have played each other at home and away in the pool matches with some firce competition between several of the sides. The last pool round was particularly crucial for establishing where the home final would be played. Thanks to Savaii Samoa's win over 'Upolu Samoa in that round, the final was held yesterday at the Marist grounds at Lotopa. Savaii Samoa playing against the Fiji Warriors to earn the right to lift the Pacific Rugby Cup.

The standard of play during yesterday's final was not brilliant but one has to take into account the heavy rain earlier in the day that made for tough going. Evenly matched in the first half, it was only until the second half that the intensity of the game really picked up. An excellent period of rugby by Savaii Samoa saw them cement their first half lead over the tourists, who to their credit, applied enormous pressure in the final fifteen minutes of the match. Spirited defense however kept them from scoring, giving Savaii Samoa a hard earned 10-5 win.

The win gives the Samoa Rugby Union its second trophy to keep in the cabinet alongside the Pacific Tri-nations Cup they won last year. The trophy is a pretty nice piece of silverware, modelled rather well by my mate Darren, as one can see in the accompanying photo. For the players however, the cup itself may well pale in comparison to the possibility of being called up to join the national squad. With Manu Samoa coach Lauli'i Michael Jones watching yesterday's final, many were keen to show their skills in the hope of representing their country in next month's Pacific Five Nations tournament. We'll have to wait and see.

Paddling

2006-05-17T23:16:00.000-11:00

Every Wednesday afternoon a group of us get together to go paddling. It's a wonderful way to unwind after a day's work. The temperature is usually nice and mild and being on Apia harbour offers a truly beautiful vantage point of the city as the sun sets. I love it.

With my leg still healing, I've had to stay out of the boat these last few weeks. It's tough, but sitting on the sea wall watching my friends make their way across the harbour is still a fantastic way to pass the time. This afternoon was no exception.

Of course, ours is never the only boat on the harbour. A fautasi crew has been practising several times a week over the last month or so, no doubt in preparation for next month's Independence Day celebrations. Getting forty or so people onto the fautasi takes a bit of time and effort but once they're all set to go it's well worth it.

The sight and sound of a fautasi on the water is remarkable. Once they get going they move at a rapid pace. They have people at each end of the boat supervising the stroke count and generally urging the rowers to keep going. To help them in their task, a crew member knocks out a regular, up-tempo rhythm on a drum. I'm very much looking forward to next month's Independence Day fautasi race when we can expect to see numerous fautasis on the water.

Compared to the fautasi and its crew, we don't look quite as impressive (but it does take a lot quicker to get going). The canoes we use hold six people. The lead position is known as the "stroke". Whoever sits there is responsible for setting the pace. They're also responsible for notifying the rest of the crew as to when they should switch the paddle from one side of the boat to the other. We tend to switch sides once every twelve or so strokes. That way you don't feel like your arm is going to fall off. The person at the end of the canoe is the "steer" and, well, I'm sure you can figure out what they do.

As I sat on the sea wall this afternoon and watched my friends make their way around the harbour - up along the wharf (shown here) to down near Aggie Grey's Hotel - I realised that this will be one of the things about Samoa I miss the most. I love being on or near the water and Apia harbour is no exception. The view back towards the island is beautiful and, as I mentioned before, watching the sun set from a canoe is truly wonderful.

I'm hoping my leg will have healed enough next week to allow me to get back into the boat (I'm quite confident it will). With less than five months left in Samoa I'm starting to feel a sense of urgency; I should make every effort to turn up for paddling every week. I don't want to miss what remaining chances I have to see a sunset like this:

Wouldn't you agree?

Too many chefs?

2006-05-17T14:33:00.000-11:00

March's general election saw the ruling HRPP party re-elected with a massive win over its opponents. The distribution of the 49 parliamentary seats easily favoured the HRPP:

HRPP - 30
SDUP - 10
Independents - 9

This distribution changed just a couple of weeks later after a number of independents petition the HRPP to join its ranks. Five independents were accepted, resulting in 35 parliamentary seats for the HRPP.

The next task for the HRPP was the appointment of its leader, deputy leader, cabinet ministers and to see the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House filled. Tuilaepa was unopposed as party leader and Prime Minister, which is entirely unsurprising. Whilst there was some competition for the position of deputy leader, Misa Telefoni held on to the post quite comfortably. The appointment of cabinet ministers did attrack some attention, seeing five new ministers named. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House posts were filled relatively quickly. All in all, quite a straightforward political and parliamentary process with little to attract much commentary.

The controversy hit last week however, with Tuilaepa's announcement of the creation of twenty Associate Minister positions. The standard annual salary for a member of parliament is in the order of $45,000 WST. Ministers, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House, by virtue of their additional parliamentary responsibilities, earn roughly twice as much. By appointing every remaining HRPP parliamentary member to the position of Associate Minister, he effectively brought their salaries into step with those of their Ministerial colleagues. Every sitting HRPP member will earn twice as much as the remaining fourteen parliamentary members.

Tuilaepa's argument for the move has been that the work of the non-ministerial members of his party has gone unrecognised for too long, seeing as they really are assisting their Ministerial colleagues in the management of their portfolios. The counter arguments have thus far focused on the financial burden this places upon a government that is already having trouble meeting its financial commitments in areas such as health.

Is this a case of "too many chefs spoil the broth" or "many hands make light work?" Public opinion seems to be split pretty evenly, though the Doctors Association, which led a twelve week strike last year over concerns about pay, have expressed considerable outrage at the move. Can a country of 180,000 people with a GDP of about $3 billion afford to pay over $3.1 million in parliamentary salary?

Samoan food - Coconuts

2006-05-16T22:25:00.000-11:00

Ok, so I mentioned yesterday that bananas are ubiquitous in Samoa. That may be true, but they still come second to the coconut tree. Those suckers are everywhere (they love hot humid climates, sandy soils and can tolerate a fair degree of salinity; sound like a tropical beach to you?). Furthermore, almost every part of the coconut palm can be utilisied. It's utterly unsurprising that they're used quite extensively in Samoan cooking.

Coconuts have a husk and an inner "stone". In supermarkets and groceries across the developed world we really only ever see the "stone". But it's the husk that tells you how ripe the fruit is. This picture shows a good spread across the degrees of ripeness you find in coconuts as they're picked here.

The green husks indicate nice young coconuts. At this stage the white flesh inside is still quite tender and relatively thin. It's quite tasty, although the main culinary use of coconuts this young is for drinking. You can buy a niu, or drinking coconut, almost anywhere in Samoa. Take a machete to a chilled, husked coconut and chip away a small hole and drop a straw in it. Simple as that.

As coconuts age, the white flesh thickens and the juice turns somewhat bitter (and the husk yellows and browns as evidenced in the picture). Most Samoan cooking makes use of these older coconuts, and primarily for the production of coconut cream. Coconut cream is very prevalent in Samoan cooking. Yams are commonly baked in coconut cream; skin and chop some yams and wrap them in aluminium foil, making sure a good splodge of coconut cream goes in with them. Throw them in a relatively hot oven (~200° C) for about 45 minutes to an hour. Serve them as is and sprinkle a little salt over them to give them a bit of bite. Makes for a great snack. We tend to have this at work once or twice a week for morning tea.

There are two other notable uses of coconut cream in Samoan cooking. There's palusami, which a few of us made a little while ago and there's oka. Oka is the Samoan version of a dish that exists the world over. You'd probably know it as ceviche; raw seafood "cooked" in a marinate with a strong citrus base. Samoan oka typically has coconut cream, lime juice, diced onion and cucumber and maybe some diced tomato as well. The raw seafood is almost always tuna. Oka is wonderful stuff.

If you're going to make oka (and you should at least once) you really need to make your own coconut cream. There are lots of different ways of making coconut cream but the one I've chosen is one from a Samoan source (but I haven't tried it myself, google an alternative if you're worried).

Coconut cream

Scrape the flesh from five coconuts into a baking tin.
Bake in the oven until the flesh browns. Don't make the oven too hot.
Add about a cup of water and squeeze through a cheesecloth.
Discard the flesh, the rest is your cream.

Oka

You will need
4 pounds (just under 2kg) of raw fish (preferrably yellowfin tuna)
4–5 limes
4 tomatoes, diced
2 cucumbers, diced
1 small onion, diced
5–6 small chillis, diced (optional but don't be a wuss)
Coconut cream (just over half of what the above recipe should yield)

Cut fish into bite-sized chunks and place in a mixing bowl.
Squeeze limes to make juice, and pour the juice onto the fish — just enough to soak all of the fish chunks.
Marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
Add diced vegetables and coconut cream, stir, and serve.

Enjoy!

Samoan food - Bananas

2006-05-15T20:46:00.000-11:00

Bananas are one of the staple crops of many nations and Samoa is no exception. Available all year round and dirt cheap, bananas are widely used for a variety of cooking purposes. As best I can tell there are typically three or four main varieties available here.

The ripe yellow banana is used as we commonly would use them in Australia, as part of fruit salads and more commonly as a general snack. You can buy them by the hand or bunch at the markets and you'll always spot bunches hanging up outside fales across the country (the picture below shows one such bunch hanging outside a beach resort on the south coast).

Despite their ubiquity these bananas are not the ones most commonly used for cooking in Samoa. Plantains are, without a doubt, the variety used most in Samoan cooking. They are typically cooked in an umu oven right alongside taro and breadfruit and served as a starchy accompaniment to the main dish(es). They're not just reserved for traditional Samoan meals however. Order some Chinese food at the foodcourt in town and they'll be an option. Ever tried Egg Foo Yong and plantain? How about sweet & sour pork? The few curry houses in Apia (invariably run by Fijian Indians and always tasty) offer plantains with their curries as well. Great stuff.

The most curious variety of banana I've come across here would have to be this one:

It's big; closer in size to a smallish cucumber than the bananas we're used to in Australia. I've seen two types of these ones. One is the standard yellow colour we expect of bananas. The other is orange, peel and flesh both (like the one above). The texture is quite mealy and it's not as sweet as the ripe yellow ones.

Bananas and plantains constitute a major staple food crop for millions of people in developing countries like Samoa. Cooking bananas are very similar to potatoes in how they are used. Both can be fried, boiled, baked or chipped and have similar taste and texture when served. Nutritionally one green cooking banana has about the same nutritional and calorie content as one potato. Potatoes don't grow very well here so the nutritional importance of the plantain in particular is significant.

How would I cook with the bananas here? I've used the ripe yellow bananas for desserts on several occasions. Cut a strip in the peel, load them up with crumbled chocolate, put the peel back and wrap it in foil and whack it in a moderate oven. Very nice indeed. Fruit salads of course, chopped up on cereal. The usual suspects I guess.

I haven't really played around with the plantains much but they're typically baked or chipped here. Something I'd try is frying them (which is popular in Central American cuisine). For four people, pick two ripe plantains (they turn yellow then black as they ripen) and cut them in quarters lengthwise. Fry them in relatively hot oil (not olive oil) for about five minutes or so each side. Drain on paper towel and eat straight away. You want the ripe ones so the sugar caramelises as they cook.

Another hard day at the office

2006-05-13T18:18:00.000-11:00

Samoa Immigration staff work a pretty gruelling schedule. With international flights arriving and departing at all hours of the day, it's essential that there is a twenty-four hour presence at the airport. The vast majority of the larger flights (737s from Australia, Fiji and New Zealand) arrive in the middle of the night, so Immigration has a couple of drivers who take staff to and from the airport as required. The consequence of which is that they're almost always bone tired.

Pictured here is one of the drivers, nicknamed "Schumaker", taking a well earned nap in one of the quieter offices in the building. Although, with his hand resting on his head like that it seems that even sleep can't provide respite from the weight of worldly troubles.

Man vs Beast - Round Two

2006-05-13T17:26:00.000-11:00

The war rages on. But I've struck another successful blow against the filthy home-invading, rice-eating hordes of vermin that have descended upon my house. Whilst making breakfast this morning I, unintentionally, scared a rat under my oven. Seeing the opportunity this presented, I quickly went on to the offensive and set my trap. After which I casually resumed making my breakfast (being careful not to step on the trap).

Some forty minutes later there was an enormous "SNAP!" which drew me to the kitchen, whereupon I discovered my latest victim. Serves the little bugger right. I feel like I now have the upper hand. My strategy is a proven winner so all I have to do is wait for the next home invader to try its luck.

Note: I really do want to spend more time posting about other things but with my leg prohibiting more "normal" activities such as swimming, snorkeling, exercise, etc., I'm clutching at straws. Do people want to see photos of recently deceased rats on a website? I don't think so. The next post will be about something else. Promise.

Man vs Beast

2006-05-10T23:07:00.000-11:00

I'm all for the sanctity of life on the planet and was a big fan of All Creatures Great And Small when I was growing up, but there comes a time when you have to draw a line in the sand. For me that time was a couple of weeks ago. One morning I opened one of my kitchen cupboards to discover that a rat had eaten most of the organic arborio rice I had received as a gift from Australia. That was just taking things a little too far. James Herriot be damned, this called for revenge!

Today, after a couple of failed attempts, I achieved victory! I arrived home to discover that I caught one of the little foul rice-eating buggers in my trap. My secret: the sacrifice of a small slice of good quality Romano cheese (these are obviously rats with taste, they went for the organic rice after all).

In spite of my victory it seems the rest of the population have decided to crank things up a notch or two. I've just been out to dinner and returned home to find a significant amount of rat poo around the kitchen. I may have won the battle but it seems the war rages on.

Samoan Workboots

2006-05-10T15:58:00.000-11:00

A tip of the hat to my good friend David (well one of them) for sending me this image:

Views from the bus

2006-05-08T10:33:00.000-11:00

Most mornings I catch the bus into work. It's a lovely trip into town as the bus drives along a section of the eastern coastal road. This morning I had my camera in my bag and decided to take a couple of photos along the way. It's a beautiful day here; the sun is shining and the clouds, whilst present, don't really seem threatening at this stage.

Along the coast road you'll often come across villagers' boats resting up on the foreshore like this one here in the village of Moata'a. Smaller outrigger canoes are another frequent sight, though quite often they're left floating tied to a large pole in the water instead of dragged ashore.

Another type of boat seen in the water more than on land, is the large fautasi. The fautasi is the Polynesian (I'm certain it's not just Samoan) version of the dragon boats found in China (and elsewhere). They hold crews of roughly forty to fifty people and are extremely heavy. When a team starts its regular practice for an upcoming race (such as the recent Flag Day celebrations in American Samoa or next month's Independence celebrations here) they leave the boat on the water.

Manono's mobile tower now increasingly mobile

2006-05-05T08:33:00.000-11:00

About a month or so ago I wrote a couple of posts about the beautiful island of Manono. In one of them I mentioned the mobile phone tower that sits atop the ancient star mound on Mt. Tulimanuiva and the controversy within the community (and elsewhere) its installation caused.

Today's Observer has a report stating that the 30m (not 50m as I guessed wildly last time) tower will be moved. SamoaTel's acting CEO Colm O'Donovan has confirmed that they are in negotiations with a contractor to have the tower removed from its present location. Apparently they have found a new site elsewhere on Manono that meets all relevant parties' criteria.

This is great news. The star mounds of Samoa are some of the oldest human monuments in Polynesia. They have proven invaluable to archaeologists and historians in tracing the spread of human habitation across the region and are of enormous cultural significance to all Samoans. I can only hope that SamoaTel not only removes the tower and attendant equipment shed but also helps restore the site to the condition it deserves.

On the other hand, climbing the tower does afford a rather spectacular view. I might need to head back over there and climb it one last time. ;)

All wrapped up

2006-05-04T19:57:00.000-11:00

The most annoying thing about bandages is that the moment you put them on, everything they cover becomes incredibly itchy. Given good bandages are sterile things and tend to breathe very well, I'm certain it's largely psychological rather than physiological.

One small part of my tattoo continues to play up and refuse to heal well. Sure, thanks to local conditions and no doubt my inadequate aftercare, it became infected, but it's not all my fault is it? Anyway, I've received (finally) some sound medical advice which sees me wrapping gauze around the wound until the "exudate" (read: "gunk and puss") disappears and taking a second course of antibiotics. Sadly, the wound looks quite deep. I only hope it doesn't leave a significant scar that would mar an otherwise great tattoo (well, in my opinion anyway).

Did the earth move for you too?

2006-05-04T08:16:00.000-11:00

Yesterday morning I was awake or awoke, at 4.30 and felt myself shaking. I thought this was a bit weird (and annoying because that's a bad kind of sick), but then I noticed that the bed was creaking, and as the seconds passed, that the windows and whole house was making a fair bit of noise. All the dogs in the neighbourhood went dead quiet but the insects kept singing their symphony. Earthquake!

The quake lasted a while - easily three minutes - and picked up intensity about halfway through. With the epicentre in Tongan waters there really was never any danger of the quake itself manifesting dangerously here in Samoa. Furthermore, with Apia on the other side of 'Upolu, the chances of any tsunami from the region of Tonga actually causing any real grief here were close to nil.

Whilst I lay in my bed shaking and shuddering about it struck me that it felt just like those massage beds or chairs. The ones where you put in a dollar and it vibrates for a few minutes (no, not those other "massage beds"). Funny, the thoughts that run through your head.

Moments after the quake finished all the dogs in the area went beserk for a couple of minutes before settling back down to sleep. I slowly joined them in slumber for another couple of hours then woke up and made my way into work.

Once I made it into work I discovered that the Prime Minister declared all schools and government offices closed for the day in response to a tsunami alert issued earlier in the morning by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (in Hawaii). I spent the morning shopping and enjoying good coffee at a nearby cafe. Two hours later his decision regarding government offices was reversed and we went back to work.

Even though yesterday's earthquake generated only the smallest of tsunamis (Niue measured a 0.21 metre wave), the threat of serious damage in Samoa is very real. Most villages in Samoa are coastal and in Apia itself, many of the emergency response arms of government have their main offices metres from the shore. The meteorology, government radio, police and fire station offices are all exposed in this way.

Another important issue here is education. Given the responses in today's Observer newspaper about the tsunami alert (Street Talk - "How about the tsunami alert?"), it's clear that many Samoans have little understanding of the nature of the event:

"I think that the warning came at the wrong time and that they (Meteorology Division) should have warned the public before the earthquake hit."

"I think that they should have warned us the night before instead of early this morning when they were expecting a tidal wave to hit our shores."

"This is a negative sign which is an indication that the Meteorological office were not doing their job."

"The sudden warning was not very professional because it was a sign that the public have no one to trust if a natural disaster hits."

Questions are already being asked about the capacity of the government to respond in a timely and appropriate fashion to natural disasters. I imagine we'll see that issue thrashed out in the newspaper over the next couple of days. I wonder though, given the responses above, if we'll see the same kind of attention paid to the importance of public education as part of any natural disaster plan.

Business House sports

2006-05-02T11:35:00.000-11:00

Every year a range of social sports competitions are held in Apia. They are known as the "Business House" competitions, with teams from major government ministries and local businesses. The level of interest and involvement in these comps is very high; everyone loves to get out and have a run around once or twice a week after work. The degree of competitiveness varies across individuals and teams, but at the end of the day they're intended as social competitions and not meant to be too serious.

The first competition this year is seven-a-side touch footy. The Ministry of Prime Minister & Cabinet has fielded a team, comprised mostly of Immigration staff. We had our first game last week which saw us up against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs team. Sadly, with three or four of their players members of a touch footy team that plays in the regular "professional" competition, we were somewhat outclassed and lost the match. Yesterday's match against the TradePac team was a different story however, with our team notching up a win, four tries to three.

Sadly, I've had to restrict my participation to being the photographer and water boy. As my tattoo is still in the process of healing, I can't get out there and have a run around, which I find very frustrating. Hopefully I'll be able to start playing from next week. With the competition's pool round only lasting six weeks, I'm loathe to miss too many more matches.

The picture shows one of the Immigration officers, Vaileta, rather vigorously "touching" the ball carrier in last's weeks match against Foreign Affairs. This was as close to a big hit as we came during the match.

Samoan Tattooing

2006-04-26T12:49:00.000-11:00

The art of tattooing has long existed in Samoa. The word tattoo itself is derived from the Polynesian word tatau. Dutch explorers who reached Manua island in 1722 noted that the Samoans wore "artfully woven silk tights or knee breeches". The explorers clearly didn't get close enough to the individuals to recognise that they were not wearing breeches, but were sporting the traditional pe'a tattoo, which stretches from the waist down to the knees.

Deciding to have the pe'a is a mammoth undertaking by any individual. Something in the order of 60-65% of the body is tattooed over as short a period of time as the recipient can handle (six or seven days’ work over a span of about two weeks is typical). After the tattoo is finished there follows a long period of recuperation; six months to a year is a normal kind of time frame. More often than not people are unable to work for much of this time to let their body rest. Because of this, the significant upfront cost and the social implications, any person wishing to have the pe'a must first seek permission from all their family.

A week ago my friends and I visited Su'a Petelo Suluape in the village of Falesiu. Suluape is considered as the leading tattoo artist in Samoa and is well known worldwide for his traditional tattoo work. He and his brother (sadly killed last year in New Zealand) have travelled the world showcasing their work and promoting the tattoo traditions of Samoa. When we arrived there was a man who had flown out from Los Angeles to have his pe'a done by Suluape. They were finishing up their sixth day of work and the tattoo was almost complete. It looked amazing, but the pain and distress on the man's face as he slowly moved to the edge of the fale to rest gave sharp indication of exactly how serious and challenging a process it is. His wife was flying out this week to take him back home and look after him over the coming months.

Whilst not there for the pe'a, two of us did have Suluape tattoo our legs in the traditional Samoan fashion. The only creative control we had over the process was in determining how big the tattoo should be (ie. we shaved as much, or as little, hair off our legs to provide the "canvas"). The rest was in Suluape's hands.

Suluape uses the traditional implements and techniques to do his work. He uses a mallet to strike a variety of combs with extremely sharp teeth to push the ink into the skin. The mallet is known as the sausau and the combs have different names. The autapulu is a wide comb used to fill in large dark areas of the tattoo. The ausogi'aso tele is used for making thick lines, the ausogi'aso laititi for thin lines. The aumogo is a small comb used for making a variety of small marks. For our tattoos, Suluape did not need the autapulu (thank goodness!). Suluape's combs seemed to be fashioned from some kind of glass or plastic. Traditionally the combs were carved from a boar's tusk.

Did it hurt? Oh yes. It took about one hour for the work to be completed and it was an hour spent grinding teeth, clenching fists and practicing lots of meditative breathing techniques. It was particularly painful when Suluape was working on the skin directly above my shin bone. I’m extremely happy with the result however and consider it to be well worth the pain (although what we experienced is clearly nothing compared to what the man having the pe’a must be feeling).

The history and art of Samoan tattoo is fascinating and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the topic. The process of having the pe’a is highly complex, full of taboos, customs and demands on the tattooist, recipient and the recipient’s family. It’s well worth another post, which I’ll try and get around to soon, but in the meantime, if you’re interested, I suggest reading this introduction to the pe’a and traditional Samoan tattooing.

The first photo is taken from last year's Samoan Tourism Authority calendar. It's a great example of the pe'a. The second shows Suluape striking the aumogo with the sausau to create small lines of my friend's tattoo. The third image shows my (swollen) leg the morning after having it done. Since then my leg and foot have swollen up well beyond normal size and I've had a small amount of infection to deal with. As of today though, the swelling is almost entirely gone and the course of antibiotics I'm taking is having its effect in dealing with the infection.

Life is short. PRAY HARD.

2006-04-25T23:28:00.000-11:00

I spotted this t-shirt whilst at the first match of touch football of the season for the inter-Ministry sports teams. It's by no means the only religious t-shirt I've noticed since I've been in Samoa, but I like it. The other one I like has "No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isiah 54:17)" on the front, with "God's got my back" written on the back. All in big bold bright yellow lettering on a black t-shirt.

Just another day at the office

2006-04-22T14:11:00.000-11:00

Yesterday (Friday) was my first day back at work after a couple of weeks off. My timing could not have been better. A relatively straightforward working day was followed by two work-related social functions that were great.

First, we joined Prime Minister Tuilaepa and Ministry of Prime Minister & Cabinet CEO Poloma Komiti on the roof of the government building to celebrate the PM's recent re-election victory (which warrants a post of its own). The government building is the tallest in Samoa and the view of Apia and the surrounding villages is unbelievable. Pictured here is the view towards Mt. Vaea with the Catholic cathedral in the foreground. Smoke from a few fires can be seen floating upwards in the background.

As the sun set the colour of the sky and clouds changed dramatically, and the number of fires burning in and around Apia increased dramatically. The fires were most likely coming from umu ovens, as families prepared their evening meals.

The PM gave a small, lighthearted speech and everyone had a good time, enjoying some food and drink. I was most delighted however, when Tuilaepa whipped out his ukelele and entertained the assembled with some favourite Samoan tunes. The head of the Press Secretariat accompanied the PM on the guitar and many others sang along. Who knew that the PM likes to rock out on the uke!

After this function reached its conclusion, I joined a small number of Immigration staff in attending a dinner at the Chinese embassy. With a considerable economic, aid and development presence in Samoa, the Chinese are always working with Samoan Immigration in obtaining the relevant entry permits for the various Chinese nationals who come to Samoa. With some new diplomatic staff recently arrived in Samoa, and the new Chinese ambassador due in under two weeks, it was a good opportunity for everyone to get to know each other a little better.

The meal we had was great. We enjoyed a selection of Chinese style dishes, some of which featured a degree of local flavour. Chicken and breadfruit stir fried in ginger, huge crabs wok fried with ginger and spring onions, steamed whole fish and amazingly good tuna sashimi were just some of the highlights. They also had a bean curd dish, which I was most interested in as finding tofu in Samoa can be a challenge. It transpires that their chef imports the yellow beans from China and makes his own bean curd. After dinner our hosts turned on their Karaoke machine and we all sang a few songs to conclude the night.

For a first day back at work, it was a good one. Just another day at the office? I certainly hope so.

Piula Cave Pool

2006-04-15T09:13:00.000-11:00

About thirty minutes east of Apia, along the coastal road, is the Piula Theological College. The college was established by the Methodist Church in 1868. Piula is a transliteration of "Beulah", meaning married.

The college sits on beautiful grounds. There is a large oval which is used for games of kirikiti and the real draw card of Piula is the cave pool which is found directly underneath the foundations of the main church on the grounds.

A large freshwater pool is separated from the ocean by a wall of black volcanic rock. The water is cold and clean and the pool is inhabited by many small fish. At the rear of the pool, one can dive underwater and see light filtering through the wall. A small, three metre long opening connects the pool to a second, smaller pool. It might seem a little daunting at first, but it's an easy swim.

Party people

2006-04-09T22:07:00.000-11:00

Last Friday I celebrated my birthday. Given that I'm only in Sydney for just a few days, I wanted to really make the best of the night and have as good a view of the city as I could muster. To that end I booked some tables at the Glenmore hotel in the Rocks. The view from the rooftop bar is spectacular:

We had a fantastic night. I had friends I've known for 25 years meet friends I've known for 25 weeks:

There was birthday cake:

There was an abundance of Davids:

And there were manskirts:

It was definitely the best birthday I've celebrated in a while. A big thank you to everyone who made it.

Sojourn in Sydney

2006-04-06T15:29:00.000-11:00

I've managed to whisk myself away to Sydney for a few days in order to celebrate my birthday. It's fun and funny coming back to my home town after six months away. It's much noisier, smellier, busier and cramped than I remember it. I keep wondering why people don't smile at each other on the street or wave at each other as they drive down the road. Still, I know the place like the back of my hand and have enjoyed visiting favourite haunts, catching up with friends and family and eating fantastic food.

The picture shows the view of the city skyline from Balmain East, where I used to live until moving to Samoa. Sydney is, without a doubt, a beautiful harbour city.

Land rights and the World Bank

2006-03-29T12:36:00.000-11:00

The allegations made by the SDUP and the Samoa Party last week about the HRPP Government signing a secret deal with the World Bank over land registration seem to have hit a raw nerve. Yesterday Prime Minister Tuilaepa ordered the Attorney-General's office to begin legal proceedings against the party leaders who authorised the joint statement.

In justifying his order, Tuilaepa said the statement was grossly defamatory. "In my opinion as leader of the country, they have gone overboard the decency level of political campaigning," he said. "My decision is to protect the electoral system in the future...You can't just make misleading statements about these things and expect to get away with it. What these people have done is that they have overstepped the mark." So it would seem that Tuilaepa is acting on behalf of the Government of Samoa. But on what grounds could the Government take these individuals to court?

On the basis of Tuilaepa's comments, the court action will probably be based on a claim of defamation. Yet, SDUP deputy leader Asiata Saleimoa Va'ai (himself a lawyer) says, "There is no such thing as defaming a government...Only a person may be defamed." If this is true (I have absolutely no idea) then Tuilaepa can really only claim personal defamation. The consequence of which would mean that it would be wrong for him to use Government resources to make his case in court. Until the details of the case are known, which I'm sure will only emerge after the election, little more can be said.

All of this talk however, dances around the real issue. Is there an existing agreement with the World Bank through its International Development Agency and what are the details of such an agreement? Does the HRPP intend to change land registration legislation to make the registration of customary land conform with the Torrens system used for freehold land? Tuilaepa has, as yet, failed to answer these questions properly. The SDUP and the Samoa Party have also failed to really provide the kind of proof that would make their allegations iron-clad. Whatever the outcome of the election on Friday, this story is far from finished.

Samoan Politics

2006-03-28T10:48:00.000-11:00

The candidates are in high campaign mode, the party policies have all been announced, and it's just a couple of days until Samoans choose their government for the next five years. So what does the political landscape of Samoa look like? Who is likely to govern the country?

For the last 23 years Samoa has been ruled by the Human Rights Political Party (HRPP). They appear very firmly entrenched and have broad support across the country. Led by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, the party has several prominent community and business leaders as members.

The major planks in the HRPP election platform are economic growth and infrastructure development. Tuilaepa, and the Deputy PM and Finance Minister Misa Telefoni, regularly point to the sustained economic growth Samoa has enjoyed over the last few years. Further, with the help of considerable overseas aid there has been a huge push recently in infrastructure development projects. The latest cab off the ranks is the redevelopment of the Savalalo/Sogi wharf and the fish markets next to it. The times they are a changin' in Samoa, and the HRPP has positioned itself as the driver behind the wheel.

Is this enough to get the HRPP over the line? Many suspect it is, but there is a growing sense of tiredness at the continued rule of the HRPP. Le Mamea R Mualia, head of the main opposition party the Samoa Democratic United Party (SDUP), has been polling very well over the last couple of months. He has consistently polled ahead of Tuilaepa as preferred leader and the SDUP has enjoyed several poll "wins" ahead of the HRPP.

The SDUP has focused on three main areas for its campaign: health, education and governance. If elected, the SDUP would conduct a review of teachers' pay and make a strong push to provide free and compulsory primary education. This has been received quite well but it is perhaps the issue of health that resonates strongest with the Samoan people, thanks to the bitter pill of an eleven week strike by Samoa's doctors late last year.

Two major problems plague the public health system of Samoa. First, the overall cost of the public health system and how that cost should be met continues to vex government. With newer, far more expensive facilities (such as the recent kidney dialysis unit) becoming available this issue becomes ever more important. Second, as the doctors' strike illustrated, the present nominal level of payment for health services staff is a significant disincentive for health care professionals. Doctors have started to move into private health and others have moved overseas to advance their profession. Samoa cannot afford this kind of skills drain.

A more immediate challenge for the present Minister for Health is election rival Su'a Rimoni Ah Chong. Su'a, head of the Samoa Party (SP), is perhaps the most outspoken of all the party leaders. Whilst the SP and the SDUP share their concern about governance, it is Su'a who has really championed this issue ahead of all others.

Su'a is well qualified to campaign on this issue, as he was formerly the Samoa Controller and Chief Auditor. In this role, Su'a issued a report in the mid nineties that implicated a number of cabinet ministers and senior government officials for fraud and other misdemeanors. The report led to his dismissal and amendment of the Samoan Constitution.

Su'a wants to see independence brought back to many government portfolios, most notably the oversight agencies of the Audit, Electoral Commissioner and the Attorney General offices. A significant reduction in government wastage features strongly in the SP manifesto as well.

Are these issues really the ones foremost in the minds of most Samoan voters? The issues of health and education most certainly hold the interest of the voting public but other issues such as land ownership are also extremely important. There are currently two large land title claims before court and allegations made by the SDUP and SP last week have put the HRPP under scrutiny. The allegations hold that the HRPP reached an agreement with the World Bank to reform the ownership of customary land (which represents 80% of all land in Samoa) to facilitate easier commercial development. How well this sits with villages remains to be seen. My suspicion is not very well.

In spite of these concerns, it would seem that the HRPP are going to win the election. Most of the people I have spoken with about the election seem pretty convinced of that. By themselves, neither the SDUP nor the SP would ever have the numbers to form a majority government, and with the HRPP fielding twice as many candidates as the SDUP (which has fielded more than the SP), the numbers do seem to stack up in the HRPP’s favour.

Still, the SDUP in particular have done well to present themselves as a credible alternative government. They have argued their platform consistently, clearly and early. It’s a lesson the Australian opposition parties could do well to learn from.

Crab for dinner

2006-03-23T14:54:00.000-11:00

A few weeks back I chanced upon a man selling freshly caught crabs on the side of the road. Seeing crabs this size is a bit of a rare thing, so I did what any sensible person would do and bought two of them immediately.

I invited a few friends over and we had a great meal. Rice, steamed chinese greens and chilli crab. And the requisite cold Vailima of course. Very nice indeed!

Sadly I haven't seen anyone selling crabs since. There aren't too much shellfish and crustaceans available in Samoa and I'm not too keen on getting up at 5am to head to the fish market to really see what's available on a regular basis. So for now I shall just have to hope that luck is with me whenever I walk down the road.

The power of village politics

2006-03-23T14:28:00.000-11:00

I wrote recently about the nature of village politics and how there is a strong community based approach to the management of all village affairs. I mentioned that given the nature of the system, there would be little room for oportunistic individual behaviour. Just this weekend we've seen an interesting example of this at work.

Samoans head to the ballot boxes at the end of the month. The election itself warrants at the very least a post of its own, so for now I'll supply only the barest of detail (sorry). Parliament has 42 seats, 40 of which represent village constituencies. Each constituency is typically comprised of several (say two or three) villages and most constituencies have a single sitting parliamentary member.

One such constituency is that of Faleata East. It is comprised of the villages of Lepea and Vaimoso. Prior to the 2001 elections, the villages came to an agreement stating that they would take turns fielding candidates to represent their constituency. Under this agreement, Faumuina Anapapa of Lepea, was elected unopposed. Anapapa was appointed to a new post in 2002, leaving his parliamentary spot vacant. Once again honouring the agreement, Vaimoso village did not field a candidate and Lepea's Lepou Petelo II replaced Anapapa.

By virtue of the standing agreement between the villages, Vaimoso expected to field its own candidate without opposition from Lepea. Both Vaimoso and Lepea residents were shocked to learn that Lepou has registered as a candidate for the upcoming elections.

According to news reports over the weekend and in Monday's Observer newspaper, the Lepea village council (their fono ale nu'u) acted swiftly to punish Lepou for his actions. Lepou and his family were told, in no uncertain terms, that they were to be banished from the village. They were to have until 4pm Monday to comply by the order.

Tuesday's Observer provided the next chapter of the story. The Land & Titles Court, responsible for mediating issues of customary land and matai title ownership amongst other things, ruled that there was nothing in Samoan legislation that specifically denied Lepou the right to stand as a candidate. This in itself was not particularly surprising I suppose. However, Lepea's response was to _decide_ to allow the Land & Titles Court ruling to stand strikes me as a fine indicator of the power (if not always absolute) at the village level.

Some colleagues at work have told me that in similar situations in the past, where a family has been banished only for the decision to be overruled, it has not been uncommon for that family's house to be burnt down and for the family to be otherwise ostracised from the community anyway. I doubt strongly that something like this might happen in the case of Lepou; the real test will be which way the members of Lepea vote come election day.

"If it's bad...it must be good!"

2006-03-21T14:12:00.000-11:00

So reads the slogan for Bad Billy's, one of the premier bars/clubs in Apia. It's not as upmarket as Paddles but it consistently draws bigger crowds and plays pretty much exactly the same music (mind you, so does every other bar in Apia). It's definitely my favourite place to head to for a night out, as I'm guaranteed to either have company in the form of other volunteers who I go with, or work colleagues and other locals that I inevitably bump into whilst there. They also serve good cold beer.

One of the best things about Billy's is the sign above the entrance that outlines the conditions of entry that patrons must abide by. Most of the rules (see the picture) are ones we're used to seeing in Australia but I can't ever recall a bar or club explicitly denying anyone who is, or aims to be, "too cheeky".

Palusami

2006-03-21T10:56:00.000-11:00

The Samoan dish most popular amongst all the volunteers is easily palusami. Along with taro, palusami is a staple dish, always prepared in an umu oven. The good news for us palagis however, is that you certainly don't need an umu oven to prepare your own.

To make palusami all you need are (relatively young) taro leaves and coconut cream. If you wish, you can add some onion and some varieties see small pieces of chicken or fish added too. Preparing your taro leaves is important. The thicker part of the stem running down the leaf needs to be trimmed back, and it's important to break off the tip of each leaf as you construct your palusami. Not doing so will make for a bitter taste (or so every single Samoan I've asked says).

Once you've prepared your taro leaves making the palusami is easy. Lay one big leaf flat in your hand and rip up another into three or four small pieces and place them on top of the leaf. Make a small pocket of the leaf and place some diced onion in and then pour coconut cream in. Fold the leaf over to enclose the pocket and then wrap the leaf with aluminium foil.

Place the palusami in a small baking tray and cook in a conventional oven for about 45-60 minutes at 200° C. Simply unwrap the foil and carefully lift the palusami onto your plate. Yum!

Pictured here is a photo from the night a few of us made our palusami. Along with the palusami we cooked a couple of red snapper caught that morning (simply salted and dusted with flour) and some taro, carrot and breadfruit tempura. Served with some cold Vailima (the local beer) it made for a perfect pseudo-Samoan dinner.

More Manono

2006-03-13T14:58:00.000-11:00

Here are two more photos from Manono. The boat pictured here is Leota's, berthed at the end of the concrete ramp that leads directly up to his house. The other photo was taken at one of the other three villages on Manono, where a group of young kids were playing by the water's edge.

Village life

2006-03-13T14:50:00.000-11:00

Whilst staying on Manono I had the opportunity to learn a little about the nature of village politics and the role that matai play in the management of family and village affairs. Leota (pictured here) is a matai (chief) of his village and also the head of his aiga (extended family). He was more than happy to explain his responsibilities to both his family and his village and village politics more generally.

Leota was absent from his house for most of Saturday as he was busy attending his village's monthly fono ale nu'u (literally "meeting for the village"). Once a month the villagers meets to discuss (at length) any and all issues until a satisfactory outcome is reached. The nature of the discussion during these meetings is to avoid direct confrontation. Typically everyone will talk around an issue until a consensus or majority view is reached.

After the fono ale nu'u finished, Leota and all the other matai held another meeting to elect a new head matai for the village. The previous chief matai passed away in February and it was time to appoint someone in the position. Leota spoke only a little of the nature of the role but made it clear that the head matai effectively held the power of veto for any issue discussed during a fono ale nu'u. It would seem that this power is rarely used; any head matai who decides against the majority view too many times may well find themselves stripped of their position.

The head matai represents only one aspect of the village’s power structure, a largely intra-village focused one. The pulenu'u is a matai who has been selected to represent the village in all broader affairs, typically regional and national government driven. The best analogy we have in Australia is that of the town mayor. The head matai is normally not elected as the pulenu’u.

The fono ale nu’u exists to provide an arena for everyone to raise their concerns and discuss village business but specific village responsibilities fall upon a number of different committees. In this way the business of managing the village is shared amongst all of its inhabitants. The women’s committee, known as the aualuma, typically discuss beautification projects for the village and fundraising activities. Married and unmarried women over the age of 21 (or younger but out of school) attend these meetings. The aumaga or taulealea is the young men’s committee, where all untitled men over the age of 21 are typically responsible for managing the village’s plantations and other labour intensive tasks (fishing, grass cutting, etc., preparing umu). I’ve already mentioned the matai-only meetings that take place.

The hierarchy within villages would appear quite established. Leota certainly gave the impression that such is the case. However, as most of the village’s business is determined through consultation and communally reached decisions, there seems little opportunity for strongly individualistic behaviour. The pulenu’u or head matai for example, are going to find it difficult to exploit their positions for personal gain.

There would seem little to indicate that this manner of managing village business is going to change much in Samoa for a while. It is really only in Apia that there is a weakening of these structures. The main reason for this would be that many of people here only live in Apia because of work obligations. Even so, many return home to their own villages over the weekend, where their social and community responsibilities still lie.