So PSA, my facebook access is now even more limited (including responding to messages and uploading my pretty awesome pictures). I’m not too worried about it, and I hope you’re not either.
So on Thursday evening we met up with a group of people, both Palagis (what they call white people here) and Samoans (including some pretty small kids) to play some pick up ultimate Frisbee. It was so awesome; just playing ultimate with mostly no stall counts, out of bounds lines, or travels, never mind formations, surrounded by mountains and the ocean and palm trees and dripping sweat everywhere because of the humidity. It was just surreal. Then afterwards we met some people, one of whom is an engineer working on the new LEED certified EPA building, whom I had to talk to anyway to discuss my project. I played with his adorable kids (his daughter’s name is Noa, how cool) and we talked to the group which is just made up of such laid back people. Then on Friday we left work early (everyone is out of the office at like 2 on Fridays here…) and went swimming. There aren’t very many stretches of sand on their beach areas which is interesting.
Then on Saturday we went to this event called Toa O Le Tai Ocean Heroes Lifeguard competition which was run by this guy Bruckner Chase who is actually from Ocean City, New Jersey and is a marathon swimmer who completed the first swim from the Anu’u island to Utulei Beach here in AS. He’s involved with that Ocean Swimming Ocean Science Program and launched the Toa O Le Tai program which includes middle schoolers, high schoolers and students at the local community college. A group of them completed a marathon swim together. Anyway, this lifeguard competition was on the beach and the ocean events of the 200m swim, 500m swim, a 200m rescue swim, 500m paddleboard, 200m paddleboard pick up, a 300m run 200m swim, and a Iron Guard race which is a 300m run, 200m swim, 200m paddleboard and an Iron Guard relay. I did the 500m, the paddleboard pick up with Kelly (we got second!) and the Iron Guard relay with both Kelly and AJ. Some of these kids in the program did EVERY SINGLE EVENT which is nuts. And they placed in a bunch of them. It was such a fun day with snacks and music and so many happy interesting people, and I saw a turtle and fish while swimming. And we met the governor and Bruckner and got sunburnt. We then got lunch and hung out on the beach and swimming for a few more hours, then came home and I made patacones out of green bananas and refried beans out of black beans and we tried to make coconut bread and I just kind of dumped things in a bowl since we had no recipe and no measuring devices. I think it had flour, sugar, maple syrup, water, cornstarch, vanilla (here it’s actually fake vanilla), baking soda, baking powder, 2 mushed mini bananas, Kahlua, flax seeds (had to throw a few in there), coconut milk, toasted coconut flakes we cut from the coconut. And I really like it. It’s great warmed up and dipped in maple syrup or peanut butter, oh how healthy…Then we went to this party with people doing a program kind of like Teach for America where they are volunteers teaching in American Samoa. It was really fun, and they were super interesting. They have been here for a year, and some are really ready to leave, some are planning on staying longer. One of the girls taught in Japan for 4 years then I believe in Sweden.
The next day we went to this place called Tisa’s Barefoot Bar which is really really cool and has a beautiful beach and we met this guy from the UK and his family and ran into the guy we played Frisbee with and his family as well. They love it here and are great. We took pictures, hung out on the beach, I read, went swimming, were there for the entire afternoon. When I find a good way to post pictures (please tell me how to do it here or a good site to do it on!) I’ll put up a bunch from there. Then we went home and I did an Insanity work out because AJ brought the DVDs and then we made stir fry and our new Coast Guard friend Dave came over and I fell asleep on the couch at about 10:30. We really are trying to stay up later here, but it’s just so hard. We always fall asleep at about 9:30.
Some other funny things I forgot to mention. One is that AJ got pulled over the other night going about 19 miles an hour, his first time driving here, and his first time getting pulled over ever, and we were all freaking out. However, the cops here wear t-shirts, when they ask to see your license, they just look at it and don’t run it through anything, and they are super laid back. Apparently our lights were just really weak, which we knew, and now we have to drive around with our brights on at night.
Also, we basically have a host family here; the family of our landlord that lives on our property. They bring us food, give us advice on where to go out, and the woman talks about how she misses her kids and we remind her of them (she lived in LA and all of her kids are still in the states and she came over here 3 years ago to take care of her mother who had a stroke and hasn’t seen them in 3 years and has never met her grandkids). Yesterday she told us we could use her washing machine and hang things up to dry in her garage, and then she helped me hang everything up and then when it was done drying she took it all down and folded it for us. She told us we can just leave our dirty clothes in a laundry basket for her, and she’ll wash them for us. Seriously it’s crazy how wonderful they are. (See Mom, no worrying, I’m being taken care of here just like in Costa Rica! Well, almost…)
A kind of sad thing is that there are stray dogs everywhere, and last night we came home to find a really sickly puppy curled up on our front step. It was heart wrenching to not be able to do anything about it. We just can’t believe it seems like no one is doing anything to address the issue.
Also, some other cool things I have learned. One is that plastic bags have been banned here, and the only ones they can have are biodegradable. The issue with that is they don’t biodegrade correctly if they aren’t composted, which they never are. But it’s much better than it was before. The thing is, with these bags, people think it’s okay to always use plastic bags since they are biodegradable, but that doesn’t mean the reduce idea shouldn’t still be practiced. Also, they are really getting recycling infrastructure developed here! So much sand from the beaches is taken for funerals and to use as filler in cement and such, and the fine for removing it is only five dollars…which is nuts…so they have the equipment and are starting to pulverize plastic bottles to use instead of sand. The Terretorial Energy Office is funding recycling pick up to bring glass bottles to do this, aluminum to be shipped off the island and recycle, and the plastic will be sent to Taiwan where a Buddhist organization will use it to make blankets for survivors of natural disasters and will provide schools here with some school uniforms made from their old plastic bottles. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Also, solar energy is getting more popular, and it just has so much potential. As Kristine (an awesome woman who graduated from AU’s International Environmental Politics program and works at the Coral Reef Advisory Group) said: there is no reason this entire island shouldn’t be covered in solar panels. So that’s exciting! And I am learning so much more about the potentials and limitations in cutting carbon emissions for FBNMS and on the island in general. There are so many simple steps to be taken like refilling water jugs (can do it for 50 cents a gallon at so many places) rather than those obnoxious disposable bottles everyone uses and which are the only water option provided at all restaurants…And then stocking our new offices with reusable plates and cups and not allowing plastic bottles or paper towels or anything inside of the building. There is a huge obsession with styrafoam here as well, and the question is what is an inexpensive, resilient alternative for these take out restaurants to use?
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