Week Three
Wednesday, 21st June
For some reason I couldn't sleep last night and was still wide awake at 2am. Maybe it's something to do with the new moon and the Southern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice - shortest day of the year and all that?
Although here in the tropics the hours of daylight are pretty consistent all year around. At the moment the sun makes its appearance around 6:49am then disappears by 6:08pm. Day transforms to night and vice versa very swiftly here, no lingering sunrises or sunsets.
I dropped Pablo at work and picked up a few groceries from Lynn’s then headed back up the hill. It was a pretty quiet day today as I didn’t have a lot of energy from lack of sleep, but it was still a productive one as I worked on the blog.
I ate esi (papaya) for breakfast then a ham, cheese & tomato toastie, that I had picked up from Lynn’s earlier for lunch; followed by a sweet, frozen, lady-finger banana. By 3pm I had a serious case of cabin fever so I decided to meet the local ladies down at the Taumeasina lagoon again for a swim.
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| Taumeasina Lagoon |
Photo credits: Vanya Taule'alo
It chose to rain just as I reached my destination. I made a dash for the gate, lucky that Yeti was in the garden, who quickly let me in. Vanya has an open door policy and she welcomed me inside their lovely home, which used to be their cafe/art gallery from 2015-2019 until Covid hit. It is full of incredible art and artefact, exactly my kind of place.
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| Vanya & Yeti's Place |
Before long, Sia (the playwright who I had met the previous time) arrived. It had stopped raining so we trundled across the road for a swim. It was perfectly cool with the tide coming in and barely any seagrass. We lost track of time as conversation flowed.
I dropped Sia at her home (she lives at the Galumoana Theatre), in Vaivase near Samoa College, enroute to collecting Pablo from work. I made a beef stir fry with rice for dinner then had an early night.
Thursday, 22nd June
Had a much better sleep and more energy today. After dropping Pablo at work I stopped at Myna’s to get yet more groceries, including a container of a popular Samoan breakfast dish called Koko Rice, for $5 tala. It was warm and delicious. I only had a few mouthfuls but it will keep for the next few mornings.
Sela wanted to clean this morning so I made myself scarce and headed up the hill to investigate the Forest Cafe. This is owned by Samoa College old girl, Chanelle Philipp. It took a little time to find this hidden gem in the tropical rain-forest, but when I finally figured it out I had to take the driveway nice and slow. It wouldn’t do to bottom out Pablo’s little car. A gutless 1500cc Toyota Ractis.
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| Pablo's car 'The Ractis' |
The Forest Cafe is pretty popular on a weekend so being a week-day, I was glad to have the place to myself. I could hear the nearby waterfall and stream cascading below the open-air cafe. The setting was lush and once again I was struck by the similarity to our NZ bush. There were a few mozzies around but there was complimentary insect repellent on hand.
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| Forest Cafe |
https://www.samoa.travel/plan-book/activities/forest-cafe/
Chanelle was a year ahead of me at college, in Form 4A (Apolima). I used to have a massive crush on her older brother Lionel, who was in the 6th form and mates with Shelley. (I was definitely punching above my weight back then, as he was part of that cool “in crowd”). Plus her younger brother Glenn was sweet on one of my best friends, Bonnie Baer. There were several instances that cemented my crush on Lionel, but one of the first involved hair.
Mum had decided that while we were in Samoa she would become the family hairdresser. I naively let her cut my hair once but refused to EVER let her touch it again. She would even resort to chasing me around the compound, but was unsuccessful in her attempt to catch me. In time my hair grew out of control, until Mum finally relented and let me get a proper haircut with a qualified hairdresser.
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| Mum cutting (Dad's apprentice) Fale's hair |
A few days after my trim, I was at college and it was raining. On those days we were allowed to walk in the indoor corridors between classes. Lionel walked towards me from the opposite direction in the hallway, suddenly he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “nice haircut”. My heart pounded and I blushed beetroot red, flattered that he had noticed.
When Lionel left school our paths would still cross on the school run most mornings, sitting in the back of our respective pick-up trucks; on occasion he would wave or nod. Another night our family was coming home from town and he was driving their fancy big American pick-up truck. He followed us for part of the way and flashed his lights at me.
Then Shelley invited me out to the Tusitala with her friends one night, knowing full well that I had a crush on Lionel and that he would be there. I would have been all of thirteen or fourteen. I was surprised that mum and dad had let me go and that I was allowed to drink shandies, which cost about 20sene.
During the course of the evening, Lionel bought me a drink. I insisted on paying him for it but he wouldn’t accept my money, so I thought I would put the coins in his pocket. As I slipped my hand inside, I inadvertently felt his dick. OMG, I was absolutely mortified and ran to hide in the bathroom for the rest of the night. Talk about gormless!
Upon my return to NZ, I would often stare at Lionel's picture in my school jourrnal and day-dream about meeting him again one day, when I was older. I’d heard through the grapevine that he'd moved to Hawaii, to become an airline pilot. Then by chance, it actually happened.
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| Lionel - the object of my desire |
It would have been in the latter half of 1985 when I was nineteen going on twenty. I had left school a couple of years prior and was working for Douglas and Stephanie Myers (the Lion Breweries Beer Baron), as a nanny to their three children, Jessica, Laura and Campbell.
I was incredibly fortunate because each year the family would travel abroad for a couple of months, over the NZ Summer holidays. At the time of meeting Lionel, we were prepping to go to Europe with Doug’s parents (Sir Kenneth & Lady Margaret), his sister (also a Stephanie) her hubby John Clark and their three kids, Sophie, Lutie and Charlie plus their nanny, who had become my good friend, Louise Fleming (nee Walsh) who hailed from Palmerston North.
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| Disneyworld, Florida with the Myers |
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| Zermatt & Matterhorn with Louise |
On this particular day, Louise and I had gone to the Victoria Park Markets in Auckland and there was a cute guy doing a window-washing display at the market entrance. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Louise and I wandered about, did our thing but as we left; passing by the cute guy again, he called out my name. I did a double take while my brain had a simultaneous flash-back. The cute guy was none other than Glenn.
Naturally we got to talking and I asked after the family. He told me that they had relocated to the North Shore in Auckland, near Birkenhead and that Lionel happened to be visiting them from Tahiti; where he now lived. My heart sang at this news and as this was in the days before cell-phones, we exchanged land-line numbers.
Lionel and I chatted on the phone for several weeks before we actually met. I could sense that he was dragging the chain as he kept canceling plans at the last minute. Finally he confessed that he was separated with a new-born son. With that off his chest we did meet, both genuinely curious after all this time.
In Switzerland for the New Year, I received a love letter from Lionel where he compared my beauty to the moon and stars and made plans to meet me in Hawaii. You can imagine I was pretty devastated when he was a no show and some weeks after my return to NZ I plucked up the courage to visit his parents house. Where Chanelle answered the door and told me that he had returned to Tahiti to be with his wife.
Phew, what a memory from many moons ago!!!
On a lighter note, judging from the number of expositions I unearthed (while researching my current trip), that were published in the Samoa College School Journal of 1979, it appears Lionel may have been a budding writer/poet.
Plus, twenty-five years after the first Baha'i settled in the island's of Samoa, the Baha'i House of Worship, 8kms from Apia, was completed in 1984 and built on land that Chanelle's parents sold off; up in Tiapapata. It serves as the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands.
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| Baha'i Temple, Apia |
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| Aquatic Centre |
I also connected with Dorothy Kamu today. We have made plans to meet up early next week so I can meet Donna, who lives with her in Siusega. It sounds like Dorothy is a busy lady with work, she and her husband own a garden/landscape business called Greenland Services.
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| Dorothy Kamu, Erana & Raewyn McKenzie |
It was a quiet night. Pablo crashed out early, so I made myself sushi with sardines, cucumber and avocado (wasn't bad actually) and read before lights out.
Friday 23rd June
I had a another cruddy nights sleep. Pablo went off to work and took the car, so I had the place to myself. I did a lot of writing and listened to the radio, well at least I tried to. It was very noisy as the boys, Michael and Sila were being industrious, “mowing” the lawns with the whipper snipper, while their ghetto blaster pumped loud music at the highest possible decibel.
I had stalked Ariane Stevenson (nee Vaai) on facebook in my insomnic state last night so I was thrilled that she had responded to my message this morning. My parents were friendly with her Australian mum Kaye and Samoan dad Rapi, who have since divorced. Ariane and her little brother Alesana were quite a lot younger than I, but we three kids thought she was cute as a button. Besides which, I wasn’t sure if she would even remember me.
Kaye was in the music group with mum plus worked as a teacher at Leifiifi Intermediate. Rapi was a lawyer and I understand that he is now quite high up in the Samoan Judiciary as a Supreme Court Judge (Lesatele Rapi Vaai) and President of the Land & Titles Court of Samoa.
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| Rapi, Kaye, Ariane & Alesana Vaai |
I had tried to email Ariane before I left NZ, but the address that Kaye (who lives in Oz), had passed onto mum appeared to be invalid and kept bouncing back. These days, Ariane works for the Australian High Commission, managing their Education and Scholarship program.
Ariane’s husband Courtney runs Stevenson’s at Manase, a hotel in Savai’i. They have three daughters, two of whom attend school in NZ. The girls will be home for the forthcoming school holidays, so Ariane has invited me to join them all for lunch, Sunday week. How wonderful, I'm really looking forward to meeting them. She will ask Rapi to come also.
https://www.samoa.travel/plan-book/samoa-accommodation/stevensons-at-manase/
Pablo got home around 6pm and suggested we go out for a meal. He wanted to check out the night life at Turtle Lounge, which had been advertising their venue on Apia Expat’s. It was a half hour drive away and was dark by the time we reached Saleimoa. Except that it wasn't located where Google Maps said it should be.
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| Turtle Lounge |
Apart from a gorgeous fa'afafine (biological males who are raised and identify as women) and a few local punters drinking Towers of Taula (6lt of beer for $35 tala), the place was pretty dead. The thumping music also killed any chance of conversation. Maybe we were there a couple of hours too early? Malia, the guy singing live did have a fantastic voice though.
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| Tower of Taula |
Pablo and I literally could not hear ourselves think. With only one meal option on their menu, which didn't really appeal and the fact that they served their beer warm (mine was served in a jug of ice), we decided to bail and head to town for dinner instead.
The pictures of the venue in the daytime look stunning, as it is right on the water’s edge. There is even a swimming pool and beach fales. The pool was empty, however we were told it was going to be filled overnight for a private party tomorrow. So maybe it’s a place to come in the day for a drink but not at night.
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| Turtle Lounge - Daytime |
https://www.facebook.com/TurtleLoungeSamoa/
We ended up at Sails, located on the waterfront down the end of Mulinu'u Point. Pablo introduced me to the owners Ian (originally from Tasmania) and his Samoan wife Lyvia. She is another Samoa College Old Girl but our paths did not cross back then, as her first year was 1981 after I had left.
We had a lovely meal. I tried the poke (another version of raw fish with soy sauce instead of coconut milk) and had stir fried veges with rice for a main. Pablo had an interesting tuna dish. Overall it was excellent food at an affordable price. I've also heard their cultural show/fiafia on a Thursday night is outstanding, so I may return for that.
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| Poke |
https://www.facebook.com/sailssamoa/
As we travelled up the Cross Island Rd back to Vaoala, we could see a big fale full of people playing bingo. Bingo is pretty big in Samoa these days, legitimate gambling sanctioned by the church! I’ve been told the cost is $20 tala for eighteen bingo cards and they have cash prizes.
There were also a number of cars in the driveway. A farewell party for the NZ family from Johnsonville, Wellington, who have been staying for the last little while. They return home tomorrow morning..
Saturday, 24th June
I must be getting acclimatised, I slept without the fan on! Although I do keep waking up with the birds, those damn Mynahs are noisy. I hauled my butt out of bed and went for a walk. As I exited the apartment Celine was about to leave in her car. I noticed she spoke to someone on the other side of the fence as she closed the gate.
As I walked down the driveway I noticed a palagi man lurking between the trees of the neighbouring property. The dogs, Snowy & Lucky and puppies, Lady & Wally, were making friends with his dog through the fence. I didn’t quite catch the name of the dog or it’s breed but it was cute and rather unusual. It looked similar to my friend Pip’s Chow Chow, but not as hairy. A Eurasier perhaps?
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| The dogs of Vaoala |
The man introduced himself as Gareth Hoar. He and his wife Rebecca moved in about a week ago. Turns out he is the new British High Commissioner, which explains why there had been construction of a new gate-house at the bottom of their driveway this last week. I had been wondering who lived there as it is a nice property with a pool. Hopefully I will make his wife’s acquaintance soon.
This morning I walked further uphill, past the shrine to another side street, which wasn’t sign-posted but is known as the Eddie’s Red Box Road. Named for the big red box with Eddie’s name painted in white with a cross alongside it, at the intersection of the Cross Island Rd.
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| Eddie's Red Box Rd signage |
In the distance I saw a young man pop out of the bushes onto the road with a giant speaker. He promptly set it on the ground and pushed play. The loud music disturbed the peace and would have woken the neighbours (if not the dead) within miles of the vicinity. He turned it down as I approached and politely called out, “Do you remember me?”
Funnily enough I did. It was Michael from the house, he told me that he was waiting for Sila. I continued on with my walk to the end of the road. It was flat with lots of houses, barely any view or cars and only one dog barked at me. On my return Sila had arrived with Stacey and they sat watching Michael clear a small graveyard. I was told that the NZ family were paying them handsomely to clean up the plot.
According to Sila the party finished up in the wee hours around 2am. Luckily the place is pretty sound-proofed (concrete walls) so I didn’t hear a thing. He wanted to know why I didn’t go to bingo with Sela last night. I told him that Pablo had wanted to go out for dinner. Guess what I might be doing next Friday night.
After breakfast and a shower, Pablo and I headed down the hill to collect our laundry before heading to the SWAG markets. Vanya was there this week. Her stall is called ‘The Eclectic Nomad’. She was selling postcards of her artwork, jewellery and these cool recycled bags made from coffee packets. Will definitely buy something of hers before I return to NZ.
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| Vanya's recycled bags |
Pablo bought some of her postcards and sushi while I purchased a pomelo (giant grapefruit). We then headed back to the drive-through veggie market, but this we time parked and wandered through. Pablo picked up some bok-choy, capsicum, tomatoes, carrots and lemons (better than limes for the oka, apparently). While I purchased a pineapple, bananas, cucumber and onions.
From there we headed to a fish shop and Pablo bought 1kg of Masi Masi (Dolphinfish) for $35 tala. A little further down the road was a french bakery called Metro Store. Pablo got a fresh baguette and I purchased a smoked salmon roll and one Pain au Chocolat.
https://www.facebook.com/MetroStoreSamoa/
After putting the groceries away I sliced up the pineapple and fried up the last of the eggplant then made a sweet potato and carrot bake, as my contribution for tonight’s dinner of fish and bok-choy that Pablo is cooking.
I will make oka for dinner tomorrow night before Pablo flies back to NZ for a holiday. He informs me that he won't be returning to Samoa until 8th July now, instead of the 5th. He is going to visit his daughter Jess and grandsons in Masterton. His wife Jo will also fly from Canberra to join them. His daughter Jess makes cool things with Lego.
https://www.facebook.com/jessmakesearrings/
Once Pablo returns, I will have nine days before my next visitor arrives. My friend Kate Larkindale from Wellington is coming to stay and arrives 17th July. Pablo has agreed that she can stay in the spare single room if she pays $500 tala for the week. Can't wait for her to come hang out and re-visit Samoa too.
Her family arrived in Samoa about the time we left. Her parents are John and Philippa Larkindale and he was the Tokelau Administrator. She is my sisters age and attended Apia Primary. Years later (when I did my Masters degree in Creative Writing at the IIML, Victoria University), I worked with Kate at the Paramount Cinema in Wellington (2009-2012); which is how we came to be mates and made the Samoa connection.
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| Kate Larkindale - Then |
Photo credits: Kate Larkindale.
Coincidentally, I used to work with a Mary Caffin (who I have since lost touch with) at the Bridgeway Cinema in Northcote, Auckland; when I was doing my Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts degree at UNITEC (2001-2003). She also arrived in Samoa shortly after we left. From memory her dad replaced Doug Laws as NZ High Commissioner. Kate also knew her and Vanya tells me she taught Mary at pre-school.
I am hopeful that my friend Bonnie Baer, who I recently reconnected with after forty years, might also make it back to Samoa while I'm here; but at this stage it isn't looking likely due to her family committments. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and as well as having similar sounding names (Connie & Bonnie), we are the same age and share a birthday in February.
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| Bonnie Baer |
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| Erana, Bonnie & Martha |
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| Raewyn, Bonnie & I |
Martha and my sister Erana, being the same age also became friends; and both girls attended Apia Primary. Due to the different schooling system, Bonnie was a year behind me and first went to Leifiifi Intermediate then St Mary's College the following year. Bonnie's mum Anna was from Saipan in the north of the Mariana Islands. The girls had inherited their mothers good looks and while Martha was gorgeous, I thought Bonnie was beyond beautiful, inside and out.
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| Erana & Martha |
Sunday 25th June
It was too hot to go for a walk today. The weather forecast is for sunshine all this week. When Pablo surfaced he asked if I would like to join him. He was going to the Cornwall Cafe for breakfast, one of the few places open on a Sunday.
They have a library of sorts and as I had had no response to my post on Apia Expats, I took my finished book in the hope that I may be able to exchange it there. The lady behind the counter said yes certainly, so I had a browse.
I found a novel by Samoan author Lani Wendt Young (Albert Wendt’s niece) called ‘When Water Burns’. She recently won the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Award and is the younger sister of Tanya and Cam Wendt, who were also at Samoa College with me. It’s a signed copy too and am looking forward to reading it.
I ordered a lime juice and a breakfast salad for $29 tala, Pablo ordered pancakes. They had a steady trade in there but it took a good hour for the food and beverages to arrive on our table, luckily I had eaten a small esi earlier, before I left the apartment so I wasnt too "hangry".
On the menu, the breakfast salad was advertised as lettuce with poached eggs and bacon. The reality was a coleslaw, what looked like fried eggs and I really struggled to find the bacon…maybe half a dozen bacon bits. I was a little disappointed, but it still tasted good. After living in India it doesn’t surprise me when food doesn’t look like it sounds. However, next time I would go for the omelette.
https://www.facebook.com/cornwallrooftopcafe/
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the balcony interspersed with making the raw fish salad and garlic bread for the evening meal. It was an early night as I had offered to drive Pablo to the airport and we needed to leave by 2:30am. My lights were out by 9pm.
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| My 'Oka' (Raw Fish Salad) |
Monday 26th June
It didn’t take long to get out to the airport and home again at that time of the morning. Very little traffic, just had to watch for dogs. I crawled back into bed around 3:45am but struggled to get back to sleep. Think I must’ve nodded off around dawn before waking at 8:15am to gentle rain. It was pleasantly cool so I had a lazy lie-in and didn’t get up until 11am.
I did do an hour of yoga then showered before making myself some poached eggs and a pomelo salad; with cucumber, tomato, avocado and spring onions. Simply delish. I also sent a follow up email to Tafito’s secretaries and messaged Dorothy Kamu, about respective meet up’s, so now I wait.
The more time I spend here, random memories arise, especially around things that have disappeared. For example, there used to be an amazing bakery at Vaigaga called Aunty Lanu’s. Their loaves of white bread were so fresh and soft, plus they made a mean marble cake and the donuts were to die for.
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| Beach Rd, Apia - Then & Now |
Burns Philp has gone and is now the Chan Mow Supermarket & Department Store. Also no longer, is Isa’s Ice Cream Parlour; next to the old Post Office. It used to be a weekly ritual on a Saturday, for out family to drive into town to clear our mail box and have one of their soft serve cones. My favourite flavour was banana.
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| Nelson Libray & Town Clock - Then & Now |
Another occasional treat was dinner out at the Fale Burger. My absolute favourite was their fish burger and I still rate it as one of the best I have ever eaten. Plus I had never had a thick-shake so thick before. I used to alternate between the strawberry and banana flavoured ones.
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| Catholic Cathedral - Then & Now |
Sometimes we would watch a film at the Tivoli Theatre. I remember the first movie I ever saw in Samoa was ‘Saturday Night Fever’. It was an R16 and I was only twelve, but I was accompanied by my parents and other adults (plus I looked a lot older than my age). There was an amazing atmosphere in the rickety old wooden building. We were seated upstairs and it was so packed, people were dangling from the rafters, smoking. Just a wee fire risk, LoL.
In the late afternoon I got a phone call from Tafito. He was absolutely delighted that I had visited his office. Of course he remembered me and our family. It sounds like he is quite busy as Parliament is in session and he has quite a few cabinet meetings to attend. He said that he would arrange for us to meet soon.
Turns out his office opening in Sataua this week is on Friday, not Thursday and while I am keen to go, I have indicated that I would need to return to Apia by Saturday afternoon at the latest in order to attend Sia’s show and lunch at the Stevenson's on Sunday.
In the early evening I heard from Dorothy Kamu. Unfortunately she will be working tomorrow, but said I am welcome to visit Donna and Becky for afternoon tea and has given me directions to their house in Siusega. I’m looking forward to it.
The sunset this evening was the most striking I’ve seen since my arrival.
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| Sunset with Mt Vaea - view from balcony |
Tuesday 27th June
I woke a little later than I intended so I took a wee half hour walk this morning. The heat was pretty intense, it was going to be a scorcher. I explored around the Shrine of Three Hearts. They have an amazing fale there. The view from up the up hill really doesn’t get old. Sadly, photos don’t do it justice, so I will have to remember it with my eyes.
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| Shrine of Three Hearts |
I worked on my blog and made a pomelo salad for my lunch before heading out to Siusega to visit the Kamu’s. I stopped at Frankie’s hyper-market to buy some donuts and orange juice to contribute to afternoon tea. I found their place easily enough, opposite a wedding venue called ‘Manumailagi Gardens’.
https://www.facebook.com/Manumailagigarden/
The Kamu’s house is a huge old villa with a large fale attached to the front. A few dogs ran to greet me and Becky was in the garden. I would never have recognised her, as she would have been only four years old when we left. Donna on the other hand, looked the same, only 40+ years older, like the rest of us.
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| Donna Kamu |
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| Becky Kamu |
We had a lovely afternoon reminiscing and catching up with family news. Donna told of her husband Lalomilo's passing, from a stoke in 1996, aged fifty-four. Way too young. They had a beautiful love story. Donna who hails from Kansas met Lalomilo in the late 1950’s in New Jersey were they were both studying Theology.
Upon completion of his studies, Lalomilo returned to Samoa and his village of Faleula, while Donna moved to Alaska for work. They maintained a long distance relationship until he went back to America, made her his wife and brought her to Samoa to live, way back in 1966. How romantic is that! They had four children (now adults in their forties and fifties) Alo, Dorothy, Junior & Becky.
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| Lalomilo Kamu |
Lalomilo then returned to study Agricultural Science, which is how he came to be managing the SMLD from 1975-1983, when Dad came to work for him. Donna tells me that the cows they once had on the Land Development Scheme eventually had to be slaughtered due to contracting Bovine Brucellosis.
In 1983 the Kamu family moved to the United Kingdom for six years while Lalomilo completed his PhD in Theology. On their return to Samoa in 1989 they spent a year a Piula before he became the General Director of Methodist Schools. They subsequently moved to their house in Siusega in 1993. His early death came as a big shock and was a huge loss for the family and to the Methodist community.
Dad remembers Lalomilo as being a very fine man. He spoke English well, was articulate and if visitors came to the SMLD to look around, he was knowledgable and able to answer their questions with ease. He had his finger on the pulse with everything that was going on and had a good working relationship with his staff. I remember him as being a very kind person.
Donna was able to tell me that the old rectory at Piula where the McKenzie's, Upson's and they once lived lived was destroyed in a tropical cyclone. Ditto for their old house at the SMLD, Levaula. I imagine it would have been the same hurricane that razed our old house and the neighbours ones too.
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| Kamu's house, SMLD, Levaula |
Becky had made a delicious quiche for our afternoon tea accompanied by a refreshing lime juice. Currently she works as a care-giver to Donna and in her spare time works on her art, preparing for her next exhibition. I admired the carvings she created on some side tables.
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| Becky's table carvings |
I also met Whitey their ram, although he looks more like a goat to me. He was quite a character and kept bleating and headbutting the screen door trying to get inside the house. Unfortunately I won’t get to meet Junior and his wife on this trip as they are based in the Tokelau, but I hope to meet Dorothy and Alo sometime soon. They were both busy with work.
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| Whitey the ram |
From there I headed to Taumeasina Lagoon for a swim. It was too bloody hot and I couldn’t wait to get in the water. My weather app said "30 degrees but feels like 37"!!! The tide was right in and it was deliciously cool and deep.
This time I met Lorraine, a Samoan/Cook Island woman who has been living in Samoa since 1981. She is a sister to the All Black Bryan Williams and also the founder of the Vaiala Beach School. It is a small school but highly regarded with a long wait-list.
https://www.facebook.com/VaialaBeachSchool/
I also met James and Paula Smith and their loquacious but charming six year old daughter Poppy, who hail from Port Macquarie. They are here doing voluntary work for one year at the Don Bosco Technical College at Alafua. Pretty hard case, they have a You Tube channel called “Aussies in Samoa”, you can check them out on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/@aussiesinsamoa
Wow, I'm blown away by how fast my time here is going. That's three weeks down with five to go. Thanks to those who have given feedback and/or compliments about my blog. It is heartening to know that you are enjoying the read...so until next time take it easy out there.
onepurplefish
PS and enjoy the quotes for this week
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