Life In Samoa Archives

10 October 2003Departure Tax
Here's the last picture taken of me in Samoa: Departure Tax...
07 October 2003Samoan Artist
I met Tile when I was kiliing time before my flight home. He was sitting in front of the boutique in the waiting lounge penning this amazing image of "Samoa." It turns out he's quite an accomplished guy. There...
06 October 2003Tofa Soifua, Samoa
Tonight, I'm leaving the fair shores of the "Island of Beautiful People." It's been an interesting experience here. Samoa is a wonderful place. I leave behind many good friends and even more good memories. Though Samoa is just a speck...
30 September 2003Falling Coconuts
There's one thing in Samoa that I will not miss and that is the coconuts that fall from the tree next to my house and land on my tin roof sounding like a massive bomb or something. It never fails...
30 September 2003Pizza Cutter for Andrew
My friend Van returned from New Zealand bearing one of the nicest gifts I have ever received, a Good Grips® Pizza Cutter. It's so sweet considering how much I like to make pizza and how much of a pain it...
29 September 2003NFL on Sunday
I went down to the Hotel Insel Fermarhn this morning to watch NFL games with the boys, but when I got there, no one was around. I was a little late, I suppose. Insel picks up Armed Forces TV from...
28 September 2003The Most Beautiful Spot in Samoa
There might be a long debate amongst volunteers about which spot in Samoa is the most beautiful, but for my money, it's none other than Ole Moe Falls on the southwest side of Savai'i near the district of Palauli....
24 September 2003Left on a Jet Plane
After much wrangling with Polynesian Air over a delayed/rescheduled flight, Jennifer hit the friendly skies and headed back to California. It was great fun to have a visitor and to show off the beauty of Samoa. I know it's a...
23 September 2003Rainy Season Returns
The rain has been pelting Apia in the last few days signaling the end of the cool/dry season and the return of the wet/hot season in Samoa. Yachts are slowly leaving Apia Harbor for safer anchorages around the Pacific. A...
21 September 2003Samoa's Wicked Banyan Trees
If you make the drive back from the southeast coast of Upolu to Apia, you'll come across a section of Samoa covered in massive Banyan trees or Aoa in Samoan. They look so out of place here. They look...
19 September 2003Lady Ursula
About a week ago, I heard a news story on Radio Polynesia about a "new" ferry making the trip from the Savai'i to Upolu. The boat, called "Lady Ursula" supposedly had a departure from Savai'i at 4:30pm. This was...
14 September 2003Fao Fao Siva Afi
Fao Fao puts on one the best fiafia's in Samoa which is highlighted by a wicked Siva Afi or Fire Knife Dancing. Fire Knife Dancing has become synonymous with Samoan entertainment even though it is not a part of...
10 September 2003Vailima
MY DEAR COLVIN, - This is a hard and interesting and beautiful life that we lead now. Our place is in a deep cleft of Vaea Mountain, some six hundred feet above the sea, embowered in forest, which is...
08 September 2003Miss Samoa 2003
Miss Samoa Pageant 2003 - 2004 Congratulations to Punipuao Cilla Brown from for being crowned Miss Samoa 2003 over the weekend. What is she going to do as Miss Samoa? I have no idea. Presumably she'll do something like the...
07 September 2003Rosemary Blue Cheese Pizza & Miss Samoa
(from the original Moosewood Cookbook via Peter Haarsgaard) Ingredients: 1 cup room temperature water 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbs honey or sugar (go with the honey - my addition) 2 1/2 to 3...
06 September 2003Finally, a Spice Garden
A few weeks before I left for Samoa, I was dragged by a friend of mine to a Toastmasters meeting in Santa Cruz, CA. I'm not a big fan of public speaking, but Karen had been raving about Toastmasters for...
05 September 2003Miss Tutti Frutti
Last night, the Samoan Fale at the Kitano Tusitala Hotel was packed for the 4th annual Miss Tutti Frutti Pagent. By the time Jen and I arrived around 6:45, there were more cars in front of the Kitano than I...
04 September 2003First Visitor
In the wee hours of the morning, I made my way down to Faleolo Airport to pick up Jennifer, my first, and hopefully not last, visitor. For some reason most planes that arrive and depart Samoa do so in the...
03 September 2003Massive Quake Hits Samoa
A massive eathquake rocked Apia in the early morning hours yesterday. I was working on the computers in the Peace Corps office at about 7:30 in the morning when the place started vibrating like mad. The shaking didn't stop for...
30 August 2003Teuila is Here!
The biggest cultural event in Samoa is the Teuila Festival in September, featuring choir singing, fire-knife dancing, parades, cricket tournaments, siva (traditional dance), fautasi (longboat) racing, the Miss Samoa contest, amongst other things. If you were to spend a...
29 August 2003Happy Birthday, Paleni! We love you, Amigo!
28 August 2003The Last Time I'll Ever Mention Mars on This Site (Most Likely
Ok, so I've mentioned Mars a few times, but it is one of the most incredible thngs I've ever seen, so I suppose I can be excused. Yesterday, at at 9:51 GMT Mars and Earth were only 55,758,006 km...
27 August 2003Pua'a
When I originally built American Idle, I had a section on it called, "Word of the Week". I built little flash movies to explain Samoan words. The idea was to have a new one every week (duh!), but I couldn't...
27 August 2003Fautasi is coming!
Fautasi boats are massive boats, with crews of 50 or so, that are raced a few times a year in Samoa. The races between villages are the highlight of Independence Day and the upcoming Teuila Festival. These boats are...
22 August 2003Bada Bing!
I picked up a TV and a VCR from a departing PCV. I don't really need it. I have lived without a TV for a long time and could continue to do so indefinately. However, it is another good insight...
18 August 2003Yachties in Apia for Teuila
Yacht Owners in Town by Malia Sio and Josephine Nickel 18 August 2003 Couple Clive and Jane Green are in town with friends Niel and Brycea Meyer. The couples have just come from the Northern Cooks, and will be...
14 August 2003School Girls
09 August 2003Champ of Champs
Champ of Champs is one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Samoa. It brings together all the winning athletes from the secondary school district competitions all over the country. I wanted to go and take pictures....
06 August 2003Surprise Phone Call
Last night, I got a great surprise when my phone rang and on the other end was my mom. I hadn't talked to her in about 10 months and it was so strange to hear her voice. I almost didn't...
03 August 2003I want my Monterey Roast Beef Sandwich
There's nothing really exceptional about this picture. It's your standard portrait of a mom and her son working at the family fale'oloa. What I love about this shot is her t-shirt. Here's this woman wearing an "I want my...
01 August 2003Going Away for the Weekend
Tomorrow I'm taking off for the big island of Savai'i where I'm going to plant my ass firmly in the sand and do nothing for the entire weekend but eat, sleep, swim and lie in the sun (that is if...
01 August 2003A Little Goes a Long Way
I wasn't planning on it, but I went shopping today for new shirts. There's a store in town called CCK (stands for coffee, cocoa & kava, none of which you can buy at the store-go figure). CCK is a two...
01 August 2003Riding sans Helmet
Stacy, the Samoa CD, is out of the country, so I've been riding out town without a hemet with impunity, more or less. It's so great not to have that unwieldy brain bucket on my head which makes me feel...
26 July 2003National Youth Choir of Great Britain
On Friday night I was walking by the National Cathedral along Beach Road with a few friends. It was raining. We we on our way to dinner at one of the local hotels. Instead we ducked into the cathedral...
25 July 2003Seeing Mars
Last night, well for the last several nights really, I could easily make out Mars hanging about 10 o'clock in the northern sky. It's one of the brightest lights in the sky and it's bright orange, just like you'd expect...
19 July 2003Ganja Girl
It seems Chief Justice Patu Tiavaasu’e Falefatu has a full docket these days. There was a major drug bust at the Fagali'i airport. A 12-year old girl was nabbed with 9 bags of ganja attached to her person. The airport...
19 July 2003Carnal Knowledge
This item appeared in the Samoa Observer recently: Man charged with carnal knowledge By Mathew Lemisio 15 July 2003 A man appeared in the Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of carnal knowledge. Court documents identified the victim in this...
13 July 2003What's in a Name?
Would you buy Sars Cola? I don't think so. I wouldn't. But "Double Sars" cola on sale at Lyn Netzler's store in Moto'otua. It's some kind or sarsaparilla, I think, but it hardly sounds refreshing about now, does it?...
11 July 2003Freecell Update (1400 up 200 Down)
Here's an update on my Freecell addiction: I've only managed 464 games since the 16th of June. That's about 18.56 games a day, roughly. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to crack 88%. I've been struggling to...
10 July 2003Edam and Weep
Something very perpexling is happening in this country. Maybe someone out there can it explain it to me. I just went and bought a block of edam cheese at one of the local markets. It was $9.95 for a 500g...
10 July 2003Internet Prices in Samoa
Despite recent drops in prices for Internet accounts, the cost of getting online in Samoa remains out of control. The main reason is that SamoaTel, the country's subsidized telecommunications provider is in the middle of a 5 year monopoly for...
30 June 2003It's Samoa Damn It!
Yesterday I was looking at the Geek Philoshper blog. I was admiring some of their clean fonts. I sent them an email to see if I could find out their names. This morning I got a message back from Barbie...
28 June 2003Dude, I've Got a Phone
I find this to be incredible, yet I'm writing about having my phone line installed. I have a phone. I now have my own phone in my own house in Samoa. And, I'm online. It seems unreal. I only...
27 June 2003Halle-fucking-lujah
Last night I returned to my house to find a letter stuck in the door (this, incidentally, is how I receive all my bills in Samoa). I opened the letter and read the following note from the Ministry of Works,...
25 June 2003Near-Life Experience
Yesterday I was riding my bike home just before sunset. As I was passing by Aggie Grey's Hotel on Beach Road, a tourist couple was trying to cross the street. I made eye contact with them. They saw me. Initially...
23 June 2003Dude, I'm Getting a Phone
My life is about to take a serious change for the better. I know this because I went down to SamoaTel this afternoon to apply for a phone line. I'm about to get hooked up and dialed in. Now,...
23 June 2003Damn It's Cold in Here
Last night I riding home in a taxi at about 10:30, the windows were and I was freezing my ass off. I got home, out on my flannel pj's and got into bed. I had a few lavalavas for sheets...
21 June 2003Christ, Did a Cow Shit in Here?
Not cow shit, but I woke this morning to an absolutely horrid smell emanating from my kitchen. Some time in the night or the early morning a rat died in the walls of my kitchen. It smells like, well, it...
20 June 2003Ireland crushes Samoa
The day was beautiful. The game was a disappointment. Ireland shut Manu Samoa totally and completely. Samoa was only down 9-7 at halftime, they were even up 7-6 at one point after scoring the first try of the game, but...
19 June 2003Manu Samoa Tats
Tonight I got dragged to the hotel where the Manu Samoa rugby team is staying. It was a serious pain in the ass, but I'm sure the girls will be jealous. Earlier in the day, I was at the library...
19 June 2003Blogging from ANZ
I'm waiting to pick up my new ATM card here at the ANZ bank (A-N-ZED) in Apia. They've had this Dell computer set up here to promote their new online banking services. The promotion is over, but the computer is...
17 June 2003Ireland in Town
Overheard at the Peace Corps office: "There's like 40 of them, and they're gorgeous." The Ireland rugby team is in town to play Samoa and a few of the rugby-mad Peace Corps girls are going crazy. The Ireland players are...
17 June 2003I'm Addicted to Freecell
Here's an example of how much time I have on my hands. Last night I won my 1000th Freecell game. You can congratulate me later. This isn't the 1000th game since I bought this computer. Nor is it the 1000th...
13 June 2003Taxes Finally Done
After much hair pulling and stress, I finally got my fucking taxes done. Filing your returns when you live overseas is quite a challenge, I just found, even though I have an extra 2 months to file (June 15th is...
06 June 2003Starry Night
Last night I did something I will never do again as long as I live. After drinking at one of the local watering holes until about 1am, I got on my bike and pedaled home. The problem wasn't the alcohol....
05 June 2003Taumarina wins uninspiring race
By Junior Tutagalevao 05 June 2003 Traditionally it was supposed to be the sporting highlight of the Independence week celebration but the Fautasi race won by Taumarina was less than memorable on Monday at Apia Harbour. When the race finished,...
02 June 2003This is Not an Exit
I'm back. I have not been abducted by aliens. I wasn't locked in a Samoan prison camp. I didn't fall into a coma. Nor did I suffer from temporary amnesia. Temporary insanity, yes. Amnesia, not quite. So what happened? Since...
01 June 2003Sunday in Samoa
Today I did absolutely nothing and it was everything that I hoped it could be. I didn't even leave my little cage of a house. It was fantastic. I just napped, played with cats and listened to the radio. There's...
31 May 2003Apia Ironman
GALLERY: APIA IRONMAN OK, so this was not exactly an Ironman. It did involve a swim, a bike, and a run, so it was, technically speaking, a triathlon. The 300m swim, 12.5K bike ride, and 2.5K scamper, were half of...
29 May 2003High Noon at Sliding Rock
Every once in a while, I get a reminder about how beautiful Samoa is and how lucky I am to be here. Today was one of those days. Kris and I spent the day at the Papaseea Sliding Rock. Papaseea...
29 May 2003I'm So Happy I Can Cry
This came from Yahoo today: Hello Andrew, Thank you for the comprehensive information. We realize how important the email account is and we do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. We have prompted our system to generate a...
28 May 2003Yahoo with a Name
I still can't get into my Yahoo acount, but I'm hopeful of a quick solution now that I have, finally, after a month of correspondance, recieved an email from someone with a name, Carlo. Carlo, my savior. Or so I...
25 May 2003New Restaurant is a Blessing
Country Fried Chicken, a chain from New Zealand, opened it's doors on Sunday. I went and tried it. It's not all that good. Just basic fried chicken and chips. And they only have drumsticks, which isn't a big surprise since...
22 May 2003Ua Pe le Paipa
Ua Pe le Paipa is a rather colorful phrase that Samoans use when the water is out. It literally means, the pipe is dead. We haven't had water in Fagali'i since Sunday (it's Thursday now). It's a minor pain, but...
20 May 2003Locked Out
It was raining so hard last night I actually got stuck in Moto’otua in the middle of Apia. It was just raining too hard to flag down a taxi, which is the only way for me to get home at...
19 May 2003Yahoo Still Sucks
I have gotten nowhere dealing with Yahoo about my inability to get into my email. They have the worst customer service I have dealt with. Even credit report companies like Equifax are more responsive. So if you're curious why I...
18 May 2003Surf Girls
If want to see a slice of Samoan life, look no further than MTV. Surf Girls, now showing on MTV every Monday 10:30pm eastern features hot surf babes (wouldn't want to see that?) traveling the South Pacific (that's where I...
15 May 2003Sunset over Apia
Sometimes I forget that I'm living in the middle of the South Pacific. It's easy to do. You get caught up in daily life and days slip by and you just forget. Many of the worries that I thought I...
13 May 2003Weak Dollar Sucks
1 US Dollar = 2.98800 Samoan Tala 1 Samoan Tala (WST) = 0.33467 US Dollar (USD) This is the current exchange for the US Dollar against the Samoan Tala. The rate has been on a downward spiral since we arrived...
12 May 2003Return of Norbert
Last night Norbert made his return in spectacular fashion. For those of you who might not remember or didn't read my email about the critters in my house, Norbert is the foot-long green gecko that lives in my fale. So...
10 May 200305.15? Not in Samoa
HEY HEY HEY! Look what we have here. Matrix Reloaded is playing in our theaters here in SAMOA, a full five days before the release date in States. Take that! Yes, that's right. Our little speck of an island...
10 May 2003Sleepless in Apia
I stayed up late last night to finish reading Fight Club. This was after staying at the Peace Corps office until 1:23 AM to work on my blog, a never ending work in progress. I was really hoping to sleep...
05 May 2003Cinco de Mayo
Hey, it's Cinco de Mayo, even here in Samoa. So in honor of the Mexican defeat of the French at Puebla, I ate lunch at the Mexican Restaurant in town, Ricordo's (chilli con carne). Tonight I'm going to make "California"...
02 May 2003All Jacked Up
My body is betraying me at the moment. Here's a rundown: --The last two fingers on my right hand are still numb. Dr. Atherton says it's nerve damage and nothing to worry about. I should get feeling back soon. --I...
02 May 2003Don't Speed You Idiot
I was walking down to Ah Liki Wholesale on Vaea Street. It was a hot day, but I was enjoying the walk through town. I thought this would be good time to go down to Pasi's Three Corner and take...
30 April 2003Fiddler Crab Dinner
Kris and I were just walking through the market, the one called the Maketi Fou, or "New Market". We saw this guy selling a gigantic fiddler crab. He wanted 15 tala for it. We hesitated. He dropped the price to...
29 April 2003Public Notice
This notice was posted around Apia this week: Deadline For Exchanging Damaged Banknotes Over the past few years, the Central Bank of Samoa has noticed an increase in the number of damaged notes created through deliberate defacing and poor handling...
29 April 2003
I don't know what is going on, but ever since yesterday, I can't access my Yahoo! email account. This wouldn't be such a tragedy except all my email addresses are stored in there. Yahoo is being very uncooperative because of...
27 April 2003Tour de Savai'i
Just returned from a gruelling 3-day cycling tour around the big island, Savai'i. I'm exhausted, I can't feel my fingers and I desparately need something to eat. More details and pictures to follow in the days to come....
22 April 2003Blender Heaven
I finally picked up the blender that I bought at George's garage sale. It's a super-poweful Hamilon Beach 2-speed bar blender. It's awesome, chrome perfection and it's going to make my life here a whole hell of lot more tolerable....
21 April 2003A Trip Down Amnesia Lane
A taxi ride just isn't a taxi ride in Samoa unless you take a stroll down amnesia lane courtesy of the cabbie's radio. Last night, as we made the final turn behind the airport, I could make out the unmistakable...
21 April 2003Brazil Compilation
You know, when i first listened to the Brazil disc Jen sent, I didn't like it. In fact, I was kinda bummned, because the pace of the songs is generally slow, and I was looking for something a little more...
20 April 2003Pussy Whipped
I got a last minute request to feed Van's cat. I'm serious when I say last minute. By the time I found out about it, she was already in Siumu. She left me her cell phone, the key to her...
18 April 2003One Day This Walk is Going to Kill Me
Days like this when the buses don't run are no fun, especially when my bike is locked at the Peace Corps office. Today, Good Friday, incidentally, I had to be at the Peace Corps office for a meeting. With no...
14 April 2003Attacked by Punk
Today, a rainy day in Apia, there are a few tankers/freighters out in the harbor. I went for a walk around the seawall to take some shots. Around the far side, this kid started walking with me. He wanted to...
06 April 2003Drinking on the Seawall
It's Sunday. I walked down to the Peace Corps office from Fagali'i. It took about an hour an half. It was more grueling than normal because a mosquito had bit me last night on the foot right where the leather...
13 March 2003New Drinking Hole
‘Lighthouse’ to open in June By Terry Tavita 12 March 2003 Where once an Apia landmark stood, a new bar, in the same vein, will open its doors in a few months. The Lighthouse, a bar and nightclub, jointly owned...
26 February 2003Things That Go Feto'ai in the Night
SUBJECT: THINGS THAT GO FETO'AI IN THE NIGHT DATE: 26 FEBRUARY 2003 FROM: ANDREW My house in Fagali'i is a regular menagerie of critters these days, most of them, sadly, are uninvited guests. Fortunately, the two critters that do...
15 February 2003But Seriously Folks
Here's the story from the Samoa Observer about the computers donated to the DOE by ANZ. I love the part about the computers being in "very good condition". That's sort of like saying someone who's dying of cancer is in...
31 January 2003Black Beans
Tonight I had a big score. It was Friday night. I had dinner with my friend Kris at the Steakhouse-fish burgers. They were good, but not nearly filling enough. We both decided not to go drinking, but instead to...
10 January 2003My Fanau
TO: YOU SUBJECT: MY FANAU DATE: 10 JANUARY 2003 Fanau (pronounced fah-now) is one of those interesting words that is uniquely Samoan. It means children, but it only refers to the children of someone in particular. The word for...
20 December 2002Jesus of Apia
'Jesus' walks streets of Apia By Terry Tavita 19 December 2002 Donald Sooga is a man on a personal crusade. Carrying a heavy ten foot cross slung across his shoulder, he walked along Beach Road yesterday drawing the attention of...
06 December 2002Tupu Mata Piniki
This morning I had some kind of papaya jam that was so sour it was simply unpalatable. The quality of the food has gone way down since Tupu has taken sick with mata piniki and given over the the...
05 December 2002International Volunteer Day
I bet you didn't know it was International Volunteer Day. Who the fuck cares? To honor this day, we dragged our asses out of bed at some ungodly hour so that we could get to Apia by 7:30 for...
11 November 2002ANZ Bank
I'm still amazed at the lack of formality at the ANZ bank in Apia. I was able to set up and account with no identification. No drivers license. No passport. No nothing. I just showed up with the group of...
22 October 20021st Full Day in the Village
It's lunchtime and I'm sitting here in Matautu in my fale surrounded by four kids, Lelefu, Sala, Fala and Timu. Lelefu is my youngest brother. He has long hair and all last night I thought he was a girl. We...