A few pics

Tropical Cyclone Evan floods the river behind our hotel

The lobby of our hotel

The street outside our hotel

A school in Apia

Downriver from one of the hardest-hit areas of Apia

Mary's face glows from within a destroyed fale

Power, phone, off to Savai'i

We gathered as a group last night to celebrate Christmas together. We exchanged gifts as Secret Santas, listened to carols, and talked for a few hours. Then, we got a special Christmas present for all of us--the power came back on at our hotel! The hotel is still without water but it's been nice to be able to charge up our phones and computers and have light to pack with.

During our celebration someone sneaked into my room and stool my (brand new) phone. They managed to take the $9.00 of credit I had within a few minutes. I called around to the phone company and the PC safety and security officer but it seemed pretty hopeless. Then, as I was heading to my room for bed whoever took my phone had replaced it on the railing next to my door. I was happy to see it returned and if someone needed credit on their phone during the aftermath of Cyclone Evan I'm glad they were able to get it.

Now I'm packing the last of my things before they are packed into a van and we head over to the ferry to Savai'i. Update soon (I hope)!

Swearing-in

Well, I'm officially a Peace Corps Volunteer as of about an hour ago! The beginning is done and I head off to my permanent site tomorrow morning. We were originally supposed to swear-in last Friday but seeing as though the cyclone was still raging above and around us it was postponed. Unfortunately, our families from the training village weren't able to attend nor was the Prime Minister as he was intending to. But we did get to see the U.S. embassy and spend one last afternoon with most of our PC staff. I gave a short speech to the group as did the PC Country Director and the Charges de Affairs.

And the 2 years begin now...

Tropical Cyclone Evan: Update

Apia, December 14, 2012

We were hit by a cyclone yesterday. It started as a category 1 but I heard that it increased in strength to a category 2. It did quite a bit of damage and it appears that power is out on the whole island for about 2 weeks. It's been very hard to get information but it appears as though the storm is heading back our way. It already had sustained winds of ~100mph. So much rain fell that the river overflowed and flooded the area around our hotel. The Peace Corps Medical Officer told me that she had never seen damage like the flooding behind the hotel. We went into the Peace Corps office to find the floor covered in about and inch or more of mud. I don't have my phone because it's at the phone company for repairs so I haven't been able to contact any of my family.

I feel really antsy. I'd like to get out and check out the damage and help clean up if possible. We were supposed to swear in this morning but that has been pushed back indefinitely. That's sad because the Prime Minister of Samoa and the U.S. Ambassador were going to be present. I was also set to give the swearing-in speech for our group. All-in-all, a very crazy and intense beginning to our PC service.


Apia, December 16, 2012

I've been without power or internet in our hotel for almost a week now due to Evan. I was hoping to post some blogs to update about training and where we are at now. It appears that will have to wait. Parts of Apia are now getting power and I'm at an internet cafe right now. I just wanted to update everyone.

First, if you haven't heard, Tropical Cyclone Evan, a category 2 (at the time) cyclone hit Samoa last Thursday. It has delayed our training, swearing-in, and moving to our permanent sites. We are all safe but the same cannot be said for many families in Samoa. Yesterday, a group of us PC Trainees/Volunteers went to Red Cross to volunteer. We were able to help organize donations, enter data, and distribute food. The evacuation site I was volunteering at had nearly 700 people living there (with only about 4 toilets). Some of the Peace Corps staff's houses were destroyed. Their families are safe and they still came in to help clean up the PC office which had about 2-3 inches of mud in about half of the office including the director's office.

Also, I am safe. There isn't much information and we have to wait for the PC office in Wash. DC to open up tomorrow. It's already Monday here but we have to wait until Tuesday our time for any info because of the time difference. It looks like we'll be in Apia for a few more days. I'll let you know more when I can. I have plenty of pics and videos to post when I have time. It does sound like it was very lucky that we weren't in our training village. It sounds like most of our houses were destroyed.

It's weird to think that this is the holiday season--it really doesn't feel like it here with the tropical weather, muddy roads, and destruction. But, we are doing a Secret Santa gift exchange and trying to stay in the spirit of the holidays. Love to you all and send a few extra hugs around in my place for the holidays. Know that you are all in my thoughts!

(Continued: Patamea, January 10, 2013)

We ended up spending nearly an extra week in Apia. most of the time trapped in our hotel because the river's flood waters had surrounded the entire building. I was finally able to go out and view the damage a few days after the storm. While everywhere looked damaged, the areas immediately next to the river were completely demolished. On Sunday, December 15, most of us went to volunteer with the Red Cross. I spent the day helping out at an evacuation site. We distributed food and water as well as medical and hygiene kits. I heard that around 7,000-8,000 people were evacuated to different sites. That's basically a quarter of the entire population of Apia, the capitol. The mountains around Apia were more or less stripped of vegetation. It sounds like it will be a few months before farming gets back to normal. They sent us off the Savai'i on the 19th, the day after our swearing-in ceremony finally took place at the U.S. Embassy.

Videos:
Start of the storm
In full swing
Aftermath

Pictures:

 

 

 

First week in Samoa

                 When we arrived in Samoa we were all staring out the windows to get a glimpse of our new homes. We saw some islands and some pretty awesome beaches through the tiny portal windows of the airplane. Upon landing, we were greeted by press cameras and Peace Corps staff and volunteers as well as people from the embassy. It was very warm welcome and you can even see our picture in the Samoan newspaper. I think you can find it if you Google “Peace Corps Group 84 Samoa Observer” or something similar. I am typing up my blogs beforehand and just going online to post them so I haven’t been able to check that for sure but it’s definitely the Samoa(n) Observer.

                They took us to our hotel after a brief tour of Apia, the capitol. We had a short introduction and orientation meeting followed by pizza and drinks. We chatted for a bit then I went to bed quite early. The sun sets here at about 7:00ish so I’m normally in bed by 8:00pm or 9:00pm.

                The sun rose at about 7am the next morning. We all woke up, had breakfast and loaded into the vans that were taking us to the Ava Ceremony. This is a welcome ceremony in Samoa during which the host party welcomes the travelling party to the village. This was the first Peace Corps Ava Ceremony in 2 years. Normally there are new volunteers that arrive every year in Samoa but last year the Peace Corps was unable to send a group of volunteers. Even if the ceremony had happened last year, it is still an event that only happens once a year (or twice in our case). In other words, it was a very special ceremony in which the Peace Corps Samoa director, staff, and current volunteers as well as staff from the embassy participated in welcoming our new group of 13.

During the ceremony we heard the Samoan PC staff talk to us in Samoan. I understood fa’amolemole (please), fa’afatei (thank you), pisikoa (Peace Corps), and Barack Obama. The US ambassador to Samoa was also present and explained to us the history of Peace Corps in Samoa and how much respect we have (and have to earn during our time here). He also explained how the word for Peace Corps (pisikoa) in Samoan is synonymous with volunteer.  We have a lot of work ahead of us. We weren’t allowed to have cameras but the director of management and operations was able to take photos for us. I haven’t seen them yet but I’ll post them when and if they are available.

The first week of training was intense. We eagerly sat through hours of medical training to make sure we were healthy from the get go, security and safety briefings, team-building exercises, and discussions and skits from current Peace Corps Volunteers. The trainings generally lasted from 8:00am to 5:00pm. In the evenings we’d go for walks around town or hang out and recharge at the hotel with games and songs. We had some language training to prepare us for our arrival in the training village of Utulaelae where we’ll be staying with host families.

I won’t have internet access for the next few (3.5 to 9) weeks so you may not hear from me for a bit. But I’ll definitely be taking notes. Expect either a long post or several short posts all at once in a few weeks.

I’m having a blast. I wish I could write more or chat directly with more of my family friends but know that I’m definitely thinking about you. If you send me a message or email but don’t hear from me for a while please assume and understand that it is because I don’t have much internet access.

Love and peace.

Airport struggles

I'm sitting in the Los Angeles International Airport, terminal 2, gate 28. After an energizing yet at the same time exhausting staging event at the Radisson we were off to the airport. We thought we were going to be leaving at 9:45pm from terminal 7, United. After unloading the bus we were told that we were at the wrong terminal. We had to go to Air New Zealand at terminal 2. After arriving at terminal 2 and unloading we were told that our flight was leaving at 11:45pm, 2 hours later. Security was a pain and I'm exhausted. Boarding the plane now. I'll right as soon as possible.

Day Before Staging

Well, I'm here at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Murrieta, CA outside of Los Angeles. I'll be headed into Los Angeles tomorrow to meet all the other volunteers in my group (as well as about 30 volunteers who will be going to Vanuatu, an island country near Samoa). I need to be there to register tomorrow night and stay the night. Then I'll be in orientation all day on Friday. We will bus to the airport at 6:00pm and wait for our flight to Auckland which departs at 9:45pm. It will be a 13-hour flight with about a 4-hour layover in Auckland before a nearly 4-hour flight to Samoa. It's almost here!

All the things I'm bringing fit in 3 bags and weigh about 75lbs.

My address during training

Training will be from the first week of October through mid December. While I'm in training I'll be able to get mail but the address you'll send mail to might look a little funny:

Zach Wegner
Peace Corps Samoa
Private Bag
Apia, (Western/Independent) Samoa
South Pacific

Also, the Peace Corps informed me of the following:
"Please note that putting "Western" or the alternative "Independent" in parenthesis can be helpful in ensuring that mail is not sent to American Samoa or elsewhere in the world. If your friends and family find that they are being charged regular U.S. domestic postal rates, it means the postal clerks are thinking they are sending the material to American Samoa. Mail to (Independent) Samoa requires international postage rates."

Also, writing the following expressions on the package can help to make sure it comes through safe and sound:

E fa'amamuia e Atua api lea.
God bless this package.

OR

E matamata Atua i api lea.
God watches this package.

My address will likely be changing after training and I will update my address then.

17 more days!

Staging

As the other people in my group are also saying, this is getting really real! I got my staging materials yesterday! Within 30 minutes I had already booked my tickets to Los Angeles. I'm supposed to be in LA at the hotel by 6:00pm on October 4th. I reserved a ticket for September 30th so I would have time to run the Big Gay Race in Minneapolis on the 29th and then go to San Diego to see my brother and his wife and my nephew and niece (whom I've only met through Skype)

Peace Corps also has a program to keep volunteers in touch with teachers back home. I spent the morning today at my former high school talking to teachers about how we might be able to work together once I'm in Samoa. It sounds like I'll be able to work with a health teacher, social studies teacher, and an agricultural science teacher (thanks Lisa, Amy, and Chris!).

Now I'm just planning and organizing my last 24 days before I leave...

The Application Journey, Part 2: Medical Evaluation

I was considering writing a tutorial about what to expect from the medical review as a resource for future volunteers. The problem is that the entire process has changed. I was one of the last people to go through the former application process (quite literally one of the last--if I had turned my evaluation in just a week or two later I would have potentially had to redo much of it under the new system.) So, instead of doing a tutorial, I'll just share some of my experiences during the medical process. It should still be relatively informative for future applicants going through their reviews as well as let family and friends who are following my blog know a little bit more about what the process was like.

Medical/Dental/Eye Evaluation

The arrival of the medical evaluation packet is exciting and intimidating. The realization that you're on to the next step in a long process, one that you've probably read in some detail about on the Peace Corps website and through blogs of other volunteers who have gone through or are currently going through the same process, is quite exhilarating. Inside the envelope are several documents: the medical evaluation paper work (6-8 pages), the dental evaluation (3-4 pages), eye examination paperwork  (1-2 pages), and various other documents based on your answers to some of the questions in the initial online application.

Medical

The medical is the most extensive evaluation. It is pretty straight forward for the most part. There are several pages that the applicant can fill out on her/his own before even seeing the doctor. But it was important to look through the entire packet. I wish I would have looked at it in more detail so I would have had answers to more questions before seeing the doctor. Here's something I learned--applicants are often more knowledgeable about the Peace Corps application than the doctor. If you tell the doctor what tests need to be done they can do them, but the application isn't always clear and it's important to be your own advocate. I'll give you an example from my experience.

Part of the process of medical evaluation involves blood tests. There are several different tests to complete and most of them are clear. One that I found difficult to get information on was the "G6PD titer". When it came time to do the blood work this test even stumped the nurses at the clinic I was going to. None of them had even heard of it before. 

I tried doing some of my own research while they looked around for what that test might be. I found out a few things that might be helpful for future applicants. First, G6PD (Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase) is a test to see how your body will react to malaria vaccination or medication or both (I can't remember exactly). Basically, the test is done to see whether or not you can go to a country where malaria is a risk. Secondly, calling the test a "titer" is a bit of a misnomer. A titer is a test for antibodies and the G6PD test is looking for levels of chemicals that are always present in blood. So it's not really a titer and that confused some of the technicians at the lab. Lastly, there are two versions of the test: qualitative and quantitative. The Peace Corps requires the quantitative test (the one that actually lists numerical quantities of the results). I spoke to three different nurses and finally they called the blood lab. The technicians at the lab knew what the test was so the clinic sent me to the lab to get all of the blood work done so I wouldn't have to get poked twice.

I arrived at the lab, put my name on the list, and waited to be called. It didn't take long to get in and out and it was actually kind of fun to joke around with the technicians. I'm sure they put up with some cranky people on a daily basis so it was nice to joke and laugh with them. They took my blood and sent me on my way. 

The results came back two or three weeks later. It took a few days to notice it, but when I looked over the results I couldn't find the G6PD titer anywhere. When I inquired about this I found out that they had accidentally left off the order for that blood test when they sent me to the lab. So I had to go back to the clinic to get the doctor's order for the blood work then go to the lab to have it done. As it turns out, the lab I was going to only did the qualitative test and I had to have the blood sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (45 minutes from my hometown incidentally) to have the quantitative test done. This meant another two or three weeks of waiting. So, in order to check of a single box on the evaluation forms it took about two months. That could have been avoided if I had checked the order for blood work and compared it to the list on the evaluation form. So, be your own advocate!

Dental Evaluation and Eye Examination

I didn't have any real roadblocks with these other than the dentist's office scheduled one of my dental appointments on a day when the dentist wasn't going to be in and so had to reschedule that appointment for a month later. Other than that the dental evaluation is really basic and the dentist will definitely know what to do. Just make sure you get the correct X-rays done. One of my friends didn't have the right format and had to have them redone.

As for the eye exam, I had mine done at a Walmart and the optometrist who did my exam had actually just gotten back from Kenya where she was volunteering eye exams. We shared stories and joked around. It was a fun exam. Also, I'm 30 and still don't need glass! Each eye individually is 20/40 but together they're 20/30. Score!

Additional Paperwork

I used to smoke and during my last term at university I saw a counselor for about 10 sessions due to a series of issues I had with finding employment, finding housing, and relationship issues. Since they asked about both in the application I said that I had smoked in the past (never mind that it had been years since I had smoked) and that I had seen a counselor briefly (never mind that it was only for a few weeks a third of a decade before filling out the application) I had to get information saying that I had spoken with a doctor about the health consequences of smoking and I had to contact the counseling office I had used, fax them some paperwork, and have them fill it out and return it to the Peace Corps. Just be aware that the answers to your online application are there for a reason. Be prepared to give background information relating to what you answer. For example, I could have had the contact information for the counseling office ready or even contacted them about how I might be able to get my records.

Again, the entire process has changed so I'm not sure how helpful this will be but I imagine the advice I gave should still be of use. Other than that I hope you have a better idea about what the process looks like for applicants. Keep in mind that these are only a few snippets of the process. I started the medical evaluation process in November 2011 and submitted it at the very end of March 2012. It takes time and a lot of footwork. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the process!

Welcome Pictures from Samoa

The most frequent question I'm getting is about food: "What kind of food will you be eating?" Well, here's some pictures to let you (and me!) know:

Husking a coconut

Removing the meat from a coconut after husking

Typical Samoan meats

Preparing papaya

Preparing breadfruit

Typical fruits from Samoa

And here's what the markets look like:

Supermarket

Open-air market in Apia

"What will your living situation be like?" Let's have a look:

Meal with host family

What my room might look like

Or maybe more like this

Open fale (house

Western-style house

Family compound (left to right): fale (house), cooking house, bathroom/shower

Lastly, "What do the schools look like?":

My uniform for school

My project will be teaching literacy and conversation skills to primary level English students. Peace Corps Volunteers are also expected to do side projects. Here's a few photos of what that might look like:

So cool!

Some additional Samoan cultural photos:

General store/meeting place

Samoan bus

Church on Sunday: an important part of Samoan culture

I'm totally gonna learn how to do this

And some activities I'll probably be doing in my spare time:

I hope you enjoy the pictures!