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.