Volunteers of Group 78, Samoa

July 27, 2007

Volunteers of Group 78, Samoa

Here are the Peace Corps Volunteers in our group with their Samoan names:

Crystal “Lisi” Ochoa
Texas

Safiya “Safia” Mitchell
New York

Hannah “Ana” Goldman

California

Erin “Lini” Jenkins

Maryland

Mary “Malia” Shuraleff

Minnesota

Renee “Lenie” Moog
Orgeon

Kaitlin ”Kate” Everett
New Jersey

Shane “Sani” Twilla
California

Justin “Iusi” Newum
Tennessee

Nick “Niko” Shuraleff
“Minnesota”

Jacob “ Iakopo” Burney
Colorado

Mark “Maleko” Miller
Tennesse

Benjamin “Peni” Harding
Virginia

Christian “Keli” Heath
Oregon

Paul “Paulo” Sylvester
Oregon

Donna “Tona” Barr
Hawaii

Peace Corps Staff, Samoa

July 27, 2007

Peace Corps Samoa is headed by our Country Director, Kim Frola. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, Nepal, who leaves her post this February after serving the mandatory period. She has been in Samoa for about seven years and is married to a Nepalese whom she met while serving.

Kim Frola

The Training Department is headed by Henry Tamasese with Samoan language instructors; Sau Faleseu Pita, Leata Lima, Onofia Simone, and Setu Timoteo. An American, Kevin Petrini, does the Technical/Project Related training. Training for the Peace Corps in the South Pacific is headed by Jim Russell, who is off iced in Fiji.

Henry Tamasese

Sau Faleseu Pita

Leata Lima

Onofia Simone

Setu Timoteo

Kevin Petrini

The Medical Officer is Teuilla Pati, a New Zeeland trained nurse. She has authority to refer more serious medical problems to local doctors or the medivac patients to Hawaii if necessary.

Teuilla Pati

Safety and Security is headed by Fono Levi.

Fono Levi

The head of our Village Based Development Program, once we are finished with training, is Jacqueline Geier. Jackie is married with children and is a former AFS exchange student to Ecuador, and a former Peace Corps Volunteer.

Jacqueline Geier

Manunu Road Project

July 27, 2007


The next day after Culture Day, we gathered again at 6:00 am to do a joint project with the village people of Manunu. Today is final step of a three part process teaching us ways and techniques which we may use when we are at our own village sites.

During the first step we watched as our trainers meet with the men’s and women’s councils. A management matrix helped to select a joint project with the criteria that the project had to be completed in one day, would cost no money, and would be done jointly with Peace Corps providing labor.

A week later, we met again to determine who would do what and what resources were needed.

Today we did the work. Some cut the grass along the road, some swept, others planted shrubs (just a stick in this soil and it grows), some repaired a barbed wire fence, and others filled pot holes with rocks and soil, while still others pulled weeds from the road. Each village family had to provide at least one strong young man, or else they would be fined.

I had a little trouble understanding why the villagers spent so much time and labor pulling weeds from the middle of the road while trash along the side of the road was not picked up. I still have a lot to learn about Samoa.

Before

After

Culture Day

July 26, 2007

At 6:00 am this morning we all gathered to participate in what our trainers call “Culture Day”. This is our first actual experience in the collection, preparation, giving thanks to the village and finally eating a truly Samoan meal. I hope you enjoy sharing this day with us.
WARNING some pictures may not be suitable for all audiences.

Gathering before dawn.
Our host families gathered things for us to bring. Some brought fish, pigs, chickens, coconuts, taro, papaya, and other items. Our happy group is ready to go.

What we look like at 6:00 am

Men going to the Plantation
In Samoan fashion, the men and woman are separated. The women stay behind to prepare papaya soup, shredding coconuts to make coconut cream while the men go out to the plantation to gather banana leaves, small tender taro leaves, coconuts, and leaves to make baskets.

Making Coconut Cream
To make coconut cream which is used in many dishes, you need to first get the coconut, husk it, split it, and then shred it before you squeeze out the coconut cream.

The Umu (Samoan Oven)

The Umu is an oven you make using hot rocks for heat and banana leaves to retain the heat. Before you can heat the rocks you need to start a fire. This is done by rubbing a stick against another piece of wood (Boy Scouts should understand this process). Coconut husks and wood are used to heat the rocks. Once the rocks are very hot, they are spread out, ashes fanned off them, then leaves placed on the rocks.
The Spirit of the Umu (aka Jacob)

Preparing Pua'a (Pig)
The pig is not only the source of wealth in Samoa, it is also food.




Preparing Moa (Chicken)
Samoan chickens are wily creatures that spend their days running around eating bugs. They are survivors in a harsh environment. They do not succumb easily to the pot.

Ava Ceremony
Ava (Kava) is a non-alcoholic drink made from the root of a pepper plant. It is used through the South Pacific for ceremonial purposes. While others are preparing the food, the village high chiefs sit around with their guests and toast to the Ava God.

I was unable to get pictures of the actual ceremony and the drinking of Ava. But pictures of our own Safyia who had the honor of preparing the Ava for the ceremony, wearing a traditional Samoan dress with her host mother and her bodyguards, I hope suffice.

The Ava Godess (Safyia) and her Warrior Guards (Jacob, Benj, and Nick)

Umu, Part II
Now it is time to place the taro, pigs, pulasami (coconut cream wrapped with taro leaves), and fish on the umu to bake, and then finally cover them with banana leaves.

Weaving Baskets
The Peace Corps wastes neither time nor resources. While our meal cooks, we learn how to weave baskets from the leaves of the local fala tree.
Eating Samoan

Chiefs, village officials, and Peace Corps elders (that’s Mary and me) eat first. We are served by the younger members of our group who bring us the food on woven mats, fan the flies away, bring us a bowl to wash our hands (done after eating the meal with your hands, not before), then clearing away the uneaten food. The younger volunteers then eat at another location as well as other members of the village.

In case you want to know what we ate, from the left is:
Fish head cooked in coconut cream (on plate)
Chicken
Pulasami (green)
Taro
Pork
Served on a Breadfruit Leaf
Drinks, not pictured:
Water from an unripe coconut
Chicken broth


The End.
Time to take a nap. It has been a long day.