Samoan Update

6/12/10

Peace Corps, Jim Metz and Spencer Narron, organizing a village program

Simple tools, like a rare bathroom scale and weight chart,
make for an effective demonstration

The Samoan Peace Corps Volunteers who followed Mary and I and who are finishing their stay within the next few months have exceeded anything I could have ever hoped to achieve in attacking the severe problems of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. They have gotten funds and are currently putting on programs with the Department of Health in several villages on Savaii, complete with screening, and educational programs on reducing the incidence of these diseases. They even have a skit where Samoans are asked to put on a costume with 20 pounds of rice sewn it to demonstrate how being overweight taxes the body!

Since all new Peace Corps to Samoa are teachers, they too receive training in implementing health programs at the village level, outside of their normal teaching duties. This presents a new and very challenging opportunity for Peace Corps to expand it's reach to a wider population.

A blog has also been established to provide wider exposure to their efforts.
http://www.thehealthcrusades.blogspot.com/

Certificate of Appreciation

1/11/10
Some things, which at first glance seem inconsequential on omission, end up having lasting negative affects; such as, not saying an appropriate "hello', or "thank you".

On my flight back from Samoa, I had an empty feeling. There was nothing from the Peace Corps to show that I had completed or had even served in Peace Corps. How was it that "Certificates of Appreciation" are awarded for what may seem to be the most trifle of deeds, and even to the strawman in the "Wizard of Oz", but none to Peace Corps Volunteers? How difficult was it to print out a standard form, using Microsoft Word?

Upon further inquiry to Peace Corps Samoa, I was told Peace Corps offices in Washington, D.C. had to be first consulted. The response was that there was indeed an offical Peace Corps "Certificate of Appreciation" issued by the Director of the Peace Corps. No one to my knowledge has recieved such a document.

Maybe I haven't waited long enough. It has been only five months since I left. If my service doesn't warrant a certificate, please let me know. I can frame that document with my acceptance letter from President George W. Bush.

Village Farewells

8/9/09

My Host Family on Father's Day

Women's Commitee President, Me with a To'oto'o

Women's Committee Tea

Tafa Sa (Chief Orator), Women's Committee President, and Iva Mayor

Namesake Babies Malia and Niko with Parents Mayor of Lalomalava, Ross, and Family

My Parents Ashes in Flower Garden next to my Fale

My last ferry ride

Exit Interview

08/07/09

The last official act as a Peace Corps Volunteer is an exit interview with the current Country Director, Dale Withington. His key question to me is “Should the Peace Corps stay in Samoa?” Truly a disquieting question.

The question reflects the low morale and high level of early volunteer terminations, which has plagued Samoa during the first eighteen months of Dale’s tenure. I say, “has” because in my opinion the current volunteers are very different than their predecessors. The more positive attitude reflects changes made in training and preparation for village life, but also a productive interaction between experienced and newer volunteers.

My answer is “Yes, Peace Corps should stay”. The sour apples are gone and new programs, more thoughtfully conceived, await those who follow.

Call 911

08/07/09

“There’s a fire on the dance floor. Call 911” is the name of the song pulsating with the group of Savaii Peace Corps and some young Samoans from my village as we danced the night away at Kokonuts Night Club in Salelologa. This marks my farewell Peace Corps bacchanal. For the Samoans, Kokonuts is their first venture into a nightclub. The lead singer is a friend of mine, dedicating many songs and tributes to me. Yes, “Niko is in the House”, just a wild and crazy guy.

Note: A Savaii nightclub is like no other, half roadhouse, half, dancehall, and half a place to legally have a drink. Men outnumber women about 10 to 1. For those men unable to find a female dance partner, they either dance wildly by themselves, with each other, or with a male-female, departing into the night with whomever they danced.

Kokonuts Band

Jm Metz and Rosalina Kapeli (from my house family)

Nick Shuraleff and Jenny Koch

Spencer Narron and Trent Lobdell

WHO Presentation

08/06/09

Some things go better than you can ever have hoped and my presentation to the U.N. World Health Organization on the results of my diabetes and hypertension screening was just such and event. What I thought was going to be only for a few people turned into an group of some of the country’s most influential health leaders and Peace Corps Director. I owe the gathering to Ms. Fuatai Maiava of WHO for taking the initiative. My message only lasted for 30 minutes followed by over an hour of questions and comments. My results are now loaded in the flash drives of most attendees.

The main thrust is to squarely talk about the relationship between obesity and diabetes/hypertension. Obesity is the mountain before this country with a rate of over 60% clinically obese. Already the country is swamped with the effects of obesity and it is like a huge tax on everyone. The discussions show just how difficult it is when you are trying to tackle such complex issues as “lifestyle” diseases. At least the meeting helps officials get one step closer to the mountain.

The Meeting

07/29/09

A much-anticipated meeting was held today between the nurses from the various hospitals on Savaii with some Peace Corps Volunteers who are assisting me in diabetes/hypertension screenings. Each Volunteer described their background, some in Samoan, and their participation with the screenings. The nurses were impressed. The meeting opened the door for further participation for Peace Corps involvement in assisting the National Health Service at the village level.

Seated: Nick Shuraleff, Principle Nurse/Hospital General Manager, Niafoua Asiata, to his left.
First Row: Jenny Koch
Rear: Spenser Narron, Ben Griffin, Ben Harding, Paul Reinking

Clock on wall does not work.

Progress Report: Moth XXIII

07/23/09

Diabetes/Blood Pressure Testing
My joining forces with the Peace Corps Alumnae screening for cataracts and giving away reading glasses kept me busy for a large part of the month and made it easier to get villagers to get blood tested. It also enabled other Peace Corps Volunteers to come face-to-face with more of the members of their own villages and set the stage for their continued participation in joint Peace Corps-Samoan Health Service programs.

My individual testing is now over. I plan to hand over my testing kit to another Peace Corps Volunteer to be used by yet more volunteers during the coming year.

Bathroom Scales
The scales are purchased and are supposedly at the airport from Fiji to be used by Savaii PC Volunteers to help with village weight control programs.

New Primary School
The roof is on the first of three school buildings. Construction on the other school buildings is awaiting materials.
A side benefit of the school project is the village is responsible for feeding the construction workers. I haven’t eaten this well in months.

Garden Projects
My own garden is in its final planting of peanuts, which require little maintenance. Sweet corn makes up my evening meals. The remaining Bok Choy, head cabbage, and beans are part of my daily family meals. I don’t expect my host family to continue, but I really don’t care. The garden has given both Mary and me hours of pleasure. Now there is little to do with it. I wonder what I would have done without it.

I don’t expect many new Samoans to start gardens, but some will. Many will wonder what happened to the Peace Corps who gave them jam and spicy chutneys.

The number of Peace Corps who have their own or a community garden continues to grow. Can gardens be the answer to Samoa’s high Peace Corps turnover rate? Few of the volunteers after my group have left early, none with a garden.

Departure Plans
August 11th is when I fly out of Samoa bound for the Philippines to visit an AFS foreign exchange student I knew in Minnesota and check out the Peace Corps. I return to Minneapolis and my family on August 23rd, which marks date I was originally scheduled to return. Another adventure waits as I go through readjustment to an unknown future.

Final Goals
My desire to have my picture taken with the Minister of Health took a step backwards when she failed to attend the Health Fair. She is still in my crosshairs.
Expanding my testing and weight reduction programs as well as garden program to other Peace Corps is well underway.

Recap: Joint Eye/Blood Testing Program

07/20/09

The village-testing phase by the team of five former Samoan Peace Corps Volunteers (2000-2002) and four of their wives is finished. The team was headed by Christian Small and Shawn Barnes, both of whom are now medical students at the University of Hawaii and fluent in Samoan. The team tested more than 1,000 Samoans over 40 years old at nine sites on Savaii for cataracts, glaucoma, giving out sunglasses to all, and standard reading glasses. They sent those with cataract problems to be operated on by an eye surgeon joining the team today at Tuasivi Hospital. The program was free, paid for with donations from the U.S.A.

I was able to join their adventure and with the assistance of most of the current Savaii Peace Corps Volunteers was able to test 544 people at seven of their sites. In the process the current volunteers were trained and gained the experience to continue blood testing and weight reduction programs in their own villages over the coming year.

Here are some photos to give recognition to those Peace Corps Volunteers, current and alumns, and their wives who gave so much to help the people on the island of Savaii, Samoa.

Inez Paul (Blair Paul’s wife) interviewing for eye testing

Ben Harding (78) explaining in Samoan diet issues

Jenny Koch (80) and Spencer Narron (80) testing blood

Alisia Small (Chris Small's wife) & Trent Lobdell (80) testing

Taylor McFarlane (Phil's friend), Rosie Wong (79), Phil Owen (81), Anthony Della Posta (81) testing

Alisia Small and Nick Shuraleff (78) testing blood

Glodynne Wong Song , Iva resident, taking info for blood testing

Soupy Tauthong (81) testing near-sightedness

Ryan Keogh (P.C. Alum) testing for nearsightedness

Briony Donahue (80) testing for farsightedness

Roselina Kapeli, from my Iva host family, testing her mother Saloti

Rosie Wong (79) and Jim Metz (80) checking for cataracts

Shawn Wilson (P.C. Alum) and Crissy Keogh (Ryan’s wife) dispensing eye drops

Blair Paul (P.C. Alum) , Crissy Keogh, and Otila Wilson (Shawn Wilson's wife) dispensing glasses

Shawn Barnes, (P.C. Alum) pencil in ear, Crissy, and Ryan Keogh with Christian Small ((P.C. Alum, unseen) in booth with blinds doing retinal testing

Chow time in Iva, the last stop.

Chris Small (P.C. Alum) doing cataract surgury at Tuasivi Hospital

Ben Griffin (80), just looking good, with Trent Lobdell (80)

Gardening Successes

07/14/09

Here are two of several gardening success stories:


Trent Lobdell took the lead with his Safotu Women’s Committee Community resulting in the sale of their first cabbages a few weeks ago.

February 22, 2009

July 13, 2009

Geraldine “Tini” Ropati is a young mother living next door to me in Iva, here pointing to her emerging corn seedlings.

Recycling- Samoan Style

07/08/09

Ben Harding, one of Group 78’s Survivors, is as conscientious and dedicated a Peace Corps Volunteer as there is. After writing proposals and helping to build water tanks and a school fence for his village, he built of recycling bin with left over materials, placed it in front of the school, arranged for the recycling NGO for a pickup, and got the school kids to energetically comb the village for refuse. In two days, the children crushed cans and the bin overflowed with litter. Then…

· A school inspector stopped the children from collecting trash. Explanations unclear, saying it is the Women’s Committee job to keep the village clean.
· The NGO responsible for recycling did not return phone calls. The prearranged pickup never happened.
· Ben stands by one of his monuments wondering what went wrong.

July 4, 2009

07/04/09

The Peace Corps was invited the Charge d’Affairs of the U.S. State Department, Ms. Robin Yaeger, to attend an Independence Day celebration at the Robert Lewis Stevenson Museum in Apia. Members of the U.S. Navy who are on a humanitarian mission Samoa for three weeks and other South Pacific nations with medical teams, veterinarians, and construction crews were present. Samoan officials and other dignitaries also attended. One of the highlights was a softball game between the Peace Corps and Navy personnel.

The Ship: U.S.S. Robert E Byrd

A cargo ship hurriedly refitted for this mission because the original hospital ship was in quarantine due to a sailor contracting Swine Flu. The ship is in Apia harbor.

The Team: The Islanders
Front Row: Christian Heath (68), Ben Griffin (80), Igor Popstefanija (81), AJ Della Posta (81)
Back Row: Casey Burke (80), Jim Metz (80), Spencer Narron (80), Joe Brown (81), Paul Reinking (81), Jordan Knight (81), Ben Harding (78)

The Fans/Results

The Final Score was 14-4. The game ended after the ten run rule. It should be noted the Navy team claimed a handicap since there was no beer and a barbeque on the playing field.

The Celebrities
Arrival of Samoan Head of State

Peace Corps Country Director, Dale Withington, and wife

Peace Corps Medical Director, Teuila Pati, and Withington’s baby.

Rear Admiral Somebody presenting Something to Samoan Head of State

Miss U.S.A., aka Kate Shantar (81)

Miss Samoa (She is from Utah)

Samoa’s Prime Minister and me

The Grub
What a spread! And an open bar stocked with wine and beer.

The Fireworks
Sparklers were all Samoan Law permitted.

The Dance
As the evening drew to a close (8:00 pm), Peace Corps dancers took to the floor as U.S. Navy band played on. Please note dancing with a partner was a first-time experience for many volunteers.

Pictured left to right: Eric Martin’s (79) mother and John Kleive (79), Roselinda Wong (79) and Trent Lobdell (80), Spencer Narron (80) and Jenny Koch (80), Erica Wales (80) and Joey Carmelo (80)