02/25/08
There are many good causes asking for your donations. I would like you to consider helping me out in Samoa as one of them, but without the overhead costs. The needs here are almost overwhelming. You can take any area from education, to health, to small business, to home gardens that cry out for assistance.
If you would like to donate directly, you can go to your local supermarket service counter and send a Money Gram or Western Union to me. I shall do my best to carry out your wishes on its use and from whom it came.
If you would like to donate a large tax-deductible sum ($1,000+), the Peace Corps has a special partnership program with some matching funds, if available. This is a longer process, requiring the submission of an application to the Peace Corps for a specific project.
All donations are to be used to help Samoans help themselves, rather than direct handouts to individuals.
To donate directly, wire funds to:
Nick Shuraleff
Westpac Bank
Salelologa, Samoa (Western)
If you or a group of you want to participate in the Peace Corps Partnership Program, please let me know about how much you want to contribute and we can develop a proposal together.
If you want or have contributed, please email me at: shuraleff@gmail.com
Please note: The United States sends no foreign aid to Samoa and the Peace Corps provides us with no funds with which to do our projects.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Read More about Our Adventures
02/25/08
The March issue of the magazine, Minnesota Good Age, has an article about seniors in the Peace Corps, featuring us. I don’t know where you can purchase the magazine, but the article should be available soon on their website MnGoodAge.com.
The March issue of the magazine, Minnesota Good Age, has an article about seniors in the Peace Corps, featuring us. I don’t know where you can purchase the magazine, but the article should be available soon on their website MnGoodAge.com.
A Samoan Catholic Wedding
02/24/08
Except for the stray dog at the altar, weddings in Samoa are somewhat similar to those in the U.S. There is the bride in her white dress, the best man, maid of honor; some weddings meticulously planned, others hurriedly performed. Even the wedding vows seem the same. Weddings are meant to be statements, for whose benefit is debatable.
Last December I described the wedding of the pastor’s daughter from the largest and wealthiest church in the village. It was meant to be spectacular and it was. In Samoa you measure the success of a wedding by how much the guests get to take home, instead of visa versa.
My measure of a wedding’s success is did I have fun. By these standards, the more modest Catholic wedding yesterday is what a wedding should be, a celebration. Booze, dancing, laughing, and soapy speeches make weddings memorable. Samoan Catholics seem to do this the best.
Like other Samoan events, Mary and I are totally lost. Since there are no written invitations, we don’t even know whether we are invited, let alone being honored guests. We have no idea what is happening at the reception until a village leader calls us to do a Samoan dance to everyone’s delight.
Samoan dances are filled with all kinds of sexual moves. To the table shaking, thumping beat of Samoan-rap-reggae-rock music, it is the seniors who dance as the younger guests watch. It seems the dancers are recognizing old love affairs with their graceful, alluring movements.
We watch, drink, and stumble with our Samoan as the bride and groom leave. It is time for us to take our gifts of food and cake back to share with host family. The music ends, but the drinking and unknown happenings continue into the night.
Except for the stray dog at the altar, weddings in Samoa are somewhat similar to those in the U.S. There is the bride in her white dress, the best man, maid of honor; some weddings meticulously planned, others hurriedly performed. Even the wedding vows seem the same. Weddings are meant to be statements, for whose benefit is debatable.
Last December I described the wedding of the pastor’s daughter from the largest and wealthiest church in the village. It was meant to be spectacular and it was. In Samoa you measure the success of a wedding by how much the guests get to take home, instead of visa versa.
My measure of a wedding’s success is did I have fun. By these standards, the more modest Catholic wedding yesterday is what a wedding should be, a celebration. Booze, dancing, laughing, and soapy speeches make weddings memorable. Samoan Catholics seem to do this the best.
Like other Samoan events, Mary and I are totally lost. Since there are no written invitations, we don’t even know whether we are invited, let alone being honored guests. We have no idea what is happening at the reception until a village leader calls us to do a Samoan dance to everyone’s delight.
Samoan dances are filled with all kinds of sexual moves. To the table shaking, thumping beat of Samoan-rap-reggae-rock music, it is the seniors who dance as the younger guests watch. It seems the dancers are recognizing old love affairs with their graceful, alluring movements.
We watch, drink, and stumble with our Samoan as the bride and groom leave. It is time for us to take our gifts of food and cake back to share with host family. The music ends, but the drinking and unknown happenings continue into the night.
Month Six Progress Report- Iva
02/23/08
School has started and the overseas relatives have left. Suddenly things are picking up in the village. People are busy making up for lost time. No midwinter blahs here.
My motto for this month is: “Learn by Doing. Teach by Example”.
Village Computer Training/Telecenter
We are still pursuing this major project by staying in touch with the Ministry of Communications as we see whether are proposal is accepted and the funds are available in June.
The principle at the local high school that originally indicated we could use his computer lab to teach people in the community has changed his mind. He does not want to open up the lab to anyone, even if he can use the extra money. Some of his school staff that was expecting us to assist is extremely disappointed. The computer lab is used to teach English. There is no one to teach computer. The facility just sits. You figure.
In the mean time, we have started computer training for an hour a day to the teachers at the local primary school. Most of the teachers have never even used a typewriter.
Sewing Machines
Construction is continuing preparing a building for instruction on the sewing machines. A schedule still needs to be prepared for classes.
Village Youth
We have been given the go ahead to submit a proposal for a basketball court to be constructed at the local park.
Home Gardens
In addition to my backyard demonstration garden, we are clearing ¼ acre for an expanded Demonstration Garden for the Ministry of Agriculture. This is consuming most of my time.
Meanwhile a group of local women plan to pay back loans by gardening. The loans are mostly to poor women who use them to pay for personal essentials, not gardening tools. I think they want me to submit a proposal for gardening tools. More on micro loans later.
New Primary School
Relatives of Iva residents living in New Zealand for a new school are collecting funds from their Samoan countrymen. They rejected the idea for Iva residents coming over to collect. It seemed they are worried about one for the pot, one for me.
After the funds are collected, we are to submit a proposal for a 1,500 meter fence around the school.
Small Business Development
Using my host family to learn how business is done in Samoa and my own money to seed start-ups, we have successful begun a popcorn business of making popcorn, which is a popular treat and selling it at the large bingo games. No one in the village is selling popcorn. Also a business making and selling T-shirts is taking off. Early sales have to Peace Corps to determine styles, patterns, and colors. We also have a store in town selling them. We are currently building inventory with a goal to sell to resorts. Nowhere on Savaii can you buy a souvenir t-shirt. Both businesses are profitable, even after paying me back the start-up costs. Now we have to make a decision as to the next step.
I plan to take what I am learning to conduct business lessons in the village. One thing is very clear; doing business in Samoa is not like in the U.S. I am learning a lot.
School has started and the overseas relatives have left. Suddenly things are picking up in the village. People are busy making up for lost time. No midwinter blahs here.
My motto for this month is: “Learn by Doing. Teach by Example”.
Village Computer Training/Telecenter
We are still pursuing this major project by staying in touch with the Ministry of Communications as we see whether are proposal is accepted and the funds are available in June.
The principle at the local high school that originally indicated we could use his computer lab to teach people in the community has changed his mind. He does not want to open up the lab to anyone, even if he can use the extra money. Some of his school staff that was expecting us to assist is extremely disappointed. The computer lab is used to teach English. There is no one to teach computer. The facility just sits. You figure.
In the mean time, we have started computer training for an hour a day to the teachers at the local primary school. Most of the teachers have never even used a typewriter.
Sewing Machines
Construction is continuing preparing a building for instruction on the sewing machines. A schedule still needs to be prepared for classes.
Village Youth
We have been given the go ahead to submit a proposal for a basketball court to be constructed at the local park.
Home Gardens
In addition to my backyard demonstration garden, we are clearing ¼ acre for an expanded Demonstration Garden for the Ministry of Agriculture. This is consuming most of my time.
Meanwhile a group of local women plan to pay back loans by gardening. The loans are mostly to poor women who use them to pay for personal essentials, not gardening tools. I think they want me to submit a proposal for gardening tools. More on micro loans later.
New Primary School
Relatives of Iva residents living in New Zealand for a new school are collecting funds from their Samoan countrymen. They rejected the idea for Iva residents coming over to collect. It seemed they are worried about one for the pot, one for me.
After the funds are collected, we are to submit a proposal for a 1,500 meter fence around the school.
Small Business Development
Using my host family to learn how business is done in Samoa and my own money to seed start-ups, we have successful begun a popcorn business of making popcorn, which is a popular treat and selling it at the large bingo games. No one in the village is selling popcorn. Also a business making and selling T-shirts is taking off. Early sales have to Peace Corps to determine styles, patterns, and colors. We also have a store in town selling them. We are currently building inventory with a goal to sell to resorts. Nowhere on Savaii can you buy a souvenir t-shirt. Both businesses are profitable, even after paying me back the start-up costs. Now we have to make a decision as to the next step.
I plan to take what I am learning to conduct business lessons in the village. One thing is very clear; doing business in Samoa is not like in the U.S. I am learning a lot.
Breadfruit
02/22/08
My first exposure to breadfruit was watching a TV rerun of Charles Laughton in “Mutiny on the Bounty” on the ship’s ignominious South Sea voyage to get breadfruit trees to feed England’s West Indies’ slaves. Now I am the one who eats, or am fed, breadfruit almost everyday.
Breadfruit trees are very common. They are quite beautiful with large decorative leaves whose shape is found in many Samoan patterns. These leaves fall throughout the year and are picked up by children every morning as their first daily chore. The trees fruit twice a season; the second fruits somewhat smaller than the first.
Boiled or baked breadfruit is a stable for both humans and pigs. To me it tastes like a mouth full of unsalted soda crackers. Putting coconut cream on it provides a sweet lubricant.
At night the unpicked overripe fruit comes crashing through the trees, splats on the ground, and looks like white vomit. You can hear the pigs scurrying to eat this treat. No food goes to waste in Samoa.
I now wonder whether it was Captain’s Bligh’s harsh discipline of his sailors (He was acquitted of that charge), the lure of South Sea’s wahines, or the thought of breadfruit that caused some of his crew to mutiny. Somehow a movie made about eating breadfruit just doesn’t quite have the audience appeal as a lashing with the “Cat of Nine-Tails”.
My first exposure to breadfruit was watching a TV rerun of Charles Laughton in “Mutiny on the Bounty” on the ship’s ignominious South Sea voyage to get breadfruit trees to feed England’s West Indies’ slaves. Now I am the one who eats, or am fed, breadfruit almost everyday.
Breadfruit trees are very common. They are quite beautiful with large decorative leaves whose shape is found in many Samoan patterns. These leaves fall throughout the year and are picked up by children every morning as their first daily chore. The trees fruit twice a season; the second fruits somewhat smaller than the first.
Boiled or baked breadfruit is a stable for both humans and pigs. To me it tastes like a mouth full of unsalted soda crackers. Putting coconut cream on it provides a sweet lubricant.
At night the unpicked overripe fruit comes crashing through the trees, splats on the ground, and looks like white vomit. You can hear the pigs scurrying to eat this treat. No food goes to waste in Samoa.
I now wonder whether it was Captain’s Bligh’s harsh discipline of his sailors (He was acquitted of that charge), the lure of South Sea’s wahines, or the thought of breadfruit that caused some of his crew to mutiny. Somehow a movie made about eating breadfruit just doesn’t quite have the audience appeal as a lashing with the “Cat of Nine-Tails”.
Breadfruit
Breadfruit Trees in Front of our House
Computer Lessons
02/21/08
Here are two recent experiences with trying to give computer lessons:
1. While I was trying to teach how to use the computer to teachers, all but two of who had never even used a typewriter at Iva’s Primary School, I held up the mouse to explain how it is used. The teachers all started laughing. There was a real mouse running along the shelf behind me.
Here are two recent experiences with trying to give computer lessons:
1. While I was trying to teach how to use the computer to teachers, all but two of who had never even used a typewriter at Iva’s Primary School, I held up the mouse to explain how it is used. The teachers all started laughing. There was a real mouse running along the shelf behind me.
2. I received an email from a newly arrived Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to teach computers asking if he could borrow a computer for a while. It seems his school has no computers.
My reply, “Welcome to Samoa”
My reply, “Welcome to Samoa”
Going to the Movies
02/20/08
Someone told me it is Academy Award time, so maybe it is worth a comment about going to the movies in Samoa. Samoa has one theatre, The Majik, located in Apia. I consider the theater to be modern. It has two screens, sells popcorn and candy, is air-conditioned, and has first run movies for $2.25 US. I have only seen three movies there. The only one worth remembering is “The Transformers”. Whatever the Academy Award nominees or winners are, I doubt they have been shown for long, if at all, on Samoa’s silver screen. Even though the movies are not memorable, watching the Samoans watch them is.
American movies are filled with “in” stuff designed to generate certain responses from the audience. When your audience “doesn’t get it” or misses the point of the scene altogether, it is time to check your cell phone for missed calls. This may blind the person behind you, but since there are no explosions in the scene, it doesn’t matter anyway. The din of ringing cell phones really isn’t a problem, because it tends to drown out the constant chatter and the crying of babies. You do realize you are in a different place when Will Smith, sobbing, kisses his dying dog that has just saved his life and the audience laughs.
Someone told me it is Academy Award time, so maybe it is worth a comment about going to the movies in Samoa. Samoa has one theatre, The Majik, located in Apia. I consider the theater to be modern. It has two screens, sells popcorn and candy, is air-conditioned, and has first run movies for $2.25 US. I have only seen three movies there. The only one worth remembering is “The Transformers”. Whatever the Academy Award nominees or winners are, I doubt they have been shown for long, if at all, on Samoa’s silver screen. Even though the movies are not memorable, watching the Samoans watch them is.
American movies are filled with “in” stuff designed to generate certain responses from the audience. When your audience “doesn’t get it” or misses the point of the scene altogether, it is time to check your cell phone for missed calls. This may blind the person behind you, but since there are no explosions in the scene, it doesn’t matter anyway. The din of ringing cell phones really isn’t a problem, because it tends to drown out the constant chatter and the crying of babies. You do realize you are in a different place when Will Smith, sobbing, kisses his dying dog that has just saved his life and the audience laughs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
