I’m heading into week five of being here in Samoa. Week six of being away from home. I’ll never understand how these weeks have felt like forever but just like a day too. So much has happened in this month here. Places have been explored, cultural values have been understood, and amazing friendships have begun to form. I can say with full certainty that I could not have chosen a better study abroad program.
I remember our first day in Samoa. We were all sitting in our common room area at the University of the South Pacific, waiting to purchase data for our phones. I remember walking outside to check if my phone was working. The heat barreled down on me. It felt like the back of my neck was pressed against a griddle. And the air around me was wet. Everything is hot and wet – always.
But weather and sweat-stache aside, this island is beautiful. As the plane touched ground early morning on February 3rd, the ocean crashed to the right of us. You can’t go anywhere without seeing, hearing, or smelling the ocean. Out of nowhere, these massive mountains spring up, looking like a scene in Jurassic Park. Everything looks overgrown and untouched in the healthiest way.
Everywhere I look I feel like I’m in a tropical paradise. And with a coconut almost always in hand, it’s hard to not feel like a tourist. As I write this now, at the Tanu Beach Fales on the island of Savai’i, the ocean is three feet to my right. Turning three feet to my left, my gaze is interrupted by palm trees, small fale’s built with wood and covered in coconut leaves, and a green building with the sign, “Tanu’s Bar.” Paradise.
But I didn’t sign up for this program for a tropical island escape. (That’s just an added bonus.) My real reason for being here is continually reinforced through the classes, field excursions, and conversations with Samoan people.
Let me run you through my typical week here. I’ll start by saying every day is entirely new and brings with it experiences and lessons I never could have imagined. On top of that, our actual location is constantly shifting. But I’ll start by sharing with you our home base, which is the University of the South Pacific in Apia, Samoa.
This University is a collaboration of twelve or thirteen different Pacific Islands. This means students come from all over. Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands – just to name a few. The University is quite small and most students live with family members in surrounding villages. We, the SIT group, have been given two buildings with double rooms and communal bathrooms. I’d say the housing arrangements do the job, but it was a little hard to get used to at first. I’ve learned to accept bugs as a part of everyday life. Those of you that know me will be shocked to hear this, but yes, I have showered multiple times with spiders staring at me. During our second week my suitcase was infiltrated by an army of ants. I won that particular battle, but they will definitely win the war.
We usually start our day with a Samoan language class. Afterwards we’ll have another course or two in Research Methods and Ethics. In the afternoons we’ll have excursions to another university for more lectures or we’ll go to organic farms, research institutes or other places of interest. All of these excursions are in preparation for our final research project that takes place in the month of April. The excursions are supposed to give us an idea of what we might want to study. And they definitely spark some interest.
Not every afternoon is spent on an excursion, however. And during those free afternoons, I explore the city of Apia or play soccer, rugby, or volleyball with University students. Let me tell you, Samoans love to laugh. They are constantly cracking jokes. The simplest things will happen and they will burst into laughter. Playing sports with them has been so fun. They are very clearly out for a good time. You just have to be ok with being the butt of the joke every once in a while!
On other afternoons, when we’re feeling extra ambitious, we’ll venture into the island. One day a few of us took a random bus for thirty minutes, hoped off, and started talking to some of the nicest women I have ever met. Another day we went to the Sliding Rocks. I’ve got bruises everywhere, but the experience was so worth it.
Our time at the University is well spent but short-lived. After settling in for two weeks, we headed to a rural village called Fasito’o for a weeklong homestay. I have to write a different blog post devoted to that week alone. Up until that time, we had learned so much about Samoan values and culture. It wasn’t until that week that I truly began to understand the importance of these values. Family, Christianity, and land mean everything to Samoans. But there is so much underneath the surface of those three words.
Currently, as I mentioned before, I am on a different island of Samoa called Savai’i. It’s a much bigger island than the main one of Upolu. Even so, the population is much, much smaller. It is incredibly rural. We plan to be here for this next week learning about the geology of Samoa and its natural resources. There will also be an emphasis on climate change. Right up my alley!
After this week, we head back to the University for a bit before jetting off to American Samoa. As I said, there is a lot of moving around. I hope to have some more blog posts out soon about Samoan values and our time here in Savai’i!