Group 83

Wow... It is hard to believe we are about at our one year mark. I remember last year doing the last minute crazy shopping and travelling constantly to say my final goodbyes to friends and family. It has been an amazing adventure since that stressful month of September.
Group 83 Samoa, as they say in Samoan aua le pepoli, don't worry. Things might be crazy right now but all of us here are looking forward to welcoming you into our amazing peace corps family. Samoa is an amazing place and I can't imagine a better place to spend two years of service.
When you travel to los angeles for staging, be sure to make friends with the Tongan volunteers... Since you never know when you might want a vacation...besides it us pretty cool to tell everyone you are time travelling.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message... I am not online constantly, but I will get back to you as soon as possible.
I hope you are excited to come to paradise!
Lili

Readers

Readers…
Just a quick note….
I have heard from a few different people that people actually read my blog. Thank you so much for supporting my adventures. It means a lot to me! If there is anything you wish to know more about Samoa, or something specific about my life, be sure to comment or send me an email!
I forgot names…but…Thank you Paul’s mom for the delicious Swedish Fish! I ate them up so quickly! Also, Matt’s parents, thank you for your support!

Message from the Future

Greetings from the future. Life is Tonga is going great! I am spending a lot of time with the volunteers over here. I first spent some time in Tongatapu (probably spelled wrong) and got to see some amazing sites. I came to Vava’u on Saturday, spent the weekend in Domonica’s village, full of church and an amazing to’ogani. Sunday, we went to another island and snorkled in beautiful Japanese Gardens. I saw some sting rays, jellyfish (I was tempted to touch them…), and eels. Today I helped with Camp GLOW.
There is only positive thngs I can say about my experience here so far. The Peace Corps Volunteers of Tonga are amazing, and I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to meet them and get to know them better.
There is so much to share, and so little free time on a computer.
For all of you reading this in America or Samoa (or anywhere else) on today, Sunday for you, Monday is a great day. It is full of sunshine and nice people will talk with you on the street. Be sure to order the veggie lo mein at the Chinese Restaurant because it will be amazing.
Enjoy!

Tonga

I made it to Tonga. It is interesting to be in an another Pacific country. There are some of the same customs as Samoa, but it is different. One difference is that there is chocolate here. Will report more later...

Va'a

Va’a
Going to the city is not as glamorous as it sounds. A lot of time, patience and seasickness has to be taken into account before deciding if it will be worth the journey.
During the school year, it is difficult to come to Apia, unless school is dismissed early since the last bus to Salelologa, where the wharf is, is at 10:30 AM.
When I arrive at Salelologa, it is now a waiting game for the ferry. The boat is supposed to leave every 2 hours from 6 AM to 4 PM. However, if I try to show up early, I know that the 8, 10 or 12 o’clock boat will not be there. It is always a guessing game as to which boat will not show up. Twice a day the new boat, the Lady Samoa III makes the trip. The rest of the time you are stuck with one of the little boats.
If you can sleep on a boat, it is a peaceful trip on any boat, but if not the 1-2 ½ hour trip can seem endless. Because of this, I often look for people I know with vehicles for me to roll up into a ball in the bed of their pickup truck to make the trip more enjoyable. However this is not always possible.
The big new boat is nice because it always seems to make the trip in about an hour. You know what to expect. Stale, cool air conditioning with a movie inside and an awesome snack cart is always welcoming. Outside there is a nice ocean breeze and you can actually relax on the floor on the chairs.
There are two little boats, one has a few seats, and the other has practically no seats. The one with a few seats is usually the one I end up with. I really don’t like this boat because I feel seasick when I sit on a chair, and my only savoir is being able to sit on the floor. Lately, the water has been so rough that it has been impossible to sit on the floor. The boat is rocking horribly, as every five second huge waves crash aboard the ship. Unless I want to be soaked, it is not the place to be.
However, when the water is that bad, and I forget to take Dramamine, on the floor, leaning over the edge is my only option.
This is not fun, but has to be done.
The unknown of what I can expect on the open water makes me hope I can always find a good place to take a nap on the ship, before I notice the rocky water.
Besides the fun boat ride, I have to take busses on each end of the ferry trip. Making my trip to the capital take anywhere from 4 to 7 hours.
There is merit with staying put in village life in Savai’i.

Time travel

Going into the Future
This week I am taking a vacation to the future. I am really excited about going to visit another Pacific Island, the Kingdom of Tonga. Tonga is located on the other side of the International Date Line, so since we experience the last sunset of the day, and they experience the first. I am leaving on Wednesday, going on my one hour flight, and arriving on Thursday. When I come back to Samoa, I leave on a Tuesday, and arrive on Monday, meaning I will experience a day twice.
While I am in Tonga, I hope to experience all of the amazing sites, scuba dive with whales, see the palaces, and help out the girls in Vava’u with their Peace Corps project. It should be a great trip.

Science Fair

Science Fair
A week and a half ago was the National Science Fair. My family was all helping Savadios with the project. Salvadios is a great public speaker, and I knew she would do an amazing job explaining her project to the judges. Mom and dad went with her to put the finishing touches on the project.
Salvadios was the only representative from Savai’i and I was hoping she would live up to her expectations.
The day of the science fair my parents and I ran into her and her parents in Palagi Alley in Apia. She had gotten 2nd place. I was thrilled for her.
She was disappointed. My parents and I kept telling her how proud we were of her because it was an amazing feat. Next year, I know she will wow the judges and possibly get first out of the country.