Free Nights

Free nights
Having a cell phone is great, I mean it puts me in contact with everyone I want to. It makes it easy to make plans both for work and socially. It also means that people I don’t want to will contact me. In the US this meant telemarketers, here it means random strangers that are looking for a pe’u (girlfriend).
I don’t know how people find out my phone number, but they do, and sometimes really need to get in touch with you….which means calling, and calling and calling again. Sometimes, they are courteous, and text several times instead.
I feel like there are certain days where the whole island decides to get in contact with me. Which means my phone does not stop ringing from texts or calls all night long. (Not enjoyable when you love sleep as much as I do.)
The promotions that the cell phone company has do not help. If you talk for 3 minutes, you get 3 free hours of talk at night (beginning at midnight). I think some men might think three hours of talk is a perfect way to find a pe’u, and that might be the cause for some of these late night calls.
At least I can always shut my phone off, to get a good night’s sleep.

Telephone Issues

I used to think my telephone was magical. It had special powers where I was always able to track it. Yesterday it turned to the dark side.
About 11:30 in the afternoon I picked up my telephone for the first time and realized something was up. The buttons were doing their own thing. I would press the 1 button, and 41 would show up on the screen. Other buttons were doing other things as well. I had a few people call me, and I pressed the telephone to answer, and it hung up immediately. It was frustrating. The people tried calling back, I attempted to answer again, and again had problems.
What we like to call the “Samoan Factor” happened. Electronics just break randomly here for no reason. I have broken a few cameras, just like many of my friends. They have also broken computers, Ipods and other random electronic items.
I want a new telephone to replace mine that just sucks battery. Being close to noon on a Saturday, the cell phone store was closed. I am unsure of when I will have time to head to Salelologa to get it replaced, and have begun to warn people that I my phone is not in the best working order, including emailing the Peace Corps office to let them know to contact me with the numbers on my emergency contact numbers, since I would not answer on my line.
Later that night in my village, I began to get more functions on my phone. I was now able to read text messages. I still am having difficulties with answering the phone and pressing buttons, as well as sending text messages. In fact strange things have been happening with the telephone. The phone was sitting next to me, touching nothing, and randomly called voicemail. Strange.
The scare happened at night, the Safety and Security Officer called twice. I tried to answer, and of course it hung up each time. Despite the heavy rain, it was not cyclone season…what else could he be calling about? I then received a text message, “Please call the on duty officer phone. Urgent.”
I borrowed my mother’s phone, inserted my SIM card and called him back. He was trying to locate another volunteer, but had already found her whereabouts. I informed him about my telephone issues, if another emergency came up.
Hopefully nothing will, and I will get a new phone to replace mine within the next week or 2.