Because I want to blog, but its an ongoing inner battle that goes something like" what the heck are you doing? you see that list there- yes, there , with 10,000 things listed?? that's what you are SUPPOSED to be doing..so GET OFF...NOW"
and cause I only have 2 hours in front of this laptop with no kids wanting me to "turn it on paint" or turn on DORA or just turn my head to face them and give them some attention...kalofae....
But bullet points for the week are
1. toilet hygiene. Can someone explain to me why some Samoans, tend to leave soiled t-paper..OUTSIDE of the loo pot?? seriously i see it everyone, in our hall toilets, in the boat toilets etc etc...fargs me off. is someone seriously gonna pick that shit up (literally) and kiai it again?? I feel like putting a sign up in our almost public toilets (that every fa'akau niu in the village uses secretly when no ones looking) that says- if you cant put it in the toilet and flush it away..put it in your bag and take it home with you! fanks very much
2. My Desk. I found out a while ago the old as rickety desk I sit at hours upon hours, which is actually pretty solid compared to these days l-cheapo from the wharehouse type desks...actually belonged to...wait a minute...my grandfather. Yes, here in Lalomalava, in the village of my inlaws in their business office, I sit at my very own grand daddys desk. See my grandparents actually lived and worked here for some time. Raised their kids here at good old St marys etc. And when they closed up shop and moved to the big city, the sold my husbands family this desk. Brings a tear to my eye sitting here. Scoured the desk for possible little doodles, you know..Neil for Bella forever type thing, in a heart...but alas. My grand pop was not that kind of a man. He was the big kahuna in our family. So solid and sensible...a commanding force and yet the most caring grandpop who would read his litter of grand kids stories in bed...love him always. how awesome it is to sit here at this desk which is a sentimental piece of history to me:)
3. Xmas and news years in Samoa. Has meant tons of head injuries showing up at the hospital. you'd think it would all be drunken violence, when in actual fact Ive seen about 50 /50 really..lots of actual stupid violent injuries to the head...(dont get me started on how dumb that is...) and actually alot of - "fall out of trees"...(i.e Breadfruit/coconut) Perhaps they were climbing intoxicated.??.who knows...anyways, I have had to be a paramedic and accompany a couple of these particular patients over to Apia..bag and masking (i.e artificially breathing for them) all the way- me and a very good nurse Henry- actually..he did most of the baggin, I just gave him breaks and gave drugs..either way, we both had to suck it in...all the way:). yes, I got sick on the boat and its blooooody hot in the ambulance when the car is turned OFF even with all the windows open..BUT..you have no opportunity to be sick. So its just a "suck it in" kinda ride...and do your best for the poor soul on the bed. Tough times....but very exciting non the less.
OK...I am gonna keep it short and sweet...fill in the rest of my bullet points at the end of the week!!ciao!
Friday, January 06, 2012
Monday, October 17, 2011
our big fat fa'alavelave
Maaaaaannnnn....
When I used to live on 'the other island'...I thought I had a fair idea of what a 'big fat fa'alavelave' encompassed. But i have definitely been educated since moving over to the 'bigger better' island har har...:)
This education has come as a bit of a shock to the system and in some ways it has been a process to understand. Like grieving- you have to go through denial, anger, acceptance and all that. At first- it was like WHHHAAAA..OMG....very much a me me me...as a victim of the process cause all I saw was dollars going out the window. After a while, you start to see how in actual fact,there is a lot of good in it too, and at the most unexpected times, it does actually come back to help you if not in an interest financial sort of way, in other ways...anyways- we just had one of those as a close relative of the hubbies recently passed, it was very unexpected and many from afar flew in for the occasion - it involved
1) stopping everything we were doing when we found out and declined any further business for the week that led up to the big 'day'
2) make available to incoming relies, rooms, floors, couches even cars to sleep in...as everyone needed a place to stay at the last minute...
3) cooking for 50 then 300 then 500 then 700 people over 2 consecutive days
4) accepting that our cars were suddenly -everyone else s cars, and not let the fact that someone broke the glovebox put gum under the steering wheel removed cd's from the insides -affect my sleep patterns- at least none were in an accident like the last big fat faalavelave!!
5) eating and sleeping were one of those things where every man is for himself(su'e a e le tagata le mea e ola iai!) when you are part of the integral dynamic team of worker bees going round the clock at peeling potatoes and chopping onions, I had to remind myself I had kids to check on and praised the lord that my sitter is so good and knows how to boil rice and open cans of tuna
6) enjoying the company of relies who we never get to see- drama aside, it was a blessing having them and I actually wish these people still lived on the big island as life would be so different I am sure!!
7)driving up and down a 50 meter driveway 300 times in one day to cart people, pots, fine mates, bags, ice, drinks because it would save me the 2 minutes if I had walked!! and 2 minutes over 300 trips is= alot of time (ok so i wasted alot of gas but you get my drift with the chaos)
8) realising I still dont know shit about si'is and talking chiefs and fine mat responsibilities but thank goodness plenty of other women in the family do...
9) a big thing with these as well is ensuring a steady supply of pots of coffee- like big as pots not little teapots, and coffee and ava to go around to 'fuel the workers' I did a big Fresh bread jam coffee and eggs round for breaky and all people wanted was pancakes masi and koko samoa!! haha- what a palagi am I !!choohoo!
10) Again, feeling humbled and in awe of my mother in law who is as always, the rock solid amazing women who needs no sleep, but is always composed, charming, and just a fountain of knowledge and history and all things Samoan...when everyone else is tired and angry, vevesi-ing solo- she is just composed and focused and couldnt be shaken or strayed from the things that needed to be done..a true inspiration for all Samoan women...just watching her throughout the whole fa'alavelave was a real experience.
thats all for now as I have 5days of work to catch up on...but thats what Ive been up to as of late..incase anyone was wondering!
When I used to live on 'the other island'...I thought I had a fair idea of what a 'big fat fa'alavelave' encompassed. But i have definitely been educated since moving over to the 'bigger better' island har har...:)
This education has come as a bit of a shock to the system and in some ways it has been a process to understand. Like grieving- you have to go through denial, anger, acceptance and all that. At first- it was like WHHHAAAA..OMG....very much a me me me...as a victim of the process cause all I saw was dollars going out the window. After a while, you start to see how in actual fact,there is a lot of good in it too, and at the most unexpected times, it does actually come back to help you if not in an interest financial sort of way, in other ways...anyways- we just had one of those as a close relative of the hubbies recently passed, it was very unexpected and many from afar flew in for the occasion - it involved
1) stopping everything we were doing when we found out and declined any further business for the week that led up to the big 'day'
2) make available to incoming relies, rooms, floors, couches even cars to sleep in...as everyone needed a place to stay at the last minute...
3) cooking for 50 then 300 then 500 then 700 people over 2 consecutive days
4) accepting that our cars were suddenly -everyone else s cars, and not let the fact that someone broke the glovebox put gum under the steering wheel removed cd's from the insides -affect my sleep patterns- at least none were in an accident like the last big fat faalavelave!!
5) eating and sleeping were one of those things where every man is for himself(su'e a e le tagata le mea e ola iai!) when you are part of the integral dynamic team of worker bees going round the clock at peeling potatoes and chopping onions, I had to remind myself I had kids to check on and praised the lord that my sitter is so good and knows how to boil rice and open cans of tuna
6) enjoying the company of relies who we never get to see- drama aside, it was a blessing having them and I actually wish these people still lived on the big island as life would be so different I am sure!!
7)driving up and down a 50 meter driveway 300 times in one day to cart people, pots, fine mates, bags, ice, drinks because it would save me the 2 minutes if I had walked!! and 2 minutes over 300 trips is= alot of time (ok so i wasted alot of gas but you get my drift with the chaos)
8) realising I still dont know shit about si'is and talking chiefs and fine mat responsibilities but thank goodness plenty of other women in the family do...
9) a big thing with these as well is ensuring a steady supply of pots of coffee- like big as pots not little teapots, and coffee and ava to go around to 'fuel the workers' I did a big Fresh bread jam coffee and eggs round for breaky and all people wanted was pancakes masi and koko samoa!! haha- what a palagi am I !!choohoo!
10) Again, feeling humbled and in awe of my mother in law who is as always, the rock solid amazing women who needs no sleep, but is always composed, charming, and just a fountain of knowledge and history and all things Samoan...when everyone else is tired and angry, vevesi-ing solo- she is just composed and focused and couldnt be shaken or strayed from the things that needed to be done..a true inspiration for all Samoan women...just watching her throughout the whole fa'alavelave was a real experience.
thats all for now as I have 5days of work to catch up on...but thats what Ive been up to as of late..incase anyone was wondering!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
today
Today
I went to work even though I SOOOOO didn't want to. Ive had a cold for a darned week and my voice is hoarse as crap I just knew it was going to be challenging 'talking' to my clients without having to 1)scream through my windpipes cause aint no voice coming outa there, just lotsa air, and wheeze...and sometimes a monophonic sounding 'sound'....and I've already asked for a day off for this same cold last week. dangit.
I was confused before i left cause my sitter who takes my 3yo to preschool was saying something about a prizegiving? I was like - what prizegiving? its not the end of the year i haven't heard nuttin..anyways, the little worry I had was dealt with by instructing the hubby to take her (child) to this 'thing' supposedly going on at school.you know, just incase it was something important that we should have prepared for....
I had a crap day at work, I spent most of it trying not to sneeze on everyone and trying to find someway to speak/sign language/ signal my communications through to my clients/patients....pathetic really but you know, there are times you think about how sicker everyone else is, and how busy work is gonna be, and it just aint right being a wimp and wanting a day off to rest and be lazy..its like if I can walk keep my eyes open and think..then I should be at work.Just the nature of the job, if I were doing anything else, Im sure I would have stayed at home...
Anyways- come home and guess what?? my 3yr old- who is in PRESCHOOL...had exams last week- APPARENTLY..I vaguely remember the sitter mentioning something, to which I laughed off with - WHAT?? what kinda test can you make a 3yr old sit...then she proceeded to have a day off in the middle of the week due to us being too busy to take her and apparently, that was one day of the 3 days of exams (so my daughter attended 2/3 days of tests apparently) AND THEN- today there was a 3/4 yr prizegiving!! now this is news to me, never heard of such things but APPARENTLY, its almost normal practice here in good ol savaii...crap....of course had I really paid more attention I would have 1) been there myself 2) did the whole ula lole thing etc...
so hubby comes home and 1) tells my my monkey came 2nd in her year!! 2) that he wasn't prepared with anything and all the other kids with places from 1st to 30th had their parents choohooing with ula loles and money necklaces and pics and you name it...they had it..talk about over the top ! come on its only the 3/4yr prizegiving and not the real thing surely!!(says sulky me who feels like a crap parent now) hubby even goes on to joke about how my monkey WATCHED all the other parents with anticipation and smiles when they walked her way with a ula, only to be disappointed when it went to someone else!! so not funny...men are so stupid.
Anyways- note to self- when the REAL prizegiving comes along, you know the end of year normal ones like most schools do , I will go all out, you know, M & M ulas and money ulas and stinkin ulas that have toys and lights and everything poppin out the sides(lol) to make up for this day. poor monkey, even did well despite missing a whole 1/3rd of her exams hahahaha.... anyways- I got home and gave her some gum and she couldnt seem to care less about what went on that morning, thats the amazing thing about kids aye- thank goodness haha!!
and thats it for my day in the wop wops!!
I went to work even though I SOOOOO didn't want to. Ive had a cold for a darned week and my voice is hoarse as crap I just knew it was going to be challenging 'talking' to my clients without having to 1)scream through my windpipes cause aint no voice coming outa there, just lotsa air, and wheeze...and sometimes a monophonic sounding 'sound'....and I've already asked for a day off for this same cold last week. dangit.
I was confused before i left cause my sitter who takes my 3yo to preschool was saying something about a prizegiving? I was like - what prizegiving? its not the end of the year i haven't heard nuttin..anyways, the little worry I had was dealt with by instructing the hubby to take her (child) to this 'thing' supposedly going on at school.you know, just incase it was something important that we should have prepared for....
I had a crap day at work, I spent most of it trying not to sneeze on everyone and trying to find someway to speak/sign language/ signal my communications through to my clients/patients....pathetic really but you know, there are times you think about how sicker everyone else is, and how busy work is gonna be, and it just aint right being a wimp and wanting a day off to rest and be lazy..its like if I can walk keep my eyes open and think..then I should be at work.Just the nature of the job, if I were doing anything else, Im sure I would have stayed at home...
Anyways- come home and guess what?? my 3yr old- who is in PRESCHOOL...had exams last week- APPARENTLY..I vaguely remember the sitter mentioning something, to which I laughed off with - WHAT?? what kinda test can you make a 3yr old sit...then she proceeded to have a day off in the middle of the week due to us being too busy to take her and apparently, that was one day of the 3 days of exams (so my daughter attended 2/3 days of tests apparently) AND THEN- today there was a 3/4 yr prizegiving!! now this is news to me, never heard of such things but APPARENTLY, its almost normal practice here in good ol savaii...crap....of course had I really paid more attention I would have 1) been there myself 2) did the whole ula lole thing etc...
so hubby comes home and 1) tells my my monkey came 2nd in her year!! 2) that he wasn't prepared with anything and all the other kids with places from 1st to 30th had their parents choohooing with ula loles and money necklaces and pics and you name it...they had it..talk about over the top ! come on its only the 3/4yr prizegiving and not the real thing surely!!(says sulky me who feels like a crap parent now) hubby even goes on to joke about how my monkey WATCHED all the other parents with anticipation and smiles when they walked her way with a ula, only to be disappointed when it went to someone else!! so not funny...men are so stupid.
Anyways- note to self- when the REAL prizegiving comes along, you know the end of year normal ones like most schools do , I will go all out, you know, M & M ulas and money ulas and stinkin ulas that have toys and lights and everything poppin out the sides(lol) to make up for this day. poor monkey, even did well despite missing a whole 1/3rd of her exams hahahaha.... anyways- I got home and gave her some gum and she couldnt seem to care less about what went on that morning, thats the amazing thing about kids aye- thank goodness haha!!
and thats it for my day in the wop wops!!
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
demons in your hands
my life is crazy right now. I have made some (ir)rational decisions to , as the nike ad says, just do it...and launch myself into action...and get back into the swing of things. After a somewhat bittersweet divorce with my previous profession, I have kissed and made up and gone back into it...if only for a few days a week(thank you for having me back!!) was a little Topsy turvy getting back into things...but that was almost to be expected..whats new about the process?? nothing..nada..same old delayed process, someone sleeping, someone forgot to sign,stamp,hand in or just plain ignored your form...oh well...someday before i meet my maker they'll get it right for sure!! haha!!
anyways, so what does this mean for me?? an ongoing bittersweet I love I hate my job/life...yes, I'm immature like that sometimes, and for you?? well....my crazy rants and insights into the world of health in the bush....and so here goes...
So I saw this 'person' last week, who as soon as they walked in, I had spotted a diagnoses, pretty classic symptoms, of the deforming types, to hands and legs and joints...of course i had to do a few tests to be absolute, but it looked like Rheumatoid arthritis to me...so this poor soul sits in front of me and weeps that this curse has come upon them over the last 6 months...prior to that they were fit as an ox and well and an integral part of society, and then slowly this had crept upon them..sore joints, swollen joints, pain and immobility. They had come once to the hospital and never returned, having sought help from a 'fofo' who had swore they could cure this problem. After 6 months of potions and massages and no improvement, just more pain more swelling to the point the person couldn't walk. The fofo declared that the problem was actually much more complex then had originally thought. This was not just a normal type of 'mumu' (as every thing from cellulitis, to gout, to sprain,strain and allergic reaction gets labelled) but in fact, there were demons in the persons hands and legs. Every swollen joint was infact a dead person from the village and somehow this person had commit ed some sin, so that these spirits had come up and taken over this persons limbs/joints. At this point, the patient was skeptical. What sin had they commited?? a devoted parent, hard worker, religious church attender, village participant? they could not for the life of them, think of any such sin surely bad enough to result in this. the fofo disputed. Objection is shunned and quickly the patient was instructed to come to take a potion that would make the demons 'speak' from them....the patient refused and came to hospital instead....
when I showed this patient pics from a textbook I just happened to have on me that day, they just about cried. the pics were spitting images of their joints, their children who had brought the patient in exclaimed with disbelief...and now vented how upset they were with the fofo...A blanket of shame had been over them in the village since the fofos accusations.
Now, they rejoiced in knowing that this was not, infact, demons in their joints, but a known disease. And although the treatment and prognosis road are somewhat long and not exactly bright and shiny, there was an understood process and forms of treatment available. Sometimes, people just need to know, that you have an idea whats wrong...and this can make all the difference. As for the fofos diagnosis, well...again I am left somewhat fuming...see how this one persons life drastically changed just by ignorance of this fofo?? if they cant fix something just say so..ae oso a i le malaia o le kagaka...se kailo se...:)
have a nice day
anyways, so what does this mean for me?? an ongoing bittersweet I love I hate my job/life...yes, I'm immature like that sometimes, and for you?? well....my crazy rants and insights into the world of health in the bush....and so here goes...
So I saw this 'person' last week, who as soon as they walked in, I had spotted a diagnoses, pretty classic symptoms, of the deforming types, to hands and legs and joints...of course i had to do a few tests to be absolute, but it looked like Rheumatoid arthritis to me...so this poor soul sits in front of me and weeps that this curse has come upon them over the last 6 months...prior to that they were fit as an ox and well and an integral part of society, and then slowly this had crept upon them..sore joints, swollen joints, pain and immobility. They had come once to the hospital and never returned, having sought help from a 'fofo' who had swore they could cure this problem. After 6 months of potions and massages and no improvement, just more pain more swelling to the point the person couldn't walk. The fofo declared that the problem was actually much more complex then had originally thought. This was not just a normal type of 'mumu' (as every thing from cellulitis, to gout, to sprain,strain and allergic reaction gets labelled) but in fact, there were demons in the persons hands and legs. Every swollen joint was infact a dead person from the village and somehow this person had commit ed some sin, so that these spirits had come up and taken over this persons limbs/joints. At this point, the patient was skeptical. What sin had they commited?? a devoted parent, hard worker, religious church attender, village participant? they could not for the life of them, think of any such sin surely bad enough to result in this. the fofo disputed. Objection is shunned and quickly the patient was instructed to come to take a potion that would make the demons 'speak' from them....the patient refused and came to hospital instead....
when I showed this patient pics from a textbook I just happened to have on me that day, they just about cried. the pics were spitting images of their joints, their children who had brought the patient in exclaimed with disbelief...and now vented how upset they were with the fofo...A blanket of shame had been over them in the village since the fofos accusations.
Now, they rejoiced in knowing that this was not, infact, demons in their joints, but a known disease. And although the treatment and prognosis road are somewhat long and not exactly bright and shiny, there was an understood process and forms of treatment available. Sometimes, people just need to know, that you have an idea whats wrong...and this can make all the difference. As for the fofos diagnosis, well...again I am left somewhat fuming...see how this one persons life drastically changed just by ignorance of this fofo?? if they cant fix something just say so..ae oso a i le malaia o le kagaka...se kailo se...:)
have a nice day