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!
Monday, October 17, 2011
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
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Wuhoo!
Wuhoo! I must admit, after all my ranting and raving about life in the bush, it is fair to say that i have become quite patriotic to the deep fried kekepua'a infested lands!! I think with age (yes , Im 'aging'- wont deny that...) comes a wisdom that springs from sitting back, analysing and appreciating the good things life has surrounded you with, you just couldnt see it...(with some ranting and raving) and certainly life in the bush has grown on me like a second skin...it aint all bad!! tee hee!!
This was the intro the the news piece that just made me do a choohoo..."na fa'ate'ia le atunuu...." or in english (with some overdramatic interpretation added for my one enjoyment) The ENTIRE country was SHOCKED with the outcome of the Fautasi races today for independce!! Yes, Savaii fleeted a team and we bloomin well WON choooo soooo sooo...I think even, this is the first time we have ever had a team part take..or maybe I am ignorantly wrong, but anyways...Id like to think that. And we showed Samoa didnt we!! E le vaivai fo'i le pitonu'u nei!! There's some good old fashion Savaiian heart right there. Go to participate in something and give it your all , your arm and your leg and bring home the trophy baby!! Surely this win deserves a round of beers (which Im sure they'll get) and $ for more beers later! - thats the way Samoans celebrate, lets not take the attention away from the win with the ungodliness that goes on with booze and money spending in our villages choohoo...
I'm very proud of these boys..even though I dont 'particularly' like this village...haha...i'll give em a couple of thumbs up if they pass me by singing in a bus!!Yes, today Im proud to be a Savaiian, especially when we can SHOCK the whole COUNTRY- se choohoo again!!
This was the intro the the news piece that just made me do a choohoo..."na fa'ate'ia le atunuu...." or in english (with some overdramatic interpretation added for my one enjoyment) The ENTIRE country was SHOCKED with the outcome of the Fautasi races today for independce!! Yes, Savaii fleeted a team and we bloomin well WON choooo soooo sooo...I think even, this is the first time we have ever had a team part take..or maybe I am ignorantly wrong, but anyways...Id like to think that. And we showed Samoa didnt we!! E le vaivai fo'i le pitonu'u nei!! There's some good old fashion Savaiian heart right there. Go to participate in something and give it your all , your arm and your leg and bring home the trophy baby!! Surely this win deserves a round of beers (which Im sure they'll get) and $ for more beers later! - thats the way Samoans celebrate, lets not take the attention away from the win with the ungodliness that goes on with booze and money spending in our villages choohoo...
I'm very proud of these boys..even though I dont 'particularly' like this village...haha...i'll give em a couple of thumbs up if they pass me by singing in a bus!!Yes, today Im proud to be a Savaiian, especially when we can SHOCK the whole COUNTRY- se choohoo again!!
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