ok, Ill start this one off with- I just had falai elegi and rice for lunch..mmmmmm. Some days I crave Elegi like its Gods gift to mankind(!) and other times I cant stand the smell..maybe its the different brands but yes, Im a cheap and easily pleased gal sometooiiimes! Soooo...what that made me think of was eating Elegi and the nice little not so nice stint on one of the TV stations last night alluding to poverty in Samoa. I'm not really sure whether the particular story was for it, or against it? If they were exposing the poor or exposing what a joke it was??
So what they 'caught on camera' was a tour bus full of tourists with lotsa kachings $ at a particular site in Upolu, surrounding by a little mob of kids, some with only dirty lavalavas on, some looking like they just finished school and decided to harass a tourist or two...asking the papalagis for "money please" "give me money" or "monday please...give me monday" as one of them said... with the tourists dishing out the dollar bills :( and the story was alluding to poverty in Samoa...hmmmm
What made me laugh is the camera guy ASKS one of the kids- WHO IS YOUR MOTHER and the kid answers "o __ma" and who is your father? "o la'u kama o ___te" totally gave away both the kids parents names!! when asked what the money was for they said "faakau ai mea'ai"...
ok, my thoughts on this?? are the same as a few of the help me stories you sometimes see in the paper, you know, the "i live in a faleoo, sleep on a mat, am so poor please help me" ones. which I think are bogus, the ones where people are disabled and sick are different, but those other ones....may as well be my whole village. Since when was sleeping in a faleo'o and on a mat definition of poor?Is this not the content way Samoans have lived for yonks?? anyways, straying off the subject.
The child beggars seriously is a problem in Samoa which is fast getting outa hand. You see it purulent in Apia, but now apparently its in the rural villages too. Is this not the situation of one kid finds out that if they just ask for money they get it from a sympathetic but naive tourist, and then this becomes a vicous cycle?? the parents see this as an easy money making thing and all morals and ethics and sound parenting flies out the front entrance of the fale in exchange for an easy 10bucks to buy some elegi- forget about fishing for a day??
What I have learned very quickly since living in Samoa in da bush is that, some people will let their morals swagger for a quick buck, wait a minute, a lot of people. Lets just ask (beg ) the neighbour to pay for the feast we want to put on, just ask that lady who owns the shop to pay for our power, please someone pity me and let me have a free ride this month and not pay my phonebill lets spend frivulously without thinking about what we can afford....lets just send this 5yr old kid to sit infront of big bear and BEG for free money...errhh...WHERES THE SHAME?? theres none...its like there is no harm in asking, and getting turned away and frowned upon means nothing.
Perhaps I go to far with this post and there are indeed some very hard up people out there struggling to put food on the table, but out at Fagaloa bay?? or whereever this film crew was?? come on, Im sure these people are not starving, this is just another way to make a quick buck off the palagis, and no parents faces need to appear...I hope the Pulenuus who may have seen this clip take this back to the village, and get to the bottom of things. Im sure the kid who divulged his parents names went home to a nice fat fukislam but really, its the parents fault, for allowing this behaviour to happen!!erhhh
I really hope someone somehow , some organisation can help to eradicate this problem or at least get to the bottom of things because last time I checked, I wasnt living in the slums of india. We almost need to construct a whole lot of signs like those "please dont feed the birds" signs you see in parks overseas, except they would be "please dont give money to the kids" signs.
I have on occasion been mistaken as a palagi (saiga/fliopino/cambodian lol) and been asked for money at a beach etc..and believe you me my masau answer of "ole a? o ai lou kama!?" has often been followed by kids laughing realising Im not a palagi..which says it all aye, its like the behaviour is a joke, and they're just giving it a go to see if they hit the jackpot...blaarrdy annoying if you ask me, and makaga etc etc...anways,fingers crossed something can be done about this before its gets past the point of no return!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
hmmmm
Hmmmmm...
My husbands shoes were stolen (AGAIN) today from INFRONT of our house, for the 3rd time THIS MONTH...
I am overcome with rage/frustration and want to Kill someone..but..WHO??
my lovely husband?who naively continues to leave his shoes on the front doorsteps because- "its not gonna happen twice, come on" or "3 times in a month? come on" yea come on...3 times in a month BABY next time you can try going barefoot for a while...
but seriously it makes me paranoid because
- there are people walking around my house in the dark, waiting for us to go to bed, so that they can steal shoes off our doorstep..
- who knows if they are trying door handles/car door handles?? peering through the windows? watching?waiting? Did I mention our house in on a 3 acre property that it completely fenced?? the gate is like 200m away from our house meaning trespassers are crossing some distance to get to my front doorsteps!!( yes, the fence has many holes and pushed over bits thanks to some ignorant neighbours who dont understand the purpose of a fence and have over the years continued to just 'hop' on over - but its still a fence with a purpose)
I told my hubby that I think I should keep a weapon at the house, you know, just in case?? like...does he keep a pistol anywhere??It doesnt even need to work, or have bullets(!!) it can be just an imposter a toy for all I care so long as it looks the part! Im not a person for having such 'equiptment' around anyways especially with little ones...but I am seriously the HUGEST fefevale out there, that just having it stored locked in some attic nearby is enough to just calm the nerves...JUST incase something ever happened... you know what he said?? "What?! you cant keep one of those! its just not right (to point that at someone.. especially someone from the village)...best to keep a baseball bat or something"...because you know, whoever is stealing shoes is probably a well mannered gentlemen who just happened to need 1, 2 no 3 pairs of shoes....who doesnt really have a bad bone in his/her body..yes, its not some crazy lunatic wide eyed salivating mouthed bushman that I keep making it out to be...no, and this person cant possibly ever have the intent to do anything more then just steal shoes..we know that becauuuussseee...? oh and because it may be someone from nearby that maybe acquainted to us you know, best be on my best behaviour when confronting them.....eh...man, I dont care what kinda lunatic/gentlmen is out there stacking a pile of our shoes in his her house, Im not one to take my chances so bring on the be be /air gun....
anyways, thats my rant for the day
life in the islands...gota love it!
My husbands shoes were stolen (AGAIN) today from INFRONT of our house, for the 3rd time THIS MONTH...
I am overcome with rage/frustration and want to Kill someone..but..WHO??
my lovely husband?who naively continues to leave his shoes on the front doorsteps because- "its not gonna happen twice, come on" or "3 times in a month? come on" yea come on...3 times in a month BABY next time you can try going barefoot for a while...
but seriously it makes me paranoid because
- there are people walking around my house in the dark, waiting for us to go to bed, so that they can steal shoes off our doorstep..
- who knows if they are trying door handles/car door handles?? peering through the windows? watching?waiting? Did I mention our house in on a 3 acre property that it completely fenced?? the gate is like 200m away from our house meaning trespassers are crossing some distance to get to my front doorsteps!!( yes, the fence has many holes and pushed over bits thanks to some ignorant neighbours who dont understand the purpose of a fence and have over the years continued to just 'hop' on over - but its still a fence with a purpose)
I told my hubby that I think I should keep a weapon at the house, you know, just in case?? like...does he keep a pistol anywhere??It doesnt even need to work, or have bullets(!!) it can be just an imposter a toy for all I care so long as it looks the part! Im not a person for having such 'equiptment' around anyways especially with little ones...but I am seriously the HUGEST fefevale out there, that just having it stored locked in some attic nearby is enough to just calm the nerves...JUST incase something ever happened... you know what he said?? "What?! you cant keep one of those! its just not right (to point that at someone.. especially someone from the village)...best to keep a baseball bat or something"...because you know, whoever is stealing shoes is probably a well mannered gentlemen who just happened to need 1, 2 no 3 pairs of shoes....who doesnt really have a bad bone in his/her body..yes, its not some crazy lunatic wide eyed salivating mouthed bushman that I keep making it out to be...no, and this person cant possibly ever have the intent to do anything more then just steal shoes..we know that becauuuussseee...? oh and because it may be someone from nearby that maybe acquainted to us you know, best be on my best behaviour when confronting them.....eh...man, I dont care what kinda lunatic/gentlmen is out there stacking a pile of our shoes in his her house, Im not one to take my chances so bring on the be be /air gun....
anyways, thats my rant for the day
life in the islands...gota love it!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The sea is swimming around my neighbours house...
A couple of days ago, I really hated the fact that I live so far away from everyone, from families and friends and basically people to listen to me and my bla bla bla rings... If someone had seen me, in my own house, you could most definitely have described me as nothing less then a crazy woman, like a chicken thats just had its head chopped off and was running in cirlces in a panic (perhaps not the best analogy but yea, running around like crazy). All because I could not believe what was happening before my eyes.
It was int he evening, the sun was setting and I stood on our back porch with the Baby (little Mo) watching the sea,...tide was coming in, all was ok. Except, I realised, that the tide was particularly high. Now I am no Geo student, but I do know that there are certains times of the year??month?? where the high tide is VERY high, higher then other times of the year. But this tide, I noticed was very slowly (like real slowly, like over hours and not minutes) creeping up and climbing further and further up the edge of our yard where the earth meets the sea. Now the particular piece our house is on, was raised (meaning earth was dumped there to raise the level of the land) by the hubbys parents many years ago, I think mainly because we are at the end of a decline from the hills and there tended to be a slight rain /flooding/ run off problem every time it rained, so now the rainwater from the behind hills finds other routes to the sea, on the sides of us, not flooding our peiece. Anyways, so the land is raised, more raised then those pieces on either sides.
So after a while (couple of hours in between, I kept popping my head out the door, in between fa'asusuing the baby and putting the 3yr old down for her nap) I suddenly noticed that the tide was almost leveled with our raised peice..so I look left and...
The sea was SWIMMING around my neighbours house!! much to their dismay/shock/disbelief! They just sat inside looking out and around dumbfounded-its one of those things that had you in s frenzy..but what the heck could you do to stop it!!The tide has risen so much, it crept up beyond their normal edgewater where their paopao was tied to a tree (now floating) and had their entire house surrounded and more!! And it was not a particularly calm day, there was a bit of wind tossing up small waves in the ocean, even right round their house, the water splished and sploshed!! Now this has NEVER happened before in the 5 yrs that I have lived in this village, to confirm that even more, these neighbours have just completed building a second european house behind the named one, for their kids and kids families now grown, to move into- and yes, both house sat swamped by ocean...with them looking on, not really knowing what to make it this!!
As for me...global warming and the sea level rise has finally hit Samoa I think...and this is the evidence. Our low lying homes and now being subject to this. I have no doubt about it unless someone can explain to me some weird once in a century phenomena to rationalise this. But yes, it had me wide-eyed and open mouthed. the hubby was at work, so I was texting him furiously- The TIDE IS REALLY HIGH, followed by- OMG THE NIEHGBOURS HAUS IS SURROUNDED BY THE OCEAN- I kept repeating this and repeating this, blady annoyed the cameras battery is flat and cant find the recharger, phone mouse doesnt work , cant snap a pic!! kept texting him as if he could rush home and DO something about it...
Anyways, so for the last 3 days this has continued to happen, tide comes in, house goes for a swim, tide goes out, tide comes in, yet again, out....slowly water level has been a little bit lower...which I think is what usually happens with these super high tide things...but DANG IT...I was FREAKED. And SHUX< the poor family next door kicking themselves for not having built their new house 10 meters back!! theyve been piling the rocks down by the usual waters edge, but so far this has done nothing as the tide just seeps through all the micro holes.....
Its a sad sad day for us to see this happening...
something to think about!!
It was int he evening, the sun was setting and I stood on our back porch with the Baby (little Mo) watching the sea,...tide was coming in, all was ok. Except, I realised, that the tide was particularly high. Now I am no Geo student, but I do know that there are certains times of the year??month?? where the high tide is VERY high, higher then other times of the year. But this tide, I noticed was very slowly (like real slowly, like over hours and not minutes) creeping up and climbing further and further up the edge of our yard where the earth meets the sea. Now the particular piece our house is on, was raised (meaning earth was dumped there to raise the level of the land) by the hubbys parents many years ago, I think mainly because we are at the end of a decline from the hills and there tended to be a slight rain /flooding/ run off problem every time it rained, so now the rainwater from the behind hills finds other routes to the sea, on the sides of us, not flooding our peiece. Anyways, so the land is raised, more raised then those pieces on either sides.
So after a while (couple of hours in between, I kept popping my head out the door, in between fa'asusuing the baby and putting the 3yr old down for her nap) I suddenly noticed that the tide was almost leveled with our raised peice..so I look left and...
The sea was SWIMMING around my neighbours house!! much to their dismay/shock/disbelief! They just sat inside looking out and around dumbfounded-its one of those things that had you in s frenzy..but what the heck could you do to stop it!!The tide has risen so much, it crept up beyond their normal edgewater where their paopao was tied to a tree (now floating) and had their entire house surrounded and more!! And it was not a particularly calm day, there was a bit of wind tossing up small waves in the ocean, even right round their house, the water splished and sploshed!! Now this has NEVER happened before in the 5 yrs that I have lived in this village, to confirm that even more, these neighbours have just completed building a second european house behind the named one, for their kids and kids families now grown, to move into- and yes, both house sat swamped by ocean...with them looking on, not really knowing what to make it this!!
As for me...global warming and the sea level rise has finally hit Samoa I think...and this is the evidence. Our low lying homes and now being subject to this. I have no doubt about it unless someone can explain to me some weird once in a century phenomena to rationalise this. But yes, it had me wide-eyed and open mouthed. the hubby was at work, so I was texting him furiously- The TIDE IS REALLY HIGH, followed by- OMG THE NIEHGBOURS HAUS IS SURROUNDED BY THE OCEAN- I kept repeating this and repeating this, blady annoyed the cameras battery is flat and cant find the recharger, phone mouse doesnt work , cant snap a pic!! kept texting him as if he could rush home and DO something about it...
Anyways, so for the last 3 days this has continued to happen, tide comes in, house goes for a swim, tide goes out, tide comes in, yet again, out....slowly water level has been a little bit lower...which I think is what usually happens with these super high tide things...but DANG IT...I was FREAKED. And SHUX< the poor family next door kicking themselves for not having built their new house 10 meters back!! theyve been piling the rocks down by the usual waters edge, but so far this has done nothing as the tide just seeps through all the micro holes.....
Its a sad sad day for us to see this happening...
something to think about!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
TC Wilma
TC Wilma. For the last week, most of you probably know that Samoas been dodging a bullet, literally. From the beginnings of a 'depression' located west of Savaii, she begun her journey, intensifying as she went. First she came torwards us, and there were rumours of Savaii being first in line for a whiplashing, then she was supposedly heading south, then did a u-turn and went north, careered over the top of both islands and sailed down the aleipata-tutuila straight. While some chose to be defiant and laugh at claims of a "possible cyclone"- What cyclone?! they said, when it was still only a depression - hello Wilma, I think it was pure luck that saw us get by.
Since the beginning of it all, Ive been following religiously on the net on my Digicel Blackberry thankyou very much. Like a diligent pupil, every 3 hours checking the samoan meterology sites updates. Some people (like one person- like my husband and thats it!) think I stress too much at times.....weelllllllll, there was a cyclone literrally circling the islands. I WOULD KNOW, because IVE been following the updates. Not you. me.And I think a possible cyclone actually lEGITAMITIZES (if there is such a word) ALL WOMEN to STRESS.Im pretty sure if I dug deep enough I could rationalise it with a hormone imbalance which is triggered by bad weather that instinctively makes you want to protect your young...yea the hubby can fend for himself, if hes not already protecting me and da babies, then hes on his own! So yes, I worry.
.What I Do not get is- those who couldnt appear to be moved, or care less....like it was seriously irritating me.The lack of preparation going on around me. It was one of those things i couldnt correct, no amount of shouting yelling banging would change things, or at least twas too tiresome to do so...they're all adults, get with the program already.
so for example
when the warning began, on the radio on tv everywehre- the words "nofo sauniuni"..yea, you know the good ol saying- be prepared?? Im sure it has been dictated and PROVEN through decades of civilisation that the prepared, are better off hands down...but do people around me prepare?????no. No banging of apas onto windows, no rushing to the shops to stock up on batteries and food, no turning on buckets ful of water in preparation for the water to go off, no cutting down of humoungous trees near homes...nada...or at least from where I stand and can see. All making me of course, look like a lunatic rushing round looking for my buckets and torches and counting my tins of food and batteries...if I could hop on my roof and do the rough stuff Id be banging and hammering and doing all those "designated men" like jobs too...
I got irritated by the number of non locals (non savaiians) who were not heeding the warnings and asking us, while in the middle of sweeping waves of water outa our restaurant and tie-ing down kapolegis to hold out the rain/wind, if we were open for pinacoladas and steak- like WHAT THE HECK!yes the waitress would be walking over with a pinacolada on a tray and WHIP, TC wilma took it, sorry, the WHOOSH, wilma also took the waitress and WHAM..a coconut just knocked one of our customers over!!!I can see it all happeing ...of course, those who chose not to leave Savaii when we warned are now STUCK here because the boats are CLOSED..and have been for last 4 days. Good luck getting on anytime soon, the line is from the wharf to the new marketplace with people camping around in wait of the next mobile floating device to take them back over. I hope you miss your flight...there. I said it (shhhh)
In amongst all my insanity, I was so annoyed that I almost WANTED wilma to hit...just so I could give people that " I told you so, you are so stupid " look. I know, Im terribly pessimistic at times but dang it, just dont get the 'relax and wing it' attitude some people have.
Anyways, so Wilma is supposed to have passed already, funny that cause only now is the wind howling and the rain slamming down, fair to say only NOW is our property majorly flooded (luckily buildings are all raised) you just have to wade in above ankle deep water/mud everywehre. Only now, the Sapapalii river/ford overflows and the locals sit lazily on both sides watching buses and trucks attempt to make crossings, kids and men wade side by side in the actual ford/river with dirty brown water rushing down, collecting coconuts which have caught rides down the river.They have made a somewhat amusing game out of this, except that every once in a while a log surfaces suddenly and takes out a grown man who gets dangeroulsy washed away only to clamber up the sides of the river 10 meters down, lucky the river is not very deep, or very long, one would just get spat out into the shallow lagoon at the end... if the mounds of foliage/rubbish didnt catch you earlier.
Speaking of amusement, the hubby did return from town day before depression evolved into wilma with his car ful of cyclone supplies. Mountains of rope (ok, pass coz we would need lots of rope) and a $130dollar torch.Its high tech toshiba and waterproof to a depth of 50meters. Ok, cos if wilma hit us, we may become submergeed in 50 metres of water and luckily, he thought of buying this (very expensive) light so we could navigate our way underwater to safety...or something like that- surely must have motivated him. eh. Boys and their toys. suppose if there ever was a group of them (men) standing side by side, fair to say he'd be feeling pretty flashy and content with his flashlight, waterproof and all.
Ok, so I really wanted to post some pics but my phone has decided to go crazy and not let me do anything apart from make a phone call with it!auuuoi! funny that, seeing that it is a phone and all, but I am feeling very naked for a moment with out all its usual luxurious functions!!
ok, so when it does get its head back, Ill post some pics, happy reading!
Since the beginning of it all, Ive been following religiously on the net on my Digicel Blackberry thankyou very much. Like a diligent pupil, every 3 hours checking the samoan meterology sites updates. Some people (like one person- like my husband and thats it!) think I stress too much at times.....weelllllllll, there was a cyclone literrally circling the islands. I WOULD KNOW, because IVE been following the updates. Not you. me.And I think a possible cyclone actually lEGITAMITIZES (if there is such a word) ALL WOMEN to STRESS.Im pretty sure if I dug deep enough I could rationalise it with a hormone imbalance which is triggered by bad weather that instinctively makes you want to protect your young...yea the hubby can fend for himself, if hes not already protecting me and da babies, then hes on his own! So yes, I worry.
.What I Do not get is- those who couldnt appear to be moved, or care less....like it was seriously irritating me.The lack of preparation going on around me. It was one of those things i couldnt correct, no amount of shouting yelling banging would change things, or at least twas too tiresome to do so...they're all adults, get with the program already.
so for example
when the warning began, on the radio on tv everywehre- the words "nofo sauniuni"..yea, you know the good ol saying- be prepared?? Im sure it has been dictated and PROVEN through decades of civilisation that the prepared, are better off hands down...but do people around me prepare?????no. No banging of apas onto windows, no rushing to the shops to stock up on batteries and food, no turning on buckets ful of water in preparation for the water to go off, no cutting down of humoungous trees near homes...nada...or at least from where I stand and can see. All making me of course, look like a lunatic rushing round looking for my buckets and torches and counting my tins of food and batteries...if I could hop on my roof and do the rough stuff Id be banging and hammering and doing all those "designated men" like jobs too...
I got irritated by the number of non locals (non savaiians) who were not heeding the warnings and asking us, while in the middle of sweeping waves of water outa our restaurant and tie-ing down kapolegis to hold out the rain/wind, if we were open for pinacoladas and steak- like WHAT THE HECK!yes the waitress would be walking over with a pinacolada on a tray and WHIP, TC wilma took it, sorry, the WHOOSH, wilma also took the waitress and WHAM..a coconut just knocked one of our customers over!!!I can see it all happeing ...of course, those who chose not to leave Savaii when we warned are now STUCK here because the boats are CLOSED..and have been for last 4 days. Good luck getting on anytime soon, the line is from the wharf to the new marketplace with people camping around in wait of the next mobile floating device to take them back over. I hope you miss your flight...there. I said it (shhhh)
In amongst all my insanity, I was so annoyed that I almost WANTED wilma to hit...just so I could give people that " I told you so, you are so stupid " look. I know, Im terribly pessimistic at times but dang it, just dont get the 'relax and wing it' attitude some people have.
Anyways, so Wilma is supposed to have passed already, funny that cause only now is the wind howling and the rain slamming down, fair to say only NOW is our property majorly flooded (luckily buildings are all raised) you just have to wade in above ankle deep water/mud everywehre. Only now, the Sapapalii river/ford overflows and the locals sit lazily on both sides watching buses and trucks attempt to make crossings, kids and men wade side by side in the actual ford/river with dirty brown water rushing down, collecting coconuts which have caught rides down the river.They have made a somewhat amusing game out of this, except that every once in a while a log surfaces suddenly and takes out a grown man who gets dangeroulsy washed away only to clamber up the sides of the river 10 meters down, lucky the river is not very deep, or very long, one would just get spat out into the shallow lagoon at the end... if the mounds of foliage/rubbish didnt catch you earlier.
Speaking of amusement, the hubby did return from town day before depression evolved into wilma with his car ful of cyclone supplies. Mountains of rope (ok, pass coz we would need lots of rope) and a $130dollar torch.Its high tech toshiba and waterproof to a depth of 50meters. Ok, cos if wilma hit us, we may become submergeed in 50 metres of water and luckily, he thought of buying this (very expensive) light so we could navigate our way underwater to safety...or something like that- surely must have motivated him. eh. Boys and their toys. suppose if there ever was a group of them (men) standing side by side, fair to say he'd be feeling pretty flashy and content with his flashlight, waterproof and all.
Ok, so I really wanted to post some pics but my phone has decided to go crazy and not let me do anything apart from make a phone call with it!auuuoi! funny that, seeing that it is a phone and all, but I am feeling very naked for a moment with out all its usual luxurious functions!!
ok, so when it does get its head back, Ill post some pics, happy reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)