blacknotes has cell Phone in different world
blacknotes1
these are some thoughts and reflections from my black notebook which I wrote all my non Samoan language notes…which I realized is from college. Waaaaaay back when I was a super senior (my fifth year), working on my VLSI, FPGA, and Verilog “stuff”… hmmmm…brings back memories.
I’m learning a lot about the US by living outside the US. My Samoan family has a TV, that is always on, at a low level, so I catch pieces here and there of movies and the news. It feels weird to watching the US presidential race away from home.
A first encounter with the “mine” vs “ours” culture in LA, even if it is only our trainers telling us stories and giving us information. That part seems so far away now…Gal knows LA, and was guide to good eats for our short stay in his hometown. This is where we had our staging, and I think this is where all the flights from samoa fly direct, well everyone I’ve talked to here who has gone/is going says they are headed to LA first…what color was your yarn? Group79 is pink baby!... “being away of your own culture is the most important thing” says a trainer—now in Samoa. I wonder how I will feel about that statement at the end of two years in Samoa… “take me seriously” doesn’t fly in these lands… “where can I get some silica gel packs?” it was harder than I thought in a little town called Astoria, so my mom sends me some…thank you thank you thank you!... “graduating sustainable programs” what does that mean. What are characteristics of sustainable programs? I’ll have to ask my PC supervisor—Fata. Hmmmm…YMCAs in Samoa? Well, I guess there used to be, over behind the Magik Cinemas, but now, uma (finished). One of our trainers did hand out the 40 assets list which was surprising. I wonder if 40 assets has been introduced in any way here in Samoa…the Scientology is pressing in pretty hard.
In Samoa, closure is very important. Two examples: at the end of our training we each gave a farewell speech to our village families; in Samoa, when someone dies, there is a year long waiting period before the body is presented to the public, time for family grieving. Well I still thinks it can take a LOT longer than one year sometimes.
Our medical officer says, in Samoa, many health problems due to unhealthy lifestyle, not many diseases. On TV last night I saw a story saying that things like diabetes are beginning to appear in Samoa because of the shift away from tradition farming techniques and “faster food” there is one McDonalds in Apia, and it always seems to be busy busy busy. We’ve also been told not to use traditional healing methods. Too late. My mom in our training village massaged my throat when it was sore, and my sister put ;some Samoan oil on my toes when they had the yummy fungus.
Cell phones have had a huge huge huge impact on communications in Samoa. I was not here when they first hit the shores, but I may be here when wireless internet comes ashore. I hear it might happen soon. Digicel and GoMobile are the two main cell phone providers. Digicel with it’s win a free car and 10 tickets to New Zealand contest, and GoMobile with it’s hip hop craze (see…money, dancing, and music does mix well here) and one year anniversary specials.
Dental offices in Samoa are nonexistent, and they do not meet PC standards. I guess I’d better brush and floss every day…or maybe that would be a good way to get a flight to NZ; no, like my teeth the way they are now…villages that were part of the early outside assistance are now the well-to-do communities—mostly closer to Apia; the money flows in, the villages farther from Apia (like my village) may not be involved in as many funding streams…we are “development workers” not just teachers. I’ve never thought of myself as a development worker, well maybe career development, or computer skills development, or spiritual development…Samoa is an exam oriented country. Bow to the exam gods, which means all responsibility is on the teacher—no pressure…heard early in our training “don’t buy the sandwiches in cafes or stores after 1pm—Kelly’s makes yummy (and large) sandwiches—some have avocado!...palagi is an outsider…HP (one of our trainers) use powerPoint on a white board and wrote on the presentation on the white board.cool…appearance is very big in Samoa. Just making an appearance can be very important. I usually don’t like to go somewhere unless I have some important business. I guess my business now is to be present and hang out…it can be hard to get information about the “old ways of Samoa,” Tuala, my dad in Tafagamanu, let me borrow a book of Samoan legends, very interesting. The book even says that it was hard to get the same answers when asking different people…PCV=chief stereotype breaker…Faifeau (pastor) often make or break a project (in the village)…a shout out to yoga people in Samoa: Kevin (our technical trainer) is also a yoga teacher for a company he and his wife started: www.rawshakti.com …in Samoa, a person is considered youth until they are married. There are some “older looking” youth in the youth group in our training village. I guess I’m a “youth” too…life is not on hold just because I’m in PC, that’s right. It’s moving and stressing and and and mostly hot and sweaty with a little bit of swim thrown in; thoughts of grad school linger in the background somewhere. hmmmm…Peace exists when the four harmonies are present: harmony with yourself, harmony with others, harmony with the environment, harmony with the cosmos. Like concentric circles, for those of us who are picture people;)…the iceberg is large, and most of it is under the water can’t see it, or the culture that it hides. What is culture? What is culture not? My iceberg took up the entire page it was sooooo big and cool I had thoughts of ice swimming, as sweat ran down my back…in America, people live to work. In Samoa, people work to live. Seems a little different. And recently I told my village family how much I earn in America (converted to Samoan Tala, about $70 I think). I saw the pay stub for one of my brothers that works in Apia, $2 tala and some change. Someone said $5/hour is good. I’m not sure what they thought of that… “soooooo much money” my dad said. “a different world” I said.
these are some thoughts and reflections from my black notebook which I wrote all my non Samoan language notes…which I realized is from college. Waaaaaay back when I was a super senior (my fifth year), working on my VLSI, FPGA, and Verilog “stuff”… hmmmm…brings back memories.
I’m learning a lot about the US by living outside the US. My Samoan family has a TV, that is always on, at a low level, so I catch pieces here and there of movies and the news. It feels weird to watching the US presidential race away from home.
A first encounter with the “mine” vs “ours” culture in LA, even if it is only our trainers telling us stories and giving us information. That part seems so far away now…Gal knows LA, and was guide to good eats for our short stay in his hometown. This is where we had our staging, and I think this is where all the flights from samoa fly direct, well everyone I’ve talked to here who has gone/is going says they are headed to LA first…what color was your yarn? Group79 is pink baby!... “being away of your own culture is the most important thing” says a trainer—now in Samoa. I wonder how I will feel about that statement at the end of two years in Samoa… “take me seriously” doesn’t fly in these lands… “where can I get some silica gel packs?” it was harder than I thought in a little town called Astoria, so my mom sends me some…thank you thank you thank you!... “graduating sustainable programs” what does that mean. What are characteristics of sustainable programs? I’ll have to ask my PC supervisor—Fata. Hmmmm…YMCAs in Samoa? Well, I guess there used to be, over behind the Magik Cinemas, but now, uma (finished). One of our trainers did hand out the 40 assets list which was surprising. I wonder if 40 assets has been introduced in any way here in Samoa…the Scientology is pressing in pretty hard.
In Samoa, closure is very important. Two examples: at the end of our training we each gave a farewell speech to our village families; in Samoa, when someone dies, there is a year long waiting period before the body is presented to the public, time for family grieving. Well I still thinks it can take a LOT longer than one year sometimes.
Our medical officer says, in Samoa, many health problems due to unhealthy lifestyle, not many diseases. On TV last night I saw a story saying that things like diabetes are beginning to appear in Samoa because of the shift away from tradition farming techniques and “faster food” there is one McDonalds in Apia, and it always seems to be busy busy busy. We’ve also been told not to use traditional healing methods. Too late. My mom in our training village massaged my throat when it was sore, and my sister put ;some Samoan oil on my toes when they had the yummy fungus.
Cell phones have had a huge huge huge impact on communications in Samoa. I was not here when they first hit the shores, but I may be here when wireless internet comes ashore. I hear it might happen soon. Digicel and GoMobile are the two main cell phone providers. Digicel with it’s win a free car and 10 tickets to New Zealand contest, and GoMobile with it’s hip hop craze (see…money, dancing, and music does mix well here) and one year anniversary specials.
Dental offices in Samoa are nonexistent, and they do not meet PC standards. I guess I’d better brush and floss every day…or maybe that would be a good way to get a flight to NZ; no, like my teeth the way they are now…villages that were part of the early outside assistance are now the well-to-do communities—mostly closer to Apia; the money flows in, the villages farther from Apia (like my village) may not be involved in as many funding streams…we are “development workers” not just teachers. I’ve never thought of myself as a development worker, well maybe career development, or computer skills development, or spiritual development…Samoa is an exam oriented country. Bow to the exam gods, which means all responsibility is on the teacher—no pressure…heard early in our training “don’t buy the sandwiches in cafes or stores after 1pm—Kelly’s makes yummy (and large) sandwiches—some have avocado!...palagi is an outsider…HP (one of our trainers) use powerPoint on a white board and wrote on the presentation on the white board.cool…appearance is very big in Samoa. Just making an appearance can be very important. I usually don’t like to go somewhere unless I have some important business. I guess my business now is to be present and hang out…it can be hard to get information about the “old ways of Samoa,” Tuala, my dad in Tafagamanu, let me borrow a book of Samoan legends, very interesting. The book even says that it was hard to get the same answers when asking different people…PCV=chief stereotype breaker…Faifeau (pastor) often make or break a project (in the village)…a shout out to yoga people in Samoa: Kevin (our technical trainer) is also a yoga teacher for a company he and his wife started: www.rawshakti.com …in Samoa, a person is considered youth until they are married. There are some “older looking” youth in the youth group in our training village. I guess I’m a “youth” too…life is not on hold just because I’m in PC, that’s right. It’s moving and stressing and and and mostly hot and sweaty with a little bit of swim thrown in; thoughts of grad school linger in the background somewhere. hmmmm…Peace exists when the four harmonies are present: harmony with yourself, harmony with others, harmony with the environment, harmony with the cosmos. Like concentric circles, for those of us who are picture people;)…the iceberg is large, and most of it is under the water can’t see it, or the culture that it hides. What is culture? What is culture not? My iceberg took up the entire page it was sooooo big and cool I had thoughts of ice swimming, as sweat ran down my back…in America, people live to work. In Samoa, people work to live. Seems a little different. And recently I told my village family how much I earn in America (converted to Samoan Tala, about $70 I think). I saw the pay stub for one of my brothers that works in Apia, $2 tala and some change. Someone said $5/hour is good. I’m not sure what they thought of that… “soooooo much money” my dad said. “a different world” I said.
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