electricity's skyward climb meets NZ visitors
in the pics: some year 12 students from Lefaga school at the National Science fair in Apia. Their project was to use fusia (sp?) leaves to make bleach to clean clothes. they got some money..so all our students could get some ice cream...yummy!
/Work day at school...cementing a rock fence and putting up barbed wire; notice that the bag says PORTLAND cement! I miss portland (OR).9/6
Yo..I finally got the package from my mom!! It had been sitting in the post office in Apia for a month. I hadn’t gotten a yellow card telling me there was a package waiting, so I decided to drop by the parcel office to see it had happened to appear. Yes it had..and now I have some white albacore tuna, battery for my head lamp, and some towels, skittles, among other things. I like getting packages;)
9/1
My mom sent me a nice card with a big hug, and a note inside that she is very concerned about my weight loss. I’m not concerned about my weight loss. She sent me an article about “oral rehydraytion” ....ahhhh...drink another coconut. Those are yummy. The weight i’m losing is being transfered into muscle. The food i’m eating is fresh—killed the same day or week, and no preservatives. Tonight for dinner I had fried pieces of pig (very yummy with tamato sauce),, chicken and and cucumber soup, and breadfruit. My tummy was very full. I’m sure I’m getting enough calories, they are just a different kind. So mom if you’re reading this—DON’T WORRY! I’m OK. I will let you know when i’m not OK. I wonder how i will adjust to the food back home. And if I will still want to drink milk...
8/31
I’m reading the Saturday Samoan Observer, probably the largest newspaper in Samoa. Many interesting articles, some garbage..thingss I’m not interested in. here’s one i like “The economy is great, so what?” “many wonder, however, what all thi praise of our economic grow
th has got to do with them. for them there is growth alright—in the electricity bill, in the fuel bill and in the food bill, just to mention the basics.”
“what is needed however, especially to the people who live in Samoa, are studies with smaller scopes—studies for example, which reveal the relation begtween wages and daily expenses. Studies which explain why it is that this economic growth we are having is not imapcting positively at the household level.”
It’s interesting to see this from a groundlevel prospective. I looked at the new electricity bill for the school today. It was about $258. that’s a lot it seems. The surcharge was marked at 45.something%. my pricipal told me it’s going up to 47% soon. Up and up and up.
“the motivation and drive to cultivate the land musts come from within families because only they know what is good for them and how to go about it.”
I’ve read some WorldBank reports, i have not seen any reports about “household level impact of a ‘booming’ economy.”
I read a Boystown annual report. I like their model using the tree with the words...play, professional, preventive, presence, paraental invovlement, positive, plan, personal at the roots. At the top: generosity, mastery, belonging, independence. I think those are good words.
8/30
Today’s mission in Apia—meet the girl Anna before she goes back to NZ. And buy stuff for my Samoan family—including a box of chicken (pusa moa), printing some pictures of the remodeled fale, some milk toffees, 3 loaves of bread, and taking the Safata bus back to Lefaga. It passes through Lefaga, but does not go down to the ocean, so I had a LONG walk with another boy from my village. He carried the box of chicken. I carried the half full bucket, and my backpack.
I finished watching an episode of Heroes. Some thoughts…
“what difference does it make?” I think it makes a big difference what you’re trying to do in the world, even if it seems small. If you don’t do it, who will? I think everyone has a special power, even if it is not some super cool thing like stopping all time with your mind, or flying. Let’s be real here, but also optimistic.
“Who is an ally and who stands in the way.” I don’t think anyone has to stand in the way. The episode showed one of the characters holding a gun. I don’t think there ever has to be a gun involved, but I might be jaded/biased…towards peace…that’s why I’m in PC and not the marines, or the Air Force…oh I tried…
“We won’t be family anymore.” One of the characters who can’t die talking to her brother who wants to tell the parents about the “special powers.” Family is important. Is it strong enough to hold the bonds through this?
Yo..I finally got the package from my mom!! It had been sitting in the post office in Apia for a month. I hadn’t gotten a yellow card telling me there was a package waiting, so I decided to drop by the parcel office to see it had happened to appear. Yes it had..and now I have some white albacore tuna, battery for my head lamp, and some towels, skittles, among other things. I like getting packages;)
9/1
My mom sent me a nice card with a big hug, and a note inside that she is very concerned about my weight loss. I’m not concerned about my weight loss. She sent me an article about “oral rehydraytion” ....ahhhh...drink another coconut. Those are yummy. The weight i’m losing is being transfered into muscle. The food i’m eating is fresh—killed the same day or week, and no preservatives. Tonight for dinner I had fried pieces of pig (very yummy with tamato sauce),, chicken and and cucumber soup, and breadfruit. My tummy was very full. I’m sure I’m getting enough calories, they are just a different kind. So mom if you’re reading this—DON’T WORRY! I’m OK. I will let you know when i’m not OK. I wonder how i will adjust to the food back home. And if I will still want to drink milk...
8/31
I’m reading the Saturday Samoan Observer, probably the largest newspaper in Samoa. Many interesting articles, some garbage..thingss I’m not interested in. here’s one i like “The economy is great, so what?” “many wonder, however, what all thi praise of our economic grow
th has got to do with them. for them there is growth alright—in the electricity bill, in the fuel bill and in the food bill, just to mention the basics.”“what is needed however, especially to the people who live in Samoa, are studies with smaller scopes—studies for example, which reveal the relation begtween wages and daily expenses. Studies which explain why it is that this economic growth we are having is not imapcting positively at the household level.”
It’s interesting to see this from a groundlevel prospective. I looked at the new electricity bill for the school today. It was about $258. that’s a lot it seems. The surcharge was marked at 45.something%. my pricipal told me it’s going up to 47% soon. Up and up and up.
“the motivation and drive to cultivate the land musts come from within families because only they know what is good for them and how to go about it.”
I’ve read some WorldBank reports, i have not seen any reports about “household level impact of a ‘booming’ economy.”
I read a Boystown annual report. I like their model using the tree with the words...play, professional, preventive, presence, paraental invovlement, positive, plan, personal at the roots. At the top: generosity, mastery, belonging, independence. I think those are good words.
8/30
Today’s mission in Apia—meet the girl Anna before she goes back to NZ. And buy stuff for my Samoan family—including a box of chicken (pusa moa), printing some pictures of the remodeled fale, some milk toffees, 3 loaves of bread, and taking the Safata bus back to Lefaga. It passes through Lefaga, but does not go down to the ocean, so I had a LONG walk with another boy from my village. He carried the box of chicken. I carried the half full bucket, and my backpack.
I finished watching an episode of Heroes. Some thoughts…
“what difference does it make?” I think it makes a big difference what you’re trying to do in the world, even if it seems small. If you don’t do it, who will? I think everyone has a special power, even if it is not some super cool thing like stopping all time with your mind, or flying. Let’s be real here, but also optimistic.
“Who is an ally and who stands in the way.” I don’t think anyone has to stand in the way. The episode showed one of the characters holding a gun. I don’t think there ever has to be a gun involved, but I might be jaded/biased…towards peace…that’s why I’m in PC and not the marines, or the Air Force…oh I tried…
“We won’t be family anymore.” One of the characters who can’t die talking to her brother who wants to tell the parents about the “special powers.” Family is important. Is it strong enough to hold the bonds through this?
posted by bigchainring at 2:14 PM
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