Saturday, February 14, 2009

fasting makes door hollow

12/20
I’m at my friend richard’s house, looking through his pantry…ummmm..because I’m curious…about the food, and where it comes from, and who’s building empires in skies. Western family (from Portland, OR!), has butters milk and canned mixed up vegetables. Unilever (with the big U) has many many offices it seems: Australia’s food includes chow mein mince, Australasia has chicken powdered stock, and pure classico olive oil. NJ, USA has yummy skippy—this is what keeps meat on my bones here in samoa. Well…that plus the taro and bread fruit, and canned fish. And fresh frish. Frish frash frosh…well, it works in Samoan.

I watched a movie: “sam I am” I like it. Here is why:
“your eyes are older”
“I need love”
“I love yoU”
“you’re the red in her painting”

I was reading the big newspaper in Samoa: Samoan observer Dec 19th. Topics range from parents and children, to the business confidence survey, to power in rugby, to alcohol hangovers, being victims, prices of things in samoa, and also “the dilemma facing the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is that while we have contributed very little to the causes of climate change we are among the most vulnerable to its negative impacts.” I agree, ocean water rises 6 inches, many houses will be in water. Climate change brings more hurricanes and cyclones, right though these islands. There are many interesting articles (I wonder how they choose topics) in the paper in samoa. I have to say it is a WIDE variety of topics.

I was reading a book called Spiritual discipleship. “he was not yet ready for service.” Hmmmmm..I wonder what not ready for service means>..?.>?/



12/17
I saw a sign for a HOLLOW DOOR. $30 for each. The first thing I thought of was my grandpa: “I will only use solid core doors for the front door.” I wonder if they sell solid core doors in Samoa. Speaking of doors, my principal called me yesterday—someone had forced the computer lab door open at our school. I don’t know if anything was missing. But that is not a good sign. The door was NOT a solid core door. As people learn about computers and the potential value they hold. Their “value” will rise. We had a new lock installed recently, but if we have a hollow door, it’s pretty easy to get in.

Today I am fasting until about 6pm. We’ll see how far I make it. Drink lots of water. I only had a banana, and tea and water. My friend kat was doing a fast “to get closer to god.” I thought I would try because I want to fast, but not by myself. I don’t like to bounce my blood sugar like that. But I didn’t feel faint or have a headache. I prayed for my mom, grandparents, and the students, teachers, and my school—right before a Japanese woman sat down next to me. she just finished a year in Fiji studying English and was visiting samoa for 7 days. I took her to the JICA (Japanese volunteers) office because I thought they might be able to help her better than I could.

If I don’t learn anything from this PC experience, I know it will have opened my eyes to what is really sustainable. I showed my german friend how to reinstall windows on his computer. He wants to start a TV/electronics repair business and asked if I wanted to be partners with him—fixing computer. I told him I would rather teach him how to fix computers because I can only in samoa for one more year and her will be here for a LONG time. I think that would be more sustainable.

I had another thought while sitting on the bus feeling the breeze on my face. Samoans seems to have the ability to let their feelings out very easily. I see that they are very angry for a short period of time, then the anger leaves and they are happy for most of the time.
Back home in America. I see many people hold bitterness and bubbling anger just under the surface of their daily lives. It’s a different way of living. I see that way starting to enter the samoan culture. I think decisions made by the land and titles court creates bitterness. Just an example, but western court system seems to foreign to the samoan culture.

Awe in God: a halo around the cloud in front of the sun; a seed with a cape, made naturally, so it could fly far and make more.

reading community's visual box







in the pics: cleaning the pig at school... a little boy named bubba,. he.s so cute with the crispy things on his fingers...


12/13
I was thinking about samoan community, and how it seems there are many many tight connections. It may be the ultimate in “social capital”…to take a buzz term I’ve heard in America. I drew a picture of the samoan community. It was a small box with many criss-crossing lines (representing relationships) inside it. I drew a picture of community in America. It was a much larger box with maybe the same (or less) number of lines. The blank (white) space between lines is much larger in the American community box.

Reading the samoan observer…December 4 edition. Article about freedom of religion in Samoan constitution (article 11). I sure don’t feel freedom of religion in my village. If I want to fit in, and keep relationships, I go to the church (which is now being created, after a split with the neighboring village) in our village. Actually it’s a fale in front of our house. the same one used for dances (sivas), meetings (fono), bingo, and sleeping (moe).
Mr. Chief Justice: “my concern is that new religions will become a way to remove the blessings of communal living because of desires of individuals.” Hmmmm…religion clashing with communal living. BOTH very important to samoan life.

Poetry book: Raw edges. By Juliet Enid Westerlaund… to represent our country.

Visual artist: fatu feu’u
“our pacific people have opportunities but they don’t take them.”
“it is easy to walk away but hard to focus on something.”
Ingredients to success: patience, hard work, consistency.
An art studio in Samoa? Where?

“Pledge” dance group wins HIV/AIDS competition. Social dance movement and radical act of self expression. KRUMP: kingdom radically uplifted mighty praises

Daltron group computer company coming to Samoa.

Tower of girl power…line from article in teen page.




12/10
School almost finished. It was a long year..but it went by in the blink of any eye. I guess I was busy. Writing comments in school reports for students:
Very good student…lelei tele tamaiti aoga.
An average student…feololole taumafai
Good improvement…lelei taumafai ua alu i luga
Paie…lazy
Tautalaititi…cheeky
Needs to study more…toe suesue a tili
Pay attention to the teacher…Usi tai i le faiaoga

sliding rock's long name peels the onion



in the pics: some views of Apia, the main city...a big building (I think a hotel??...having a store really means the family can afford to build things, like this two story palagi style house...a view of the ocean and an old boat.


12/01
It’s December 1 with 82 degrees and 72% humidity with a nice westernly (well I cant really tell which way) south pacific breeze. I just bought three prizes for my school’s prize giving on Wednesday this week. I wonder why the soft-cover planners are more expensive than the hardcover planners. I think a hardcover planner is more elegant.

I went to the sliding rock place yesterday with Aaron, a German boy who I’m helping with computers and maybe English. He’s lived here all his life. That’s not something I could imagine myself doing. I gave him one of my helmets because I have two and he has none—and rides his bike all over town. He works at an electronics repair shop—fixing everything from TVs, stereos, VCRs, Microwaves—I think even cell phones. He knows more about the practical side of electronics and circuits that I remember from my five years of college doing electrical engineering. There are five kids in his family, and no dad, and no car. That would be tough for me. I have no car now, but also no family yet. I guess they manage, as does everyone else. Aaron says his family has land in Samoa, and wants to build a house, but they don’t have enough money. He says he will own the business someday. He seems like a quick learner. This morning I helped him find instructions to make a tent on the internet.


Let’s talk about wounds, cuts, owies, open skin on the feet. You don’t want them, because your healthy feet are very important; very hard to heal when always being bumped or rubbed against.

Samoans have long names…because of the titles?
Mulitalo Siafausa Seali’imalietoa Siafausa Vui
To’omata Alapati Poese To’omata
Seupule Afutoto T. Onofiatele leaoaniu Tuita’asauali’i
My samoan father: Tualatamalelagi Peniamina (Benjamin)

Some samoan:
Share with our extended family…fa’asoa I le aiga to’atele
Church building dedication…fa’aulu fa’alega o le falesa
Family tree…la’au o le aiga/ tuaga le aiga
What day you come?...3 ways to say in samoan
O le a le aso e toe fo’I mai ai oe?
O le a le aso e toe sau ai oe?
E toe sau foi afea?
Many words, same meaning…tele upu, e tutusa uiga

I was interested in my samoan family’s EXTENDED family, which I learned includes 5 families branching from my father, with 50+ people included.

Samoans Use information immediately….me=store information for “later”…just what I need to be faced with for two years.