The Tutuila Times

My New Creative Outlet

2010-08-19T10:33:00.000-11:00

I have recently become obsessed with Etsy, an website specializing in all things handmade and vintage. You can buy and sell things and I love it! For our 3 year anniversary in May I gently recommended a few items to Jeremy that I liked. I now own 3 jewelry items from different sellers and I love them! I also have a custom ring being made using an opal I bought in Australia. It is on the way and I can't wait to get it! Here is the shop I ordered it from.

With my shopping history now on our blog, I will get to my point.

I have opened my own shop on Etsy! anmd is my new creative outlet. At the moment I am focusing on embellished jackets using 2nd hand jackets, scrap fabrics from the many sewing shops here, and a few extra appliques. I had a favorite jacket that was similar to these that I wore holes into and I thought I could possibly make someone their favorite jacket. So that is what I am trying. My skills are growing and so is my collection. I can also make a custom jacket for you if you would like different colors or styles. I plan to expand it to other items for the home but I have not gotten there yet. So check me out and place an order through my shop if anything suits your fancy! Any feed back would be great too!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52067724/sunshine-and-flowers-jean-jacket?ref=v1_other_1

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52062711/peace-love-flowers-pea-coat?ref=v1_other_2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51893614/flower-inspired-denim-jacket?ref=v1_other_2

Photos by Jeremy, taken in a crumbling fale on our street!.

Happy Shopping!
ashley

Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

2010-07-23T14:46:00.000-11:00

The other night I walked into my laundry room and walked head long into a bunch of bananas! Jeremy regularly cuts a bunch down and then hangs them so they can continue ripening. This is a common practice around here and one I am likely to never encounter again. I have since ran into them about 6 times and I am sure it will happen again shortly.
Oh Samoa!

One year down

2010-04-02T08:37:00.000-11:00

Today is officially our one year anniversary in American Samoa. It seems that it has gone by very fast in some respects and in others it seems that we have been here a long time. We have certainly loved being here with the beaches, snorkeling, new friends, traveling and all the wacky things that happen around here. We would have probably never had the chance to do some of the things we have done here. For instance even seeing this part of the world, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore for me, and an upcoming trip to Australia. You could say we are now addicted to traveling, I don't think we will ever be able to shake wanting to see more and more of this beautiful planet. On the other hand we miss home. We miss our family, friends and our dogs. We have missed huge birthdays a 90, 60s and 15s. We have missed holidays for the first time ever. We have missed funerals where we would like to be there to support our family and friends. We have missed new homes and big changes. We miss you all. We thank God for giving us these wonderful opportunities and we will see you all again soon.

Help Support the American Samoa Humane Society

2010-02-15T22:44:00.000-11:00

As many of you know Jeremy and I have gotten involved in the Humane Society here in American Samoa. I have actually just returned home from the Asia for Animals Conference in Singapore, where I had the privilege to represent ASHS and learn a ton. As part of the ASHS we have to honor of hosting Animal Balance for a 2 week Spay and Neuter Clinic coming up this month. Part of this includes representing Spay Day 2010 with this photo contest. We have chosen Pu as our photo because represents the dogs and cats of American Samoa quite well. He has the name Pu because it represents the place he was found as a puppy, a hole. Pu is Samoan for hole. Pu was hit by a car the week before he was to move to Kansas, he was injured very badly and there was little anyone could do on island. Unfortunately, we have little to no Vet care on island so Pu was forced to make the trip to Kansas with a bum leg. When he was taken to the Veterinarian in Kansas he found out bad news, he had to have his leg amputated. So Pu has something to ask you: Will you vote for him in the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest - and help save other pets' lives at the same time? See Pu's picture and message below. Helping animals is really important to me, and your donation will not only help my pet in the contest, but will save pets' lives by reducing pet overpopulation. Thanks!

Spay Day 2010 Online Pet Photo Contest

Valentine's Day Cliff Jumping

2010-02-15T19:49:00.001-11:00

A little Valentine's Day Cliff Jumping. Check out Jeremy and our friends Kevin and Kayla.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Singapore

2010-01-31T14:21:00.000-11:00

In January I had the amazing chance to attend the Asia for Animals Conference in Singapore. Alone!

I had the honor of representing the American Samoa Humane Society at the conference. This made me very nervous! I was going to a conference with people from all over the world and people would be asking me questions! These people were all pros in the animal field and here I was, just a volunteer. But the conference was great and so were the people. I learned so much while I was there, I now feel slightly overwhelmed with all the ideas I could help put into place in American Samoa. People are making a difference in much larger places so why can’t I try to help in such a small place? I am working on it but not seeming to get anywhere. If you would like to see more about the conference here is the link:

http://www.asiaforanimals.org/

A bonus to getting to go to the conference is getting to go to Singapore! As you can imagine there are no direct flights from American Samoa to Singapore so I also got the chance to visit Sydney, Australia for a day! Here are some pictures from my trip:

SYDNEY

St. Mary's Cathedral

Royal Botanical Gardens

The Sydney Opera House!!!

Lunch on the Sydney Harbor

The city sights.

Art Gallery of NSW where I saw a Rupert Bunny Exhibit and a living room built around a statue.

SINGAPORE

Bright Lights, Big City

The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore. Silly Merlion.

Jeremy Goldberg, a friend from AS got me in touch with a friend of his in Singapore. So I got a tour from a local. Siti was wonderful, she too me to all the great sights and eating spots. Thanks Siti!

Singapore is a synonym for shopping! And I did a lot of it!

China Town was so neat! It was almost the Chinese New Year so everything was decorated and you could buy all kinds of decorations for your house.

Little India was an interesting place full of workers who have migrated from India to work. I probably only saw about 20 other women walking around the streets that afternoon.

Raffles Hotel, famous for a drink called the Singapore Sling.

Sentosa Island, a hot tourist destination, was not so hot for me. The Beach had views of huge cargo ships and tankers as far as the eye could see.

Singapore is so fancy they have escalators in their parks.

The largest of all the Merlions lives on Sentosa and lights up at night.

To get the full view of Singapore I rode to the top of this tower.

Little Arabia, full of neat shops, but don’t get there too early since they don’t open till around lunch time.

I got to hear the chanting from this temple, it was very beautiful.

One of the best meals! A lamb stew with salad and rice. yummy!

The man who owns this store, made all of these shoes, which are used for weddings and special occasions. They are tiny beads which are hand sewn.

Unfortunately the only Sumo Wrestling I saw was on TV, sorry Pawpaw!

Oh yeah, stopped in INDONESIA too! Got slightly scared when one of these guys took my passport and left with it.

Ummm, is he coming back?

Oh yes this is what we do here!

Not cool.

A great trip! And my first trip alone! It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go!

NEW ZEALAND

2010-01-10T20:30:00.000-11:00

Living in American Samoa offers a real advantage to traveling this side of the world. So Ashley and I decided to spend Christmas in New Zealand. We made our first crossing of the international date line when we flew from Apia to Auckland. From Auckland we flew down to the South Island of New Zealand and spent a day in a half in Christchurch. I loved Christchurch it is a beautiful mid sized city that is very easy to walk around. It has old hardwood trees and amazingly large parks. The buildings are either modern or made of classic stone construction.

There is shopping, bars, restaurants, museums and markets. The place is simply a drastic improvement to Tutuila. I would move there tomorrow if I could. While in Christchurch Ashley and I quickly (read about one cup of good coffee and customer service) reacquainted ourselves with the world of modern convenience. We then rented a 1987 Nissan Station Wagon that was converted into a camper van and headed out to see New Zealand.

Our first destination was to Akaroa a small town on the peninsula of the South Island. On the road to Akaroa we came across a giant horse with a saddle and no rider running down the road. The horse saw our car coming, sized it up, and decided that he could take us in a fight and preceded to give me a death stare as he ran by the car. Ashley and I found this to be hilarious. We met the rider up the road he said he was fine and that he would just meet the horse at the barn.

We continued along the highway until it abruptly turned from a two lane paved road into a one way dirt road. Again Ashley and I thought this was hilarious; throw in the fact that we needed gas and had not seen a gas station since we left Christchurch and we were having an adventure.

On the way down this one way dirt path we stopped at a bed and breakfast (Side Note: Everyone in New Zealand owns a sheep farm and a bed and breakfast) to determine how much longer to a gas station. This couples bed in breakfast was spectacular. Their property was high up in a valley surrounded by large mountains (full of sheep fields) and a view of the ocean. These people had it very well as does everyone in New Zealand as far as I could tell. The owner informed us that once we made it to the top of the hill we could cost down and drift into a gas station. And that is what we did. After re-fueling we made it to Akaroa a tiny town that has boat tours to go out and see the worlds smallest dolphins. We unfortunately missed the last tour for the day and decided to head towards our next destination, Mt. Cook, and save the dolphins for the next visit.

Sheep! Sheep everywhere!

We made our first campground stop, enjoyed a Steak cooked camp side and bundled up for a night’s sleep in our “camper”. In the morning we enjoyed the drive to Lake Tekapo where one of the most photographed churches in the world overlooks this glass like lake.

Then to Lake Pukaki that is the Red Carpet of Mt. Cook. Mt. Cook is the tallest mountain on the South Island and has many glaciers surrounding it and it is just stunning. We have never seen so many glaciers and blue ice.

In Te Anau we pulled up just in time to take the last boat to the Glow Worm Caves. Where you get to see these tiny little worms light up a totally dark underground cave. Not to mention see an underground waterfall. http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/main/glowwormcaves/

The next morning we drove through the amazing Fiordland National Park where you see tons of waterfalls, beautiful rivers lined with wild flowers, and Kea Birds!

They are huge parrots that are quite aggressive. At the end of the park is Milford Sound. To see Milford Sound you have to go on a boat tour. On the big fancy boat we got to enjoy getting up close to a waterfall and a colony of seals! After the boat ride we took a little hike up to see another beautiful fall and checked out a spooky rope bridge. I would love to go back and try out an overnight hike to see what is off the beaten car path. We did camp out a bit more rustically that night. We picked a campsite with no power or water, unless you count the beautiful river next to our site and I do. Jeremy made a fire for us to sit by but it rains a lot in the that area so it did not work out too well.

After a few nights of camping in the car we were excited to get to Queenstown where we stayed in a beautiful studio overlooking Lake Wakatipu. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in this cute tourist town that is the adventure capital of the country. Unfortunately the town shuts down for the holidays so we enjoyed being on vacation by being lazy. We had some great meals, walked around their beautiful park and did some shopping.

Our adventure was a Christmas day Paragliding flight. Was a little nervous about this but it was not scary at all. We both enjoyed seeing some of Queenstown from above as we glided easily towards a sheep pasture.

After Queenstown we went to see the Fox and Frans Joseph Glaciers. We had an opportunity hike around the Fox Glacier for a few hours, it was quite the experience.

Frans Joseph

Fox (note the boots!)

Pretty Cows.

A Kiwi bird that came to have breakfast with us one morning.

We spent one morning checking out the town of Hokitika where we bought a neat art piece from artist William Steyn and checked out the stone covered beach.

After that we cruised over to Kaikoura to take a whale tour. Before the tour we went to check 0ut the Seal Colony and take a little walk around the peninsula. On the tour we saw three sperm whales, a pod of dusky dolphins and a large sun fish.

We were in Auckland for New Years. While there we spent our days in the Langham, a very fancy hotel. This was extremely luxurious after living for two weeks in a 1987 hatchback. We checked out the big city, shopping(great for Ashley terrible for Jeremy) and went to the Museum where we checked out the South Pacific exhibit. We were fortunate enough to have some of our friends from American Samoa to ring in the New Years with us. That night we watched the worst fireworks display I have ever seen in the first major city in the world to see 2010, heard some good music, ate some great food and shared some laughs. Then the next day we relaxed. Then it was off to American Samoa. Good trip. You should go to New Zealand, you would like it.

Keala and Prairie!

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-30T21:31:00.000-11:00

Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday of the year for my family. We have been hosting the annual family reunion/Thanksgiving gathering at my parents home in Georgia for as long as I have been alive. We generally have around 30 friends and family stay at my family’s small Georgia farm for 5 days of gluttony and general merriment. This is the only time of year that I get to have both my bothers together in the same room. But this year I missed it because I moved us halfway around the world. So since this was the first year my wife and I have ever been away from home for Thanksgiving we decided to do something fun and of course new.

On Thanksgiving day we went to two separate dinners. The first one was at Kevin and Corinne’s house. Kevin and Corinne are from Texas (which is Southern I guess but really Texas is just Texas) and so they know how to make some classic home cooking. They made BBQ and fixings and we brought the Turkey and some cornbread dressing. It was a great meal and we were all stuffed. After that we went our neighbor, Sarah’s house and had a light dinner.

The day after Thanksgiving Ashley and I hopped on a plane with our friends Jamie and Philip. Our destination was Savai’i, the largest island in Samoa but the least populated. In order to get there you must take a plane from Pago Pago to Upolu and then get a taxi and drive 45 minutes to a ferry. Wait in line at to buy tickets to the ferry. (Side note: Lines in Samoa are an amorphous concept; generally speaking a “line” is never formed just a mass of people pushing each other in order to gain access to a desired commodity. They will push each other despite the fact that there is plenty of the commodity for everyone) After you purchase the ticket you go and wait in a line for the ferry to come to take you from Uplou. When the doors are opened to board the ferry the line you are waiting in quickly becomes the mass of shoving and pushing as described above. This is comical and you should just be prepared to do some pushing yourself if you plan on actually getting on the ferry. The ferry ride is quite pleasant. There is air-conditioning and a flat screen TV on this voyage. On the TV was the Miss. South Pacific Pageant. Much to the groups dismay Miss. American Samoa did not win.

Upon Arriving to Savai’i there is a horde of taxis and buses willing to take you to your destination. The buses quickly fill up to the point of over flowing and if you are not willing to sit on a large man’s lap you need to take a cab. Instantly a cab driver offers to take us to our hotel for 70 Tala. But, another man steps in and offers to take us to our hotel as well for 70 Tala. Philip goes into negotiation mode and plays one cab driver against the other. By the time Philip gets done negotiating the “winning” driver has agreed take us to the hotel, pay us 20 Tala and invite us over for a Sunday umu. Philip is an amazing negotiator.

We stayed in a beautiful beach front resort with an infinity pool, Le Lagoto. We were living very well and the price was very affordable. We spent the first night just lounging by the pool. The next day we had a wonderful breakfast and went SCUBA diving. That was a new and exciting experience for Ashley and I. We did not really enjoy the underwater scenery because we were so focused on breathing and not drowning. We are looking at giving it another go though. During our second day we rented a car (Samoa is a left hand driving country so I got to practice those skills) and we circled the island. We enjoyed a swim in the ocean, acted like monkeys, saw beautiful waterfalls, went to the Western most point in the world (before you cross the international dateline), had prawn chips (gross), big cokes & stale peanuts, tossed coconuts into blowholes and just enjoyed seeing the country (including a horse in a tree). After our ride we enjoyed dinner at a tiny restaurant run by a German couple. We had a wonderful fresh fish dinner, homemade bread and a likely the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. The rest of the time we just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company until we had to return to American Samoa. I must say I missed my family on Thanksgiving, but Savai’i is a beautiful place, and if you get a chance you should stop by and see it.

TSUNAMI

2009-09-29T20:02:00.000-11:00

As you all know there was an 8.3 magnitude earthquake that triggered a deadly tsunami in Samoa and American Samoa. The destruction was thorough and complete in the areas that the wave hit. In some places the tsunami’s wave was over 30 feet high. In total 34 people from American Samoa and another 119 from Samoa lost their lives. Needless to say this even impacted the lives of everyone on island.

In an attempt to help groups of us went out and helped remove debris, one truck full at a time, from areas that the the heavy equipment could not reach. We distributed water, food, clothing, school supplies and generally just gave support to people that needed it. Additionally, members of the local bar association volunteered to aid individuals with various legal issues. It is hard for me to express this event in words, so I have included a very limited number of photographs of the devastation caused by this tragic event. A Friend took this photo from his apartment when the wave hit Pago Pago.

Scenes from Pago Pago

The pala in Leone

A Co-worker’s home

Now We Know…

2009-09-27T22:47:00.000-11:00

So we went out to Sliding Rock a while back to take a swim in the Tidal pool. While we were there two boys came to enjoy the pool as well. The boys also brought there dogs, all 11 of them. No lie they had 11 adult dogs following them! On the way back to the cars, these boys were running and siding on the rocks, all of us were like, Oh, that’s why it is called Sliding Rock. We just thought it was because you come close to falling on the slippery rocks with every step you take. Well here is a video of the fun. You will notice that the boys had no fear and earned maximum style points. Us on the other hand….

Sliding Rock

My 27th on the 27th

2009-09-26T22:48:00.000-11:00

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This year was my Golden Birthday, turning 27 on September 27th. Jeremy threw me a beach birthday party at 2 Dollar Beach. Here rented the fales and cooked a bunch of food for us and our friends. It was the most beautiful day and it is now one of my favorite birthdays. The only thing missing were the people I love back at home.

Raft Regatta and Talk like a Pirate Day

2009-09-19T22:48:00.000-11:00

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So to celebrate “Talk Like A Pirate Day 2009” some genius proposes to have a Raft Regatta. This genius was Charlie Lee, an attorney in Jeremy’s office. Teams were created and people gathered their raft supplies. Jeremy teamed up with Brian Peck, new found fishing friend, to construct and paddle the boat. They decided to build the boat using nothing but trash picked up around the island. With a little bit of design help from me and Sue Peck, the raft was constructed and beautified a bit with a a table cloth, “Team Skinny Guys” flag and a mascot. They tried out this heavy pile of trash and it floated!

All the teams lined up at the starting point and set off on the race. Every team made a pit stop at Pala Island, then headed for the finish line. And Team Skinny Guy won! Sue and I were so proud of our guys and their paddling skills.

Then it was off to the “Talk Like A Pirate Party.”

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The Magic Circus of Samoa

2009-09-04T22:46:00.000-11:00

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The MAGIC CIRCUS OF SAMOA (said in a very boisterous, circus master type voice) came to American Samoa. It was here for around 3 weeks and was the talk of the island for that time. It was actually a very entertaining circus, with trapeze artists, contortionists, a live band, a little person clown, and the “cage of death”, which had five motorcycles in it at once. There was also the show stopper, Fountina, the Human Fountain. This woman could voluntarily regurgitate water like a fountain. Gross! It was exciting to have this entertainment on the island, since there is very little live entertainment at all. The show lasted three hours and only cost $7 or $9 for VIP tickets (VIP seats are so close you can touch the stage). The circus performers did it all. Each performer was in at least two shows, and when the performers were not working they would sell refreshments. The one disappointment with the circus was that there were no t-shirts to buy. Everyone really wanted one.

Jeremy & Ned’s Matafao Peak Hike

2009-08-08T22:43:00.000-11:00

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Matafao is the highest point on the island, 2,142 feet above sea level. Ned, a former High Court clerk, and I went on a day hike to the very top. You can see this beautiful peak from our house. The hike takes around 4.5 hours. You begin by climbing an old rusted ladder through a banana field. Next you spend a few hours walking through a rain forest. Then finally you climb out of the forest, above the tree line, and into were only small shrubs can cling to the minimal soil. From there Ned and I had to make a slippery and mostly vertical climb to the summit. The view is well worth it. However, on the way down Ned fell off the side of the mountain when we were just a few hundred feet from the top. Luckily, he fell and rolled into a group of bushes and he was not hurt. But we were both scared. But by time you make it back down you are very glad the hike is over. We were both tired and muddy. I will go back again but not for a few months.

Umu at Tisa's with the Humane Society

2009-08-07T22:32:00.001-11:00

We went to Tisa's for a traditional Samoan Umu with a group from the Humane Society to celebrate having Tanya, a visiting veterinarian from Australia, on the island. An umu is a method of cooking food by using hot rocks to slow roast the meal. Enjoy the pictures of the event.

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Samoa

2009-08-07T22:30:00.000-11:00

Since Mama was here on our 3 month anniversary of being in American Samoa we decided it was time to ditch this rock and see another rock. So we set off for Samoa (an independent nation) where we could see a larger city and some different sites. We hopped on a tiny plane and took a 20 minute ride over to the island of Upolu which is much larger and much more tourist friendly. We stayed in Apia, the capital city, our first night where we walked around and smelled the aroma of no emissions standards and had a fabulous dinner at Paddles. One of the big perks of going to Samoa is eating, they have lovely restaurants that compare to 4 star restaurants in the states and the service is impeccable.

The next morning we headed out to see the island in the last available rental car on island (I won't mention how it was infested with roaches, enough to populate Florida all over again, YUCK). So we headed up and over, right through the middle of the island seeing one of the few Baha'i Temples in the world, the beautiful 300’ Tiavi waterfall, and Robert Louis Stevenson's house.

By the time we made it over to the other side of the island we realized that it was pretty much impossible to have lunch anywhere so we stopped for a huge Coke, Sprite, and chips and asked directions for the Aganoa Black Sand Beach. Down the road on the left where there is a man with a sign. Great, a guy with a sign and a mere 10 Tala that lets us know that it is ok for us to be there. The road there was long and bumpy but the beach was fantastic. It was black sand and some fairly easy swimming. Mama may not agree since she was kind of drug back onto the beach with a suit full of sand, but snorkel fins can have that effect on a person. The local kids really enjoyed the show, they also enjoyed finishing off our drinks and chips while we were not looking. We wished we had more to give them.

Then we were off to the National Park Water Falls. This is a very nice park where there are 3 stages of falls that you can jump into and from one to the other. The kids had no fear and so that put Jeremy up to the challenge, so off he went over the edge of the largest jump. Me, I took about 20 minutes to work up the guts to do the first small jump and about 20 more for the next slightly larger jump. But I did it and now I can say "I did that." We all enjoyed the cold water swim at the bottom of the falls.

Off the cliff he goes!

Working up the courage.

Oh Crap I am out there now!

“I did that.”

Enjoying the pool.

After this it was off to To Sua Ocean Trench. This is 2 huge holes created from Lava tubes, one you can climb down into and swim around where the ocean comes into it. Jeremy was gung ho for climbing down and I gave it a try but chickened out. So Mama and I watched Jeremy climb down the huge ladder and swim around a bit. Then we checked out the beautiful views of the ocean there.

Then it was time to find our spot for he night. Lupe Sina Fales, a nice group of Fales on the ocean with individual restrooms and "walls" made out of lattice. The couple that owned the place were from Oregon and had recently purchased the place after coming there a number of years. They had a nice restaurant where we chowed down on some Fish and chips. The stars were amazing that night even with a few clouds. I don't think any of us slept too well but we all enjoyed the complementary pancakes and French toast in the morning.

After that busy day we had a Sunday to finish our drive back around to Apia. Sundays are a bit harder to do and see things on these islands, you have to be very respectful of their customs. We did get to stop at some places fortunately. We hit up two more waterfalls. At the first, Fuipisia Falls,we had our own personal tour guide, a boy of around 12 who said he was 20. (Lost in translation I believe.) They had a beautiful path lined with all types of flowering plants and a magnificent waterfall that dropped 180 feet down.

At the next waterfall, Sopo’ga Falls, the family had all of the plants labeled with their Samoan, English and Scientific names. So we were more interested on the plants than the waterfall here. And the woman gave us a demonstration of how you make coconut cream (or how she makes coconut cream). She was very kind and helped us to better understand some of her culture. She also had some very fat chickens who loved to eat the coconut after it had been squeezed.

The we just enjoyed the ride back to Apia, where we checked into the Pasefika Inn, where a sweet lady from Georgia was the manager. What a small world! Jeremy and I left Mama there to read and headed out to Sliding Rock. Where you slide on the Rocks down the different waterfalls. Of course Jeremy did not hesitate but I was a chicken again. But I did it and now I can say, "I did that."

After our return we went to Giordano’s for some pizza and pasta! I love Italian and we do not have it in American Samoa unless Pizza Hut counts? The next day was all about the shopping and a little bit of snorkeling and Palo Deep marine Reserve. We all got some great souvenirs to take back with us. I was a great trip and now I can say "I did that" and "I want to do that again."

Other Mini Adventures

2009-08-07T15:06:00.007-11:00

Our Drive to Vatia, Afono, and the National Park

Cockscomb Point

Fia Fia Night

Tisa's Barefoot Bar

Trying to get a feet shot.

Hike to the WWII Blunts Point Guns

Mother and Daughter Trip to Aunu'u

Blowholes at Airport Beach

A Turtle!

A WWII Pillbox

Basket Weaving Class

The Big Leaf

2009-08-06T16:32:00.004-11:00

Jeremy and his new B.F.F. Kevin went hiking around the LBJ Falls.

Found a Huge Leaf.

And proceeded to bring it back to have a picture taken with it.

Silly Kids.

(Note for Ashley: Bringing the leaf back for you to see caused me to fall and hurt myself several times....I hope you enjoyed it.)

(Note for Scott: Of course you are his only true B.F.F.)

Veterinarian Services

2009-08-06T16:10:00.003-11:00

As I have mentioned before the dogs here are abundant and a problem. So of course I want to get Annie spayed as soon as possible. So I sign her, Sean Morrison, and Satani (Lisa's cat) up for the waiting list. We go the call last week to take them all in. Jeremy, Lisa, and I get all the animals into the car and up to the clinic. This place looks awful especially since we are spoiled Americans who think our Veterinarians should be as clean as our hospitals. We get the dogs checked in and they get their first shots no problem. Then we bring Lisa in with Satain in a box that needs to be watch because she can escape it. We give them the kitty and go to pay. I turn around and the kitty is heading out the door! Panic mode ensues, Lisa grabs her and has her for a bit then Jeremy gives it a go but she wriggles free and she is out! She gets up into the nearest truck and sits. A brave teen grabs her and gives her to Lisa. Craziness!!!!

Later that day after worrying for hours...

Lisa and I go to collect our animals. They all look dead and are not responsive at all and are just laid out on the floor. We get them home and into the house and they all wake up around eight that night. It was a bad day and the first day I did not want to be here. I hope I do not have another like that again.

Fortunately we have had the privilege of having Tonya, a veterinarian from Australia, visit with us through the Humane Society. She was here to do a survey of the island and see what its condition is regarding our animals, mainly our dogs. She said it is actually not as bad as it seems and that our dog population is quite healthy and our clinic is not the worst she has seen (but she did do volunteer work in Sri Lanka after the tsunami). So I feel better about our situation here in American Samoa.

Animal Update post Surgery:

Annie is fine and being crazy again.

Sean Morrison, who is our street dog and is taken care of by her name sake, will not come in our yard yet. She hates us for tricking her with ham to get into the back of our car and bringing her to the clinic to have the worst day of her life. Now she will not come close to us, ham or no ham.

Satani is also fine and back to her playful self.

Baby Bat

2009-08-06T16:02:00.003-11:00

On our return hike from Fagatele Bay last weekend we came upon a truck. This is a normal sighting on this hike since there are banana and coconut trees along the path and there is usually some harvesting going on. This day was different! As we looked in the truck we saw a baby Bat crawling around so of course we stopped and petted the bat. The the guys promptly said you can have the bat!

What!

Ok!

So Kevin carries it to the car and it bites him! So watch out for Kevin folks it is a full moon at the moment. (Don't vampires come out during a full moon?)

Jeremy and I go straight over to Alden's house but he is not home! So now we just have a baby Bat hanging out with us! We decide to leave him in the car since he is covered with bugs (it was safe I promise). Alden comes over later and gets baby Bat and save the day!

Thanks Alden for being our wildlife expert and baby Bat saver!

Our First Visitor

2009-08-06T14:42:00.030-11:00

For three weeks this summer we had the joy of entertaining my Mama, Julie Morris, here in American Samoa. We were both super excited to have someone here to show around the island and she was super excited to see the island and to see us. Though she claimed she could have sat in our living room for three weeks and been just fine. We took her to several places we had already been and on some new adventures too.

On her birthday we took a hike to Fagatele Bay, a Marine Wildlife Sanctuary. The waves were quite rough that day so we did not get to experience the wildlife but we did enjoy the hike, secluded beach and the beautiful bay. This is the nicest trail on island, it has posted maps and manicured trails. There are beautiful flowers and bats fly low overhead to get to the bananas. Part of the trail is a bit step and rocky but then you make it to a set of stairs that takes you down to your own small beach. It was lovely and a great birthday adventure for Mama.

We both really enjoyed having Mama here to spend time with us. We look forward to her return trip next summer! And we look forward to any other visitors, so come on over and enjoy American Samoa.

Mt. Alava

2009-06-19T17:56:00.005-11:00

After an early morning fishing trip for Jeremy and a sleepy Saturday morning for me we decided to go hike Mt. Alava with a group of friends. We decided to take Annie on her first out door adventure trip to test her skills and see how much of an island dog she truly is. The trip started with a ride in the back of Ned's truck with us, Shawn and Evan. It was a fun trip on a sunny day.

We got to the start of the trail where you can look down and see Fagasa Bay and the village of Fagasa. The trail is actually an access road to the antennas and the former site of the cable cars used to reach the antennas. SO the trail is not difficult unless you find walking up a mountain difficult like I do. We started the trip at 0' above sea level at our house and were going up to 1610' above sea level at the summit of the mountain. We did cover a good bit of this in the truck but the up hill got me, of course Jeremy and Annie were perfect, no huffing and puffing from them. Jeremy was kind enough to walk with me the whole way, Annie liked being at the head of the group with Ned, Sarah, and Shawn. The Brown Students also went along with us, so there is nothing like a bunch of college students there to show you up to really boost your ego.

Nice pose.

My face matches my shirt here, I planned that.

Annie with Shawn, Ned, and Sarah.

The views were totally worth the hike up, this is Cockscomb Point.

This is looking down over the city of Pago Pago

We finally reach our destination and there are stairs to climb, seriously? This is where the cable cars used to come to service the antennas. In 1980 a Navy plane performing during Flag Day celebrations hit the cable car and crashed into Rain Maker Hotel. A Memorial Cable wire still hangs over the harbor and a monument sits on Solo Hill.

Views of Pago Pago Harbor from above.

It was so worth the hike and I am looking forward to going up again soon.

Annie had a ball, she lost no energy, when we got home she was still running around the neighborhood.

The whole gang at the fale resting before the return hike.

Early Morning Fishing Trip

2009-06-19T12:15:00.010-11:00

Here comes the Wave, Dun nu nu nuh, Here comes the Wave.

The first catch

of the day.

The blowholes.

The big catch of the day,

it was quite tasty.

Oh No.

2009-06-19T11:31:00.002-11:00

Overhearing Jeremy on the phone discussing his outfit for court the next day, with Cliff, another Male attorney in his office.

-Hey Man I think we should either both wear pants or both wear skirts.
-Lets wear skirts.
-Do you have a brown one?

Seriously.

Aunu'u = girl overboard, a cave, an old man, and a blue starfish

2009-06-12T11:06:00.013-11:00

There is a small 3 square mile island off the coast of of Tutuila called Aunu'u. The only way to get there is by taking a small boat over to the island. The village of Aunu'u is apparently populated by 600 people. We only saw one truck while we were on the island so it is a nice quite place to visit.On the boat ride over there were several families that had been to Tutuila to buy bulk groceries and hardware items. It is definitely a different way to live, having to leave the small island you live on to get toilet paper and bread. Once we made it to the dock at Aunu'u everyone was getting off the boat, children jumping around, adults trying to get their balance. Unfortunately a small girl got away from her mother, went to get off the boat and dropped between the boat and dock. Her father, Jeremy and another man instantly jumped in and started looking for her. It seemed like minutes passed before she was found fortunately she was fine but she definitely needs to learn how to swim. The poor mother of the girl was in a panic so they quickly walked home leaving everyone relieved and shaken. So the adventure of Aunu'u had began and we were off to see the island, we walked through a group of children playing and started down the path towards the quicksand. We followed the path looking for a spooky path through the trees to the quicksand. We were both thinking of the quicksand as a cartoon style sand hole you can sink into but not that day. It was a lake, Pala Lake, apparently it looks different depending on the tides. We were a little disappointed but Jeremy stuck is foot in the mud and he could feel the definite pull of the lost souls of Pala lake. Seriously. We came around the trail and saw this beautiful cliff with natural arches cut buy the waves. There was a group hanging out and enjoying the tide pools. We walked along the slippery rocks to get a few good pictures and check things out. And I fell. Pretty much anywhere you go around hear you must take careful thought out steps or you will bust it. The water is so clear here you can just look down and see the coral. No snorkeling gear needed. We stopped and had lunch with the group there, chatting and getting to know a guy from Conyers, Georgia, some of the teachers who were working in the area, and a Samoan couple. They were impressed with my Hi Ya'll comment. One of the girls took us down to a cave in the cliff where you slip through a crack and crawl through to a large opening where the waves come in and splash you. It was awesome and we were glad we stopped to talk. We have video footage but I have not figured out how to make that work yet so here is a blurry image from the cave.

Then we were off up the trail to see the rest of the island. At the cross roads we were greeted by a pack of dogs and 3 men. We stopped to talk and chatted with the man who had to be around 80 years old. He was very spunky and opinionated and I wish I had taken his photo. He talked backwards like Yoda from Star Wars. Meet I hope him again the next time we return to Aunu'u. We walked down the trail again through a more tropical type forest where the lizards and skinks scatter off the path as you make your way along. To the right of the trail you can occasionally see Red Lake below you in the volcanic crater. At the opposite end of the island from the dock is Ma'ama'a Cove where the cliffs drop straight into the ocean and the waves crash all the way up them. If you are brave there are tidal pools on the edge of the cliffs to enjoy but it involves a climb down and a good handhold when the waves come in. We saved that adventure for another day. On our way back towards the village we start to see the Taro Marshes, where they have been carefully planted in sections with trenches dug around them and palm leaves laid down to prevent weeds from growing. We stopped to check out some of the coral reef and we saw our first blue starfish. It was so neat and a beautiful blue color. Jeremy also found a spiky sea cucumber. Once we made it back to the village there was an impressive coral and rock wall all along the sea road where they had been stacked no telling how long ago. The helium tank in the tree is a common sighting around here. It is a way to ring the village and let them know it is time for prayer and reflection. You can hear them around 5:30 in the evenings.
I hope you enjoyed our trip to Aunu'u, we sure did. We can't wait to take you there! There is so much to see on such an awesome little island.

East End Drive

2009-06-03T11:50:00.009-11:00

A Rainy Day Drive during Memorial Day weekend.

A view of the West End of the Island.
A shipwreck with Aunu'u in the background.

Fishing in the Rain.

The last Village on the East End of the island.

A Pig family waiting for the bus in Masausi.

Checking out the view at Masausi

A very large cow eating a baby coconut tree in someone's front yard. There is also a huge bull in the background with his head resting on the front porch. And there is no fence, these a re free range cows.

A dog resting along the edge of Masafau Bay.

The clouds were beautiful after the rain stopped.

The Renovations

2009-05-28T13:39:00.005-11:00

When we were brought to our house the first night at around 11:00 PM we were told that we had a great house, the best that some had seen. I think we were in a little shock from that statement, it was horrible. It was all white, everything and super dirty. So me being the girl I am, I quickly got to work on the renovation of this place. I found a lovely tropical print to make the curtains with and then I went to Ace to find my paints. I chose a dark brown for the trim and doors, a lime green for the walls and a turquoise for the accent walls. It also helped that our things arrived and I could put up pictures of our favorite people to look at everyday. It looks so much better, we actually enjoy being in the house now. I have not started on our bedroom yet so that you will have to see some other time.

The guest bedroom. Come on over for a visit!

The "Garage"

A Few Photos

2009-05-18T21:42:00.006-11:00

Jeremy's American Samoa Attire - This is a traditional outfit, the men do wear these skirts called a lavalava or Ie (correction it is pronounced e.a. not spelled that way) and the beads are very popular with the men too. Different types show rank in a village.

Our stuff made it!

And it only took 4 days to actually get it once it was on island.

(there is a lot of sarcasm in that sentence if you cannot tell)

Annie stuck behind the hot water heater. Don't worry she got out the next second.
Enjoying the back yard.
The inside of one of the buses. They love to blare the music and they love Akon.

A trip in the back of Ned's Truck
Traveling in the back a truck is a standard form of transportation here.

A view of the harbor during the trip.

At an English Lawn Party with Sarah

Oscar, the host, Lucy, the birthday girl and Alyssa.

American Samoa Bar Association

2009-05-18T21:06:00.003-11:00

I am now a member of the American Samoa Bar Association. Ashley and I went to the High Court where I was to get sworn in. I was sworn in during the mornings court proceedings after a criminal hearing that had taken place. I was asked to come forward and say the attorney's oath. The oath started out well as the Chief Justice simply said about 10 or so words and then had me repeat them. Unfortunately, the Chief Justice is a busy man and decided to say about five lines at a time. I was not able to repeat these lines verbatim but it worked out. Now I am officially barred in two jurisdictions; I have to admit the other then traveling 6,600 miles then admissions process for American Samoa was much easier then Florida.

Mother's Day

2009-05-18T19:52:00.004-11:00

For Mother's Day we were invited to Asaua Fumaono's church and to have a traditional Samoan dinner with his family afterwards. He works as an Attorney at the Attorney Generals office with Jeremy and he is the Pastor at an Assembly of God church. We were excited to go and see a Samoan Service and experience some of the wonderful culture here.

We got up and got out the door, we knew we were looking for a 3 story house with a blue roof around a curve in the road. So we pull up to a house with a blue roof, Jeremy asks the guy in the yard if this is Asaua's house and he says yes come in. SO in to the house we go and then realize this is not the right house and this guy does not really speak English. We kindly thank him and get back into the car to find the other house with a blue roof. I am mad at Jeremy at this point because of course this is all his fault and now we are late. We find the correct house and go into the church, that is connected to the house, where they sit us right up front since we are apparently special guests. Of course since this is American Samoa, and everything runs on island time, church does not start on time, we are there like 45 minutes before the service actually starts. But there is great music so we enjoy waiting for the Mothers to begin the service. It is a special day where the Mothers are running things so church can't start until they all show up.

Once the Mothers arrive they have a parade, where each ones name is read off and they are escorted down the isle by a child, grand child or husband. They are all dressed in white with hats and ulas (leis). There is a lot of singing, mostly in English and a lot of very long Samoan prayers. Several of the women get up and give their testimony, thankfully Asaua has one of his daughters come and sit with us to translate what is being said. Then they put on a few skits with dancing and singing and even costumes. At one point two of the ladies dress up like demons and they are beat up by the others. It was great, they were really good at stage falling. The crazy thing was they treated Jeremy and I like we were something special, we were the guests of honor. I know it was a sign of appreciation for coming to their church but it felt strange for both of us; as we generally try to blend into the crowd when we do not know what is happening, let alone try to draw attention to ourselves. However, Saomons simply treat guest with respect, which is nice. The oldest mother shook my hand during the parade, one lady danced in front of us and they gave me a gift in front of the entire church and I am not even a Mother. It does seem that their Mother's Day was more about being a wife than a mother, Asaua gave a sermon and it was about how the husbands should appreciate their wives.

After the lovely service we sat and talked with Asaua in his office while lunch was prepared. We went into their house and their children were preparing the food and setting the table even tough some of them were mother's too. Traditionally the older members of the family eat first then as each person is finished they leave the table for the younger family to come an eat. We sat down to a feast of fish, pork, a chicken soup, a steak dish, palusami (coconut wrapped in Taro leaf), bread fruit, taro, and rice. We both tried everything, I am not saying I am looking forward to a Samoan meal again soon but it was nice to be invited on such a holiday. After dinner we moved to the sitting area where we were served ice cream with pineapple topping. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, it was a great experience for us and helped us not to miss our Mama's so much.

Adventures of our first month

2009-05-08T13:32:00.014-11:00

Sliding Rock

The first Saturday here a group took us out to Sliding Rock. It is a beautiful tidal pool set on a cliff where every so often a huge wave comes and pushes new water through the tidal pool. This is no puddle though it is a literal swimming pool; it is quite deep and probably about 20’ long and 10’wide. You can snorkel around and look at all of the neat fish swimming in there with you. The trip there and back was a bit slippery; you have walk, climb and slide your way across a rocky terrain for around 20 minutes before you get to pool. But it is so worth it.

Hanging out in the pool.

The trip there.

The POOL!!!

Climbing in as a wave comes through.
And yes it can carry you to the other end of the pool

Jeremy checking things out.

Larson's Cove

While Jeremy was off island in Hawaii for a week attending a two day conference I went out to Larson's Cove with a group of new friends. It is a secluded beach that is literally in a cove. The hike there is around 30 minutes long, for the most part it is walking along a "road" but there is a relatively steep rocky hill about half way through the hike, then you come out into a field that looks like the set of Lost where the grass is up to your waist. I am so glad there are not many snakes here, if you had walked through that in Georgia there is no telling what you would have come across. The beach is perfect and white and you can do some snorkeling there but the waves make it a little difficult. While we were there a group of Samoan men were fishing from a cliff, when they caught something the made a fire and started eating.

What looks like the Lost set portion of the trip.

We made it to the cove!

The other side mirrors this to make nice cove for swimming and a beach.

Setting up in the shade.

A pit stop on the ride home.

Very nice.

Palogi Beach

Palogi Beach is supposedly called this because only the white people are crazy enough to make the trip to this beach. When we go to the trail head a woman was walking by and told us we could not go to the beach and that if we did we would all be fined $500, so we asked if there was a Matai or Chief we could talk to about this and she told us where we could find them. So the guys went off the ask permission to go to the beach and the girls hung out in the car. The guys were turned down by 2 Matais but with persistent begging we were allowed to go. Now this is a hike, not like the first 2 places we went. This hike consits of walking along a jungle ridge with about 1 foot of path, wading through stomach deep water and climbing over rocks. It is a very rewarding trip though, you pass by 2 beautiful beaches before you get to the best one. We have a video that I will upload when I figure out how to do that. So we only have a few pictures of this trip since the camera died while we were there. Maybe we will be allowed to go back someday.

On the way there.

The Month of April

2009-05-08T12:49:00.007-11:00

Our House 4/20/09

Our house is apparently very nice for government housing, even though neither of us is too sure about that. It is 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a laundry room and an open plan kitchen/living/dining area. I wish it were not quite so big, because that is just more to clean, but also more room for company! It is currently all white, floor, ceilings, walls, counters, appliances, and doors, seriously all white. But don’t worry I have big plans for a make over. All of the houses come with large lots so you have your “privacy”. There are Coconut palms and breadfruit trees and you can pretty much grow anything here. You just find some plant you like take a clipping, jab it into the ground and it will grow.

Our Puppy 4/20/09

Yes we already have a puppy. Her name is Annie, because she, like the orphan has had a hard knock life. We Palagis (said palongi) or white people, like dogs and take care of them, so some of the Samoans use our neighborhood like a pound for their unwanted puppies. So unfortunately after being here only a few days we saw puppies being kicked out of a truck across the street. We tried to grab them but they were too scared of people so they ran off. Later that night Annie showed up and we decided to keep her. Of course. I think she is a puppy straight from God, he knew we would need her. We had to leave or baby dogs, Layla and Draco behind and we miss them so much and Annie is our little distraction from that. They are in great hands, living in Pensacola with Justin and April and Mica. I know they are being loved and spoiled and will probably have more tricks than we could ever teach them. Justin is great at teaching dog tricks. I can’t wait to see Layla play Dead Bug.

Annie is a mess; literally, she is not what you would call a cute puppy. She is definitely not a Lab or Doberman Puppy but she has her moments. She has white fur with some light brown spots on her ears and face and then these black skin dots which I am wishing would make the transition in to black fur spots. She is like a Dalmatian on her skin but not on the fur. Not a great look. And the poor baby just can’t get fat we have had her about 2 weeks now and she has grow a ton but has not really gotten any meat on her bones yet. We are hoping she will fill in when she gets her puppy shots. She is very playful and loves to bite unfortunately. She also has a thing for dirty clothes; if they are on the floor she grabs them and takes them in the front yard. She does have very cute ears they stick up but one droops a bit like Draco's.

There is a dog problem on the island. There are tons of strays that are definitely not spayed or neutered so they just continue to multiply. Bob Barker should really know about this island. I am looking forward to becoming part of the Humane Society on the island so I can help take care of a little bit of this problem. Our Friend Kelly is the Vice President and helps organize a clinic once a year where Veterinarians come to the island and spay and neuter as many dogs as possible. I hope to be a part of the team this summer.

Our Sweet Layla and Draco

Frustrations 4/21/09

You cannot complete what seems like a simple task unless you first go through about five extra steps. For example: We wanted to get a PO Box, thought you could just go to the post office and fill out a form and then they would give you one. Nope Not so easy.
First visit: We go, stand in line, get to the front, and then are told we need to stand in the other line for that. We get there and the Post Master tells us to come back on Monday.
Second Visit: Ill put your name on a list and I will call you when one is available. Come back on Monday.
Third Visit: I go back on Saturday and they don’t do PO Boxes on Saturday.
Fourth Visit: Oh you have been here several times; I’ll get you one. It is like everything is a test to see if you will actually go through with whatever it may be. And I am seriously not exaggerating everything has steps. Maybe I will learn patience while I am here.

We made it!

2009-05-05T16:50:00.000-11:00

Well we have been here over a month and we have finally gotten our Internet! I had great intentions of starting this Blog before we left the main land but seeing all of our family and friends and taking care of wrapping up our lives in Jacksonville kind of became much more important. So we made it to American Samoa! After sad goodbyes, a long fun trip, and a terrible day in Honolulu we were very relieved to be here. This place is beautiful; for the most part everywhere you look there is something amazing to see. From where I am sitting in my living room I can see a huge jungle covered mountains and if I step outside and look down the street I can see beautiful clear water. We are excited to see everything and meet as many interesting people as we can while we are here.

Across the street from our house.

Our house