Happy Memorial Day! Remember your loved ones who have gone before you. There are many graves in people's yards here. They are repainted as part of the holiday remembrance. I have a photo of a person painting the grave in front of the place we are staying, but am not able to post it at this time. Maybe tomorrow!
Today's "Thought on American Samoa" relates to the Samoan versions of the months of the year:
January = Ianuari
February = Feeuari
March = Mati
April = Aperira
May = Me (pronounced May)
June = Iuni
July = Iulai
August = Aukuso
September = Setema
October = Oketopa
November = Novema
December = Tesema
These sound phonetically very similar to the months on the Roman or Julian calendar that we follow. I can't help but wonder what the months were named before the English missionaries and traders arrived in the 1830's. Surely the inhabitants tracked the lunar and solar cycles like other native cultures throughout the world, and had their own names for them.
The American Samoa alphabet has the letters:
A, E, I, O, U, F, G, L, M, N, P, S, T, and V. The letters K, H and R are also used, but only in foreign loanwords. Bingo is popular here, even though B is not in the alphabet.
How much knowledge has been lost when a dominating culture came in and wiped out the pre-existing culture? Would we be better off today had the "invading" culture taken the time and effort to learn and understand what the original people were doing and why? If you get the opportunity, read the book, "1492," and think about the implications.
Three more wake-ups (on island. Plus multiple wakeups on the overnight flights home between Thursday night and Saturday morning) and three more cold showers! Looking forward to hot water again.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday, May 30
Only four more days. I'm counting them down, but realize that I'm going to miss this place. I'm used to the heat now. It was overwhelming at first, but my body has adjusted. I sweat 24 hours a day, but it's no longer uncomfortable. I believe that if I got a six month to one-year assignment in a tropical region, I would survive.
The key to a trip like this is to get as immersed as you can in the culture. You could stay in an air conditioned hotel and have meetings all day, and feel like you are still at home. Or, you could get on a bus and ride with the people who ride it every day to get their groceries, and learn what their lives are like. There is no comparison. You can't understand a culture unless you try to learn from it. You can't learn from a distance. Spend time talking to people. Listen to what they say. Our only differences are the ones we've been taught by our different cultures.
I had read about some of the villages having prayer time, where you couldn't go through the village when prayers were being said. We saw that in action yesterday. We went past one village close to 6:00 PM when prayer time is scheduled. We saw a couple of guys in "police" t-shirts getting into position at the entrance to the village. We got off the bus a couple miles further down the road, and were walking along when we heard the bells ringing. We were on a main road, so we kept going, but we saw two guys at the entrance to a village who had cars stopped on the side road. We heard the bells ringing again, and saw the cars move forward off of that road. (Note that the bells here are the steel tanks that you see on Oxygen and Acetylene cutting outfits, 5' tall, painted to match the village colors, and hanging from a wooden frame or tree. We haven't seen anyone hitting them, but you can hear them from a long way off. They use them for prayer time as well as curfew's.
The key to a trip like this is to get as immersed as you can in the culture. You could stay in an air conditioned hotel and have meetings all day, and feel like you are still at home. Or, you could get on a bus and ride with the people who ride it every day to get their groceries, and learn what their lives are like. There is no comparison. You can't understand a culture unless you try to learn from it. You can't learn from a distance. Spend time talking to people. Listen to what they say. Our only differences are the ones we've been taught by our different cultures.
I had read about some of the villages having prayer time, where you couldn't go through the village when prayers were being said. We saw that in action yesterday. We went past one village close to 6:00 PM when prayer time is scheduled. We saw a couple of guys in "police" t-shirts getting into position at the entrance to the village. We got off the bus a couple miles further down the road, and were walking along when we heard the bells ringing. We were on a main road, so we kept going, but we saw two guys at the entrance to a village who had cars stopped on the side road. We heard the bells ringing again, and saw the cars move forward off of that road. (Note that the bells here are the steel tanks that you see on Oxygen and Acetylene cutting outfits, 5' tall, painted to match the village colors, and hanging from a wooden frame or tree. We haven't seen anyone hitting them, but you can hear them from a long way off. They use them for prayer time as well as curfew's.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 27
I mentioned on the May 24 blog that everyone hears each plane arrive and depart. The Thursday plane will be arriving around 9:00 and leaving again around 11:30. The last couple of planes have made a pass before landing, and we are wondering why. Are there animals that have to be chased off the runway, lights to be turned on, or what? If there's a flyover again tonight, maybe we'll ask someone what's going on. It's amazing how loud they are, which is an indication of how quiet things must be the rest of the time. You can even hear the volume go up when they reverse the engines after touching down.
This week there was an article in the local paper about a visit by a tuna packing company that was here to check out the condition of local facilities. Starkist just announced that they will be cutting back about 800 jobs because they can pay one tenth the wages in Thailand. That would really hurt the AS economy and there was talk of a local buyout, which has happened (with varying success) in a few shuttered manufacturing plants in Ohio. The paper got wind of it because two of its employees noticed a private jet parked at the airport and started checking into who it belonged to. We saw it fly over our worksite in the middle of the day, a small jet with wheels up, flying over Fagasa Bay. We remarked to each other about it being a corporate jet. This is an example of life on an island. Remember me talking about the clouds rolling overhead, tides going in and out, and rain coming and going? A strange jet flying over in the middle of the day is news!
We may go to a fiafia or dinner show at the Tradewinds Hotel tomorrow night. There should be a buffet of Samoan food (I must say I really miss my wife's cooking), followed by some polynesian dances. Will let you know how it turns out.
If you want to learn some Samoan, here is how to count to ten:
1 = Tasi
2 = Lua
3 = Tolu
4 = Fa
5 = Lima
6 = Ono
7 = Fitu
8 = Valu
9 = Iva
10= Sefulu
If you see me when I get home, I'll tell you how to pronounce them.
This week there was an article in the local paper about a visit by a tuna packing company that was here to check out the condition of local facilities. Starkist just announced that they will be cutting back about 800 jobs because they can pay one tenth the wages in Thailand. That would really hurt the AS economy and there was talk of a local buyout, which has happened (with varying success) in a few shuttered manufacturing plants in Ohio. The paper got wind of it because two of its employees noticed a private jet parked at the airport and started checking into who it belonged to. We saw it fly over our worksite in the middle of the day, a small jet with wheels up, flying over Fagasa Bay. We remarked to each other about it being a corporate jet. This is an example of life on an island. Remember me talking about the clouds rolling overhead, tides going in and out, and rain coming and going? A strange jet flying over in the middle of the day is news!
We may go to a fiafia or dinner show at the Tradewinds Hotel tomorrow night. There should be a buffet of Samoan food (I must say I really miss my wife's cooking), followed by some polynesian dances. Will let you know how it turns out.
If you want to learn some Samoan, here is how to count to ten:
1 = Tasi
2 = Lua
3 = Tolu
4 = Fa
5 = Lima
6 = Ono
7 = Fitu
8 = Valu
9 = Iva
10= Sefulu
If you see me when I get home, I'll tell you how to pronounce them.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 25
You may have been wondering what there is to do on a small island 1000 miles away from anything other than another small island. Life is pretty laid back in tropical paradise. There's school during the week and church on Sunday. It's too hot during the midafternoon to do much of anything more strenuous than seeking shade. At three in the afternoon, even the dogs look beat. We will see them on the shoulders of the road and think they've been hit, but they look at you as you drive by. They're just to hot and tired to go anywhere else.
Things change around 5:00 PM when it starts to cool down. Children and young adults come out to enjoy a wide variety of sports. We've seen pick-up games of rugby, volleyball, soccer, and cricket. There are a few tennis courts that fill up later in the day. One big grassy field seems to be the place for football practice. Some nights we've seen 30 guys practicing in different colors of complete or partial uniforms. Other nights there are guys who all have the same uniform. There is quite a bit of press about football being an athlete's ticket off the island.
There is one golf course here that seems to get a lot of play. Both men and women are on the course, and we've seen men and women playing together in most of the pick-up games mentioned above. Maybe even rugby.
We watched a family playing tetherball near the place from whom we are renting a van.
There is one movie theater. Shreck 4 and Iron Man 2 are both playing at this time. There is a business that advertises bowling and batting cages, but neither is currently available. All they have is a bar and a restaurant.
We're seen a few people out with fishing poles, but most of the people I've talked to say that they never fish. There are no rivers on the island. The mountains drop straight down to the sea, so any rain runs off immediately. There are sandy beaches, and we see a few individuals or families swimming. People don't wear bathing suits! (No, it's not what you might think. They wear their clothes in the water. We don't know why.
There are a couple of places you would call taxi stands, where the taxi drivers wait for calls. Both have pool tables that are outside, but under a tin roof.
In conclusion, it seems that if you are looking for fun on the island, you have to make your own. I stop and talk to a family near the place where we are staying. They have a breezy corner where it's comfortable to sit. They ask me riddles, do card tricks, play blackjack, and talk.
That's island life in a nutshell.
Things change around 5:00 PM when it starts to cool down. Children and young adults come out to enjoy a wide variety of sports. We've seen pick-up games of rugby, volleyball, soccer, and cricket. There are a few tennis courts that fill up later in the day. One big grassy field seems to be the place for football practice. Some nights we've seen 30 guys practicing in different colors of complete or partial uniforms. Other nights there are guys who all have the same uniform. There is quite a bit of press about football being an athlete's ticket off the island.
There is one golf course here that seems to get a lot of play. Both men and women are on the course, and we've seen men and women playing together in most of the pick-up games mentioned above. Maybe even rugby.
We watched a family playing tetherball near the place from whom we are renting a van.
There is one movie theater. Shreck 4 and Iron Man 2 are both playing at this time. There is a business that advertises bowling and batting cages, but neither is currently available. All they have is a bar and a restaurant.
We're seen a few people out with fishing poles, but most of the people I've talked to say that they never fish. There are no rivers on the island. The mountains drop straight down to the sea, so any rain runs off immediately. There are sandy beaches, and we see a few individuals or families swimming. People don't wear bathing suits! (No, it's not what you might think. They wear their clothes in the water. We don't know why.
There are a couple of places you would call taxi stands, where the taxi drivers wait for calls. Both have pool tables that are outside, but under a tin roof.
In conclusion, it seems that if you are looking for fun on the island, you have to make your own. I stop and talk to a family near the place where we are staying. They have a breezy corner where it's comfortable to sit. They ask me riddles, do card tricks, play blackjack, and talk.
That's island life in a nutshell.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday May 24
Is it really the 24th already? Ten more wake-ups and we'll be leaving the island. It's cool right now. A couple of degrees cooler or a few percentage points less humidity and this place would be a real tropical paradise. Maybe we are finally getting acclimated?
The problems with posting photos seemed to have gone away for a while. Check out some of the new ones posted today.
The floor has been poured, and several apprentices arrived to lay block today. They had quite a system with a person or two working on each corner. The first row takes the longest as much effort is taken to start out perfectly true and level. We are up to the third row in a few places, where it becomes a little complicated because this is where we start encountering spaces where the windows and electrical outlets should go.
The apprentice named Garfield is the youngest of the group, so he specialized in sifting all the sand though a screen, and mixing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of cement all by himself. Dave Piper was the wheelbarrow man, rolling each load up a ramp and shoveling the cement from the wheelbarrow onto the mason's mortarboards. I almost forgot two new names to mention. Two members from Mennonite Disaster Services arrived on last Thursday's plane. (Remember that people fly onto or off the island on Sundays or Thursdays. Everyone hears each plane arrive and depart!)
(Our new friends from Chaminade University departed on Sunday's plane. They said their trip was life-changing, which is normal for people who go on mission trips. I hope that those reading this blog get their call to do something like this some day.)
The two Mennonites are Bennie and Adolph. They are retired masons from Manitoba, Canada. They were glad to help out, and we were glad to have them. They'll be switching to their own worksite soon, so we'll enjoy their company while we can.
I bought a couple of panipopos yesterday. The spelling may not be accurate. They are made at a bakery within a grocery store, and consist of a light, sweet, roll about the size of a dinner roll, buried to half it's height in coconut milk. It reminds me a little of the tres leche cake we get in Mexico, but without the frosting. They are pretty rich. Half of one filled me up, as the coconut milk was rather sweet. They are a bargain at two for a dollar.
They had a fishing tournament here this past weekend. They had to cancel the fishing a couple of days due to high winds and rough seas. The fishing boats are smaller than any I'd like to go onto Lake Erie with, so it was prudent to keep them at the dock. They still managed to catch a 400 pound black marlin, several kinds of tuna, sailfish, and things we midwesterners have never heard of. The fishermen came from Australia and New Zealand, and had their little boats shipped in ahead of them.
We saw a sailboat in the Pago Pago harbor that had U.S. flags, and a San Diego, California address across it's stern. That would be quite a trip for it's crew.
That's it for tonight. It was a little rambling. Sorry about that. It doesn't seem like much is happening until you start writing about it.
The problems with posting photos seemed to have gone away for a while. Check out some of the new ones posted today.
The floor has been poured, and several apprentices arrived to lay block today. They had quite a system with a person or two working on each corner. The first row takes the longest as much effort is taken to start out perfectly true and level. We are up to the third row in a few places, where it becomes a little complicated because this is where we start encountering spaces where the windows and electrical outlets should go.
The apprentice named Garfield is the youngest of the group, so he specialized in sifting all the sand though a screen, and mixing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of cement all by himself. Dave Piper was the wheelbarrow man, rolling each load up a ramp and shoveling the cement from the wheelbarrow onto the mason's mortarboards. I almost forgot two new names to mention. Two members from Mennonite Disaster Services arrived on last Thursday's plane. (Remember that people fly onto or off the island on Sundays or Thursdays. Everyone hears each plane arrive and depart!)
(Our new friends from Chaminade University departed on Sunday's plane. They said their trip was life-changing, which is normal for people who go on mission trips. I hope that those reading this blog get their call to do something like this some day.)
The two Mennonites are Bennie and Adolph. They are retired masons from Manitoba, Canada. They were glad to help out, and we were glad to have them. They'll be switching to their own worksite soon, so we'll enjoy their company while we can.
I bought a couple of panipopos yesterday. The spelling may not be accurate. They are made at a bakery within a grocery store, and consist of a light, sweet, roll about the size of a dinner roll, buried to half it's height in coconut milk. It reminds me a little of the tres leche cake we get in Mexico, but without the frosting. They are pretty rich. Half of one filled me up, as the coconut milk was rather sweet. They are a bargain at two for a dollar.
They had a fishing tournament here this past weekend. They had to cancel the fishing a couple of days due to high winds and rough seas. The fishing boats are smaller than any I'd like to go onto Lake Erie with, so it was prudent to keep them at the dock. They still managed to catch a 400 pound black marlin, several kinds of tuna, sailfish, and things we midwesterners have never heard of. The fishermen came from Australia and New Zealand, and had their little boats shipped in ahead of them.
We saw a sailboat in the Pago Pago harbor that had U.S. flags, and a San Diego, California address across it's stern. That would be quite a trip for it's crew.
That's it for tonight. It was a little rambling. Sorry about that. It doesn't seem like much is happening until you start writing about it.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday May 23
We told you to stay tuned for more info about our "monster hike" on Saturday. That adjective turned out to be an understatement. Hopefully you can cut and paste this link to get an idea of where we went.
http://www.nps.gov/npsa/planyourvisit/upload/hikingopt.pdf
We drove past the statue of Charlie the Tuna across from the tuna canneries, due south of the Mt. Alava Summit, then through the village of Aua up Rt. 6 to a new trail at Sauma Ridge. Our trail is not on the map, which is a relief map. Visualize a trail from Sauma Ridge straight south to the national park boundary which forms an east-west line to Mt. Alava. This line follows the backbone of the island, and that is where our trail went.
Like a backbone, the trail is bumpy, with numerous ups and downs as it climbs from close to sea level to the 1610' summit of Mt. Alava. Susan and I climbed 1700' in the Grand Canyon a few years ago, up Tapeats Creek, across Surprise Valley, then down Deer Creek Canyon to the Colorado River. That was tough in 90° weather, but we handled it by taking along a spare t-shirt in a zip lock bag full of water. When it got too hot, we'd put the wet shirt on to cool our bodies.
I carried a t-shirt in a bag on Saturday's hike, but guess what - the humidity was so high, that our clothes were completely soaked from the moment we started. I'm writing this on Sunday night, and the money in my wallet is still damp. We made it to the summit, and I have photos of the spot where Dave Piper sat down to lean against a column in the Fale there. There's a puddle of water where he was sitting. There's another puddle where he wrung a cup or two of water out of his t-shirt.
Heat and humidity were only part of the story. When Rich and Phyl dropped us off at the trailhead, we were excited to get started. It was 8:30 in the morning and we planned on a 6 hour hike. We didn't think too much of the fact that we had to climb a ladder leading from the road up to the trail. The shoulders are steep along most mountain roads. This was the first of more ladders than we could count. The rungs were 4" x 4" by about 30" wide sections of material like the composite decking we can buy in Ohio. They were strung on half-inch steel cables which formed the rungs of the ladders. At the top of each section, we would be bent over, gasping for air and waiting for our hearts to slow down below that of a hummingbird. There were some sections where the rungs were hanging in the air rather than leaning against the hillside.
We estimate that we climbed up and down at least 50 such ladders in the course of our trip. The trail was through a tropical rain forest, with moss, ferns, and other plants growing on every rock, tree trunk and branch. We took turns being in the front, middle or back of the group, remembering old tarzan movies and the pygmies or man-eating plants that those people had to worry about. No one shot us with a poison arrow, but the person in front ate a lot of spider webs, and got to see the small black lizards that darted out of the group's way. We heard more birds than we could see, and there were a few strange sounds that could have been amphibian, insect or avian, but there was no way of knowing, as we never saw the source.
The ranger at the national park office had told us that parts of the trail were a knife-edge. This was true. We were happy when we encountered short sections of flat grassy trail. The rest was indeed a knife-edge where we scrambled along algae covered lava rocks while looking down at tree tops to our left and right. Usually, when you climb a steep slope, you go back and forth on switchbacks as you climb. There were less than ten sections that included switchbacks in our 6 mile hike. The rest was straight up or straight down the ridge line.
I was in the lead for the last hour before we reached the summit. I remember telling Steve, "I can see two more ladders, and nothing above them." Then I'd climb up and see two more. I have to admit that after feeding him this line about six straight times, I was beginning to think that we'd never finish the hike. We would occasionally come to an opening where we could see the Pago Pago harbor or the village of Vatia below us. It was heartbreaking when we saw the radio towers on top of Mt. Alava far, far ahead of us and realized that we were an hour behind our planned schedule.
The good news is that we kept going. In our optimism, we took a couple of bottles of Vailima along to celebrate our success when we reached the Fale. Next time, I'm not carrying an ounce of anything I don't need.
After a short rest and a moment of enjoying the view from the summit, we began our decent to Fagasa Pass. We drive by that trail entrance every day on the way to the work site. It's advertised as a jeep trail and easy walk. Let me tell you - any two hour walk in 85° weather at 95% humidity is not easy, even when it's mostly downhill. Steve says, "That hike was not on my bucket list!" But we're glad we did it (and survived to tell the tale).
http://www.nps.gov/npsa/planyourvisit/upload/hikingopt.pdf
We drove past the statue of Charlie the Tuna across from the tuna canneries, due south of the Mt. Alava Summit, then through the village of Aua up Rt. 6 to a new trail at Sauma Ridge. Our trail is not on the map, which is a relief map. Visualize a trail from Sauma Ridge straight south to the national park boundary which forms an east-west line to Mt. Alava. This line follows the backbone of the island, and that is where our trail went.
Like a backbone, the trail is bumpy, with numerous ups and downs as it climbs from close to sea level to the 1610' summit of Mt. Alava. Susan and I climbed 1700' in the Grand Canyon a few years ago, up Tapeats Creek, across Surprise Valley, then down Deer Creek Canyon to the Colorado River. That was tough in 90° weather, but we handled it by taking along a spare t-shirt in a zip lock bag full of water. When it got too hot, we'd put the wet shirt on to cool our bodies.
I carried a t-shirt in a bag on Saturday's hike, but guess what - the humidity was so high, that our clothes were completely soaked from the moment we started. I'm writing this on Sunday night, and the money in my wallet is still damp. We made it to the summit, and I have photos of the spot where Dave Piper sat down to lean against a column in the Fale there. There's a puddle of water where he was sitting. There's another puddle where he wrung a cup or two of water out of his t-shirt.
Heat and humidity were only part of the story. When Rich and Phyl dropped us off at the trailhead, we were excited to get started. It was 8:30 in the morning and we planned on a 6 hour hike. We didn't think too much of the fact that we had to climb a ladder leading from the road up to the trail. The shoulders are steep along most mountain roads. This was the first of more ladders than we could count. The rungs were 4" x 4" by about 30" wide sections of material like the composite decking we can buy in Ohio. They were strung on half-inch steel cables which formed the rungs of the ladders. At the top of each section, we would be bent over, gasping for air and waiting for our hearts to slow down below that of a hummingbird. There were some sections where the rungs were hanging in the air rather than leaning against the hillside.
We estimate that we climbed up and down at least 50 such ladders in the course of our trip. The trail was through a tropical rain forest, with moss, ferns, and other plants growing on every rock, tree trunk and branch. We took turns being in the front, middle or back of the group, remembering old tarzan movies and the pygmies or man-eating plants that those people had to worry about. No one shot us with a poison arrow, but the person in front ate a lot of spider webs, and got to see the small black lizards that darted out of the group's way. We heard more birds than we could see, and there were a few strange sounds that could have been amphibian, insect or avian, but there was no way of knowing, as we never saw the source.
The ranger at the national park office had told us that parts of the trail were a knife-edge. This was true. We were happy when we encountered short sections of flat grassy trail. The rest was indeed a knife-edge where we scrambled along algae covered lava rocks while looking down at tree tops to our left and right. Usually, when you climb a steep slope, you go back and forth on switchbacks as you climb. There were less than ten sections that included switchbacks in our 6 mile hike. The rest was straight up or straight down the ridge line.
I was in the lead for the last hour before we reached the summit. I remember telling Steve, "I can see two more ladders, and nothing above them." Then I'd climb up and see two more. I have to admit that after feeding him this line about six straight times, I was beginning to think that we'd never finish the hike. We would occasionally come to an opening where we could see the Pago Pago harbor or the village of Vatia below us. It was heartbreaking when we saw the radio towers on top of Mt. Alava far, far ahead of us and realized that we were an hour behind our planned schedule.
The good news is that we kept going. In our optimism, we took a couple of bottles of Vailima along to celebrate our success when we reached the Fale. Next time, I'm not carrying an ounce of anything I don't need.
After a short rest and a moment of enjoying the view from the summit, we began our decent to Fagasa Pass. We drive by that trail entrance every day on the way to the work site. It's advertised as a jeep trail and easy walk. Let me tell you - any two hour walk in 85° weather at 95% humidity is not easy, even when it's mostly downhill. Steve says, "That hike was not on my bucket list!" But we're glad we did it (and survived to tell the tale).
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday, May 21
It's hard to believe but we now have less than two weeks before we board the plane for home. The floor has been poured and now it's time to start raising the block walls. We took all the forms off the floor and foundation yesterday, with the help of the group from Chaminade University. They got their first taste of a block line when we moved blocks from a pile on the ground to two piles on the first half of the floor that we poured. Everyone did a great job with that.
We went over the mountain this morning, to learn that we didn't have any sand to start screening for mortar mix. There's a chance that the sand won't be available until Tuesday, as there is so much building going on that the sand company is booked up.
Three of us spent the afternoon hiking to Larsen Bay, which is a secluded little section of beach on the edge of a volcano remnant called Fogama'a Crater. We parked the van at the Turtle and Shark Lodge then hiked through jungle and a banana and coconut plantation on the crater floor to a cliff above the beach. We had to hang on to tree limbs to keep from sliding down the cliff during our descent. The beach is about a quarter mile long, surrounded by volcanic cliffs, with a nice stretch of sand. The owner of the Turtle and Shark Lodge said that on the weekends the beach is full of palagi's swimming. We are palagi's, but we didn't swim. I hope we can post photos of this to this blog again soon. We sat watching the blue-green water and listening to the surf for quite a while before returning to the van.
This hike was a dry run for a monster hike tomorrow where we plan to start near sea level and top out at 1610' Mount Alava. It should be quite a climb through the hot jungle, but hopefully the scenery will be worth it. Stay tuned.....
We went over the mountain this morning, to learn that we didn't have any sand to start screening for mortar mix. There's a chance that the sand won't be available until Tuesday, as there is so much building going on that the sand company is booked up.
Three of us spent the afternoon hiking to Larsen Bay, which is a secluded little section of beach on the edge of a volcano remnant called Fogama'a Crater. We parked the van at the Turtle and Shark Lodge then hiked through jungle and a banana and coconut plantation on the crater floor to a cliff above the beach. We had to hang on to tree limbs to keep from sliding down the cliff during our descent. The beach is about a quarter mile long, surrounded by volcanic cliffs, with a nice stretch of sand. The owner of the Turtle and Shark Lodge said that on the weekends the beach is full of palagi's swimming. We are palagi's, but we didn't swim. I hope we can post photos of this to this blog again soon. We sat watching the blue-green water and listening to the surf for quite a while before returning to the van.
This hike was a dry run for a monster hike tomorrow where we plan to start near sea level and top out at 1610' Mount Alava. It should be quite a climb through the hot jungle, but hopefully the scenery will be worth it. Stay tuned.....
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Post by Allison
Aloha! Thanks to John for posting our photos, now you'll finally get to hear our voices...well, sort of. We are an eager, energetic (and somewhat unskilled) group that came to AS to help with disaster recovery. We arrived thinking that we were going to be helping to finish a house, not realizing that the house really did not yet exist. In a short period of time, we have gone from somewhat unskilled to somewhat skilled. John, Dave, Steve & Rich have been great to work with - very patient men - as they have taught us to cut re-bar, affix braces to a support wall, how to use wire to tie pretty much everything down, and explain the basics of building a house.
This morning we arrived at the worksite hoping to see the cement mixer and, lo & behold, it was hiding under a tarp. Our group of 8 just kept multiplying as the local apprentices joined us, as well as the Baptist Builders from CA. Endless gallons of cement were mixed, numerous trips up & down the ramp with the wheelbarrows and we began to see the makings of a floor. The rain delayed our progress a bit as the showers came & went, but 4 1/2 hours later, half of the floor was poured and on its way to drying. Tomorrow we look forward to utilizing more of our newfound skills to help pour the other half of the floor.
Allison Jerome
This morning we arrived at the worksite hoping to see the cement mixer and, lo & behold, it was hiding under a tarp. Our group of 8 just kept multiplying as the local apprentices joined us, as well as the Baptist Builders from CA. Endless gallons of cement were mixed, numerous trips up & down the ramp with the wheelbarrows and we began to see the makings of a floor. The rain delayed our progress a bit as the showers came & went, but 4 1/2 hours later, half of the floor was poured and on its way to drying. Tomorrow we look forward to utilizing more of our newfound skills to help pour the other half of the floor.
Allison Jerome
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, May 17
Today was ecumenical day. Our group of four were doing the final preparations for pouring the floor tomorrow, with the assistance of three people from Chaminade University which is a Catholic Marianist School, and five people from the California Baptist Builders organization who normally specialize in building new churches. My denomination has been saying "God is still speaking," in their advertisements. I think it's impressive that people can work together in common cause, regardless of their church affiliation. God is speaking in American Samoa.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday May 16
We went to a Samoan Church today. It's part of the Assembly of God denomination and has the logo "Ieova Irae" on the front of the building. We had an hour of praise music with keyboard, drums, bass and guitar, followed by an hour of sermon by the pastor. When he took his glasses off, you knew his voice was going to get loud and he'd start waving his arms. We didn't know what he was saying, but it was impressive. We knew a couple of the songs that had verses in both English and Samoan, "This Little Light of Mine, When the Saints Come Marching In," and some others that Phyl and Rich recognized. It was the home church of two of the apprentices we work with, so we were all happy to share in this part of their lives.
We spent the afternoon driving to the western end of the island. It was more of a headland type of environment with lava cliffs rather than sandy beaches. We passed through several sections of jungle where the road seemed like it was going through a dark tunnel. This end of the island seemed to take the brunt of the impact from the tsunami. There were more destroyed or damaged houses, people still living in FEMA tents and we even saw a church that had two walls knocked out. We saw two Fales with the overhanging roofs knocked down rather than peeled back like most of the damaged houses we've seen. The water had to very high in this spot.
We're writing this from the hotel. We walked here tonight because our rental van lost it's transmission. We are down two vans in two weeks. Vans 2, mission group 0. (But we are still having fun!)
We spent the afternoon driving to the western end of the island. It was more of a headland type of environment with lava cliffs rather than sandy beaches. We passed through several sections of jungle where the road seemed like it was going through a dark tunnel. This end of the island seemed to take the brunt of the impact from the tsunami. There were more destroyed or damaged houses, people still living in FEMA tents and we even saw a church that had two walls knocked out. We saw two Fales with the overhanging roofs knocked down rather than peeled back like most of the damaged houses we've seen. The water had to very high in this spot.
We're writing this from the hotel. We walked here tonight because our rental van lost it's transmission. We are down two vans in two weeks. Vans 2, mission group 0. (But we are still having fun!)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, May 14
We learned something new today. Our backhoe operator is one of the seven dentists on the island. We wondered how long he's been running a backhoe, because today was the third day and we don't have the backfilling done yet. He's been a dentist for 30 years. His son says that three years ago he signed up for a job running a backhoe for a scrap recycling project. He said that running heavy equipment was his dad's "dream job."
We talked about dentistry today during lunch. There are 3 dentists working at the LBJ Hospital here, two in his clinic, and one somewhere else. He says that people don't come to him unless they are in pain. If they make appointments for checkups, they don't show up. He charges $12 for an extraction. The price for a root canal depends on how many roots the tooth has. Four roots cost $120, three roots $100, and two roots $80. If you get a gold crown, that's $100 and a porcelain crown costs $170. He said they are able to keep prices relatively low due to grants from the U.S.
He said he went to dentistry school in Australia, but has taken refresher courses in the states, in Florida, California, and Tennessee.
Everybody keeps asking us for pictures of our lavalavas. I posted one tonight so you can see how nice they look! Check it out, below.
We talked about dentistry today during lunch. There are 3 dentists working at the LBJ Hospital here, two in his clinic, and one somewhere else. He says that people don't come to him unless they are in pain. If they make appointments for checkups, they don't show up. He charges $12 for an extraction. The price for a root canal depends on how many roots the tooth has. Four roots cost $120, three roots $100, and two roots $80. If you get a gold crown, that's $100 and a porcelain crown costs $170. He said they are able to keep prices relatively low due to grants from the U.S.
He said he went to dentistry school in Australia, but has taken refresher courses in the states, in Florida, California, and Tennessee.
Everybody keeps asking us for pictures of our lavalavas. I posted one tonight so you can see how nice they look! Check it out, below.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thursday, May 13
A progress report on the work site. We spent today and yesterday watching a backhoe do the heavy work. The floor of the new house is four to five feet above grade, and the area between the footers needs to be filled to that level. For those of you who have been on our Mexico trips, you're familiar with backfilling. A couple of the challenges here is that the house is about four times larger than the ones we build down there, and that we are not having fill material trucked to the site.
The home is located between the bay and a steep hillside which is really the foot of a mountain. The backhoe has taken some of the hillside away, but the remaining topsoil is getting soft and spongy. We received a truckload of sand in that area yesterday, and the delivery truck got stuck in the soft ground. The backhoe had to assist in pulling the truck free.
The remaining fill material is being obtained by breaking up the foundation of the old house. The backhoe blew a hydraulic line today when the operator was trying to break up a thick section of the foundation by hitting it with the bucket. We lost a little time waiting for a new section of hose to come over the mountain. When the hoe was finally able to break the concrete, we had to cut out sections of rebar that were holding the broken pieces together.
We originally expected to be pouring the floor this week, but conditions are such that we hope to have the backfill complete tomorrow, and a pour next week. Time will tell. Island time is a little different than mainland time. It's interesting to see the tide go out and come back in every few hours. The waves keep crashing against the sharp rocks at the opening to the bay. The clouds roll by overhead thoughout the day. It's sunny then it's raining a few minutes later. It's kind of a timeless environment, and we being given a lesson in patience that we did not anticipate. We are still thankful that we are here with the opportunity to help someone.
The home is located between the bay and a steep hillside which is really the foot of a mountain. The backhoe has taken some of the hillside away, but the remaining topsoil is getting soft and spongy. We received a truckload of sand in that area yesterday, and the delivery truck got stuck in the soft ground. The backhoe had to assist in pulling the truck free.
The remaining fill material is being obtained by breaking up the foundation of the old house. The backhoe blew a hydraulic line today when the operator was trying to break up a thick section of the foundation by hitting it with the bucket. We lost a little time waiting for a new section of hose to come over the mountain. When the hoe was finally able to break the concrete, we had to cut out sections of rebar that were holding the broken pieces together.
We originally expected to be pouring the floor this week, but conditions are such that we hope to have the backfill complete tomorrow, and a pour next week. Time will tell. Island time is a little different than mainland time. It's interesting to see the tide go out and come back in every few hours. The waves keep crashing against the sharp rocks at the opening to the bay. The clouds roll by overhead thoughout the day. It's sunny then it's raining a few minutes later. It's kind of a timeless environment, and we being given a lesson in patience that we did not anticipate. We are still thankful that we are here with the opportunity to help someone.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, May 12
Yesterday we met three students from Chaminade University in Hawaii as well as their chaperone. A fourth student will be arriving Thursday night. We all worked together taking forms off the concrete yesterday, and cleaning up the worksite while watching a backhoe begin backfilling the floor area today. It's always good meeting new people, and learning things from them. Chaminade has a large number of Samoan students who've told them places to go and things to see while on the island. We'll be working with them intermittantly, depending on the quality and amount of work we have available for them. I've posted a photo of them on the right side of this blog, below Dave's picture. I've also added a couple photos of our work in process.
We are posting this from an internet cafe from the Tradewinds Hotel, a mile or two from where we stay. There's no working internet where we are staying. That's part of the reason why we aren't posting blogs every day. By the time we get back from the work site and have supper, we are sometimes too hot or tired to go back out again.
I mentioned that I would describe Phyl's role in all this. She was recruited for the trip as a designated cook. She stays behind while we go to the site, and cooks, cleans and does laundry all day. It's quite a blessing for us guys, as it's nice to not have to cook, and we don't have to put dirty clothes on two days in a row. She deserves a lot of credit, as our home base is more inland and doesn't get the breezes that we do on the seashore. If you know her, or see her, thank her for us, because we can't thank her enough. (The food is great too.)
We are posting this from an internet cafe from the Tradewinds Hotel, a mile or two from where we stay. There's no working internet where we are staying. That's part of the reason why we aren't posting blogs every day. By the time we get back from the work site and have supper, we are sometimes too hot or tired to go back out again.
I mentioned that I would describe Phyl's role in all this. She was recruited for the trip as a designated cook. She stays behind while we go to the site, and cooks, cleans and does laundry all day. It's quite a blessing for us guys, as it's nice to not have to cook, and we don't have to put dirty clothes on two days in a row. She deserves a lot of credit, as our home base is more inland and doesn't get the breezes that we do on the seashore. If you know her, or see her, thank her for us, because we can't thank her enough. (The food is great too.)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, May 10
We reached a milestone today by pouring the lower bond beam. We picked up 2 apprentices on the way to the mountain and were joined by 8 other apprentices and a nephew of the homeowner after a cement mixer was brought to the work site. The apprentices are no longer being paid for their work, so there was some concern about whether they would be willing to labor in the hot sun for free.
Our prayers where answered when they all showed up and chipped in, making cement like we do on our mission trips to Mexico. Three guys shoveled the sand & gravel, one emptied the mixer into three wheelbarrows which were delivered to people who used buckets to dip the cement out and hand it up to more guys who then poured it into the frame. We used 30 bags of cement and got the job done in three hours. Though we hadn't worked together before, the team spirit was pervasive and joyful.
We had a late lunch of beef, cabbage, and potato stew before cleaning the tools and buckets and heading back down the mountain. We dropped some of the workers off in downtown Pago Pago so they could pick up their final paychecks. They all assured us that we'll be working together again. We'll definitely need their help in pouring the 30' x 40' concrete floor.
Tomorrow we'll be joined by four college students who paid their own way from Hawaii to help work on home repairs. The Catholic Church here doesn't currently have local projects underway, so they were glad that we'd accept them into our group. The students will stay and eat breakfast and supper within the Catholic compound, but they will spend their working days with us. I believe that we'll be working together for at least two weeks.
We'll tell you about them, and Phyl's role in all this in the next blog.
Our prayers where answered when they all showed up and chipped in, making cement like we do on our mission trips to Mexico. Three guys shoveled the sand & gravel, one emptied the mixer into three wheelbarrows which were delivered to people who used buckets to dip the cement out and hand it up to more guys who then poured it into the frame. We used 30 bags of cement and got the job done in three hours. Though we hadn't worked together before, the team spirit was pervasive and joyful.
We had a late lunch of beef, cabbage, and potato stew before cleaning the tools and buckets and heading back down the mountain. We dropped some of the workers off in downtown Pago Pago so they could pick up their final paychecks. They all assured us that we'll be working together again. We'll definitely need their help in pouring the 30' x 40' concrete floor.
Tomorrow we'll be joined by four college students who paid their own way from Hawaii to help work on home repairs. The Catholic Church here doesn't currently have local projects underway, so they were glad that we'd accept them into our group. The students will stay and eat breakfast and supper within the Catholic compound, but they will spend their working days with us. I believe that we'll be working together for at least two weeks.
We'll tell you about them, and Phyl's role in all this in the next blog.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Saturday, May 8
We spent last week cutting and wiring rebar to form a 12" x 18" bond beam that will protect the perimeter of the floor of the house from future wave action as well as support additional concrete work above the beam. We also cut, nailed, and wired wooden forms all around the beam to keep the concrete in place while it sets. We had expected a considerable amount of local help which did not appear. We are optimistic that additional help will be available this week. Our group will be supplemented on Tuesday by four college students from Hawaii, so we will have at least eight people on site to mix and pour 7-8 yards of concrete into the beam. After that we will start backfilling and preparing to pour the concrete floor of the house.
Today was sight-seeing day. The house where we stay is in the village of Ili'Ili, a little to the west of the island's only airport. We traveled east until we ran out of road at the village of Oneona. If you can find these towns on a map, you'll see that we drove east along the coast then around the harbor at Pago Pago, then further east. We could see another small island to the east of us, but we didn't have our maps along (you can't get lost too easy on an island), so we don't know its name. We took quite a few photos, some of which I hope to post before closing tonight.
We saw endless rocky beaches and lava outcrops in the sea, quite a few sandy beaches with people wading or swimming in them, several churches in every village we passed through, and many damaged homes and FEMA tents in low-lying areas along the shore. I think that today was the first day that we had no rain, and the heat from the sun felt similar to that you experience in the American desert. You want to seek shade.
Tomorrow is mothers day, so hats off to all of you moms who are reading this. We appreciate all you do for the rest of us. It's a big event here, with lots of mother's day specials advertised for restaurants and stores. We saw people in each village setting up for celebrations tomorrow by decorating their Fale's (look it up), and buying fantastic flower arrangements.
We understand that Sunday in AS is truly a sabbath day. All the businesses are closed, the beaches are closed, and you stay home. We may head to the west of the island, or we make keep it low key and catch up on reading. It depends on the weather and whether it will be more comfortable in an air conditioned van, or a hot concrete house.
Note to Julie and Susan. We've all purchased our lavalavas. The other guys bought formal ones that they'll probably wear to church tomorrow. Mine is a yellow and brown batik style with the word samoa on it. The guys say it looks like the one Moses wore. You'll probably see photos sooner than we want you to. I'll probably post a few before they get around to it. If you don't want blackmailed, go public. They are kind of hard to take big steps in. I think I need to loosen mine up a little. You have something to look forward to seeing.
Today was sight-seeing day. The house where we stay is in the village of Ili'Ili, a little to the west of the island's only airport. We traveled east until we ran out of road at the village of Oneona. If you can find these towns on a map, you'll see that we drove east along the coast then around the harbor at Pago Pago, then further east. We could see another small island to the east of us, but we didn't have our maps along (you can't get lost too easy on an island), so we don't know its name. We took quite a few photos, some of which I hope to post before closing tonight.
We saw endless rocky beaches and lava outcrops in the sea, quite a few sandy beaches with people wading or swimming in them, several churches in every village we passed through, and many damaged homes and FEMA tents in low-lying areas along the shore. I think that today was the first day that we had no rain, and the heat from the sun felt similar to that you experience in the American desert. You want to seek shade.
Tomorrow is mothers day, so hats off to all of you moms who are reading this. We appreciate all you do for the rest of us. It's a big event here, with lots of mother's day specials advertised for restaurants and stores. We saw people in each village setting up for celebrations tomorrow by decorating their Fale's (look it up), and buying fantastic flower arrangements.
We understand that Sunday in AS is truly a sabbath day. All the businesses are closed, the beaches are closed, and you stay home. We may head to the west of the island, or we make keep it low key and catch up on reading. It depends on the weather and whether it will be more comfortable in an air conditioned van, or a hot concrete house.
Note to Julie and Susan. We've all purchased our lavalavas. The other guys bought formal ones that they'll probably wear to church tomorrow. Mine is a yellow and brown batik style with the word samoa on it. The guys say it looks like the one Moses wore. You'll probably see photos sooner than we want you to. I'll probably post a few before they get around to it. If you don't want blackmailed, go public. They are kind of hard to take big steps in. I think I need to loosen mine up a little. You have something to look forward to seeing.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, May 6
We thought we’d tell you about our daily routine. We get up around 6:00 AM and have a breakfast of toast, cereal, muffins or banana bread, bananas, juice, coffee or tea. We head for the work site at 7:00 stopping on the way to pick up Samoan apprentices as well as ice for our coolers. Today we bought a newspaper from a street vendor at a stop light.
It’s about a 45 minute drive to the work site. American Samoa is a volcanic island, so much of the land is too steep for habitation, so all the people live along the coast or in the valleys. We drive through a succession of villages that in the states would be classified as “unincorporated" towns. There are numerous small busses taking people from one village to another. It seems that each village has a school and a couple of small market places. A large of our drive is along the coast. The road is only a few feet above the shoreline, so we spend a lot of time watching the waves breaking as we ride along.
We go through Pago Pago, the capital which surrounds a relatively narrow, but deep bay. We have been told that the Pago Pago harbor is the best deepwater port in the pacific. We see a lot of fishing boats and cargo ships docked there, as well as several of those 50' long war canoes in their own special garages. The city is not very big, about the size of Orrville, Ohio.
From the city we head up over the mountain. It is a very steep twisting road that climbs about 1200 feet in just a couple of miles. It may be even steeper as it winds down to the village of Fagasa, where our worksite is located. We park right along the beach, unload out tools and beging work early. So far it has rained at least a couple of times a day while we work. If it's a hard rain, we take shelter under a tin roof, which also provides shade when the sun gets too hot. If it's a light rain, we keep working because it cools us off.
The family has been giving us a good lunch every day. We had a corned beef and corn stew on Tuesday, roast beef and cabbage yesterday, and beef brisket with carrots, potatoes, lima beans and onions today. Rice accompanies each of these as a side dish. I almost forgot. The stew today also had what they called rice noodles in it. The noodles were just like spaghetti, but were a little orange colored and clear enough to see through. They were chewy like gummy bears. They also give us a large pitcher of fruit juice to wash it all down. The food is so good that we each usually take a second portion. We'll probably all gain a few pounds while we are here.
We've had stops to make on the way back each day, so we've quit work at 3:00 or 3:30, arriving at our place of lodging by 5:00. The water pressure is low, so we have to take turns for a shower. It's a cold shower, for there's no hot water heater where we stay. The cold water is not too bad after a day in the hot sun, but it's not so good for doing dishes. We heat water for dishes in a pan on the stove, which also heats up the house.
We've been talking a little at night, and going to bed by 9:00. Maybe we're still making the transition from Eastern Standard or Central time, to Samoan time, and maybe it's the heat, but we've been going to bed early. We won't be working Saturday or Sunday, so maybe we'll catch up then. We'll let you know.
It’s about a 45 minute drive to the work site. American Samoa is a volcanic island, so much of the land is too steep for habitation, so all the people live along the coast or in the valleys. We drive through a succession of villages that in the states would be classified as “unincorporated" towns. There are numerous small busses taking people from one village to another. It seems that each village has a school and a couple of small market places. A large of our drive is along the coast. The road is only a few feet above the shoreline, so we spend a lot of time watching the waves breaking as we ride along.
We go through Pago Pago, the capital which surrounds a relatively narrow, but deep bay. We have been told that the Pago Pago harbor is the best deepwater port in the pacific. We see a lot of fishing boats and cargo ships docked there, as well as several of those 50' long war canoes in their own special garages. The city is not very big, about the size of Orrville, Ohio.
From the city we head up over the mountain. It is a very steep twisting road that climbs about 1200 feet in just a couple of miles. It may be even steeper as it winds down to the village of Fagasa, where our worksite is located. We park right along the beach, unload out tools and beging work early. So far it has rained at least a couple of times a day while we work. If it's a hard rain, we take shelter under a tin roof, which also provides shade when the sun gets too hot. If it's a light rain, we keep working because it cools us off.
The family has been giving us a good lunch every day. We had a corned beef and corn stew on Tuesday, roast beef and cabbage yesterday, and beef brisket with carrots, potatoes, lima beans and onions today. Rice accompanies each of these as a side dish. I almost forgot. The stew today also had what they called rice noodles in it. The noodles were just like spaghetti, but were a little orange colored and clear enough to see through. They were chewy like gummy bears. They also give us a large pitcher of fruit juice to wash it all down. The food is so good that we each usually take a second portion. We'll probably all gain a few pounds while we are here.
We've had stops to make on the way back each day, so we've quit work at 3:00 or 3:30, arriving at our place of lodging by 5:00. The water pressure is low, so we have to take turns for a shower. It's a cold shower, for there's no hot water heater where we stay. The cold water is not too bad after a day in the hot sun, but it's not so good for doing dishes. We heat water for dishes in a pan on the stove, which also heats up the house.
We've been talking a little at night, and going to bed by 9:00. Maybe we're still making the transition from Eastern Standard or Central time, to Samoan time, and maybe it's the heat, but we've been going to bed early. We won't be working Saturday or Sunday, so maybe we'll catch up then. We'll let you know.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Time Zones
I set this blog up to show the time of posting in American Samoa time. The time here is currently around 7:48 PM. Annette's laptop (that we are using) shows that its currently 2:48 in Ohio.
Tuesday, May 5
Tuesday Night, May 5.
Today we were taken to what has to be one of the most beautiful work sites in the world. If you look at a map of American Samoa, the site is in the village of Fagasa, located on the shore of Fagasa Bay. It’s on the north side of the island and a little west of Pago Pago. Many homes here were destroyed by the Tsunami. The one we are rebuilding is owned by the village chief (Matai in Samoan). His house was on a prime location on the beach at the closed end of the bay. The beautiful view came with a price, because a Tsunami that enters the bay will go right to the closed end and pile up against the volcanic cliffs behind the houses.
Most of the debris left behind in September has been cleaned up. We see concrete foundations, piles of lumber and some smashed up vehicles. I recognized some of the damaged businesses in downtown Pago Pago from photos that were posted on the internet shortly after the tsunami. There lots of FEMA tents in the affected areas. People whose homes were damaged or destroyed are still living in them. If you’ve ever camped out on a 90 degree July weekend you know how hot those tents must be.
We are pretty much building a 30’ X 40’ house from the ground up. It’s considered a major repair. The footers have been poured, and backfill material consisting of crushed volcanic rock and coral have been put in the center of the structure. We spent today assembling the rebar and putting in place the plywood forms for beams that will rest on top of the footer. It rained quite a bit during the morning, but rain is a good thing. It’s a lot cooler here when it’s cloudy and breezy. It cleared up in the afternoon, and the tropical sun made us wonder whether they make 1000 spf sunscreen. We settled for repeated applications of 30 spf.
We were treated to a barbecue supper by a couple who moved here from the states about 30 years ago. If you’ve been on a mission trip before, you know how good a simple hamburger is after you’ve been on the road and working hard for a couple of days. We had some good conversations about the U.S. economy and politics, and learned some interesting aspects of the history of the island. Remind me to read about the Tongan War when we get back home. There are still walls and fortifications standing in the jungle that were built during that war.
Another highlight of the evening was seeing the fruit eating bats coming to rest in a large tree adjacent to our host’s home. I’ve read that they have 3’ to 5’ wingspans. As we watched them we tried to compare their size to birds we see at home. It was generally agreed that they were the size of a red tailed hawk, or at a minimum as big as a crow.
Today we were taken to what has to be one of the most beautiful work sites in the world. If you look at a map of American Samoa, the site is in the village of Fagasa, located on the shore of Fagasa Bay. It’s on the north side of the island and a little west of Pago Pago. Many homes here were destroyed by the Tsunami. The one we are rebuilding is owned by the village chief (Matai in Samoan). His house was on a prime location on the beach at the closed end of the bay. The beautiful view came with a price, because a Tsunami that enters the bay will go right to the closed end and pile up against the volcanic cliffs behind the houses.
Most of the debris left behind in September has been cleaned up. We see concrete foundations, piles of lumber and some smashed up vehicles. I recognized some of the damaged businesses in downtown Pago Pago from photos that were posted on the internet shortly after the tsunami. There lots of FEMA tents in the affected areas. People whose homes were damaged or destroyed are still living in them. If you’ve ever camped out on a 90 degree July weekend you know how hot those tents must be.
We are pretty much building a 30’ X 40’ house from the ground up. It’s considered a major repair. The footers have been poured, and backfill material consisting of crushed volcanic rock and coral have been put in the center of the structure. We spent today assembling the rebar and putting in place the plywood forms for beams that will rest on top of the footer. It rained quite a bit during the morning, but rain is a good thing. It’s a lot cooler here when it’s cloudy and breezy. It cleared up in the afternoon, and the tropical sun made us wonder whether they make 1000 spf sunscreen. We settled for repeated applications of 30 spf.
We were treated to a barbecue supper by a couple who moved here from the states about 30 years ago. If you’ve been on a mission trip before, you know how good a simple hamburger is after you’ve been on the road and working hard for a couple of days. We had some good conversations about the U.S. economy and politics, and learned some interesting aspects of the history of the island. Remind me to read about the Tongan War when we get back home. There are still walls and fortifications standing in the jungle that were built during that war.
Another highlight of the evening was seeing the fruit eating bats coming to rest in a large tree adjacent to our host’s home. I’ve read that they have 3’ to 5’ wingspans. As we watched them we tried to compare their size to birds we see at home. It was generally agreed that they were the size of a red tailed hawk, or at a minimum as big as a crow.
Greetings from the Island
Greetings from the island! We made it to American Samoa safely and without incident on Sunday, May 2nd. The flight here was the equivalent of going from Cleveland to San Diego and back, then returning to San Diego again on the same day. No one had trouble falling asleep after we were shown the rooms where we’ll be staying for a month.
Monday was spent acclimating. Tom and Nancy Sheen from Northern California, who have been here since April 1st are giving us a good orientation. We are all pleased with our accommodations. Tom and Nancy along with the BDS coordinator, Zach Wolgamuth, added an extension to the building which provides indoor bathrooms. Tom also got our project launched by ordering all the materials and working with local apprentices to start the foundation on a house on the north side of the island.
We visited several of the organizations on-island for disaster relief. The Mennonites, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Catholics are all working for the same goals of repairing homes damaged by the tsunami. The Mennonites have a nice complex of buildings a few miles away, where several of the agencies mentioned above store tools, and share them among themselves.
We now know what a tropical island looks like. Banana trees are plentiful as are breadfruit trees, coconut palms, and taro gardens. We’ve seen a variety of bird life, plenty of chickens in yards, and some spectacular scenery. The shoreline varies from sharp lava rocks to sandy beaches. It’s been a little rainy, but it is intermittent. We see a cloud come over the mountain and know that it will rain in ten or fifteen minutes. You should expect to see some nice photos of rainbows before too long.
Tomorrow we will work on a home repair. We’ll be tying rebar and nailing concrete forms together so we can pour a beam or two. We’ve learned that the family prepares a lunch for the volunteers like they do on John and Steve’s trips to Mexico. We’re looking forward to trying home-cooked Samoan food. We stopped in a grocery store today and they had coolers of fresh fish for sale. The fish looked like they should be in an aquarium. Some were blue, some red, and some were yellow and black striped. Quite impressive!
Monday was spent acclimating. Tom and Nancy Sheen from Northern California, who have been here since April 1st are giving us a good orientation. We are all pleased with our accommodations. Tom and Nancy along with the BDS coordinator, Zach Wolgamuth, added an extension to the building which provides indoor bathrooms. Tom also got our project launched by ordering all the materials and working with local apprentices to start the foundation on a house on the north side of the island.
We visited several of the organizations on-island for disaster relief. The Mennonites, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Catholics are all working for the same goals of repairing homes damaged by the tsunami. The Mennonites have a nice complex of buildings a few miles away, where several of the agencies mentioned above store tools, and share them among themselves.
We now know what a tropical island looks like. Banana trees are plentiful as are breadfruit trees, coconut palms, and taro gardens. We’ve seen a variety of bird life, plenty of chickens in yards, and some spectacular scenery. The shoreline varies from sharp lava rocks to sandy beaches. It’s been a little rainy, but it is intermittent. We see a cloud come over the mountain and know that it will rain in ten or fifteen minutes. You should expect to see some nice photos of rainbows before too long.
Tomorrow we will work on a home repair. We’ll be tying rebar and nailing concrete forms together so we can pour a beam or two. We’ve learned that the family prepares a lunch for the volunteers like they do on John and Steve’s trips to Mexico. We’re looking forward to trying home-cooked Samoan food. We stopped in a grocery store today and they had coolers of fresh fish for sale. The fish looked like they should be in an aquarium. Some were blue, some red, and some were yellow and black striped. Quite impressive!
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