Commute

Today was my second day waking up in our fair village of Fagogogo (pronounced Fahngo-ongo-ongo-ongo) to the sounds of tropical birds and the ocean (and Jay's alarm clock). As it turned out, we woke up a bit early and had time for a brief stroll over to the beach near our house to enjoy the sunrise. All in all, it was a great way to start the day.

Our first stop of the day was the Office of Motor Vehicles to obtain my AmSam driver's license. Unfortunately, they were not open when we first arrived, so we had to make a stop at nearly every American Samoan's favorite establishment: McDonald's. It was easily one of the the nicest and most modern buildings I've been in on-island thus far. I'm not sure where else I could enjoy a large americano and watch ESPN on a flat screen.

The OMV was an adventure of its own and one of what I'm sure will be many examples of things being accomplished on "island time." After a relatively in-depth Q&A session with the head of OMV, wherein I was questioned regarding my background, employment, and "strange" California driver's license, I was finally able to get my picture taken and walk away with a license. Then the clerk came running after us and stated, in broken English, that we could not leave without new license plates. He then went back inside and eventually reappeared with a cordless drill and new plates for our government vehicle. I'm looking forward to the day when Jay and I have our own wheels, but for the time being, it's certainly nice to have mobility on the government's dime.

Then it was time for the drive from Tafuna to Utulei, where all government offices are located. I have to say, it may be the most beautiful drive to work known to humankind....

In fact, the drive is so lovely that it really doesn't even matter that everyone is driving 20 miles per hour and people are constantly stopping to let others enter the roadway, stopping for pedestrians, or stopping to avoid hitting one of the ubiquitous feral dogs.

Jay had the brilliant idea of eating our lunch under one of the several fale that line Pago Pago harbor across the street from our office. We were able to enjoy our leftovers with a side of sea breeze and sunshine.

Then it was back to the government offices (generally referred to as "the EOB" or executive office building) for the remainder of our afternoon. Our offices are on the third floor and it appears that only the palagi from our office take the stairs. In fact, one of our staff told me that her doctor told her to take the stairs just as she walked into the elevator. Incedently, when I asked her where was her favorite place to eat, she replied, "you mean other than McDonald's?"

Perhaps I'll convince her to walk the stairs of the EOB one of these days... On Friday, we plan to once again have our lunch on the waterfront, but will be trying a local twist on ceviche called Oka, which is made with coconut milk. Mmmmmmm.