Sara Made It

After a 20 hour travel day, Sara made it in to Pago Pago International Airport last night. It was great to see her step through the crowd that formed around the exit from the customs office. She spent a bit of last night unpacking and taking stock of her new home. Now she's sleeping in at the house. I'll need to go rouse her in a couple of hours and send her off with our paralegal to go run errands and start getting her paperwork in order to start work.

Last Weekend of the Bachelor Life

It's my last few days before Sara arrives (yay!). Thus there was an endless number of things I needed to get organized and in order for her introduction to The Rock. The first of these issues I tackled was on Friday. Seeing an email go around that one of the palangi living nearby was selling his truck, I made an appointment to see it and take it for a test drive after work. Unfortunately that afternoon I wasn't able to make it to the bank to get the necessary cash. Coming from the mainland, I was stunned to see that the banks close here at 3pm. So, this was going to be a look only test drive.

Giving directions on the island is a bit different than the mainland. There are no street names here. This is fine for the Samoans. They grew up here, they know every street, alley and back road on the island from since they were children. As a person who's been here all of three weeks, I'm at a severe disadvantage compared to them. Directions here need to be in narrative form, starting with well know land marks and guiding you from there. A paragraph that reads like "Turn right at the white wall with blue accents that after the curve to the left" is what you have to follow to reach someone's house. Following directions takes on a whole new element of complexity when they read more like a list of local features instead of a connecting set of street names. Following the half a page of instructions I wrote down, I got to the seller's house and got to see the truck.

On the test drive, took advantage of the seller and made him be my captive guide. This way I got to see the truck and a few back roads along the way. I discovered the village of Ottoville and found the beverage distributor for island is located there and is willing to sell to the public. I might need to follow up on that next time I throw a party. I also got to see how the truck handles in the water, since Lake Ottoville formed in the middle of a low-lying section of road from the runoff from the rainstorms earlier in the day.

The truck seemed good. It was an older Toyota pickup. The truck reminded me of the old GMC my father owned for 20 years. It was simple, like I like; no electronics amenities, a non-functional stereo, and an unworking AC (though it may just need a freon charge). It's a manual transmission, which might not be the best for island driving. The max speed limit on the island is 25 mph and the road usually is clogged with slow cars and drivers. The constant stop and start nature of the driving here would be a test while using a stick. But as a veteran manual drive, I like to think I'd be up to the challenge. There was a little rust on the body, but on this island everything steel gets that way soon. If the car's still available on Tuesday Sara and I may be heading over to pick it up (or at least get her opinion of it).

Another thing to come out of the test drive was an invitation for that evening. When I showed up at the car owner's house they were busy preparing a pad thai dinner for a roommate's birthday. As I'd hosted the truck owner's household the previous weekend at my barbecue, I was invited to come back and join in the celebration. Not having any plans for the evening, I happily accepted. The pad thai was good, the drinks were great and I was able to meet a number of new people who attended the party. After things winded down there most of us headed to the airport bar and had some fun with karaoke.

It was a good mix of Samoans and our group of palangi. The locals took their songs seriously and we were treated to some great vocal performances. One Samoan lady pulled an archeologist, from our group, up on stage and serenaded him and stole a kiss at the end of the song. I had a great time there and I have a date with the birthday girl to go back to the airport bar tomorrow, since both of our spouses are flying in on the same flight. Apparently the airport bar is the central social hub of the island on flight night.

Saturday was a get-stuff-done day for me. Most retailers on the island have limited hours on Saturday, so headed into town early and started running the errands that needed to happen before Sara's arrival. I stopped and snapped some photos of the dramatic scenery around Pago harbor along the way. This is a shot looking east across the harbor to the Starkist tuna cannery.

The harbor is one of the biggest resources Tutuila has. It's one of the few places that larger ships can land in this part of the Pacific. It's what makes Tutuila one of the more populous areas in this region. Supposedly the harbor is the remains of an old volcano cone. One side eventually eroded into the ocean and left a nice natural harbor in it's wake.

It was nice to play tourist for once. I've been seeing these sights everyday on my commute into the office, but I was happy to spend a rainy morning stopping to snap some pictures of the coastline and waves. I'll need to take some better pictures when the light is better and I've got a better camera than my old cellphone. The scenery around here is definitely worth sharing.

After playing tourist is was back to shopping around for the things I need to get the house up and running. Another attorney with the AG's office, who arrived on island a week ago, joined me for a run to the Ace hardware, the fabric store and a sewing shop.

The Ace hardware here is closer to a Home Depot back home. It's a large warehouse that sells most all the tools and hardware used on island. It was bustling when we were there. I even ran into one of my opposing counsels (who was wearing leather Ugg slippers, when it's 88 degrees and 100% humidity) shopping with one of his clients I have a case against, I'd also met this client on the hike to Fagatele Bay my first weekend here. The criminal AG I came with also saw one of the people that she charged with a misdemeanor on Thursday. I'm still adjusting to how small the community is here.

After Ace we went to ask a sewing shop about having curtains made. It was almost a sweatshop, with 10 little Chinese ladies huddled over their sewing machines. We got a price quoted and were told to go purchase the fabric and they'd have our custom window coverings in a few days. The fabric store was great. It had a huge wall with nothing but Hawaiian print fabric. It was tough to decide which bright color combination of flowers and leaves was going to grace my house for the next two years. Selections made, we took our materials back to the sewing shop. Should have our curtains ready on Tuesday.

We got invited to another gathering Saturday night by a neighbor of ours. It was at the house of an Australian couple out on Coconut Point. CP is one of the few communities close to Pago harbor to keep a more traditional Samoan feel rather than the suburbs-lite feel that seems to have crept into most other local villages. The houses are all clustered along one dirt road that run the length of the peninsula that divides ocean from lagoon. Most homes have traditional open-sided fales in their front yards, with a modern cinder block house behind it. People gather and hang out in the fales and keep their possessions in the modern buildings. The home we were visiting was down near the end, looking out over the ocean.

The gathering was mellow. We hung out on a covered front porch, drinking Stienlagers and talking. For most of the evening there were more Aussies than Americans at the table, even picked up a Kiwi later in the evening. I didn't know the rivalry between the New Zealanders and Australians ran as deep as it does. A little back and forth ribbing ensued, but everyone was a good sport and it was some great hang outs overall.

Once we got back to Freddie's Beach and dropped off the first member of the carpool at her house we had a bit of a mishap. Our (sober) driver accidently drove the front wheel of our work truck into an open hole left over from the ASPA repairs to a water pipe from a few weeks ago. After some late night efforts to free the car failed to yield any results, we decided this was a task best left until morning.

It took some pushing and shoving, but we were eventually able to pile enough rocks under the wheel to drive the car out. We were glad not to have to call for a tow of our work car. Somehow that would surely get back to our boss.

We even had some help digging out from the puppy Lulu.

Tropical Rain

It's supposed to be the dry season right now in early June. That said, it still rains most every day here. Supposedly the cold air around the volcanic peaks pulls the moisture from the air. One of the peaks overlooking Pago Pago harbor is even called Rainmaker Mountain.

The rain here is unlike the temperate or mediterranean rain that has been predominate in the other places I've lived on the West Coast. Seasonal rains that start in November and continue until spring with rarely a rain outside of those times are the norm I've lived with up until now. The weather usually comes in as a part of large storm fronts carried east by the jet stream from out in the Pacific. These fronts will roll over the region and last from a few hours to a week, but they are predictable and are spotted by meteorologists well ahead of time.

Here in American Samoa, at least since I've been on island, the rain is a whole different beast. Admittedly, I don't have much access to the local media yet, so I can't say whether the weather predictors have much of a handle on how to forecast here. The best indicator for me thus far have been the wind. Right before every rain I've experienced, the wind starts to roar. The palm leaves rustle and shake. This is your warning sign to get inside.

Within 5 minutes the rain starts to move in. If you're outside you can see it sweeping towards you, usually from off the ocean. A wall of water soon passes over you and you;re surrounded by a downpour. It is an onslaught of small raindrops at a greater density than I have ever experienced. The wind almost immediately dies once the rain is upon you and you are left to find shelter or watch the avalanche of water from a window.

I'm also amazed how warm the rain is and how the temperature doesn't fluctuate during a storm. It's such a strong contrast to the rain I've experienced in California and Oregon, which is exclusively cold. I'm amazed that the times I've been caught outside in the rain here in a t-shirt and shorts, I wasn't the least bit bothered. Though it does take awhile for your clothes to dry out after the rain ends.

The rain thus far hasn't lasted longer 5 or 10 minutes at the most. Long enough to saturate the ground and leave rivulets of water draining away. Just as quickly as the rains begin, they die off and move on.

I'm sure my opinion of the rain here will quickly be revised once the wet season hits or a cyclone rolls through.

Post-Hearing

So not as much excitement as I'd hoped, the hearing went unopposed. Looks like I'll need to argue another one down the road. It was good to get into the courthouse and see the court in action. Plus I needed an excuse to wear my "formal attire."

Hearing

After 2+ years as an attorney, I've got my first opposed hearing tomorrow. Should be interesting to have to wear a Hawaiian print shirt, wood beads and flip flops to a court hearing. I'll have pictures and the results after tomorrow.

Monday - LMS Girls School and BBQ

To assist in my new Kiwi friend's plans to recreate one of the original European structures on Tutuila, a group of us headed out to the old London Missionary Society's girls school that was built here in the late 19th century. It's an old, abandoned structure that served as a school for over half a century on the western edge of the island. Just west of the village of Leone (one of the larger towns on Tutuila, that had received extensive damage during the 2009 tsunami).

The building was condemned in the 1990s (after having been converted into apartments), as the he structure was not well maintained and started to fail. As of now the building is well past saving. The floor in the 2nd story had collapsed in several rooms and the surrounding jungle had moved into the structure. A bamboo forest and overtaken the courtyard and several plants had taken root in the wooden floors that remained on the top floor. My Kiwi friend had been here previously 4 years ago, at that point the top floor had still been intact through the whole structure and he had been able to take detailed measurements of the building. This trip was meant to pick up some of the measurements and details he had neglected to take previously.

The building is noted as being a good example of Victorian Colonial architecture. Growing up with a contractor/architect father and spending several summers working construction has left me with a deep appreciation of architecture and built structures. I couldn't refuse an opportunity to see what the historical architecture that graces our small island.

I was also able to climb up into the second story masonry portions of the building. The wooden portions showed extensive termite damage and many had collapsed. The original ceilings were 14 feet on the first floor and almost as high on the second. All the rooms had large vents to allow the air to flow through the building and keep it cool. Even with all that building volume and ventilation, you could feel the heat of the Equatorial sun beating through the tin roof.

I'm glad I made the trip, based on the rate the vegetation is taking over, there won't be much left of the structure in another decade or two. I'm glad I could see a little of the history before it's reclaimed by the rain forest.

This is the Kiwi, draftsman taking field measurements on the column details and the foundation. It was also fun to assist him and use a few of the skills I learned helping my father over the years. It's not often that knowing how to sketch and draft a building in the field comes in handy. Hopefully our measurements will get turned into a reproduction of the building down the road.

The markings of the London Missionary Society, who built this school, are still visible on the exposed wood. Some of the legacy of the strong influence that missionaries exerted over the Samoas at the turn of the 20th Century.

We also met a mother from the local village and her two sons at the site. They came to investigate who was poking around the ruins. We introduced ourselves and she proceeded to start telling us the local legends of the structure. Apparently the old girls school has taken on quite the reputation as a cursed/haunted place among the local residents. The local mother, was actually very afraid of the place and she came to warn us of the demons and curses we would incur by being there. She actually screamed at her two boys on a few occasions when they were making enough noise to catch the attention of the spirits that haunted the place.

She also mistook us for the Ghost Hunters TV show production crew, apparently they are on island right now and were potentially going to shoot an episode at the abandoned girls school. The highlights of the curses the woman warned us of were that women who wear red hibiscus flowers in their hair, near the site, are cursed by the former headmaster of the school and if you eat from the mango tree located near the graveyard, you will get possessed. Needless to say we immediately went to find the graveyard and old headmaster's residence located further up the jungle hillside. We however didn't find any ghosts or edible mangoes. Though the Kiwi did his best to screech like a ghost the whole hike up and back through the swampy forest.

After returning from our trip to the girls school, three of us did a jog/walk out along the coastal cliffs west from the Freddy's beach housing complex. Along the shore there were some spectacular lava cliffs. Along the route I was happy to be shown some of the local features live an explosive blow hole driven by waves, a cliff jumping spot, a flat picnic rock and a few mean spirited dog packs. I also discovered my fitness was not what it used to be, a four mile run/walk should not give me such fits. Especially the last quarter mile sprint after some rest. Time to commit myself to regular exercise, otherwise I may end up with the physique of the native Samoans.

The second part of my day was spent getting to see a part of the local Samoan culture up close. On Sunday, on a walk along the beach/cliffs near where I live I met a few cousins having beers under some of the trees. After joining them for several beers, a rainstorm, and a little bit of conversation on the local history I ended up hitting it off with my new Samoan friends. We ended up hanging out for several hours and I got to know Lawrence and his cousin Abraham well. Before we parted ways that evening, they invited me to a barbecue on Monday. Wanting to branch out and meet some people outside of the contract worker community I readily accepted.

The barbecue was in a fale located in the front yard of Lawrence's family's home. One feature of the barbecue I had not anticipated was sharing it with the family's father, mother and grandmother, who are all deceased and entombed in aboveground graves inside the fale. Memorial Day takes on a new meaning when you spend it with the dead. Especially when the father's tomb had a glass window in it, so you could look in on the coffin.

The food was abundant and the company was great. Lawrence's whole family welcomed me in and never stopped pushing food on me. It was like having every member of the family acting like an Italian mother, making it difficult to refuse plate after plate of food offered. They have a large house where several of the siblings all live together. The only ones who don't live at home are either living off island or with spouses. Several aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews were there. It was an all afternoon family event. We talked the afternoon into evening, had a few Vailimas and I was sent packing with a huge plate of food. It was one of the most generous gatherings I ever had the pleasure to experience and they are ready to welcome us back when Sara arrives. This is the Samoa I am ready to spend the next two years experiencing.

Memorial Day Weekend - Friday-Saturday

The weekend was packed, everyday brought a new adventure. Starting out late last week, one of my coworkers informed me that there was a dying tradition for new pulangi arrivals on the island to throw a barbecue within their first week on island. Not being one to deny tradition or refuse a beer fueled event, I accepted the gauntlet. Thursday I sent out emails to the list serv that links the (mostly) contract ex-pat community in Tutuila. On Friday and Saturday, I spent some time day planning and gathering supplies.

Part of the challenge with starting from zero in a household in a new place is not having the basics. Everything you need requires a trip to the store. Your usual routine of stocking up on the items you know you recently ran out of and grabbing one or two special items because they were on sale or specifically needed no longer exists.

This situation gets compounded when even kitchen hardware and gadgets fall into that same situation. For example, I don't have a cooler on island (I shipped two on my pallet, but the pallet is still in transit and likely won't arrive for several weeks). Coolers are expensive in American Samoa. The cost of retail items here is almost directly related to how much they cost to ship here. The biggest driving factor in shipping freight overseas is the volume, not the weight of the cargo. Coolers, being large, bulky items that don't nest or pack close are costly. A standard backyard barbecue friendly cooler costs over $100 here.

Thus being cheap and inventive rather than a solution-focused consumer is often the best solution when making purchases on the island. For this BBQ, the chosen method to keep drinks cold was a plastic bin some my kitchenware set came in. The grill I used was a rusting heap that had remained from a prior tenant on my back porch. A few grocery runs and I'm set to host an event.

We set up at the pool area of my housing complex. I'd been warned people would show up late. With a 6pm start time, no guest who lived outside the housing complex came before 7pm. Everything here happens on "island time" even the pulangi. Despite the late start, approximately twenty people showed up and hung out until around midnight. The BBQ went well and I was glad to meet some more people. Definitely the right way to start off my social gatherings here in American Samoa.