Monday, July 31, 2006

New Zealand.... So, I borrowed some strangers card reader to get these pics off, so I had to pick quickly. More to come.

So after a few days with Sau's family, we headed into Auckland and stayed with Beks and Matty. It was a great weekend of relazing after leaving Samoa and before backpacking. They have a great city apartment right in the city. The first night, we headed out to their favourite restaurant, Japanese. I was expecting sushi, but it was more of a yakatori-type place in a deep basesment. It reminded me of the sushi place I used to frequent in Aspen. The saki flowed freely and it was yummy. Did we mention it was cold in Auckland? SO COLD! Beks dressed me up in her city clothes which was nice. She understood that I had nothing nice to wear after leaving Samoa and made me feel like a real city girl. Ethan too...wore one of Matty's hoodies. We went out to a bar called the Dog's Bullox and got pissed.

Night two, we made food at home. Sushi, salad, grilled veggies, and an avocado and shrimp salad. It was like a real dinner party and then a bunch of other people came over to watch rugby! Big game with the All Blacks playing Australia. All Blacks won.

Dinner at Matt and Beks house. Oh how sophisticated!


While Beks was working...Matt toured us around. While Matt was working, Beks showed us around. Matt loves cafes about equally as much as I do and we had a little tour of his favourites. We also went to the other side of the bay and got a good look at the city.


Auckland behind us!


Just chilling with Matt in the park, checking out the reggata boats...


Ode to THE LATTE!!!!


Looking down on me drinking my LATTE!

In the airport in Sydney...we were getting a bit angry and tired and hungry waiting for our shuttle driver to come back with another fare to help offset his costs of driving into the city. He finally came back and said that he would cruise around the domestic terminal to find a fare or charge us $40. Ethan started to get angry and said back tot he guy, "we agreed on $10 each and we don't want to be charged an extra $20 TALA....""
His response was, "What did you just say?"
Ethan, "Sorry, man..dollars. We've just come from Samoa"
Him, "Why didn't you say so...that's my country man. I'll take you into the city right away."
Talking in Samoan all the way to the hostel, the man is actually from Iva and is heading back to live there in the next year or so. He is impressed with our language and gives us his numbers and stuff incase we get into a pickle. He tells us we are family and we can always stay with him! Funny, how you can take us outof Samoa, but you cant take Samoa out of us!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Ode to Wednesday July 26th.....
When we left Samoa on Wednesday, we got to New Zealand on Thursday (only 3 hours later) and with our travel the wrong way around the world, we will never get that day back. We feel we have aged a day without even knowing it.....strange world we live in.


We've made it to New Zealand. The RTW has begun. Ethan and I left Samoa with our Umu box and matching pulatasis and headed to NZ. We got out in Tonga and were already cold and after our arrival in Auckland, I still have yet to get the chill out of my toes!

Fa Samoa. Toe Feloai se isi taimi....

Sau and family picked us up at the airport and we headed out to Glendene where we were treated to a Samoan toanai. Although we had been eating taro and luau, it was nice to eat it with others that rarely get it. Of course, we let them eat most of it, since we just had toanai for a week straight in Samoa.

Auckland Toanai!


Lotu (Prayer)...in Auckland. Really, we are going to miss the Samoan style lotu on a nightly basis. It was nice to share it in NZ. So after a great meal, we watched some tv and fell asleep to Fast and Furious I. I walked to the "Dairy" (Samoan=fleoloa, US=711) and was amazed at the varieties of snacks, beverages,etc. You should have seen us when we went to the Grocery to pick out food. Sau really wanted to spoil Ethan and I when we got to the store and anything we picked up she wanted to buy us. Really, we just wanted to look but man those Oreos were yummy! We couldn't bare to eat icecream. We were so cold! On Friday, somehow we missed Wednesday, we headed into Auckland to change our tickets and here we are..... more soon.
Ethan and Sara


The whole fam...

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

So, a few more pics of Saturday night out!



Ethan and a friend


Jonah, what are you up to with that devilish grin?

Saturday, July 22, 2006

LAST WEEK IN SAMOA...

Well...its been another whirlwind week in Samoa. We came in Monday morning from Savaii exhausted and with no tears left. And then rehydrated with the local beverage of choice (Vailima) for a few days...saying goodbye to our Apia friends and other PCVs.

Just a fun picture of how we sometimes travel in Samoa.


Skye and I, at the village store outside of Apia. The whole bus empties out, everyone goes faatau(buy food stuffs) and then gets on the bus and we leave for our 1 1/2 hour trip to Lalomanu.


We spent one last night at Tafua Beach Fales with Skye and Charlie. Charlie(group 70) came back for a holiday from his World Teach program and we had a great time. This picture is of Sili and Tai...the owners. Definately the best beach fales in Samoa and worth a trip. We remember when there were just a few, now we barely have time to tafao(hang out) with them, they are so busy.



Our favourite PIZZA in Samoa...that's Lina (another friend we'll have to come back to visit)


Jonah and me at Paddles Saturday night. (Gonna miss you BRO!) (Hey, I don't ever wear short skirts in this country...it was just that one night...I swear)


Nick, Mac Barr, and Josh...

So, tomorrow we leave Samoa. We are going to miss this place something fierce! But, we've got some travelling to do. So, toefeiloai!!!! Sara and Ethan

Monday, July 17, 2006

Laauli Etena and Faletua Sala
A Full Week of Saying Goodbye to Savaii


The Faiumu Family...my adopted village fam. I almost put Fiti in my bag to take with me, the cutey in front.







Ethan and I washing our hands after food.

It has been a long and sad week of goodbyes. On Tuesday night, the mayor made me a feast. Ethan arrived in my village on Wednesday day and helped me to pack. The problem is that I didn't realize that we would wind up leaving the village with so many gifts. Wednesday night, the whole womens' committee threw me and Ethan a farewell party with gifts, food, and a whole lot of tears. Thursday night we had lunch BBQ with my across the yard neighbours, then dinner at Mele's family's house with pig and great Samoan foods. Friday we went to Sapapalii where the primary school did a gift presentation and thank you ceremony for Ethan. Every student gave Ethan something. It was quite a site to see little children with tears in their eyes and thank yous for the book reading that Ethan did for them. Then of course, we had a great big dinner with Ethan's family. Saturady was Grandmas birthday. Since the Pastor was attending the lunch, there was A LOT of food; he lead the prayer for our meal and blessed her for her 85 years. Saturday evening we all had a simple meal and hung out, talking chatting, remaniscing, and enjoying our last days. There were tears...but we tried to make it a happy evening. Then Sunday we went to church twice. Ethan did a speech in front of the whole congregation. But the most exciting and least known part of our weeklong festivities was the second Sunday meal at the Pastors house. We didn't know what to expect, although we did try to find out many times from different sources. So, we headed over there, totally clueless of what to expect. We sat down in the big fale at tables and watched as the High Matai and Pastor honoured the two visiting pastors from San Fran. Then they left and the Matai and the Pastor honoured Ethan for his hard work with gifts (A fue, a tootoo, taanoa, and many other honourable gifts). They saved his most precious gift for last and that was to welcome him with a new name to their village. For his 'tautua' (service) to his village they gave him a Matai name. Amazing. His name is Laauli, which is a son of Malietoa and a very highly respected Matai name. Ethan was extremely honoured and choked up. He did a great job reading a speech to thank them that his father had helped him write. His father did not attend the ceremony because he really wanted it to be the villages gift and nit his family's gift.
I translated the whole thing for him as I sat next to him. I was told Ill make a great Faletua (chiefs wife) because I help him with the language and everything. This moring we woke up at 5AM to do prayer one last time with his family, everyone cried and that was the end. We left for Taga, picked up my bags, stopped and gave hugs at everyones house, and then headed back to Apia on the boat. We have more gifts than a small army would know what to do with and we are sorting through them now. Well write more and hope everyone is well, but right now we are tired and ready to rest off this last week.


Ethan and all the Teachers at Sapapalii Primary School



Sala, Laauli Etena, and Ethan's dad Taoai - I think now that Ethan is a Matai, he should make a rule that all Matai get nipple rings, not jsut the full tatau! (Just kidding)

Friday, July 07, 2006


Ahhh...I am going to miss Samoa.


Us being mushy on the beach. This is at Tafua Beach Fales in Lalomanu.



















Sunset at Tanus in Manase, Savaii.