A PCV
Well its official I am now a PCV. Its been a while since the last post and the time has been filled. Training went well but I think everyone including the trainers, maybe them most of all, was ready for some time apart. There was definitely a bitter sweet ending with a great party had in the village. It was kicked off Friday the18th with both the training group and village doing different traditional dances. Then we had smaller parties and BBQ's with our families before a final roaming party around the village. The next morning we headed back to Apia to wrap up some administrative work and last minute details, this also included getting our bikes. After three months of being driven everywhere its crazy how liberating a bike can be once again. Then Wednesday we went back to the village to have our swearing in ceremony. That night was party with the other volunteers in Apia and then next morning we loaded our pile of belongings and were off too our new homes.
So on to the present. My new home is in Falelima on the west coast of Savai'i. I see the day end in beautiful sunsets over the vast empty pacific. I have a large family that has taken great care of me.
My new home is a faleo'o or small traditional house. The one end is enclosed for a bed room and the open area is great for reading and hanging out. When I visited during training I got to help turn the palm leaves into the thach shingles for the roof. Right now I am building some shelves and cabinets for my junk inside.
So this is the view from my porch and I have to admit it is pretty hard to beat. The pipe running across the picture goes from the roof of the main house to a 7,000 gallon tank infront of my faleo'o, that provides all my water. There is currently no piped water in the area. The NW corner is probably the dries area in Samoa. The wet season has just now started to refill the rainwater tanks.
This is on a small island that blocked our training village from the open ocean. We were able to spend a few nice Saturday afternoons relaxing on a nice beach there. The channel into the bay runs right by the beach creating a nice ledge for jumping in. Vik is laying out for the disk.
This is Papapapa-tai waterfall. It is in the middle of Upolu. We stopped one day when we were heading back from Apia to the training village. When we got there the whole valley was filled with fog and you could just hear the falls. Jokingly we told Setu, on of our instructors to do something. So he said a little prayer and right before our eyes the fog moved out and revealed the falls. At this point there is nothing Setu can't do.
Finally these are the ladies of group 76 doing their dance for the village at the going a way party.
Hope this finds everyone well and not working to hard.
peace
timoteo
So on to the present. My new home is in Falelima on the west coast of Savai'i. I see the day end in beautiful sunsets over the vast empty pacific. I have a large family that has taken great care of me.
My new home is a faleo'o or small traditional house. The one end is enclosed for a bed room and the open area is great for reading and hanging out. When I visited during training I got to help turn the palm leaves into the thach shingles for the roof. Right now I am building some shelves and cabinets for my junk inside.
So this is the view from my porch and I have to admit it is pretty hard to beat. The pipe running across the picture goes from the roof of the main house to a 7,000 gallon tank infront of my faleo'o, that provides all my water. There is currently no piped water in the area. The NW corner is probably the dries area in Samoa. The wet season has just now started to refill the rainwater tanks.
This is on a small island that blocked our training village from the open ocean. We were able to spend a few nice Saturday afternoons relaxing on a nice beach there. The channel into the bay runs right by the beach creating a nice ledge for jumping in. Vik is laying out for the disk.
This is Papapapa-tai waterfall. It is in the middle of Upolu. We stopped one day when we were heading back from Apia to the training village. When we got there the whole valley was filled with fog and you could just hear the falls. Jokingly we told Setu, on of our instructors to do something. So he said a little prayer and right before our eyes the fog moved out and revealed the falls. At this point there is nothing Setu can't do.
Finally these are the ladies of group 76 doing their dance for the village at the going a way party.
Hope this finds everyone well and not working to hard.
peace
timoteo
posted by tim at 2:12 PM
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