Day 3

Thanks to Sam Atoa we were able to send a container of humanitarian supplies over to Samoa. It was loaded with supplies that had been donated including school supplies, books, clothes, medical supplies and so much more.

Monday morning we loaded supplies from the container into a trailer to take to Savaii, the other island in Samoa.

When I grabbed one box to put on the truck a huge spider was right on the box next to my hand. I screamed and dropped the box and completely froze. The spider was seriously as big as my hand and so nasty. Sam Jr. killed it, but after that I wouldn't pick up any more boxes from the ground, I made people pass them to me or only took boxes from the top of a stack.

We took a ferry from Apia to Savaii where we would start the screenings. The ride over was so beautiful. The water was clear and you could see fish and it felt good to finally have a breeze. 

From the ferry we were able to see other small islands and really see just how green Samoa is. I liked being able to look back at the pier and see all the rows of palm trees.

We stayed at a place called the Saviian. There was an open pavilion area where we met and ate, and we slept in a fale. They looked like cute fairy tale cottages :)

Fale where we slept

We were right off the ocean and the view was amazing. 

Yes the sunset was this great every night :)

Fale by the ocean with a hammock

We didn't mind that the Fale we stayed in had no A/C and only freezing cold water, but the roosters drove us crazy. The rooster would crow all night long, not just when the sun came up. The first night was the worst since we weren't used to them and the boys in the Fale next to us went out to try and chase it away, but it just kept coming back. After a few nights we kind of got used to it and it didn't wake us up quite as many times. 

everyone was ready to kill this guy

Day 2

After church on Sunday we went to a waterfall and watched a lady husk a coconut. The drive up to the water fall was so amazing. Everything is so green and beautiful. 

After seeing the waterfall a local lady taught us about coconuts. She showed us how to husk a coconut, crack it open, grate out the meat, and make coconut milk. We were all then given the opportunity to try, it was a lot harder than it looked! She was so fast at everything and made it look like no big deal! 

Husking the coconut

cracking open the coconut

Coconuts have two eyes and a mouth. You have to have it turned the right way to easily crack it open and have to be quick to not let all the water spill out. 

Grating out the coconut meat

As the coconut fell into the bowl below the chickens and cats would sneak up and try to eat it. So you had to focus on grating the coconut, not cutting your hands, and shooing away the animals all at once.

The fresh coconut was so good! 

The coconut meat is strained through bark to get the coconut milk. Its is so thick, creamy, and sweat

 After we all had a turn with the coconuts we went over to her sugar-cane field. She pulled out her machete and cut down sugar cane and peeled it for us. We all bit off hunks of sugar cane, would chew it to get the sugar and then spit out the wood part.

Eating sugar cane

I loved being able to experience this part of the Samoan culture. I had never realized that coconuts were so much work and definitely gained an appreciation for the people here.

DAY 1

Day 1
We left SLC on Wednesday June 6th, flew to Hawaii and spent a few days there, left Friday morning and ended up in Samoa Saturday because of the international date line. As soon as we stepped off the plane you could feel the heat and humidity hit you. I knew it would be hot, but hadn't quite known what to expect.

Airport in Samoa

As we drove through town it was so interesting to see everything that is specific to their culture. They bury their dead in the front yard. There are chickens, pigs, and dogs everywhere! The dogs just run wild in the street and you have to be careful to not hit them. The buses are packed with people, and if the weren't packed in the bus, the were usually piled in the back of a truck.

Study Abroad

Talofa! This summer I will be going to Samoa for a study abroad program through UVU. Samoa has the highest rate of Rheumatic Heart Disease in the world. Rheumatic Heart Disease is caused when the Strep bacteria moves into the heart, causing heart murmurs and heart failure. It affects children ages 6 to 15 and is preventable and curable. Our group will be going to the schools in Samoa to screen children for the disease and treat them with Penicillin. We will also be teaching them basic preventative measures such as washing their hands and going to the doctors at the first signs of a sore throat. We will also be delivering humanitarian and school supplies that have been donated for the program.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to help the children of Samoa and hope to make a positive difference in their lives. I want to thank everyone who has supported our group through humanitarian donations and financial support. It is greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference in the lives of the people of Samoa.

I hope you enjoy following my blog and seeing the work that we are doing :)