Happy Holidays

I am the drum maker.
Sasa!
Swearing in (i fa'asamoa ma fa'apalagi)

On Wednesday around noon, Tavita, Lopi and I hopped on a bus to Lalomanu to catch up on some beach activity. We were supposed to meet up with another volunteer and stay at his place but he vanished and we ended up crashing at a beautiful beach fale right on the ocean which we did not complain about. That night we sat at a table with people from all sorts of various locations on this beautiful planet. I met a couple from Austria and another couple from New Zealand. We also met a girl from Russia, a girl from Sweden, a dive instructor from Switzerland, and a group of students/teachers from Germany. This type of experience is one of my favorite things about traveling. I love to sit at a table and drink or eat with people from all over the place and share our experiences. This brings us together as people and does wonders for tearing down cultural walls that come between us. Lalomanu is awesome. This was my third time there and the place is a definite must to stop by for anyone who comes to see me out here. It is on the southeast side of the island but this time of year you can actually see the sunset over the beach and it is truly a beautiful sight. I talked all night with the New Zealand couple and learned about cheap ways to travel and we also gained a free place to stay should we ever (and probably will) visit New Zealand. The snorkeling was awesome and even thought it is usually me who suffers random aquatic tragedies I was actually the only one of us who did not get bit by the triggerfish; Lopi was bit twice and he’s convinced it was the same fish both times. The next morning I woke up early and walked down the beach to a lava rock formation where I sat on a large lava rock and stared into oblivion. I’ve spent much of my life thinking about where my place is in the world and these days I am very complacent on the issue. I’m pretty sure that as long as I’m near the ocean everything will be okay and if I cannot live by the ocean then I can at least fly over it every now and then. I learned about a German traveler who recently stopped by Lalomanu. He apparently has visited over 100 countries and is currently working on a project to journey to Bhutan. This is no easy task because Bhutan does not allow visitors to travel cheaply. In fact it is about 150 US dollars per day to pay for the visa. I love these people. A few days before my Lalomanu excursion I found myself at a table with a man from France who has been to India, China, Thailand, Laos, most of Asia, most of the Pacific, etc. and I am very inspired by these people. I almost feel like shouting to the world something like ‘look out here I come!’ because until I stop breathing I am going to be one of these journeymen that circles the planet. I’m learning more and more about travel and how to get around cheaply and what to look out for. I’m very tempted to take an excursion to South Africa based on the help of a certain friend of mine sometime in the latter days of my Peace Corps career if I still have enough time for leave available or perhaps I could just wait until I finish my service. Either way I foresee a grand adventure in the distant future and I sleep much better at night knowing that I’m actually doing what I love most. So anyway, woke up, sat on a rock, contemplated, swam a bit then we packed up to wait roadside for a bus to come and return us to Apia. Well.. no bus.. we waited with two of the German students and maintained each others high spirits whilst we waited in vain. Turns out that there was a fa’alavelave somewhere nearby and the buses were needed for transportation to a funeral and we were stranded. There are much worse things in the world than being stranded on a beautiful beach so we didn’t mind, we just went swimming again. Later that day we hitched a ride back with Tony and Betty, the New Zealand couple, and we made it to Apia in time to catch up with other volunteers from our group who we hadn’t seen since swearing in. Tomorrow I leave for a trip to Ma’asina where I will stay for the holidays. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned I’m trying my best to ignore Christmas. I miss family and they miss me. Soon it will pass and life will go on as it usually does but until then I’m sure my parents are having a rough time this holiday season. Mom and Dad, I love you. Merry Christmas. I’ll be there in spirit. I miss my friends too. Dan, I know its your birthday today - happy birthday. Gregg, I read what you wrote on myspace - I miss you like hell brother. All of you in Detroit and everywhere else that has taken me in, cheers to you - BE BOLD

Happy Holidays!!