Apia...the NYC of Samoa.

I feel like I have mentioned Apia a lot in my other blogs but I haven’t explained enough of why it is so exciting to go there!  Apia is the capitol city of Samoa and is the only city in Samoa.  They have a McDonald’s! It used to have a movie theatre but it was destroyed in Cyclone Evan and they should be opening it soon.  But they have multiple restaurants, hotels,  internet cafes, a library (which apparently is kind of disappointing, but let’s not be picky),  banks, markets, shops, actual grocery stores that you go into instead of the stores in the villages where you stand at the window and tell them what you want and they bring it to you, nightclubs, and bars.  You see where the analogy of Apia to NYC comes in, right? 

The truth is, Apia is just really exciting because of what it entails.  To understand this, you have to understand village life.  So in the village, you are always being watched and everyone always knows what you are doing, who you are talking to, where you are going, and you will get asked these questions every time you go outside. You also can’t just leave  your house whenever you want, especially at night.  You have to wear a lavalava everywhere you go, which is basically just an extra piece of fabric to make you even hotter and even less attractive.  In the village, I eat taro everyday.  It’s usually accompanied by fish (which I actually do really really love, but it’s pretty much the same everyday), chicken soup, or chop suey.  IN the day time I eat crackers or instant noodles or a canned soda from the store and sometimes an ice-cream when it’s not “finished”.  Sometimes you can throw an orange in there when they are around.  That’s pretty much the extent of my diet.  Also, in the village I speak Samoan 95% of them time and English 5% of the time.  I really do love my village, I love school, I love my kids, I LOVE volleyball, I love my friends, but sometimes you just want to get out of the village life for  a minute. 

So, what does this have to do with Apia?  When you go to Apia you are free!!! You can wear whatever you want.  I pretty much just wear shorts or capris, but I try to avoid lavalavas at all cost.  You can also go wherever you want to go whatever time you want to go.  It’s pretty great.  One of my favorite parts about Apia is the food options! It’s amazing how excited a fish enchilada or cheeseburger can make you when you’ve been eating the same food for months.  And in Apia, almost everyone speaks English! But the VERY BEST part of the Apia trips is getting to hangout with my friends! I love being able to spend time with my fellow PCVs, especially the ones that have become some of my very best friends!

Usually we go on Friday afternoons or on the 6:00am ferry Saturday morning.  Getting to Apia is quite a journey. I usually wait for the bus for 30 mins to an hour.  And then the bus ride is an hour or an hour and a half.  And then the ferry ride is an hour and ten minutes. Then the bus ride from the warf to Apia is 50 mins.  But even after the four or so hours of traveling, I’m too excited to be there and see my friends that I don’t even feel tired.  We usually go straight to the hotel and crank up the air conditioner (except for the times we have been stuck in the non AC rooms, which were a little depressing) .  Then it’s not long before I jump in the shower and enjoy the hot water for a good 30 mins or so. Then it’s off to eat! Again, one of my favorite parts!  There is generally time spent interneting, watching a movie, walking around, and just spending time together in general.  But it’s never long enough.  It honestly feels like the weekend flies by and then it’s Sunday again and we are waiting at the market for the bus to take us to the ferry which will take us to the next bus that will take us back to our individual villages.  Back at our villages, it’s not long before we are calling and texting again about when our next trip to Apia will be.  I feel very grateful that I was sent to Samoa with such a great group of people.  They truly inspire me to be better, work harder, be more optomisitc, and to try harder to make the world a better place.