2n-4th Day in Samoa

Samoa is so lush- it rained everyday, without a doubt, while we were there, which inevitably makes a country gorgeous. I felt so at home, not just cuz of the climate and the greenery, and honestly I don't know why I felt at home, but I didn't feel like I stood out at all against the dark Samoans.

Second day we went to the flee market and shopped for lava lavas (the wraps that the Samoans wear- both men and women, really cool!) and jewelry made out of coconut. Needless to say, we ate a lot of coconuts. The flesh is the best- so tender and chewy :) Our first visit to the House of Worship was on the second day, but it wasn't until the third visit later on in the trip that I really felt I connected with the Temple, and really got to pray and meditate and listen to the birds melodic songs... the Temple is very simplistic, more so than the Sydney one, but it fits in so well with the surroundings and the nature that envelopes it. All the Houses of Worship are similar in design but very unique at the same time in that they are all very specific to the country and those cultures. We were able to meet the surrounding youth and families- so many children and junior youth, and a lot of singing, it made the environment so lively! The fathering that we went to, a 19 Day Feast, was conducted in both Samoan and English, and the translation was done by the youth- in their school they teach Samoan until about grade 3, so unless you speak it at home, you'll loose it, so it's a way to get the young to be in touch with their culture.

After Sunday service, Wendy took us to a beach (when we were going to a beach we would have to pay an entrance fee because we were entering into someones village and the chief would take that money (usually 10-20 Tala, so 5-10 AUS) and distribute it to the whole town), and had prepared traditional Samoan food- taro, bananas and coconuts are staple foods in Samoa. So we had fire roasted taro and bananas with a taro leaf with coconut cream spread, along with a chicken and coconut cream spread. Sooooo delicious. After that beach we went to a resort, called Virgin's Cove, and stayed in a fala (a hut made of coconut tree I think) on the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous. Mind you, it rained and was cloudy pretty much the whole time we were there, so although it was lovely, we couldn't really see the sky! It was actually the last day, when we were driving to the airport, that clear skies happened, so all my pictures of the Temple are a little hard to see because the background and the dome are the same color. Anyway, the beach was still enjoyable even though it was a bit overcast. Fish were literally swimming at our feet, and we didn't even need to go in deep to have them swim around! And the water was so incredibly clear- we could be 7feet in and still be able to see our entire body. You just have to see it to believe it.

The funniest thing happened when we were driving home, in the pouring rain, in a taxi. We were talking to the taxi driver, younger guy, about why we were in Samoa...etc, and he's like “Yeah, I think I saw you guys at the waterfall the other day” Hahahahaha! I was like “woahhhhh...smaaaaall country!”- if we were in any other country it would've been creepy, but since it's such a small island everyone knows everyone, it was so cool! And the day later, we bump into 3 more people we knew! =)

The day we were flying out of Samoa we got up early to say prayers in the Temple. 6am. It was so lovely because we saw the sky go from grey/blue to light blue. We didn't exactly see the light shine through the panels, but it was so awesome to see the Temple slowly light up from the inside. It was also so nice to just gaze out the doors and see a sea of vibrant green. So incredibly serene.

I went through island withdrawal the first week I was back in Sydney. I really do miss it. I can't believe it's been already a month since I was in Samoa.....how time flies by.