Our Travels

Wowsers. We left Samoa on Jan 14th. Sad day but we were overstaying our welcome a bit in Samoa by then I think! Well not really but I was getting the 'when are you leaving?' question more than 'how are you?' so it was due time we made our way home to hubby_dearest. Plus my son was missing his daddy and our home. So amazing how impressionable a 3 year old is. I think I'm influenced by the old school thought of children don't know anything but now that I have a child..no sirreee they know a lot more than we give them credit for. After the Christmas rush and family saofa'i that wasn't was over I finally declared myself free to enjoy my time in Samoa. Thank goodness for sisters, sister-laws and for nephews and nieces my son was never out of playmates nor sitters.  My bestie from my USP days in Suva was visiting to teach in Samoa along with dear friend from Italy  so a reunion was in the cards. First stop dinner with the girls. We ate at Portofino Restau

Samoan oil in Fanta and tobasco sauce recycled bottles at Fugalei market. The bottle caps are made of coconut husks wrapped in plastic to keep the husk in place. You've got to love the recycling sense. Samoan oil is used as moisturiser, hair gel, ointment, antiseptic and mosquito repellant oh and used as 'glitter' when dancing. I remember going to school covered in it when we were little. I'm sure I had nightmares for years after whenever I smelled it. But then it was okay because everyone else at school was covered in it too. Oh and we made our own too. My grandma who was blind and paralysed sensed it was going to rain and would yell out to us to come bring the lolo (process or state of making Samoan oil) inside the house because water pollutes the pure oil. So I must attribute my smooth skin to the fagu'u that grandma used to remind us every morning to make sure we had covered our bodies with. Choo hooo fresh off the island ow:)

My sister and I got a call from mother_dearest who was in Savaii that our beloved uncle Tuna* had passed with the instructions that we must go over to Aunty Sami's* house to see her and to find out the funeral plans. I was nervous as heck as I hadn't seen my aunty yet since I got back and just didn't know what to expect especially at such a time. CJ was driving and I in the passenger seat as we nervously chatted both not sure about what we were doing. As we drove into their driveway I was shocked to see someone who looked like my uncle in the lounge. My hand to my mouth in shock I said to my sister "Oh my gosh, he's in the lounge." My sister protested as she parked the car that "there's no way that she's going to view a dead body uncle or not." By this point I was in hysterics and she's looking at me as if I was crazy and insisted that she's not going in to see the old man as she just can't do it! In between my giggles I said &qu