Bruised

Here's a shot that shows a degree of the bruising my tattoo caused. This was day 2 after the swelling had gone down. The bruise has continued to morph and is now all yellow and makes me look ill. It's really interesting. Did I mention I'm not getting another tattoo? Ever. Although I do quite like it. Now that the pain is in the past.

Tatau

I have officially survived my experience with the traditional Samoan tattoo! Andy and I got up nice and early on this beautiful rainy morning and treked out to the locally renowned tattoo artist with an appointment for permanent body-altering. Andy got a tattoo of a Samoan boat, part of the traditional men's full body tattoo, across his shoulders. I got a band and part of the traditional women's tattoo around my right thigh. I have to say it was one of the most excruciatingly painful experiences I could have chosen to have inflicted upon myself. About five minutes in I started to wonder what the heck I was thinking knowing I had close to two hours of exactly the same in front of me. We took tons of pictures- I think there are as many of my face in agony as of my leg, thanks to Andy- check them out in the photo album labeled "My Tattoo". It was really a great experience, and SO made me appreciate what a good portion of Samoans go through as a part of their rite of passage towards their position of authority within the village (the tattoos are traditionally associated with one's being given a matai title)- the men who get the pe'a, which extends from above the waste to the knees, have to go back every day for at least a week to have it done in increments, each of which are significantly larger than what I had done today. I have to say I'm really glad to have done it but even more glad that it's in the past :) I'm headed for home to lift my leg up and try to ease some of the swelling as I lay around and recuperate for the next couple of days.

Reflection

We had a new group of future volunteers join us in country early wednesday morning- Peace Corps Samoa Group 76. We were called "trainees" during our first few months in country but it has been decided that this terminology has a childish connotation to it so their official label is "development professionals in training." Shockingly, however, they still seem to get referred to as... "trainees." I guess old habits die hard. It's been really interesting because this is the first new group to join us in country and go through what we went through upon our initial arrival. I've found that it's brought back a lot of reflection on what that time was like for me and how far I've come since then, and how much the experiences that I've been living have changed me. I came to Samoa in October- I've been here for over 8 months and feel it narrowing in on a year as time seems to roll by. The thing that I wanted most out of joining the Peace Corps was to have it lead me towards some sort of direction or larger plan for my life, something I didn't really have prior to this endeavor. Somewhat surprisingly to me becoming a volunteer led me to Andrew and in that sense the most concrete direction I could possibly find for my life. I think it's pretty impressive that one of my main desires for my service was filled so swiftly and totally. Regarding other aspects of my service I, like many volunteers, have had fluctuating experiences ranging from amazingly positive to frustrating and disappointing. I think that this is imperative as a component of the journey through one's time as a volunteer and is a huge part of what makes a volunteer grow so much during the tenure of their service. At this point, deep enough in my service to have a real idea of what is happening and what works (and doesn't work) for me yet with enough time left for substantial growth, I am focusing my energy on trying to restructure myself and my role here so that I feel that I am giving the most of myself and receiving the most personally for my efforts. Reflecting on where I came from and where I've been, I'm looking forward towards the rest of my service through very different lenses and am excited and curious to see how it all unfolds before me.

Independence Day

Yesterday was Independence Day here in Samoa. Well, actually, Samoa gained its independence from New Zealand sometime in late January, but it was officially decided that that is a crummy time of year to celebrate independence since it’s often rainy and cycloney, so celebration of independence was reassigned to June 1st. We went into town to check out the festivities which included long distance rowing races that ended in Apia harbor, marching girls, band performances and traditional Samoan dancing, along with substantial quantities of BBQ and other food items. It was quite fun checking everything out and squeezing through the hordes to get a peak at the boats as they were coming by. Albeit a bit sunburnt, it was definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon and interesting to see how Samoa celebrates their independence.

High Intensity Conferring

We’ve officially hit our 6-month point since swearing in, which places us at the milestone for our early service group re-coagulation. Last week we went out to stay at a very nice beach fale resort called Boomerang Creek for our High Intensity Language Training/ Early Service Conference. We spent five very relaxing days by the water reviewing language formation structures, holding hands and talking about how we feel, and reflecting. And playing cards. A LOT. It was a really nice week, although the term “high intensity” might be a tad of an exaggeration. Regardless, I found it a great opportunity to sit down and think about where I am and where I want to go and what I want to get out of my time here in Samoa, which is about 1/3 finished at this point, weirdly enough. It was also interesting being back as a group and sort of a flashback to training in a way- you kind of forget what it’s like to be living on top of everyone else in your group after you disburse post-training. Plus we had frequent bouts with neither electricity or running water which was fun because we’re so spoiled in our actual placements where amenities are very rarely an issue. “Roughing it” for the week validates that, somehow :)