It takes a village

HAPPY TWO YEARS!! I cannot believe I’ve lived in Samoa for over two years now. This has been such a crazy experience and it’s really coming to an end now.

With time passing so quickly, I’m realizing I won’t be living on a South Pacific island anymore, which is a very sad realization. A few volunteers and I spent a weekend at the beach to soak in our remaining time here. We stayed at Falealupo and I’ve actually never stayed there before. It’s the Western-most point of Samoa, so it’s where the last sunset in the country happens; it’s gorgeous! I was also able to travel all the way around Savai’i again, stopping at the Blowholes and the Canopy Walk. I’ve done all of these touristy things before of course, but it’s nice to get one last chance to do them. The Blowholes will forever be my favorite!

The last sunset of Samoa.

After my touristy weekend, Group 89 arrived! This was my third Peace Corps Ava Ceremony and my second on the other side. I can’t believe two years ago I was sitting there, amazed and confused. At this point I completely understand everything that happens and it’s not unusual at all anymore. We got 17 new volunteers and they seemed very excited to be in Samoa! I won’t get to know this group as well, but I’m happy to have them here and continue this legacy.

Group 87, 88, and Response Volunteers welcoming in Group 89!

The weekend before school started up again was my third and final White Sunday here! White Sunday is children’s day in Samoa and it’s always full of new outfits, dances, skits, and lots of food. This year I learned our dances and skit the night before, which is very typical and exactly how I did it the previous two years as well. My first White Sunday was my first ever weekend in Samoa two years ago and now I was so much more comfortable performing in front of everyone. I didn’t think twice about it this year. During our skit I got shot, so it was a very amusing day – a great last White Sunday here!

Sad to be leaving behind my acting and dancing days! 

In other news, my last ever term of teaching has begun! Two years and 7 previous terms, I’ve made it to my last one! It’s definitely bittersweet as I teach my last ever classes and wrap everything up. This term is focused on my grants! My year 7 students and I put together a video for the middle school in Maine that we’re doing a cultural exchange with. It was such a precious video and we’re going to put together a follow-up, teaching the American students how to cook Samoan food! The American students sent us a package and will send videos as well, so it’s a really neat project. Also, over the two-week break, the men of my village built our new bathrooms!! They’re not completely finished as we’re waiting for some final materials, but they look amazing so far. I wasn’t able to be there to help, but arriving back at school and finding a brand new building was such an incredible feeling. It takes a village and I absolutely love mine for putting this together!

My students can use the bathroom now!!!

Outside of school, we had palolo season! Palolo are some type of worm sperm that only emerge once a year in October. They only come for a three-day span and only from about 4am-7am before the sun rises. This year I got to go palolo fishing! We woke up at 3am and headed to Satupa’itea, a neighboring village. I didn’t actually want worms swimming around me, so I stayed on a cliff and watched, which was so perfect. It was amazing to see! There were hundreds of flashlights lining the entire coast. It was probably the most light pollution I’ve ever seen in Samoa. It was a great bonding experience with my host family and three years of palolo later I finally got to go!

Fishing crew at 6am.

This will be a busy term as I balance hanging out with other volunteers for the last time, running Numeracy sessions for Group 89, finishing up these grants, and soaking up host family time! I’m excited about everything that’s happening, though, and I think it’s a perfect way to end my time here.

Here’s to my final 8 weeks in Samoa!

Started from the bottom

I’m back in Samoa!! What a crazy month of change, but now I am settled in for my remaining three months of service. October 1^st will mark TWO YEARS in Samoa, which absolutely blows my mind. Like any journey, it has been a very long process but has also flown by. I cannot believe I’ve lived here for two full years!

After some much-needed healing, I got medically cleared to return to Samoa and I was ecstatic! My skin condition completely cleared up with a couple treatments from two different American dermatologists. I’ll never really know what it was – mango allergy, vitamin deficiency, nickel poisoning, etc. I’m just very grateful it cleared and I was able to return. My remaining time back home was wonderful. I got to take my sister to her first day of 10^th grade, which was so nice because I’ve missed so many first days. Departing is never easy, but since this was an unexpected trip and I really wanted to finish up my time in Samoa, it was a little easier this time around. Only three months remaining!

Final airport goodbye with this tenth-grader!

Arriving back in Sili was really exciting! My medical evacuation happened so unexpectedly and quickly, so it was really nice to see my family and village again. I brought back an entire suitcase of clothing, so my nieces and nephews had a fashion show my first night home. My teachers had a welcome back lunch for me and construction has begun on my bathroom grant, so being back at school was great. I’m definitely feeling nostalgia for those moments that I won’t have next year! We’re straight back into homework help in the evenings and it’s surprisingly refreshing being “home”.

Homework help wouldn't be complete without selfies.

Being back into my Samoan routine also means back to my evening runs and it feels great! Lately I’ve been meeting three other volunteers for evening walks because we all live in neighboring villages. My first weekend back, I decided I would run/walk from Sili to Salelologa. Salelologa is the “city” of my island, where all shops are located along with the wharf. My phone tells me that it was a 12.4-mile journey and it felt wonderful! I love that I know the island well enough to do that. Once I arrived, I got to swim in the crystal clear water all day with other volunteers and then take the bus home. It was perfect and I can’t believe I hadn’t done it before. Again, I’m definitely in the nostalgia phase of trying to do everything I can here before leaving.

Ran 12.4 miles to float on a slice of pizza.

I arrived back in Samoa just in time for my Close of Service conference. COS is something that we have looked forward to since the very beginning. Technically, we still have three months left, but we have to complete our Close of Service conference before the new group arrives. The conference took place at one of the nicest resorts in Samoa; I had never even been there before! We had sessions on writing our resumes and cover letters, interviewing, job searching, etc. It was a really helpful and productive week! We also got to reflect on our service and talk about re-integration into the U.S., which will be overwhelming for us all. It was actually such a productive week that I never once put on my bathing suit, even though we had an infinity pool and the ocean right outside our room! It was one of the best week’s I’ve had here and I’m so proud of us all for making it.

Great looking group at our Close of Service!!

This was our last training, so it could very well be the last time Group 87 was altogether. It gave great closure to this experience. We bonded a ton as the remaining 14 of our group. From 22 to 14, we are the survivors!! It feels so great to have made it and this week was the perfect reward. We’ve gone through so much individually in these two years, but also so much as a group. Two years ago we were at our Staging conference in Hawaii, just meeting each other for the first time, and now these people are my family. It’s been crazy and it’s been challenging, but we did it!

Started from the bottom, now we're here.

I’m sad that COS is over, but also excited for my remaining time here. Next week, Group 89 arrives! With this new group, we’re actually starting a new program here in Samoa. Right now, there’s only one program, so every volunteer is an English Literacy teacher. However, with this new group, we are starting a Numeracy program!! Those of you who know me know that math is my thing, so I’m ecstatic! This program is actually starting as a result of meetings we’ve had with the Ministry of Education in Samoa and also meetings we’ve had with Peace Corps Headquarters. It’s neat being so involved in the process. Directly after COS, I headed to the capital to plan out the Numeracy program here. A couple Peace Corps staff members and I created the Logic Model to submit to Headquarters and then planned out the entire framework. It looks like I’ll be going to Group 89’s training village in order to conduct the Numeracy trainings, so that’ll be really rewarding. I can’t believe I have such a big role in implementing this pilot program! Living in the capital was really nice, involving good food and hiking! My Country Director took me to Malololelei, which looks out over all of Apia.

Casually hiking above Apia while developing a Numeracy program!

Term 3 of the school year has officially ended and we’re now on a two-week break. I can’t believe it’s already the last term of my second year here! This break has already flown by with all of my work in the capital. I’ll spend the second week of break at the welcoming Ava Ceremony for Group 89 and then smoothing out the plans for Numeracy trainings. Before I know it, my third and final White Sunday will be here! I’m trying to soak up all I can in these three months and end on a high note. With COS and the Numeracy program and my grants, it’s all coming together and I’m in a great place!

Happy TWO YEARS IN SAMOA and happy CLOSE OF SERVICE!!!

The year of change

Hello from AMERICA and hello from 24-year-old me!! I can’t believe I began this whole experience right after my 22^nd birthday and now I’m 24; it’s crazy how time passes! It’s also crazy how much changes in such a short period of time. The incredible three weeks spent with my family feels like a year ago, even though it was my last blog post. I’m currently writing this post from my house in Maryland! So, a lot has changed already in my 24^th year of life.

The year 2017 marked 50 years of Peace Corps in Samoa and in July we had a big celebration for it! This 50-year reunion brought back volunteers from all different time periods. We had volunteers from Group One come back to visit and celebrate! I can’t imagine coming back to Samoa in 50 years; it must’ve been surreal for them. This reunion began with a parade through Apia, the capital of Samoa. We followed the Samoan band and stopped traffic throughout the capital. It was such a fun experience! I ended up carrying our banner and leading the parade, landing myself on the front page of the national newspaper! This was big news for my village when one villager found a copy of the newspaper – famous Sala!  

Marching through Apia with the Peace Corps parade.

Among the 40 or so returned volunteers who came for the reunion, was a former volunteer from Sili! I believe I’m the fourth ever Sili volunteer and it was really neat to meet another Silian. She served in Sili in 2010 and I loved getting to discuss the changes and our different projects within the village. She actually stayed in Sili for a week and came to school with me! She applied for (and received) a grant for us to do a cultural exchange project this Fall! My seventh grade students put together a Samoa box full of letters, questions, handcrafted books, and Samoan artifacts. A sixth grade class in Maine will open this box and send an American equivalent back to Samoa once the American school year starts. It’s really neat to be able to connect these students with one another and learn about a different culture.

Preparing our Samoa box to send to Maine!

So, the 50^th anniversary was a wonderful get together. I hope to return to Samoa one day for another reunion! July was filled with preparations for the reunion as well as preparations for the cultural exchange grant, which made for a very exciting month. August then began with my first ever race! I’m sure those of you who know me had to re-read that sentence because I am not a runner. I can barely run! However, running has been a wonderful pastime here in Samoa and when presented with the opportunity of running a 10k, for some reason I agreed. It was definitely a rough decision and I believe I came in second to last place, but I completed it! I ran the race in my normal running attire, shoulders completely covered and knees double covered with leggings and a lavalava (skirt). So, somehow, my life progressed to the point of running my first ever 6-mile race in a skirt. Now that’s a weird sentence.

A classic example of male vs. female attire.

The 50-year reunion, grant, race, wait, how did I possibly end up in America??? Well, August took a crazy turn of events. I was medically evacuated home for a skin condition I’ve developed while in Samoa. It’s not major, but it was undiagnosable and Samoa doesn’t have dermatologists. The skin condition progressed really rapidly in the last six months and was certainly affecting my life, but I never imagined being sent home. Zika, lice, scabies, you name it, I’ve probably had it! However, this skin infection got me sent home!! So, I got a call one morning while teaching that I needed to leave my village in the next hour to catch my flight home. It was a whirlwind of events as I rushed to pack and explain everything to my village. I hardly got to say any goodbyes, but luckily I did get to say goodbye to my host parents. They both ended up sobbing into my shoulders, so it was a really sad departure. With Peace Corps medical evacuations, you have 45 days to get cleared and return. However, getting cleared can be a tough process, especially at the end of service. This is not going to stop me because I WILL finish my service! I cannot even imagine not finishing my 27 months when I’ve already survived 23 of them.  

SURPRISE I'm home with my sissy!!

As overwhelming as it was to be sent home, of course I have loved seeing my family!! It’s been wonderful! I’ve had to take it easy and I’ve had doctor’s appointments to attend, but being able to watch a movie with my family on the couch at night is incredible. Seeing my sweet pets, my 94 year old grandmother, my college roommate, my high school best friend – it has definitely helped the fact that I was sent home! My baby sister got her learner’s permit and I’ve been able to help teach her how to drive! I also ended up being home for my 24^th birthday, which was so unexpected. Being surrounded by friends and family (in AMERICA) was an amazing start to year 24. It’s already a year of change, but I know it will continue to be as I (hopefully) return to Samoa, finish my service, move back home, get a job, etc.

A real American cake tops off year 23.

So, a very unexpected blog post coming from America. The good news is that I’ve been home for two weeks and my skin condition is on the mends! I feel much, much better and I should be cleared and on my way back in no time. It’s going to be a crazy last four months as I prepare for my real departure. This temporary departure gave me a mini idea of how insane December is going to be. I can’t even imagine saying goodbye to my host family! Luckily I’ve been able to call them while home. I’ve also called my school and been able to get all of our grant deliveries done while home. Once I get medically cleared, I’ll be returning to a very exciting end to my service! I’ll be completing two grants, I’ll prepare for another volunteer to hopefully replace me, and I’ll say goodbye to my insane 27 months spent in Samoa.

But for now, it’s time to heal and get medically cleared!

Combining families

Best. Three. Weeks. Ever! I just got back to Sili after a whirlwind 5-island trip with my wonderful family. I can’t even explain the joy involved in seeing my mom, sister, Anna, and Rich. It’s only been 6 months since I last saw them, but having them on my side of the world was incredible!

Our first two weeks of the trip were spent in Samoa learning all about my life. It was so fun showing everyone where I’ve been living and giving them some perspective on this experience. Combining my Samoan family and my American family was indescribable. We spent every evening at my house for prayer and dinner. After dinner, we would spend the night dancing or playing Jenga or just chatting. It was so cool to watch these two cultures and families combine. My Samoan nieces and my American sister have been penpals for over a year and a half now, so watching them meet in person was amazing! My American family was a huge hit; I dressed them up in traditional Samoan wear and they fit right in! The dancing was a little rough, per usual. One night I was dressed in a fine mat and had to solo Samoan dance for everyone – not my best skill.

One big, happy family!

During the days, I got to show my American family my school! Since we had two weeks here, we decided to do a project for Sili Primary School. We painted the world map in the assembly hall! It was quite the process getting supplies in Samoa, but we somehow pulled it off. After school, my students would come to help us paint. Although there was a language barrier between my students and my family, we had tons of fun painting together. We painted a Pacific-centered map so that Samoa is in the middle and it gives perspective of the world beyond this island. I can’t wait to use the map with my students! So many of them have never left Sili, which isn’t even visible on the map, so this will show them how big the world is.

Showing my village the world.

Leaving the village, my school, and my host family was very tough. Everyone fell in love with my American family! We had lots of goodbye ceremonies and gift exchanges. Naturally, this meant that my poor family had to dance in front of all 300 students and then again in front of all 40+ host family members. They were champs! I was in charge of translating all of the goodbye speeches. I probably haven’t mentioned my Samoan language skills in a while because they’re practically non-existent. Needless to say, the speeches were a little rough, but everyone could feel the love in the room so it didn’t even matter. As we drove out of the village, we had crowds surrounding the car saying goodbyes; it was so sweet!

Sili Primary School saying goodbye to our four additional helpers.

We also got to be Samoan tourists during our off time from school. We drove fully around both Upolu and Savai’i! Just driving around the islands is almost the best part – they’re so beautiful! However, we did stop at some very neat spots. On Savai’i, I took them to Afu Aau Waterfall, Alofa’aga Blowholes (used in Moana), Letui Peapea Cave, and Saleaula Lava Fields. On Upolu, we got to see my first two houses in Sa’anapu and then To Sua Trench. Playing tour guide makes me love this country and my American family seemed to love it as well. We had the perfect combination of cultural time and tourist time. They got the full experience of Samoa in just two weeks, which is very impressive!

Casual swimming break.

After a jam-packed, exhausting two weeks in Samoa, we all flew to Hawaii together for a week!! This was my last trip out of Samoa as a volunteer and it was amazing. We only had one week, but we went to three Hawaiian Islands. We arrived in Honolulu, Oahu and stayed in Waikiki, where we had an amazing American meal after two weeks of Samoan food. Then it was off to the big island! I had never been to the island of Hawai’i, but I loved it! We flew into Kona and then drove around the northern half until we got to my uncle’s house in North Hilo. It was so great being reunited with Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary! They hosted us and were incredible tour guides. They live in a Quonset hut up a mountain, so the view is just remarkable. It was my first time there and I fell in love! While on Hawai’i, we got to see Waipi’o Valley, Akaka Falls, and the active volcano of Kilauea. I had never seen active lava before, so that was super cool! I’ll definitely be making a trip back to the big island because I loved it so much.

Loving the big island of Hawai'i!!

From the big island, we flew to Maui for the remainder of our trip! My uncle Peter owns a charter boat business there and my two cousins, Maile and Wili, and their families both live on Maui as well. It was another great reunion! We stayed on Napili Bay and had such a relaxing few days. It was the perfect wind-down. We spent the evenings with family and the days snorkeling – the best combo! I also had my first American 4^th of July since 2013! We spent the 4^th at Wili’s house and set off mini fireworks and sparklers. He lives in a valley between two mountains, with goats and lots of taro fields. It’s neat because it’s so far removed from the touristy Maui. It was so nice bringing everyone together.

Wood family reunion in Maui for the fourth!

To end our whirlwind three-week Pacific adventure, we spent our last day on my uncle’s boat, the Hula Girl. We got to swim with the coolest turtle ever and scream at some fish that came questionably close (okay, maybe that was just me screaming). Between Upolu, Savai’i, Oahu, Hawai’i, and Maui, I had the time of my life these three weeks! I got to reunite with so many family members and be surrounded by so much love. This trip definitely rejuvenated me for my remaining 6 months in Sili. Seeing how my village took care of my family so well, I realized that I’m fully integrated and truly belong here now. It’s a lovely feeling. I’ll spend the next 6 months finishing off strong and then I know it’ll be impossible to say goodbye to this community!

Goodbye Maui, goodbye my sisters!

THANK YOU Mom, Sam, Anna, and Rich for the best three weeks ever!

Maths not math

I’m just about halfway through my second and final school year here in Samoa! How crazy is that?!

This term ended on a positive note with our district sports competition. Sili rugby and netball both advanced to the semi-finals and the finals! We were completely undefeated walking into the finals, which is incredible. Unfortunately, my rugby boys had a sad loss, but my netball girls are the district champions!! Sili netball is first place for our district! It was a very cool event because the girls had hundreds of people cheering alongside as they played. Once we won, the girls got a giant trophy and as we rode the bus back to Sili, they held the trophy out the window singing at the top of their lungs. Once we entered our village, the bus went slowly and every family came out to the street to cheer as we drove by. In a male-dominated country, it was such an amazing moment to see these girls get so much support and attention. I was a very proud cheerleader (although, I still don’t understand this whole no backboard concept).

Check out our trophy!

The end of the term also featured a Science and Math competition throughout the country. Every school had to submit essays to the Ministry of Education. I was able to work on this essay with two of my Year 7 girls and it was a blast! Of course, math is something I miss dearly, so being able to do Algebra with my girls was so much fun. Math is a universal language, so it was surprisingly easy for the girls to complete the problems. The hard part was writing an essay about it, but we got it done and maybe we’ll win! The one thing I’ll forever cry about, though, is that it’s called “Maths” here and I now actually say that awfully wrong word.

Samoa's future mathematicians.

We also got a new teacher at school! Now every classroom has a teacher, which is amazing. To celebrate our new teacher, we had new uniforms made. It’s quite the process to get 11 staff members to agree on a fabric for uniforms, but finally we came to a decision on brown (I say “we” very lightly). The next issue was the pattern for the seamstress to sew. Of course we couldn’t just do a normal puletasi (Samoan outfit). We decided on a nice design with a stripe down the front. This wouldn’t normally be blog worthy, but in this case it is because what a process all these decisions were! Of course I don’t just have a casual seamstress laying around, so one of my teachers arranged for mine to be done for me. I am ecstatic with how it turned out because it’s my first puletasi that’s not skin-tight to my body. Naturally, this means no one else is pleased with it. Many suggestions have been made to have mine redone, but I am staying strong and attempting to keep this less-tight puletasi, hoping that means I will sweat less (fingers crossed).

The ladies of Sili Primary School in our new uniforms!

Outside of school, my family compound has also experienced some change this month. When my house first became a shop, I said that it changed from pink to green, but I was mistaken. I walked home from school one day to find a neon green house and that’s when I learned the true meaning of green. So now instead of pink or teal, I live in a neon green house with neon yellow trim. It’s quite the statement in the village! The inside of the house and my room also got revamped with new “carpet” and fabric. It’s been an exciting month because it feels like I have a brand new room. The other houses on our compound also got revamped. Most are the same neon green/yellow combo, with the exception of my sister. She was able to make her family a house with walls (a big deal here in Samoa) and they painted it red and white. So, all in all, our compound is pretty much all over the place, which accurately describes the uncountable amount of family members we have. At least there’s never a dull day on this compound!

My new, real green house.

Outside of the village, Samoa’s still a really fun place to be a tourist. June 1^st is Independence Day here and this year marked Samoa’s 55^th year of independence from New Zealand. I got to go into the Capital for it, where there were parades and lots of dances. It wasn’t quite the 4^th of July, but hey the 1^st of June was still fun. We had a long weekend with the holiday, so a bunch of volunteers and I then rented our own island to celebrate! It’s the same island I casually got to rent for my 23^rd birthday, but this was my first time going back. Namu’a is a beautiful island and it’s such an amazing experience to be the only people on an entire island. The last time I was there, I failed to walk around the island because of high tide (huh, who knew that was a thing). However, this time I made it around the island!! It’s a mostly untouched island, so walking around it is not a casual, sandy walk. It’s mostly walking in the water alongside cliffs, which is incredibly beautiful and a little terrifying! But, now I’ve officially walked around and up this tiny, private island. Every night we sang around a bonfire; those are the moments I’ll definitely cherish and miss after this Peace Corps journey.

Casual private island surrounded by beautiful water.

That wraps up Term 2 here in Sili. TOMORROW I will go to the airport to pick up my American mother, sister, and two close family friends. MY FAMILY WILL BE IN SAMOA! I cannot believe it and I am absolutely thrilled to spend the next two weeks showing them around. The funniest part is that I have to leave Sili about the same time they have to leave Maryland in order for us all to get to the airport. That’s a little insight into transportation when you live on a developing island, but it’s beyond worth it.

Welcome to Samoa, Mom, Sam, Rich, and Anna!!!!

There's no backboard

Back to my Samoan life! We’re already halfway through Term 2, so I don’t know where the time has gone since my Cook Islands adventure.

On the last day of Term 1, my school put together it’s very first “English Day”. Each grade had to perform dances, songs, or skits all in English. This was a big moment for Sili Primary School because these were presented to all the parents. It really promoted English literacy within our entire village and the kids did a wonderful job! I was a very proud pisikoa watching all my students confidently speak English in front of the village adults.

My Year 5 babies promoting reading!

This term has been jam-packed with sports! The Ministry must have received separate funding for physical education this year because we’ve had so many sport competitions that never happened last year! It’s so exciting my students now get the opportunity to play. Instead of volleyball and rugby, this term is netball and rugby. And instead of one district tournament, our district has gotten together for three tournaments already and the term is only halfway through. I’m the biggest cheerleader ever at these competitions; I absolutely love it. However, I have to admit that netball is quite confusing. Where’s the backboard? Why can’t they move with the ball? Now, I’m not saying I know anything about basketball, but netball is just so different. Luckily my students know much more than I do because Sili netball and Sili rugby teams are both undefeated so far!!

GO SILI!

An exciting addition to my service in Samoa has emerged as my school got awarded a grant for a new bathroom block! One of my teacher’s and I worked very hard to put this application together back in February. Our final product came to be about 10 pages long! Anyways, it was approved and fully funded, so Sili Primary School will be getting new toilets and I couldn’t be happier! We currently have about 300 students and I’m not sure if we have even one functioning toilet. This grant will be an amazing asset for years to come. I’m really excited to see my village come together to make it all happen.

Our current bathroom block, but not for long.

The other big event of this month was Mother’s Day! I can’t quite explain the difference in holidays here, but for one, Mother’s Day is a national holiday so everyone gets the day off. Secondly, all holidays must involve dancing – no questions asked. The mothers of my village each had to perform dances and skits (I’ve never been so grateful to not be a mother). The grandmothers had to each give a sermon, including my sweet mama Lusia. It was a nice bonding moment with all the women, but the best part was that we all got ice cream!

Happy Mama's Day to my Samoan Mama!

So, that about covers May. I’ve lost track of how many months I’ve been here. I think June 1^st will mark 20 months! If I’m doing the math right (yes, I admit I’ve lost my math skills), that means I’m at 20/27 months. It’s insane to think this experience is almost over! Unfortunately, Group 87 did lose another volunteer. We’re now at 14. However, one of our group members returned to Samoa after about 8 months away! She’s now part of Group 88, but technically that means 15 of us are still here. I think we can all make it until the end! 

We have 5 weeks left of the term and then we're halfway through the school year!

Jumping off bridges

Perks of living in the South Pacific? Exploring the South Pacific! I got to spend my two-week break in Rarotonga, which before Peace Corps I had never even heard of (and you probably haven’t either).

The Cook Islands are East of Samoa, across the International Dateline. The funny thing, though, is that there’s no way to reach the Cook Islands except through New Zealand, which is the complete opposite direction. I wasn’t too bothered by this fact because New Zealand is my favorite country ever. So, Becca and I headed to New Zealand after Term 1 of school got out. We had about 15 hours in Auckland before our connecting flight to Rarotonga, so naturally we went bungy jumping!! When in New Zealand, right? We jumped off the famous Auckland Harbour Bridge. I’ve already been bungy jumping at the largest bungy in New Zealand, but that didn’t stop my fears this time. I was terrified! We both survived the bungy and needless to say, that was the best layover ever.

Somehow I actually look graceful in this (yes, that's me).

Once we finished bungy jumping, we headed back to the airport (casual). Now it was time for the Cook Islands! Why the Cook Islands? Well, my cousin’s mom (my ex-aunt) lives in Rarotonga and owns a tourist accommodation of bungalows right on the ocean. We went and stayed with Aunt Heidi in a beautiful bungalow. Our bungalow was lofted up so that on one side all we could see were giant waves and on the other side all we could see were giant mountains. It was the best! Rarotonga was surprisingly different than Samoa because of the waves and mountains. In Samoa, there aren’t many coasts that have waves because we’re surrounded by a reef. The waves in Rarotonga were mesmerizing! Our mountains here are all volcanoes, so they plateau at the top. However, in Rarotonga, the mountains had steep peaks. It was gorgeous!

Pretty great house for vacation!

Our bungalow was about a fifteen-minute bike ride to a beautiful, touristy lagoon perfect for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. Most mornings Becca and I would bike to the beach and spend the day there. It was incredibly relaxing and beautiful! Muri Lagoon has four mini islands right off the coast, Motutapu, Oneroa, Koromiri, and Taakoka. Throughout our vacation we ended up swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding to all four islands. Once on one of these mini islands, you could look back at Rarotonga and see the mountains. I could’ve stared at that view every day (and I mostly did)! Muri Lagoon is also full of resorts and restaurants, which makes it perfect for vacationers. In Samoa, we barely have any restaurants (there are none on Savai’i), so we took full advantage of having real food options. It was a delicious trip! There’s even a night market in Muri full of all different vendors, including a crepe stand and a pie stand.

Paddle Boarding around the crystal clear water.

A couple days we ventured away from beautiful Muri Lagoon. One day we biked around the entire island! This probably sounds more impressive than it actually is. Rarotonga is only about 20 miles in circumference. It’s the biggest of the Cook Islands, but it’s still tiny! Throughout our trip we probably went around the island at least 15 times, but only once by bike. I have to admit my biking skills are not quite something to talk about, but I did survive (with a very sore butt). It was a super cool way to see the island! We got to see the touristy parts, but also the residential parts. Even though it’s a Pacific Island, there were still many differences to Samoa. Every house had walls and plantations were actually planted in organized rows! It was very interesting to compare cultures and lifestyles.

Our modes of transportation for the week!

Another non-beach day was spent hiking across the island! Again, it’s a tiny island, but we walked from coast to coast straight across the diameter. The Cross-Island Track takes you straight up to “The Needle”, or Te Rua Manga peak. The Needle is a very accurate term for it because the peak is straight up. Many American hiking trails wind a little bit, but this really took us straight up and straight down. Once at the peak, you could see both coasts and only mountains in-between. It was gorgeous and a perfect day activity!

Becca and I at "The Needle" with the ocean in the back.

All in all, in was a great vacation. It was so sad to leave, but we had a blast! Rarotonga provided the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure that we needed. It’s the cutest little island, surprisingly catered for tourists. We biked around it, hiked across it, swam, kayaked, and paddle boarded to four surrounding islands – it was active, but not too active. I loved seeing another Pacific Island and finding the similarities and differences to Samoa. Getting out of Samoa definitely gave me a much-needed break and now I feel ready and refreshed for the rest of my Samoan adventure. Plus, who can say they’ve been to the Cook Islands?! I’m living a pretty nifty twenty-third year of life. Thanks Aunt Heidi for hosting us, thanks Becca for accompanying me, and thanks Rarotonga for being so wonderful!

Easter brunch with Aunt Heidi.

Now it’s back to Samoa for Term 2!