Padre comes to town

As the youngest Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa, I have to be the princess of the group. I was able to defend this title by being the first to have a visitor! My real, American dad came for the first week of March and it was amazing.

Arguably one of the best parts about my dad visiting was having a car. We were able to go wherever and do whatever, which was a weird feeling for me. He flew into Apia, the capitol, and we spent that weekend driving around Upolu (the smaller of the two main islands of Samoa). We went to my training village, Sa’anapu, and I showed him my two houses from training. It was nothing like what he expected, so I’m glad he was able to see it all in person! We then drove around the whole island and I got to see the beauty of it all. We drove through mountains and along amazing beaches. We also came across a really giant waterfall that was drop-dead gorgeous!

The incredible Sopoaga Waterfall!

While on Upolu we also got to go to To Sua Trench, which is one of the big tourist attractions of Samoa! It’s a huge swimming hole that actually connects to the ocean. The water is crystal clear and you climb down a steep ladder to swim. The Trench is located on the southern corner of Upolu and the coastline is also gorgeous! You can see two of Samoa’s other islands right off the coast. I had never been to this part of the island, so it was neat to see.

Come visit and I'll take you here!

After a touristy weekend, we boarded the ferry back to Savai’i (my island). We bought Dad a Samoan outfit (skirt included) so that he would be appropriately dressed for meeting my family. When we arrived in Sili, my family was ecstatic! The pastor had to come over to bless my dad’s visit and eat lots of taro with us. Dad got his own mosquito net to sleep in and everything! He stayed with my family for the first half of the week and was able to get a reasonably accurate view of my life. We prayed on our knees every night, ate one of my beloved chickens, and definitely didn’t shower the whole time.

My host parents don't always smile in photos.

Not only did Dad get to meet my lovely family, he also got to experience school. My school was aware of my dad’s arrival and planned an entire assembly for him. We arrived at school and sat in front of the assembly hall. The students performed songs and dances to welcome my dad and unfortunately we also had to dance! Samoan dancing is a little tricky and my dad didn’t quite get the hang of it (no offense, Padre). My teachers were a little critical, but it was hilarious! He was presented gifts and then we were fed a huge feast for lunch. School was dismissed after the assembly that day, so the children were happy.

My goofy teachers were very excited to meet my dad!

The visit worked out perfectly because Samoa’s Prime Minister election was the week my dad came, so we had a short week at school. With the days off for the election, my dad and I drove around the entire island of Savai’i! We checked out the Afu Aau waterfall and Alofa’aga blowholes. It was my fourth or fifth time to the waterfall (my favorite spot), but I had never been to the blowholes! They were super neat, but also terrifying! Anytime a wave comes in, the blowhole shoots water into the air with a loud noise. I don’t always react well to loud noises (blow horns especially), so I was a little panicked. A Samoan came out and threw coconuts into the blowhole so that when it blew, the coconuts came shooting out! It was such a cool part of nature to witness.

I wouldn't dare go that close to the blowhole.

As we drove around Savai’i, we were able to stop and see some other volunteers! My dad met 11 in total and we delivered little goody bags of candy from America. It was great to catch up with other volunteers and see the pure happiness that candy brings! All in all, my dad’s visit was incredible! It was the perfect mix of vacation and culture. He finally could understand some of this experience and I finally could describe it! My entire village loved having him and so did I. It was the perfect refresher after 5 months of change!

Dad's missing his skirt in this one!

Thanks for visiting, Padre!