All the eels

Well, Term Two started with a bang (and by bang, I mean massive cyclone). Cyclone Amos headed straight for Samoa and sent Peace Corps Washington into a panic. We were brought to our national consolidation point, which is a sturdy hotel in Apia. Three volunteers had to be helicopter rescued because the ferry shut down before they could make it over (pretty epic). Once we were in the hotel, the roof was strapped down and planks of wood were nailed to our windows. We weren’t allowed to leave our rooms, although I didn’t mind. I took this opportunity to take at least 6 hot showers and catch up on sleep. The cyclone luckily veered off and missed Samoa, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. I came home to a flooded room and no electricity, but everyone was safe so no complaints here!

I guess Amos didn't like this road!

I’ve spent more time lately on Upolu (the other island) exploring. I found a real New England-esque hike and felt right at home! Although there are lots of mountains in Samoa, I think Mount Vaea might be one of the only ones with a path that people can go up! The peak of Mt. Vaea is where Robert Louis Stevenson was buried. I guess he was a famous writer, but hey, I was a math major. Anywho, the hike was gorgeous and had a really neat waterfall at the bottom to swim in!

The view at the top of Mount Vaea.

Speaking of waterfalls, I found the Falefa Fall. It’s not nearly as gorgeous as my Afu Aau spot, but I’ll still spend anytime I can chasing waterfalls. The Falefa Fall creates a natural exercise pool because I spent at least half an hour trying to swim up to the waterfall and made no progress (probably a funny scene). I also went to the Piula Cave Pool. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a pool in a cave. It’s a nifty spot, but swimming with an enclosure over my head is a little freaky and once someone spotted an eel, I was out of there!

Picture being trapped treading water in this cave with an eel!

One of my favorite spots on Upolu is the To Sua Trench. I’ve already been here, but it was certainly worth another trip back (and many more in my two years). It’s a salt water swimming hole formed by the collapse of a lava tube. Swimming in the trench is a surreal experience. For some reason Upolu eels are out to get me, though, so I jumped out of the trench the second an eel was spotted. Maybe someday I’ll overcome my fear of fish, but eels really push that boundary. 

Casually swimming in a lava tube!

In other news, I promise I do actually teach still. It’s nice being in a real routine and knowing everything about the school procedures now that a term has already passed. With the evacuation excitement of the cyclone, I was able to catch up with many other volunteers and it’s super interesting to hear about the different experiences we’re all having. My group unfortunately lost another volunteer who decided to go home. We’re down to 19, which isn’t too shabby. I truly cherish the time I get to spend with other volunteers (and try to convince them to come to Afu Aau Waterfall as much as possible).

My favorite getaway spot!

There's only 6 weeks left of this term and then I'll be heading to New Zealand!