Manuia le tausaga fou! Happy New Year!

Manuia le tausaga fou! Happy 2007 to everyone! Well, it has been a little while since I last wrote and definitely a lot has happened! I swore in as an official volunteer on December 13th in Ma’asina----so incredibly awesome for our Samoan families to be there with us, so supportive and happy for us. It was a great feeling when I looked over at everyone watching us after getting my official Peace Corps identification card (that really made it official!) and to see one of my Samoan brothers just watching and smiling. When we left, it was bittersweet again, knowing the next day we would be going to different villages, the places we would be calling home. December 14th---Fasitoo’tai! I moved in! I had a very warm welcome, met my new Samoan family, and others from the village who came to the house to welcome me to the village. My new family consists of my Samoan parents, and two Samoan sisters, 8 months old and 5 years old. They have a western style home, which I have a room inside, as well as an open fale next to it, and a small fale behind. Much of the “fa’asamoa” cooking is done at the cookhouse next door, husking the coconuts, making coconut cream, etc. Spent the time before Christmas tafao-ing (hanging out) and meeting people from the village----helped to paint the women’s committee house and met some of the women in the committee, taught the card game Spit to many Samoan children and played many nights!, put up Christmas lights on my fale, showed off my scraping coconut skills I learned in Ma’asina to make the coconut cream, began going through the school library with another teacher (I worked out really well too, because a bunch of students ended up coming down and helping to and really enjoyed sorting and cleaning the books---making it their library), and going to a party at one of the churches for Christmas, with a lot of dancing, singing, and of course food. Of course two of the most memorable moments were plucking feathers off of a chicken! And climbing a ladder to the top of a coconut tree to get some coconuts to husk. Went on many a bike ride as well (incredible by the water, with the breeze and nice flat roads)---I guess I went on a lot because now when people see me they always ask “O fea lou uila?” Where is your bike?....and read some great books (I strongly recommend The Tao of Pooh---great book!)
Then Christmas…back to Ma’asina! I met up with a bunch of other volunteers in Apia (called home to Quinn Christmas!!! So great to talk to all of you!), and then we took off in taxi’s to Ma’asina. Arrived there and had an incredible couple of days. Nice to be back (although I was sad to leave Fasitoo’tai after only being there for a week) and met with our loving, goofy family. We were met with a pleasant surprise too, because we didn’t think that two of our brothers were going to be able to make it (one is going to Australia to study and the other was going to go to visit family in Apia for Christmas) but they both were there! Really great to be able to be with our entire Samoan family there. We took a bus to Lona, the next village over, for Christmas eve service. Really funny to see the differences in the way churches are decorated for the holiday---at home, evergreens and wreaths, here lots of blinking lights, balloons, and coconuts painted gold laying on the bottom of the altar! After church, we sat around outside eating koko elaisa (rice with koko samoa..yummm!) and then watched part of a Christmas movie that was on TV. The next few days were filled with lots of games----we played bingo, went bowling with a breadfruit and cans stacked up, tried to slingshot cans off of rocks (One of my Samoan brothers sling shot a mango out of the tree and then handed it to me haha—good aim!), swam in the ocean several times, played a game called lafo, kind of like horseshoes, and played an awesome game of soccer. Of course the highlight of the few days was the popo tama—the coconut man, thanks to my Dad’s great idea to make a coconut man for Christmas instead of a snowman! It was certainly a goofy moment. I started trying to find the halfs of the already scraped out coconuts- and was certainly called crazy and given some very strange looks. Slowly though, my brothers and sisters joined in, helping me find the perfect halves, putting it together, and then the next day, painting it white, giving it a piece of material for a scarf and putting a flower in it’s head, for a little Polynesian look. The best was when we put it in the bucket of coconut shavings, and then let it snow coconut----pretty goofy. Certainly a very different Christmas, but a very enjoyable one as well. We were again sad to leave (transitions, transitions) but let our families know we would be back often to visit.
Back to Fasitoo’tai for a quick few days and then to Falealupo, in Savai’i, for New Year’s to spend with other volunteers. We stayed in beach fales on the beach, beautiful! The place put on some Samoan dances for us on New Year’s and we were the last to watch the last sunset of 2006! Falealupo is the most westerly point in the world! We hung out, swam, I snorkeled (with the new snorkel and mask I bought---thanks Mom and Dad!), read and enjoyed the time there. Nice to talk to volunteers who have been here longer, get their feedback on things, and listen to their advice.
New Year’s Day, I went back home with some other volunteers, or so I thought… 3 of us were all going to go back on the 2:00 boat—we had asked several people who all told us that there was a boat that left the wharf at 2. Even the taxi driver said that---we got to the wharf… and uma. The boats were finished. So strange how some things work around here. Even funnier to think that this summer I would get a bit annoyed if I had to wait a few minutes for my subway to come to take my home, when here you just wait to go home until the next day and it is no big deal. So, we all stayed in Savai’i an extra day with a volunteer and came home the next day.
Now I am back in Fasitoo’tai to stay for awhile. School starts in three weeks, so I am taking this time to continue meeting people, (lots of volleyball, which I have learned I am not so good at!) working on the library a bit, and going to be starting a vegetable garden at our house (all those years I have been complaining about people who spend so much time weeding and taking care of their gardens---now you can all laugh at me!) Also, I have met a few girls in the village who want to learn piano, so that just may be another project. I am enjoying reading and biking as well, knowing that when school starts, it is going to very busy, lots of people wanting to know how to read!
Thank you all for the notes and the packages…they do in fact come, if many of you were wondering, they just seem to enjoy the ride getting here (My Mom sent one before I left in October and I just got it a week ago---that much more excitement though and trail mix does not go bad  ) It was great to be able to talk to everyone for Christmas this year, even if only for a little while. Happy New Year’s and I am thinking of you all! (as I sweat on this hot, sunny January day!) Love you all!
Love, Seli

If any of you are really excited about sending a package, but are unsure of what to send, I am looking for:
• Piano books (beginner books on up to teach some lessons)—I don’t think they can be purchased here.
• Origami paper
• A book on how to make advanced balloon animals (kids here absolutely love balloon animals here!)
• Balloons for balloon animals (Qualetex brand is supposed to be really good and pretty cheap)
• Friendship bracelet string (also a huge hit here)
• Felt (I have not seen it yet here, but I may just not have looked in the right place yet, but I want to make a felt board to use when reading books here)
• Crayons and coloring books are also always enjoyed
Thanks!