Day Nine (September 2nd)

We woke up to sounds of Samoa. The roosters yodeling from yards, Tex and her husband getting ready for work, and Lola’s footsteps in the other room. It was nice!  No longer did I feel like a tourist/vacationer. We were experiencing everything with this family. We were sleeping on the floor under mosquito nets, eating meals with one set of silverware to share amongst the table, bathing in cold showers, and entertaining the neighborhood kids with our unfamiliar language and accents.

We spent the day roaming about Apia for the final time, exploring about the annual flower festival that took place on the green. Here there were rows of tents set up, with traditional tattooists, wood carvers, painters, florists, and street vendors. One of our major intentions for the day was to find a gift to show our appreciation to Lo Lani’s family. We wandered about the back part of the city and stopped off at a stationary shop to pick up a card and decided that a bouquet of flowers would fit accordingly. We asked a local store owner where we could find a flower shop and he pointed us to another main market down the way. This one was much cooler than the other one we had been too because it was less of a tourist seen and much more lively. There were stands with heaps of fruit, vegetables, flowers, bottle cooking oils filling awnings. Old men filled up corners positioning themselves around 3 foot bowls of kava. I could hear the wood slaps of domino and checker pieces colliding with the game tables. Aromas of and smoke from fryers swarmed the air. School children gathered around the food stands dishing out tala for refill glasses of their favorite soft drinks. This is where the life was. This was their culture. It was cool as! A local townswoman whipped up a beautiful bouquet of flowers for us for in less than three minutes and as we continued to soak up the energy surrounding us and then we were off again. This time, towards home.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the Lo Lani’s family. We watched TV, played with the children, and carried on conversations, intrigued with each other’s lives. We had dinner for the last time (another curry/rice meal), taking our shifts at the table, and then went for a walk around the harbor with Tex, her husband, and some of the local kids. It was another gorgeous night here in Samoa. I didn’t want to leave. Seems to be that way wherever I go! We were just getting accustomed too. It was time to leave this lovely place though. When we returned from our walk, we said our goodbyes and took a group photo. Lo Lani’s father ended up driving us to the airport to catch our one a.m. flight. I guess this marks the final leg of my journey in Samoa. I don’t think I could have had a more INCREDIBLE break! We met so many wonderful, interesting people, and you couldn’t offer me one million dollars to take back any of the experiences! I’m serious! Tofa Samoa!