It may seem hard to believe that living in a beautiful village on a beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean can be difficult, but it’s true. As we attempted to experience Samoa as travelers, or “pilgrims,” rather than tourists, we found ourselves at times longing for the comfort of familiarity rather than the constant barrage of cultural differences. Here are some of the challenges.
-Learning Samoan. Language learning makes a huge difference, however it’s hard to learn conversational Samoan in such a short time. It takes patience, and willingness to laugh when at some point your host tells you with a big smile, “I don’t know what you are trying to say.”
-Food. Samoa is a land of complex carbohydrates, fried food. And coincidentally some of the best bananas you may ever eat. After a week of Samoan home-cooking it can be difficult not to wish for a green salad, but then again, how many times in your life will you drink coconut milk two meals per day?
-Kids. There are lots of kids in the village. The good news is that they LOVE “Palagi,” or foreigners. They’ll ask for help with their homework, want you to go swimming with them, or just sit and stare at you, wondering what outrageous thing you might do next. Sometimes, they don’t know when to leave you alone too.
-Animals. Dogs and cats here are not pets. It can be hard to see malnourished animals, especially coming from a culture where many pets are prized and treated as an important part of a home.
It takes patience with yourself and with the experience itself. However, at some point, you might realize that despite the discomfort, and things that you simply don’t understand, this is an experience that is changing who you are and how you see the world. Maybe it’s when your homestay “mom” tells you she has a surprise for you and shows you a whole pig that she cooked just for you. Or maybe it’s when you go out fishing with your homestay father and the rest of the village fishermen. It could be when a little boy gives you cowry shells and a flower, or when your homestay family cries when you say goodbye.
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