Our family just hit two months together in American Samoa, and what a whirlwind it has been!
Hard to believe it has been that long, but at the same time our new day to day routine has settled in and feels comfortable. School started the week after we arrived, and the Monday through Friday school routine always has a way of grounding you and setting the pace.
We feel very fortunate to have found a house to rent with the ocean practically at our front door, plus some pretty awesome neighbors. The privilege of being able to jump into the ocean whenever we want or able has not been lost on me, but at the same time I’m quickly seeing how we are taking this luxury for granted. When weather conditions aren’t optimal, such as cloudy water from the rain or the rain itself, I’m finding our family less inclined to jump in compared to our first weeks on island.
We’ve explored a lot of places these first two months, yet there is still a tremendous amount yet to see on this little island. Darn those Monday through Friday commitments that take away our exploration time! With soccer recently starting, our weekdays are even fuller. Thankfully soccer games are weekday afternoons, so our weekends are left free.
American Samoa is a deeply religious island, so the majority of places on island are not open or available for exploration on Sunday. This even extends to beaches, as they are private property that the residents graciously allow us to use Monday through Saturday. If the family doesn’t want visitors on Sundays, then the beach is closed.
Thankfully there are a few places we can visit on Sundays such as hikes in the National park, and we can always swim in our little ocean front community (another reason to be thankful for our home location!). When school and work is in session, there is only Saturday available to visit new island spots. Ultimately this pace might keep us from getting island fever in our 2 years here. There will always be a list of places to discover each Saturday!
Transitioning to a life in a developing nation has had its interesting and frustrating moments. I could probably write an entire post on this topic (and maybe I will!), but a one highlight includes sorting out our home’s electrical issues. Home (and vehicle) maintenance is no where close to the level we were accustomed to back in the states, mainly due to the lack of resources and the tough salt water and humid environment.
Living so close to the ocean means constant sea spray blowing into your home, which does a fabulous job quickly corroding electronics and home wiring. We were all shocked at one point by every major appliance, plus burned out a washing machine, AC unit, microwave, and our oven before we pinpointed all the home electrical corrosion.
Then there is also fun times like the gas stations running out of fuel, or ATMs running out of cash (when many places only accept cash!). Ultimately we try and remind ourselves these are first world problems, but the huge amount of time it takes to deal with each issue has been the most frustrating part. That’s island life for you!
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Climate aside, day to day life isn’t vastly different from the US mainland. We drive to school and work, though the 5 mph village speed limit and 25 mph main road limit make our 4 mile “commute” take 20 minutes. We have cell phones and internet, but the plans are outrageously priced and the service is slower.
We do not however have clean tap water, and need to send our drinking water through a gravity filter sitting next to our tap. The filter is slow and we don’t always remember to fill it, but it sure beats buying our drinking water like many do here on island.
November 2019 Update: Our Berkey water filter is still going strong, and continues to protect us daily, plus save us hundreds of dollars at this point to the alternative of purchasing water. Never mind our personal time savings (from having to drive to the store for water when needed), and saving thousands of single use plastic water bottles! We absolutely recommend a Berkey Water Filter to everyone.
Possibly one of the largest transitions has been our food, which thankfully we knew was coming. Given the fact that we were farming and had many trusted farming friends, we had access to an enormous amount of local, organic, and delicious food. What we couldn’t grow or access locally, was always available at a local grocery. American Samoa is a food desert, with very little food grown on the island. Most of all available food is shipped in, and can be found in its many small grocery stores. Unfortunately much of the packaged food is stale, or the produce is WELL past its prime.
We are slowly finding the little roadside stands that are growing more than the typical papaya, banana, and bread fruit. The variety is still limited, enough to put together a handful of meals, but it’s a stretch to come up with meals plans we aren’t sick of. Unfortunately the alternative that much of the island relies on is McDonald’s, which is just not an option for us. On a positive note, our front yard is filled with coconut palms, and we are slowly mastering the art of using everything a coconut has to offer. Coconut cream is absolutely delicious, and has been a welcome addition to our kitchen!
No More Rat Race
While I just wrote nearly 900 words on the frustrating transitions to island life, the positives far outweigh those first world problems. Now that we’re not working overtime plus commuting hours a day, we have time at our disposal. We have probably spent more quality time together as a family in these last two months than the last few years in New Jersey. We are all home in the evenings to enjoy dinner together, or I skip out of dinner a few nights a week to paddle with the outrigger canoe club I’ve joined. We’re finding time to explore personal interests again.
Day to day stress is nearly non-existent, and we’re able to be present as parents and attend events and activities whenever they come up. We took a week long vacation to western Samoa last month during school’s fall break, and we have tickets booked for a 2 week trip to New Zealand coming up soon. We’re looking ahead at travel spots next year. We’ve taken ONE week long vacation in the last 5 years prior to this move.
All of this could have been replicated back in the states if we had completely overhauled our life. What we couldn’t have created back at home is the perspective of a new culture and living in the minority. The priceless lessens are numerous, but I wish everyone would take time out to live such an experience. Plus our kids (and us parents!) are learning not to assume the electricity will be working well today, or that anything they want is a Visa swipe away. Wins all around.
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