My Trip To Western Samoa

   Western Samoa although is very different from American Samoa which is where I was born, they both still share very similar qualities. Even though the both islands aren't that far from each other, they still differ in terms of how the beaches and the land looks. For instance, the beaches in Western Samoa are much more clear and the sand is a lot lighter. The beaches on both islands are both very beautiful but majority would agree that the ones in Western Samoa are much more beautiful.
   Another difference is that Western Samoa has beautiful hotels that are appealing to the culture while American Samoa has motels that are almost like apartments. I found this very strange because I thought American Samoa would be much more Americanized compared to Western Samoa but it wasn't. When I was 7 years old, my dad decided to take our whole family to visit our other side of the family in western Samoa and that was when I got to visit the most beautiful parts of the islands and also where my dad grew up. The churches were built very large and the homes were much more like little huts on the beach.
   Usually, it is never really cold in Samoa so these huts were very useful for resting outdoors while being in the shade to where it never got too hot. On my visit to Western Samoa, we visited this village where many people went to, to swim. There was a lake surrounded by a brick of decorations and I remember going with my brothers and swimming until it was dark. Even when it was dark, there were torches around the water that were kept lit until everyone left.
   We visited all our family members and my dad finally told us why we did. He told us that we were moving to the states soon and he wanted us to meet them before we leave. The following year, we moved here when I was 8 and haven't seen my family since then.
The beach on this website is called Lalomanu and it is where my dad grew up <http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-00b8-2650-e32d/lalomanu-beach-n1-apia-samoa+1152_12905938034-tpfil02aw-13815.jpg>. This article talks about Western Samoa which is also called Apia and describes how beautiful it is when you first visit. <http://www.princess.com/news/cruisingArticleDetails.jsp?id=800505657#.Uowiv79OSJU>

How It All Started

I didn't realize how crazy everything turned out to be as I grew up in American Samoa. I thought that was the only Samoan island there was but I was wrong. One day, my grandpa took my siblings and I along with all our cousins who lived downhill from us for a ride on the back of the truck. In Samoa, were were allowed to sit or stand on the back of a pickup truck and I miss that a lot. But roads were much more limited out there compared to riding around the freeway here in the states. Anyway, he took us for a ride to the top of a mountain that was about 20 minutes away from home. He wanted to show us something and we were very curious. When we got to the very top, we ran around and explored the new side we've never been to before. My grandpa then gathered us together as took us to one spot that overlooks the ocean. He pointed out very far into the ocean another land that you wouldn't be able to spot out from the bottom of the mountain. All the kids went crazy and were curious as to what island that was and as young as we were, we never knew another island existed. Grandpa told us that he use to ride canoes back and forth from there to the island we were looking from. He said that people use to ride and back and forth to visit families and friends but it was very rare to do it now. We were all wondering if we could maybe someday do it as well and he said it wasn't entirely forbidden but it just wasn't something to do for fun anymore. But ever since then, my parents would tell us stories of how their parents, grandparents, and ancestors all met and started the family clan there. My parents were the first generation to move to American Samoa and start a family there. Then after them came their own parents who came to seek more opportunities. Western Samoa or Apia is what that island is called and it the actual Samoan country because it is independent and on its own. My parents told us that they came to American Samoa to give birth to us and raise us there so that we have can become international citizens of the United States and someday hopefully move to the States and embark onto new journeys. And that is exactly what we did when I came here at 8 years old. This article talks about transportation which is usually by boat, car, or plane and the boat they talk about is usually how my parents sent and receive many things to families from all around polynesia. <http://wikitravel.org/en/Apia> Another spot my grandpa loved to take all my cousins and I and told stories before we started swimming is the beach viewed on this website. <http://www.weltrekordreise.ch/bilder%20as/007-P1000098.jpg>

Here is an image of a part of Western Samoa I've been to and walked around at with my family. This is where my parents grew up.

How To Dress

There are many rules that come with how girls and boys are to dress in certain occassions back home. It is very different here in the states and young people get away with dressing inappropriately very often than not. For example, girls are not allowed to wear short shorts during any soecial event that older people will be attending. The shrotest she can wear her shorts are halfway down her thighs and that is it. Here, it is very normal for girls to wear short shorts around and people are okay with it. If for some reason she wears her shorts very short, she is to wear a long cloth around her waist to cover it. We call this an "ie" which is very similar to a sarong. Every family in Samoa owns plenty of these and always has them handy at all events. A formal wear for the ladies is called a "puletasi". This article shows talks about it and shows images of what it looks like. http://www.mapsofworld.com/samoa/people-culture-festivals/clothing.html) It basically covers the full body as a sign of respect to family members and elders. This outfit can be worn to big events, dances, and to church. For men, they wear a button down shirt of tribal design and a skirt called "ie faitaga". It has pokets in it and usually covers everything down to thei mid-calf. The purpose of these outfits are to look appropriate for any occassion and to cover the entire body. There are many different designs, colors, and ways to sow and style these outfits and it is shown in the bottom image. One more clothing that both men and women wear is called the "lava lava". It is similar to an "ie" or a sarong that is basically wrapped around the body to cover anything that needs to be covered. Girls can wear these to the beach and tie it aroudn their neck into a dress to cover the full body and guys can wear it around their waist to cover the bottom half of their body. This piece of clothing is worn daily by everyone in Samoa up until this day. This article talks a lot about the different types of "lava lavas" or "ies" but in the end, it's all the same thing that everyone wears daily. < http://www.samoaobserver.ws/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/7426-samoas-dress-code-ie-faitaga-ie-lavalava-ie-solosolo-ie-ie>