Sorry we have been out of touch!
Living in a village in Samoa certainly has its advantages but internet access is not one of them!
We arrived safely in Samoa and made our way straight to Poutasi village in Falealili district. We were welcomed with a traditional kava ceremony by the villagers and in particular, the Catholic parish of the Immaculate Conception, who are hosting us in the parish's fale, which has been recently built right on the coast.
We set up our sleeping mats and mosquito nets and we have experienced the true cultural style of living in a fale enjoying the breezes through the open sides and front of the fale.
On the first morning we had a real awakening - literally 3 metres from the fale hangs a steel gas bottle which is used as a bell to call people to the church events such as Mass. Having Mass at 7am meant that the gas bottle was hit at no later than 5:45am. You can imagine the reactions...
By now we are used to the loud ringing in the morning, now at 6am, but it's not something we intend to introduce back home. In fact a few of us have hatched a plan to cut it down and bury it one night, or just throw it into the sea!
We set to work straight away, although a slight delay on the release of our container meant that we didn't have the goods cleared until a few days' into the work. We had almost the full group riding on the back of a 10-tonne truck with all our materials, through Apia, which definitely turned some heads. 'Palangi' as we are affectionately called here, are normally seen at resorts and restaurants with cameras and flowery shirts, not with gloves on and riding on the back of a truck in the pouring rain!
Stay tuned for more!
