The
first island that I visited over my Thanksgiving break was Ofu and Olosega. A
small bridge in the middle that maybe takes 1 or 2 minutes to walk across
connects the two islands. These two islands are known to be the most beautiful
islands in American Samoa. Let me tell you they did not disappoint one bit. One
of the things I loved most about the islands is how remote they are. During my
two days that I spend there we only saw ten people. It was amazing.
When we arrived on island we stayed
at a small inn. The people who were hosting us picked us up from the airport
and gave us a complete tour of both islands. Which was wonderful. We were the
only people at the inn so we got quite spoiled. On Thanksgiving we spent our
day sitting on the beach. Since the beach is a part of the National Park they
had picnic benches scattered around along with hammocks in the shade. We made
sandwiched in the morning and then spent the whole day reading our books and
snorkeling. The snorkeling was unlike any I have ever seen. There were so many
fish swimming around. When we returned to our inn at night they provided us
with thanksgiving meal. I really could have cried tears of joy since I have not
really had a Thanksgiving meal since I was stateside. After out meal we watched
a Christmas movie in the nice cold room. Almost felt like Christmas because I
was cold.
The next morning we tackled the hike
of Mount Tumu. Before heading on this hike. We could not find accurate
information of how far this hike was. In the back of my mind I was a little bit
nervous since I can honestly say I am in terrible shape. Luckily our people at
the inn dropped us off at the trailhead. Otherwise we would have had a
four-mile walk before we started. About ten minutes into the hike, I literally
thought I was going to die. Thankfully Taylor one of the girls with me was
equally having a hard time. It was straight up for an hour and a half. When we
got close to the top we had to use ropes to guide us up the mountain that’s how
steep it was. By the end Taylor and I were literally crawling up because we
were so tired. While Kate was telling us she wasn’t even tired…..
Once on top it made it worth the
walk up. I was lucky enough to have cell service at the top so I could share
the view with my family. The walk down was much easier. After we made it to the
bottom we went to spend the rest of the day at the beach. Unfortunately it was
a mile and half hike to the beach. I was so exhausted by the end. Once I got to
the beach I didn’t really move. I read my book and swam to cool off. By the
time we made it back to the inn we had walked a total of ten miles.
After getting back we quick went to
the bridge to jump off it. It is a tradition for World Teachers to jump of the
bridge. So of course we had to get that in quick before we left the following
day. After jumping in one of the locals informed us that sometimes you can see
sharks swimming under the bridge. Not real comforting but at least I had
finished the jump by that point.
The following day we headed to Ta’u
the last island. It was about an hour and a half boat ride to get there. The
boats are a little different then what I am used to. For one they have a twin
engine, which is two motors. So the boats move at a faster pace. Also the sea
was a lot rougher then I was used to. There were a few times I am pretty sure
are whole boat was out of the water. When we got to about the half way point of
the boat ride. I boat just died. Both engines just turned off. This was a
moment I wish I didn’t know as much Samoan as I did. They were saying well
there is gas in both tanks. I have no idea why they are not turning on… As we
are sitting waiting for them to figure out what is going on Kate begins to tell
me this story. About World Teachers who lived in the Marshall Islands and were
on a boat and the boat went missing and they were never found. Not the most
comforting story to be told while your boat is dead in the middle of the ocean
with rather large waves. Luckily, the boat came back to life and we safely made
it to the island. We can now laugh about it but we were not necessarily
laughing at first.
Once arriving in Ta’u we didn’t do a
lot. We just stayed at a friend’s house and had a good time talking to her and
learning about her life on the outer island. It was interesting to see what her
life was like along with see the school she was teaching at.
One last interesting fact is when
flying to the outer island these planes are tiny. They maybe fit 13-20 people
depending on the plane. Very small. When checking they hand write your boarding
pass. They also have you step on a scale similar to the one you have at your
house and weigh you. Depending on your weight is where you get seated on the
plane. Luckily I am very light compared to Samoans and get the privilege of
sitting behind the pilot. Meaning I could hold a conversation with them if I
wanted or if I reached my hand out I could touch them. The planes are very
small. I cannot even stand straight up inside and all of the seats fold down.
With Love,
Abby
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