I guess a more apt title would be “the things you wish you were carrying, or wish you weren’t” but I thought I’d go for the reference to Tim O’Brien book. Not that this post will have anything to do with fighting in Vietnam! Actually, since I know many people are curious to continue gaining insight into what life is like here, I thought I would write some reflections on my first little-over-a-month in Samoa. And what better way to reflect on what I’ve learned about life on this tropical island than to reflect on what I wish I had packed, and what I wish I had left behind.
THINGS I WISH I’D PACKED (in varying levels of practicality)
Such a swath of death I would cut, with this in my hands...
Mosquito zapper: When we were kids, my brother and I acquired a couple of mosquito swatters from China. What made these particular bug swatters so amazing was the fact that they were powered by double-A batteries. Each one was shaped like a small tennis racket, strung with wire that was electrically charged. Anytime you made contact with a flying pest, there would be a satisfying sizzle-pop, and then no more pest! I wish I had one these now, for emotional reasons more than practical. There are far too many mosquitoes for me to even dream of putting a dent in their numbers, but still I’d love to score some small victories, just to maintain my pride as I provide them with a free meal. As it is, my bare-handed mosquito clapping skills are on track to achieve Mr. Miyagi-like heights.
GRE Vocab Flashcards/that novel I always meant to write/sweater I always meant to knit: Strictly speaking, I realize that a sweater is the very last thing I need, and balls of yarn would hardly have been a wise use of my limited luggage space. Also, I’ve never meant to write a novel, so that one is a challenge as well. What I mean by these things, is that in considering that I was moving to a tropical island, I never really stopped to think about what people meant when they refer to the ‘island pace of life.’ Yes, yes, I realized people would be less strict in adhering to scheduled appointments and generally relaxed about life…but I didn’t realize HOW MUCH down time I would have! Especially on weekends. Sundays are strictly observed as the Sabbath, so people spend all day going to church, making Sunday lunch, eating Sunday lunch, napping, and then eating Sunday lunch leftovers. Swimming is generally not allowed in most places until close to sunset. While I have no problems filling my time with naps and food, the heat of the day, lack of cooling-down options, and the fact that almost all businesses are closed rule out most of my other weekend activity choices. Probably this situation would be cured, at least somewhat, if I was able to make more friends, but it’s been surprisingly tough to meet people! Thus, my dreams of returning to the States with a voluminous, some might even say capacious, vocabulary after months of diligent (ya, right) study. Alas.
Flu/cold medication: I confidently packed my first-aid kit before I left, armed to the gills against any GI-tract issues I could possibly encounter. Questionable food? Foreign diet? Scary water? Bring it on. Of course, since I’ve arrived, I have yet to deal with any GI issues (knock on wood), and instead spent last week battling a cold, and this week, the flu. Is there anything more unpleasant than laying feverish in tropical heat and humidity, soaked in sweat, and thinking, this is when it would be nice to have access to hot water? Well, maybe GI issues. At least copious dosing of ibuprofen has helped, in lieu of anything stronger, and I will cease to underestimate the ability to the tropics to make you ill in any way.
Lightweight and patriotic. I really should have invested.
Patriotic clothing: Okay, this is obviously a whim on my part, since I can’t imagine actually wearing an American flag shirt, and it most likely would not help my issue anyway. But a girl can dream. While I often have issues traveling abroad–in many countries, people have difficulties understanding the concept of Asian American–my patience is truly being tested here. Unwanted attention from men is always annoying for female travelers, but it seems like every man or boy on ‘Upolu feels determined to get my attention by shouting “Nihao” or “Konnichiwa” at me, often both if the first doesn’t appear to interest me. Since Samoan has one word, ‘saina’ (literally, China), to refer to all Asian people, I also get that shouted at me a lot, in conjunction with rapid-fire questioning, “Where you from? China? Japan? Korea?” Usually, I explain that my parents are from China and I grew up in the United States. Some days, I just don’t have the patience for it. It’s funny though, I probably never feel so assertive about my identity as an American as when people try to strip me of it. Plus, none of the other English-speaking people seem to realize that I, too, speak English.
I dream of this.
An entire suitcase of granola bars: Although this goes against one of the items on the list below, I really, really wish I had access to more granola or Clif-type bars. The closest I’ve found at the fancy ex-pat grocery store are “Weight Watchers” imitation dessert bars that come in flavors like “Apple Crumble” or “Apricot Dream” and cost $7 for a box of 4, with minimal calories. What I need are those nice, calorie-ful and also potentially fiber-rich bars. Besides the change in diet, I’ve really been struggling with the change in calorie-intake patterns. When I spend days in the field, I’ve realized it’s common for loan officers to skip lunch (unless conveniently provided treats by clients). Since work starts at 8:30, that means I eat breakfast around 7:30am, and then nothing until 6pm, earliest. That is a HUGE no-no in Adria’s book, and even if I gorge myself with a giant breakfast, which I don’t like to do, I’m usually starving anyway and my metabolic rate is all messed up.
THINGS I WISH I HADN’T PACKED (more practical)
Pants: One pair of yoga pants for traveling, okay. One pair of khakis for air-conditioned office time, okay. But the three other pairs of pants living untouched in my closet are definitely, definitely uncalled for. I can say with almost perfect confidence that I will never once wear that pair of skinny jeans that didn’t even make it from my suitcase to the closet. Sure, I wore them in NZ on my way here, but WHAT was I thinking? I don’t even like to wear pants when I’m back home in the States, why would I suddenly develop some deep-set, pants-wearing desire here in the tropics? Silly, Adria, silly.
Shoes: This one I can forgive myself for a little more because I figured, shoes in the office, reasonable; shoes on uneven roads unsuitable for flip-flops, reasonable. As it turns out, no, not reasonable. People wear flip flops EVERYWHERE. Everywhere. Oh sure, some people might rock nicer sandals, but it’s totally fine to show up to work in full uniform (which is fairly formal), wearing the equivalent of shower flip flops. The few times I’ve worn shoes, especially out to the villages when visiting clients, I could not be screaming “FOREIGNER” louder than if I had worn pants. Which I did, once (wear pants, not scream ‘foreigner’). And it sucked.
9 kgs of stuff: I realize this is a bit broad, but as it turns out, flights into Samoa (and probably the other islander nations) have a 23kg limit per passenger, unlike most airlines/flights where that limit applies per bag. Now, I am not generally a heavy packer, but I did have one big bag that hit the 23 kg limit, and a smaller duffel that carried the overflow. If I’m not a heavy packer, where did all that stuff come from? In my careful research of Samoa, I found out that due to high import costs, most consumer goods (including things like toiletries and sun screen) are very expensive. I decided that I would pack a little heavier than normal in my attempt to bring enough of such goods to avoid, mostly, these high costs. Instead, I incurred a whopping overweight baggage fee. I continually scheme about getting rid of the extra weight before I head back–anyone looking for souvenirs should expect them to be very small and light!
And there you have it, everything I’ve learned in the last month. Okay, not exactly true–sorry for those of you who were hoping for something a little more intellectual, but I’m currently battling the flu and dragged myself into the office to write this post instead of doing actual work! Oops. Stay tuned for next time, when I’m slightly more in charge of my mental faculties.
