Glimpses of Day to Day Life in Samoa

When I’m living in a new place, I readily whip out my camera at every new weekend excursion. By now, I have hundreds of landscapes and groups shots from my travels around Samoa. Daily living has been much more difficult to capture. As I’m constantly working to pass from tourist to local, I find it difficult to take my camera out for some of the sights I would most like to remember. Over time, however, I have gradually gathered up a small collection of photos that I can now share with you.

Decorating your home with vibrant, cheerful colors

Manono, a small island off the north-west coast of Upolu, is one of my favorite spots in Samoa. With no cars, bikes, or dogs permitted on the island, it is a very quiet and peaceful place. There is one pedestrian road that goes around the entire island and makes for a beautiful 1.5-2 hour walk. As this is the main road for the island, you’re taken through all of the villages, and I was finally able to take some shots of the brightly colored houses that you will find throughout all the islands of Samoa.

Bright pinks, teals, and yellows are the colors of choice for houses in Samoa. This type of large,
open fale would be used for group gatherings and relaxation – the Samoan living room.

A unique, rainbow mosaic marked the outside walls surrounding this fale.

I am constantly impressed and amazed by the beauty and exactness of landscaping and decorations
in Samoan villages. This shot shows a church that has put out a banner for Mother’s Day,
a national holiday in Samoa.

Walking to church in your Sunday best

Religion is a very important part of daily life in Samoa. With the exception of a small Bahá’í community, essentially the entire population is Christian (of varying denominations, although the Catholic and Mormon churches appear to be particularly prominent). Church services are, therefore, a very important part of Sundays in Samoa, and people take pride in going to Church in their Sunday best. In Samoa, that most often means wearing a special, all white outfit that is set aside for church.

A community in Savaii heading home after Sunday service (perhaps for the second time
that day – some communities will go to church in the morning, head home for Sunday lunch
and post lunch rest and relaxtion, and then return to church for a late afternoon service).

A mother and son walking home from church on the beautiful, pedestrian path
that winds around the island of Manono.

Working through weekly chores

During my first trip to Manono, we had a wonderful demonstration of some of the tasks that make up the rhythm of daily life in Samoa: preparing a traditional Samoan meal and basket weaving.

Making palusami (coconut cream encased in taro leaves) for to’ona’i (Sunday lunch and also
part of the word for Saturday – aso to’ona’i). Preparations for Sunday lunch can be quite
time intensive, and a good portion of Saturday can be dedicated to getting everything ready.

Unpacking the umu (stove) once everything is finished cooking. Food is placed in between
layers of cooking stones until all of the food is covered. Once everything is cooked,
the layers of stones are removed with wooden tongs, and the food is ready to be eaten.

Apa, a staff member at Sunset Fales in Manono, showed us how to weave
a basket using a single palm frond.

The finished basket. My housemates and I place a weekly order for organic produce through Women
in Business Development, Incorporated (an amazing local NGO that connects farmers and handicraft makers
with national and international markets ), and it is always delivered in a beautiful basket like this one.

Watching the chicken (and the pig and the cow) cross the road

One of the most delightful things about driving through towns around Samoa has been spotting little piglets trotting through people’s front yards. I’ve spotted countless groups of piglets now, but I’m still just as excited every time we drive by one of these cuties on the side of the road. With pigs, chickens, cows, and dogs crossing the roads at random and unpredictable times, it’s a good thing there’s a 40 kph speed limit and lots of enormous speed bumps to make sure you roll along at an easy pace.

On a walk through Savaii, I was lucky enough to cross paths with the largest and most
adorable group of piglets I’ve ever seen. They dutifully formed a line behind their
mother as they all crossed the street.

A bull grazing next to a little shop in Savai’i.