First Samoan Wedding

I went to my first bona-fide Samoan wedding last weekend in a village called Salani, only two away from mine but seperated by a river without a bridge. I planned ahead and wore swimming shorts underneath my formal lavalava so when I came to river I held my clothes over my head as I swam the fifty feet or so to the other side. The wedding itself isn't too much different from the States because it is a Christian wedding but there are a few subtle differences. To begin the church procession the groom sat in the front of the church all by his lonesome looking straight ahead for a good ten minutes. I was thinking that if you had second thoughts it would be a long ten minutes. The other amusing aspect was the consumating kiss, which I was waiting for because I had yet to see two Samoans kiss in public as it is a taboo. So when they exchanged a quick and very awkward peck I could tell it was one of those Western rituals that still hasn't quite caught up to the Samoan way. Afterward it was like a typical Samoan fa'alavelave, lots of eating, singing, and dancing. Of course, everyone there extended the most cordial hospitality you could imagine to me. Samoans never cease to amaze me with their kindness.

Integration, etc.

Well four months in country, one in my new village. I’ve been integrating into my village, practicing the language, doing family visits, and participating in the various cultural events. I have posted the picture above from a fiafia organized by the Methodist churches in my district. To begin the festivities there was a parade of decorated pickup trucks with a dressed up male on the back of each with the villagers walking in tow. I was put up in the traditional garb of a fine mat wrapped around, orator’s staff, and whip while my fellow villagers urged me to dance and call out to the spectators. Not the easiest thing to do at 6 am. When we reached our destination the dancing and singing presentations from the six participating villages ensued. So I changed clothes and did our Samoan dance. It’s a little intimidating knowing that every eye in the audience is most likely trained right on the only white person but I would say that I am getting used to dancing and singing in front of hundreds of people.

The environment around my village is amazing. Whenever I feel the need to relax or have some privacy I can go for a bike ride up the mountain through the jungle, snorkel around the reef, surfing, walking the miles of uninhabited beach, it is really limitless.