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Matt's Samoa Blog: Paul and Bex's Wedding
http://www.diplomatt.org/2013/09/paul-and-bexs-wedding.html
Friday, September 20, 2013. Paul and Bex's Wedding. The impetus for this trip was Paul's Wedding, which was today, and Jim's wedding, which is next weekend. Rather than writing out an entire post about all this, I'm going to enjoy the festivities and leave you with some pictures from today's events. The wedding was held at the Tofua trench on the south side of Upolu. I hope you're well. All of the wedding's guests rode a Samoan bus from Apia to Tofua. Dan, Blakey, AJ, and Chris. Karen / Dave 83.
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Matt's Samoa Blog: 15 Hours in Fiji
http://www.diplomatt.org/2013/09/15-hours-in-fiji.html
Monday, September 16, 2013. 15 Hours in Fiji. On the other hand, the day was enlightening. First of all, what better way to get a taste of a new place than by driving 90 miles through its countryside? I saw a whole lotta Fiji today, granted from an air-conditioned bus. But the bus was travelling at 18 mph, on average. Finally, the 9 hours on the bus allowed for some quiet contemplation. I hope you’re well. Pictures below. I saw this orange house on the road. I liked it. The open-air market in Suva. You a...
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: Paul and Bex's Wedding
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/paul-and-bexs-wedding.html
Friday, September 20, 2013. Paul and Bex's Wedding. The impetus for this trip was Paul's Wedding, which was today, and Jim's wedding, which is next weekend. Rather than writing out an entire post about all this, I'm going to enjoy the festivities and leave you with some pictures from today's events. The wedding was held at the Tofua trench on the south side of Upolu. I hope you're well. All of the wedding's guests rode a Samoan bus from Apia to Tofua. Dan, Blakey, AJ, and Chris. Karen / Dave 83.
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: It’s Just like Riding a Bike
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/its-just-like-riding-bike.html
Wednesday, September 18, 2013. It’s Just like Riding a Bike. It feels like I never left. Being here is so familiar that the last three years may or may not have been a very long nap. As I was typing this, Dan said from across the room, “So it’s been three years since I saw you? 8230; Now that I’ve seen you, it doesn’t feel like it’s been long.” Nope. It doesn’t just feel like old times; it feels like the same times. And for the purposes and hopes and dreams for this trip, that’s perfect. Candid Dan ponti...
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Matt's Samoa Blog: Mo Money Mo Problems
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/mo-money-mo-problems.html
Thursday, September 19, 2013. Mo Money Mo Problems. Annual inflation here is a little crazy. In an old post. I quoted annual inflation as between 1 and 3%, and based on anecdotal evidence since I arrived, that actually seems a little low. I was looking forward to the cheaper cost of living, and relative to San Francisco, things have been okay. But my brain’s pricing estimator is still programmed with 2010 prices, and grocery store trips have been jarring. $12WST for Weet-Bix? 4WST for a quart of milk?
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: Allowance
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2009/07/allowance.html
Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The most annoying one for me is the price of landline phone calls increased from $0.01 per minute to $0.02 per minute. Yes. It’s just one more penny per minute. But that’s a 100% increase, and when you aggregate that over a month, it means going from, say, a $30 bill to a $60 bill. That's lousy. I’m pretty sure that my monthly wage is just about the same as the teachers at my school. Although I think they got a raise after the fonotele. One other reason I spend less is I get a m...
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: Cultural Exploration
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/p/cultural-exploration.html
What is daily life like here in Samoa? What's it like being a Peace Corps Volunteer? This 56-part series explores the minutiae of traditional Samoan culture in modernity and what it’s like to be a Peace Corps here and now. Enjoy! 2 Walking Down the Street. 3 The Fish Market. 9 Riding in Cars. 18 Greetings and Farewells. 23 Using an ATM. 31 K and T. 38 E Te Alu i Fea? 44 "O" Nouns and "A" Nouns. 51 The Question Melody. 54 The Big Laugh. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). Karen / Dave 83. Back in the USA.
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: Back to the Start
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/back-to-start.html
Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Back to the Start. As I walked up my host family’s driveway, I could see men in the fale. Heading into this trip, I knew there’d be few firm plans, but I spent the most time mentally planning my trip back to the village. I spent a hefty amount on back-to-school supplies and used the bulk of my luggage space with backpacks and knick-knacks and chocolate for my family. Supy, Blakey, and I rented a car this morning, and after picking up some coke, chips, and pisupo. The village ...
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: 15 Hours in Fiji
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/15-hours-in-fiji.html
Monday, September 16, 2013. 15 Hours in Fiji. On the other hand, the day was enlightening. First of all, what better way to get a taste of a new place than by driving 90 miles through its countryside? I saw a whole lotta Fiji today, granted from an air-conditioned bus. But the bus was travelling at 18 mph, on average. Finally, the 9 hours on the bus allowed for some quiet contemplation. I hope you’re well. Pictures below. I saw this orange house on the road. I liked it. The open-air market in Suva. You a...
diplomatt.blogspot.com
Matt's Samoa Blog: FOMO and Vagabonds
http://diplomatt.blogspot.com/2013/09/fomo-and-vagabonds.html
Saturday, September 21, 2013. But moderation was a difficult state to obtain in the Peace Corps’ carpe diem, limited-time, rest-when-you’re-dead atmosphere. Even more difficult is employing that strategy to this trip. 2 weeks is not a lot of time, and my mindset has been to take advantage of every moment I’m here or else elapsing time will waste away. I’ve heard acronym hipsters in The States refer to this as “FOMO”, the Fear Of Missing Out. Upon seeing an issue of 7x7 Magazine. When is the next time I n...
