Giving Thanks in Manu'a

Beach in Manu'a

The Manu’a islands are a group of smaller islands that are part of American Samoa that lie to the southeast of the main island, Tutuila (where I’m located). We have 10 volunteers working on the Manu’a islands and, since September, the plan had been to visit them over the Thanksgiving break.

Manu’a is NOT the easiest place to get to. Being so remote and having a population of roughly 800, constant transport is not a necessity and, therefore, practically non-existent. However, there are two ways to get to Manu’a: an 8 hour boat ride or a half hour plane flight. The boat leaves the main island every other week on either Friday or Saturday around 5am and arrives in Manu’a a little after 1pm. It delivers its load and then leaves early the next day. The plane, on the other hand, flies out in the late morning Sunday-Wednesday (although, the schedule changes weekly) and returns about an hour later. While the plane might seem the obvious choice, it is the more expensive one ($165 round trip vs. $60 round trip). Also, it is often grounded for maintenance. In fact, it was grounded for the entire first half of November because it was waiting for a part to be delivered. Since the part wasn’t going to arrive until Monday, the 19^th (two days before we wanted to leave), we were forced to consider all options, including 16 hours on a boat.  

Although it took a lot of planning, an extremely long e-mail chain and hitting a couple of “brick walls”, a small group of us managed to snag reservations on the plane (I might have, unknowingly, taken someone else’s seat…WHOOPS!). Although many volunteers from the main island were planning on going, in the end, there were only six of us. While Mike and Jessica took the Tuesday flight, Melanie, Andrea, Josh S and I managed to get seats on the highly desired Wednesday flight (the last flight that would provide a reasonable amount of vacation time).

Around 10:30 Wednesday morning, I arrived at Pago Pago Airport to check in for my 12 pm departure. At check-in, I waited no more than 10 minutes, had my checked luggage hand-searched, received a boarding pass that was filled out by hand, and was weighed along with my carry-on to determine my seat assignment. Going through “security” consisted of an employee (not a TSA officer…of which, I saw none) taking a quick look through my bag. There was no emptying my pockets, no need to remove my shoes, and no full-body scan. It was, by far, the easiest and most relaxed airport security I thought I would ever go through. It wasn’t until I saw the plane that I really understood why.

On the plane to Manu'a

The plane to Manu’a is a Dornier 228-212 (basically, a ridiculously small plane). It has a seat on either side of the aisle (everybody gets a window AND an aisle…score!) and 8 rows. It seats a total of 16 passengers and two pilots who are in no way separate from the passengers. The plane has cargo holds in both its nose and the rear of the plane and can hold a little over an hour’s worth of fuel. In essence, out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is of very little use to a terrorist. Hence, the lack of security. 

In total, the flight took no more than 25 minutes. There were no complimentary drinks or flight attendants, for that matter, but the journey did include an amazing aerial view of Tutuila, and the Manu’a Islands: Ofu, Olosega and Ta’u.

Manu'a Airport

"Check In"

When we landed on Ta’u (again, no security in sight), we were greeted by Jason, one of the volunteers on Manu’a. Jason had procured a ride for us from “The Rev” (Jason’s landlord, village reverend, and superintendent).  Clearly, a jack of all trades. Since the airport is on the opposite side of the island from Jason, Diana and Jacquie’s place in Faleasao (where we were staying for weekend), we got a great tour of the island. We drove through all three villages on Ta’u - Fiti’uta, Ta’u and Faleasao; we got a personal tour of Manu’a High School (where Jason and some of the other volunteers make up a majority of the staff); and we got an amazing view of Mt. Lata (3,170 ft – highest point in American Samoa) and the National Park.

 During our four days on Ta’u, we did a lot swimming in some of the most beautiful, cleanest water I think I have ever seen, we explored the villages, but, most importantly, we got to spend some quality time with some amazing people. After all, that is what Thanksgiving and this trip was all about. Ok, maybe the trip was also about getting away from my students for a little while but it was more of an added bonus.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Having not seen the Manu’a volunteers in months, we spent Wednesday evening catching up on each other’s lives (aka: school). The next day, we celebrated Thanksgiving and, believe me, we did it right. We didn’t let the fact that we were on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific stop us. Nope, those of us who lived on the main island stuffed our suitcases with as much food as we possibly could. We had green bean casserole, bread, potatoes, gravy, stuffing and, yes, we even had an entire turkey. It was absolutely delicious.

It was also the first Thanksgiving I’ve ever had without my family. I will admit that that was a little tough. Being away at college made being away from home for long periods of time pretty easy. However, being so close, I never had to miss a major holiday. Holidays, for me, have always been about being with family. So, they just aren’t the same without them. Of course, part of this adventure was to have new experiences and I guess that includes holidays away from home. Plus, if you can’t celebrate with family, the next best thing is friends.

We had a great afternoon of eating and catching up and, to burn off all the extra calories, we walked to the boat dock in Ta’u and went swimming. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first Thanksgiving away from home.

At the Siva

On Friday, we spend the day doing a little more relaxing and a little more swimming. That night, however, we danced! To our surprise, Friday was the village’s first siva (a gathering where people dance. Siva is also the name of the actual dance that they do). Apparently, the minute we landed on Manu’a, it became mandatory that we attend. For two days, everyone we met made sure to remind us about it.

The purpose of the siva was to raise money for the church. In order to raise the money, members of each family put on a performance and, in typical Samoan fashion, the audience threw money at them. Of course, there were also opportunities for everyone to dance and, when the first group song came on, I was the first pa’alagi to be asked to dance. I’ve seen a few people dancing siva and I’ve been told that all of the moves have meanings but I had no idea what I was doing up there. I tried to copy the moves of my dance partner and I’m sure I still looked like a fool but it didn’t seem to matter. I think she just appreciated that I was trying. 

As much as I enjoyed dancing, the real fun started when I brought out my camera. I know they have all seen cameras before but, the minute I started taking pictures, every little kid in the village wanted to try. While probably over 100 pictures were attempted that night, I kept forgetting to tell them to wait for the flash so only about 50 were actually taken and only about 20 were actually of something/someone. Of course, the kids didn’t mind at all. For them, it was more about the experience than the product.

The boat arrives!

After a long night of dancing, Saturday morning was pretty slow…until the boat came! The boat comes to Manu’a every other week and brings everything you could possibly imagine. It is like the Wells Fargo Wagon of American Samoa. People flock from all over the island to get their shipments off them island. Stores get their stock, families get their furniture, and volunteers get their groceries. To say that Manu’a is dependent upon this boat is an understatement. Case in point, while we were there, the island was completely out of gasoline and the only way to get it is from the boat. Unfortunately, the boat didn’t bring gas so they weren’t going to see any gasoline for AT LEAST another two weeks. While Ta’u is a small island, it is still a half hour walk up and down the mountainside from Faleasao to Ta’u and somewhere between an hour and a half to two hours to Fitiuta (that is estimated. We want to try it but never got around to it)

Luckily, it seems that the locals are pretty aware and prepared for the shortage so we were able to get a ride over to Fitiuta that afternoon. That night, we hung out with Madeline and Jessie, the volunteers in that village and, the next morning, we hopped on our 30 minute flight home.

Going to Manu’a was a much needed break. It was also an amazing experience. Life in Manu’a is simple. For one, people are very confined to their villages and live off of what they can grow or catch (it is a real effort for volunteers on Manu’a to see each other. On a big island like Tutuila, we can have a bus take us wherever we want to go. On a small island like Ta’u, it is hitch or walk and most cars aren’t going very far.) Also, the natural landscape is absolutely beautiful and unobstructed by government buildings and McDonalds (like on Tutuila), the waters are pristine, and the weather is perfect (apparently, we were there during one of the few Saturdays where it didn’t downpour).

To be honest, Manu’a is much more of what I imagined all of American Samoa would be like. I was very surprised by the level of Americanization on Tutuila. Of course, there are days when I really do love that American influence. Despite the beauty of Manu'a, I have to give those volunteers some props. As nice as the simple life was, I don’t believe I could do it for more than a long weekend. Even living where I do, I find I need the occasional “American escape”. The things to do on Manu’a are limited, the American things to do are nonexistent. It is a lifestyle choice and the volunteers over there absolutely love it and I loved getting a chance to see them for the first time in a long time.