After classes today I went to town to run a few errands with several of the girls. When we were finished we decided to get some ice cream. Anyone who knows me knows that ice cream and chocolate are two of my biggest weak spots. If I’m having a bad day and you want to cheer me up- that’s the way to go. And of course, on a hot day, nothing beats cold, creamy deliciousness. We bought our cones for $1.80 which translates to roughly $0.60 in American dollars. Not much right? But when you think about it, that’s almost the amount the average Samoan makes in an hour. Two tala per hour is the average wage. At that rate a McDonald’s worker would have to work for four hours just to be able to buy a BigMac here. Crazy eh? It makes you really appreciate what you have.
I know I’ve talked a lot about going into town, but I don’t think I’ve really described it. I still couldn’t draw you an accurate map, but maybe I can at least give you an idea of what it is like. First of all, I’m not really sure how many people live in town as I am very bad with numbers. What I can tell you however is that it is not very big at all. The center of town, where most of the shops and buildings are located, can’t be much bigger than a square mile. I can walk from almost any two points in under twenty minutes. There are two many markets in town- one that is mainly food and the other that has lots of handy crafts and lavalava’s etc. There are several big buildings with the two most prominent ones being the national bank and the government building. The tallest building is six stories tall. (I think) Think small town America but without any big town around. This is the biggest town in the island. It is the center of commerce. The movie theater is here. All busses go through Apia. There is a fish market here. Some of the big hotels are here. (Apparently the others are on the other side of the island near the good surfing spots.) The first time I walked into Apia I thought of downtown Nederland times two.
Also just as a warning…Thursday morning we are leaving for the village of Lotofaga for ten days. I can tell you positively for a fact right now that there will not be internet access there so I will not be able to update until I get back. Don’t give up on me though! I will be back and I’m sure I will have many things to share.
