Senerita and her
husband arrive in Los Angeles from Samoa tomorrow afternoon. "Afio mai i
Los Angeles" means "Welcome to Los Angeles" and I hope
that I can ease their transition for their first journey abroad.
Their village is
called Samalaeulu Leauvaa. It was formed by a group of refugees from a village
of the same name "Samalaeulu" on the other island of Savaii. Samoa
(formerly Western Samoa) is primarily made up of two islands, Upolu and Savaii.
The original settlers to Samalaeulu Leauvaa (best guesses on how to pronounce
that!!) fled from their original village 100 years ago (1908) when the Mt.
Matavanu volcano erupted and covered most of the village with lava (in fact the
lava fields are still visible up to now). The whole village is busy preparing for
the celebration of their 100th year anniversary.
Some other fun facts about Samoa.
-Western Samoa gained
its independence in 1962 and changed its name to Samoa in 1997. It was the
first nation in the South Pacific to become an independent country.
-Samoa is a member of
the University of the South Pacific in Suva (Fiji). Members are the Cook
Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
-The population is
about 175,000, 75% rural.
-Evidence suggests that Samoa has been inhabited for over three thousand years.
-The Tia Seu Ancient Mound on Savaii is the largest ancient structure in
Polynesia (12 m tall).
-It has great surfing....some day I look forward to visiting Senerita and her village and enjoying the island.
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