Samoa Group 75 Parents

Samoa Visit

2006-04-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hi Group 75 Supporters:

I too am home from Samoa and along with Carla and Jack, Al and I would like to share our exciting news. Mari and Andrew are officially engaged and plan to come home to Southern California to be married in fall 2006 before heading back to Samoa for their second year of service - quite the extended "honeymoon"! This was the big news of my visit to Samoa and definitely colored my week there.

Overall, my visit to Samoa was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where and how Mari and Andrew work as well as having a too brief glimpse of their non-work lives (shopping, commuting, hangouts, homes, friends). Like Carla, I found it very hot and humid, but very beautiful. I'm usually very energetic, but Mari, wisely, saved the long hike up the mountain behind the Robert Louis Stevenson homestead until my last day when I was a bit more heat acclimated. I'm amazed at the energy of many of your volunteers - bicycling round the island, running, walking miles each day, etc. and also understand and appreciate the slower Samoan pace of life that they're beginning to adopt.

On a typical day in Apia, we ran into at least half a dozen volunteers between the Peace Corps office, the waterfront walking area and the market area. I think this is fairly common for our Apia-based volunteers to have these casual encounters on top of the planned ones. Even those out in Savaii have similar experiences on the weekends when they come to town. The community they've formed is quite exceptional, fun, supportive and dedicated. Everyone I met was delightful and seemed to me to be thoroughly enjoying the overall experience in Samoa. It's a beautiful place and quite an exceptional posting.

My favorite special activities besides visiting with Mari and her friends, students, coworkers and Samoan family were snorkelling, kayaking, hiking, the market (try the palusami and taro!) We spent the weekend on the south shore of Upolu at Coconuts resort which was very beautiful and highly recommended if you have the time. (Look at the links on Mari's and Andrew's blogs to photos from the trip to see all of the above as well as their engagement announcement.) I've also posted two brief videos of a sitting "Siva" her students did for me which was incredibly special, particularly considering that Mari's students are all developmentally challenged with about 50% of them having Down's Syndrome. They were a delightful group and she thoroughly enjoys interacting with them.

Links to videos:

Like Carla, I'd encourage you to visit for yourself if possible to see what your son/daughter/significant other is doing firsthand and to meet the generous Samoan and Peace Corps communities they live among. I found it extremely interesting and reassuring. I'm so proud of all of them!

All the best,
Rudi

Home from Samoa!

2006-04-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hi All!
We had a great time in Samoa. We met several of the Group 75 members. They all look very well and happy. They all seem to be enjoying their stay in Samoa. It is a very beautiful place. Extremely hot though. It was in the 50's when we left Los Angeles and almost 90 when we arrived in Samoa. Quite a temp. change. We had lots of fun. We rented a car and saw the whole island by car. We went to a couple of the beaches and really enjoyed their Fale's on the beach. Snorkeling was fantastic as well. We experienced a tropical depression our first day. It rained non-stop for about 20 hours. It was really sticky. The temp. dropped to about 80 during the rainstorm, so it was still hot. The living conditions are pretty good for most of the group members. On the whole, it is quite populated throughout the whole island. Everyone was quite nice and very friendly. It was a good trip. If you can make it there, you should really try and go. You will enjoy yourself.
Carla

Going to Samoa

2006-03-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
We are headed to Samoa April 11th. If any of you are interested in sending anything along with us, please let me know. Andrew has sent me a long list of items that he feels that he cannot live without, so we are taking an extra suitcase dedicated to things needed by PCV's. I am anxious to meet all of our loved ones and see their new environments.
Blessings upon each of you,
Carla Lansford

Visiting Samoa

2006-03-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I hope 2006 has gone well for all of you so far. I'm going to visit Mari in Samoa at the end of the month (for only one week, sigh...). If there's anything special you'd like me to bring to your PCV there, please let me know. I'm really looking forward to meeting all of them and seeing their lives in Samoa first hand.

All the best,
Rudi

From a Group 73 Mom - Re Phone Cards

2006-01-14T00:21:00.000-08:00

Hi! My daughter Cecilia is Group 73, been on island for a year. I noticed your Group 75 parent blog link tonight and the mention of mail and phone cards. Thought I’d share from experience:

Phone Cards: I frequently use the 24/7 TCC card available from www.leancard.com . There are many cards available on that site, but this one gives you 26 minutes for $5 and is best used for one call only. I have success with zaptel.com also, but the leancard site is the cheapest.

Mail: I tried every way possible, and it is such an adventure! Know this, no matter how long it might take, the package really will get there. The day after Cecilia left in Oct 2004 I mailed three small boxes US airmail. Two arrived within 15 days; the third box arrived in April 2005. It was intact, although the Halloween candy melted into a brick of candy corn. It was all good, she said, you could cut it with a nifi. I sent an M-Bag (the cheap-rate surface mail intended for books, but everyone stuffs other stuff in there) that also took about 6 months to get there. Look up M-Bags on the USPS website, very specific rules to follow in packaging. I sent DHL Jumbo Boxes – DHL has a very special rate for up to 55 lbs in one special size box, called an international jumbo box. Flat rate of around $185 to send that, AND it IS trackable and it WILL get there within a week (but not at Christmastime). You have to contact DHL directly to arrange jumbo box shipments, and you cannot arrange that shipment online.

I must say that after we visited Samoa last June, my care packages now only contain items she requests. I now weigh the cost of the item plus shipping versus buying that same item there. I was very surprised to visit her favorite grocery store in Apia, and find it is air-conditioned and carries a limited variety of normal grocery store items. It is fascinating what products get shipped to Samoa and what do not.

Cyclone season begins for Samoa in January – here are some links to monitor the cyclone activity (miraculous last-minute turn last year spared them from a direct hit by Olaf). Peace Corps will evacuate all of them to hotels on higher ground.

http://www.meteorology.gov.ws/forecast.htm

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/samoa/

http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Tropical/S_Pacific/

http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/91762.html

Enjoy the adventure along with your daughter!

Anita Fly

Happy Holidays from Virginia

2005-12-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

It is the night OF Christmas and not a creature is stirring not even a mouse...and I find myself with a quiet moment to send our greetings to all of you..the families of Group 75. Many times today as we shared in our family traditions I would pause to wonder what Ryan and each of our young people were doing to celebrate this holiday season. I know they have learned to rely on each other for support in challenging times as well as to share in the more happy times. We are looking forward to the same with all of you. Happy, Happy Holidays and God Bless. Gail and David

Holiday thoughts and greetings

2005-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
Rudi and I just wanted to wish all of you happiness for the holidays and say that you are in our thoughts. We know that all of us are feeling a little blue with one of our children so far from home and from the dinners and presents and family gathering. It is a wonderful, giving thing that they are doing and it’s truly within the spirit of the season, and we’re all justifiably proud of them for doing it. So, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, and Happy New Year to you all, and we look forward to a day when they will join us at our holiday tables once again.
Al

They've come a long way!!

2005-12-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I know you all join me in being so proud of Group 75, the first group in 5 years to all be sworn in. What a great day! Congratulations to all of our new PCV's and best of luck to them tomorrow in their new homes. I can't wait to hear about everyone's new adventures and placements! Rudi

First package mailed......

2005-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hello Group 75 fellow parents,

I am Janice Bradford, the proud mother of PCT, Marques Stewart. I mailed Marques his first package from me via USPS International Air. The weight of the package came in at 19lbs and the USPS charged $85.00 for their services. They said it should be there in two weeks. My hope is that Marques receives it before Christmas and after he has return from his 3 week stay at the village. I was told by the USPS that once the box left the United States, I could not received a confirmation or track it online. Since MJ as been on this great adventure I have not had the pleasure of hearing his voice on the telephone. I am grateful that modern technology allows Marques and I to communicate and not spend an arm & leg to do so. I would rather spend the money on sending him packages. As a child, he always loved to get mail.

dmmoster

2005-11-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hi parents of Group 75
I read some of your great hints and ideas already. It is up and down for Sara. I think it is homesickness. She has 3 brothers that she is close to ; grandparents ,6 neices and nephews ,and lots of good friends that she misses.
Talk to you soon. God Bless
Jeff & Donna Monroe

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-27T22:45:00.000-08:00

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday, strange though it was without our PCT's. I'm anxious to hear how their festivities went as I expect are you.

We haven't spoken with Mari since they left for their final 3 weeks in the village and are planning to call her sometime mid-week this week. (Her family has a phone she said we can call and try to reach her.) If any of you has news to share from successful Falevao contact we'd love to hear it or if you wish us to pass on a message from you to your son or daughter, please let me know and we'll try to do so if our call is successful. We plan to try to call on Wednesday evening (November 30th).

One news item, we finally received our first airmail letter from Mari - mailed about 4 weeks before it arrived here and she received some cookies I sent her airmail (took about 2 weeks). Nothing we sent by ship has arrived, including 2 boxes she sent herself about a month before they left. I'm curious to know if anyone has had more success.

Best, Rudi and Al

Ed and Mary Steyh

2005-11-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hello Group 75 Bloggers

We are Ed and Mary Steyh, Julya's parents. This is a great idea!! We also have been reading all the blogs to try to get some idea of what the trainees, and Julya, are going through.

Julya is the oldest of two children. She has a brother two years younger. She grew up, and we still live, on Vashon Island. It's in Puget Sound, a short 15 minute ferry ride from Seattle. Vashon is somewhat rural and Julya has previously said that it's like living in a fishbowl because everyone knows you and knows what's going on. She graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in history.

Julya has always been interested in volunteering and working with younger people. She has been involved in Young Life as an adult leader and several years ago volunteered a summer to work at Wild Horse, a Young Life camp in eastern Oregon.

We have talked to her several times in Apia. We have yet to see the phone bill so have no idea of the damage. Thanks for the info on the phone card. It sounds great and will save us some money.

I spent some time online researching flights to and from Apia as Julya is going to a wedding in Cabo, Mexico in May. The cheapest flight by far is the weekly Air New Zealand/United Airlines flight from LA to Apia and back (it's the same flight the group 75 trainees took). It leaves LA every Tuesday around 7:30 pm and leaves Apia every Monday evening at 10:45 pm. The roundtrip fare is around $1100. There are other flights from Apia to the states via Hawaii or New Zealand, but these fares are over $2000.

Again, this blog is a great idea. We look forward to keeping in touch and sharing.

Ed and Mary Steyh

Comments

2005-11-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Again,

We were having some problems with "spam" in our comments, so I've changed the comments settings so that only blog members can post to the comments. Please let me know if you have any problems posting. Sorry for any confusion this has caused. I've posted responses (in the comments below) to both the telephone and shipping postings.

overseas calls

2005-11-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

Someone mentioned in an email, the website for the most economical overseas phone cards to purchase. I cannot recall what it was and can't find the email. Could anyone help me? I have used calldepot to call my other son in Africa, but seems the one mentioned by one of you was less expensive. Thanks so much.'

Ellen Smith (Joshua's Mom)

Carla Lansford

2005-11-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
This is a great idea. I am Andrew's mom. It is so nice to know a little bit about the other families that Andy is serving with. I have enjoyed so much the websites for all of our children. I think I get more information about Andy from everyone elses, than I get from Andy's website.
Andy is the oldest of three children in our family. He has two sisters, Janeen and Lynette. Janeen is married to a wonderful young man named Jason, and teaches in Arcadia. Lynette just finished her degree and is currently seeking career options. Jack and I work in our family business building cabinet doors. Jack is also very involved with our church worship team. I occasionally make costumes for plays.
Andy was born and raised in Arcadia, CA, where we currently reside. He is a great person. Everyone that meets him says he is the nicest guy. I have to concur. I kind of like the guy myself. He has always been a joy to be around. He has a sweet spirit. He is too smart for his own britches, but he is still a good guy anyway.
The only news I have is about sending media. The post office will send boxes of media for a minimal charge. It's called mbag. You bring the box to the post office, addressed like normal and ask the clerk to send it by mbag or mediamail. They might ask you to open the box, because you are only allowed to send media. They will take the box and put it into a big bag. It should cost $1 per pound with an 11 pound minimum. Hope this helpful to some of you.
See ya, Carla

Thanks for the invitation!!

2005-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow parents of Peace Corps Volunteer Group 75!

I am Sebastian Stewart and Marques' father. Similar to Ellen, Joshua's Mom, I live in a suburb of St. Paul, MN. I am looking forward to our communications with each other and about about our chldren and their experiences. Of course, I have already obtained interesting tidbits of info from Marques' blog. Like all of you, I have been blessed with a great child who has manufactured and implemented his dream to be a part of the Peace Corps. and is now expanding his horizons through that experience.

Marques has enjoyed giving back to his communities since he was in grade school. He has demonstrated a particular interest in working with youngsters and teen-agers. I could tell you more, but you probably don't have the time it would take for me extoll all of his virtues!! Needless to say, all of our kids have a thread (or threads) running through them of many commonalities.

I have no new, or what I would term valuable, info to share at this time. So, I'll sign off.

Sebastian Stewart

Welcome from Mari's dad

2005-11-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I’m Al, Mari’s dad. I just wanted to say hello and welcome to everyone. This is certainly an exciting adventure. Our whole family has been following Mari’s Peace Corps application, acceptance, and now training for over a year. This has been an incredibly eventful time for her, finishing her special ed teaching in Spanish Harlem in New York City, a move back home for a few months, and now the tales of the South Pacific. It is a real joy to be able to read the thoughts and hear about the experiences of the Group 75 participants and to see their photos. I look forward to keeping in touch with you through this blog and sharing our experiences.
Just in case you want to know more about our family, here are the web page links for us and for our other daughters, Hilary Godwin and Laura Leibman. As Rudi is fond of saying, TeachersRUs, since we’re all involved in education.
Rudi: http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2681
Hilary: http://www.chem.northwestern.edu/~hagodwin/godwinbio.htm
Laura: http://academic.reed.edu/english/faculty/laura.html
Al: http://compphys.bio.uci.edu/bennett/bennett.htm

Al Bennett

Hi Mari's mom!

2005-11-06T07:21:00.001-08:00

I am Joshua's mom. I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN. This is my second experience with a child in the Peace Corps. Joshua's brother, Jeffrey, spent 3 years in Gabon, Central Africa, and is working for the PC now and living in Chad. I am eager to visit Joshua in Samoa, but for the time being, I am enjoying his emails, calls, and the other's websites. Joshua was born in Iowa, moved to Illinois and we settled in Minnesota in '93. He graduated from the U of Iowa with a major in philosophy. He has 3 brothers and 1 sister. When he was a 2 month old, I wrote in his baby book that he was the sweetest child, and he remains so! Thanks for this great idea!

Kindest Regards,
Ellen

Meet the Parents...

2005-11-05T21:01:00.001-08:00

I'm Mari's Mom, Rudi, and am hosting this blog for Parents of Peace Corps Samoa Group 75 trainees. If your son or daughter (or mom) is in this group and you're not yet a member of the blog, please send me an e-mail and I'll send you an invitation to join. Then you'll be able to post here too.

Mari grew up in Irvine, California, where her dad Al and I live and work at the University of California. We're both biologists and love exotic travel (as does Mari) and are thrilled to be able to experience Samoa through her eyes. We also can't wait to see her new home and meet her new friends and family!

So far, though, we're happy to have so much information from all the Group 75 bloggers (see links on the right) and to talk to her when she's in Apia. If you're looking for a good, relatively inexpensive long distance phone card, I'd recommend the one sold online by tel3advantage (http://www.tel3advantage.com/). I've bought a prepaid $25 card and chosen the automatic recharge option. Whenever the card runs out of time, my account is recharged (even if I'm in the middle of the call) and the interruption is very brief and doesn't require a new call. The rate is $.38 per minute. If you've found a less expensive rate, please let me know.

Please join this blog and post information about yourself and your Samoan parent experiences!