My Two New Roommates

Yesterday my quiet Chinese roommate moved out and was promptly replaced by 2 young, loud, gay black men. Not only has the stifling heat of summer arrived but now I have my very own soap opera next door. My life is officially hell now. They are forever fighting, locking themselves in the bathroom for attention, calling each other names and threatening to leave each other every five minutes. It wouldn't be so bad if (a) they would let me use the bathroom every now and then, (b) stop walking around the place in their undies all day. I'm pretty liberal minded but I can only take so much.

Ways NOT to Stand Out

I'm finding that part of the process of adjusting to city life is trying not to stick out like a sore thumb. It's the little things that draw the distinction between a newbie tourist and a true blue local.

For example, when on any escalator, whether it's on the Metro or in a shopping mall, if you're gonna just stand, make sure you stand on the right hand side. The left lane is for the people who walk up the escalator and believe you me, if you're standing on the left hand side, people will let you know about it.

While riding the Metro rail, if you can find an empty 2-seater, you're expected to sit against the window, leaving the aisle seat available. I didn't really figure that one out til yesterday. I have been sitting in the aisle seat to deter people from sitting next to me, all the while wondering why people were giving me the evils as they walked by.

Never ever call a black man "bro", don't ask me why, just don't.

While riding the Metro, never laugh out loud, snicker or smile when eavesdropping on the conversation in front of you. I did that a few times and found out the hard way that the correct etiquette is to pretend you aren't eavesdropping even though you are.

When exiting the escalator, do not, I repeat, do not slow down to step off because the resulting bottleneck behind you causes people to hit their brakes and bump into one another like a stack of dominoes. I think it's funny when that happens but apparently most people in DC don't find it to be that amusing.

Noone has a sense of humor in this place, I tell ya.

When someone in DC invites you to lunch, don't expect them to pay for it. I can't figure that one out. I floated the idea of the inviter paying for the invitee's lunch to a colleague and he looked at me is if I was stupid.

I was standing behind an old lady on the escalator this morning (on the right hand side of course) and I noticed that she kept looking back at me while gripping her purse. At first I was a little insulted that she thought of me as a purse snatcher (like I could outrun anyone here anyways, most people walk faster than I run) but then I comforted myself with the knowledge that in a predatorial environment like the neighborhood I am currently living in, perhaps it was better to be viewed as a wolf rather than as a sheep. Except of course when a police car rolls by, then I try to look as innocent as possible, which is not an easy task for a 6'1" 280lb Samoan.

Pros and Cons About Living in the City

Now that I've been here for almost 2 weeks I think I now have a better idea of what I've gotten myself into.

CONS

In Samoa I drove a Ford Explorer, now I walk and ride the Metro Rail.

In Samoa I didn't pay taxes, now I do.

In Samoa it took me 5 mins to get to work, now it's an hours commute.

I used to play golf every weekend, 'nuff said.

I used to have my own office, now I'm in a cubicle.

I used to wear flipflops to work, now I have to wear socks and shoes ARGHHHH!

PROS

Here, I live near a zoo, not live in one.

Here, I can dial up any number of pizza places and they deliver.

I get paid in US Dollars not Samoan Tala *Praise the Lord*

Now I have a flash flip phone, medical insurance, life insurance and a credit card.

With the exception of the US Dollars *Praise Jesus*, I could pretty much live without everything else (well maybe not the flipflops). Living in the city has it's ups and downs and I'm sure its gonna be an adventure for Rach, Maddy and I.

Week 2 Update

I went to a baseball game at RFK on the weekend. It was a big game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals called the Battle of the Beltway since the 2 cities are cross town rivals. There were about 42,000 people in attendance and most of them were rooting for the home team. It was quite an experience since I've never been to a baseball game before, the atmosphere was something else!

I also went for a haircut at a black barbershop in my neighborhood. As soon as I walked in, everyone stopped talking and stared at me. I almost walked back out! But as soon as they found out I was Samoan and not Hispanic/Mexican I was good to go and the chatter started up again and I felt like I was in a movie or something, it was quite cool!

I saw a few movies on the weekend (since I don't have a TV yet) and while I liked Mission Impossible III, I thought the Da Vinci Code and Poseidon were a little boring. The popcorn was good though since they let you pour your own butter on, and I really poured it on hehe.

Update From DC

Well here I am, in Washington DC working for the US government. I started work on Monday and tomorrow will complete my first week as a federal employee. It would be glamorous if it was FBI or CIA or even NSA but somehow Peace Corps doesn't seem to carry the same level of coolness but hey, it's a start!

It's been rather daunting finding a place to live but alls well that ends well. I'm living in the ghetto, trying to save on rent money and it's been pretty interesting seeing and living in an area you'd normally only see on TV. I haven't encountered any trouble yet and I've even walked home from the train at night by myself with no problems whatsoever. Having said that, as soon as I get my first paycheck I'm moving the heck outta here.

People walk so fast in this country. I tried walking at their speed but couldn't keep up for much longer than a few seconds and besides I feel silly walking that fast. It's almost like running. I'm walking down the street wondering where the fire is. I doubt if I'll ever get used to walking like that.

Riding the train everyday to get to and from work is another experience. I offered an old lady my seat this morning and she looked at me as if I was crazy or something. Everyone looks down while riding the train, which is funny because as an islander who is new to the big city, all I do is look around at all the different people from all over the globe who are in the train with me every morning.

That's a picture Rachel took the other day of Maddy saying he misses me and loves me. If you haven't seen the video of him at the playground on my Bebo page, you need to see it, it's great.

Hope everyone is well.

Madison Dreams

Maddy woke me up this morning and told me that he had just been swimming with Papa and his inflatable whale, Free Willy. I asked him if he dreamt it and he said, "IOE!" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Maddy's two new favourite phrases are:

Aua e ke pepelo e?

and

E po oe?

RIP Aunty Eunike

We received news last night from NZ that Aunty Eunike passed away in the U.S. yesterday. She had been having serious health problems for the past few years and finally lost her battle with her condition. May she rest in peace and may her loved ones in the States find comfort. We'll be thinking of you all!

Madison-isms

My son has a unique Samoan dialect of his own devising. I'm reluctant to correct him when he uses his slang version of Samoan because it's just too cute. I hear it so often that I am guilty of using it too, which just makes him think that his version of the language is more correct than mine. He has "corrected" me on more than one occasion!

Madison-ism #1: Ligi
Meaning: Ring
Usage: Daddy, kago e ligi Papa i le kelefogi ua ou fia kalagoa ia Papa.

Madison-ism #2: Fukitown
Meaning: Lucky Foodtown
Usage: Daddy, kakou o i le Fukitown e faakau sa'u drink lanu red.

Madison-ism #3: Kigipo'o
Meaning: Head
Usage: Auoi, ua kiga laka kigipo'o.

Madison-ism #4: Niu Sheeland
Meaning: New Zealand
Usage: Daddy, ua ou fia alu a i Niu Sheeland i luga o le vaalele.

Madison-ism #5: Faapelea
Meaning: Faapea
Usage: Se leai Daddy! Fai faapelea!

Easter Already?

I can't believe it's almost Easter already. We received a package from the NZ Easter Bunny (thanks Mom!) and it had all sorts of goodies for Maddy to eat and play with. That reminds me, I have to swing by Lynn's store in Motootua to pick up some Jungle Juice for HRH so he can make his ice pops. Thank goodness for the weekend!

Visit to the NAC

Maddy and daddy at the National Aquatic Center

They had a nice kiddies pool

Maddy had the whole pool to himself for over an hour

All ready for the SPG in 2007

4 hours in the pool and Maddy still cried when we had to go!

Climbing Trees, Throwing Stones and Coconut Heads

This is Maddy climbing a coconut tree the other day during our lunch break.

Yes, Free Willy is still alive and well!

Maddy and his on again, off again friend Amataga.

If Maddy sees a tree, he must conquer it.

Boys will be boys. Yesterday Maddy and Amataga were throwing rocks into the river by our house when Amataga accidentally struck Maddy in the head with a large stone, opening up a cut on his forehead. By the time Maddy came back to the house his head and face were covered in blood and a walnut sized lump was protruding from his forehead. Rach and I were freaking out! After a quick trip to the doctors we were relieved to find out that it was just a little cut and that there were no fractures to his skull - proof that Samoan boys have coconut heads.

Don't Throw Stones

Maddy was outside playing yesterday when he got hit in the forehead with a rock thrown by his best friend from next door, Amataga. Amataga's mother swears it was an unintentional accident that happened while the 2 of them were throwing stones into the river.

Still, it was quite a scary sight to see Maddy holding his head while blood was all over his head and face. We cleaned the blood and applied ice to where the rock had hit but he had a nasty cut above his eye and a walnut sized lump to show for it. The doctor said he was okay and that there was no fracture of his skull and he suffered no brain damage.

It was lucky, it could have been a lot worse.

Getting Better

Maddy loved the chicken noodle soup we made for him last night. He ate the whole bowl and even asked for more, which we gladly gave him. His energy levels are picking up, enough that we don't have to take any more time off work.

We came yesterday to find him eating a raw pod of koko with the other kids. No matter how many apples and oranges we buy him, he still prefers to gather his own food from the back yard and neighbouring homes, such as vi, mangoes, bananas and koko. I think it's great, reminds me of when we were kids growing up in Samoa too.

The Cough That Won't Go Away

Maddy has had a persistent cough for the past 2 weeks and according to his doctor, he has a "90 day flu". Now I don't know about you but I don't want my child to have a flu for 3 months. The medicine that he has prescribed doesn't seem to work and in the cough and flu have robbed Madison of his appetitie. He's lost a lot of weight. I've been reading through information on the Internet and most data suggests that cough medicine doesn't work on children, perhaps even making the cough worse. Who do I trust?

More Pics of My Trip to NZ

Me and My Cousin Maia playing Play Station

Me and Papa lying down on the couch watching cartoons in Waikanae

Me

Me and Jared

Grace, Me, Jared and Jessykah

My Visit to NZ

... was "O" for Awesome. I had the best time of my life. I met lots of cousins, aunties and uncles from near and afar and I didn't want to leave when it was time to come back to Samoa.

I miss my Nana and Papa especially and really enjoyed the time we spent at the beach house in Waikanae. My Nana and Papa bought me lots and lots of toys to play with including my favorite toy, a blue whale now named "Free Willy" and a batman outfit with cape and mask. I looked the pomu in it.

After my Aunty Sachi and Uncle Marks wedding, I spent the second week of my holiday with my mommy's family out in Porirua and Wanganui. I had a lot of fun there too especially with my four cousins Jonathan, Grace, Jared and Jessykah Rachel.

I kept on taking Jared's spiderman outfits and wouldn't give them back (hehe), so Aunty Jojo went out and bought me a Superman outfit with cape, Spiderman T-shirt and Skivvy, Spiderman underwears and boxer shorts. Boy was I a happy chappy or shall I say SPOILT.

My Daddy also took me to visit his friend Damon and he has a 3 year old son named Evander. He had some cool toys and when we were about to leave on the last day, he gave me his Spiderman toy.

That was very nice of him I thought. I hope to visit him again soon so I can get some more (hehe).

Here is a picture of my mommy, friends and aunties all dressed up as Wonder Woman for the Rugby Sevens... Don't they look cool!!!

Mind you my Batman outfit is way better than theirs because I have a cape and a mask and it's made out of proper superhero material too!!!

Anyways, I had the best holiday ever and I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all my family who spent time with me, bought me presents and took me out sightseeing and shopping. I can't wait to see you all again very soon.

Pictures of Aunty Sachi and Uncle Marks Wedding

The Happy Couple

Nana, Aunty Sachi and Aunty Lagi

That's me and my cousin Matthew

Aunty Lagi, Daddy, Uncle Sonny, Uncle Nigel and Aunty Sachi

5 More Sleeps

Have you ever tried to convey the concept of time to a 3 year old? Well our 3 year old sees the world in terms of ananafi (yesterday), nei (now), leisi taimi (the other time) and taeao (tomorrow). So trying to tell him that we'll be going to NZ in 5 days time has been quite the challenge. He keeps thinking we're going tomorrow and since tomorrow keeps coming and going, I'm starting to think he must believe his parents are just pulling his leg about the whole thing.

Nonetheless, his eyes light up when we mention the plane ride and meeting up with his grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins (especially Jonathan, Grace, Jared & Jessykah).

On another note, our swimming pool has died. I won't mention any names (haha) but someone was leaning on the edge too hard and the bottom of the pool ripped away from the side. I thought it was funny how the kids brought the pool out yesterday and sat inside it and pretended to swim around in it. I love the imagination kids have!

So Much Happening

You'd think that since we've been so busy lately that we'd have more entries here, you know, with so much to write about, but no, we've been on the go go go since Christmas and haven't had the time to keep Maddy's blog up to date.

We've had visitors (Uncle Ativale and family, Uncle Steve & family), we've had near misses with a couple of cyclones (Tam & Urmil) and we've been preparing for Sachi's wedding. On top of all that, we're contemplating making the move to Washington DC sometime in the next few months. It's been an exciting time and we're looking forward to seeing everyone soon at Sachi's wedding!

Tofa Soifua 2005

Woohooo time to hit the beach!

Me and my pretty mommy

This is my sneaky grin :)