Quick Update About Samoa

Apr 182012
 

My time in Samoa is on the homeward stretch. It has been quite good overall. The reason I haven’t posted much is because on the balance of things, I have been just cruising with just small incidental sighs. Therefore not worth the effort of posting.

I have settled into a pattern of working a little during the day, some form of sports or drinking at night, and beach on the weekend. It’s a pretty sweet deal mostly. Definitely have made quite a few new friends from different backgrounds to the norm. Here’s a couple of pics of us walking along some cliffs on the south coast.

So you could say that it has been a good experience. The main sigh that exists now is having to find a job when I return. That is expected to be not fun. I need something that will pay as much as I was earning before leaving for Samoa. At the same time, I feel that I need to work quite hard to get my interview skills back up. With some luck, someone I know will just recommend me for a job, or offer me one. So if anyone has anything, let me know. Then we can play games after work without any cares in the world.

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Food post

Oct 262011
 

So as most people know, I love chicken laksa, well really, I love the chicken laksa from Malay Chinese on Hunter St in Sydney. I love it so much and miss it so much here in Apia that I went searching for pictures of it. The Malay Chinese website itself doesn’t really have any large photos of the laksa I like (the chicken not boneless chicken). So I’m going to link to some other guy’s photo I found on the net of the same laksa at the same restaurant.

Malay Chinese Chicken Laksa

When I get back to Sydney, I’m going to eat so much of that. I used to have it up to 3 times every 2 weeks. I would have had more if a certain person didn’t ban me from eating there more often. That and I also miss:

  • Shancheng Hotpot
    Shancheng Hotpot
  • Pho
    Pho

So what do I eat here? Well there’s not much variety and the food ain’t the best here. There’s the local favourite, Pinatis of course.
pinatis
That picture is from some Peace Corps blog, who happens to be in Samoa now as well. I used to eat here a fair bit, chopsuey, chow mein and rice for a low, low 4 tala price (<$2AUD).

But you get sick of the same food all the time. I actually found a pretty good fast Asian food place called Deng Sheng which is close to where I work. I eat here quite frequently now. It’s actually decent with a good Soya chicken. A meal with drink costs 9.50 tala (<$5). So I can't complain about the price either.

Recently though, I have taken to going to Nella’s.
nella
This is a Jamaican fast food chain. Fuck, the fried chicken there is delicious. It is better than KFC. :O
I know it’s a shock, but it’s true. The 2 piece chicken meal with fries and a can of coke costs 12.90 tala, so it’s the priciest of the options, but well worth a treat sometimes. The fries are also delicious with awesome (chicken) salt. This Nella’s thing could be really big! They don’t have a website but they do have a facebook page. Check them out.

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Belated Announcement – Samoan Gallery and SPL

Sep 232011
 

Yep, haven’t updated in a while. Mainly because the only internet is at work and it’s a little awkward posting on one’s blog in a cramped space.

But for those who want to see some pics, they are all here, in my gallery.

Other than that, Salsa is here and I’m training with the Samoan Premier League guys and may make their team when the season starts. Yes, that’s right, I could be playing in the top flight.

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Sigh Update 092011

Sep 062011
 

I haven’t been making frequent or even worthy updates recently.

It’s because I have been sigh sick again. This time it has meant that I missed the biggest party of the year in Samoa so far (the After Party event). I even got multiple txts from my workmates telling me that I should come out despite the fever and bad stomach because it was not to be missed. 🙁

But Sal comes soon. 🙂 Woot.

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Work Life Balance

Aug 202011
 

So I have started work. The most frustrating thing about it is the internet. You see, I have to connect to the work internet connection through wireless. More often than not the wireless drops me, and this is pretty much the screen I see the most.

It pretty much gives me the irrites everytime I see it. So I’m currently having the irrites a bit since no network is the rule rather than the exception. The astute among you may recognise that the screenshot doesn’t look like your usual standard work configuration computer. Those astute people will be correct. Not only are there no LAN ports for me to plug into, there is also no computer for me to use, despite my job being ostensibly to do some database development and some financial analysis. I am currently taking my personal laptop to and from work everyday. That isn’t too bad mostly except it seriously limits the amount of things I can do straight after work, since I need to drop my laptop off at home first. Also, I don’t think my old laptop is up to being on for 10+ hours a day anymore (I sometimes use it at home for entertainment purposes as well).

Overall though, I have to say it has been pretty damn cruisey so far. My counterpart is pretty cool and everyone is friendly in the office. The pace is so much slower, and not too much gets done it appears. Of course my workmates do seem to go through periods of greater activity than other times. It’s a bit too early to judge at the moment.

From a sporting perspective, well I haven’t done any sports since I arrived. There’s pretty much just rugby and netball that’s played here. Noone really wants to play soccer that much, although I hear that I’ve just missed out on a work soccer comp…the next one is next year. 🙁 There doesn’t appear to be any muckaround sports apart from variations of rugby or netball…I may need to get into netball sooner or later. I’ve taken to walking home from work as a form of exercise (it’s about 30 mins walk), you feel pretty dead afterwards because it is so hot. Luckily there’s a pool in our residential compound for me to take a quick dip in afterwards. When I come back from Samoa, I probably won’t know how to kick a ball.

On the other hand, it is a very pretty country. Here’s a pic that I actually managed to upload using the dodge net connection of Aganoa, a beach area in Suvaii, that I went to on the weekend.

It’s been a mixed bag, but definitely overall positive so far. The only annoying thing is having to take my own laptop in for work purposes everyday. I think I will say something to the work guys today about it, see if I can actually be supplied with a PC of some sort.

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Chinese Interlude

Aug 112011
 

???????????????????????????????????????????AUSAID???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????Apia?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????.

???????????? 🙂

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So basically 1 down, another 51ish to go

Aug 092011
 

As I write this, it is 7th August 2011, a Sunday in Apia, Samoa. It’s about 5pm and the ceiling fan directly above my head is creaking pretty lousily and ominously with every rotation. The publication date for this will probably be a lot later, basically whenever I get a chance to connect to the internet again. Hopefully on a Monday when I head into town.

The 1st week has passed both quickly but has also felt like an age. It’s a contradiction that is quite in line with the rest of the contradictions throughout Samoa. I’m still on orientation and there are times of awesome and times of boredom. But having explored my area a little bit more today, I’m starting to like it a lot more. I was planning to write a lot more but there’s a guy waiting for me now and I can’t sit here and type this one out as much as I would like. So it is to be continued…

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Samoa first impressions

Aug 062011
 

Well I’ve been in Samoa for a week now, so 51 more to go. :p
How do I find it? Well this first week has been pretty fun, going to beach fales, a couple of house parties, receptions and just busy with setting up here, like a phone and finding a place to live.

The thing I miss the most is the internet. As I am writing this, I have 14 minutes left on my prepaid net, which also only works in town, and not in the residential area where I live. My housemates don’t want to stump up the cash to pay for home internet so I’m shit out of luck on that respect. So far they seem pretty cool apart from that, and the house where I’m staying is pretty nice. It has a pool and lots of trees like coconut, starfruit, paw paw, etc. I’m yet to start work, so we’ll see how that goes next week. I’ve had a lot of beer already and everyone here is huge. It can be quite intimidating. That and the huge amount of stray dogs. Exercise needs to be done in early mornings or dusk because other times are either too hot or not enough light.

Overall it’s been pretty fun. With Sal coming that should be even better, and hopefully I don’t go stir crazy without the internet. Oh and a soccer game is really hard to find!!!!! Lack of legion doesn’t help. I will keep this blog updated but I don’t know how frequently.

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Off I go then

Jul 292011
 

You are meant to read the title in the voice of the peon from Warcraft 3 / Frozen Throne. I’m all packed and about to head off.

When I land it will be around 6am local time on the 29th of July. So it’s like time travel. See you all next year. Of course I’ll still be putting stuff on Ultimatesigh when I can, and there’s facebook and ultimate sigh email.

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2 weeks to go

Jul 152011
 

I’ve finally had the time to post on here again. Been quite busy getting ready for Samoa. Just 14 days to go until I leave. I’ve resigned from CBA, got my PF&R which was a high rating and I hope to get a job back at CBA once I’m back potentially.

I’ve moved back to my parents as well, it is as cold as the freezer. I can constantly see my own breathe, and what’s more my fingers are cold despite being rugged up. I can look on the bright side of not having to be cold for much longer.

Farewell reception

There’s yours truly at the farewell reception with the Samoan high commissioner a few weeks ago. Those are the people I will be spending the next 12 months with. It still hasn’t sunken fully in yet, that I’m about to leave for a full year. As I go through the process of disengaging things in my current life and minimising things for my stint in Samoa, the more real it feels.

As before, excited, anxious, stressed, and quite a few other emotions mixed in too.

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