NAN SANDERS POKERWINSKI
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • MANGO RASH
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism
  • Photography
  • Buy Books
  • Collages

HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

Return to Paradise - Part V

6/2/2021

4 Comments

 
This is the fifth installment in a series of posts commemorating a very memorable journey.

Thirty-five years ago, I paid a visit to American Samoa. At that time, it had been twenty years since I left there after spending one of the most unforgettable years of my life on the main island of Tutuila -- a year chronicled in my memoir Mango Rash: Coming of Age in the Land of Frangipani and Fanta (Behler Publications, 2019).


In this series of posts, I'm sharing excerpts from my 1986 travel journal, along with photos from the trip. ​

April 21 - Connecting with friends
The days are so full I can't begin to record everything. Today I began to feel comfortable here -- like I used to.
Picture
Jeannette in 1986
Picture
Jeannette and me at my tofa (goodbye) party in 1966. (That's JR Scanlan behind me and Poloka in the dark corner)

​Jeannette came in to pick me up this morning; took me out to ASCC (the college), where I met Pili for lunch. Also talked to Rick (a biologist) and Judy (ASCC librarian). Rick mentioned a story possibility -- air quality monitoring station at Tula, used as baseline for air quality measurement all over the U.S.
Picture
Jeannette in 1966, Utulei beach
Picture
On another day, I visited the air quality monitoring station Rick mentioned and interviewed this guy -- the NOAA scientist in charge. When I returned to Michigan I wrote a Detroit Free Press article about it.
Picture
The NOAA air quality monitoring station and grounds

Pili and I drove around the west end of the island and over to the north shore. Fantastic scenery -- blue water, dense jungle, white beaches -- Samoa at its best. Met his friends Tui and Donna (Tui is Sualua's younger brother) and the Baptist missionary from Eureka, California. 
Picture
West end scene
Pili dropped me off at Jeannette's, where I had dinner with her and Gordon and their family (3 kids). Padilla and his wife stopped by. Jeannette and I went back to the hotel; had coffee and a good talk. [Several paragraphs of personal details from that conversation omitted for privacy.]
After coffee, we went up to the bar, where Fatima and Pat Galea'i and some other people were drinking -- sat with them for a couple of hours. Had a good time, but they were getting rowdy.
I'm glad I found Jeannette, though. She's very intelligent, thoughful, concerned with world affairs. Tomorrow we're going to go for a drive on the east end of the island; also to find some more people -- Fipa [Fibber], Robin, and others.
​April 23 - Stormy weather
One of those highs-and-lows days. Right now I'm in my room with a fierce tropical storm raging outside. I can hear the wind whistling outside -- palm trees blowing all around. Power just went out.
Picture
Stormy weather, taken from Tula, looking out at the island of Aunu'u
April 24 - Continued connections
Had to stop writing last night because the power went out again. Really bad storm last night. [What follows are further details from April 23.]
PictureFipa (Fibber) in 1966. I regret not taking photos of him in 1986.

​Jeannette and I met for lunch at the airport. I bought some stuff from her friend's shop there. Then we went to see Fipa, who is a mechanic for the Department of Transportation. Fipa looks much the same. No front teeth, less  hair, but still the same Fipa.

Picture
Tafuna lagoon, near the airport. My friends and I often swam here in the 1960s.
Picture
Tafuna housing, 1986. American contract workers and their familes -- including many of my friends' families -- lived here in the 1960s.
Tonight we all met for dinner at Soli & Mark's: Pili, Robin Annesley, Jeannette, Padilla and Teuilla (his wife), Fipa, Fatima, Abe Malae and I. It was a great time. I sat between Abe and Pili most of the time. Abe told us how he got into Motown music. Now he has just about everything ever recorded, plus lots of other stuff from that era. He asked Pili and me what other records he should order from the Columbia record club. He also told me that Lee Iacocca is his personal hero.
PictureMy 17th birthday party in 1966, approved by Abe
It's funny the things people remember. Abe remembered that I was from Stillwater, Oklahoma. He also remembered the party invitations for my birthday, and that I asked him if he thought it was OK for me to have a party when I was running for student council vice president. I used to confide in Abe a lot.

Fipa remembered me telling him I was going back to the States for cancer treatment. He says we had this conversation up on Mt. Alava. I don't remember it.
Pili is embarrassed about being a goof-off in high school. But we all thought he was very personable. We envied him for that.
Abe decides we should all go to Manu'a with him tomorrow (Thursday). He has to go over to inspect public works projects. He gets so excited -- he really lights up talking about it. Pili, Robin, Jeannette and I say tentatively that we'll go.
To be continued . . . 
4 Comments
Valerie Roberts
6/2/2021 09:14:45 am

Another fun episode! I hope the installments just keep on a'coming!

Reply
Nan
6/2/2021 09:31:19 am

Yep - several more to come, so keep on a'reading!

Reply
Emily Everett
6/3/2021 05:42:33 am

On this gray day in Michigan, it's been fun to hang out in Samoa for a while. 🌴🌺 Can't wait for the next time!

Reply
Nan
6/4/2021 06:39:19 am

Fa'afetai tele lava for visiting!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Written from the heart,
    from the heart of the woods
    Read the introduction to HeartWood here.

    Subscribe to HeartWood

    Available now!

    Picture
    Check with your favorite bookseller or order from the BUY BOOKS page on this website.
    Get updates on Mango Rash
    BUY MANGO RASH

    Author

    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

    Archives

    April 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Better Living
    Books
    Community
    Creativity
    Events
    Explorations
    Food
    Gardens
    Guest Posts
    Health
    Inspiration
    Last Wednesday Wisdom
    Local Artists
    Mecosta County
    Montcalm County
    Music
    Muskegon County
    Nature
    Newaygo County
    Oceana County
    People
    Photography
    Pure Michigan
    Reflection
    Return To Paradise
    Samoa
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • MANGO RASH
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism
  • Photography
  • Buy Books
  • Collages