There are still many question marks about where the government spent all the aid money from other countries. At this time there is a huge new government building being constructed which probably needed some funding as well…

There is a newly published video from “Tagata Pasifika” that captures the current situation in Samoa. Please watch it below…

Keep getting the news from Samoa in our Free Newsletter

http://www.samoa-experience.net

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Then suddenly there was an international company called Digicel appearing in Samoa that promised to make it possible for everyone to have a mobile phone.

The Digicel company started a market campaign of international standard that Samoa never had seen before. You could suddenly read Digicel slogans on every street corner in Samoa and you could get a simple mobile phone for almost nothing.

Digital addiction

Very quickly the mobile phone become a must to have item by both young and old and top-up cards were available everywhere. Although an almost free phone, the cost to use it is rather high when you buy phone cards to feed your phone.

Clever “Free text in the night” promotions have made the young kids addicted to the phone, spending the night texting their boy friends and girl friends as non of them have money to buy a normal phone card.

Parents are hiding their phones.

Digicel crated a very clever but dangerous function on the phone called “Credit Me Credit You” which makes it possible to transfer credit from one phone to another. This function were very welcomed by the kids as they could now easily find their parents phone and transfer fresh credit over to their own.

If the kids can’t find any credit they can at least do the texting and use the phone for listening to music.

Games, Games and Games…

Samoans love games and gambling and this is a side that the Digicel company are using for their promotions. You can submit your phone number for a small phone fee and if you are lucky you will be randomly picked for a final game called “Text To Spin” where you can win anything from 100 Tala to a few thousand Tala.

Needless to say, this is a very successful game…

Digital Paradise

Next time you visit Samoa don’t be surprised when you hear a phone ringing from a coconut tree. This is just the guy picking the coconuts getting the instruction from his wife.

Loosing Money with cell phones is easy but did you know that you can earn money with your phone. I found this 18 year old high school kid who makes lots of money every day. Have a look for yourself…

Cell Phone Treasure – Make Money With Cell Phones!

Keep getting the news from Samoa in our Free Newsletter

http://www.samoa-experience.net

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Since Samoa become independent it has been founded on God. Today this foundation is rocking and very unstable. The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has clubbed through a new legislation to allow 2 Casino Licenses in Samoa.

Samoans not worthy!

The prime minister have decided to only allow people to gamble that has a foreign passport. This means that he consider his own people not good enough to take care of their money and all the risks connected to gambling.

The talk is about the filthy rich people that will come and spend their money in the casinos as they are too bored with beaches and culture and need something else to do.

This sounds like really clever strategies to build a solid future for a country???

What about Samoans with dual citizenship?

It is well known that many Samoans have dual citizenship which will allow them to gamble in Samoa. The prime minister has no problem with that as he means that they need a break before they go home again. The fact is that many or most people in higher positions in Samoa have dual citizenship although they are not living abroad.

I guess that we will have two classes of people in Samoa in the future:

• The Normal People and
• The Casino People

What else will follow the casino future?  What about drugs and prostitution?

I hope they will build the casino on a big rock so people can jump effortlessly after loosing all their money. This is actually a good business opportunity for the funeral services in Samoa.

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

MAKING THE MOVE TO THE FUTURE.

Another year has soon come to an end and Christmas with family and friends has been taken care of. When moving closer to the new year, it is natural to reflect on the past and setting the goals for the future. What happened during the past year and how did we react to it? How did the happenings affect our future plans and goals?

I wouldn’t know a better way to make our thoughts clear about this than the way it is explained in the book by Spencer Johnson called:

“WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?”

Who Moved My Cheese?  is the story of 4 characters living in a “Maze” who face unexpected change when they discover their “Cheese” has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their “Maze” differently. In fact, one doesn’t adapt at all…

This timeless allegory reveals profound truths to individuals and organizations dealing with change. We each live in a “Maze”, a metaphor for the companies or organizations we work with, the communities we live in, the families we love places where we look for the things we want in life, “Cheese”. It may be an enjoyable career, loving relationships, wealth, or spiritual peace of mind.

As we all know, Samoa has been through many changes the past year, anything from economic difficulties, changing to left side driving and tsunami and we all have our own way to respond to this. How do you react when your cheese is taken away?

• Would you listen to your feelings and run off to do what your heart desire – Get more cheese?
• Would you just run off without any plan or feelings in the hope to find more cheese?
• Would you analyze the problem until it is almost too late and finally make a move to find more cheese?
• Would you do nothing at all and wait until the cheese is coming back, as it was not your fault that the cheese is gone?

PEOPLE COMMENTS

Gemma Nelson, Vaoala

Yes. Last year was better because we didn’t have to think about things like the tsunami, the road switch or other hard times we’ve been through this year. People have so much more to be thankful for this Christmas.

THEY FOUND THE CHEESE!

Faofao Beach Fales is back.
Waves swept away 20 beach fale and other facilities at the Saleapaga tourist spot on 29 September.
Damage was total. Yesterday, however, four beach fale and a bar and restaurant was launched. The opening is actually an official event. They have guests already, said spokesman, Tapu Legalo.

Tapu was worried about their prospects of attracting guests at Christmas after the tsunami.

“But people have been OK,” he said. Unlike before not their entire beach fales will be located on the beach.
Some will be built across the road from the beach.

Go and find your cheese,

Happy New Year !

Mats Loefkvist       www.samoa-experience.com

P.S Anyone interested in the book “Who Moved My Cheese” can find it at
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

It has kept us really busy to deliver everything that was coming in. Yesterday we had a big shopping day to buy everything that we thought were most important to the affected families.

So far we received 3000 Tala that we decided to use for kerosene stoves, plates, pots and pans.

All this went to the village of Saanapu which was affected by the tsunami. The main focus of the tsunami help has been on the South East coast as it was the area that was affected most allthough many other places like Saanapu on the South West coast were badly damaged as well.

All the families send their sincere thanks to you people for making a difference in their lives.

With great help from outside, the government has put together a help plan for the ones that lost everything. These people will get a new small house built for their family. The total cost for each house will be about 7000 US Dollar.

I am looking forward to keep informing you about the progress of the rebuilding of the lives of the Samoan people.

Mats      www.samoa-experience.com

We have been overwhelmed by all the private help provided by families and friends, former guests and supporters. Looking at all the help from all these fantastic people, you know that the would is not a bad place at all. Unfortunately the news and the media is mostly interested in negative news which affects all humanity in a very negative way. If we focus on good, good things will happen. Thanks a million to all of you that have helped or are still helping Samoa.

Below is a friend of mine that took an initiative in Canada. The Samoa Observer Newspaper got to know about it and wrote the following story…

Mats      www.samoa-experience.com

By Alana Lojek, South Shore Clipper

After learning about the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Samoa on September 29, a St. Margaret’s Bay man has taken aid relief into his own hands.

James (Jamie) Little, who runs a travel company in Hubley, has a personal connection to the tiny island-nation in the South Pacific Ocean. He visited the “extraordinary island” — which is approximately the same size and population as Cape Breton — two years ago and developed a strong liking for the “absolutely phenomenal place.”

When he heard about the effects of the 8.3 magnitude earthquake, which killed over 180 people and displaced thousands, he decided to spring into action. After talking to a Swedish friend of his who runs the Virgin Cove resort on Samoa, Mr. Little posted an ad on Kijiji seeking emergency supplies, like tarps, cookware, sandals, and first aid kits.

He received a number of calls from people wanting to donate items. He also shopped thrift stores in search of clothing and supplies, and bought tarps himself. Then, along with his two little boys, Mr. Little loaded up a large box with all the aid items he had collected.

The kids “had so much fun filling up the box,” he says, which he then mailed by air (for $450!) to Apia. He says he has been driven to do whatever he could for the residents who have “lost everything,” and also wanted “to send a good message to my kids.”

Mr. Little says he initially wanted to make a cash donation to the Canadian Red Cross, but decided against it when he learned the funds would go into the general program, and not specifically to the Samoan disaster. With the similarly-timed tragic disasters in the Philippines

and Indonesia, he was worried Samoa would be overlooked. Although neighboring American Samoa, which was also hard-hit, falls under the protection of the United States, Samoa itself does not.

In addition to corresponding with the UN Ambassador for Samoa in New York, Mr. Little contacted Federal MP Geoff Regan to inquire about Canadian government assistance. He learned, however, that the government is unable to provide support unless Samoa officially requests it, as it could be seen as a sign of disrespect.

At this point, he is waiting to see what will happen as far as relief is concerned, but says over the next month he might hold a bottle drive or a clothing drive for the people there. “Now it’s at the point where they have to rebuild, like rebuilding a house after a fire,” he observes.

The main message he would like to convey is for tourists, primarily from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the UK, “to keep on going” to Samoa, a tiny place which has “personally affected” him in such a positive way.
Anyone interested in learning how they can help can email James Little at:  jral@eastlink.ca .

The fact that most busses still have their doors on the wrong side allowing people to step out directly in the middle of the street is very worrying. It has been said that the busses with the doors still on the wrong side are not allowed to drive anymore. The question is how people are going to transport themselves to their work in Apia as most people from the back villages are relying on busses?

Lets hope that all drivers still remember to keep left after a late night at the nightclub. Samoa Observer has more reading to offer. Also read about the Bus owners concern.

Mats     www.samoa-experience.com

I remember

Many things
Growing up in Samoa
I remember my Grandpa Toafa
Unloading a stack of wood
That he carried on his back
Inside our umu
I remember him asking my Aunty Kuana
For money to buy beer and Pocket Edition after a long day in the sun
I remember my Grandmother Laufa
Always with a knife in her hand
Either digging up the ground to plant
Or cutting down plants that have taken on minds of their own
I remember my other Grandma Ta’apega
Coming to stay with us at Tulaele at one time
I remember her always moving around
Never resting, always working, always praying and reading her Bible
Just like my other Grandma
I remember my father, Falagi
Bringing treats for my sisters, brothers and I when we were sick
I remember I always asked for sugarcane
Whenever I was sick
I remember how he sasa us whenever we misbehaved
And how we were so scared of him
Most of all I remember my mother, Lote

Carrying me from one taulasea Samoa to another

Seeking treatment for my many illnesses

I remember how much my mother loves me

Especially in those times

I remember how I first met my husband

On that sunny day up in Tafa’igata

I remember seeing him for the first time

I remember saying to myself, “I’m going to marry you one day”

I did

I remember the birth of our first daughter, Solania

How I was so happy

How I made her name out of my and my husband’s names

How we felt like we could never love another child again

Apart from her

Oh but I remember

When our second daughter Tofiga o Nafanua was born

I remember how my heart expanded to love her too

These are the things I remember

These are the things that make me who I am

A Samoan

These are the things that I remember about

MY SAMOAN LIFE

Which is still being lived…

There is also a total trust in that when you get old you will be supported by your kids. Your family is your life insurance and this vill not change in 1000 years in Samoa. Hope we can learn more from this in the western society.