I Outwitted, Outplayed, and Outlasted...

Good evening, blog readers!...Man, y'all are so loyal...I mean, I can't believe you even come back to this blog and keep reading it...Especially when it takes me so long to post new entries...Well, I thank you all...Anyways, I, as always, have been hecka busy lately...In fact, I need to apply to two schools after I'm done with this entry...And I need to correct a ton of work...Oh, and there's also the newest Gossip Girl I need to watch...Therefore, I need to get goin'...Tonight's blog entry will be short...Lets begin...

All of the pictures on tonight's blog entry were taken a couple of weeks ago on Flag Day...I rented a car, and the boys and I drove around the island...I even let Sammy and Gene drive which was exciting, to say the least...We also went to the boat races...The image above was one I captured on the side of the road...When I saw those ominous clouds and dark mountains and eerie waves, I knew I had to snap a pic...That white cross in the foreground is also gorgeously goth...

There's Gene, Holy, and Sammy...Cruisin' the streets of American Samoa...We drove all the way to the other side of the island...The boys had never been that far...They've lived here their whole lives and haven't seen much of this rock...It's actually kinda sad...But if I think about it, I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life and I haven't seen much of that state either...I mean, people are always tellin' me cities in Wisconsin that I've never heard of...Of course, Wisconsin is huge compared to Tutuila...And it's much cheesier...

That's the new mural that was painted on the government building in Utulei...It's breathtaking...(However, does anyone else think whales are so ten years ago?!...I've seen murals of whales and underwater life similar to this one a gazllion times...Hell, even Milwaukee has one...Isn't there anything else to make a mural of?)...I forced the boys to get outta the car and stand in front of it...I thought these teenage guys would be too cool for that...But they willingly got out and even posed in front of this majestic painting...I love Samoan kids...I think the picture turned out kinda cool...

Okay, the latest season of Survivor just finished on Sunday, and it was probably THE best season of this perennial reality show staple...Yup, I even believe it was more surprising, twisty, and devious than the first season...I mean, this season of Fans Versus Favorites had everything...Painful injuries...Wicked backstabbing...Brilliant, strategic maneuvering...It was awesome to watch...I have enjoyed four seasons of Survivor while being in American Samoa, and I have, since being on this island, related to the show in a different way than I did before...I know, I know...Y'all probably think I'm crazy for connecting my life in American Samoa to a reality show about surviving the elements in the wild...But I truly have felt colser to the contestants on Survivor over the past two years than I did when I watched it from the comfort of Wisconsin...Here are just a few of the reasons...

-The homesickness...The family reunion episodes always made me cry...But since being on this island, these episodes make me bawl my eyes out...Aww, I wanna see my Mommy, too!...

-Surviving in a unique environment...Sure, I'm not trying to survive the natural elements of a desert or jungle or tropical island like the players in Survivor...But I am trying to survive the cultural elements...And sometimes a human can be much more complex and frightening than a bunch of rats or mosquitos or snakes...Hmm, the differences between humans and trying to adjust to those differences can even be more horrifying than sharks!...The wild world of culture...Now try to survive that!...

-The challenge...Although I am not reachin' for a million dollars, I am reachin' for that goal of fulfilling my contract...I promised I would dedicate myself to this island, and finishing my devoted time here would be accomplishing my challenge...Finishing my two years here will be a proud, joyous moment...I defeated my fears and conquered my task...Who needs a million dollars?!...The pride that I'll feel in my heart as I say "goodbye" to this island is worth more than gold...I survived American Samoa for two years...Not many people can say they've done that...

Alright, those were just some of the reasons why I can relate to the contestants on the reality show Survivor...Every season finale has a segment where the final two Survivors remember their "fallen comrades"...This usually includes them walking down a path and visiting the torches of players who have been voted off...The producers always throw in some sweeping music and a canoe ride and some tears just to shove the emotion of it all down out throats...As the final two, talking to torches, say things like "Hmm, I never really got to know 'so-and-so'", clips of the loser show in slow-mo...And then they'll have that contestant who was voted off say something about their experience on the show...(If you're a fan of Survivor, you know exactly what I'm talking about)...Well, during my years on this island, I not only find this "fallen comrades" segment somewhat heartrending (because I too will soon find myself saying "goodbye" to an island), I also have totally associated myself with these final statements made by the players of Survivor...Mostly because I feel I will have similar feelings when I say "Fa" to my experiences on this island...In other words, look at the quotes from voted off contestants during the season finale which aired on Sunday...I really do believe I might be saying the same sorts of things when I hop on that plane in about a month or so...

"It really felt like a ton of bricks came over me...And game over."

-Mary

"Even though I got voted off kind of early, it was still a fun experience."

-Yau Man

"It was a life-changing experience, and it reminds you that life is good."

-Mikey B

"It was something extremely special, and I will always hold this near and dear, and it's a once in a lifetime experience."

-Jonathan

"It's the most difficult thing I have ever done. Childbirth, I thought that was tough...Nah...I'd rather whip out eight more kids in ten minutes...That's how much harder this was."

-Kathy

"You just can't be that same person any longer because all you have is you and the elements. I am not the same person any longer, and I don't think I ever wanna be again."

-Tracy

"I found myself being so much more sensitive than I was before...I've learned the balence of vulnerability and strength, of walking into a situation and being strong with who I am and knowing that I don't need the feedback from other people to know I'm okay with who I am."

-Ami

"It's like a chance to really search your soul and get to know who you are and what you're made of."

-Ozzy

"I don't think you can have this experience without changing as a person. I mean, I've seen so much that I've never ever seen in my whole life..."

-Erik

"I think I learned a lot about myself. And right now I'm kind of my biggest fan."

-Natalie

"In a weird way, I came into this a little girl and I got to grow up and leave a woman."

-Alexis

...(Okay, maybe not so much that last one)...

Those were some of the boats paddlin' in the race on Flag Day...A bunch of villages have their own teams that they enter into the race every year...My favorite team?...The Satans...Yup, there's an actual team named after Satan...This is the most Christian, bible-thumping, Jesus-loving population in the universe, and there's a popular boating team called the Satans...People all over the island were wearing shirts and hats with the village mascot and emblem...And on the day of the races there were hundreds cheering for Satan...It was so bizarre...And wrong...In this week's episode of The Twilight Zone, a town of Christians become Satan's biggest fans...Creepy, crazy...This island gets stranger and stranger...

Okay, the last thing I wanna do is remind y'all to leave me a comment on what you think are the best video clips I've posted on this blog...My next entry will be devoted to our "Bittersweet Island Goodbye Blog Top Five"...The 2nd edition deals with the video clips that best sum up my experiences here in American Samoa...Which video clips were the most entertaining?...The most beautiful?...The most memorable?...I felt bad because many of you voted on the last Top Five dealing with pictures I've posted on this blog and many of your choices did not make the list...So, I may change this edition's list to Top Ten...But that's only if I get a lot of comments from you guys...Come on peeps!...Help me create the list...Which video clips were spectacular?...Vote now!...

Alright...I gotta go and get some shiznit done...Leave me a comment to show your alofas...Did you watch this season of Survivor?...What'd you think?...Do you agree with my belief that it's the best season EVER?...Do you think my experiences here are similar to the contestants on Survivor?...What is your opinion on murals of whales?...And what are your thoughts on a boating team named after Satan?...Oh, and give me some suggestions on our Top Ten Samoa Joe Video Clips!...

Love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"I hate islands. I want to go to Brittany, where it's cold and raining, and there's nothing fancy about it."

-Julie Delpy