The Weight is Over in Samoa...
Sup, fuams!...That's my new saying...(It's pronounced fw-ua-mz)...I'm addicted to it...My boys taught it to me...They were always saying it and I asked them what it meant and they told me it means "balls"...Vulgar, I know...But I'm fascinated with how they use this term...They use it as both a term of endearment and a diss...For example, the boys will welcome eachother with "sup, fuams!"...Or if they've just lost a game of ping pong they'll say, "what a fuam!"...So, the English translation is "sup, balls!"...and "what a ball!"...Huh?...See, isn't that strangely fascinating?...Oh, and it also just rolls off the tongue...Fuams...Fuammy Fuam Fuam...It's great...Anyways, this blog entry should be short...I'm really tired...I've only got a few hours of sleep every night this week...So, I wanna take a nap...In other words, let's get this party started...
The picture above was taken from our high school...That's pretty much looking over the village of Tafuna, one of the most populated areas on the island...That's the main road I walk on everyday...You can kinda see the yellow McDonalds sign in the distance...Almost looks like a city in the states, huh?...Except there's those misty, dark, Lord of the Rings-esque mountains in the background...I love the depth the rain and clouds create with the mountains...It's enchantingly spectral...
The next few images are of Samoana High School...It's another school on island located in Pago Pago...Their football team is obviously called the Sharks...It's actually known as one of the crappier high schools...The kids, supposedly, behave horribly and the teachers are unmotivated and unprofessional...Last semester a group of Samoana boys beat up a drunk man and killed him...It, of course, was all over the news around here...David and Rebecca used to teach here...
Okay, today I want to talk about my weight loss program here on island...Essentially, it's not really a "program" at all...It's simply living on the island...In other words, while I'm in American Samoa my lifestyle completely changes...I eat less and I walk everywhere...And I always lose about 20 pounds...My diet has become this island...My weight loss program is living on this island...I've decided to report my weight loss on this here blog...I'll call it my "Weekly Samoan Diet Update"...Well, here it is...Weekly Samoan Diet Update:
August 4 (the day before I left for the island) = 200 pounds
August 16 = 195.6 pounds
Now, I'm not too happy with that 4 pound weight loss...I mean, I eat very little...Although, yesterday I eat three peanut-butter sandwiches after school...Yup, three!...I musta needed some carbs or something...I also walk at least 2 miles everyday...I think I might've walked almost 4 yesterday...So, why the heck did I only lose like 4 pounds in 2 weeks?...I guess I should be patient...If I lose 2 pounds per week I'll have lost 20 pounds in about 3 months...I wouldn't mind losing 30...I'm hoping this Weekly Weight Loss Update will hold me accountable...And I'll weigh 170 pounds by next May...
I suppose the issue I'd like to discuss here is how my own issues with weight is conflicting to the island's...You see, I'm obviously fanatical about my fatness...And I know I shouldn't be...I know life is too short to worry about that...I mean, Samoans are telling me this all the time...When the English teachers were all at the school last week preparing our classrooms, they kept wanting to get food...I swear every hour or so they would leave and get food and bring it back for everyone to eat...These Samoans love to eat...They love it a lot more than working that's for sure...I kept wanting to say "no" to their constant offerings of food and sometimes I did, but they just would not accept my refusal to eat...They'd say "come on Joe, you've been working all day"...and "Joe, you need to gain weight"...and "we'll start that diet tomorrow"...I even began to think "yeah, I do deserve this food"...and "hey, I'll just start my diet tomorrow"...and "hell, I only live once, right?"...These beggings to eat by my fellow teachers was naturally coming from over-weight, obese Samoans...And they seem happy and content with their bodies...They seem to be living life to its fullest...Apparently, I'm probably not...I'm constantly thinking about not being too fat...I wish I could be more like Samoans...And just simply eat...And be jolly...
My favorite movie so far this year is Hairspray and if you've seen it you'd know the moral of the story is that everyone should love themselves no matter how fat they are...The whole movie pretty much promotes being fat...I mean, don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the flick...But I'm weary of the message...Can you really be that happy when you're obese?...Can you really dance like that?...Can you really have legs and curves like John Travolta's Edna Turnblad?...And can you really find the love of your life like that?...Where's the diabetes that comes with obesity?...Where's the lack of energy?...It's all a tad unrealistic and shrewd...Isn't it?...Or does this movie and Samoans have it right?...Can you be totally satisfied and blissful while being fat?...Can you truly love yourself while being obese?...And what in the world is wrong with me if I can't believe this?...Why don't I trust this notion of fat people being self-confident?...I see weight gain as a sign of depression...And that the person's life has become out of control...But Samoans, and apparently everyone who has fallen in love with Hairspray (including myself), deems eating delicious, yummy, and fattening foods can lead to joy and comfort...And self-confidence...That living life to its fullest means being yourself...And if your self is fat and loves food, then enjoying who you are, even if you're fat, is what's important..."Hey, Mama, Welcome to the Sixties!"...Why can't I for the low self-esteem life of me believe this message?...Why don't I trust Samoans in their eating habits?...Am I being a fuam head?...
The picture above is the classic moment when Shawn and I decided to throw pebbles at Charlie and Chase as they slept at the Jellystone Campground...We had a time...
My Top Five Obsessions of the Week:
5. Pop Tarts = An excellent breakfast snack that comes in a smorges board of flavors...Current favorite?...Strawberry Milkshake...
4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling = No, I haven't finished it yet...(I've been too busy)...But it's still turning out to be Airry's (as Sue would say) most thrilling and profound adventure yet...And, perhaps, his most tragic...
3. Creative Writing = I'm teaching this class right now and it's awesome...I showed the class two pictures of an old couple and eskimos (from Shawn's America 24/7 book) and told them to write stories for the people in the images...My students created the most remarkable and splendid stories I ever could've imagined...I'm so proud!...
2. Fiji = Um, I'm not referring to the island that Shawn and I are planning to visit...I'm talking about the Hawaiian musician that makes groovy, Pina Colada-sippin, raggae-liscious, beach tunes that righteously chillax the soul...Wanna playlist?...You gotta download "Tequila Sunrise" and "Jowenna" and "Come on Over" and "Impossible"...Oi, and don't forget "Morning Ride", the song I listened to about twenty times in a row last night...
1. The Washington Post story about American Samoa = William told me that an article about his old high school he taught at in A.S., Leone, was the feature in the Washington Post's sports section just a few days ago...It's an outstanding portrait of life on the island...I NEED every one of you to read this story...I haven't read anything on the internet that correctly depicts this strange lil' rock and life on it...Well, until now...This is a superbly authentic tale of American Samoa today...And it also has some hella cool, 360 degree panorama shots...I wish I could take pictures like those...They illustrate so much...
Alright, why didn't you guys stop me?...I'm like the fricken Energizer bunny...I keep writing...And writing...And writing...Love ya and miss ya...
-JOE
"My dear guests! I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome...to Fantasy Island!"
-from the 1978 television show Fantasy Island
posted by Samoa Joe at 11:37 PM
3 Comments:
k, maybe my opinion doesn't count either cuz we raised by the same mother but I don't believe that message either...I do not believe anyone (in the states) wouldn't choose to be thinner if they could...also in Hairspray the men were fascinated with Tracy's dancing ability (even more so than the cute little blonde) I think that is a fallacy too...I think men would prefer a poor dancing hottie that overweight disco queen...anyways good luck to you on your island diet plan...start planning now on how you will carry the island plan over to the states when you come home for good...though we all know that you are in fact a perfect size but just have sick man-orexic issues...
I can't believe you were up to 200 lbs-that's huge!!! jk I, too feel uncomfortable if I feel overweight, but also love to eat-hence, calanetics! That was a very interesting and insightful article.
Love and miss you
all I have to say is 'airy potta' is amazing. And that made me laugh a lot when I read that - I forgot about that nice Mary Poppins moment we had of utter hilariousness. I to am fighting with the inevitable attack of the food and failing. But Mike is very pursuasive in telling me how wonderful food is !!! ;) our new thing is that we're going to diet as soon as we get back from jamaica. have you ever heard of such foolishness? who diets after their wedding? that'd be us. 17 days til jamaica mon!
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