14.02.2018 - Thoraya Abdul-Rassol was on a one year assignment as Support Officer with the Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC). She returned to New Zealand in December 2016.
It’s been one month since coming to Samoa to start this journey of which I have been dreaming since I was a little girl and I’ve already:
- Gotten stung by something which made my foot blister. The bright side is it happened playing with a bunch of kids on Manono Island.
- Been chased by dogs while riding my bike from work. The bright side is I saw it coming and yelled at them (note to self: work on hiding fear in voice) also, I didn’t get bitten.
- Been barked at by a pack of dogs on a daily basis. The bright side is now I know how to deal with them. Rocks are very helpful in this department.
- Gotten an ear infection which made me bed ridden for almost 2 weeks. The bright side is I know where the doctor and pharmacies are.
- Fainted from said ear infection for standing when my balance was non existent. The bright side is I woke up clutching the door frame and I didn’t hit my head.
- Gone on a road trip around Upolo. The bright side is, I WENT ON A ROAD TRIP AROUND UPOLO.
- Been to Namua Island with other volunteers. The highlights were seeing the bat colony and snorkelling so long I was too tired to swim to shore.
- Made good relations with my work colleagues. The bright side is that they’re the loveliest people I could have asked to work with.
- Started taking Samoan language lessons. The bright side is that I’m learning another language!
- Gotten used to the dog fights that happen all night long.
- Gotten used to what time it is at night based on when the roosters crow.
So a lot has happened in this first month. All good, and even those not so good make for epic stories to tell and lessons learnt.
Swimming with the kids at Manono
Snorkelling the day away at Namua Island
Abandoned Church