I got ma rum and ma Red Bull

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  Apia, Upolu, Samoa
Saturday, February 11, 2012

Today is the last full day in Samoa. To celebrate our last day we went on "Rock Da Boat" last night – essentially a small yacht with a bar and DJ that sails around the marina at Apia for a few hours. The water was a bit choppy however it was hilarious. Vailima is the drink of choice in Samoa because of its ubiquity and cheapness. Nevertheless, I'm not a big beer drinker however Vailima is excellent as it’s refreshing, easy to drink with a pleasant taste. It is much nicer than Heineken which in my opinion is just foul. After “Rocking da boat” we headed to Club X and ended up back at home at a respectable time on account of the fact that everything closes in Samoa at midnight.

I also learnt briefly about the art of the Samoan tattoo. This art is steeped in tradition and is of deep personal significance to a Samoan. The way the tattoo used to be traditionally applied can only be described as a brutal process, that I believe is still in use today. The tools used to insert the ink into the skin are of various sizes and shapes but look like miniature axes. These are plunged deep into the skin, and the blood and pus that forms as a result has to be cleaned away. No anaesthesia is given to the person and the process can take up to several weeks. Men usually have the trouser pattern, with a tattoo extending from their hips to the knees covering the diameter of the leg whereas women just have a small area above and below the knees. Sometimes men also have large tattooed patterns on their back and arms which provide intricate details of their family. Fascinating, although it did make me shudder...

These four weeks have been excellent and despite doing a lot of sightseeing I have learnt a lot about Mental Health in Samoa and Samoan society.

Personal Highlights:

-         Beautiful country with plentiful sunshine except when there are tropical downpours or cyclones

·         Friendly people – you can easily strike up a conversation with anyone

·         Interesting placement – although I didn’t get any practical experience whatsoever or learnt much about medicine, I learnt a lot of psych and had an engaging and interesting tutor who literally knew everything about everything.

·         Visiting a Samoan prison and Old Person’s Home

·         Lalomanu Beach and the trip to Manono stick out as some of my favourite places

·         Snorkelling for the first time

·         Coconuts galore

·         Fiafia show

·         No stress, no lists, no schedules (I’ve changed)

Low points:

·         Being eaten alive by mosquitoes and other assorted insects

·         The wind and rain on Savai’i

·         The Polynesian Rat experience

·         Tropical downpours that never end

·         The hounds

It’s been a great 4 weeks, let’s see what Australia and Melbourne has to offer.

Fa’afetai and Tofa Soifua Samoa!

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