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Diabetes is endemic. Elephantiasis is also a problem although it is possible to get a once a year shot that protects individuals. Medicine here is socialized, so people have no excuse for ill health, but they do love their turkey tails and their crackling pork not to speak of every vegetable lathered in coconut cream.
Efficiency is not part of the Samoan way, although hospitality is. As we got to know more about the town, we understood it to be rather more tribal than civilized. The church to a large degree, controls behavior, but near where the yachts more are two clans with strong jealousies who have recently fought a turf war.
In the old days, at about dusk, couples would wander off along for a little sexual recreation. The churches established "Sa" to circumvent this nasty little habit. Between 6:00 and 6:15 all activity was to stop. Church wardens made sure the ban was kept. For years "Sa" was not enforced on the bay, but after the two clans had a bust-up over territorial infringements, they have both become strong on enforcing "Sa".
About a dozen boats are occupied with live-aboarders here. Most of the boats are rather deteriorated, to say the least, but their occupants have to the last man, been as friendly and welcoming to us as the natives. Cliff and Karyn aboard "Odyssey" made cookies for us and then gave us access to their huge music collection. Mich of "Komphy" works at the hospital keeping their air-conditioning and medical machines working. For a hobby he plays with computers and writes articles for Latitudes and Attitudes. Mich ordered a new color printer for us over the Internet.
I did a bit of research on my grandfather, who was out here in the late 1920. The library is bright and new. AS receives about $130 million in aid each year. Things are built with grants --- and then not maintained. They crumble until they must be replaced. But the languorous natives are hard to faze. Nothing seems to matter.
Everyone in American Samoa seems to have a ready smile. But in this culture of laziness, people don't like to go to much trouble. Take the ice cream counter at the petrol station.
"What flavors of ice ream do you have today?" asked Michael.
"Strawberry," said the 200 pound fat girl behind the counter.
"Only strawberry?"
"Yeah."
"OK, two strawberry ice creams."
As the girl began to scoop it from a container in the chest freezer Michael eased around the counter as though to help.
"Oh, I see chocolate! Could you make that one strawberry and one chocolate?" he asked.
"Sure."
I took my CD disc into the local stationery shop to upload info on to the Internet.
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