some snaps Ian took on the day I got my new camera (!)
Away from desk
A little change of scenery this week. I spent the last three days traveling from American Samoa to Virginia, with a quick stop in Arizona for an overnight layover with my sister and her family, and I got to see my bestie for a hottt second. The conference I’m here for starts tomorrow and I should probably catch some zzz’s soon so I can get over this jet lag.
Love you bubby
Earth Day wave
Talofa and taeao manuia from American Samoa!
It’s Earth Day 2019 and we started our morning bright and early with something we call a “wave”. The wave was coordinated by AS EPA, and majority of the island’s environmental agencies (American Samoa National Park Service, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, Coral Reef Advisory Group, Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources, Department of Education, S.T.E.A.M. committee) and a couple of student climate advocacy clubs joined in on the wave. Our congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, and Miss American Samoa Magalita Johnson were also there waving along with us. It was great to see everyone coming together to celebrate our Earth.
Now “what’s a wave?” you might ask. It’s something that I realize is actually kind of unique to Samoa, usually to bring awareness to something – in this case, Earth Day. A group of people will stand on the side of the road with big colorful signs, and literally wave at drivers and passersby. This gathering will yell things like “Happy Earth Day!” and “Say no to styrofoam!” to get the message across. It’s normally done about 7am on the main road to get the most visibility during the commute to work and school. There’s also typically loud music blaring to encourage good vibes, and you can tell the vibe is right when people are dancing, smiling, and waving, eliciting generous honks to further promote those good vibes. And it’s a lot of fun!
How did you celebrate Earth Day?
Blabbing to unwind for a little bit
Ah what a lovely weekend it has been. Finally got to really relax the last couple of days – getting up early and doing yoga, journaling, crocheting, finished reading a book and started on another, and watching a bunch of random youtube videos. Oh, and the new Game of Thrones episode (which was soooo good)! Ian and I also tidied up the apartment and rearranged some furniture. That phrase itself sounds so grown up, doesn’t it? Hahah.
This upcoming week is going to be another hectic one so I’m especially grateful to slow down for a bit. I’ve got a lot of deadlines this week, and I’m traveling to Virginia on Thursday for a conference, which means I have to tick them off my to-do list asap. And packing… ugh, packing. I had to start this weekend so I wouldn’t keep postponing it until the 11th hour like I usually do. Plus, I shopped for pasalubongs for my siblings so I had to make sure I could fit it all in my carry-on because, oh yeah, I have a couple short layovers in Phoenix, and I’m gonna get to see my sister, Chris, Sam, and my favorite little nephew and niece!! I might also get to see Tuyet, which makes me so so so happy because I haven’t seen her since last summer, and that was super short too. But anyhow, that’s what I’m most looking forward to right now, getting to see my Arizona family next weekend.
Tomorrow is Earth Day, and even though I’m a huge proponent for “every day is earth day”, I also plan to use this time to reflect on my low waste journey to date, and how I can continue to improve and achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. Ooh, it’s almost 11pm now, so I better hit the hay girl hayyy.
Manuia le po! xoxo