20051Feb 14
I am going home now. I sat comfortably in my rocking chair and duvet. I have taken a hot bath and eaten Kelly's roast beef sandwich. I hardly packed it. But then again, I have no dirty clothes to wash ... even clothes. Everything I bring home is gifts, hand sanitizer, books/notebooks and food. All my Palaggi clothes are in plastic bags in Lotofaga and Alfa.
I'm back in Georgetown, and I'm already planning my next trip abroad. Will it be Turkey during spring break? Another deposit insurance in 2006 1 month? Or will you work at home and abroad after graduation? I only know that the more times I travel, the more I want to see it. I remember Dr. Venuti once told me, "The more you learn, the less you know." This is how I feel about traveling. The more places I go, the more people I see and the more people I meet, which only makes me want to do more things, see more things and talk more. I cherish the friendship and ties I have established in Samoa and Fiji more than anything the Pacific islands can give me.
I talked to Sarah Watson a few hours ago. (I'm still jet-lagged, I haven't slept yet) She said something like "I'm sure you have a lot of stories to tell. I know I do. But they may not be so interesting. " I said to myself ... and answered something like this ... "Stories about interpersonal relationships are always interesting. The location is just the background of the story. " I can go anywhere in the world ... even Drew ... I will have many interesting stories to tell this semester.
The only difference is that the people I met this semester are different from anyone I have ever met. I have roommates from New Guinea Dad, Vanuetta, Fiji and Solomon Islands. In Drew, my usual roommates are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. I work with Momo Feng Lei Che, a famous Pacific island artist. I spent a lot of time at the Baha 'i Temple in Papata, Tiya and the Tiya Papata Art Center, with a woman who was born in Massachusetts. She was two months older than me. I heard crazy travel stories from New Zealanders, Australians, Germans and British medical students.
It's a little strange to arrive in Los Angeles. Danielle and I said goodbye in a hurry because we had limited time to reach our respective terminals. However, on the plane, I talked with a Peace Corps volunteer from Samoa. I've only been in Samoa for three months, and I feel so overloaded that I'm almost crying. She has been in Samoa for two years and looks terrible. Sorry, bad choice of words. It's intense, really. Starting from downtown Samoa, a main road can take you around the whole island/country and reach the central part of Los Angeles, where houses are next to each other, with no backyard except a swimming pool. White people look strange, too No offense, really. I remember when I arrived in Samoa, I couldn't recognize the different features of Samoan faces. I mastered it in less than a week. Now I have to readjust and do the same thing for Paragis. Walking in the aisle of the plane, I felt ridiculous-everyone was talking on their cell phones. Nobody talked, asked about their trip, or even just said hello. This is a very different atmosphere, from Honolulu to Samoa's original plane trip-most Samoans are on the plane.
I'm still jet lagged. I have been up for a while. I tried to sleep, but to no avail. Now I just listen to my Pacific Island remix, look at the pictures and try to write the last article for my diary.
I admire everyone who has read The Wall Street Journal. These comments make me less homesick, and these items also benefit me a lot, because they allow me to think about something through writing. What I wrote in this diary is only a small part of all the places, people and feelings I met.
If you want to know more ... ask.
Call me and we can go out for coffee.
"No matter where we go, across the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean, we meet, not so much similar as' strange'. When we travel, some things will surprise us, while others will not.
Miriam Beard
Fa soifua。
For now.
Love, Sidney.