A week ago, we spent the week working in
Savaii. This required us to perform a
Monday morning ritual of getting up at 5:00 a.m., drive for one hour to catch
the ferry and travel an hour and a half to Savaii. I always sit on the top deck where the wind
can blow through my hair and the air is fresher. Theron usually sits in the car and sleeps or
reads.
Today Theron came to sit with me on the top
deck. I have been reading a book of the
best articles from Erma Bombeck. Erma
and I were friends (through her books) through my new mother years, buying
Tupperware years, decorating a home years and just generally family growing up
years. Theron knows how much I enjoyed
reading her writings and how they made me laugh – they were so true. I mentioned to him that I should try to spice
up our blog with some wit similar to Erma’s writings. He looked at me and finally said, “You? Write like her? Not possible.
Claire can write like Erma, but not you.”
He’s right.
I have no witty comebacks to what people say and I can’t make fun of
myself – there’s too much to make fun of and I wouldn’t know where to
start. When our family gets together all
the kids and Theron and even their spouses can banter wit and cute sayings back
and forth. I nod and try to participate
but my responses always come hours later.
When I speak them forth, everyone looks at me with questioning eyes and
total questioning wonderment. I know
they are thinking, “She’s lost it this time for sure. Just smile at her.”
Well, I’m going to try a little humor in
this blog and maybe, just maybe turn over a large banana leaf.
It’s Not Adrian’s Trip to Savaii
When Adrian and Todd travelled with us to
Savaii a few weeks ago, we stayed in a lovely resort, LeLagoto. Our rooms were beautiful, we had nice
dinners, and there was a very lovely sandy beach and great snorkelling
water. A real 4-star experience (there
are no 5-stars in Savaii).
The Savaiian Hotel, which is where we are
staying this week, is a 1-star experience at best. Now we have stayed here before and we kindof,
sortof knew what it was. It was clean
and functional. This time we get put
into a family room that left lots to be desired.
First, the 4-star had electrical
outlets. We always carry
around lots of things that need electricity - our iPads, computer, Kindles,
hair dryer and phone. Most often we even
have a projector with us. Life in the
4-star was good. At the Savaiian
(1-star), we had two electrical outlets both residing at the 8-foot high level. One had the air conditioner plugged into it –
a necessity, so don’t mess with that one.
The other had the "large" 12-inch TV plugged into it – I suppose it worked, it was so small and so high that I couldn’t really see it so we didn't turn it on. Worthless, I really don’t know why they
bothered putting it in there. No
electrical outlet in the bathroom. In
such cases of emergency, I always let my McGyver come with me. (Did I ever mention how fun it has been all
these years living with McGyver?) He took
a coat hanger, wrapped an extension cord around it, plugged the extension cord
into the 8 foot level power outlet (one only) and tucked the excess wire into
one of the window panels. That got the
extension cord down to the level where we could plug a 4-place USB charger into it
and have power for the iPad, charging the phone and charging our wireless
speaker. We need all of these things. See the picture to believe it.
Next, McGyver found the extension plug that
allowed the refrigerator to work. We
never did find the source of its power.
We had to use this plug to operate the hairdryer and charge the
projector and computer. Now, the
hairdryer is essential both day and night in Samoa – wet hair from the shower
in the morning, wet hair from sweating in the evening. So, I unplug the refrigerator, plug-in the
hairdryer stand and look at a concrete wall or out the sliding doors and hope
my hair looks normal enough for the day – there is no mirror in the sleeping
area. You hope for the best hairdo you
can get under the circumstances. In
writing this, sitting at one of the chapels we are working on, I just had the
thought that I hope we re-plugged the refrigerator? If not good-bye yogurt.
When traveling to Savaii, we have our car –
a big suitcase – so we don’t bother packing clothes in a suitcase we just bring
them on hangers. They ride so much nicer
in the car that way. Well, our 1-star
room has no closet or even a rod to hang clothes on.
There is an open shelf above the refrigerator with just enough clearance
for the hook of the hanger to be placed on it and clearance enough for a shirt
to just barely clear the top of the counter.
My skirts are too long, so they were laid neatly on the extra roll-away bed
in the room.
Now, our 4-star room had a nice king size
bed, a couple of chairs, a nice desk and a table with two chairs. A 1-star room has a double size bed, two
roll-away beds, a table and one chair.
Go figure. If four people can
sleep in this room, why is there just one chair?
Okay, we can live under these circumstances
for a week. Everything except the COLD
shower. The first morning shower was a
real eye-opener. I waited, waited,
waited for the shower water to get warm.
It never happened; it didn’t even get past the chill. I hate cold showers. Telling this to McGyver, he goes outside,
finds some kind of propane water heater, turns it on and he has hot water. The justice is that it didn’t last the full
length of the shower. For the next four
mornings, he was kind enough to try and get hot water for me; but, a little bit
of luke warm was about all I ever got.
We survived the week. We are now home where I have a hairdryer in
the bathroom with a mirror, we have a myriad of choices for plugs, we have
consistent hot water for showers, and my clothes can hang in a nice closet.
Signed
- Roughing it in Samoa
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