Wackyfish

Cyclone damage not only ripped roofs off of homes and downed phone and power lines, but it took out 80% of the islands Taro plants, Ulu trees (breadfruit) and fa'i (banana) trees. (Samoa has about 11 varieties of bananas. Only two of, which are sweet like the banana's we eat in the states. The other 9 varieties taste like a strange potato with the texture of a banana. It's wacky). While the infrastructure damage can be repaired with enough manpower and AID funding (there is plenty on it's way), crops just take time. The majority of Samoa population exists on subsidence farming. They grow their own crops of taro, ulu and fa'i (Banana) and supplement it with fish or chicken. However most of the fishing boats were damaged in the storm. The chickens here are "free range" and my Samoa family lost most of theirs in the high winds, as did everyone else. So now without crops, most of the fishing boats damaged in the storm and the chicken population gone missing, a major famine is predicted for the island. I was at the big food market Friday and I must say that the pickings were real slim. Usually I can find an abundance of Chinese cabbage, eggplant, beans, and other good veggies. Friday there was mostly Fala (pineapple), Mago (mango) and what was left of the fa'i (banana) crop.
Those families with money can buy tinned fish, or beef, and bread. But the bread is the equivalent of white wonder bread and has nearly no nutritional value, and the tinned meats while containing protein also contain huge amounts of fat. Fortunately I make enough money with the PC that I will be able to get whatever Moa (chicken) and i'a (pronounced "eee-ah": fish) is left. It will be expensive for a while, but while I make almost nothing, I still make a hell of a lot more than most Samoans. This sort of makes sense because volunteers don't subsidence farm, or have anyone at home to do it for them like large Samoan families do.
Anyway, all this to say that I am worried about the health and harmony of my country (well my country for now). Previous to the cyclone it was a place where hunger and starvation didn't exist, and crime was very low. Food was as close as the nearest Ulu tree and fish were abundant and easy to get.
(On a side note: while hunger was never a problem here malnutrition was. No child can live on taro or ulu alone. These issues however were being addressed with some success by education programs at the Ministry of national health. I am proud to say that several PC volunteers were main architects of these nutrition educational programs. Hopefully these programs will resume as soon as things return to normal here.) And crime is typically right on the heals of any shortage of food.
Samoa is a beautiful tropical paradise. The people are amazing and wonderful with bigger hearts than anyone I have ever known. They will give you the shirt of their back if you asked them for it and they would walk ten miles to do it. Their generosity and love is in such great measures that I found it incomprehensible at first. And there has been political peace (and relatively low government corruption) here for the past 40 plus years. Statistics not shared by most other major south pacific islands. Anyway, I love this place. I love that everyone in my village already knows my name, where I work and that I had no water over the weekend. I love that the bus driver not only waits when he sees me but backs up his huge bus to get me. I love the beauty and peace and grace of this island. And I am anxious and sad to see what will happen to its population in the wake of the oncoming famine.