Telesā:The Covenant Keeper is set in present day Samoa. An island nation in the South Pacific where I was born and educated, and where until recently, I was raising my five children. We’ve been living in New Zealand for 9 months now and while we like our new Kiwi home, being away from Samoa has made me appreciate my homeland so much more. As we celebrate the launch of the Telesā book, we pay tribute to Samoa, the “Treasured Islands of the Pacific” with an I LOVE SAMOA day.
Tell us one reason why YOU love Samoa and you could win one of many stunning gifts from the Pacific’s leading design store, Plantation House that are up for grabs in the next 24 hrs. The more people who join the fun with their LOVE SAMOA feedback, the more prizes I will give away. How to enter?
1. Leave a comment on this blog. Tell us ONE thing you love about Samoa. = + 1 entry
2. Click LIKE and leave a comment on the LaniWYoung FaceBook page, telling ONE thing you love abt Samoa = +1entry
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet ONE reason using hashtag #ILoveSamoa = +1 entry
4. Leave a comment AND a link to an example of what you love about Samoa on any of the above and you get a DOUBLE entry. (Eg can be a photo or a website link.) = 2 entries
And in case you’ve never been to Plantation House, here’s a peek at the kinds of gifts they have to offer.
Lani Wendt Young 
Why I love Samoa? Where do I start?! If I have to pick one, I would have to say that I love Samoa because its a nation of the friendliest, warmest and most welcoming people I have ever met. Every time I go there, Samoans everywhere make me feel like a member of their families, make me feel at home. I love Samoa.(And i think I must have been Samoan in a previous life!)
I Love Samoa (and especially the pretty sight of entering the village of Uafato from high above on the 4 wheel drive road)- mainly because my husband and I have moved here and we are enjoying visiting all the villages around both main islands, meeting the wonderful people, listening to their stories, and doing what we can to help rebuild Samoan tourism post-tsunami.
I agree anon – Samoans are a very friendly people. I didnt always appreciate that but now? I miss it.Hi Debbie – Im always slightly in awe of visitors who come to Samoa to stay and then love it. In spite of the heat, dirt, bugs and other less than fun aspects! It sounds like youre having an amazing time.
The smiles. So easy to give and receive them in Samoa. When i moved overseas, that was one of the biggest cultural shocks–no one does it!! that's why I love Samoa :))
I Love Samoa because I am Samoan. I was born in American Samoa and lived there the first 5 years of my life. And haven't returned. I know I suck. I do vaguely remember as a lil child being in my undies and playing in the rain with my sisters. So rain in the states always take me back to that.. BTW, just finished chapter ONE and I can't wait to get home and keep reading. If my boss only knew I'm reading and not working hehe.
OMG easy peasy… #ILOVESAMOA because its home. leaga o si teine e home grown lol! malo Lani- happy weekending 🙂
I love Samoa because I can smack my child soundly and not have to worry about anti-smacking bills and my kids calling the cops to report me. I love Samoa because there's just something quaint about looking forward to Sunday drives around the Mulinuu round-about over and over and not ever get tired of it. I love Samoa because no matter how old you are, you still fear your mother's jandal on your head and your father's backhand. I love Samoa because it's small enough that everyone knows everyone, but big enough that you still have SOME sort of privacy in your life. I love Samoa because it is the only home I have ever know. Thank you for the question 🙂
I love Samoa because Samoa loved me first! LOL!Samoa raised me …-the land nourished me-the ocean bathed me-the plants and flowers clothed me-the fale sheltered me-the elders taught me-the aiga protected me-and the sky inspired meThank you Samoa!
I love Samoa because it made provided the cocoon within which I was raised. Raising a kid on the big, bad developed world is a little daunting and I'm only appreciating now how easy we had it, wrapped up in that little, protective world.xx
Correction in my first comment – "it's the only home I've ever KNOWN" not "know" LOL. That's ok, I'm Samoan, I'm allowed to be a fob 🙂
1st lot of Progress Prizes – We've had ten comments, and I love the beautiful expressions of why we love and appreciate Samoa. I put yr names in a paper bag and asked my 3yr old to pick one…First winner of a Plantation House gift is LILIDONNA. Thanks for participating Lilidonna and I need a postal address emailed to me. (the sooner the better because these mealofa's are calling my name and Im sooo tempted to use them myself, lol) Ten more thoughts go up and we can award the next gift.
I love Samoa because it was there that I fell in love with a beautiful (tattooed) Samoan man who can cook, clean and entertain children better than any guy I know and still flex those gorgeous muscles on the rugby field!
Okay so if I post up another comment, do I get to go in the second draw? This sucks, I WANT those throw cushions. Hahaha.
When in Samoa a feeling of belonging comes over me. In Samoa I don't worry if I fit in or if I'm out of the norm. I am Samoan and I carry that love of Samoa no matter where I may roam. I love that Samoa is me!!!Lita Sagato
I love Samoa because you can go "swimming" (translated as wading and splashing for me and my fellow sinking fobs) you can be FULLY CLOTHED and not looked at funny. LOL!And I love the beautiful beaches. And the FOOOOOD!And because that's where Lani is from (bonus points? 😀 )
Another prize giving update! Thanks to FB adding to the tally of I Love Samoa comments, we have exceeded another 10. Once again, i added the new names to the paperbag and got the Beast to pick one – this Plantation House gift goes to TEINE KANATA waaaaaay over there in Canada! Thank you, pls email me your address so i can send it out to you.
Hi Lani, you don't need to include me in the comp 🙂 but your question made me think long and hard about what I love about Samoa so I wrote about it as a blog entry. Who said I loved anything about Samoa?
I love Samoa because the culture is based on the traditional ''rule''. Alofa(love) Everything you experience in Samoa is a transparency of love. No matter how you look at it, it all about love and God is love. It's all natural the bugs, the trees, the beaches, the food, the people everything it's at it's natural stage. It's a third world country according to the human pupil, but it's first class according to the laws of nature.