Its been 22 years since I taught in any school anywhere. (I can reliably count from when daughter Zion was born because that's when I quit teaching so I could be a full-time parent to our second premature baby!) In those 22 years, I have taught children, teenagers and adults at church, I've done the… Continue reading Who’s the teacher?
Category: Samoa
In Praise of Mourning.
Writing accumulated over the year that was the first without Dad. I'm officially in mourning. The Victorians had it right. Change your wardrobe. All black. Curtail your activities and social outings. You didnt get invited to balls and soirees because everybody knew you were in mourning. For the Jewish faith, there is Shiva. The 30-day… Continue reading In Praise of Mourning.
An Open Letter to the Minister for Sport in Samoa, and to the Oceania National Olympic Committee, I write as a triathlete (the slowest one in the country), the wife of a triathlete (who's not the slowest one in the country), a volunteer triathlon organiser, and more recently, the Team Manager for the National Squad.… Continue reading
Changing the world for my Daughter
Bella's doing NCEA English, and she needs to read and then write essay responses to poems and short stories. I'm ridiculously proud-happy I could give her a copy of Va and say, HERE YA GO. CHOOSE SOMETHING FROM THIS ANTHOLOGY OF WRITING FROM 38 MOANA WOMEN. I didnt have those choices when I was in… Continue reading Changing the world for my Daughter
Adventures of a Team Manager
How does a hermit writer and dedicated sloth get made a Team Manager for a triathlon squad prepping to go to the Pacific Games? I'm not quite sure. What I do know for sure is that my car is now full of gear that I never needed a few months ago. Like goggles, swim caps,… Continue reading Adventures of a Team Manager
Random Kid on a Beach
Yesterday at triathlon training, we had an aquathon (swim and run). As the squad is doing warmup laps and we're organising the setup for transition, I notice a young boy come wandering over. Ragged shorts, no shoes. Avidly curious as he watches the squad swim. He goes up to Darren. Greets him with a confident,… Continue reading Random Kid on a Beach
Lagi
When an ali'i (High Chief) passes away, there are certain ceremonies and protocol followed. One of these is the Lagi where the extended family acknowledges the fa'aaloalo that the village has given to the ali'i due to his/her many years of service. The village acknowledges the ali'i service, contributions and achievements that have brought honor… Continue reading Lagi
Give me the Night.
Storytime. About Darren. About my Dad. About family. And the practicalities of death. When a burial must take place within 24 hours SOMEBODY has to make it happen. Somebody who knows what they're doing, has all the necessary equipment, somebody who can drop everything and come make the grave ready. For us, that somebody, was… Continue reading Give me the Night.
A love never doubted.
Sixty years ago our mother Marita Aroha Johnson was a beautiful new bride who left her home and her family in Aotearoa New Zealand to come live in Samoa. At Dad's farewell she spoke about how when (our super handsome😉) Dad proposed to her on a NZ beach, he told her he would take her… Continue reading A love never doubted.
Gone.
Written on 20th February 2023. On Friday the 17th of February, at 10.40am, at home with my mother sitting beside him, and my brother Cam whispering in his ear "I love you Dad. It will be alright. Everything will be alright" - Dad quietly slipped away. We didnt have time to cry though because he… Continue reading Gone.