December 2018


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Melissa McAllister

I struggled to complete my application then, while on the verge of giving up, CARPIMS emailed about the application extension!

I had obtained a BSc Accounting Special degree at UWI and I’m doing a Master’s in Development Studies with my thesis topic in micro finance at the National University of Samoa (NUS) through the CARPIMS programme.

My Samoan experience had a rough start... we were robbed within the first night of my colleague’s arrival but the university moved us within the day. I feel very safe here and the scenery is lovely. I started teaching dance to children and adults, assisting the dance group Salsa Samoa by conducting dance classes and organizing performances at different social events. I am also learning the cultural dances of the Polynesian Islands. Luckily for me, most Samoans speak English pretty well. I speak slowly because my "Trini accent" is a bit difficult to understand (but they still love to hear it).

A Samoan funeral and the Si'i (gift exchange) are interesting. The custom is for people to carry gifts for the family of the deceased and in return the family gives gifts. We went with NUS staff to present a bouquet and gift items to a staff member’s family and among the many gifts to NUS were raw chicken, pigs and cows. As a result funerals are so expensive that people often take loans to cover the cost.

Living conditions generally are very simple and open. In most villages, families live in open houses or "fales". Samoans are not very materialistic so they don’t desire many possessions and they can manage to live in houses with no walls. For most families in rural areas living conditions appear less than desirable though they seem fine with their way of simple living. Samoans call the areas where families live ‘better off’, a "palagi"/foreign lifestyle. They eat a lot of meat especially pork and do not cook with a lot of seasoning. Their dress code, like everything else, is very simple; it’s very normal to see men and women in a T-shirt and "lava lava" (wrap skirt) along with a pair of slippers ( which they quite often refer to as shoes).

Both Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago enjoy the closeness of families, although this is more prevalent in Samoa because of traditional customs of living in the same compound. Also Samoa appears to be 10 years behind our country in terms of development. Samoans are less vocal, especially when in the presence of authority.

The world now seems a smaller place. In Samoa I have made friends from all over the world. The Pacific region is a culturally enriched region, though with development challenges. I have learnt to observe the customs and practices of a different culture and use this information to better understand individuals. Moreover I have learnt to be grateful for many things that I once took for granted. You can live a simple life and be happy.

Ramona Boodoosingh

I completed a BSc in Chemistry and Management and a Post Graduate Diploma in Mediation Studies at UWI. Here I’m pursuing a Masters in Development Studies at NUS. My thesis research focuses on support services for survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. The experience has been amazing.

As with all countries, there have been the good, the bad and the ugly. I am grateful for the opportunity to be reminded of how much I took for granted at home. I am a vegetarian and within two days of being in Samoa, I realized starvation was a real possibility. Vegetarians find it rather difficult here. I decided to eat seafood - it is not full proof as I have often faced a plate of many meats which do not include fish!

Electricity is very expensive, internet plans are done by data and purchasing drinking water is advisable. Honestly, I miss YouTube........a lot. It is amazing to live in a country where the culture is thousands of years old and some parts are so strikingly beautiful and unique. Artefacts tell of ancient stories and I often feel that I am living an episode of National Geographic.

Samoa used to exist for me only on an atlas. When natural disasters occurred, I felt sad but did not empathize. Now these are my friends’ homes and this is also my region. I was really blessed to intern with the UN Women Multi Country Office, under the Ending Violence Against Women Programme.

I try the Samoan language with sometimes tragic results. I accidentally called a matai (chief), a chicken pen (pamoa) by misspelling his name (panoa) in a group email. This resulted in my "punishment" of fruit smoothies for all!

Traditions are deeply entrenched in Samoa; Fa'asamoa (Samoan way) is an integral part of life. Family and the church are very important. Modesty in dress for women is preferred with the traditional dress being called the pulatasi, a top which reaches to the knees or below and a floor length skirt.

Taro (dasheen) and coconut are as basic a food item as rice, roti and bread in Trinidad and Tobago. Interestingly, cassava is considered pig (pua'a) food so it is not easy to find. The traditional cooking method is the umu, constructed above ground using heated lava stones to bury the food which has been wrapped in some cases in banana or taro leaves. It is normally constructed on Sunday for the Sunday lunch by the men in the family.

In closing, please send me salt fish, Maggi vegetable soup and preserved mango.

About Caribbean-Pacific Mobility Scheme (CARPIMS)

CARPIMS nurtures cooperation and mobility between regions in the areas of postgraduate education and staff development. It is funded by the Education, Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Union. CARPIMS comprises 10 Caribbean and South-Pacific Higher Education Institutions which act as host institutions. The University of Porto and UNICA provide technical and other assistance. The project forges strong cooperative links, enhances institutional capacity and creates an active network of the host institutions to directly address common issues and challenges.

For details, one-on-one application assistance, visit: www.sta.uwi.edu/carpims or email CARPIMS@sta.uwi.edu. Applications close March 31, 2014