Happy New Year!

Our Beach Fale on Namua Island

This past week started out with a wonderful adventure.  We wanted to be some of the first people on earth to welcome in the new year so we went to an island on the far eastern end of this island (Upolu) so as to be right on the edge of the International Date Line.

We went over to Namua Island just a

Giant Bats (3 feet across)

Our well-traveled hammock at Namua

short boat ride over to the island over beautiful clear blue water and white sands.  We stayed there for the day and night without electricity on what has to be one of the most beautiful and idyllic beaches we have ever visited.  We stayed that night in a fale just a couple of feet from the surf.  In fact, a few waves washed under the fale in the middle of the night.  We ate a traditional meal baked on an Umu oven including roast pig, taro, and chop suey.  We were bedded down in our fale waiting for the new year when suddenly, everyone in the camp counted down (in their fales) and welcomed in the new year!  As far as we can tell, we were the first handful of humans to experience it.  For the next 24 hours it finally caught up to us in American Samoa just a few miles to the east of us.

Sea Turtle at Namua

We had a peaceful night.  By opening the tarp just a bit, we had a steady ocean breeze on us all night long.  Elder Lloyd hiked up to the top of the mountain on the island and saw some of the large flying foxes.  At sunset, the sky was filled with hundreds of them making their way over to the main island to get their fill of papaya and other fruit they deem delicious!

The boys who ran the boat, jumped over the boat and pulled up a sea turtle.  They brought it to shore for our viewing enjoyment.

We have spent the rest of our week preparing lessons and getting ready for our classes this coming week.  We are busy and happy!