Today I met with a local MP. He comes from the East coast of Samoa from the village of Malaela. We took the drive with him to his village to visit the people hit worst by the September Tsunami, last year.
The drive out is very scenic. The west cost road offers breathtaking beach views around every corner. Blue waters, rocky shore breaks, and people sleeping in open fales. After a steep climb up and a winding ride down through lush plantations, the East side is stark contrast.
There is still a lot of damage to homes and buildings. Debris is everywhere and concrete structures are now a crumbling mess. We drove to Malaela to meet some of his people who had relocated after the tsunami.
Five hundred meters in to the bush was the distance the tsunami traveled inland. At this point there was a clear water spring in a rainforest setting. Women were washing clothes while children splashed in the shallows.
It was a serene place, such contrast to the sight 500m back. I felt a peaceful energy from the pool and from seeing these women busy with everyday activity. Life going on after such tragedy was a welcome scene.
We stayed for lunch, my first taste of Samoan food. We had coconut milk and sago, it was beautiful. The main dish was soft minced meat that I really enjoyed. I told our host how much I liked the way it was prepared. This brought much laughter. She presented the can, it was corned beef and was made in Australia!
The family are living in make shift accommodation. A new fale is being built next to it by habitat for humanity. Our host has replanted her bean plants next to the fale. They will not move back to the coast. This is their home now.
It seems a slow process, getting back to normality after loosing everything. But there in the jungle, they’re taking it one day at a time.
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