OK, well we’ve arrived … Dunno so much about the culture shock but wasn’t expecting the depth of third world conditions.
Left Christchurch in 6 degrees and arrived to 30 degrees…ouch! Especially when you are still in trousers and sneakers. Plus when we arrived Air NZ managed to lose Rosie’s suitcase, seems the check-in chick in Christchurch figured it was quicker to hit ‘reprint’ for baggage tags for the people behind us, so needless to say the impossible happened (Air New Zealand’s words) and our bags had the same baggage tag numbers as the people behind us!
The first 48 hours was probably the most intense time I have spent for quite some time. Up at 5.30am in time to race into Apia for the first of 2 meetings with the Prime Minister to discuss our IT strategies; stops at Air New Zealand; the local Newspaper; a meeting with the Minister of Tourism; a meeting with the General Manager of Lands, a visit to one of the local radio stations and then if that wasn’t enough a meeting with Digicel to discuss strategy for the launch of the SWAP Samoa Limousine.
All of this in 33 degrees heat plus trying to fit into the Samoan concept of time!
And the pace didn’t really let up much over the next few days but I think we were starting to acclimatise by then, we had a tour of a good part of the main island where we got to see how people are recovering from the tsunami as well as being given the opportunity to experience Samoan culture at a truly ‘grass roots’ level, something not to be missed!!
Photo: Rob and Rose Spijkerman with Prime Minister Tuila’epa
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