Building Bridges

I was reminded the other day that I haven’t posted anything about my work here in Apia. There are some people that think I have been unemployed over here enjoying a tropical holiday while Angela is slaving away at USP!

I have actually been working most of the time we have been here. I had sent my CV to some of the civil engineering consultants before we departed for Samoa, and one of them (Kramer Group) contacted me about a week before we flew out. One of their engineers had just left and they needed someone to fill that gap on a bridge project that they were working on. So, once we got to Apia I went to see them to find out more. I ended up agreeing to work for them on a part-time casual basis (20 hours/week) for the duration of the bridge project, which is due for completion in September 2009. The project involves the replacement of 2 road bridges in Apia and the upgrading of approach roads and intersections.

So, I didn’t get the 2 months of lying on the beach that was recommended to me by Stu and Stu from GHD in Palmerston North. It did however take about a month to get my work visa sorted out, during which time I didn’t work. That was good for us as it allowed me to do a lot of the running around while we were settling in here. I also wasn’t allowed to start work on the bridge project until I become a member of the Institute of Professional Engineers, Samoa (IPES). The team at Kramer managed to get all the paper work sorted out, so now I have a 3 year work permit and have my IPES CPEng membership. I am now officially a Kramer employee, you can see me on their website.

Initially I was supposed to help coordinate some of the activities during the design period and then look after the construction supervision phase. Before anyone panics – I was not going to be involved in any of the structural design of the bridges, so they should be safe to drive over!! We figured that 20 hours/week should cover my role. Once I got started the role grew and has been mainly 35 -40 hours a week. During the design phase I was required to do various things that I hadn’t done before, but no one else was able to tackle them, so I had a go. This included Road Safety Audits, Economic Analyses, Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plans, Project Risk Analyses, Environmental Assessment Reports. I even had to design, then participate in, some traffic counts. The roading engineers back at GHD would probably be shocked that I was doing these things that I am not qualified or experienced in, but I enjoyed it. Fortunately most of the Transit New Zealand / LTSA manuals are available online and I was able to download these to help point me in the right direction.

There have been a few other challenges during the design phase – our bridge designer was based in Brisbane and our road designer was in the Papua New Guinea, so coordinating all the information was difficult. We also struggled to get any of the information that you might need when designing a bridge, e.g. we need some geotechnical investigations done, but I found that there is only one geotechnical engineer in Samoa, and he passed away about the time our project started. His business is still operating, but without him there the services that they can provide are very limited.

Working here has good so far, a bit more relaxed than home. I don’t wear a shirt and tie to work, and I turn up in shorts and jandals most days. There have been a few times when I have been to site and felt that jandals might not be appropriate, so I put my boat shoes on instead - no over zealous OSH inspectors here!

Anyway, we have now delivered all the bridge designs and associated documentation so things for me have quietened down a bit. We aim to start construction towards the end of the rainy season, late March or April 2009.

In the meantime I am doing some work for Kramer’s Solomon Islands office and have helped out with stormwater designs for some other projects that Kramer are doing in Apia. I have also been approached by another local consultant to help out with s project to develop water supplies to some of the villages. That is due to start soon and I am supposed to provide technical assistance 2 days per week over the next few months. There is plenty of other work out there, so I don’t think I will be sitting around at the beach as much as I would like too.

Diwali

Tuesday was the Hindu Diwali Festival, or Festival of the Lights. Part of the Diwali celebrations involves lighting candles or lamps to signify the victory of good over evil. Our neighbours are Indians from Fiji and they were celebrating Diwali. When we arrived home and saw their house was all lit by candles we assumed that this was for Diwali, until we went into our house and found that the power was off!! This power cut lasted from about 5.30 until 8.00 – not very convenient when you are trying to cook dinner.

Anyway, we had our own Diwali candle lighting and then proceeded to cook and eat dinner by candle light. Fortunately we have a gas BBQ and were able to cook outside, then enjoyed a nice outdoor candlelit dinner.

Thanks to our neighbours for sharing some of their Diwali sweets with us.

Unfortunately the following night we had another power cut of about the same duration. The novelty of our own version of Diwali was OK for one night, but it isn’t much fun to be in the dark every night. Lets hope that the power is on tonight.

Manono Island

This weekend we were lucky enough to enjoy a couple of days at another tropical island.

We hadn’t planned to go away this weekend and spent Friday night watching the rugby (what happened to the Lions?) the rugby league (we got interested when it looked like PNG might upset England) and a movie while Angela was sewing. So it ended up being a late one on Friday night (2.00am) and I had planned on a nice lie-in on Saturday morning. When the phone rung at 7.30 on Saturday morning I assumed it was a wrong number and wasn’t going to get up and answer it (no phone by the bed here!) but Angela got up and found that it was Moira from the netball team inviting us to her family’s place at Manono Island. The only problem was that the boat to the island was departing at 9.00 and we were still in bed and hadn’t packed. After a few more phone calls a new plan was in place – we would get a boat a bit later in the day with some others that were coming around lunchtime.

That gave us time to get up, have breakfast, buy some supplies and get packed. We also had time to have a quick look at our Lonely Planet and we learnt that Manono Island is about 2 km off the western end of the main island Upolo. There are no cars, no roads and no dogs and apparently the pace of life is even slower than the rest of Samoa!!

After a slightly bumpy boat rode we arrived at Manono and found that it is as idyllic as it sounded. We settled into our fale and were then straight into the water. The water was so warm and clear with more excellent snorkelling right off the beach. After a quick Vailima / Jack Daniels we decided to go exploring. We were guided by Raymond and Austin (Mary and Moira’s children!) As we worked our way around the island we found more nice beaches, villages plantations of bananas, pineapples coconuts and papaya, and of course a couple of churches. We ended up walking all the way around the island in about 1 ½ hours (including photo stops). I think Raymond was a bit shocked at being made to walk so far, but he survived. There is also a walk up to the top of the island, but we told him that we would save that for next time.

We got back just in time for dinner – a feast that included curry, fish, taro, bananas, clams and some good old sausages. Delicious. Although the island now has power (a cable was brought across from the mainland a few years ago) we did not have a TV so we didn’t have to endure the Kiwis losing to the Aussies.

Our fale was right on the waters edge and we woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of waves on the rocks right under us. Another fine morning and sparkling seas. Thanks to the boys (Ray and Tate) we enjoyed a hearty breakfast – bacon, eggs and koko-rice (a sort of rice porridge with Koko Samoa, the local cocoa). After letting breakfast settle we were back in the water. This time we decided to snorkel out to a small rock island that was off our beach. Angela took the camera and snapped a few more photos. We found a lion fish and tried to photograph it, but it was a bit deep and I don’t think the camera liked being taken that far under water. We must have been in the water for a couple of hours and arrived back in time for lunch. We were treated to another feast, this time from the umu. A tasty selection of mutton flaps, fish, taro, coconut cream and some of the previous nights curry. As we ate lunch a bit of a storm blew in and pelted us with rain but this was short lived. The fale was built traditionally with a thatched roof and woven panels and it stood up quite well to the “storm”. The rain sounds great on the roof.

Then it was time to pack up and head for home. We had a great impromptu weekend away full of excellent snorkelling, delicious food and good company all in a beautiful setting. We owe a big thanks to Moira and her family for welcoming us all to their part of Manono Island.

USP Open Day 2008

On Thursday 16th October it was open day at USP Alafua Campus. This date was chosen so we could link to the USP campus in Fiji via video conferencing, as it was open day there on Friday 17th (time zone differences!) We were all in the library on Wednesday night to do the decorating. With the sounds pumping we blew up balloons and made streamers plus put together a display to show the various courses we can support in the library. Although the Alafua campus primarily focuses on Agriculture, there is increasing interest in Distance and Flexible learning (DFL) courses that can be studied via the video conferencing facilities and using the learning management systems Blackboard and Moodle.

In the library we wanted to help promote all the different courses offered by all the campuses of USP around the pacific and encourage students to enrol in their area of interest whether it be accounting, law, business, tourism, agriculture etc. Our display looked very nice once we had finished and we even managed to adorn it with a few agricultural products just to give it “flava”! Potatoes, tomatoes, sprouting coconuts, beans and corn plus a couple of cabbages.

The library staff wore their new, very professional looking uniforms for the day and received many favourable comments! The opening ceremony took place under the Pulu tree. This is a massive tree on campus that must have been there for years. There were stalls and gazebos set up under the tree and in the field and a stage for the formalities. The campus manager Lemalu Taefu said a few words and introduced the USP campus and was then followed by a government minister before the cake was cut by the Australian High Commissioner, supported by the NZ High Commissioner (who supply lots of funding for USP). Not only was it open day but USP was celebrating 40 years of business in education.

Once all this was over it was time for the tours of campus to begin so we high-tailed it back to the library to get ready. We must have had 15-20 groups of students through the library within a 2 hour period. It was busy but nice to see the place humming. The students were great, even if they only had 5 minutes each in the library before moving on to other areas of campus such as the IT studios, the farm and the soils areas. Managed to get a few photos as it seems if you produce a camera there is no shortage of people willing to have their picture taken!!

During the afternoon we closed up the library so we could go and enjoy the cultural performances by the current USP students. We had heard them practicing in the fale for weeks so it was time for it to become a reality. I very much enjoyed this part of the day and seeing the dancing from many different pacific island groups such as, Samoan, Fijiian, Tongan, Kirabati, Tuvalu, Solomons, and Vanuatu. My favourite were the Fijiian boys who performed some very convincing war dances. The outfits from each group were great and the students went to a lot of trouble to produce very polished performances. I have made video clips of each of the groups for you to see so check out our YouTube site. Awesome.

Vavau

As it was a long weekend last weekend we decided to go away for a few nights of R&R. Picking another spot out the Lonely Planet guide we decided on a place called Vavau on the south coast of Upolo. The guide promised tranquil beaches and top class fale accommodation with a good restaurant supplying a range of meals. Sounded great.

Upon first arrival our impressions were that the place was really nice. Beautiful gardens and big secluded fales. The fale however had seen better days! Although this was more upmarket than other places we had stayed, the fales had walls, a kitchen and a bathroom, we found that the place was dirty, with holes in the mozzie nets (and hence a room full of mosquitos), a cockroach on the floor and a resident rat! Not much to my liking I must admit. It was raining on the Friday night when we arrived also so I was hoping for some sunny weather so we wouldn’t have to spend too much time inside.

Adam inspected in the kitchen cupboards and wasn’t too impressed therefore I did not bother to follow in his footsteps. There was an electric jug and a fridge (the fridge turned out to be the best part of the room for keeping the Jack cold!!) but no mugs or tea bags so no chance of any tea. I’m not sure when the last time was that the bathroom got cleaned and the funny smell in the pillows turned out to be mould!

We headed for dinner soon after we arrived and were served a piece of steak with rice and a slice of pumpkin. Skirvy coming as no greens in sight! The meal was also cooked by what looked like a 12 year old boy. Granted he did do a good job though. We did however find out when we paid the bill that this gourmet meal cost us $32.50 each – about double what it should have been!!

The next day, Saturday, I discovered I’d left some very important medical supplies behind in Apia so we had no choice but to drive home to get them (nothing like an after hours pharmacy in Vavau!) Only an hour each way luckily! While back in Apia we (aka I) decided it would be a good idea to soak up some of the sights and sounds of the White Sunday markets!! Adam told me he had been tricked!! We did have a great time though looking in the flea market and in the special markets set up selling all the white gear you could need for the weekend celebrations. Everyone was well stocked and we managed some good bargains.

After a bit of lunch and the retrieval of the necessary supplies we headed back to Vavau again. In our absence 2 large samoan busses had arrived full of – USP students!!!! My peace was shattered! They were all very friendly though waving out and saying “Hello Ma’am”. I am getting used to answering to this. It was also Fiji Day during this weekend so the Fijian students had decided on a day out in Vavau with their families.

Adam and I took to the water for a bit of snorkelling. Everywhere we go it’s slightly different. At Vavau the underwater world was pretty interesting with loads of coral peaks and troughs in lots of different colours. The fish were generally the same but you always spot something you haven’t seen before. After an afternoon in the water we figured we had earnt a Jack on our deck watching the sun set and decided to head up the road to a posh resort for dinner in their restaurant .....

Dinner was very nice until drama number 3 happened!! Somewhere along the line the key to our fale dropped out of Adams pocket. We could not find it anywhere in the car, on the ground in the sand or back at the restaurant. Don’t think the old samoan guy (who didn’t speak any English) was too impressed with us when we mimed having lost the key and not being able to get into our room!! All manner of suggestions followed, how about removing some mesh so we could reach in and unlock the door or taking the pins out of the hinges? Easier said than done however when all you have for tools is a kitchen knife and a spade!!! In the end the spade and lots of jiggling got the door open which I was very pleased about.

The next morning guess what Adam found on the beach????????????

Sunday we finished up with some more snorkelling in a small bay protected by a couple of offshore islands. At low tide there was still a deep channel that we could swim in. Tried our luck at going around a rocky point but got “beached” on a platform of coral when the water got a bit shallow. Adam wondered why I wasn’t moving and my legs and arms were up out of the water!! Lots of slimy sea slugs round there anyway so I didn’t want to be touching them!!

Also managed to get out for a bit of kayaking. We picked 5.00pm when the tide was high and off we set. Some of the waves rolling in drove us home though, not til we had had to surf some! The inflatable kayak held up well and the view from the boat looking at the fish and coral below is always fantastic.

And that’s about it for this times adventures. Speak to you again very soon.

White Sunday

This weekend was a long weekend for us for the celebration of White Sunday. This is something we had not heard of in NZ, but the following text from Wikipedia explains what it is all about.

White Sunday is a holiday in Samoa, falling on the second Sunday in October. It is a day for the children of Samoa where they are specially appreciated by their parents and their communities. They have to perform for their parents and relatives in church by ways of reciting bible verses (tauloto), performing creative dances and dramas.
On White Sunday the women and children dress completely in white clothing. Some of them trim the clothes with the other two colours of the Samoan flag, red and blue. Men will wear white shirts with either white slacks or the traditional lavalava. If a lavalava is worn it may not be white.
White Sunday is celebrated all over the world, wherever a Samoan church community exists.
In Samoa they call this day "Lotu Tamaiti".Translation in English is "Children's Day" or the "Children's service"

So, aside from enjoying the extra day off (more about what we did on the long weekend on a later post) we also decided to attend the church service on Sunday morning. We both got dressed up in our Sunday best - Angela all in white (well, cream actually) and me in a black lavalava and white shirt - and headed for the local church. I think we looked the part, but still stood out as the only Palagis in the church.

The entire service etc was in Samoan so we couldn't understand all that was being said, but we got the gist of what was going on. The minister started by baptising the younger children then we got to see all the children giving their performances. The Sunday School teacher had obviously been very busy teaching the kids various action songs, plays etc. They started with the youngest children (pre-schoolers) singing some songs and worked up through groups of increasing age. Most of them were really good, of course the younger ones were the funniest - all trying their best but getting out of time or forgetting the words. The older groups (teenagers) were very good with some very strong singers and confident actors and dancers. There were also a few cases of stage fright, embarrassment and a few tears!

As we have seen with other events here, the Samoans sure know how to put on a show that lasts a long time! We got to the grand finale when all the children got on stage so sing their final songs together. With so many children and so many performances it took 2 hours to get through them all, but it was certainly very interesting for us to see this first hand and we enjoyed the experience. Angela will be uploading some photos soon showing the church and some of the children dressed up in their White Sunday outfits.

Work shmirk!

Hey there

That work thing - yes it's still going on in the background around netball, holidays at the beach and partying!!

Just thought I would give you a quick (and I mean quick) update. Things plodding on well. I'm on the battle now for improved IT services in the library and money to renew subscriptions for very vital databases but what's new - life goes on in Samoa!

Thought you would be interested to see the photos of the packaging my latest book order arrived in from India!! I'm imagining a little old lady sitting in a dingy, dusty room in the heat stitching the calico around the books. So quaint. I have kept that packaging as I haven't ever seen anything quite like it before!

You will also see a photo of the new mouse mats. I know I know this may not seem like a major accomplishment to you but believe me it is to us! Those mouse mats have made such a difference to the mousing pleasure at USP Library. It is such a relief now to move the mouse and actually have it go where it is meant to. In addition to this Latika and Hedley also brought over our book display stands, some business cards I had printed for free (through VistaPrint), perspex brochure display stands and our DVD player. All of these things have made such a difference. Only problem with the DVD player is that now I need a remote for the ancient TV so that I can select the AV channel and actually play the DVDs. Arrrrrrgggggghhhh there is always something!! Maybe it doesn't even have an AV channel????? Anyone coming to Samoa soon who can bring me a TV????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for Adam, he has been very busy on a bridge project getting all the documentation together. That is going to quieten down now and construction probably won't start until the new year after the wet season. He is also going to start working for another company to fill in the spare 20 hours (yeah right) he has each week so no rest for him. He never did get to be the pool boy ;-)