I couldn’t believe that I was already on my last full week of work at the National Park Service of American Samoa! The time was flying by and I couldn’t wait to see what kinds of adventures my last week held. Monday was a field day for Kersten, Ian, and myself, going back out to the park to continue our COT killing adventures. We grabbed just two tanks for the day, as there was also some work around the warehouse that needed to be done. After loading the boat, we were off just out of the harbor to do the side opposite of where we were the week before.
The weather had picked up a little over the weekend so we didn’t want to venture too far in the small zodiac. We rolled into the water and were quickly on our way, searching out the COTS. Today, in addition to the usual injection of COTS, we were also tasked to collect 5 COTS from the second dive. These would be dissected for an analysis of gonad size/weight, which is done once a month. We had completed both dives in good time – getting the boat loaded back up and to the warehouse before 3. Kersten was dropped at the office with the data and collected COTS, where she would spend the evening with Bert and Kirstin, learning how to dissect the spiny creatures. I headed to the warehouse with Ian, where we met up with Paolo and spent the rest of the day cleaning up the boats and gear. The work was finished around 5:30 and I walked back to the house a bit early, as all that was left was to pick Kersten and Kirstin up from the office. Little did I know just how long the COT dissection would take them, and my 3 roomies didn’t end up coming back until just after 8 that evening! We all laughed in the kitchen about the attempts to dissect the COTS before calling it another early night.
Tuesday’s weather was not looking very great, but I was anxious to get out in the field as much as I could before it was my time to leave. Ian, Kirstin, and I would be going out and after doing our daily GAR assessment, we made it clear that if at any point we were uncomfortable with the conditions, we would call the dives and head back to shore. We loaded and launched the zodiac, making our way to where Kersten and I finished yesterday. We had to end our second dive in a moderately scarred area and I was keen to get back in and finish the job. As we motored out to the site, the wind was picking up and a huge wave of rain looked like it was coming our way. Before we got in the water, we decided to only do one dive, as we needed to collect COTS to dissect and didn’t want to risk the weather. We jumped in and got down to business, injecting as many as I could see as well as stuffing as many as possible in the mesh collection bag. After 45 minutes or so, we called the dive and surfaced. Ian picked us up and we headed back to the launch. Kristin was dropped off at the office with the bucket full of COTS, leaving Ian and me to wash down the boat and equipment. After an hour or two at the warehouse (we spent a bit of extra time doing some odd maintenance jobs) we headed back to the office, where I jumped in on the COT dissection. Paolo and Kersten were elbow deep in dead COT juices, and were glad for more company. We spent the next few hours cutting and chopping, weighing and recording, all the while trying to distract ourselves from the horrible smell of cut-open COT. We finally finished the 8th and final COT, happy to be done with the task and ready to get out of the smell.
Wednesday was to be the last full day of work for the week, but then it turned out to be practically a half day for us. With Thanksgiving the next day, the National Park Service was allowing its employees to leave early on Wednesday which, in combination with a few hours of overtime the past few days, meant a very quick and easy Wednesday. Due to weather and such limited work hours, it was to be an office day. It was quite the accomplishment that in my three weeks with the NPS that was the only day spent in the office! For the day I’d work with Kirstin in developing a powerpoint presentation for the Interpretive crew, to give them a better idea of what the marine crew does. The interpretive crew serves as a link between the park and the public, so it’s crucial they understand what goes on in the marine world to better educate the public. We threw together a presentation and after lunch gave it to the interpretive team, who were engaged and interested, asking a lot of questions about the underwater world. It was definitely encouraging to see the collaboration between the different sides of the park. By one o’clock we were done for the day and headed back to the house, where we relaxed for a few hours before going out to watch the last of the Hunger Games movies!
Thursday, the most anticipated day of the month, came with much excitement. It was finally Thanksgiving and I was stoked to be in a place that celebrated the holiday to the fullest. The morning was spent with much hustle and bustle about the kitchen, as everyone prepared a dish for the big feast that afternoon. Kersten had coordinated with the expat community on island a massive Thanksgiving potluck, in traditional Thanksgiving style. There would be 2 turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salads, macaroni and cheese, cooked vegetables, pies, and much, much more to feast on. Once the food was prepared, we loaded into Mad Max and headed to Ari’s (a marine tech) house for the afternoon. We were the first to arrive but people slowly started trickling in after us. We feasted for hours, slowly working our way around the spread of delicious dishes. By 10 PM that night, we were all stuffed to the brim and ready for bed. I was so fortunate to be with new friends for the holiday and I couldn’t have asked for a better (or tastier) way to celebrate!
Friday morning left us all sleeping in, still absolutely full from the day before. Kersten, Kirstin, and I decided to try for a hike in the afternoon, despite the gloomy weather. We decided to give Mt. Alava a try, one of the highest peaks on island. It would be the perfect activity to work off the aftermath of Thanksgiving. We drove to the trailhead, where we began the steady hike up. Although the clouds menaced us, we pushed up towards the peak, determined to see the fantastic view from the top.
Every once in a while we stopped to look at the ocean from the beautiful vantage point we had. Just as we were reaching the top, the clouds broke and rain drizzled down on us. We hustled for the fale (local-style gazebo) to seek shelter and munch on our snacks. What was normally a fantastic view of Pago Pago Harbor was mostly shrouded in a veil of cloud and mist. Although I didn’t have the scenic view I was hoping for, it was still a fun hike with friends. We eventually decided to brave the rain and make our way back down to the truck. The rain continued to fall on us as we started the journey down and the steep path we had hiked up was slowly turning into more of a river! This made our trek a bit more exciting as every step had to be tested for hold in the water that was now starting to form little pools here and there. By the time we made it to the truck we were soaking wet and ready to take a hot shower and dry off. We spent the rest of the night cozy and dry, watching a movie in the comfort of the living room.
Saturday was one of my last full days in American Samoa, and I was astounded by how quickly my time was coming to an end. With the recent inclement weather, there was news of epic waves coming in on the north side so we decided to go out for a small adventure. We drove to the National Park where a short trail led us to a cliff overlooking the ocean and the Pola.
We all found comfortable spots and nestled in – awestruck by the power of the waves as they rolled and crashed into the rugged shoreline. We just sat and talked for a few hours, completely enthralled by the immensity of the ocean while also enjoying each other’s company. Our hunger eventually got the best of us and we decided to head back to town for pizza. During dinner, it was suggested that we go out to a local club for a bit of nightlife. I was wholeheartedly against the idea, being tired and a bit cranky, so politely declined. Back at the house after much encouragement and prodding from the roomies, I decided I should give the American Samoan nightlife a chance. We headed out to a local club for a few drinks and some dancing (we were the only ones there at 10 pm) and I ended up having a really fun time, grooving to some funky island jams. I mean, when else would I have the chance to visit an American Samoan club??
Sunday called for a good sleep in after my wild night out (by wild I mean staying up past 10:30) and some lazing around the house. Although it was my last day, I felt no qualms about staying in because every single other day on the island I’d gotten the chance to get out and about, and I felt that I’d seen and done so much in my three weeks. By the afternoon, we’d been invited to dinner at Tim’s (head marine ecologist) house, so we ran out to the supermarket to pick up some food. We had an enjoyable little potluck for the evening, laughing the night away at some wild stories of adventure and some absurd jokes (Tim told us about his deep desire to insert a chest tube into someone, and with my upcoming departure, thought I’d be the perfect victim…err..patient). We left Tim’s house that night all chanting “Chest tube! Chest tube!” and giggling in laughter.
When I woke up Monday morning, I sure felt weird. I couldn’t believe that my time to leave American Samoa was upon me, as I found myself really enjoying the people and adventures that filled my life for the past 3 weeks. I thought that by this time in my scholarship year, it’d be easy to say goodbye and hop from one place to the next. Boy, was I wrong about that. In fact, the goodbyes seem to be getting more difficult with each trip and I found American Samoa a place I wasn’t quite ready to leave. Nonetheless, I headed in to the office with the rest of the gang for a day in the office. Since my flight wasn’t until 11 that night, I thought I’d spend the day at work with friends rather than alone at the house. I spent the day helping Kristin create a powerpoint presentation on the work the National Park Service is doing with the COT management, to be given to local communities. The marine crew wanted to increase interaction with local communities, especially those who are located within the park. After drafting up a rough presentation, I gave it to both the marine crew and the interpretative team, open to their constructive criticism to make the presentation as informative as possible for local villages. After we finished the brainstorming session, the day was almost done and we finished some small tasks about the office and headed home. I quickly finished packing my bags and we loaded up the truck, heading to Burger Night as my final supper of sorts. A fairly big group of people turned out to say their goodbyes (which was such a pleasant surprise to me!) and after one last meal and constant laughs, we headed to the airport to really say goodbye. I checked in, handed over my bags, and was off to my next destination – Sydney!
I couldn’t believe what an incredible time I had in American Samoa – although I was supposed to be diving on a rebreather while out here (the NPS does a lot of marine work on rebreathers and I managed to borrow a unit from Mike Fowler, however a critical component didn’t make it out with me and I never got the chance to use it during my three weeks…) we still made the absolute best out of my visit. I was in the water all but one day while at work and got to do all kinds of fun adventures on our days off. I couldn’t be more grateful to the marine crew and how quickly they welcomed me as a part of their team.
