Hi. I am now using my blog: www.stefanieelise.blogspot.com. There are some really great posts lately :)
love, stef

TALOFA

How am I supposed to capture my entire time in Samoa with a single blog post? Well, here goes my best shot:
Samoa (Sa-forbidden moa-chicken) has such a unique, and defined culture with gorgeous landscapes and beaches ta boot! My parents and Ali and I flew into Apia, (Western) Samoa around midnight Tuesday and stayed until midnight Sunday. The airport has one gate, and flights arrive and depart once a week. We stayed our first and final nights at a place called “Bertie’s B &B.” According to the website, it seemed the most reliable as far as taxiing us in from the airport. Here are our friends Mark and Marietta.

Samoa (pronounced “Saw”moa) is not tourist friendly at all. Just how I like it :) The country/island felt untouched, it was so primitive and so honest. The people and the land. Our rental car came in the morning and we were off! Dodging pigs, wild (SCARY) dogs, chicken, and all sorts of other animals in the street, we were back to driving on the right side of the road. (The big controversy in Samoa right now is about changing driving to the left side.) We drove through the poorest places I’d ever seen. Families (like, entire families) dwelled in their individual fale’s and then the extended family had a big, central gathering place. A fale consists of sticks in the ground with leaves on top.

Samoa is not a well-mapped country. Because of this slight dilemma, we ended up asking several people for directions. They were kind to try, but in broken English, our help sounded sort of like this: “Just go up here a ways, turn left and then go a while longer and turn left again,” or “Come up the street by the sea, and then go this way (waving their arm who knows what direction) until you see a blue fale.” Every fale is blue. Anway, with no street names and locals who couldn’t verbalize their knowledge, we had quite the time…

It was SUCH a surprise to come upon the Apia, Samoa temple our first day. After driving through such primitive living conditions, it was amazing to round a bend and find the beautiful temple. Due to my mom’s geniusness, we were able to go into the baptistery even though the temple was closed. We spent the rest of the day touring the island and landed at the Litia Sini resort in a village called Lalomanu. Ali and I shared fale number 7 mosquito net and all, and my parents were right next door. Our porches were very conducive to card playing, and we even had a water bucket in the fale to rinse our feet of the sand before getting in bed. Well, getting “on” bed… our beds were a ½ inch mattress and a mosquito net.

Here are directly quoted conversations with a lady at the Litia Sini resort:

Mom: Do you know the name of this flower?
Samoan: Yes.
Mom: What is it?
Samoan: I don’t know. Please ask the manager.

Mom: How late is this fale open tonight?
Samoan: 95 Kilometers.
It then became the joke to just reply whatever you want if you don’t actually know the answer to a question :) We spent the Thursday, Friday and Saturday enjoying the warm water and fine sand at the primarily vacated paradise. Our resort (don’t be confused, it cost something like $6 U.S. per night) provided breakfast and dinner, which were our only commitments each day! It was great!!! We played cards, went swimming, enjoyed INCREDIBLE snorkeling just 20ft. from shore, and went on a cultural hike/tour which was most definitely my highlight. Actually, I don’t know, snorkeling was REALLY awesome! Mom brought 4 sets of snorkel gear so we could go out whenever we wanted without rental fees or time limits!

Aleki (suspicion: German escapee claiming Samoan heritage) brings in some extra Tala for his (adoptive) family by giving visitors a tour of the family land and answering questions on Samoan culture. We went to his family fale where sisters and kids were squeezing coconut cream, the boys gambling and making brick, and the kids practicing their fire dancing and knocking coconuts out of trees. I LOVED being with the people and observing true daily life. We watched them and talked for a while before climbing a mountain to a taro (like potato, kind of…) plantation. Throughout the entire walk, Aleki pointed out all the plants and their purposes. His major emphasis was that you can get everything you need from the land. Here are some uses of leaves and plant juices that I remember:

-Mosquito repellant and anti-itch cream
-Hair shampoo and conditioner (out of a pine cone type thing…)
-Toilet paper
-Large leaves for bedding and shelter
-Cold sore remedies
-Leaves to rub on your temples for headaches
-Extra strong tree branches and trunks for spears, walking sticks, and carvings
-They recently found a substance anticipated to cure aids! UC Berkely is working on it…

We went to 2 Fia-Fia’s which are basically family cultural shows. The fire dancing was my favorite part- they had 4 year old out there whizzing these flaming sticks past their faces, around their bodies, through their legs, and even balanced them on their feet. I’d seen fire dancers before, but these kids were just so young!

To my dismay, we went to the English branch for church Sunday. I go to church in English every week and was looking forward to feeling the spirit and enjoying the cultural and language differences. “I like church better in Latin, it’s nicer when you don’t know what they’re saying!” - Name that movie! Anyway, it was a MERCY we didn’t because we met so many great people and made social lives for ourselves for the next 2 days. We joined a senior missionary couple for dinner in the mission complex (nice!) and went to a missionary fireside that night.

The next day, mom and dad dropped us off at the mission home when they left for Australia. Ali and I spent the day with President Price’s family in a village in the mountains called Sauniatu. It is a sacred, highly spiritual village that was dedicated years ago by President McKay. He was the first general authority to visit Samoa and blessed the village with some really special things and started traditions that they still continue. It was REALLY neat to see how the LDS people combined their faith with their Samoan culture. The primary kids did a song and dance presentation for us, and the missionary prep class did the Haka and sang their village song for us. We met up with 7 LDS dentists for the events in Sauniatu so it was neat to promote oral health and pass out new dresses there. I LOVE Samoa!

I went to the mission home’s FHE that night where we had a great testimony meeting and heard Rebecca Whale (with BYU Singers) perform. It was so cool to be included in that and feel so at home while so far away. President Price talked with the baggage man at the airport and got a weight exception for my bag worked out… I don’t know what I would have done without that! If I learned one thing about traveling, it is: PACK LIGHT. Baggage is just a hassle and you don’t need to use half the things you pack anyway. I absolutely loved spending time in the villages and with the people of Samoa. What a grateful and giving people they are. They have so little, yet so much. I loved watching how they work together so well to provide for everyone’s needs. I gained a special appreciation for the voices of the Samoan people as well. There is something about their voices and their spirits that make their music special. I feel so blessed to have been exposed to the Samoan way and will always cherish my memories from that awesome week!

The REAL wrap up

My time in New Zealand has come to an end. What an adventure this has been! Leaving the country for 4 months is a big deal. I have fulfilled so many goals and experienced things I have been dreaming about my entire life. Here is a list of the top 5 things I have learned in this gorgeous country:

1. The outdoors makes you honest.
Your true self comes out when you are FREEZING on the top of a mountain. Fears are exposed and true character is displayed as you conquer fears and do things that are hard. I have found that people are just more honest as they get in touch with the outdoors and ponder on their life and the plan of salvation. Heavenly Father’s creations make so obvious His existence and love for us.

2. Be a good friend to have a good friend.
That’s just the way is goes! More communication is not always better, but healthy communication is NECESSARY! A true friend is someone you can just chat with. Someone who knows you. Someone who brings out the best in you. Someone who laughs at your jokes and someone with whom you share commonalities. A friend is someone who treats you well.

3. You can do more than you think you can.
I surprised myself more times than I can count by just “giving it a go” as John Kappa would say. I am more capable than I think I am sometimes, and I can do hard things! It is so fulfilling to do things I didn’t think I could do, and that confidence spreads to other areas of my life. Prime example: rock climbing. It was hard and scary, but SO fun as I gave it a go and had confidence in myself and my gear.

4. Attitude is everything… most of the time.
You can make or break an activity or a day with attitude. Life is what you make it.

5. Good gear is WORTH IT!
I love headlamps. I love quality shoes. I love rain gear. I love nalgenes. I love The North Face brand. I love all things REI. I love Outdoors Unlimited. I am envious of my friends who spent money on good sleeping bags.

All in all, this was a great trip/semester which I will remember for the rest of my LIFE!

wrapping it up.

Well folks... sorry I haven't posted in a while...  Things have been crazy while finishing up classes, packing and emotionally preparing to leave my life here in New Zealand.  Mom and dad got here today!  We had a fabulous time in Bluff (the southmost city in the world!) and exploring Queen's park.  Mags made us a great tea tonight and we did a puzzle.  What more could we ask for?  Well, we are off for Dunedin tomorrow morning!  Let the RV adventure begin. Please pray for me and Ali- we'll be in close quarters with crazy mom and dad in that RV this week :)  It's sad to leave, but all good things must come to an end. I'm looking forward to this next few weeks of travel, and then getting back into routine in the states.  LOVE to you all!

Attititude is everything...MOST OF THE TIME.

I used to be a firm believer that "Attitude is Everything." Well, that view changed this week. From Monday through Wednesday, I carried on my back everything I used to combat gusty winds, heavy rain, hail and 33 bad attitudes.

(the main character in this picture is Tony our teacher. It felt like he belonged in central park. He insisted on wearing that dang coat with SHORT shorts the entire time. And yes, this picture was a covert operation.)

Monday was: HECTIC

The first day of the Mevora Lakes adventure was pretty hectic. The 33 students (we actually have 34, but one wise girl chose not to come...) were pretty unhappy going into it, considering how previous tramps had gone with John Kappa and crew. The teachers give us a compass and a map, and let us work out how to get from point A to B. It got pretty hectic considering that a group of 16 of us had to communicate and agree on every angle and bearing before we began walking. It was also hectic when we got to camp and it started raining. I got attacked by my new enemy: the Spaniard. It is a pokey devil bush that attacks you and makes you scream and bleed. We set up a bivvy/shelter to prevent rain. It mostly worked...

Tuesday was: HELLACIOUS

We woke up to rain. We ate oatmeal in little bags, in the rain. We put away our bivvy and packed our bags, in the rain. I was already positive about the rain once on the Routeburn trip. I was packed and ready to tramp approximately an hour and a half before the group was set to go. I hate waiting in the rain. Once we started hiking, our group got divided and we chastised each other and disagreed on which way to go for what seemed like an hour. I was so frustrated I just screamed. It was pretty interesting to see how everyone handled the frustration. We got to the very peak of the mountain, and it was SO COLD I literally thought I was going to get hypothermia. Our instructors, obviously had the same thought, let us move down to the bushline to wait for the other half of the students. We waited for about an hour. I took off my cotton t-shirt, hugged lots of people, and did speed drills to keep my body moving. Death crossed my mind. Then we summited the mountain. The term "hellacious" is derived from this part of the day. I crossed a rocky, barren mountain for about 45 minutes that was nothing more than a cold purgatory. Each step created a new avalanche and my shoes were cutting into my ankles from the incline. My knee was throbbing from stickes and pokies having been shoved into my open wound. It was about that time that it began hailing. Ashley says, "Stef, I don't know what's goin on, but I'm getting PELTED!" And, did I mention that I had to go #2 that ENTIRE time, but since we were along the ridge, there were no squatting places? I submit that it just cannot get worse than that. I looked at the view, and marched along the ridgeline until we dropped down into a horseshoe shaped field where we camped. Dinner was good, and we slept under a bivvy. That night was actually the highlight of the trip because at night, everyone in the bivvy was just saying random things followed by "April Fools!" or, "April TRUTH!" It was hilarious! Here is a conversation that took place at 2:40am that night/morning.
Stef: (poking Ali) Hey Ali!
Ali: Hey.
Janessa: I'm WIDE AWAKE
Cam: grunt
Ali: Does anybody have any food? I've been STARVING since 1 am.
Taylor: I need some water!
Ali: FOOD!
Taylor: WATER!
Ali: FOOD!
Taylor: WATER!
Ali: FOOD!
Stef: ugh.

That conversation was the best thing of the week.

Wednesday was HAPPY!

The third day of camp was HAPPY! You know why? Because I got to kiss the vans! I have never been happier to see warmth and shelter than I was Wednesday. I woke up to a frozen water bladder, frost INSIDE my sleeping bag, frozen toes that wanted to snap off, but, a far higher morale among group members. It was suddenly funny that our shoelaces were hardly pliable after a night exposed to the elements. It was HAPPY to be told by our instructors that we did not actually have to brave a river, and that our next destination point was the vans. I was HAPPY to walk along the track talking with my friends. I was HAPPY to return to familiar ground that promised I was close to the van. I was HAPPY to get in the car where I had a soft seat and dry clothes to sit in. I was HAPPY to get back to Mags' house and take a shower! I was HAPPY to eat fresh vegetables!!!

So in the end of the day, it was a pretty miserable tramp. I'm glad to be home. Most of the time, attitude is everything, but considering the situation, it was just miserable. I can't think of one person who liked/loved it. Looking back, there were some good parts, but overall, it was just one awful experience in the wilderness. We are not going tramping again :) Just to Te Anu and Milford Sound next week where I will meet up with Mom and Dad on the CRUISE! Wahoo!!!

In My Younger Years

A Trip to the Hospital

So you know how I crashed in the park? Well, it turns out that little knee scrape is a bit worse than I had expected. I ended up in the hospital last night and got three stitches. They said it was a good thing I came in because Megan hadn't cleaned it out quite well enough and there was an infection starting. The good thing is: I didn't break several major bones (is it your coxix? I hope it's not your coxix!) and just have to keep the stitches in for a week and a half. Mom, now I know how you felt at Christmas. My buns were NUMB the whole time they were doing the stitching. Let's hope this is the last of the injuries while I'm here. Oh yeah, I'm still working on getting the pictures up here, I'll keep ya posted.
Love.

The Spill.

I crashed my bike in the park. So I was just riding home from an afternoon in town with friends. I rode home alone in the rain. Some strollers were consuming the entire path, so as I approached, I yelled “on your left.” I’m glad I did that considering what happened next... I said it again, but getting no response from the pedestrians, I figured that taking a small detour on the grass was my best bet. I swerved over to the grass, peddled twice, and then it happened. On my way back up to the pathway, my tire slipped and my body propelled forward over the handlebars. I skid on the pavement and it turns out my bike did a little flip of its own too! Shocked, and slightly embarrassed, I laid splat on the ground and thought about whether or not I was okay. Then I jumped up, shouted “I’m fine!” and went to get on my bike.

Well, the pedestrians (Woman age:74 and son-in-law: mid thirties) ran up to me and refused to let me on my bike. The grandma thought I was in shock and told me to keep my head up and not to move. The man was checking to see if my pupils were dilated and checked my heart rate. I was like, “I promise I am FINE!” and went to get on my bike. Well, when I picked it up, the wheel was all turned around, the chain was off the gears and metal was stuck in places I didn’t even know were possible. Turns out the brakes were messed up and I bent the frame a wee bit too. Humbled by the sight of my wrecked bike, I stopped trying to hide my bloody knee, bent helmet, and ripped rain coat (the biggest loss) and accepted the help.

After about 10 minutes of trying to fix up the chain, by friends Megan and Jessica just happened to be riding through the park. “Red bike, green helmet. Which one of us is it?” they thought. So after more fiddling and no results, the girls convinced me to walk the bike to the shop right then and there. It was 4:35 at the time and Gladstone bicycles closes at 5pm on Fridays for the entire weekend. So we thanked the pedestrians (even though they were the initial cause of the screeching halt) and were on our way. BIG thanks to Megan and Jess for coming with! When I got to the bike shop, I was in pretty bad shape. The manager took one look at me and was like “what happened?” I told him that I took a spill in Queens park about a half an hour prior, and that I needed some help with my bike. He whisked away my bike and had his pal bring out a first aid kit so that Megan could dress my wound. Not 10 minutes later, I had bandaids all over and a bike in tip-top shape. I give Gladstone Cycles a 10 out of 10!

Now, about three days after the crash, my knee is still throbbing. It hurts to tramp, ride my bike, walk, sit, and stand up from sitting. I had Sue (Mags’ daughter who is a vet) take a look, and she declared it infected. So we had another big to do and I now have directions for how to care for it on my upcoming 3 day tramp. Wish me luck!

(I DO have pictures, just no time to upload them...)

YSA Jams!

Our weekend in Dunedin was honestly one of the most fun weekends of my life. We started out getting dropped off at the Southland surfing competition. Music blasting, vendors selling, waves crashing, wetsuits wandering... it was just amazing. I made friends with a surfer dude and watched little punks ride their skateboards up to unsuspecting cars and get free rides :)

Next we met up with the other (meaning, non BYU students) YSA's and divided into groups and got in vans. We stopped at KFC on the way. Mags gave me a pack lunch, so I felt no need to waste money on fattening food. Well, it was then and there that I learned first hand that Cook Islanders DO NOT let people sit at a table with food without eating. It defies culture. They bought me a 3-pc chicken set with mashed potatoes, chips, and a refillable drink. And that was that. We arrived at the awesome lodge, got settled and played every group game you can imagine. (i.e. Samuri's Unite, Boogidy Boogidy Boo, Zip Zip Bong...) We had pizza for tea (love it!) and just got to know each other and played all night long.

8 am came early after a late bedtime. We headed to the beach for our service project. I wore a sarong (sp???) and flower in my hair- courtesy of Annie and Trio, the girls from our branch her in Invers (how the locals refer to Invercargill). It was fun to walk along and pick up trash- I was sort of surprised how much we collected. We came back for a "light" lunch (nothing is ever light) and then back to the beach for group games. The most fun game was basically chicken wars on land. Except it's scarier since the goal is to retrieve a bandana wrapped around your opponents face, and since your opponent is more likely than not, large, brown, and very maori. We played other games involving full body rolls in the sand, untying knots with your teeth, and frantically chasing each other short distances. Too much fun :)

That night we had an awesome Hangi (INTENSE Maori meal cooked IN the ground/earth) and I learned 4 new chords on the guitar. I am SO excited about the guitar. I can't wait to get home and practice practice practice. It really has become a passion of mine here in NZ. If there are 2 things I've gotten more passionate about, its the guitar, and oil painting. We had a dance party with DJ and all that night. Can I just say, it was a lucky thing me, Brooke and Ben were there to get the party started because those YSA's had some serious issues conversing/socializing with the opposite sex. Regardless, it was a fun dance!

We had the sacrament and testimony meeting Monday, followed by rotating workshops on finances, personal revelation, dating and goal setting. I've many to many a workshop on dating, and this trivia game was the best one BY FAR. Talk to me later for details. We had a panel discussion that night which mostly flopped. There were a few good things answered... The questions were not sensored which made for a highly inapropriate and awkward setting, there was only one (soft spoken) female on the panel, and the countless "what if" questions concerning temple divorces and family unity got really old. Ben and I lightened up the discussion by inquiring what the President deemed to be the best hand holding technique :)

Monday brought bowling games with old car tires, and a rousing game of soccer, the latter of which I did not participate. I borrowed Harry Potter 7 from the Library the day before we left, and that poor boy needed my attention. I am completely and utterly absorbed in the book- always anxious to discover what adventures or information the next page holds. I don't know HOW I've managed to survive this last year not knowing what happens to Harry. (FYI- I'm currently on the chapter titled, "The Deathly Hallows." I've read the entire book aloud to Ben and Maggie, which has slowed down my pace, but given me friends to converse with as I discover the wonder that is: JK Rowling.

It always takes longer to clean up camp than you expect. That was a long process, but we had soup and leftover pizza to enjoy on our way out of camp. We said our goodbye's and headed to the steepest street in the world!!!!!! Baldwin Street We had tons of fun posing for pictures, racing up, doing cartwheels and just messing around. President drove us, and in efforts to please the American kids, attempted to drive up the hill, disregarding the sign reading "NO heavy vehicles beyond this point." Well, we didn't make it to the top, and my lungs were tired from screaming by the time we reached the bottom again. After realizing we were not going to make it (in a full 12 passenger van with all our luggage) we proceeded to roll backward, back down the hill. Scariest thing of my life.

Cadbury world was pretty great. not as great as anticipated due to the fact that it was a public holiday and all the employees were out of the factory. We still saw the production DVD, tasted cocoa beans, experienced the world's largest chocolate waterfall, and ate chocolate from the handrails where it had splashed. Fun times.

The weekend was so much fun, and I'll always remember the fun people I met there and the good memories we made. It was really cool to spend time and become friends with the saints my age here in Southland, as we are all growing in the gospel together.

Party Central.

Hey ya'll. It is late. I am tired. But I just thought I would give you a little goodbye note. I am going to Dunedin (party central) tomorrow morning until late Monday night. I will be busy having fun and playing. I anticipate this YSA conference will be much like youth conference. Except with kiwis. I will be touring Cadbury World while in Dunedin and will visit Baldwin Street- the steepest street in the world! Don't worry, I'll take pictures and even video clips, so you'll feel like you were there. Love. Love. Love.