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September 1st
September 1st celebration marking the first day of the school year in Kazakhstan.
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Oh snap!
Our Community Development Officer, Mr. Douglas snaps his finger after just missing the target with his traditional bow and arrow at our Amerindian Heritage Day.
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Dramatic Coastline in Samoa
Eight-year old Lio, explores lava fields on the coast of southern Upolu.
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Gazing into the ocean
Three Samoan boys gaze out into the vast blue ocean on a southern Upolu beach.
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Sili River
Local kids playing in the river on a Saturday afternoon.
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Lotofaga beach
View of the beach by Lotofaga village, in the Aleipata district, Upolu island.
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Miko and the cat have a snack
When his older brother fell asleep while babysitting, Miko and the family cat had a snack of leftover ramen and boiled taro (then offered me some when he saw me snapping his picture).
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Miko and Lio
Lio gives his baby brother, Miko a piggy back ride.
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Around the kava bowl
I earned a seat around the kava bowl. Just about every evening, my Samoan host father, Tuugamau and his buddy Simi, and perhaps some other friends, sit around sharing news and stories, discussing village and national politics as they drink kava from a big cooking pot. (Kava is a common ceremonial drink consumed throughout the Pacific. A very mild narcotic, kava is made from the root of a kind of pepper plant, and has a mild euphoric effect.) To me, this nightly ritual represents both a quinte...
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To Sua Trench: Samoa
My volunteer friend, Erica, had biked over to my village, Lotofaga in the Aleipata district of Samoa, for the weekend and I decided to take her to see Tō Sua Ocean Trench, an under-appreciated tourist attraction on the outskirts of the village. I’d been living in Samoa for nearly a year at that time, and Tō Sua was one of the first places my Samoan host family took me when I arrived at Lotofaga village – and I’d wanted to go back ever since. About a 15-minute walk from my house, the trench is...
