PCV Sarah Kiefer works with Extension agents and rural volunteers to promote and develop agricultural projects for Samoa
South grad enjoys Samoan way
Josh Green
Staff Writer
josh.green@cnhiindiana.com
As Greensburg residents are struggling with an onslaught of stubborn snow, South Decatur graduate Sarah Kiefer is running her toes through the white sands of Samoa.
Last June, Kiefer, a 1999 Purdue graduate with a degree in English, left Greensburg for Samoa, a small island country about 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean.
Kiefer signed on to volunteer for a 27-month Peace Corps service commitment in Samoa. She now works closely with Extension agents and rural volunteers to promote and develop agricultural projects for Samoan youths, and she loves it.
Through a recent e-mail interview, Kiefer said the Samoan people have shown her nothing but kindness thus far.
"The (Samoan) people are very friendly here and very hospitable," said Kiefer, who graduated from South in 1995. "They tend to honor any guest. They look upon their Samoan neighbors with high regard when they honor their guests.
"I don't believe that Peace Corps volunteers stand out as special from any other foreigner who enters Samoa to assist in whatever way they can."
The most noticeable difference between Samoa and the Midwest is, of course, the climate, Kiefer said.
"The temperature is usually in the 80s, but it's the rainy season right now, so it's even hotter and muggier," she said, noting that all the island's fruits are in season, which is one benefit of all the rain.
"There are many kinds of fruit here now, and since it is a communal society, one can simply reach up on the tree and take (a piece of fruit). If you want a coconut to drink, just ask a child to climb the nearest tree and pick one for you."
Other than coconuts, Kiefer said mangoes, breadfruit, papaya, lemons, limes, oranges, jackfruit and many other fruits without English names can be found growing wild -- all free for the picking.
Kiefer's first few months in Samoa were spent living in an open, grass-roofed house, or "fale," but she's since moved to a small apartment just outside the capital city of Apia, population 36,000.
According to Kiefer, Peace Corps volunteers have three primary goals: to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of peoples served; and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
Her specific project is currently the nationwide implementation of a Future Farmers of Samoa program.
One person who's definitely proud of Kiefer's work in Samoa is her mother, Betty.
"I think it's the chance of a lifetime," she said of her daughter's Peace Corps volunteerism.
Betty "thinks it's great that some people consider these people in other countries."
"We're definitely proud of what she's been doing and where she's been. Once in a while we miss her, but she's pretty good about writing letters -- usually a couple a week. She feels like she's just as safe over there as she would be (in Greensburg), but I think she's probably safer because she isn't driving," Betty said, adding that buses are the primary form of transportation.
"The (Samoan) people are very poor, for the most part. But from what Sarah's told us, they're still very happy.
"There's no Wal-Mart over there, you know. Sometimes we take what we have for granted over here. Americans sit here and think, 'Oh, we got it rough, it snowed today.' We forget how bad some people have it. Many of the (Samoan) children don't have any toys. I actually sent some toys over for Christmas; the mailing costs were big, but it was worth it."
