The Samoan word for "foreigner" is palagi. It's a word that connotes otherness, even if the literal meaning is closer to "cloudbreaker." Legend has it that native Samoans thought the tall masts of European ships were so high as to break the clouds - hence the name.
I lived and worked in the U.S. territory of American Samoa in 2010, and found that Samoans and expatriates alike used the term palagi with a lot of affection. (The "g" is pronounced "ng," as in "song.") I've therefore appropriated the term for this blog, in part because I welcome and embrace "otherness."
My life in American Samoa was rich and full. Then a seizure at the beginning of October 2010 led to a medical evacuation and neurological evaluation in Auckland, NZ. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and underwent neurosurgery and radiation during a spectacular North Island summer. The people of NZ were just as welcoming and friendly as the people of American Samoa, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to spend 3 months in New Zealand, even if it was under really difficult circumstances.
I miss the South Pacific every day.
Why a blog?
Peer pressure, plain and simple.
My love of recycled preppy and classic styles has distracted me many times over the past year. Expect to see silly posts about clothes juxtaposed with more serious reflections on the state of U.S. healthcare, celebrations of the natural world, art that sustains me, and thoughts on life with - not after - cancer. (I chafe at the word "survivor," mostly because I still live with this brain tumor and probably always will.)
I don't do cancer ribbons in any color, but I don't judge those for whom such symbols have meaning.
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