The main language spoken here is Samoan.
The Samoan form of money is called the tala.
Clean drinking water is rather difficult to find and when it is available it can be rather expensive. If you live near the capitol city of Apia, a large five-gallon refill of water at the store is about seven tala, while bottled water is usually three tala or nine tala for four liters of water. However, if you are on the other Samoan island of Samoa (the country is broken up into three islands) one liter of water will cost you five tala, which is about $2.30 in America.
The best meal I ate this week was to'ona'i with my host family! To'ona'i is a huge feast where the entire family gets together usually after church on Sundays. It is a key symbol of the Samoan value of family and devotion to Chrisitianity. During this meal I had pork, sea cucumbers, sea worms, chop suey and other delicious food. The family brought an entire pig to the table! Seafood is a major staple of the Samoan diet, and dishes influenced by Chinese cuisine are also seen quite often in Samoa.
