Let’s get back to the basics

By Vatapuia Maiava 23 October 2016, 12:00AM

Too many Samoans are trying to live the lifestyle of other people.

So says Apoiliu Misili, from the village of Saleimoa. Aged 41, Apoiliu says that the biggest causes of sickness and hardships these days are the change in lifestyles. She says that we should go back to the simple Samoan way of life. 

“One of the biggest problems we now face in Samoa is that we whine a lot,” she told the Village Voice.

“We are always trying to change the way we live to match the westerner’s way of life instead of keeping everything the way it is.”

“For us in Samoa we live on breadfruit and a nice hot cup of lemon leaf tea. That’s all we need and that’s why our ancestors were strong and healthy.”

Apoiliu said that in comparison to our ancestors, we have become very lazy and sickly due to globalization.

“One of the causes of many sicknesses nowadays is through globalization,” she said.

“We try and live on a western diet or live a lazy life; Samoan’s were never lazy people. If we just stick to the old way of life then we will be fine.”

“If you want to eat something nice then just add some coconut cream on your breadfruit, banana or taro. We need to stop eating refrigerated goods. Those are the unhealthiest type of food and it’s not good for us.”

“We make our own lives hard. All you need to do is hop out of bed, pick some crops and eat. That’s how simple things can be.”

Apoiliu continued on to explain just how simple life can get.

“Life in the village is very simple, I wake up and get the breakfast ready for the elderly parents then I get my chores done,” she said.

“Right now I am just getting some breadfruit from the tree so we can use it for meals and for other uses. I also want to get rid of the mature breadfruit because it’ll be a waste if they fall down and rot.”

“I am also going to give out the breadfruits to whoever wants them because we’re going to cut down the tree to make way for the government’s road extension. It’s a great way to exercise and make use of these breadfruits before they go bad.”

According to Apoiliu, another key to a great life is to always be thankful for everything you get.

“The thing with life in Samoa is that everything requires money,” she said.

“We don’t have much but always remain thankful that we have enough to get back on a daily basis. If we get a can of tin fish and a piece of yam then that’s our meal for the day.”

“My family isn’t a picky family so we don’t really need much to satisfy our needs. If we can’t get fresh fish then we eat tin fish with a cup of tea then that’s us.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 23 October 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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