Sadly, I am leaving this wonderful island tonight. I cannot imagine how the time has flown by so fast. The last week was intense; activities included inputting and analyzing the data we collected, preparing for the presentation, organizing the workshop for stress management, and saying goodbye to my dear friends on the island.
After learning about the culture and lifestyle on this south pacific island by interviewing people, we started to actually collect data with the tailored survey that would give us ideas about the stress status of the people in American Samoa. This survey was designed analyze from multiple angles the stress status of the people, including stress level, stress symptoms, access to releasing stress, risk factors, and effective coping techniques. Also, it emphasizes the fa’alavelave which means funerals, weddings, and other gatherings in which people have to donate money due to social reputation and expectation.
The target population of this research was on students and teachers at American Samoa Community College. We collected a good amount of surveys back and then analyzed the data with statistical software. Although the most common statistical software in the USA may not be available here, we finally achieved preliminary findings. My preliminary findings were presented to the land grant staff, American Samoan Community College faculties, and the people I interviewed previously. I am glad that this research provided the American Samoans a new way to look at themselves.
Although some of the college students did not feel stress from fa’alavelave personally, they did put fa’alavelave as the answer for the question, “what is the most common stressful thing the Samoan people may have?” A possible reason for this is that the all the college students’ funds come from their family; however, their families may suffer from stress of Fa’alavelave. In American Samoan society, the family will support the children economically while they are still in school. Although the economy on the island is not well developed, people donate a large portion of money for fa’alavelave, which creates tremendous stress for them.
In my stress management workshop, I demonstrated some coping techniques such as music therapy, meditation, humor therapy, and other methods to the audience. The stress management workshop provided fresh ideas for the locals and opened a window for them to explore the opportunities to manage their stress in the future. In addition, I designed some programs for the wellness center which will open later this year. The wellness center will be the first integrated place that aims to support the public health for the islanders.
Coming to the island alone is definitely not a lonely journey. I am blessed to have the chance to embrace the culture and diversity. It is a blessing to come to this exotic place and meet friendly people, to experience a different culture and gain working experience, while at the same time contributing my skills to the community. I found myself falling in love with this island, even though my contribution may only make a small difference for the islanders. This experience made me aware of how often I take for granted the ease of access to expertise in the USA. Because the island is so resource-limited, each visiting field has only one expert, one dietitian, one psychiatrist, one entomologist, or no expertise at all in many fields. My preceptor commented on my study, saying it was a unique and promising study, and he would like to continue it as a long term program for the American Samoa population. I am glad to see what I accomplished here, and hopefully I will come back some day.