Abstinence, please!

These past days have been very monotonous indeed: work, stress over my coming trip to Italy, going to bed waking up every time a rooster –apparently- calls my name.

Pietro and Mia were in Ofu for 3 days, and they left again this morning for Western Samoa. I am missing them so much already. I finally made time to paint my room some color that was not white. I really knew when I came back from Alaska, that I am not made to sleep in a white room.

I bought a cool “sea-harbor” blue that, from the 1x1 cm little colored box you look at when you buy the color, seemed so nice. Of course, after half room is painted you realize it was not really the kind of blue you wanted, and “why don’t they just call the colors with their real name? Smurf-blue. Easy. Everybody would know what to expect”. I have to say, the room does look great even with a smurf-blue.

But all this time alone, gave my mind lots of “free” time to run wild with all sort of thoughts. Reading Jeremy’s blog (Jeremy is another lost child on this island –his link is on the right side of this post), it seems to me that I have not been the only one getting the “let’s save the planet” kind of thoughts.

Last night I went to for a short time to potluck, and I learned that 32.5% of the island population is under 14 years of age! Now, that is scaring! The median age is now 24 years old! This means that very soon there will be an abundance of young adults looking for land to build a house, with a car, probably weighting around 100 kg, eating a shit-load of crappy food, producing even more garbage and shit, of course. Yes, I knew that the population triple in the past (what?) 40 years, but… I am going to be here to see all this happening? 2 more years on the rock?

And following thoughts: “am I doing the wrong job? Should I just try to focus on the kids’ education, teach them not to trash, how to recycle, how to eat healthy food? And how on earth can you teach birth control here?!?” Abstinence (that is what the government goes for here –there are so many signs along the road about abstinence --) is clearly not working, considering the rate of teenager pregnancy.

American Samoa population density (353/km2 or 914/sq m) wins the 33^rd place in the list of the most populated countries. Right now, I swear, it does not really look that overpopulated, all you see from a boat is just jungle green; you can still drive on that 1 road without too many delays for traffic (I should also add that I grow up in Rome were traffic is much worst)… how different would that be when all these kids will grow up? Will the last low land rain forest existing in the US still survive? Considering that last month they clear-cut a big piece of it to build a new house. Why none seems to be able to pass a bill to protect it?

Buying land in Alaska all of a sudden seems like such a good idea…

I am leaving you with this though for the moment…soon would like to write about YOU reader, and about some ideas to help the planet…

(kids are everywhere!!! the cutest!)