Heroes, Treasure Hunters, Italians and Latinos

How could these past 5 days suddenly be so meaningful and inspiring?
Is it just I, or the island is changing?

Wednesday: diving.
There is really another world down there, so silent, peaceful, blue. Seeing a snail moving across a coral, or a lion fish standing on the reef takes you to another dimension.

(from http://www.followsabine.com/tvproject/uploaded_images/lion-fish-739346.jpg)

Thursday: I am a beautiful sexy hero.
Thursday I felt a hero. A beautiful sexy hero. The scientists from Ofu (Tom, Sea, Tylor and Carlo) needed a couple of instruments from Hawaii (since theirs broke) and I was able to get them in record time. Like in the Amaro Montenegro advertisement:

“The scientists were in difficulty. The thermoregulator in their wetlab broke and the corals where bleaching, one by one. Only a new thermoregular could save the experiment that would reveal so much about the corals genetics and resistance to climate warning. The closer new thermoregulator available was located thousands of kilomenters away in Hawaii, and the communication ways were very limited. “But I did it”. Through my doctor’s son (I meet the doctor in the morning, he was mentioning his son to me), I was able to get the new instrument to the scientists. Amaro Montenegro, sapore vero.”

Friday: fishermen and treasure hunters.
As I was at the airport picking up the thermoregulator and a couple of more things, I could not help but noticing a big oceanographers crew coming off the plane (you can recognize oceanographers at a distance, same way as you could recognize archeologists). I am curious about them, and –serendipity- one of the crew invites me on board after work.

But order, first there is lunch on Lui’s boat. The best food on island is served on these fishermen’s boat. A small San Diego “little Italy” crew is with us for lunch: Angelo is an American-italian (ok, I have to admit it now, such a thing can truly exist). He has never been in Italy in his life, but he is fluent in Genovese. Not even the people from Genova speak Genovese so well anymore. Italian took over the local languages a bit everywhere, contaminating them. But not in Little Italys abroad; I find this amazing. Lui and Angelo tell me fascinating stories of growing up in Little Italy in San Diego. I wanted to go there now and see the roads where they grow up with my own eyes, and see the shops they talk about. Little Italy changed, they say, but it still has a little bit of that flavor. I want to go there before Genovese would be forgotten or mixed there too. Am I like them? I left Italy 10 years ago, I have no home to go now that I am leaving the island. I am shipping my boxes to a friend in Oregon. Am I becoming some sort of “Italian-???world immigrant?????
Lui will be leaving during the night. I won’t be here when he comes back. But I am definitely going after his son again next time I am in Portland.
WOW, I am going to miss this happy crew!!!!

The oceanographers will be coming in and out American Samoa for the next 9 months. What???? A crew coming regularly in Samoa now that I leave? Bummer! There are 4 guys filming a video for National Geographic. There is a treasure hunter; he is the one with the shoulder-long blond hair in the recovery crew at the start of the Titanic movie. No, he is not the actor; he is the one the actor was impersonating. I talk a bit more with other crewmembers. I never meet oceanographers so vague about scientific work. Usually scientists would talk forever and ever about their projects, but this crew… nope… we are just doing some seafloor mapping. There are two kick-ass instruments from Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, accompanied by 4 guys. It is a privately founded expedition (no close shoes policy enforced). Ladies and gentlemen, the treasure hunters landed in Neverland!

Saturday: Latin night
I cannot but think why this does not happen more often. It is wonderful; it makes this island a true home. Mabel and Maliuska (the minuscule Peruvian twins) prepared a traditional dinner on Juan’s boat. From 7:00pm to 11:00pm we hang out on the boat enjoying each other company. Ivo and his 15 years old cousin or with us too (Lui said something about Ivo, now I understand, he is truly gorgeous). I get seasick after few hours. It is embarrassing as the boat is armored in the safe quite Pago Pago Harbour.
We go to dance at Avaloni down town in Pago. I usually avoid going out, I am generally scared of guys, but with this crew I feel so protected. Once in a while, the DJ puts latin music and we regularly occupy the dancing floor. God I love it! Ivo is a great dancer. I think there are plenty of guys that know how to dance out there… in the world. I start thinking about spending April in Ecuador… The Police appear at the door. “Ops… hide Ivo’s cousin, he is underage! Where did they go?” The Policeman is dancing on the floor with a lady….
A guy I meet a while ago tells me that he heard I am leaving and “please, please, don’t go; really, please, don’t go”. Of course I melt, but I do want to go. I want to go to Ecuador and dance salsa and merengue EVERY night.

Really, what is happening to this island? Is it changing or it is just me?

Johnny walks in later in the night. I am so incredibly happy to see him, I was so afraid I would have to leave the island without having a chance to tell him good bye. Johnny, Lui, Juan… I felt like they always treated me like a daughter. Johnny tells me “Now, how can we approve the guy you are going out with, if you leave the island?”. I hug him. He is a great man.
I met Johnny about 2 years ago, maybe more. He passed on a “island-tour” by my house and I invited him for dinner. Good olive oil for him. He then introduced me to Lui. I met Juan randomly one night I went out for dinner with James Bond.
Maybe it is that they are Italians, or Latin… like me they laugh and enjoy the vino; like me they brake glasses with their hands while talking; they listen and share and teach me. God, I am going to miss these guys!!!
It 3:30 am when I finally go to bed.

Sunday: “La sera leoni, la mattina coglioni”
(“Like lions in the night, like stupids in the morning”).
The 2 weeks mark. Three more flights, on the forth one I will be leaving the island for (relatively) good. I spend the day packing, sleeping, studying, working on my video application…I want to see the Latin crew again, but I still have so much work. I wish last night would had never have ended. I want to dance more, being hold between strong arms, my eyes closed and my nostrils filled with perfume, feeling my partner’ body next to mine and follow his movements. There is nothing like a good merengue or a good salsa, and the effects do last for a while…