Tatou Aiga Faiaoga

I lost count how many times I’ve said to PCV Matt that Samoa is the smallest country in the world. I feel this way not because Samoa is literally small (although it is) but mainly because of how often I run into someone who is related to someone else I know, or worked with them, or they went to school together in Apia. It’s insane really. People talk of six degrees of separation but here it’s more like two.

To illustrate my point, I created the relationship doughnut below.

Every time we have a meeting at school our principal inevitably makes reference to “Tatou Aiga Faiaoga,” meaning our teacher family. I always thought this was a nice way for him to foster some sort of community building. But as with many things here, it goes deeper than that. I found out recently how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Teachers Ioane and Mele are cousins who are related to Fotu, the librarian, because Fotu is married to Mele’s brother.

Our headmistress Fono, is somehow distantly related to Paosia and Numia. Numia and Paosia are sisters (surprise, surprise, I had no idea until about a month ago). The three of them are also related in some way to Magele, but how exactly I don’t know (maybe he is second cousins with Fono??).

Sinapati, the bus driver, is Tiapepe’s father-in-law and their families share a house together.

Now, these are just the ones I know. It’s strange to me how I could have worked and lived here for a year and not known most of this. I talk with the teachers, ask them about their lives, but these things aren’t mentioned outright. Everyone just knows. And now I know the truth behind Tatou Aiga Faiaoga.