Fantastic news for Tai and Sili ...

... and a new outlook for Mika!

Many of you who have visited Taufua Beach Fales in the past, or who were there on the day of the tsunami, will have met Mika, the crazy Tokelauan guy who works for the UN in Apia. Mika is a very very long time friend of the Taufua's, so much so that he is part of the family. You will hear him refer to Tai and Sili, as "mum and dad".

L to R: Peter, Mika, Me :o)

In the days before the tsunami Mika had been staying at Lalomanu, and on the night before it, he decided to go back into Apia. When the earthquake and tsunami struck the next morning, Mika rushed back down to Lalomanu with his friend Morten. Mika had undergone shoulder surgery about three weeks prior, and had his arm in a sling, but still he and Morten managed to drive down there at breakneck speed, having to move plenty of trees and debris on the way, and absolutely terrified of what they were going to find when they got there.

Mika and Morten worked closely with the UN and Nynette Sass from the SHA (Samoa Hotels Association) that day, to evacuate many of the stranded tourists back to Apia, and to suitable accommodation. Thank goodness for Mika's solid training in disaster management; I think many will agree that he did a fantastic job on the day under the most terrible of circumstances.

Anyhow, the point of this post is to tell you that Mika has decided to move down to Lalomanu and be on hand to help Tai and Sili on a more permanent and regular basis. Having Mika onsite to help out will be a godsend for Tai and Sili, and we're also rapt about it! We're finding it hard being so far away when all we want to do is to be there to support Tai and Sili at this time, and in the coming months as they rebuild the fales up the hill and start to receive guests into their home once again.

In the meantime, we'll just have to be patient, or as the Samoans say, "onosa'i lou lotu", which I think means, patience is a blessing!! We'll continue to do what we can from here, with the help of all of you out there, via the interwebs.

Manuia le aso to all
Tina xx