The "toloa" (bird) continuely flies but returns to the waters (translation)
These past couple of weeks have been especially busy with family and my parents visiting from Samoa for our (my birth church's) annual Samoan white Sunday or "Lotu Tamaiti" (A church service hosted for children to recite bible verses, participate in plays, dances etc. and to wear white). Working as a tutor has also been neat and learning so much in the Indigenous Research field as well as working on my own studies, researching books and other side activities that keep me busy.
The above large neat painting was gifted to me last year at our second book launch which was hosted by my birth church's Samoan pre-school of Mangere PIC Aoga Faataitai that our youngest was attending at the time. It was such a blessing to receive and have thought to add to the painting with as it has an unpainted background. Very tempting for artists to want to finish and add their own signature.
The neat thing is that the ancient Samoan proverb (as translated below the painting) is very meaningful for me in that it reminds me that although I get really busy with so much going that I can stay grounded on the things that are meaningful to me i.e. my faith and my family and in the case of the painting, it also speaks to my culture as a Samoan albeit NZ Samoan.
And am also looking forward to the book launch tomorrow at Mt Roskill library as it is an adaptation of a play written by Shakespeare that I re-wrote some 20 years ago with a Pasifika spin as a then high school English teacher. I am so glad that it can now see the light of day through my NZ Samoan lens or take on Shakespeare with one more book launch before the end of the year and so much more to come...
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