Day 318, Year 1: A Trip Aunu’u Island
Date: Thursday, August 31, 2006
Weather: Beautiful Day!
Location: Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila Island, American Samoa
Today we traveled to Aunu’u Island via bus and water ferry. The island is just a couple of miles off-shore and it is lovely. I’ll get back to telling you more about today’s adventure once I give you a little up-date on my broken leg.
A couple of days ago we got an e-mail from a fellow Concord Yacht Club member who is also an orthopedic surgeon. He has been following our daily log entries and e-mailed to ask if I would like another opinion on how to deal with the rehabilitation period. He asked us to take digital pictures of all of my x-rays (from Tahiti, Raiatea, Rarotonga, and American Samoa-quite an impressive photo gallery) and send them to him as e-mail attachments. We did that, and he got back to me ASAP letting me know that my fracture is a pretty common laterial malleolus or distal fibula break and that it is fairly stable. It was good to know that the break is fairly common stable. Until now, all I knew was that I broke my fibula-no details. I immediately started feeling more confident. And then he added that the reason the fracture line looks worse to me now than it did earlier is simply because of disuse, the same kind of thing that happens to the astronauts. He assured me that things will start getting better as soon as I start bearing weight on the leg and using it. So I have done just that. Paul Urbanek–you are my new hero. Thank you so much.
Paul did caution me that I should not bear full weight at first without something to support the ankle area. And my friend Linda Stuart was already anticipating that need and has sent a borrowed aircast to me here. A fellow teacher, Chris LeBrun, had an aircast and was willing to send it to me on loan. That should arrive next week and give me the support I need for longer walks. I walked a good half mile or more today with only an ace bandage and the crutches as support, but I was very, very careful. I am just so excited that I can really start using the leg. I just wasn’t confident with the advice I had gotten from the doctor here, but now with a second opinion, I’m off and running . . . well, walking for now. Thanks to Linda and Chris was getting that aircast to me. I can’t wait until it arrives.
Now back to Aunu’u Island. We went with Glenda and Derek from Scotty. We hopped on an aiga bus and rode much of the way around the island to the east–for only $1.00 each. Then we got on the water ferry which took us across to the island. Getting on the ferry was a little tricky with my leg, but the people here are so very, very helpful. The ferry pilot basically lifted me across from the dock to the bouncing ferry and off we went. This ferry ride only cost $2.00 per person. Getting off on the island dock was much easier as the anchorage there was not getting the pounding surf from the southeast. We walked up the dock and met Joshua. He lives in the house right in front of you as you get off the dock and he gave us some good advice about how to explore. He assured me that I was not really going to walk all the way around the island, but he showed us the best way to go so that I could do some walking. I walked to the end of the village, but then decided it was time for me to start back. I assured everyone that I would be fine walking back to the dock on my own, so Mark, Derek, and Glenda continued on without me. I made the quarter or so mile back to the harbor area with no problem and even made a side trip off the path to a sandy beach. I decided it was not a good idea for me to walk further in the sand, however, and got back on the path. When I got back to the harbor area, Joshua and I talked for quite a while. He was born in Apia in Independent Samoa, and grew up between there and American Samoa. People here move back and forth between the islands just like people in the US move from state to state. He then went into the US Army and spent time in the United States and serving abroad. He most recently lived in Hawaii, where all of his children live, but after the death of both of his parents, he has returned to Aunu’u to look after his mother’s family land. After talking with Joshua for quite a while, I headed down the sidewalk to the village store. It was almost as far as I had walked to the end of the village! I really just wanted to see the village, so going to the store was my excuse. There are almost no vehicles on this island (only a van that serves as a school bus and couple of utility trucks) and no real roads. Yet people live in concrete block homes and they have electricity and plumbing. The store had only a few cold drinks, some cookies, and cans of Spam, so I assume people do most of their shopping on the main island.
After Mark, Derek, and Glenda returned from their island walk, we went down to the beach to cool off in the pounding surf. Mark and Glenda went in first, but the waves were so big and the undertow so strong, that I just stood in shallow water and let the surf flow in and out. Unfortunately the surf brought in large hunks of coral, and I had to block those from hitting my ankle with my crutch. Mark and Glenda just sat in the surf and let it cool them off. It was then time to return to the main island. Getting on the ferry was easy, but when we returned to the main island dock, the tide was lower and the waves were surging. A young man on the ferry carried me across and I made the landing safe and sound.
It was a beautiful day and we all really enjoyed our trip to Aunu’u. It was such a quiet, pristine village and we felt lucky to be able to make this visit.
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| 060831 Day 318 American Samoa–Aunu'u Island |
