I've just come off a furious few days interviewing for our first few Samoan Web Ambassadors. The depth of goodwill toward Samoa in the responses we've received has caught even me by surprise.
I've been preaching to everyone I meet that the international goodwill towards Samoa is sky-high; in the stratosphere actually, but Samoans neither know this, nor know the extent of it and certainly have no idea how to capitalise on it.I was in Samoa the week after the 2009 Tsunami and it was chaos as the whole country from the PM down was in shock and suddenly receipients of a plethora of people, families, friends, NGOs, countries, companies - all who came and wanted to help. And they did.
Samoa was gracious to a man. "Thank you so very, very much" was the nation's sentiment from the top down. Many people here recognised at that time that people from outside cared about their country. But I have never seen anyone, ever, in Samoa who truly recgnises the extent of the post-Tsunami goodwill that existed and still exists.
I relocated to Samoa for several reasons and one of them was that I could see what I assessed to be a desperate need to share meaningful timely information about Samoa via the Internet. Basically except for a few shining examples, their web strategy and web presence was quite third-worldish. More importantly they had no idea that people genuinely wanted to help, but these potential donors were in the second phase of giving. They were just not interested in giving pots or pans and risking their hard earned cash lining the pockets of leaders who we all know are culturally bound to look after their own. These people want and wanted to help; but to give meaningful help; help with something that they were good at or was at their fingertips, not just cash; help that was meaningful, sustainable and/or gave them something in return. [Pic: Helena at Fagaloa Bay]
The last few days have confirmed my understanding along these lines, as applicant after applicant has responded with enormous passion and a deep desire to get up here and help, however they can. The mere possibility that people can get paid (albeit at the atrocious local rates) to experience post-Tsunami Samoa and use their gifts to make a difference seems to have struck a chord with many. As I said before, I knew the goodwill was high but the depth of passion demonstrated has been extraordinary and humbling.
Have a read of some of these words and get a feel for how people think and feel about Samoa . . .
I'm that person, the one you are looking for. There is nothing I cant do. Im a photographer that is organised and I have a heart big enough to genuinely care about Samoa and the efforts to get things going again.and
No, it's not about the money! After the tsunami I would have loved to be able to provide practical assistance but what could an IT geek do? This gives me a way to help that is both practical and, hopefully, enjoyable.Asked why such a qualified individual would want to come and work for peanuts . . .
. . . about the money issue and why I would be wanting to engage in a project such as this? well sir.. it looks like a chance and an epic one at that to really get in there warts and all and see what's happening, and get to know the people the places and myself.and from a successful applicant - Dux of the University class:
I am very interested in making a positive impact on the Samoan community. For that reason the blogs associated with the effects of the tsunami interest me the most. I would make it my main goal to successfully boost tourism numbers in Samoa by showcasing all aspects of the islands and culture that would be of interest to the target demographic traveller. I would also work very hard to change the pre-conception that Samoa is a lost nation. I would do this by not only creating entertaining, informative and inspiring blog entries but also by reaching out to the greater international business community for support.Still more . . .
. . . the culture seems to intrigue me. I would love to use my skills as a writer/photographer to help these people and get some really ground-zero stories of the redevelopment of the nation post-tsunami. I know this will be hard given their unwillingness to sometimes accept Palagi, but I would be up for the challenge.Sontrong motivation:
I want to bring the stories of Samoa to life and get them out to the rest of the world. What an opportunity, to see Samoa and have others see back. I want to see the Samoan culture after the tsunami, taste the food, I want to hear a church choir and see if pigs really walk the streets.*And there's more.
Over time, our systems will allow more and more people to come to Samoa as part of what we are calling the SWAP programme - the Samoan Web Ambassador's Programme. Our team will talk to the world about it over the next few months as things develop and our systems are fine-tuned. Our first three SWAP Ambassadors are certain to have one of the most exciting times of their lives up here. Some of that has to do with Samoa and circumstances. A lot of it will be because of the passion and drive that these professionals are bringing with them.
But while Samoa can sometimes make it hard for a Palagi (it definitely has a darker side) it is essentially a land that gives. It gives its people to the world (there are more Samoans living outside of Samoa than in it) and it gives back to Palagi who come here to help. Palagi often think that they will come here to help people who need help. I've noticed however that many times it is the Palagi who changes the most; from an enormously rich experience!
It is my desire to connect the two cultures in a way that ends up a win-win. Sure some people have a beef with me personally or are aggressive or confrontational, but I really consider it an honour to lead such passionate people into a place where their dreams come true (at least for 6 weeks). I suspect that the energy from our first team will be highly infectious. Somewhere in early June, The Samoa Story (www.thesamoastory.com) will soft-launch. I'm sure it will do us all proud when it does.
UPDATE
How do you tell a gazillion passionate highly qualified motivated and hopeful people that they missed out on the dream jobs?After a day or so stewing on it, I settled on the following. To those of you who did get the Dear John email. I mean it. I hope one day we can see you up here in Samoa and make ammends!
Thanks so much for your application for the dream job in Samoa. Yes it was legit and yes it is a dream job!*Yes, the pigs definitely walk the streets, but they get off them when the cars come. If you travel more than 40km in rural Samoa (apart from breaking the law) all the animals - pigs, dogs, chickens, homo sapiens and their offspring gauge the sound of an approaching vehicle to perfection. They will trot across in front of you and disappear off the road just in time. Travelling more than 40k will require constant braking, and you'll likely clip the last chick, piglet, puppy or whatever. That will probably cost you a few tala and a fine woven mat or two if they catch you! Best do it the Samoan way - fai fai lemu (take it easy!).
I write however with good news and bad news. The bad news is that we have now appointed someone else for the role. The good news is that there will be more opportunities similar in the near future.
The fact that your application has been rejected may have nothing to do with anything that you have said or had in your CV. A lot of you were way more than qualified and would have been a delight to work with. It's just that only one person could get lucky. A lot of you also made positive comments about the humour in the advert. Thanks. Much appreciated!
Please understand that it is a gut-wrenching task for me to pass up on so many talented and passionate people. Simply responding in a timely manner to all your applications however has been a challenge in itself. After employing some lucky person I've actually sat here for a good day and a half wishing that I could take a dozen other people tomorrow and wondering how to write a Dear John letter to a gazillion people! In time we might be able to slip you in but at the moment, I'm sorry we can't.
You may be interested in a blog post I wrote about you and the others that have applied. It is entitled Passionate People and you can find it on my personal website www.dennis.co.nz.
Please keep in contact. We'll be posting news and opportunities in Samoa on our own website www.swapsamoa.com. You're very welcome to convince the first Web Ambassadors that you're suitable for the second intake, or the third or fourth intake, and we may actually see you up here sometime in the future!
Thank you again
Tagwords:
