"May the Force be with you . . . " and so my daughters had a bodyguard while they were in Samoa recently!
This is the Force I'm talking about. Don't mess with him. Here he is on the top of his mountain:At age 15, my daughter was acosted by a 16 year-old in Fusi Safata last year in October. He then spent a few days following her around constantly learing at her and trying to speak English to woo her. "Welcome to the world of Samoan men" I thought as I watched her squirm uncomfortably.
Capping off her trip last year and cementing her desire to never return to Paradise again inside a lifetime, was an afternoon at Aggie Grey's Hotel in Apia where she again experienced the wandering eyes of the male staff there. "Dad, Samoan men are creepy. I never want to come back!" she informed me later.
Explaining to a 15 year old that men are men the world over (it's just that subtlety and tact don't sit well with Samoan guys who consider a fist in the face and a blood nose the solution to many interpersonal issues) didn't really cut the mustard but we left it at that.
Fast forward to 2010 with her father having relocated to Samoa, and she's in a real quandry thinking "I want to spend time with Dad but it's not the nicest of places for a young lady". She solved the problem by bringing her sister for company. We however solved the problem by supplying a fulltime bodyguard, Force. Both solutions worked a trick but the Force thing was the winner on the
With a German/Samoan pedigree and hailing from Safotu in Savaii, this is an educated man (St Joseph's College) going by the name of Edwin Joseph von Kurt Schmidt. The sixth generation from an 1872 union of the German Mr Schmidt to a daughter of an American immigrant by the name of Smith, this man has a unique pedigree - the only son of the only son who is left in Safotu, who's father was the oldest son of the oldest son of the oldest son of the oldest son going back to the 1870s.I bumped into this guy when looking for his brother (Barney) who had a recording studio. Force sort of stuck to me and has been along for the ride for a few weeks. He's got a job with me. There's no pay, but he doesn't do anything (apart from eat, sleep and talk that is - all during the day too I might add). So that's all fair. He's helped me out to set up a criminal who was stealing from us and caught him. He also helped bring the same guy in when he skipped bail and (allegedly) committed another burglary on us. He also helps me translating with the Samoan High Chiefs who he seems to get along with quite well.
So when the girls arrived, he gladly undertook the bodyguard role. Go
It's an exaggeration to say that this guy is as wide as he is high, but not by much. His dark deep-set eyes make him look like a monster out of a Hitchcock thriller, and with a machete in his hand, believe me you would be praying never to meet him in a dark alley at night.
But looks can sometimes be deceiving. He's an accomplished muso with an album, TV adverts and other credits to his name. Apparently he's angel in disguise with a heart of gold and RAP beats coming out of his head like a Samoan spring of water. The picture at the top is of him with the girls being silly on the top of his mountain in Safotu. Fantastic view. Could be the location of a future business if discussions and ideas turn to reality some day.That's the Force. If he turns out to be one of the better Samoans, I'm sure you'll all be seeing much more of him on these pages.
Tagwords: Force
