Loni from Samoa : Leaving the collective, dealing with isolation and culture shock

Samoa is a small island nation in the South Pacific which may appear to many of us as a tropical island paradise. The truth is, as Loni describes in this episode, that daily life for many islanders is quite tough. Samoa is not a wealthy country and many people live in small communities, living from small-scale agriculture, and the islands power supplies have been hit by cyclones in the past. Many Samoans migrate to New Zealand, and increasingly in the past 20 years, to Australia, where the population has increased exponentially. Yet despite the geographical proximity and the growing Samoan community, it's a culture that few Australians know much about, apart from the fact that they produce a lot of good rugby players and a disproportionate number of night club bouncers. Yet, as Loni describes in her own story, it's a culture with strong traditions and norms that bond the community tightly together. Family bonds go well beyond just the nuclear family and singing is a huge part of community life. Loni was one of those Samoans who migrated first to New Zealand and worked there for a number of years before moving to Sydney, where she'd eventually meet her Tasmanian husband, Peter, who you will also hear in this episode. Moving to the eastern side of Hobart in the early 90s, there were few non-white migrants around and Loni's description of the initial feelings of isolation and homesickness will probably resonate with other migrants.