Other former students he caught up with included Monsignor Etuale Etuale, and the the Minister of Private Enterprise Lautafi Fio Selafi Purcell.

After serving in Samoa, Fallon went into banking with Citibank in Asia for 31 years.

"Although its' been so long, the reality is it doesn't feel like I've been away," he he told SamoaFM and offered this message.:

"It feels very familiar and it just goes to show the precious nature of Samoa, its people and its culture. This is a wonderful place and if I have a message for our listeners, please be proud and continue what you have, the fa'a Samoa is well worth proclaiming to the world."

Returning after 47 years has a very special meaning as it is also a reunification of what they found while serving in Samoa. The popular Samoa Fiafia Trio whose music was the soundtrack to the lives of many.

The group reunited the surviving locally based member, Galumalemana Alfred Hunkin who taught at Leififi Intermediate with Karen Wyss another Peace Corps volunteer.

Hunkin who is back in Samoa after a long career as an educator and linguist at Victoria University in Wellington, acknowledged the Peace Corps contribution to Samoa.

"This is a celebration from the heart for me. Because I get my friends and family back (after being so long) it reminds me the wonderful Peace Corp 50 years contribution to our country."

"It's not small by any means. They influenced a whole lot of people who have become influential leaders of our country."

Source

• Talamua
• Image: Talamua

The Government of Samoa first invited Peace Corps to Samoa in 1967

In the 50 years since that time, over 2000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Samoa

They have helped build the capacity of local teachers by serving in classrooms, working directly with students and supporting the professional development of teachers.

Former Peace Corps Director, Carrie Hessler-Radelet taught English at Paul VI College in Leulumoega from 1981 to 1983.

"At the end of the day, what we're really trying to do through development is unleash the incredible power that each person has to contribute to this world." she says.

Countless Samoans have adopted Peace Corps Volunteers into their families, treating them as their own, loving them and caring for them.

They have helped the volunteers to learn about the traditions and culture of Samoa and have ensured the volunteers experience the generosity of the Samoan spirit.

During her visit to Samoa in 2015 Hessler-Radelet was able to catch up with her host family. (see photograph).

"Reunited with my host mother, Losa, after all these years! Her warm smile is still contagious," she said.

Hessler-Radelet's host father, Viane, was a farmer. There were 9 children in the family.

One of her host sisters, Roselia, was only 11 when Hessler-Radelet returned to the USA.
Roselia went on to become a lawyer.

She attributes her success to the love of her parents and her father's support for her education.

Source

• peacecorps.gov
• talamua.com
• peacecorps.gov
• Image: peacecorps.gov

Last month, President Obama nominated Hessler-Radelet to be permanent director of the Peace Corps.

Since arriving at the agency three years ago, she has helped radically remake the Peace Corps as its deputy director.

Hessler-Radelet says that accompanying her host mother, who was pregnant at the time, to monthly appointments at a nearby clinic was a transformative experience.

Hessler-Radelet signed up for the Peace Corps and persuaded her then-boyfriend to do the same.

Two weeks after getting married, she and her husband, Steve Radelet, were shipped off to a Polynesian island thousands of miles from the mainland. He had never been on a plane before.

Source

• NationalJournal.com
• Image: NationalJournal.com