Thursday, July 3, 2008

Where to Start... to reach me...

when I've been MIA for so long... I got a phone call today from someone (okay, it was from someone with the initials of J.L. who used to work at the D.A.'s office with me), and it went something like this: "You (*&*&^%* _________, you are such a ________ *&!@#%^. I can't believe you haven't called me. How dare you be such a slacker... not so cool LTM."

I've received several emails and phone calls to this effect. I'd like to apologize, I'd like to say I'll try to be a better friend, sister, daughter, cousin... and keep you better updated-- but let's be real people-- I'm on island time. And more importantly, island internet speed, island time differences, and if island time isn't enough... I'm on Samoan time, and that's even slower... so if you want to find me, here's how:

For the U.S. friends...
First off, we are 7 hours behind the East Coast, 5 hours behind Colorado, 4 hours behind the Pacific Coast. (So if it is 12 noon in Colorado, it is 7am here-- when I get off work at 4pm (yup, I just said that I get off of work at 4pm) it is already 9p.m. in Colorado.

P.O. Box 4178
Pago, Pago American Samoa 96799

(If you are wonderful and going to go to the trouble to send me a package and you would like me to get it sooner than 4 months from the date you send it, you have to splurge and send it priority mail-- the flat rate $9.00 Priority Mail boxes are your best bet-- because weight doesn't matter with the price. So make sure to send it in the boxes the Post Office provides you with so that you don't get overcharged. Also, every box has to have a customs form attached to it or it won't get here, so insist at the Post Office that you need a customs form because you are sending it to American Samoa-- if they say no, tell them to check the zip code in their computers... you'll need one. A card or letter costs the same as postage in the U.S.... so send me some silly postcards.)

Phone: 1-684-733-7660 (my cell phone)

(If you are even more awesome and want to call me-- check with your phone carriers to make sure you won't get charged $2 a minute to talk to me. If you are dialing from the U.S. you only have to dial the number exactly as above, but it is considered international long distance by most carriers. The best solution I've found is to go to www.speedypin.com and buy a phone card that works with American Samoa. You can find ones for $6.25 that will give you 125 minutes of talk time. )

Finally, cheapest of all options-- shoot me an email-- you can find me at any of the three email addresses:
lisatema@hotmail.com
lisatema@yahoo.com
lisatema@gmail.com

Or, you can find me on Facebook, yup, I caved-- it's amazing what stranding yourself in the middle of a very large ocean will do to you.

Looking forward to hearing from you...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I had major problems trying to post to this thing. Found your comments interesting; I worked in American Samoa 77-85, at the NOAA climate observatory on Cape Matatula at the E. end of the island. Strange place, a combination of US and island culture. They had supermarkets and pickup trucks (which rusted out in 2 years) but lived in villages, went to church and had blue laws. Roamed all over the Pacific on leave.
--Roger Williams, Boulder, MS '90