Man from Sala’ilua, Savai’i ready to see the world

By Ilia L Likou 17 October 2017, 12:00AM

Don’t ever stop dreaming in life. 

What you wish for may one day come true, even if you think it’s impossible. 

It surely worked for 19-year-old Paulo Pisa whose childhood dreams just came true.

Now the lad from Sala’ilua, Savai’i, will be able to help support his family financially – his biggest dream in life. 

Paulo has been called to be a seafarer overseas and this blessing will mean he can better support his family.

The Village Voice approached him yesterday while preparing for ‘this opportunity of a lifetime’ when he said he never thought of leaving his family and his parents to travel around the world.

Paulo said: “Even though it’s hard, I have to do it because it’s a promise that I made to my parents.” 

He promised he would look after his parents when he grew up in Savai’i. 

Seeing the daily struggles his father had to go through to make ends meet for him and his siblings was a motivation for him to do better.

“My parents know this; I told them that I want to become a sailor in the future so that I could make money to build a new home for us.”

Paulo is the eldest of his four siblings.

“I know the ups and downs, the struggles that my parents went through ever since I was young because I’m the eldest,” he said.

“We don’t have much even though my father worked as a carpenter.”

He said carpentry jobs weren’t always available for his dad.  

“But he never failed us, we go to school every day, we always have lunch for school from Monday to Friday.”

He said that was “my parents who want to make sure that we attend school.”

He said being a carpenter was hard.

“But no matter the sun and the rain, my father always made sure there’s food for us and our mother every day.”

“Looking at my father from day to day bring tears to my eyes sometimes, he’s old but he keeps on going because of us.

“That’s when I decided that it’s time for me to look for opportunities so that I could help my family.”

In Savai’i – “we have village obligations, I mean fa’alavelave all the time but my parents manage to budget for our daily needs.”

“But thank God for my parents, for all the support, I wouldn’t be here today if wasn’t for them and their prayers.”

Paulo is ready to go.

“Here I am, but this is just a beginning of a journey and hopefully with prayers I would make the most of this and help my family and let my father stay home because he has to.

“I understand the high cost of living and with opportunities like this, I’m sure it will help ease my family’s struggles.

“My biggest dream is my family first and be a good example to my youngest siblings....that’s my prayer to God to make this dream come true.”

Paulo attended his village Primary School at Sala’ilua, and went to Palauli i Sisfo College before attending Marine School.

By Ilia L Likou 17 October 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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