Walking her ancestor’s steps

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 24 February 2018, 12:00AM

Walking the seawall in search of a beach, Amina Kluge instead found something else uniquely Samoan, one of our brightly coloured buses sporting the two clashing figures of Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua.

Amina told Dear Tourist that she has always wanted to come to Samoa not only because of other travellers’ recommendations, but because of something much more personal for her. 

 Perhaps in a case of one’s D.N.A recognising the land it connects with, Amina is so happy to travel in the steps of her ancestor who once lived in Samoa a hundred years ago.

“I wanted to see if there is something here where I can check the different generations of the past because I want to find something out about my heritage and my family history which is another reason why I am here.

“One of my great great great grandfather from a hundred years ago sailed to Samoa and then he started to live here and he brought back his Samoan wife to Germany and now I want to find out if I can find his name anywhere and find out more about him. I don’t know his first name but his surname was ‘Brunt’ so I will find out something about him.”

Amina says Samoa has been breathtaking and it is nothing like she has ever seen before.

“What do I think? Ah I love it, it’s so beautiful and it’s just so different to my own country and to any place I’ve ever been to before.

“For example the Samoa style houses, they are purpose built, they are designed for meetings with family, I like this because I’ve never seen this before and it suits the climate with the open style.”

Here for a week after going through New Zealand and Fiji, the young German said it would have been a crime to come to the South Pacific and not visit Samoa.

“Well since I am in the southern hemisphere, I knew that I must also go to Samoa because it is so far away from my home in Germany. I don’t know if I can ever come back so I had to do this. It’s so beautiful here and it’s the best decision.

“I want to see all the water falls, and the blue oceans and that’s why I have come. I really want to go to the south of the island where all the beaches are. I want to know something about the culture of Samoa.”

Amina had no special itinerary prepared, the German traveller was just happy to be in Samoa and be among her people.

“Everywhere I have travelled before I’ve met so many people who told me that I have to go to Samoa because the people are so friendly.”

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 24 February 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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