Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

In the Shadow

2020; Wiley; Volume: 90; Issue: S1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/ocea.5276

1834-4461

Jackie Faasisila,

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts

In the shadow of COVID 19 we fear for the health and well being of family, friends, villages, island communities, our world for people we know and don't know, rich or poor, near and far, in our ocean and beyond for a world that has lost key values, cowered to greed, material comfort and success. We fear for our livelihoods and those of millions whose jobs and incomes have been snatched away and for the future of our islands, our children and their children We pray for guidance and wisdom for ourselves, our leaders and the world May the lessons we can learn from the tragedy of this pandemic not be buried in rhetoric and blame May people in our island nations and everywhere see light at the end of the tunnel however long aand winding it may be May individuals and nations learn to think beyond their own bubbles and recognize those less fortunate than they May the issues of the climate change, sea level rise and the environment be addressed with new vigour May God comfort and guide our elders who have seen tragedy and triumph as the they have walked the highways and byways of their lives May they help us face the unknowns forged by this global pandemic May we join in solidarity in the face of new words, concepts and fears May Pacific peoples rise once again united to face new journeys and unknowns Like a Polynesian rat unintentionally stowed away on a voyaging ship COVID 19 invaded the vastness of our ocean Nibbled away at life as usual in our island homes Bombarded with new words and concepts We feared for the future PANDEMIC STATE OF EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN stay at home wash your hands locked down social distancing bubbles precautions restrictions masks hand sanitizer gloves loss of jobs work from home CLOSED BORDERS TRAVEL BANS QUARANTINE isolation loneliness Sunday closures no church bells no petrol home schooling zoom meetings no buses no ferries repatriation no handshakes no hugs no gatherings no weddings small funerals no clubs no restaurants no one sleeping in the market isolated islands in the sea WHEN the virus will reach our shores WHERE our God is WHO will succumb WHAT the future will hold HOW will we move forward WHO to trust WHAT to believe HOW will it end WHY ??? Jackie Faasisila was born and raised on a farm ranch in rural South Dakota. She has a BA in Education and a MA in American History from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She came to Samoa as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1972. She has worked in various levels of education in Samoa as well as serving as a Peace Corps trainer and consultant in Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, and Kiribati. She was the Academic Director for World Learning Samoa from 1996 to 2018. She also worked on a UNESCO Social Science team collecting survivor stories after the 2009 tsunami and co-authored Surviving a Tsunami: Dealing with Disaster in 2011. Jackie was inspired to try her hand at poetry in 2012 and published her first collection Endless Circles: South Dakota to Samoa in 2015. She resides in Samoa with her four children and seven grandchildren.