I had only been back in New York for four months after Sierra Leone whenWHO, out of the blue, offered me a Representative position at a higher level. It felt unbelievable. I had been on theWHO Representative roster for over a decade, and nothing had materialised until this surprising opportunity came along. I was appointed as the Head of theWHOOffice and Representative to Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau. The move to Samoa is another story altogether. My journey began on 18 December 2021, and it wasn’t until March 29, 2022, that I finally set foot in Samoa. Prior to that, I spent nearly three months in Fiji with my friend Tawia Addo-Ashong. Tawia helped me celebrate my 58th birthday in grand style. Staying true to my tradition, I had a week-long celebration, all themed in white. Tawia and I headed to the Marriott, where we stayed in a beautiful waterfront room for three days. Now, Samoa is an island, and obviously much smaller than anywhere I have ever worked. Interestingly, they are a very small country with a population of about 200,000. My other Islands are not that much bigger. Besides, they don’t have a problemwith maternal or child mortality, so the challenges are not as significant as what I am used to. Instead, they had a huge problemwith hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. About 60% of the population is obese. Samoans are very warm and express their love through food, which is probably the reason for the high rate of obesity. Samoan hospitality rivals African hospitality – maybe even better? There’s not that much to do in Apia socially, but I have kept myself busy. I have made some good friends here, including a Ugandan sister whom I met in transit in New Zealand and an African Catholic nun. I have had a few people come over to visit, including my husband, and Tawia. My good friend and former flatmate Faustina De Veer lives in New Zealand, so she is close by, and I have visited and enjoyed her hospitality. Life has continued to unfold beautifully in Samoa. I am learning to embrace it fully, realising that life is both beautiful and short. And NOW, This is 60! 38 The Birthday Journal
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