Samoa and Tonga: Polynesians take off their shoes before entering a home

A Maori shoe design by Tu Ake 👹

In a Samoan and Tongan's home it's customary to take off one's shoes before entering or it can be considered dirty living. The custom runs strong today as it did in the past and it looks to hold for the future, regardless if a family's floor is spotless. 👺 Shoes are taken off before entering a Maori wharenui as well.

The bottom lining of shoes today serves important functions like traction and protection, however, not only does it collect dust and other germs but it can collect “many layers” of leftover grind from all the many surfaces touched outside of the house. That mixing of grind and dirt when touched on carpet gets pushed down deep in the threads and makes cleaning over time much harder. 

Carpeting is the greatest dirt collector inside a home and it's recommended today by designers to not use carpeting in most places within the house. If you're Polynesian, wood flooring should be a home requirement 👌. Having large families and celebrations, wood flooring, or something with a smooth hard surface is a must. 

"This applies to sandals as well, sorry folks, but ya gotta take those sandals and shoes off! Better always wear clean socks with no holes with your shoes too or ya gonna get laughed at. This can be a really great thing actually, my girl loves to show off her newest cute pair of socks. She has Holidays socks, cute heart socks, designer socks, she loves to dress well"

If you live in an Apartment complex be a bit aware of what you're walking into. The standard timeframe for changing out the carpets in an Apartment complex is supposed to be every 2-3 years however many complex managers do not do this. If the carpet is old looking at all 💥 consider another place. Materials in carpets wear down quickly and lose their form becoming a barrier that requires daily cleaning.

The simple requirement of taking one's shoes off can greatly help with the up-keep of a home over several years. The taking off of shoes before entering a home is probably one of the oldest "Home Health Tactics". In the island homelands of Samoa and Tonga it is a more strict practice.

Ways to help Guests 
1. When designing your home make the front entrance of the home a step lower (A low area entrance). Also if possible, design the entrance way opened enough where people have a sitting area to take shoes on-and-off.

2. Ask guests to come through the back-entrance where a patio can hold shoes if you're having an event where people might not wish to shoe-off in front of others.

3. Have spray 💨 ready for people who wish to deodorize their shoes and socks. This will greatly help those who feel uncomfortable.

4. Have replacement house shoes ready for guests at the door. You can have separate pairs for men and women if you like. It doesn't matter what house sandal or house shoe brand you use, just make sure they're comfortable, closed toe tip, and not too hot or heavy.

Read more »

Posted in: Environment,Family,Mental

Do you have the, it's just never good enough syndrome

The "It's just never good enough syndrome" is a very hard thing to catch yourself doing, and tends to make people around, in a pretty bitter mood.

Saying to people and yourself  "It's just never good enough" can be a lighter type of abuse that can really effect loved ones.

In fact, it's the closest ones that usually get the worst end of the deal.

A hard self review of ones-self, can open up what fuels those deep unconscionable feelings of regret and inadequacy.

Theres a widely used saying that "Misery loves company", which seems to go hand-in-hand with "It's just never good enough".

Both out-looks and attitudes are relatively an out cry to keep people "in-line" and close. This sabotaging of their ability to interact with others, by telling he or she is dumb, stupid, or not good enough, can handy-cap them from future successes.

People in the cycle often disconnect themselves in the end, leaving the abuser to his or her elderly years alone. The last decade of one's life can be very hard, and very long.


Print Page - Home - Events - Local Weather - Hot Topics - Fun Facts

Read more »

Posted in: Mental

Samoan American community man discussed the interesting health concerns on junk collecting habits

There's real concern today about people who have become what they call Junkers, Hoarders, or casual Habit Hoarders.

The Hoarding of belongings may seem like nothing compared to people who have real health issues, but it is, and has even spawned several television episodes on the health circumstances.

True junk hoarding of belongings can become very unhealthy, not just the Hoarders themselves, but to their family and neighbors. People who have an addiction to collect and collect, may sometimes perceive common items like a close friend, sibling, or protector. Junk collectors may think items have some purpose for some unplanned event, far far far into the future.

It’s been pointed out by observers that most people who hoard are people who might be new to having so many various new things, complicated again with having so many home decor options. Someone who is casually "Habit Hoarding" can easily be refocused and educated about new surroundings. Home decor magazines on changing trends can considerably help jog awareness of hazardous routines. Garage sales seem to be the casual Habit Hoarder's favorite places, buying items just to stuff into another corner at home, or in their garage.

Samoan American community organizer "If you can’t Home decorate, then Home Organize. Remember in order to decorate, one must have organizational skills in the first place. Do not expect too much, if you can’t first organize a living space, into a functional atmosphere. One thing to take note of is, that clearing a space is not the same as cleaning a space. If you find yourself clearing a space just for bulks of new belongings, with items that don’t serve a function, then yes, you might be a Habit Hoarder.

It’s not too late though, people can make habit changes and fine tune their living situation. When odor is involved along with rodents, various junk, and possibly pets, don’t be afraid to consult advice from family and friends, since Hoarding is not something to take lightly."

Print Page - Home - Events - Local Weather - Hot Topics - Fun Facts

Read more »

Posted in: Mental

American Samoa community health in the states address youth habit forming routines

According to Dr. Banter "One misconception of Not Caring is that the emotion or attitude is rebellious in nature to society, which is incorrect in many ways.

People who don't care are actually easier to control and much easier to manipulate since all that it takes to direct them, is sometimes anything that forces a reaction. People who don't care or say they don't care, do not usually have the drive to learn anything new at all, which in the long run makes them easy targets for anything political, economical, and commercial"

Over time the "Not Caring" attitude leads to very narrow [not always negative] thoughts, not caring though considerably closes perspective. One by one, a mental door is closed in the mind, not taking the time to analyze information. The problem with dulling down, or slacking of effort, is habit. Once the doors are closed, they remain closed, unless theres a "new committed intent", a renewed mental routine. 

Samoan American community man "It's like a search engine really, when you set a restriction, your search will only look for specific terms. Only in a mind the settings can be less easier than a click to restrict and not restrict settings because habit forming routines become a comfortable reality.

The people who don't care, also are not aware of people who have the drive to progress. This is a very interesting difference in awareness, comparing how one to the other perceives the world.

Everyday someone who cares is constantly soaking in new perspectives and processing them. People creating discussion inspire more learning, reading, analysis, exploration, and over the years, they develop. Little by little the simple attitude of a person who cares develops focus, which manages information better, and eventually faster. Caring certainly doesn't make a person better or correct, which is not what is implied, only that we are using a caring attitude to support a positive step."

Recent data shown that a person with low drive, many times stays in routine, and that can be dangerous in older years when kids come into play.


Print Page - Home - Events - Local Weather - Hot Topics - Fun Facts

Read more »

Posted in: Featured Articles,Mental