My Gagana Samoa Journey
When I think back on how my language journey started, it always makes me laugh. On our very first date in 2020, we were talking about Game of Thrones (iykyk 😂), and the first Samoan words he ever taught me were kalako (dragon) and fuamoa (egg). Romantic, right?
From there, things got serious quickly, not just with him, but with the language too. It was during the pandemic, and when I started to fall for him, I decided to buy a textbook so I could try to learn Gagana Samoa on my own. I would ask him how to say things here and there, picking up a handful of words and phrases, but I knew I wanted more. Especially when we found out we were expecting our first pepe.
At one point, I found an organization called Le Gafa and thought about signing up for one of their classes. But the timing could not have been worse. I was just about to give birth to Atlas. So I waited for the next round, and in Fall 2021, I officially enrolled in their SAM101A course. I loved it! They even sent me a little certificate at the end and a cheat sheet of vocab. It was exactly the encouragement I needed. I started sprinkling more Samoan into daily life, but I still struggled to use it consistently.
By 2023 and 2024, life had other plans. Our focus shifted to building Pepe Faitau Books, and personal language learning took a back seat. Then, in early 2023, we welcomed another baby. My postpartum experience was incredibly difficult, and for about 18 months I was just in survival mode. Our dream was always to raise our kids bilingual, but the reality was harder than expected with only Duseigneur speaking Gagana Samoa at home.
Then 2025 rolled around, and something in me shifted. I got serious again. I took a beginner’s Samoan course through The Association of Samoan Language Nests, and right after that, I jumped back into Le Gafa’s SAM101B course. The progress was real. I can now hold a very simple conversation in Samoan, something that once felt impossible.
This October and November, I am retaking SAM101B to really lock it in before moving on to more resources.
Learning Samoan has been so much more than just memorizing vocab lists. It has been about deepening my connection to my partner, to our kids, and to a culture that I am so grateful to be welcomed into. It is not always easy, but every new word feels like a step closer to the family and language rich life we have always dreamed of.
And to think, it all started with kalako and fuamoa. 🐉🥚
Here are some resources I utilize!
The Association of Samoan Language Nests
