Behind the Lavalava
Welcome to Behind the Lavalava! Here, you will find authentic, firsthand perspectives on Pacific Island culture and life from a group of seasoned veterans. We share stories and express our opinions, all drawn from our own life experiences. This podcast places a special emphasis on all veterans, the people and cultures of the Pacific, and small businesses.
Behind the Lavalava
EP 91. The Second Act: Resilience and Renewal with William Fanene.
In this episode, we explore the fascinating life of William Fanene, who shares his journey of self-discovery and resilience. Growing up in diverse Samoan communities worldwide, William navigated the complexities of his dual heritage as half Samoan and half black. Through his documentary, "Nameless: Unmasking the Anonymous Life of a Sex Pill Guru," he opens up about his legal troubles and redemption, while also discussing the concept of authenticity in the Polynesian community, tackling the term "plastic." Despite facing criticism for not fitting into societal norms, William advocates for inclusivity and acceptance, promoting unity within the Samoan culture through language preservation and social media engagement. He inspires others to embrace their unique identities and challenges conventional ideas of authenticity. Watch the documentary on Totolua.com.
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Good evening everybody. Welcome to another episode of Behind the Lava Lava. I'm your host, milford Tiafala, joined by the crew, michael Tan and Atimu Aminye, and tonight we are honored to have with us the one and only Will Fanene William find that a goldsmith? Or really, I'm finding it, or I'm. So some of you might know him as husband, father, entrepreneur, content creator and DJ. A lot of things, a lot of hats. This man is the jack of all trades. I welcome will. This man is the jack of all trades. Hi, welcome Will.
Speaker 2:Thank you for that beautiful, awesome opening. I appreciate it. Thank you, guys for having me. Thanks for the invite. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Anytime. Man, we're just glad to have you join us, so with us. You know we like a lot of Samoan kids. We love our parents and I know from your documentary you know you gave a lot of love towards them and sort of spoke on them a little bit. So would you take this time to go ahead and tell us about your parents? You know their names, where they're from and you know the influence that each of them had on your life.
Speaker 2:OK, so my mom, malia Fan um. She's now. She's married, so she's Malia Emo and she lives up in um in Spokane, washington, so I visit there frequently throughout you know the year.
Speaker 2:And, um, my dad is, uh, joe Goldsmith. So he's not, obviously, he's not a Samoan guy, he's an African-American guy. He lives not far from me. And then I also have two step-parents. Both of them are Samoan step-parents. So my dad married a Samoan lady twice, two different Samoan ladies. So my step-mom she passed away several years ago.
Speaker 2:Lucy, lucy Anga I don't know if anyone is uh, no, no, lucy, but uh, my sister, my, my stepsister, I don't, we don't say step and all that. You know we don't need, we don't do that in in our culture. So she's my sister. So, daniela anga she's also married now, so she's a siofeli and she lives out in um, in southern california. And then, uh, that's my, my stepdad again, we don't say stepdad, that's my, that's my other dad and he's up in spokane, washington too.
Speaker 2:So all of them had intricate parts to play in my life growing up. And, um, you know, it's, I mean it's bad, just not, it's not bad. But you know, I don't want to say that I would. It's, I mean it's bad, it's not bad, but you know, I don't want to say that I would. It's good, everybody. You know they got divorced or whatever. But if they didn't get divorced, I wouldn't have met all of these wonderful people and they all helped to shape my life and make it to be what it is. So I mean, you only know what you know in a divorced military family that traveled around a lot and you know things weren't always perfect, but you know I wouldn't have it any other way and you know this that's my life. But yeah, those those are my parents, all four of my parents, and I have a whole bunch of uh, other siblings, bonus siblings, extra siblings and and all of that, and I appreciate all of them.
Speaker 1:Awesome man. Thank you for telling us about them. And you got some similarities between myself and Michael Tan, with Michael he, this whole podcast deal he handles, you know, the editing, marketing, pretty much everything. And then, uh, same thing with you, how you, you know, you're like the one man behind it. All you know. Same thing with you, how you, you know, you're like the one man behind it all you know. You, you might use your, your other aliases, you know. And credit it may seem like credit goes to somebody else, but people don't know like, hey, the person that's making this whole show run it's will. You know, yeah, that's pretty dope. But at the same time, I'm also an army brat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my, my father was in the army, moved around a lot, and I don't know if you can tell by my accent that both my parents are from Western Samoa. By the way, okay, I wasn't really taught. You know customs and traditions and the language as much as you know a lot of my counterparts are. You know, I was ignorant to a lot of it and I mean some picked up the hard way. But that's why, as soon as you started posting your content, I was like, oh heck, yeah, this is awesome, we got this going on, so did any of that moving around. I know I might reference the documentary a lot, but I don't want to give away too much. So I'm going to ask you, you know, like we're just meeting you moving around a lot, as that young child you know, did it bother you at?
Speaker 2:all.
Speaker 1:Picking up and moving all the time, making new relationships.
Speaker 2:No, that's all I knew. So to me that was normal life. And the funny part about it is, everywhere we moved to it was a Samoan community. So we moved to. It didn't matter if it was Germany different parts in Germany, you know, if it was Hawaii or you know all throughout, you know California, even in Missouri, like everywhere we went to. So I thought most of the world was Samoan. I thought most of the world was Samoan, until you know then some of the places we moved to.
Speaker 2:I was like man, where's everybody at? Like, what's all these black people doing here? What's all these white people doing here? Like, where, you know where, where's our people? And so it took a little adjustment to know that the world is a big place with a whole different you know type of, you know a diversity of people. And that's really what I adapted to and that's what I like.
Speaker 2:I like being around. You know I love being around some more people. I love being around, you know, black folks. I love being around. But I like being around everybody. I want to have that exchange with everyone. So to me that is the perfect world where everybody is together, Everybody's getting along, everybody shares with one another.
Speaker 2:So whenever I get into an environment where it's not like that and people are not it, things just seem kind of stagnant. I get bored, I get, you know, I don't like being there, you know. So I want to leave. So, even though it's like that, you know it's like that, here it's mainly like black folks and white folks. Still here there's not that many Samoans, but I travel a lot. Well, I used to travel a lot before I got on probation and all of that. But you know, I just, whenever I get too bored, I just go and just I want to see other people, I want to have other experiences that are outside of the norm. You know where I'm at, so I love, if anything, the military experience and traveling a lot helped me just to be someone that craves diversity and craves, you know, culture and experience, and not just my own, and I appreciate other people's experiences.
Speaker 1:Man. So in watching the documentary referencing it again, it seems to be like a tale of or at least the words that resonate with me while watching it and thinking about it are adaptability, perseverance and accountability. And you're kind of already speaking on that adaptability part right now, speaking of how you you know, crave different experiences and diversity, so that's pretty cool At this moment right now. Michael or Ate, you have any questions?
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, definitely, hey, well, hey, appreciate you, Uso, man, hopping on and taking your time to, you know discuss a lot of part about your life. You know with us, Fiopoco Usos, over here, so I could relate to what you were mentioning. You know about. You know not putting labels. You know in our culture, you know in Samoan, and you're like, hey, that's my mother-in-law or you know step, you know all that. You know titles and stuff, because you know I'm the same way. You know growing up, you know I was. You know that's cousin over there, that's cousin over there, that's uncle and that's auntie. And then all my, my, uh, my palani friends. You know they're like, hey, well, what do you mean by by that? I'm like, uh, that's, that's, uh, that's my uncle. I was like, yeah, yeah, but is that uncle on your mom or dad side? You know, try to get specific. I'm like, nah, man, that's uncle right there, you know. So I know what you mean.
Speaker 4:I know growing up, you know you're moving a lot and, uh, you said, everywhere that you guys went to, you know almost a Samoan community and you know I can relate to that. You know, because you know growing up too. You know the only place that I've, outside of Samoa, that I've been to, was in California and you know it was a big. You know, to me growing up, man, there's a big world and then you know, the only people that I kind of knew in California was like, you know, samoans. And then I'm like, oh, you know, this is this, is this must be, you know how everywhere is. And to me, you know, now that I'm growing up and now that I'm here in El Paso you know I'm in Texas, by the way, in El Paso, all places, and there's a, there's a Samoan community here, and then we kind of discuss it amongst ourselves. Like man, I think there's almost every Samoan have been to all the states, you know, even in Maine, you know, I know, you know there's Samoans over there.
Speaker 4:But for yourself, growing up, you know, going to all these places, how important was it to you to establish an identity? Important was it to you to establish an identity? You know, I know you, you, you mentioned that. Hey, you know, I feel comfortable with you, know sort of the mix with everybody else, but how important is to you to establish your own identity? How was it important to you to like, learn, learn the language? Uh, you know, being samoan, you know, I know it's it's kind of hard coming from a place where you know you don't really have that, that kind of like, you know, centered. You know I mean I'm I'm just, you know, generalizing here, you know, but you know, moving from place to place is kind of hard to have like established identity. But how important was it for you growing up, you know you, and specifically for you, you and you know specifically for you.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, that's a really great question, because growing up in primarily samuel communities all over the world, I kept forgetting I'm also half black until, like you know, somebody reminded me hey, you know, and so then they have the black jokes. So I, I was used to that growing up and it was like dang all right. So every time I would have like a step back. So it's that that was one thing that I was always like trying to. It was one thing where I was always trying to figure out well, dang, ok, I am, I'm half black, but I don't really know that much of my culture. My dad it wasn't because my dad didn't want to teach me, but he was always gone, like he was in the field, if you know anything about like military parents, like they're always gone. So my mom was always gone too. But then you know, I don't know how they work it out, but if one is gone then they try to keep another one back. You know they have kids. So my mom would stay back and then she would take us naturally to the Samoan community. Why would she take us over here when you know this is what she knows over here. So that's all I knew. But then when people like kind of shunned you out, then it's like man, ok, now I'm trying to figure out again who I am. So that was a constant struggle the whole my whole life. But you know, it only lasts for like maybe a few days and then after that you get back to. Ok, I got over it. So it wasn't until I got to here, you know, I mean, it was several years ago and um, that's when I got in touch with my, my black side, my african-american side, and that's when I start learning about different stuff and they're like man, you, bro, you, you know, you wear, you wear funny clothes and you walk around with a dress on. I'm like no, let me tell you what this is. This is, you know, it's a lava, lava, you know. So I was educating people around here about who I am, where I'm from. They didn't know nothing about Samoa, nothing. This is way back when the Rock was like what is your name? It doesn't matter what your name is, that's all they knew. They knew nothing about it. You know nothing about anything. So I was the, the, the go to person for for that kind of education. But it was.
Speaker 2:My mission was to understand black culture, understand who I was, you know, my, my other half. So, um, when I got to college I learned about like the black fraternities and the um, like black history, like I'm here living in an area where, like, there's an underground railroad, all this of stuff, all this kind of black history. So I got in contact with all of that and I really like inundated myself with just straight everything black and just kind of I never shut it, you know, shut myself more inside out because that's all I knew, you know. So, but that was when I came back home, because nobody wanted to talk about it. They didn't even know what they would say, say Somalian and stuff like that. So when I came home, that's when I was like, ok, I put my lava lava back on, you know, and you know, eat my calo, you know, and the foods that I made. That's all I knew.
Speaker 2:So it took a while, like I guess I was in my 20s. I was like probably in my mid 30s, so that's like 15 years have passed where I was like, ok, I don't care, I'm going to Walmart with my lava lava on. And there are people like, well, you know what's black dude doing with the. Why is he dressed like that? And it was literally like I heard somebody say that one time. I'm like, wow, ok. But after a while I was like I don't care, you know, there's a whole world out here.
Speaker 2:The way that I grew up is everybody did their own thing. They were unique, some people, they might have been, you know, mexican and Samoan, they might have been Caribbean and Russian, like everybody, and they just did what they did. But here, a place like here, they didn't understand that people would express themselves and the cultures that they were brought up in. And it's a melting pot. That's how I was, like you know what? I'm going to do my own thing, the way that I was brought up. If you don't appreciate it, you just don't appreciate it, whatever. And that just came with maturity and not caring anymore, because you know in your 20s you care about what everybody thinks. So you know, but I just got to the point where it's whatever, like I'm just I'm going to do me. So thanks for asking. That's a great question.
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Speaker 4:Uh, on top of that, do you think you know, compared to everywhere else, that you stayed outside of america? Do you think we as americans are more ignorant, or are we just, you know, just kind of lazy? You know, what I mean is, in a sense of, like you know how, like these, these folks are like, oh man, what's this guy wearing? You know, it's kind of asking you and kind of you know, like all that terminology, do you think? Because even even here, like for me, growing up in samoa, we were, we were kind of educated to like to the point where, like you know they're, this is what the Mexicans were, this is what blacks were, you know, this is, you know, we learn about different cultures. So when I got here, a lot of folks were kind of like asking me, like, hey, you know. Well, they would come up to me and it just talks, you know Mexican. And then I will tell them no, you know, educate them, you know, do my part. Oh, no, no, I'm from a teeny, tiny island in the pacific, you know. And then they were like, ah, okay, we get it now.
Speaker 4:But the thing is, how come I know your culture? How come I know what you are. You know, like I kind of, I kind of already understand, like you know. So, is there an ignorance that plays there, or is this just that's all people are? What do you feel about that?
Speaker 2:I think it was definitely ignorance. But I think it's like when, when you're coming from a place where you're exposed to all of these things and then you go to a dominant culture, like so you're down in texas, like I mean, they got the cowboy hat, they understand all, they understand the dominant culture. But then when you come with you know you're, you know you're brown, you know you got a nice size and handsome, they're like, oh yeah, must be a mexican dude, I don't know, no, nothing else. So they're ignorant, they don't know, so they only know they can only put you in these few categories. But when you're already exposed to all of these things, like man, he kind of got some more features. For in my experience, like um, only people that knew that were like the military kids, because they were exposed to all of these different kind of people. They moved around.
Speaker 2:But if this is the only place you grew up, you only grew up in. You know Austin, texas, or St Louis, missouri, you only know these boxes of people. Is it black, white, mexican or that's it? So if you come in, you know being a Samoan. Oh, here comes a big gay dude with a what it's? A lava, lava. And I'm a Samoan. What are you talking about? You know, they just don't know. So it is definitely ignorance and exposure. So yeah, that's all. It is Ignorance and exposure is ignorance and exposure.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I recently was doing research because I thought in utah there was a a larger percentage of african americans that reside here I thought it was in the 20s but I just found out that only two percent about two percent of utah is african-american and only 0.9 percent are pacific islanders here in utah and you can compete and you can look at the chart across the whole us. Most of the states are like one to two percent. The only state that's that's up there in regards to like af Americans and other minority groups are California.
Speaker 5:But, that's an interesting fact that here in Utah only 2% are African American. So that kind of blew my mind because the whole time I was challenging my, my, my white friends that hey, I've been out to the community and I actually see black folks out there, so so and they were like challenging me. So until until I I looked up the census and all that information, that's when my eyes were open oh man, there's actually less of minorities here in utah and and that's just across the whole US. So I'm along the same boat as you will. I'm half Chinese, half Samoan, born and raised in American Samoa.
Speaker 5:So I felt disconnected with my Chinese heritage until recent years, like in my late 20s. That's when I started wanting to find out more of my dad's side, the Chinese side, because I grew up knowing the Samoan heritage, knowing Fasaamua, that I thought in my head that I was Samoan. But people kind of checked me and said, oh, you might think you're Samoan, but outside you look Asian. So the whole time people were thinking I was Asian, but I was identifying myself as a Samoan, mostly because of the way that I was thinking of who I am. So that was kind of the same struggles that I went through as yourself, trying to find our own identity and where we kind of belong in society. So I want to ask these questions because you kind of reinvented yourself over the years. I know you mentioned that in your documentary. But first can you please let our listeners know what the name of the documentary is and where they can find it, and then answer this question of who is William Fannini today?
Speaker 2:OK, ok. So the name of the documentary is Nameless, unmasking the Anonymous Life of a Sex Pill Guru. So nameless is, you know, the main thing, and then you know the rest of it is like a subtitle. And then the second part was who is Will Fanene today? Well, for me, who I am today is who I've always been, and it's just somebody who.
Speaker 2:I love people, I love all of my cultures, you know, I love my family, I love, you know, fasa Amor. That's the way that I was brought up and I think a lot of these things that I was trying to explain, like I literally was on, couldn't understand, like the mentality of the things that I did, like I made all of this money and they were like, well, what did you do with the money? And you know, and all of that is like it's, you know, five times more. You just, I don't know, um, I don't know, I gave the money away and, um, they just couldn't get it. So today, as I said, I'm the same person as I was yesterday get it. So today, as I said, I'm the same person as I was yesterday. I love, I like love to help people, I love my family, and that's it. That's I mean, that's really in a nutshell. I mean, yeah, that's pretty much sums it up. Yeah, I forgot where I was going with that, but I mean that they kept.
Speaker 2:I'll say it like this my, even my lawyers were like what did you do with all of the money? What were you doing with that? I don't know. Well, you, you want me to, you want me to list it out, I don't know. People ask me for stuff and I gave it to them. So I think that that to me, they thought it was a bad thing to me. I was like you know, what do you need money for? To me, I was like you know, what do you need money for? You need it to for resources. And at the end of the day, you're just gonna. What are you going to do with it? You're going to pass it on to somebody else.
Speaker 2:So for me, I don't care if you give me a billion dollars right now. Most of that I'm just going to give away. Like, are you going to? Um, people buy flashy things or it means nothing. So I've been at the point where I bought this, I bought that and bought that. It did nothing for me. None of that stuff did anything for me, everything that I did that actually is sustainable. That made me feel good. That lasts is because when somebody sends me a note and says you said this and it lasted, you gave me this, that meant the world to me. You did this, and it's always about giving and that the output is oh, wow. You know that's not something I get online, I'll be bragging about, but I feel good about it. That's what does it for me. So, okay, you get a billion dollars. What are you going to do with it?
Speaker 2:I don't understand the whole. You know the greed thing. So when I was in, it wasn't trial, it was like a sentencing hearing and you have a prosecutor telling you he's so greedy, he's so this and he's so that, no, I wouldn't. You know the stuff that I did with the money that you said I got. I have no idea what I did with it because I don't remember who I gave it to. I was just giving it away and it's.
Speaker 2:You know I was good at home. So what? What do you do with the excess? And to me, that's just um, if you you want to sum up who I am, the excess goes to other people, me, I. I need what I need my family's good, okay, everybody else can get the rest. That's just how it is. That's how I was brought up. So I don't know. I don't understand. If you know, define who I am. I don't understand what what they're doing over there with, with all the greed and, you know, kill people, take all of their land and do all of this stuff. I don't understand all of that. So who I am is take care of mine and then after that, if you need it, then you can have it. If I got it, that's that's me.
Speaker 5:I don't know how to explain it.
Speaker 1:So it's not you, we got it and the way you are, you know well, at least from that, an outside perspective, from a distance, just seeing you digitally, uh, you seem like some of the people I know, like michael the homie frank. Uh, you're not. You know your, your emotions. You're never too hype, you know, never too low, too mellow, pessimistic, you know you. You're just right there in the middle. I'm even like that too, for I could tell to an extent, you know, unless we're like competing in sports, then you know, you see, you see the ugly side.
Speaker 1:But you went through some things. You went through your parents' divorce. You went through your depression with the struggling relationship, with your first marriage and the distancing in your relationship with your son. But you made it all the way out to the other side, still with a giving heart. Is there anything you can recall or anything that comes to mind that helps you, you know, with your mental health? Because that's one big thing we talk about a lot here is the mental health aspect and dealing with it, which I think you touch on greatly in your documentary as well. But even when you recall your experiences, you don't show that kind of like panicky or, you know like the world's ending type of emotion. You just like, all right, this is happening and I need to get through it. So is there anything from your life that you think contributes to that greatly, any big moment or teaching throughout your life that happened that you know made you and continues to make you the way you are today?
Speaker 2:Oh well, I think. Um, so what my dad told me and you got the sign is over there. But I had a podcast one time and, um, I do want to start it up again, but it's called accountability first. I got that from my dad, so it don't matter what happened, what you're involved in, because you brought up my divorce. So my dad was like you know, I would go complain to him. Yeah, she did this, she did. He was like I don't want to hear that. What did I teach you? Accountability first? What did you do?
Speaker 2:It don't matter if it's if they did 99%, you know it's, it's always in any situation it's going to be. You could have did something, even if you were a complete victim. Somebody came up and did something. What did your dad teach you? What did your mom teach you? To avoid stuff like that, just identify that first, identify that piece of what you could have did and then start from there. Because if you're always starting at I'm a victim, I'm 100% victim, don't have that mentality. So that's one thing, from that vantage point, like this is what I should have done and then all of your emotions should have been from that point. That way, you don't be blaming everybody else for this and that sometimes you're you're way more accountable, for you know whatever happened.
Speaker 2:But, like I said, sometimes you can look at a situation. It's like man, they were an absolute victim. Well, there's something, you know. Sometimes it's, yeah, there's nothing you could do. But in most cases there's something you could have done. You had some part to play in it.
Speaker 2:So, in terms of like, again, you brought up my divorce. So it's like there were so many things I could have did I could have. You know, he said I don't like her, you shouldn't don't have did I could have. He's, you know, he said I, I, I don't like her, you should have, don't marry her. I did it anyway. Uh, hey, you, you should have. Um, you should have did this, should have did it, I did it anyway. Those are all things on me. So that helps me out in a lot of situations, because it's it just um, it takes me away from looking at you Well, you did this and you did that. No, look at yourself first and then I mean that really just makes everything like man had I did this situation. It's a different conversation when you start with yourself first. So accountability first.
Speaker 4:Man, I forgot one of the YouTube videos I watched and one of the usos on there was, like you know, we're not really a product of our environment, but we're a product of our own decisions. You know, like, whatever decisions that we make, you know that's who you end up going. You know going to be, because your environment is always going to be your environment. You know, no matter where you go, and you know, at the end of the day, you know you take blame for your own actions and if you make your decisions, you gotta live and die on that sword. You know that that decision is yours to make and at the end of the day, you know that was your decision to make. So I could relate to, to what that, uh, what your dad was saying. So I just wanted to make a comment on that. But you know, uh, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:yeah. So I did a lot of um, there's like gang. A lot of the people that are like really pro gang culture are, um, when I was doing those kind of posts for that, for that amount of time they were, they turned against me. They were like no, this is where we're at, this is our environment, it is what it is. But you know, if you Samoan, don't tell me, because I live there, I lived in these communities. Nobody went against the Samoans like that. So you do you, and this was my message at the time you be you and they're not going to bother you, you know.
Speaker 2:So why be this gang or why be that gang? You know, and I never could understand that, even growing up in it, like I would run around with the I don't want to say the different gangs or whatever, but you know, I was affiliated with them but I never participated in that stuff because if they didn't mess with you, so I don't understand why. Why are you all in? You're in these people's business? They left Samoans alone, they left the Tongans alone. They left, you know, they left the, the Pali's, fijians, like they didn't mess with anybody. They mess with the people that got involved. So just be, you do, your do your own thing. So I I'm glad you said that because I never, I never, could understand that in our community to we have all of these, these support structures. Our parents are bringing down the culture that even if they didn't teach the language, you still had to do. You know Samoan things. You still had to do you know these Polynesian things, the culture. So why get involved with all of that if nobody's going to bother you? I never could To this day. I don't understand that when people give me the backlash and it just sounds like excuses to me, nobody's going to mess with you, do you and give them the culture.
Speaker 2:There's a dude over here. Everybody wants to be like him. One Samoan guy, right, his son is in the NFL right now. There's not even that many Samoans around here. He has everybody coming over to his house in the backyard is you know? Is you know black folks, white folks, mexican, all these, all these different kind of people back here doing Samoan rituals in his backyard. They want to be like him. Just because you know the Samoan culture is so rich and radiant, they come to his house.
Speaker 2:The Epinesa's you can look, the eight is AJ Epinesa's dad. They go, everybody goes over to his backyard and you know, and his document is all the newspapers around here, but they don't know how to explain it. They don't know what's going on around here, but they don't know how to explain it. They don't know what's going on. But it's like this man, he's genuine and he just emulates. Love Doesn't matter, you can take that to Carson, you can go to New York or any any anywhere and take this culture.
Speaker 2:People want to emulate that because they feel man. It's something about this guy. You know what, what? So what I don't understand is we have people just like epinesa all over the place. So, and some of these people are crips, some of them are blood, some of them are gds or whatever be you. You don't have to be, you don't have to do what they're doing in the street. Just be that. And you know you. And you know you'll attract that to. You know you'll attract that positivity.
Speaker 2:And the next thing, you know who knows who, your impact, and that's why I say just do as much positive things as you can. You never know who your, your impact. And um, yeah, I forgot the question, but that's, that's. Uh, I really appreciate, I appreciate him. He the, the.
Speaker 2:Just the way that he sticks to who he is, even here in this country, you know, uh, it's I mean, it's mainly white folks here, but in this town he's just sticks to who he is and he's got black folks, white folks, walking around with my uso gang all this kind of stuff, you know on t-shirts, like they walk around with t-shirts. They don't even know what someone is, they just know this big mexican looking dude is walking around and he's they got uso shirts on. They don't know that that's brotherhood. It's us. We're over here doing our thing, we're training and, yeah, that's AJ Epinesa's dad. They live, like you know, not far from here. That's what I want for our people to do everywhere. Don't get involved in nobody else's stuff. We have our own stuff. We got our own. We have our own. It's not a gang, but we have our own culture. We have our own. It's not a gang, but we have our own culture. We have our own thing. Do that. Stay away from everything else.
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Speaker 5:Yeah, that's similar to. I want to shout out a certain group here in Utah. They're called Day One, so D-A-Y one. As in W-O-N, it's mainly those who have been incarcerated and they've come back and they kind of help a lot of people in the former group and a group and went and help a lot of people in the community, even though they're their circle. They have a circle, they hold basketball camps for the youth, feed the homeless and all these things.
Speaker 5:But they're all about positivity and because of that positivity that they put out in the community it attracts a lot of people who want to do more and contribute to their cause. So I was recently at one of their openings at one of the tattoo shops called Evolution Tattoos here in Salt Lake City and I saw that sense of community that our people have. You know the Tongans, samoans and all Basically the minorities here in Utah. They come together, they throw a huge barbecue just for a grand opening and I usually don't see that amongst our people here in Utah. Yeah, you'll see little pockets of Polynesians here and there, but their influence, I think, is a very positive influence. It's similar to the full movement down in California. They're out there doing their own thing and trying to impact the community out there.
Speaker 5:Even though they were incarcerated, they've been given a second chance in life to contribute to society. So that's what I admire with the types of people who are out there. We shouldn't look down on the things that they've done in the past, but in life we move forward and we continue to make an impact and leave a legacy for ourselves and, if not, just do it for our kids. That's mainly why we do things as fathers now is leaving a legacy so that our kids can follow, and that's what the main thing that I want to do for this podcast. Kids can follow, and that's what the main thing that I want to do for this podcast, and hopefully our kids will carry on what we're trying to accomplish. It's already tough for men to talk, but here we are creating a platform so we can share everyone's story, because everyone's story is unique, just like yours will right.
Speaker 2:Right, you said something about, uh, the second chance. Man, I'm so, I'm still on my second chance high. I don't use drugs and do no stuff like that. But when somebody tells you you go into a room and they say, well you, there's a good chance, 80 chance, you're not coming out, you're gonna go away, and then when you come out of that room, man, that second chance, that's. So I'm still on that high. I'm so grateful, like I just want to do everything that I thought that I thought I wanted to do and didn't follow through. I'm going to do it now. So I mean, I got a whole bunch of things that you know. I have lined up things that I didn't think all the way through. I'm just gonna do it, you know, because, um, I got a second chance and there's no, I can't think of anything more high. Uh, I don't know if that's the right word, but more um, exhilarating than that than than then to have a second chance. So I definitely understand.
Speaker 2:You know, like in my offense, like you know, they were breaking down like somebody could have died and all of that, and I was like, oh, my God, for real. And I, you know. So other people were like when, when people bring up these sort of opportunities not opportunities, but when people bring up these sorts of situations like somebody could have did this and somebody could did that I actually go through that in my brain like well, somebody could have died, oh my God, somebody died. Oh, somebody could have fell off the building or whatever. You know, I'm just throwing stuff out there In my mind. It happened. So I take myself through all of these things. You know, some people call it empathy. I empathize with every situation or possibility that could have happened and that's just a real roller coaster. Like I'm too old to be going through all these roller coasters like that. So I'm like, and by the end of all of it it's like, oh, none of it happened. Oh God, I feel so relieved. It's like none of that stuff happened. You know, nobody you know was affected by.
Speaker 2:You know, besides headaches and stuff like that, I was so relieved and that I have a second chance that I just want to do everything. So now I'm going to tell my story. I don't care. Like you know, I do have a lot of people like saying bad stuff, like I wish you know you were locked up and this, and that you know. So people say stuff like that. But I'm used to that for ever since I got online. If you're online, people are going to talk bad about you, period. I'm used to that. But now it's like, really like you know you, you shouldn't be here, this and that I get it. But I'm glad nothing happened and even more than that, I'm really grateful for a second chance and exactly what you said.
Speaker 2:I don't look down on people who have a second chance. If they got it and they're actually using it to do something with it, then God bless them. But keep doing it, don't stop. So to me, it's just more motivation. The hate is more motivation. Just thinking about a second chance is more motivation. So nothing's going to stop me now. I'm just going to keep on going, and you're going to see more of me just doing different stuff.
Speaker 5:So yeah, I'm glad you got, we got the chance to to chop it up with you. Um, thank you for for sharing your journey. I want I want to target something that is important, especially for us who are afakasi, considered afakasi, in the either the salmon or tongan, whatever pacific Islander community. A topic that you well not a topic, but a word that you brought up in your documentary that you defined that I really understood was the word plastic that's used amongst our Polynesian Pacific Islander community. You defined it very good in your documentary Polynesian Pacific Islander community. You defined it very good in your documentary and could you define it again for our listeners? And what have been your experience so far with that word? Because the word plastic? I never heard of the word plastic until I came to the US. It wasn't widely used back in. I don't know about ATI, but the word plastic never really came up. I was called all these racial slurs because I was chinese, but the word plastic never really came up.
Speaker 2:So or I've heard plastic my whole life. So plastic meuli, well, mainly wasn't like all like that, but well, that's a whole nother topic. So plastic is a a fake. You're fake, you're not. You're not someone, someone, you're a plastic someone. You are artificial. And I think I first heard it in high school and it, you know it, takes me aback, cause I well, man, I do more than a lot of y'all, do you know? So I'm plastic because I'm half black. I'm plastic because I can't speak the language. I'm plastic because you know what, what makes you authentic, you know so what makes me artificial? So that is, this adds more insecurity.
Speaker 2:So one of the things that, um, you know, when I started doing this work is, I know, noticed that a lot of people were being called plastic. That was one thing that pushed people away from the culture, and I wish people would understand, like, if we could have, we would be a much stronger presence in the world and we would have a much stronger movement. Everything that we do would be a much stronger movement if you just get rid of the plastic stuff. People want, they want to, they want to come to the culture, and when I say, I got hundreds and hundreds of people that have emailed me or or what do you call it? Instagram or an email. They send me messages and say I want to be part of the culture, I want to do this, but I get called plastic, I get called fake, I get called this and that. So they have their own insecurities. Because the people, the gatekeepers that don't want you know who say who's authentic and who's not. They drive everybody away. Why would you do that? You're weakening your own army. So we're stronger together. We're stronger together. So I propose let's get rid of the whole plastic thing that's it's. It's not a, it's not productive to our society at all, our culture at all. So bring these people in back to the culture. So and I do mention this in a documentary as well Like the whole language movement was like, okay, if you teach these people the language cause my insecurity was the language learn the language and then so you can, you can send a lot of these people the language, because my insecurity was the language.
Speaker 2:Learn the language and then so you can, you can send a lot of these people because they can't speak it or they know, like the slang language. But if you come and you can speak on a Tusi Pai level or like a more formal level, then, ok, does that make me a better Samoan? Does that make me more, less plastic? Or whatever? It doesn't matter what you do, they're going to call you plastic because that's how they don't. Let nobody put you in a box. Just do, just do you so figure it.
Speaker 2:If you want to learn the language, whatever makes you feel like you are closer to your culture, do that. People are going to call you plastic anyway, but you're not going to define who I am. And I just think if we get rid of that, we can be a much stronger culture, stronger society. And I don't know, I don't think people understand. Oh, to define it, plastic is a. Oh, to define it plastic is a is, to me, is derogatory. You're putting people down and you're either Americanized or maybe you're, maybe you grew up in New Zealand I don't know if anyone here from New Zealand or Australia or Australia anywhere. So you just, you don't know Samoan culture, all like that. So they, they just kind of put you in this culture, like, oh, you're not, you're not a real Samoan.
Speaker 2:So I think if, if the people, the gatekeepers of the culture, if they just, well, you know what. It's not even so much on them, it's on yourself. You are Samoan If you, if you say you're Samoan, if your mom, your dad is Samoan, then you're Samoan. If they're both, both of them are Samoan. I've had even notes from people born and raised in Samoan. They're called plastic because they can't speak the language. You're still Samoan.
Speaker 2:So don't make, don't let allow someone else to make you feel a certain way. Just learn your culture, learn your language, get up on that, but don't let anybody define you and um, that's a insecurity that that I developed on myself. I allow people to tell me that I was not Samoan, even though that's all I knew. That's how okay If, if that's all okay, if that's all I know, and you're telling me I'm not Samoan, dang well, what am I? You know? So I allowed somebody else to make me in that headspace. That's a crazy thing to do. Don't let nobody make you feel like that. And if I showed you, I could just lines and lines of notes of people that just told me. That same thing is my same story over and over and over. So what I wanted to do, my motivation to teach the language was to um, to make people feel like you are who you are. If, uh, the language helps you bring you closer to the culture, then learn your language.
Speaker 4:Whatever you need to do, just just do that and um, yeah, don't let anybody put you in a plastic box I don't, I don't want to get philosophical here, but, um, a lot of the issues that I feel that stems from. You know, all this animosity going on in our own culture, in our own Samoan is because, you know, if you really think about it, going back into our history, right, samoans are even the Hawaiians, even the Tungans were, it's uh, we're a class society, meaning that in our in growing, you know, back in the day, there used to be just workers. You know these, farm the land, and then in the middle you got the, you know the, you know inside the house, and then you have in our, in our culture, we have the, the matai system. So you have the high class matais, you know the li'i, the chiefs, the kulafales, and then you have the working class and then even in our culture, if you really think about it, there's two, there's two types of distinct languages. You have the regular samoan speaking language and then you have the Matai speaking language. So that's when you hear, you know, during ceremonies and fall of love is a lot of these Matais. They're speaking almost a whole nother language. That's actually parables. You know words that that I feel today are are being gate, uh, are being gatekeeping, uh, or gate kept. You know, because you know there's only a certain class that, hey, they, they want to be known for. You know, we, our family, we speak, uh, the matai language. Oh, like, even even in our tattoo, you know, to tell there's only specific families in in samoa. That only does the top, you know, and they don't want to share their, you know their art because, hey, nowadays if we share our, then you know we're not gonna. You know, everything is kind of like money nowadays, but back in the day that's how it was. You know classism. You know you got the specific, the people that went to do fishing and all that stuff.
Speaker 4:So, coming here, a lot of our families, like back in the day when they traveled, know, because we're also known as the Navigator Islands. You know, when they initially came to the States, they wanted a better life for their kids. So, ie, they never wanted their kids to speak the language, they wanted them to learn the whole new language of English. You know, because to them, learning like learning, you know, samoan for them going. You know, I'm just, I'm just thinking this.
Speaker 4:You know, in a general sense of like, how our peoples came to the, to the States and you know, even to New Zealand, they wanted to incorporate that culture because to them, you know, living in Samoan, you, you, in Samoa, you know, we were living in the poverty line, you know, like below the poverty. And so then they thought, oh, you know, you know, we were farmers, we're fishermen, and you know, this is all we know. So when we came to the States, we want something, a life better for our kids. So, ie, they wanted them to just, you know, move away from the Samoan way, because this is how we live back home. And so we want something better for our kids.
Speaker 4:But now, you know, they didn't give that decision to the kids. You know now, like you know, our cult, you know, like you know we're, we're, we're a product of that. You know, our, our, our, our parents came to the States. They didn't want us to do this, but they didn't give us that decision. They, to me, I feel like it, it, it, it should have been, you know, taught anyhow, you know, instead of just like, hey, you know, learn English, you know, don't speak Samoan in the house.
Speaker 4:And I feel like, because a lot of my cousins that lived in Cali, a lot of them don't even they, you know they're, they don't even know how to speak Samoan, you know, and to me I don't, I don't feel like, uh, that that's not their fault, but at the end of the day, I don't want to blame the parents too, because they had, you know, a picture in their mind where, hey, I want something better for my kids. I don't want them to go through the things, the same things, that we grew up in Samoa back in the early 70s, you know, 80s or even going back way further, 60s. So you know, but today, now that we've grown up, we see this and that's kind of like a detriment in our, our part now, because you know, now the kids, hey, we want to learn the language, we want to be incorporated in our, in our culture, because that's important for for establishing identity, right. So you know, and identity is very important, because without identity, man, you don't even know who you are. You know, like. So, when, when you mentioned, uh, the dad, epinas, epinas' dad, doing that to him, that's genuine, that he's doing you know exactly what our culture is, even though, if you don't know how to speak our language, you know. You, showing love is what Samoan is all about Love to me, at the end of the day, samoan people are one of the most alofa. You know we use alofa as very important in our culture. Like no matter what language, if you don't even know how to speak the language, you know that love is always key in our foundation as Samoan. So what do we do? What do we do as kids? You know that there are Afakasis and you know kids that are born and raised here in the States.
Speaker 4:Our option, your own decision if you want to dive into it and learn the language. And I think that's where, kind of like, the issue is. There's not a lot of universities aside from hawaii university of hawaii that teaches samoan like there's different levels of samoan that you could actually go there and you'll learn the culture and you know. But at the end of the day, I think it comes down to each individual. If you want to learn the language, you have to do it. You have to do it because nobody else is going to teach you. You know adding on to what you're saying will. So you know the the the main important thing is just understanding that you know our history and knowing that you know at the end of the day, you become who you want to be, but you have the decisions that that you want to make.
Speaker 4:If you want to learn samoy, and if you're a fakasi, learn both sides, you know, uh, that's why I, I love Terran because he's embracing both of his sides, and I love your, your, you two as well, you guys are all embraced. I'm, I'm from, uh, uh, you know I'm, I'm straight up full Samoan. Both my, my parents are Samoan, but I, I would say this, you know, I would say that you guys are more culture than me, and the reason why is because you guys have both. You, you know both sides of the spectrum. You know you're more culture. You have the Me'uli or the black side. I don't want to say Me'uli because you know kind of offensive to.
Speaker 4:You know the woke folks, but you know that Afakasi side, you know you guys have that. You know more culture, in a way, because there's two sides. For me, I'm only, there's only one side. You know I only got the samoan side, you know I, you know so. You know, at the end of the day, I agree, brother, become who you want to be, do it with love, though, you know, do it with love, you know so, and that's, that's key well.
Speaker 2:To me there's nothing wrong with even just the samoa side. But it's like the thing is like, and you brought up our parents so when they they came here so my mom, first generation to America, you know. So it's like she didn't want to really push it off. Or it's better just not to speak Samoan period, because in their mind it's a better life if you know English and you know this English ways. But then, like you said, the back side of that is well, the kid wanted to know someone. The kid now, the kid's insecure. Now the kid don't know none of that stuff. But their intentions were good, their intentions were to to have so for you can have a better life over here. But you know, we're saying we want to know. You know we're in our 30s and our 40s and we're trying to figure out how to be Samoan. We don't know the culture, we don't know this, and that we don't know the language. This is what we want. So I think, just moving forward, if you are Samoan and you know these things, pass them on to your kids. Pass the language, language on. When they come home, just speak Samoan, you know. When they do, do you know, take them to some more cultural things. If you're not around that kind of stuff, you know, you can still share what you know. That way they don't have to go on the Internet and learn this and learn that People complain about the stuff that I teach.
Speaker 2:And it's like when you're teaching to an entire diaspora and you have different generations, you have different locations, people are going to complain. They do it all the time and I'm like, well, what am I supposed to do? So you know, there's words that the younger generations don't use, that the older generations use. It don't matter what I say, people say, oh, that's not, that's not right, that's, oh, that's, that's incorrect. Well, my mom told me that she told you gonna tell her she don't know what she's talking about. And and my uncles, everybody say this with this word, but you, you don't know the word, so you might have got c's and d's. What am I supposed? You know, I'm supposed to listen to you so, but there's a generational difference, there's regional differences. I don't understand a lot of what people in australia and or australia, new zealand, when they the, the way they speak, the words they use, sometimes it it throws me off. So when you try to, when you, when you make one lesson for everybody in the world, people will say, oh, that's not right, that's not Well.
Speaker 2:So I make myself just kind of standard, based on textbooks that are. You know, that everybody can see. So I'm not making this stuff up. You call me plastic, okay, well, I'm telling you this came from this source right here. If you don't believe what I say, you go go there and then you can see. That's where it came from. But that's kind of why I'm going off into something else.
Speaker 2:But that's kind of why I did like a sentence structure sort of thing, as opposed to like, ok, just say this and just say that and just memorize this and memorize that. If you know the sentence structure of it, that to me that was kind of more universal. But you know, I get a lot of like I said. I get a lot of correspondence from people all over the world Samoans all over the world and they'll say you know, this word ain't right or that word ain't right. One thing nobody really disputes is this is the way that we put our sentences together. So that's kind of how I stick to the teaching. But you know, they'll use expressions in New Zealand that they don't use over here. They'll say things in Australia that we don't use over here, but I went all the way off of what you were talking about.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, we have a very diverse community within our worldwide diaspora, and so we have things like classism, like you talked about, community within our diet or worldwide diaspora and um, so we, we have things like classism, like you've talked about.
Speaker 2:We have um colorism in our, in our community. We have everything that minority communities have around the world. We have it here, which is a reason why I kind of backed off of a lot of of public speaking about different things related to our community. Because if you, if we, don't even understand it here and then we try, then here I am trying to speak it out and trying to say it on Tik, tok or something like that. Well, everybody, now everybody's, oh, some ones are all they don't understand this or they're racist or that, that. Well, they don't. We don't understand this or they're racist or that, that, well, they don't. We don't understand a lot of stuff in our own community. So for me to be talking about it over here, man, my bad I'm, I'm like I'm jumping all over the place, but uh that's a whole other topic.
Speaker 2:Let me, I'll stop right there on that.
Speaker 4:Like I said, I don't want to get too philosophical here, because we could go all day, man.
Speaker 5:But you hit it right on the head, man. I was thinking of the word plastic and I just remember the word that was widely used in American Samoa was palangitoy or palangitoy, so that was a word that was mostly used. So that was a word that was mostly used. It made no sense, even though we weren't Palangi, for the Afghans to be called Palangitoy, or those who were born in the American Samoa went to the US for a little bit, came back. Now they know how to speak English, they get paid, they get told they're Palangitoy. Told their palangitoy.
Speaker 5:So any minor fluctuations from what someone thought a Samoan was. You know, we were called palangitoy, so that was a word that came to my thought.
Speaker 2:That's equivalent to plastic. Huh yeah, Palangitoy.
Speaker 1:I know plastic's widely used over there in New Zealand and Australia but luckily my cousins never threw that my way whenever we go visit on that side of the world. But I mean, even if I heard it, I'm like that and you know there's clowning roasting sessions all day long, especially since I didn't wear brand name clothes. So whenever I don't know, people try to be mean. It's like man. All right, let's say there's a young Samoan kid or an adult, any type of Samoan never raised in the culture and they want to take that first step to learning the language. Are there any resources that you know of Will that they could access or look at to begin learning sentence structure or some of the foundations of the language?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean there's a lot of people online now. When I first started there wasn't any, because initially, when I came to do all of this stuff, I just wanted to be a student, I wanted to figure out and I didn't. I didn't see anybody. So I made, you know, a workbook. So if you look at, like Mato M-A-T-O-U, samon Soan, so like I got a workbook and then I made like flashcards and stuff like that and I have also a class. I don't know when I'm going to do the next class, but it's a Zoom class, it's like an eight week course. So I did that. But then over the years I started seeing other people do stuff. There's like Samoan Made Easy. There's Say it in Samoan, like if you there's others and they're easily defined. Now you can find them easily. There's a kid, someone resource on YouTube. So I mean there's a few on there and I always try to point them that way.
Speaker 2:But the first thing I would say, like if you would learn sentence structure and then, as you're learning the sentence structure, like maybe learn just the basic words, learn like maybe 20 nouns, like you know people places things like wall house, dad, slap. You know, fit out, you know fight, stuff like that, and then learn like you know. And then when you learn the sentence structure, it puts everything together. So to me, that is how I was able to put all of these words, like I knew the words growing up, but I didn't know like when it would. So I'm goingoa started speaking real fast. I was like, okay, okay, I'm a little lost now. And then not only that, they're speaking in abbreviated form or they're speaking in slang, so it's almost like you know. I teach it the formal way. So, like I said, you can look it up yourself.
Speaker 2:And then also too, when I was growing up, they say just read the Tusi Pai'i or read the Bible, you'll get it. I never got it. I did it, you know, my whole life and I couldn't get it. But if you learn the sentence structure of it, you can look at the Tusi Pai'i and then break it down. Even if you don't know the words, you can break it down, break down the sentence structure of it, break down the sentence structure of it. And then, if you don't know a word, just go look the word up. And then from there you just practice every day and the next thing you know, instead of okay, I broke the sentence down. I don't know this word, don't know that word. Then you look the word up Now you got it. So now, instead of stopping and going, you're going through pages and pages of the Bible and it's like it's easy now.
Speaker 2:And next thing, you know everything, you're fluent, but then, like someone said before, when you get to the slang it's almost like a different language. So you know the higher level of Samoan, but then you get into the conversation it's like, oh, what are they talking about? Because everything is abbreviated. Then they got slang words, so it's almost like a whole other language within the language. So to me, the easiest thing just learn it the harder way and then when you get around people who are speaking, going back and forth between English and Samoan, to me that's a whole lot easier. If you know, just learn it that way, the higher way, and then you know, get the slang and everything after that. So that's just my method. Everybody doesn't agree with that.
Speaker 4:I just want to, and I think I kind of, I kind of mentioned it before. But when you're saying higher level Samoan, I just want to break it down to listeners and this is my opinion. I don't claim to be a language expert, but I know of Samoan language enough to know that there's two levels of Samoan the Matai level language and then your regular language. And when you mean your regular language, you're adding all your sl in there, everything that you know. You could even throw pigeon in there. But when you're talking about higher level, where you're specifically talking about the matai language, when we're, you know our orators, when they're speaking publicly, and you know your matais, your chiefs, your high chiefs. That's the language they're using.
Speaker 4:It's it's not a language, it's Samoan, but what they're utilizing they're utilizing parables that we've learned from our history. And when I mean parables, I mean like little mwaka'u or muanganganga or alanga'upu, muanganganga, alanga'upu. It just means a phrase of languages that were derived from our observation in nature. So they use that in their talks or when they're speaking publicly. And what's so funny about it? It's so eloquent, it's so beautiful that you really have to really think about nature to come up with stuff like that.
Speaker 4:You know especially that the matai level language and I'm I'm kind of sort of like, kind of immerse myself in that, because as we come to our father's age 30, 40s you, we are now becoming the leaders of in our own families, and now we're going to be responsible for, you know, the, the family, and then the matai titles are going to be brought down to us, and now we're going to you know we're now we got to represent our families and in back in samoa, even till today, you know, speaking that level it's. You know a lot of you. You're not going to get paid well for it too, because you know I don't know if you're seeing the foul lovers. You know a lot of you. You're not going to get paid well for it too, because you know I don't know if you're seeing the foul lovers.
Speaker 4:You know those guys with the cocos and then you see, hey, hey, uh, you know, you're, you know, so you know, uh, that's what I'm saying, you know. But, um, and I'm not thinking about that saying, I'm just thinking in a sense of, like, you know, that's that's where I strive to, to try to get my level of expertise in our language. So, you know learning, you know reading the Bible, you know all the stuff that you mentioned are key to having a foundation. But once you get that foundation and you say that's okay for you, that's fine.
Speaker 4:But now, when you want to take it to that next level, uh, you, you get a kusi called a falupenga, and falupenga means, uh, you know, your, your, your village's, uh structure of how it was, it was formed and has all those big names in there. And then that's where the foundation of a speech in in Samoan culture is. You know the falupenga, and then from there you build on on how to do a launga or you know, speech, and so that's where I'm kind of like, you know, kind of moving towards, but I'm not there yet, I'm just a few poco guy on the you know, behind the level level here. But hey, thank you.
Speaker 5:So appreciate it, man yeah, yeah, one way that is overlooked and I even overlook this, the way of learning Samoan is simply those who are close to you your, your dad, your mom, your, your cousins. Because we, we overlook this, because there's a difficulty in communication. This reminds me of a story from the Uso Uptown Suite, when he said he wanted to learn Samoan. So after work, every day he went over to his dad's place and he took down notes while his dad taught him Samoan. So that's one way of learning a language is from the people who are close to you. It's difficult because you kind of need that collaboration and commitment between both parties, but that's another way to learn the language.
Speaker 2:Right, and this is what I always tell the people in my classes. I'm going to show you just the basic sentence structure. The best way to learn and practice your Samoan is the people around you every single day, because the way that we're talking about it in here or you know in class may not be exactly how the people around you speak. They're incorporating English. You know because they don't know the words you know, so they'll go back and forth English you know because they don't know the words you know, so they'll go back and forth. Ultimately, the goal is to be able to communicate in Samoan with the people that are around you, period. So I and when we're talking about an entire diaspora I can't do that. I don't know how to make a class for every single place in the world, so I'm going to give you the basics for every single place in the world. So I'm going to give you the basics.
Speaker 2:Take this you have to practice it, otherwise I took four years of Spanish. I don't know much of anything because I didn't practice it, and I always tell them when you leave here today, every single day, every Tuesday, thursday and Sunday tutoring you leave here, go practice with the people that are around you. But again, like you said, michael, you have to have that commitment from the other people, because for them it's just easier to speak in the language that you already know, which is English. I'm trying to speak Samoan, though, so speak to me back in Samoan the way that you speak it every day. So, again, my ultimate goal is to be able to talk to you and mom and uncle and auntie and the people around me, period. It doesn't matter what I learned. I mean, it does matter what I learned in class, but ultimately I want to be able to adapt the foundation of what I learned to what you guys are speaking. So that's, I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker 4:You know what's so funny is, you know, and, uh, you know Mike brought that up. You know so funny is, you know, when you, we have a lot of gatekeepers within our own. You know that's, that's a sad truth. There's a lot of gatekeepers, you know, and, um, you know, in my situation, you know my, both my parents are Samoan, my dad he doesn't. He had a big surgery back in the day and you know I told this on our podcast about what happened and he has a sort of a speech problem.
Speaker 4:So for me, I'm trying to learn the higher level Samoan. I can't really rely on my, my dad or my mom. You know, because you know there it's just. You know I have to seek other avenues. You know I have to go like, for example, get the you know that kusita falupenga or have to buy, or you know, or even like to me.
Speaker 4:My mindset now is like, hey, I don't want to just learn from anybody else, I actually want to go to university, you know, like, for example, university of Hawaii. They have a really good Samoan program and you know which I looked at and you know it's just but immediately just touching to you know your folks that you know, speak the regular language you know, and just you know, just kind of like feeding back, going back and forth and kind of learn, you know that's one of the perfect, perfect levels. But when you have you know that that's one of the the perfect, perfect levels. But when you have, you know, situations like in, like that, where, hey, you try to reach out to somebody and they're like, oh no, you know, uh, just stick, stick to what you know. You know, kind of like gatekeeping type of thing. It's really hard, you know.
Speaker 4:So now you know, now you know, like what you mentioned before, there's a lot of other. You know we're using technology now to our advantage and I, I just, you know, want to put that out there. Don't get dismayed or, you know, feel bad that, hey, you know your immediate people are not trying to help you. Just reach out. I'm just, you know, talking on basis. You know, on our listeners, hey, don't feel discouraged once you reach out to your, you know, your cousin or your mom or's all other, you know there's tons of other avenues for you to. You know, keep on learning. So, you know, going forward, you know that's, that's what we got to do yeah, and also too, is it is is hard to.
Speaker 2:it's easy to speak you know or do what you know. So if you know someone, it's easy to just speak someone, but then it's like to teach someone is a whole different thing. So so not only and everybody's different, so you have to like communicate in a way where they understand it. That takes patience and a lot of times we just speak English because that's I just want to go to the store. Why are you, you know? So then they just speak English. So it takes patience and a lot of people don't have that. So they just they make it easier for themselves and that's just human nature. You want to make things that are easy for yourself. And if I already know English, you know English, you're trying to learn someone, but it's hard for me to. You know, I don't have the patience for you to figure this thing out, so let's just speak English. That's been my experience.
Speaker 2:Like most people just take that route and that's why a lot of us, you know, don't learn the language. And, um, if we can just say, wow, you know, take, just take a step back and say there's a bigger, there's a bigger, uh goal here, and this this person really wants to to, to learn my culture or our culture. You know they, they want to take part in this. That's really big if you think about it. So that's enough to invest in that person, to give them that time.
Speaker 2:But we're just so in a rush. You know every single day that we don't want to just say a few words and teach them the language. But I think if just take a few moments to teach your kids, or teach, uh, you know, your friend Samoan or whoever there's a lot of people in the class now. They don't, they don't have no ties to someone, or some people want to get a Samoan man, or, you know, they just they're around Samoans, they just joined the class because they want to learn Samoan or whatever. So, um, whatever, I appreciate it, it just people, just they just want to, they want to know the language.
Speaker 1:so take the time, show them all right, one quick life lesson I want to highlight from the documentary which you can find on what was it? Toto, lua, toto lua, okay, yep t-o-T-O-L-U-Acom.
Speaker 1:You can purchase it there for $4.99 and it's very well put together. I didn't know what I was expecting when purchasing it or even seeing the trailer, but watching I was very impressed on on how well your storytelling and everything was put together greatly. But one quick life lesson I want to highlight from there is be kind. Be kind to everybody you meet, because you never know when they're going to be a key part to your criminal defense team.
Speaker 2:Man, hey, that, not only that, I think some people and I don't want to say well, I'm just, uh, one of those people like the angels came around. I really feel like that. Like so I, before going in there, so my mom, so I'm on, she, all the time she calls me up and she'd be like is something wrong? She knows, she already knows, she don't know the specifics, but she always has these dreams and she said well, you know, your grand, you know grandfather, called me in my dream and he said this. And he said that she didn't say anything last week. Now any other time she called me up and she warns me. Last week she didn't say anything and I was like, ok, I'm good, because otherwise she's my earth angel between her and other other people, because otherwise she's my earth angel between her and other people. Like you know I don't think I mentioned it in the documentary, but you guys know El Chapo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the prosecutor was my defense attorney, my frat brother. He's like one of the top prosecutors in the nation. I didn't grow up with him but like I met him in college and he put everything together. So I mean how. I still can't believe it when I think about. You know all of the stuff, that kind of put it. You know, if it weren't for them, I'd be gone, like you wouldn't see me for a long time, because initially they were talking 20 years and I don't know. Of course they were trying to scare me because a lot of people I think they got anywhere between three and eight I got probation because these guys just knew their stuff. I mean, the law doesn't really work for people that don't know or don't have these kind of resources. I didn't have these resources. The only reason I got them I can only attribute to to God and just you know things that just happened for me. There was nothing that I went out and did myself. Things just kind of fell into place. And, um, if last week I wasn't so much of a you know I'm not, I don't go to church and things like that anymore but like, um, you know I, I just believe in a higher power, and things fall into place for you If you just put things, put things good out into the universe, kind of like what you were saying, and things just come back. So that's what I want to do right now.
Speaker 2:So someone like today, I woke up and someone called me a snitch you give snitch vibes or something. So I made a video about that and it's not to me, it's not even about that. Nobody knew about my documentary, like it wasn't something that the government knew or anything like that. I feel obligated to to put that back. I should be gone right now If I was any other, anybody, anybody else I would be gone.
Speaker 2:But these things that were extraordinary were in my favor. There's I. I had no, no hand in that. I take no credit for none of that. So I say that I give all glory to god that stuff happened for me. Glory to God that stuff happened for me. I didn't do anything to deserve that.
Speaker 2:So I got to put that energy back out there. So if that means dismantling this whole industry that I was involved in, I'll do it, whatever, whatever. So every day I wake up I say what do I need to do now? And you know I don't put a name on God or no time or history. I don't put no color on God, nothing. I just it's a spirit. So I just I want to move with the spirit. So that's what I do every single, every single day now, don't care what nobody say, I'm going to do me, and that's what it is. I'm going to teach language, I'm going to bring down this industry, whatever. Whatever it is I got to do, that's what I'm moving with that, and every day in the morning I figure out the next step. So seven hours from now, I'm going to find out what I'm going to do tomorrow.
Speaker 5:I'm going to do it. Yeah, it's such a blessing because I've studied criminal justice and what I've learned is a lot of cases a high percentage, probably around the 90s enter a plea bargain, especially within the minority communities. And I'm glad that you weren't suckered into entering a plea bargain, because that's usually how most cases, especially here in the US, end that way, because a lot of our people don't know much about law and the criminal justice system. It's basically I wouldn't say altered or kind of moved or what's the word manipulated to where a lot of these lawyers and attorneys. They want a quick and efficient way of handling cases, because a lot, thousands of cases go into the to the court system and they're trying to like push them out quick.
Speaker 2:so I'm glad that you were fortunate enough to come out on the good end of things, especially with your situation, right right and so and another thing about, like mine, a lot of people did just go into probation so but they were trying to make an example out of me for whatever reason, but it's. I found out that this stuff is also political too, because the prosecutor maybe they want to be a politician one day or they want to do this, so it's about their record and like I mean, she was really, she was really going in. I'm like, oh man, if, if I didn't, if I had like a public defender or something like that gone, I'd be, would not be here right now. And um, so after I told my story, there was, so I had some samoa people. Um, a whole lot of people were sending me notes like, can you help me do this and get and do that? And all I could tell him was, like I don't even know how I got this stuff. You know, these are just people that I just so happened to meet because you know, uh, like t was saying, like you know, I was cool with this guy and he just things just kind of worked themselves out. You know, from that it had nothing to do with me, so I can't get you, you know, a half million dollar lawyer, representation or not, like that, the the system is not really fair like that. Only because you got all, just like you said, all these people are coming through and they want to handle things really fast.
Speaker 2:The people are taking pleas that, um, that are unfair, but they're you know. Someone tells them that, okay, well, if you don't take this plea, you're gonna get 20 years instead of one, you know. So, just just take the plea, take one year, well. And they're trying to tell them, well, well, I'm innocent, I didn't do this. Well, the public defender don't really feel like defending you, you know. So, because there's a lot of work that they that they need to do went in and said, okay, well, he said he's guilty, we want to be. Give him what's fair according to the law. So if I were to go into that situation with a public defender, they would have just gave me whatever and say, okay, yeah, you know, but yeah, I believe mine was an extraordinary, extraordinary case, only because of my representation. Everybody don't have it like that, unfortunately.
Speaker 4:I just want to make a quick comment. You mentioned man. I think we are kind of like a blessed people. That's our motto. It means God. First, I was just going to say, man, I don't know. Man, Like you mentioned, like your mom, you know, saying that she had a dream, and I'm just saying like, are we going to have that?
Speaker 4:You know, like that type of stuff, Because my mom, you know so, back in the day, right, I used to live in Cali, and from 95 to 2000. And I was going through some rough patches, you know, after my grandfather passed away, and you know I was about to get into the streets back in Cali, man, but when my parents came down for the funeral, my grandpa's funeral, and they left to go to Samoa, I initially thought they were going to take me with them, but they left me there, right? So, long story short, my dad had a dream, and the dream was that I had a hole in my back and so he mentioned that to my mom. And then the next week my dad flew up to Cali and then he grabbed me and then brought me down. But I'm just saying, man, is this something that we're going to get into? We're going to have stuff like that happen to us. We're going to have dreams where our kids are like, hey, something's going to happen to you. You got to do this Because you mentioned to your mom and I'm thinking about my dad and how he had that dream. It's just kind of like that foresight type thing which is interesting, man, man, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:I think we all have different gifts. Yeah, man, I have the dreams too. I haven't talked about them yet. When you start speaking about these things to people, you're crazy.
Speaker 2:But no, I see things about just random people and I'll call them up out the blue and I'll just tell them. Sometimes I don't say anything at all, I'll just say how are you doing and they're thinking I want something from like. Sometimes I don't say anything at all, I'll just say you know how you doing and they're like thinking I want something from them and I don't. It's just, I saw something and then I just want to make sure you're good and everything. That's happened several times and for real for me. The closer, the more pure in heart that I am. So like, if I'm all about myself and I'm just thinking about every day grind and all of that.
Speaker 2:I don't really have them kind of dreams, but when, every day, just in my mind, if I'm all you know thinking about you know how is this person if I put other people first, that's when I get that gift to me. You know it's a gift and now I'm able to see more clearly about it could be one of you. And if I hit you up, you know I might not say anything. I just be like man. You good and you're like man, what's the dude want? You're like that's kind of weird, what's wrong with this guy? But no, I just want to make sure you're OK and then maybe give you a word of encouragement.
Speaker 2:That happens where it used to happen a whole lot. It just depends, like I've been stressed lately. So in these kind of situations I don't, you know, don't really have it like that, but now I feel like that gift is gonna come and it's like clockwork, and when I start putting other people first and not thinking about myself we're not thinking about my situation I just it's a gift and it comes and just like my mom, that those dreams and you know, like your people too, like that it could be dreams, it could be, I don't know, it could be a whole bunch of stuff, but that's, um, that's my particular. I, like I said, I haven't talked about it much, but that it's a real thing, it's a. You know, what we see is not all real. It's like sometimes that extra dimension, like that's where I want to get to. I want to be able to see that all the time and I I backed away from that, that gift, for a while, because sometimes you see stuff and like man I didn't, I didn't want to see that.
Speaker 2:I don't, because now I feel responsible if I don't tell you and um, and a few times I'm like you know god, I don't, I don't want to, I don't want those gifts?
Speaker 2:I don't want that, whatever it is, don't show me these things no more, cause now I feel obligated to say something that people think I'm crazy. So now you know it's like a double whammy you think I'm crazy and I gotta be burdened with your, with your problems. You know what I mean. So, but I'm at the point now where I just I want it all and it's not money to have nothing to do with money or anything. I just want to be able to to operate in, uh, in a place where I'm helping, helping people, you know.
Speaker 1:So Revelation very powerful. We're running low on time here, so we in closing, or at least the closing question what do you, what are your hopes, hopes and goals for yourself down the future and also for your family, for your wife and children. What do you hope to see? And that's pretty much straightforward.
Speaker 2:I think my hopes you know, kind of like what I was just saying. I just want to go with the flow. I want to be obedient to you know what I'm told in the spirit, you know, whatever it is, I just want to do that and you know, for my family, I hope prosperity and and good health for everybody, for all of you brothers right here, I want great things for everybody. You know the Samoan community, the people that I talk to on a regular, like I want them. I just want great things for everybody and I want to play my part. The best way that I can, and only way that I can, do that, is just to be in tune whatever the spirit tells me to do. That's what I want to do. So yeah it, I want it to be less about you know just all the extracurricular. I just it to be less about you know just all the extracurricular. I just want to be in tune with what I'm supposed to do for everyone. So that's it.
Speaker 1:Right on. Thank you, Michael. Did you have anything?
Speaker 5:Oh, this will be our last question, so it's a nice field of last questions, but we like to to ask our question Cause here in beyond, love lover, we like to learn and and and listen also. But do you have any questions for us?
Speaker 2:Um, man, I didn't think about that. Well, I think you guys are doing a great thing. I think that, um, you know, just continue, just be consistent in what you guys are doing a great thing. I think that you know, just continue, just be consistent in what you guys are doing and what you are Like. I see you guys, you know you never slacked off. So I don't have any questions, I just have admirations and just like, not even words of encouragement, because you're already doing the things that you're supposed to do. Yeah, I don't, I don't have any questions, for real.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and I really appreciate you coming on board and chopping it up with us. I really feel more understanding of you now, mainly because I've seen you on social media, and what I've seen is a totally different vibe from our session today. What I see on social media is that you're stern and completely I wouldn't say a different person, just a different kind of like a persona. But what I see when I talk to you is more authentic in the way that now I got to know you, now I admire what you do on social media. So that's what what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 2:So thank you very much yeah, well, social, like I say, um, well, I said in a documentary, I, it's really hard for me to, um, you know, to record myself and to talk to a camera, you know, know, by myself, and then to know that everything you say is going to be scrutinized, every every little word, somebody's got something to say about it.
Speaker 2:And sometimes in the middle of what I'm talking about, even even tonight, I lose my train of thought, is because I'm thinking about okay, don't go, don't go off rail, you go off the rails, don't say this, don't say that. And then so I lose my train of thought. So I try to when I'm on camera, you know, and I post something that's very, it's not scripted, but it's like if I said something bad, I cut it out and then, you know, go back and do it again. So it's really like, oh, whoa, whoa. But you know, this is a natural conversation, you know. So this, this, this is more real than as opposed to online, but I mean, it's still me, but it's like a more calculated version of myself as opposed to just regular conversation where I don't feel as, uh, judged or whatever it is that makes me feel like, okay, stop record, stop. You know that sort of thing. I like this format much better.
Speaker 4:Well, I don't have much to say, will? All I want to say is man, continue to be blessed. Spirit on you, you know, and all your future endeavors, everything that you're doing, and this goes with all of us, you know there's spirits out there that bring us down, but as long as we walk within the light and stay within the light and, you know, bring prosper and joy to everybody that we meet. And that's what I like to do to you know, to anybody that I meet, you know I just, you know, just give them, you know, strength blessing. You know I don't have that, you know, just give them, you know, strength blessing. You know I don't have that, but from the spirit above God, you know, continue to put his hands on you and you know everything that you're doing going forward.
Speaker 4:Brother, thank you for taking out your time out of your day, your busy schedule, to you know, come up on here and chop it up with us and sharing your thoughts and your, the deep situations that you've been through, and you know it's it's for anybody that's really difficult and really hard to even share. You know their personal lives and you know, coming on here and doing that with us, that's really appreciated and you know, hopefully you know we'll see you again in the future. We are looking for an MC for our dinner coming up. Just a hint hint Other than that. Thank you, brother, I'm not serious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't go nowhere, Unfortunately, all right.
Speaker 1:All right, nameless Unmasking the anonymous life of a sex pill guru at TOTOLUAcom. Go and get it and watch it Will. The way you assemble everything is genius. I hope to see more, a lot more content from you in the future, and I hope people hit you up for more deals. Shout out to the Goldsmith family, to the Fonene family, a shout out to Mark David Hunter and Adam Fels for keeping the Uso off out of prison and free. Thank you very much. All right, this has been Behind the Lava Lava signing off.
Speaker 6:Good night, pasa 4. Working on my interests it's who I am. I'm trying to make these digits look like EINs. When the help ain't free, you all help me. Salute to folks who turn their names to LLCs. The wealth is in itself. To help a nonprofit To be better women or better men with a business, by veterans or common folks with a dream. We're all born with the same strength. We tread waters and we're untouched. Let's be on the same wavelength. Behind the lava, lava front of our eyes, let our legacy live off it. When we're up in the sky, all signs point to us to help someone make a difference. With God as my witness, let's talk business.