Julie Pascall from Victoria, Australia loves Samoa because of its greenery.

Dear Tourist met Julie and her girlfriends while they were checking out what Samoa has to offer as a tourism destination.

The trip is a pre-Christmas treat, to celebrate their graduation.

 “Samoa is definitely our celebration destination,” she tells Dear Tourist.

 “I chose Samoa because it is way more relaxed and you have more nature around you.

“Coming to Samoa makes me more focussed on relaxing and enjoying life instead of working to get money each day.”

This trip to Samoa has special significance for Julie.

It is her first time out of her country and so far it has been great.

 “People in Samoa live off the land unlike us,” she said.

“I’ve been fascinated by the simplicity of life, the way people live and embrace visitors. It has been so wonderful.”

Julie and her friends were part of a bigger group that visited local schools.

They were later divided into smaller groups to live with different local families. 

And so far, her experience with the local Samoan family is interesting. 

“The food here is very nice and I tried out yam which was really good,” Julie added. 

Being the eldest of two siblings and coming to a country where close family units include extended families was something rare and  beautiful for Julie. 

“Families here are very big, they don’t just have two siblings but like around four or five and you also have families who are living nearby. 

“It is amazing; I just love how one neighbour just borrows from the other neighbour.”  

Comparing life with the young people in Samoa who stay with their parents until they reach 21 and her country where the legal age is 18, she said: “It depends on the person really if you want to leave the house at the age of 18, but definitely not for me I am too comfortable.”

Julie arrived in the country on Sunday last week and she is here for 10 days.