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Encounter: A journey into chaos, culture and compassion
384 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 6, 2025
In the early 1990s, Ian Reilly and his wife spent a year in Western Samoa as voluntary teachers at Leulumoega Fou College. As part of an international aid program to developing nations, the couple was confronted with a level of culture shock that few have the chance to experience. This memoir, Encounter: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion, is Reilly’s attempt to relate some of the bizarre and challenging scenarios that he and his wife faced daily, from whispered rumors and inquisitive glances to students with unrealistic expectations and a whole lot of hostile flora and fauna. The memoir serves to put everything into perspective, and it helps the author tease meaning from a difficult situation, causing the reader to reflect on issues such as scarcity, cultural differences, faith, and friendship.
Upon arriving in Samoa, Reilly finds the humidity to be unbearable, and having lived and worked in Southeast Asia myself, I can attest to how absolutely brutal it is. Stepping off the airplane in Western Samoa is like walking into a sauna. The humidity continues to plague them when they try to sleep, but slumber is interrupted by altogether new problems:
The loud barking and howling subside to a growling noise at the window. Then it seems to move into the room as another frenzy of barking shatters the night. As I imagine savage, bare teeth, gnashing and salivating in the darkness, I realise they’re under the floor.
What’s worse than feral dogs under your house? How about rats? There is a whole chapter devoted to them. Furthermore, they are hit with power outages, contaminated water, bureaucratic hassles, and, worst of all, kids doing hard labor.
That’s right: there are no maintenance men. The students take care of the facilities:
There’s no routine maintenance, school cleaners, or grounds people, and cleaning is a student responsibility. On Friday, half the students return to work and assemble in the hall in mufti. Tavita assigns the girls to clean classrooms, while the boys do the heavy work of cutting grass and removing cyclone debris (tree branches, roofing iron, and building fragments).
The couple is also taken aback by the fact that the students expect to be beaten:
In Samoan culture, we take the place of parents at school; our students expect the same hard discipline, including hitting them so it really hurts.
‘If you really love us, you’ll hit us,’ they say.
The book is by no means all shock and misery. In fact, the couple comes to meet and befriend some of the locals, and they develop a very close relationship with Elisapeta, whose dignity and generosity truly move them:
Putting coins into a tin near the driver, she pays our fares. Being wealthier than Elisapeta’s parents, I feel a little embarrassed, but such generosity is an important part of Samoan hospitality.
The couple will finally make their way back to Australia, but only after realizing how much they have grown and learned from the experience. They see the role their strong faith played in helping them through a tough and demanding trial. They have learned as much about themselves as they have about Samoa and its culture. I believe their experience can be best summed up in this one line from the author himself: “More than anything, we’ve become aware of how much we have to learn.”
If you have never been abroad or if you’re considering setting off on a similar adventure, Ian Reilly’s Encounter would be a great primer for you, because no matter what you think you know about a place from television or surfing the web, it’s not the same thing as really going there and eking out a living. Reilly has given us a very good look at what this adventure is all about, and as this world grows smaller every day, it’s a testament to the importance of reaching out and understanding the other.
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Upon arriving in Samoa, Reilly finds the humidity to be unbearable, and having lived and worked in Southeast Asia myself, I can attest to how absolutely brutal it is. Stepping off the airplane in Western Samoa is like walking into a sauna. The humidity continues to plague them when they try to sleep, but slumber is interrupted by altogether new problems:
The loud barking and howling subside to a growling noise at the window. Then it seems to move into the room as another frenzy of barking shatters the night. As I imagine savage, bare teeth, gnashing and salivating in the darkness, I realise they’re under the floor.
What’s worse than feral dogs under your house? How about rats? There is a whole chapter devoted to them. Furthermore, they are hit with power outages, contaminated water, bureaucratic hassles, and, worst of all, kids doing hard labor.
That’s right: there are no maintenance men. The students take care of the facilities:
There’s no routine maintenance, school cleaners, or grounds people, and cleaning is a student responsibility. On Friday, half the students return to work and assemble in the hall in mufti. Tavita assigns the girls to clean classrooms, while the boys do the heavy work of cutting grass and removing cyclone debris (tree branches, roofing iron, and building fragments).
The couple is also taken aback by the fact that the students expect to be beaten:
In Samoan culture, we take the place of parents at school; our students expect the same hard discipline, including hitting them so it really hurts.
‘If you really love us, you’ll hit us,’ they say.
The book is by no means all shock and misery. In fact, the couple comes to meet and befriend some of the locals, and they develop a very close relationship with Elisapeta, whose dignity and generosity truly move them:
Putting coins into a tin near the driver, she pays our fares. Being wealthier than Elisapeta’s parents, I feel a little embarrassed, but such generosity is an important part of Samoan hospitality.
The couple will finally make their way back to Australia, but only after realizing how much they have grown and learned from the experience. They see the role their strong faith played in helping them through a tough and demanding trial. They have learned as much about themselves as they have about Samoa and its culture. I believe their experience can be best summed up in this one line from the author himself: “More than anything, we’ve become aware of how much we have to learn.”
If you have never been abroad or if you’re considering setting off on a similar adventure, Ian Reilly’s Encounter would be a great primer for you, because no matter what you think you know about a place from television or surfing the web, it’s not the same thing as really going there and eking out a living. Reilly has given us a very good look at what this adventure is all about, and as this world grows smaller every day, it’s a testament to the importance of reaching out and understanding the other.
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January 26, 2026
The thing I most learned (confirmed!) is that I couldn't have done this! Nevertheless this is a wonderful, non ideological journey into a strange culture. The difficulties of adapting to Samoan reality would be too much for me, I identify more with the American Peace Corp volunteer Helen, but I couldn't even have gone as far as she does. The Reilly's see incarnation as the model - to walk in another's shoes as their calling, but there is no naivety here in exploring the good and bad (and horrific) aspects of Samoa.
Change is happening in Samoa, and Reilly is well aware. Although their role as teachers is part of that process, however it is change on a micro level for them, not to push the envelope. This a hugely compelling story, which gives a great understanding of Samoa. Does it translate equally to other Island nations, to other pre industrial societies, relate even to 'Islanders' living in the developed world? It does to a limited extent I would suggest, but it is definitely a primer to get one thinking and even more to refute the normal agenda ridden ideas that are put across in these wider applications.
There are a lot of people to keep track of who's who, and actually a glossary of people (to go with the excellent Samoan word glossary) would have been helpful. In fact it took quite a while to figure out Ian's wife was Heather - surprised that editing/proof reading which is otherwise excellent (because this is very well written); didn't pick up on that.
Change is happening in Samoa, and Reilly is well aware. Although their role as teachers is part of that process, however it is change on a micro level for them, not to push the envelope. This a hugely compelling story, which gives a great understanding of Samoa. Does it translate equally to other Island nations, to other pre industrial societies, relate even to 'Islanders' living in the developed world? It does to a limited extent I would suggest, but it is definitely a primer to get one thinking and even more to refute the normal agenda ridden ideas that are put across in these wider applications.
There are a lot of people to keep track of who's who, and actually a glossary of people (to go with the excellent Samoan word glossary) would have been helpful. In fact it took quite a while to figure out Ian's wife was Heather - surprised that editing/proof reading which is otherwise excellent (because this is very well written); didn't pick up on that.
November 18, 2025
It was a great read! Because it was written by first-time author I was initially a bit skeptical, but this book really delivers. I really felt as if I was there, experiencing the chaos of both the storm and the shock of finding yourself in a country and culture completely different to your own.
I grew up in several different countries, so could really relate to the experience of trying to understand and fit in to new cultural norms. I also visited Samoa in 2010 and Ian perfectly captures what it's like to be there: the humidity and heat, living in the beachside fales, and the culture of Pacific Islanders from an outside perspespective.
While this book is very relatable for people who experienced living in a country that's not their native culture, it's also a really great story - highly recommend!
I grew up in several different countries, so could really relate to the experience of trying to understand and fit in to new cultural norms. I also visited Samoa in 2010 and Ian perfectly captures what it's like to be there: the humidity and heat, living in the beachside fales, and the culture of Pacific Islanders from an outside perspespective.
While this book is very relatable for people who experienced living in a country that's not their native culture, it's also a really great story - highly recommend!
November 12, 2025
Encounter is a heart-felt, thought-provoking view on culture and life. Ian does a fantastic job of bringing you along for this trip into his past, his writing bringing to life visions of Samoa. Both its gorgeous beaches and vibrant green landscapes, and the hope people find in God and community there, even in the darkest of times.
We'll worth a read, even if you're not planning on volunteering yourself any time soon.
We'll worth a read, even if you're not planning on volunteering yourself any time soon.
January 7, 2026
Ian Reilly pulls back the curtain on the cultural collision he and his wife experienced in Samoa. As I read I had to keep turning the pages. The authenticity and vulnerability lift the story beyond a mere memoir. Anyone thinking of volunteering in any capacity in another culture should include this book on their reading list.
December 30, 2025
A raw story of life lived as a foreigner in Samoa in the early 1990s. Engaging, informative and, at times, very humorous. A real page-turner. Looking forward to a sequel.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews