Banquets, and Pageants, and Concerts OH MY!

 Teacher of the Year Banquet

WorldTeach was invited to attend the Territorial Teacher of the Year Banquet on November 30.  The Teacher of the Year (TotY) nominee from each school was in attendance and recognized.  The Leone TotY, Mr. Berquist aka Mr. B., is a Palagi (non-Samoan) teacher from the States who has been here for 15 years I believe.  Each of the nominees received an award and prizes.  The prizes were awesome, laptops, flowers, and gift cards.  Then the over-all winner was announced.  The Territorial Teacher of the Year was awarded to a man from Tafuna High School.

Sara and Me

Mr. B is on the right

Dinner was served and the amounf of food given to use was insane.  The servers brought out trays and we thought it was one or two trays per table for us to share.  However, it was one tray per person!  There was enough food on there for four meals.  We were given rice, a roll, salad, pasta, chicken, pork, and a mystery meat.  (I’ve learned not to ask what unfamiliar things are.)  We all started eating and then noticed that no one else was.  Later we were told that most people take it home to eat later.  That would explain why there was so much food.  It is being shared with their families.

All the volunteers on the main island, including the two new girls, were at the meal.  We were dressed in our finest puletasi’s and looked stunning.  The best part of the night though was being back together as a group.  We hadn’t all been together since orientation.  It was great catching up with everyone. 

Miss South Pacific Pageant

I volunteered to help backstage with the Miss South Pacific Pageant (MSP) on December 8.  I don’t have any photos to show because we were told not to take any.  However, I should have known that the rules don’t really matter here.  Once we got there we were told we could take pictures.  I’m hoping to get some off of the contestants Facebook pages and share with everyone.

The pageant uniform

There were 10 contestants and the girls were amazing.  They broke all the pageant stereo types that I had.  They were all beautiful, but also had great personalities.  The countries that were represented were… American Samoa, Western Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Hawaii, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Tokalau, and Papua New Guinea.

This wasn’t your typical beauty pageant.  There was not a swimsuit or formal section.  Sarongs, tribal dances, religious songs, and dresses from bark were common.  The stage was covered in sand (which turned out not to be a good idea.  It cut two of the girls feet) and the Siva Samoa was performed.

Being a volunteer for the pageant was frustrating and at times things were complete chaos.  I was told not to let anyone back stage if they did not have an orange badge.  I would stop someone from coming back and then a higher up would be like “oh she is so and so.  Let her come in.”  It got to the point of me not caring who came and went.  The pageant was suppose to be from 7-9:30, but lasted from 7-11:30.

I was impressed that the pageant was televised live to the island.  Up until the morning of the pageant people had been told that it would not be shown.  It was being reserved for the elite.  There were only corporate tables that cost $750 and sat six people.   The majority of the island cannot afford that.  Even the contestants families weren’t allowed in the auditorium unless they bought a table (which most could not afford).

I felt extremely bad for Miss Tokalau.  She was the girl contestant.  Not only did she have the downside of going first, but the pageant committee kept messing up her stuff.  First, they did not give her enough time to change outfits between going off stage from a group performance and back on stage for her individual sarong wear.  Then when she went for the talent portion her mic wasn’t on!  That’s not all!  Her biography in the program wasn’t hers!  The committee put Papua New Guinea’s bio in twice (once under Miss Tokalau).

The Miss South Pacific title went to Miss Samoa (Western Samoa)

1^st Runner Up: Miss Cook Islands

2^nd Runner Up: Miss Fiji

3^rd Runner Up:  Miss Papua New Guinea

4^th Runner Up:  Miss American Samoa

Miss American Samoa and Miss Aotearoa were my favorite contestants.  They were so friendly and grateful to Sara, Amber, and I.  Miss Aotearoa reminded me a lot of myself.  Miss Tonga is a social work major from BYU in Hawaii and wants to get her MSW.  Who knows maybe her and I will be in grad school together.

The pageant was an example of how the world should be.  There were 10 girls from 10 different countries.  Each girl had her own culture, upbringing, and most language (they all knew English though).  However, they were unified.  Their differences made the individual, but did not negatively affect the group.  They were connected for one cause and that is what mattered.

That’s what I want.  I want to be surrounded by friends from different cultures.  I want to experience other holidays, traditions, food, and languages.  I don’t want my future children to go to an all white school.  I want them to be bilingual like so much of the world is.  If people around the world would realizes that the differences are what make an individual interesting and that differences are not a reasoning to have wars, segregation, genocides, or terrorism.  So much could be solved if people embraced diversity. 

At one point during the pageant I became very homesick for a few minutes.  The girls were waiting for crowning and were in the back circled up talking, laughing, and taking photos.  It made me miss doing the same.  I have Sara here, but it isn’t the same as having a group or several groups of friends.  I miss my social work group, the Ghana girls, and of course Kiersten and Elise.

Taumafai Chior

I had heard that the Leone High School swing choir was amazing, but had not heard them sing.  That changed on the 11^th when I attended their Christmas concert.  Now I agree with everyone.  They are amazing.

The choir is made up of students from all four grades.  There is probably close to 100 members, including four of my students Andrew, John, Neemia, and Tala.  The choir sang both Christmas and patriotic songs.  The best song of the night was God Bless the USA.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Sadly though I did not record it, however, I heard that the choir sells CDs as a fundraiser.  They also sand To God Be the Glory in Samoan.  The student’s voices are beautiful and harmonize so well.  The Swing Choir could easily compete with any state side choir.

The students were also extremely focus, more focused than I’ve ever seen them.  My four students in the choir never even focus half that much in class.

The concert turned into a mini fundraiser.  As the students sang people threw money onto the stage.  Throughout the concert the names of people ho donated and the amount donated were read aloud.  I was proud that I was able to translate most of the amounts said.

In typical Samoa fashion we were feed.  As we left we were given boxed lunches of egg sandwich, bongos, and cake.  

Here are two of the videos. 

Leone High School Update

College Update

Lise, my senior, took her SATs and ACTs earlier this month.  She also submitted an application for admission to VCU.  Her Liberty application is due on January 15.  Sadly, her and my two juniors will only be in my class one more week.  They only needed the first semester to fulfill the English requirement.

Grades

I calculated grades about two weeks ago.  It was nearing the end of the semester and I wanted students to know their grade prior to exams.  I knew a lot of students were not turning in their assignments, but the grades shocked even me.  I teach 120 students.  66 of those students had a D or F.  I felt like a terrible teacher.  I felt like I was doing harming these students not helping them.  Then I looked at their attendance.  The majority of the students who are failing have missed 10-15 days this grading quarter.  There had only been 25 days of school.  None of my students with A’s, B’s, or C’s had missed more than 4 days.  That showed that attendance is a huge factor in how successful a student is going to be.  A student cannot learn or turn assignments in if they are not in class.  I gave a 50 point extra credit assignment out.  It was required for the students with a D or F.  We spend 2-3 days working on it in class and I still had students who did not turn it in.  I can’t help them if they are unwilling to put in any effort.

Fights

There was a girl fight and an almost fight in my room last week.  I am not suppose to get involved when there are fights in my room, but going to get help from another teacher or the office takes too much time.  Usually the guys in my class step in and break it up, but both of these I had to help break up. 

The girls started fighting.  A couple guys grabbed the larger girl and I got the smaller one.  I sent one outside to wait on me and told the other to stay in her sit.  I didn’t want to get the office involved.  I went out to talk to the smaller girl outside.  She was sobbing, but thankfully is one of my advanced students with near perfect English.  She was able to tell me her side of the story.  The other girl is still yelling and cursing at her through the window. I calmed her down and told her to walk to Sara’s room (about 50 yards away) if she got there and was still upset go inside and sit down.  I’d call Sara and tell her.  I go back inside to call Sara’s room and talk to the other girl.  Girl 2 runs outside trying to get the other girl again.  Thankfully, her sweatshirt got stuck on the doorknob.  I pull her back inside.  She decided to get an attitude with me.  So I decided to have her escorted to the office.  I send her with two guys.  I’m getting the rest of the class back in their seats when I hear “FUSU” (fight).  Girl two had found the smaller girl sitting on the steps and starting punching her again.  The guys and I separate fight number two.  By this point I call the office and have them send someone to get her.  I also had to send the smaller girl down.  I walked her down praying the whole time that they would not hit her.  I walk with her into the office and my anger towards the other girl came out.  I had her permanently removed from my class.  That was the second fight I had seen her involved in at school. 

I left the office and cried.  The smaller girl is one of my best students.  She is helpful, polite, and has an A in the class.  However, I knew that she would go home that night and probably get beaten.  Thankfully, she was not suspended like the counselor originally said she would be.

Fight number two of the week was an almost fight between guys. I was subbing for another teacher and a guy came in that wasn’t in the class (this isn’t unusual, it seems to be appropriate here to walk into classrooms in the middle of class and start talking to people).  We weren’t doing an assignment so I didn’t chase him out, but I watched him and noticed the signs of a fight about to break out.  I put the kid that is in the class in a chair and push the other guy out of the room.  I make the guy in the class stay after as punishment.  The bell rings and the other guy comes back inside, starts cursing, and throws his bookbag to the ground.  I push him back out the door and have a hold of his shirt to take him to the office.  Then something that has never happened happened.  He twisted around and slapped away from me and took off running.  He did get a week suspension.

Vandalizing

Some days I feel like I am teaching at an inner city school.  I went to open my classroom on a Monday morning and my key would not go into the lock.  Someone over the weekend had put stuff in the deadbolt causing my key not to work.

Administration told me to unscrew a screen from the window and climb in.  Then at the end of the day screw the screen back on.  They also told me to go buy a screw driver that night so I could unscrew it each day because they didn’t know when it would be fixed.  I found that solution unacceptable.  I walked to the vice principals office and gave my solution (while trying to hold back tears of frustration).  I would either have class in the library, outside, or I’m be sick until the lock was fixed.  I was given permission to have class outside as long as it was in the shade.  Well, two hours later and my door was fixed.  I hated acting like a brat, but their solution was not acceptable.

Exams

Exams start on Tuesday of this week and end on Thursday.  My advance classes will test on Tuesday and my mainstream classes well test on Wednesday and Thursday.  Pray that the students study and remember what I have taught them.  Also pray that they remember test taking rules.  Cheating (talking, looking at someone else’s paper, showing your work to someone, using notes) all equal a zero.  

Cyclone Evan

For those who have not heard Cyclone Evan was expected to hit the island last week as a category three storm.  Thankfully, it turned north 50 miles from the island and missed us.

School was closed for two days though to allow the students to help their families prepare.  Friday there was school, but we were released at noon because of a high surf, high gale, and flash flood warning.

The school had to be storm proofed.  On Wednesday (the day before the storm was supposed to hit) all teachers had to report to school to secure their rooms.  This meant closing all the windows, moving desks, and books to the center of the room, and cover computers/SmartBoards.

At home we made sure that we had nonperishable food and drinking water.  We made sure there were batteries in the flashlights and our computers and cell phones were charged.  We had been told that the power on the island is cut off if winds are above 60mph.  That meant our water would also be cut.  When it started raining we used our recycling bins and trashcans to collect rainwater.  This way we would be able to use it to flush.  Sara closed the windows at her house and stayed the night and mine.

The worst of the storm hit during the night on Wednesday.  We got some wind and a lot of rain, but nothing more than a usual rain storm.  It was enough to wake me up and keep me awake until it stopped.

Thursday when we got up the sun was coming out and the governor issued a statement saying the storm had turned.  I’m so thankful for all the prayers.  The storm was expected to hit us with winds of 130mph and unpredictable amounts of rainfall.

It devastated our neighbor island in of Upolu in Western Samoa.  The storm hit the island twice and caused a storm surge of 15 feet in the capital.  The international airport has not reopened yet.  Power, phones, and internet are out on most of the island and the critical patients at the hospital have been flown to Hawaii. 

Many of the businesses here and some of the homes, mostly affluent, boarded up their windows in preparation.  It is a very eerie feeling riding though a town that is boarded up.  Not as eerie as it would have been riding though a town that was hit by a category 3 cyclone would have been.

God protected us from this storm, the first named storm of the season.  It is predicted that this season will be more eventful than usual due to the warm weather we have had.  Hopefully, He does the same with the remaining storms.

Sadly though the Christmas choir that I had been practicing in was suppose to perform on Wednesday.  The concert was cancelled because of the storm.  I don’t know if I will ever be able to sing the Samoan songs that I learned. L

Quotes (some from students, some from books)

When I read something that applies to me or I think will apply later on I write it down.  Also when my students say something I want to remember I write it down.  (old age is creeping up on me.  I can't remember anything)  Here are a few of my favorites.

“If you don’t turn you adversity into a ministry, then your pain remains your pain.  But if you allow God to translate your adversity into a ministry, then your pain becomes someone else’s gain… Your ability to help others is limited to where you have been wounded.”

–In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand”

            -I can’t remember where I found this

“Society needs people who know how to be compassionate and honest… You can’t run the society on data and computers alone.”

            -I always forgot to write the author of this one down

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.  When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

-2 Corinthians 1:4

“Two people are better than one for they can help each other succeed.  If one person falls, the other can each out and help.”

            -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

            -Maya Angelou

“As much as you want to plan your life, it has a way of surprising you with unexpected things that will make you happier than you originally planned.  That’s what you call God’s Will.”

            _Pintest

“Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most.  Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning.  Just give hope a chance to float up.”

            -Hope Floats

Student: “Miss I have an animal, but it’s dead so it won’t disrupt the classroom.”

Me: “What is it?”

Student: drops/tosses a dead 8 inch centipede on my desk

Me: jump back out of my chair and scream

Whole Class: laughs

In class we are talking notes.  The whole class is finished except for two boys who had been talking the entire time.  I decide to move on with the notes since they had been talking and not working.  I move on and one of them goes “I’m not finished”  I said, “you should not have been talking.  We are moving on”  Student: “But wait, What about No Child Left Behind!”

Student (being inappropriate): “want to come to my house tonight?  I have AC.”

It took a lot of will power to say no to AC.  The heat index is over 105 and I only have a fan.

(A few of my students, Mark, Caleb, Alesana, and Ise)

Manuia Aso Faafetai (Happy Thanksgiving)

I say each time I write a blog that I will be better at posting, however, it seems that my posts keep getting further and further apart.  I’m sorry.  I want to keep everyone up-to-date on what I am doing, but I rarely seem to have the time to sit down and type something out.  I’ve started keeping an old fashion journal though the remember what is happening. 

Anyways, I’ve survived my first holiday in Samoa and away from my family.  It actually didn’t really feel like there was a Thanksgiving.  Yes, it is celebrated here, but not like in the States.  It is much more low key; no huge feast, a small turkey run, and no Black Friday.

A lot of the volunteers used the break to go visit the volunteers who are placed in Manu’a, the outer islands.  I decided to stay home and relax for five days.  Here is a peak into what my Samoan Thanksgiving looked like…

Wednesday 11/21 started at 3:15AM (I’m not a morning person).  Jill, Sara, Amber, Drew, and I made our way to the school (walking of course) with out any dogs chasing us!  Leone High School has a Turkey Run every year, similar to the Drumstick Dash in Roanoke, but much smaller.  This was the 29^th year of the run.  About 300 people ran and walked the 4.5 mile route.  The route went through the different villages surrounding the school and along the shore of Sliding Rock.  Amber and I finished our walk in an hr and 16 mins.  I’m pretty sure the time was wrong.  We did not walk that fast.  The winners to the race won a turkey!  Sara won for the female runners and Amber came in 3^rd for the walkers.  The entire race and awards ceremony was over by 8AM and we were able to go home.  No school that day.  I enjoyed having the day finished that early and being able to do whatever I wanted for the rest of the day.  Maybe I will become a morning person and start getting up early everyday.  (probably not)

(Sara, Amber, and I ready at the starting line)

 (The view towards the end of the race)

 (All the turkeys waiting on the winners)

Sounds like a great time, right?  It was except for the fact that I saw a man died right in front of me.  I’ve seen dying people before and have been to funerals, but I’ve never watched a person die while I stood there.  Amber and I were walking about 20 mins after the race started and the man in front of us collapsed. A woman started CPR, another one called 911, and I called the school.  There were no free ambulances and the hospital is 45 mins to an hr away.  He had to be driven until the car met up with an ambulance.  He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.  I have a friend who is  a nurse at the hospital and she said they think he had a heart attack.  I watched the man die and there was nothing I could do.  He was only 40 years old.  He left his family that morning to support the local high school and never made it home.

Tafuna Baptist Church invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner with them on Wednesday night.  It was a church potluck, but mostly typical American Thanksgiving food.  There were about 20 people there and there was so much food, everything except for pumpkin pie.  The church has a school connected to it.  There are volunteers teaching there from South Carolina, Tennessee, and one other southern state that I can’t remember.

On Thanksgiving, my landlords, the Purcells invited us to go to their family land in Utumea to swim and have lunch.  We had Thanksgiving dinner right on the beach.  The food was spread across a bench, we ate on a piece of cardboard, and the kids played  in the water.  We had turkey, hotdogs, bbq chicken, chop sui (I don’t know what it is and don’t want to know, but it is so good),  potato salad, green bean casserole, stuffing, rice, pumpkin cake, and banana cake.

 (Sara and Amber)

 (Jill, Alison, and Drew)

 (the meal)

 (Serving table)

 (My landlords grandkids)

(The beach)

After eating some of us napped on the beach while others went for a swim.  The beach was an actual sandy beach and had trees to offer shade.  I loved being able to be on the beach, even if I was wearing a tshirt and skirt instead of a bathing suit. 

Thanksgiving in Samoa was fun and relaxing.  I was able to talk to my family for a few minutes during the morning.  I missed not seeing the Macy’s parade, not hearing a football game in the background, not walking the Drumstick Dash with 15,000 other people, and mostly not laughing around the table with my family.    However, since I felt like Thanksgiving didn’t really happen the homesickness wasn’t too bad.