Our
Field Director said that we were living in a place some people can only dream
about living and where others spend fortunes to live. I am beginning to see that it is true. The first week has been amazing. I can’t believe that I am here and that this
is my life until June. For the first
time in all my travels I am feeling some major culture shock and I haven’t even
moved away from the other palagis (white people). Everything is different here: the language,
the education system, the size of stuff, and of course the culture.
AHHH
language class! I dread 10:30 each
morning when class starts. Two Mormon
missionaries are trying to teach us Samoan.
I am not catching on. At this
moment all I can say is hello (Talofa), please (fa’amolemole), thank you
(fa’afetai), I love you (alofa ia te oe), and goodbye (Tofa). The best part is the little bit of Spanish I
remember is what comes to mind when I’m trying say the Samoan! For example: I was asked “what is your name?”
“Me llamo Kristina” came to mind. There
is still two more weeks of class, hopefully, I will begin to pick up more of
it.
The
education system here appears to be very messed up. There are standardized testing, but the
teachers are encouraged to help the students with the test. Samoa is phasing in new standards and
benchmarks (The Common Core) that equal those of the United States. The current standards meet about 75% of the
Common Core. However, the standards are
extremely high and unrealistic for the students here. For example, for 12th grade the
students are to complete a research paper with a media presentation. That would not be a problem for a high school
in the States, but many seniors here may not even be able to write a correct
sentence or have access to research materials or multi-media. I am going to be required to meet the
benchmarks while teaching the basic English skills that should have been taught
in elementary school. Also 96% of
American Samoan students are considered English Language Learners (ELL) and
there are no programs for the students.
Classes are required to be taught in English.
I’ve
decided that everything is bigger in American Samoa. The people are huge, both horizontally and
vertically. Check out the photo below of
the giant leaf that is larger than my hand, a huge bug, and a giant
coconut. We cracked a coconut open today
at the beach and all had fresh coconut.
It wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. L
(Beetle)
(Coconut)
I
have not experienced a lot of the culture yet, but I have learned that it is
not ok to eat or drink while standing up.
That to teach my ankles and shoulders must be covered and my hair must
be pulled back. (but I get to keep my nose ring!) The dogs here are violent and
will bite. I haven’t seen this, but I
hear that in my village this is a major problem. Swimming is not allowed on
Sundays and the buses do not run on Sundays.
So…what
have I been doing all week? Well, I’ve
become a movie star! The group was
interviewed and introduced on their only television station on Wednesday
night. I have gotten a cell phone! The number is 1-684-258-1501. You can call me and it won’t cost me
anything! The group has met with a lot
of different officials from the Department of Education (DoE) and has had
teaching training on the roles of a teacher, lesson planning, multiple
intelligences, and assessments. I have
also learned what to do in the case of an earthquake and tsunami. I have hitch hiked and been picked up by an
older Samoan man and rode in the back of a pick-up truck. I highly recommend both of these things. It is much better than walking 30 minutes to
the Laundromat. One of the trucks I’ve
gotten into the woman driving goes, “you’re a WorldTeacher?” Everyone knows us. Two people in the drop were picked up by
their future landlord and didn’t know it until they started talking.
The
only Samoan food I’ve had is boiled banana in coconut milk. Everything else has been Americanized
food. We haven’t been going out to eat
and we are responsible for cooking dinner for each other every night. So we’ve been making easy stuff. American Samoa has Coke, but wait it gets
better. There is the American Coke made
with high fructose corn syrup and there is Fiji Coke that is lovingly crafted
with real SUGAR!!!! I’m on a mission to
drink only the Fiji Coke.
Today
we went on a tour of the entire island.
The island isn’t that large, but the road is narrow and winding. The scenery was fabulous and totally made up
for the uncomfortable ride. I saw the
school I will be teaching at (Go Lions!) and the house and apartment that three
of the volunteers and I will be living in.
(My co-teachers)
The
prices here are all over the place. Some
things are priced the same as in the US, for example Oreos are around $4 and a
600mL of Coke is $1.25, but other things are extremely high. Name brand shampoo and conditioner are $5 each
for a regular size bottle, a pop-up clothes hamper/bag/basket (which I need) is
$12, sunscreen is $13, and a pound of strawberries are $9.00! There is also no sales tax!
I
am starting to show “battle wounds.” I
have one skinned knee, another bruised knee, some bug bites, a few blisters,
and a weird rash (almost looks like hives, but doesn’t itch or anything). I cut a lot of my hair off (7 inches) right
before I left. I’ve missed having my
hair except for when I’m taking a cold shower and having to rinse my hair. I can rinse short hair a lot faster than I
could have rinsed my long hair.
Most
people back home especially at school know my sleeping patterns and it’s a
constant joke that I go to bed so earlier.
The girls I’m rooming with have quickly caught onto my early
bedtime. Last night I was laying in bed
reading and it was a little past nine.
One of the girls walk in and says, “Kristina it’s past nine and you’re
still up!” haha I’ve been going to bed between 8:30 and nine.
I
now own my first pulatasi (traditional dress).
It’s hand-me-down from last years group.
The top is a little big (surprise, surprise) so I’ve got to take it to
be altered. I’m going to wait to have my
custom made ones done one school starts and I see what I am required to have.
(My totally sexy swimsuit, that is still too scandaous. Notice my knees are showing)
