Happy Birthday

I’ll start this post with my birthday activities.  It was a great birthday.  I was able to celebrate with a few Samoan friends (plus Sara and Amber) on Saturday.  Mom sent me “birthday in a box” and we used some of the things from the box to decorate.  Happy Birthday was sung to me in both English and Samoan before I blew out an entire pack of candles.  Sadly, I’ve decided that when it takes to boxes of candles for a birthday cake it’s time to stop lighting candles.  So this year was the last time I will blow out candles.  I hope my wish comes true!  Then on Monday my students found out and sang to me.  They were somewhat more well behaved.  The best quote…

Student: How old are you?

Me: 24

Student: You’re still sexy to be 24.

Me: I’m not that old.

I’ve gotten use to the students saying inappropriate things to me.  As long as they don’t get dirty and do not say anything offensive I let it go.  Sara, Amber, and I also went out for a nice dinner on Monday night.  I feel so lucky that I received birthday wishes from all over the world, Malaysia, Ghana, Guatemala, Holland, India, Argentina, Dominica, many different states, and Samoa.

Saturday afternoon Sara, Miracle (Samoan friend), and I went over to Sliding Rock to go swimming.  Remember on my last post about sliding rock I said it was called sliding rock because it was so slick?  This trip over as soon as I stepped into the water I slid and couldn’t catch myself.  I laughed it off, but my leg is bruised and cut up.  No worries though, I had on my big girl panties and kept going! Lol.  The area really doesn’t have a good swimming spot so we decided to climb on the rocks instead.  We may have found the trailhead that leads over to one of the Fugatele Bay.  We are hoping to explore that later. 

 (Can you find the little plane?)

 (looking off the cliff)

 (Into the jungle we go)

My classroom is finally decorated and feels homey!  Thanks to my wonderful co-teacher Tammy.  Tammy is amazing.  She picked me up Saturday morning, brought all the material to decorate, brought her cousin to install my whiteboard, and did most of the decorating.  Afterwards, she showed me one of her friends homes that has a good swimming spot and said I was welcomed anytime, she also showed me her house, and a few other places on this side of the island.  THEN she insisted on taking me to lunch.  We went to a local Samoan burger shop.  Oh my, that was the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten.  It was huge though.  Two patties, three buns, and who knows how much cheese, but it was good!

I am so glad that I am meeting and making friends with Samoans.  The people are incredible and so much fun to be with.   I am truly experiencing the culture.  I’ve also met people who have been traveling for the last year.  They go to different places work for a few months and then travel to a different country.  I don’t know, that may be something fun to try.  

Finally a New Post

Pageant

The school held a Mr. and Ms. Pageant last week.  There were eight contestants, four guys and four girls.  The contestants competed in designing and modeling a puletasi, dancing, and doing a talent. The students then voted for the winner (who I never found out).  There was also entertainment between each of the categories.  A few of my students were in the entertainment.  They danced to Azonto and another song that I can’t remember.  The competition was fun to watch in an inappropriate way.  It will have a while to get comfortable with seeing my students half naked and covered with baby oil dancing on a stage with money being thrown at them.

In class last week to review of our quiz I split the class into eight groups and had each group become an “expert” on one of the parts of speech.  Then each group took a turn sharing with the rest of the class and teaching their peers.  The presentations for the most part were painfully boring, until one group in my 2^nd period got up to present.  Unlike the rest of the groups how just said their information Ta’auso and Edward decided to “teach like Kristina does” so they asked questions such as, “Class, can anyone let me the definition of a noun?” “How can raise their hand and tell me an example?”  They did that for their whole presentation, which is totally how I teach, by asking questions and guiding a discussion.  They had the class doing all the talking and giving information while they sat back and listened.  They did know of the investigating the part of speech like I wanted them too, but the presentation was just too good to fail.  I was laughing the entire time and they had the class engaged.

Last week was my field observation and evaluation for this semester.  Long story short…It went great!  My good class was good and my bad class was bad.  The only thing I need to improve on is being more relaxed and having a teacher voice (the back of the class could hear me if they would stop talking).   Success!  I get to stay in American Samoa.

Sara, Amber, and I have been attending the football games and riding the bus back with the team.  (The bus driver drops us at our houses).  This past Friday both JV and Varsity won!  I must say my JV players know how to play.  I am starting to real their numbers and I’m able to follow what is going on 25% of the team.  That’s an improvement.  Now close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting in the stadium here in Samoa.  Beyond the field is the ocean.  The kids are chanting in both Samoan and English.  Now you hear the PA system click on.  You stop to listen and a Tennessee accent comes over the intercom!  Totally ruins the experience.  If I can’t understand what the announcer is saying how can anyone else? Lol.

I have noticed a part of Samoan sportsmanship that I enjoy.   When a player is hurt on the field the students start singing, “Lean on Me.”  It’s sweet and a nice why to fill the time and encourage the hurt player.   

Finally, at the game the three of us were sitting talking and watching the game when all of a sudden a big boom and bright flash happens!  Sara and I are both like, “um did someone get shot?” and Amber goes, “no it was probably just a transformer that blew.”  The verdict?  A rival team blew up a cherry bomb.  Was the stadium evacuated?  No.  What the game stopped?  No.  Only in Samoa. 

Circus

Sara and I went to The Magic Circus of Samoa.  This has to be one of the best circus’ ever.  There were no animals only people.  We saw tight ropewalkers, unicyclist, clowns, jugglers, and all the other “circus” acts.  It was definitely worth the cost of the ticket.  And of course I saw one of my students there.  We were like little kids in awe all night.

Escaping the island

One of the girls that spends a lot of time in my room and that I help after school came in last week and was telling me about some problems going on at home.  She talked about wanting to escape and how she wasn’t going home that night.  I talked to her and told her that it would be best if she at least let her mom know where she would be at and prepared myself to receive a call later in the night wanting to know if I knew where the girl was.  She went home that night and I later found out that when kids talk about escaping it means that they want to get off the island.  It’s sad that they feel like they must escape.  Even when the kids go off island to college the other students will say that the student was able to escape.  It’s just bizarre to me.