Day 1

TALOFA!

I'm here. I made it. Yesterday was a long day. The flights were very long but we all made it here safely. 21 volunteers arrived yesterday. All the staff from WorldTeach who met us at the airport last night was very nice and very exciting to see us. A lot of the locals including customs people, to Department of Education staff, to others we just met on the plane were so happy that we were coming here to help teach their children. I'm already feeling really good about this experience.

Right now it's a little bit like summer camp as all 21 of us with 2 soon to arrive will be leaving in a high school in classrooms. We are sleeping on the floor on very thin mattresses. We are staying here for just the first 3-4 weeks as we go through orientation and all that jazz. I'm excited to be here but I cannot wait until we get to settle in to our own homes.

I was excited to meet all the other volunteers. Everyone seems to have come here for different reasons but is very excited about the opportunities that lay ahead. There are even 2 Canadians!!! One is from Ottawa, the other is from Saskatoon. It's so exciting.

This picture is from the view outside of the high school we are staying at.