To Stay or To Go

That is the question.



Reasons to stay:

To continue the experience of a lifetime.
To gain additional job experience in the field for the future.
I've made some lifelong great friends.
To continue learning about myself as an individual person.
Summer all year round!
To strengthen the impact that I'm already having on the students of American Samoa.
Relative easy in which I'm able to go with the flow.
To be able to assist another group of volunteers with their experience.
To learn more about helping the educational process of a developing country (or territory).
Being able to visit stunning beaches and waterfalls with relative ease.
I think I'm finally starting to tan!



Reasons to go:

I miss my family and friends terribly!!!!!!!!
The lack of vegetarian food options is frustrating.
Another year away from my family!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes it is just too hot.
Difficulty in learning the language.
Difficulty in adapting to the Samoan way of life.
Feeling unappreciated.
Living with all the ants and termites and insects that come with a tropical island.
The time difference between here and the East Coast can be annoying.
Need to make more money.
Can I really handle missing another year of birthdays and holidays?



And I'm sure there are more....

My House

Thanks to Gregs visit, I was able to take some pictures of my house and village so you all can see where I live.

I live in the village of Mesepa.

This is the outside of my apartment. Doesn't it look glamorous?

This is the church across the street which is in session every evening. EVERY evening. And they like to sing. LOUDLY. But I like it now.

This is the view behind my apartment. Not too shabby, eh?

A visit from Greggles!

Having a visitor was great. My dearest friend Greg came to visit me from DC last weekend. Not only was it so special to see someone that I miss a lot but to be able to share part of this crazy experience with someone else meant a lot to me.



I'm not sure Greg understands why this place appeals to me so much but I was able to show him a couple of reasons why this place is so beautiful. Going to the Nu'uuli Waterfalls, Tisa's beach and Fagatele Bay was a great introduction to life in American Samoa. If only it hadnt rained so much we would have been able to see so much more. But it is rainy season, so what else can you expect.



if anyone else wants to come and play with me here in Samoa, I'd be more than happy to show you around. As Greg can attest, it is hot and humid, things move very slowly here, the food could be better but there is enough generosity to fill a thousand hearts.



Thanks Greg! Hope to see you in Samoa again soon!

We All Have Our Doubts

I began writing this post last Friday after finishing the worst week of my whole experience so far. So much happened at school that I was not able to handle everything that I was feeling. Students were being disrespectful, unappreciative, lazy and just plain rude. I started to doubt my abilities as a teacher and educator. I came here for a specific reason to provide education to a place in this world that needs it, but what if the students don't want it? What can you do then?

And so I struggled. A lot. I mean, it's not everyday that stones/rocks are thrown at you by your students. It's not everyday that a student laughs in your face when you try to reprimand them. It's not everyday that students say "F*ck you!" But maybe it is....

Perhaps, my high school experience was too privileged for me to understand that there are a lot of schools stateside that do experience these problems. Damn UHS and DSOA! They didn't prepare me for the reality of a real "American" high school. How was I supposed to know that students usually talk back to their teachers..? Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my high school experience, but it solidifies my feeling that I would not want to teach at a school like the ones I attended. That would be too easy.

But don't get me wrong, I wanted to run for the hills on Friday. I had had it. But thanks to the wonderful support of family and friends and my fellow volunteers, I pulled my chin up and decided to try and wipe the slate clean. I was going to write awesome lesson plans for this week and take my students by storm. And so I am. I will teach these students for the remainder of the year, whether they like it or not. And deep down, I know that a lot of kids actually like it. They really really like. And that feels good.