Samoan Day

Finally, last Friday my school held their annual Samoan Day festivities. Each class performed three numbers for a panel of judges in categories that I'm not sure I can explain. This has been an event almost a month in the making. It was originally scheduled for the Friday before spring break but then it kept on getting pushed back. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to teach 100-200 kids of each class different routines that they are required to do in unison. I tried to stay away from the daily, yes daily, practices that were held so that I would be surprised when the event happened.

As I just said, everyday for the past month, a hour rehearsal period was added to our schedule. That means, that all of our classes were cut short by 10 minutes. At first I wondered why so many hours of rehearsal were needed but then when I finally saw the event, I understood why.

Each class had their own traditional Samoan outfit that they wore for the festivities. Every student wore the selected fabric for their class as their "ie" and then the girls wore a white puletasi top with a flower or something in their hair and the guys were just topless. And they were oiled up in baby oil. Why? I'm not sure. But as you can see from above, it looked a little weird.

The freshmen class seen above was my favorite class because of their music. This is something to be proud of because the freshmen have usually ranked the lowest in previous class competitions. I do not know any freshmen but I was proud to see that all of their hard work paid off.




Next up was the sophomore class, which am I an advisor for even though until a month ago I was not teaching any sophomores, and I also thought they were good. I particularly enjoyed the fabric that was chosen for them especially since I had to wear it myself. I thought one of their dances was the best. Below is a sneak peak.



Then came the junior class. I have the pleasure of teaching most of these students, so while I wanted to cheer for them, they did not perform up to the highest standard. There was a lot of sloppiness that could not be hidden from the judges. Still, I am proud of them and was excited to see them show off their culture.



Lastly, came the Seniors. Naturally with all sorts of experience, they were the best overall class in terms of presentation and style. Their choreographer was great and very inventive. However, their fabric left a little to be desired.




All in all, Samoan day was a wonderful experience. It was great to see the students perform traditional Samoan dances and get really into it. You sometimes forget when they are in your class that they're not your typical students from the mainland, and this was just another example of how they are unique individuals.



Another truly Samoan experience.

Oh, American Samoa, you had me at Talofa....

For those of you who may not know already, I have decided to reside in American Samoa for at least another year. This has been on my mind for quite some time, though it was still not an easy decision to make. At times, I'm still not sure that it is the best decision because I know that another year will be quite different from this one and harder in many aspects but it will also be easier in others.

I will not be teaching again. Though I continue to love my experience as a high school English teacher, I realize that it is probably not my lifelong calling. I will be staying on in a different capacity. One that I believe will provide experience that will propel me into the next phase of my life. I am extremely excited about staying here another year in these circumstances. I look forward to building on the relationships that I have already established and I am excited to build new ones as well.

However, I am deeply saddened that I will spend another year away from those that I love. The time away from my family and friends was the hardest idea to come to terms with and it will create different challenges for me in the year to come. But I know that I have the most supportive group of family and friends that have continued to support this journey and will be here for me when any bumps along the road try to slow me down.

I will be making a brief trip back to the mainland in late june and july and hope to see as many of you as I can.

Fa'afatei tele lava.

Spring Break in Oz

Oh to be in Australia! It's a place that I had always dreamt about visiting. I can not believe that I was actually there for a whole week. Now, I know, a week is not a long time to visit such a huge country but I had a great trip with my mom.



First we spent a couple days in Sydney. A big city that I have always wanted to visit. It looked spectacular in pictures and it certainly help up in person but something about the place didn't feel right. After visiting some big cities in New Zealand over winter break and now Sydney last week, I'm starting to think that my love for big cities may be ending. You may be thinking, how could that be? I did live in New York City for almost a decade. But I did leave New York City for a reason as well. Maybe this was one of the reasons. Perhaps I'm not the big city gal that I thought I was. Sydney felt too big. There was too many people. Too many things to do and see. Too many cars. I know i know, I'm living on a tiny tiny island so it's natural that I would be overwhelmed by a big city. Still, I wonder what this means for when I finally return to the states permanently.





After a couple of days in Sydney, we took a flight up to Cairns, rented a car and drove to a cute beach side town called Palm Cove. We settled in there for a couple of days of Rainforest's and Reef. It was much hotter up North, thank god, because the cold of Sydney did not make me happy (I know another effect of living on this island,) and we were able to visit some amazing sites. The Great Barrier Reef was so cool. Mom let me go Scuba Diving which was a real thrill. It was sooo cool to go down deep in the ocean and explore the coral and fish.



We also spent time exploring the Wet Tropical Rainforest's of Queensland. That was very cool as we got to see forests filled with beautiful and wildlife. And so many cool waterfalls. Another great treat in this awesome vacation.



One of the best parts of the trip was being able to eat so many different types of food. The variety of food options in American Samoa is quite limited but in Australia I was able to enjoy Greek, Italian, Seafood, Indian, Sushi, Gourmet Salads and so much more. I could have ate my way through the whole trip. Actually, I think I did, much to mom's chagrin.

It was a great week and I could not have been happier to have spent it with my mother. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Momma's boy. Its been 8 long months since I've been able to be with her face to face. Of course, we do talk on the phone quite often but it just isn't the same as being in the same room as her. Anytime spent with Beachbum is a grand ole time.


Thanks to the best mother a boy could ask for fulfilling a lifelong dream and sharing in the adventure of a lifetime.

Back from Australia

More to come later this week, but I am back from my week in Australia with my mom. It was a jam packed week of activities and it was a great time. We went to Sydney and Cairns. We saw the Opera House, The Great Barrier Reef, The Tropical Rainforests and so much more. I'm grateful to have a mother who is willing to travel more than halfway around the earth to spend quality time with her son. Thank you Mother!

Almost

Just a week and a half more of school, a week of SAT Prep class, sitting for the Praxis Exam, a couple flights and then I get to spend a whole week in Australia with MY MOM!!!!!

Spring Break 2011 here I come!!!!!!! Can't wait to spend a week with Beachbum in the land down under.