My Student Fire Dancing

I was at a village fundraiser tonight. It was a great time, filled with several dances, performances, and food, of course! In the near future I'll blog about the event and post photos. The video above is a short clip of my year 4 student showing off his fire dancing skills! I hope you enjoyed it!

Peace Corps Samoa Needs Your Help!

Hello, all! I really need your help! The fabulous team of volunteers I work with in Peace Corps Samoa has established a partnership with the local Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development and is gearing up to put on our 2nd annual "Girls Leading Our World" (GLOW) Conference.

This event will provide four students from my school (52 students total from our combined sites) with the very unique opportunity to travel into the capital city and participate in a professional leadership workshop. We have coordinated efforts with several local professionals (strong female role models!), and are eager for this year's event!

At this time it is absolutely VITAL that we are able to raise funds and meet our budget for logistical expenses. Every $2, $5, $20.... means the world to me and could really mean the difference in making this year's conference a success! Please follow the link below and search our project # 13-491-001 for donation information.

Thank you in advance for your continued dedication and support to the work I'm doing here in Samoa!

http://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate

What I Miss the Most

On the What I'm Going to Miss the Most link above, I wrote a list of what I'm going to miss while I'm in Samoa. Now that I've lived here for a year, the time has come to update the list. I've copied and pasted the list below. The text in italics are new comments, and the list near the bottom is new.

• My family. YES! I miss them so much! Luckily I'm able to communicate with them a lot more frequently than I thought possible. Frequent communication doesn't substitute what I've missed, though. Over the past year, I've missed important family occasions, such as my sister's wedding, my niece Jayde's dance classes (and eventually performances), and my first nephew's birth, which will happen in two days.
• Missing two years of little sister Bek’s life (age 12) and niece Jayde’s life (almost 2). In the short time I've been gone, my sister and niece have grown up so much. Bek is almost 14 years old and Jayde just turned 3 years old. 
• My sister Bek's NDI dance performances. She's going to be a professional one day. Seriously. I miss going to Bek's dance performances! 
• My niece’s “terrible twos.” She doesn’t turn 2 years old until September, but she's already giving everyone a glimpse of what's to come. Haha. From what I've been told and seen/heard via Skype, Jayde is very sassy. Also, she's now able to hold a long conversation. The things that come out of her mouth are quite amusing. 
• Dance sessions with my sisters and niece. I miss these so much!
• My friends. I miss them terribly. Luckily I'm able to communicate with them on a regular basis.
• Spurs Basketball. I'm a BIG fan! YES! I miss watching every single Spurs game. It was heartbreaking (yet very exciting, of course) when the Spurs made it to the 2013 NBA Finals because I'm 6,000 miles away from my family (if I was in America, I would have been watching the games with them). Game 6 will forever haunt me. On a positive note: I'll be back in America in time to see Duncan play once more before he retires! I look forward to that San Antonio trip.
• Downtown Santa Fe, particularly the Plaza. Downtown Santa Fe is still one of my favorite places in the world. It's so beautiful and relaxing.
• Fiestas de Santa Fe. If you don’t know what Zozobra is, look it up on YouTube. It's one wild/interesting/great tradition us Santa Feans have. I miss Santa Fe's wonderful traditions. Unfortunately I'll miss Fiestas next year, as well. Come to think of it, my Fiesta days may be over... for many years, anyway. :(
• Green chile. Most New Mexicans eat green chile with everything. It's going to be interesting not eating it on a regular basis. And by regular I mean at least once a week. Yep, I still miss green chile! Read my previous post, where I talk about my first experience with green chile after one year.
• Santa Fe’s weather. We experience all 4 seasons here. It’s great. Santa Fe's weather is lovely. I miss having four seasons. 
• Fall and Spring. Still my favorite seasons. 
• Snow. Wow, it's been a year and a half since I've seen snow! 
• My family’s Christmas Eve tradition of opening up our gifts at midnight, which is technically Christmas morning. I miss this wonderful tradition. 
• Halloween (and Halloween costumes) with my cousin Ashley, who's my "twin cousin." Haha. Last year I was in PST (Pre-Service Training) during Halloween. My group and I tried to make the best of it by dressing up in costume (I was a hippie, of course) and we bowled on the beach. We used bottles to serve as bowling pins and coconuts to serve as bowling balls. This year I plan on dressing in costume and spending time with some friends. I'm glad to be able to celebrate Halloween because it's one of my favorite holidays, but... I still miss spending Halloween with my cousin Ashley! We've had some great Halloweens together.
• The view on top of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It's breathtaking, and also one of my favorite places in the world.
• Cold drinking water. I don't miss this because if I want cold drinking water, all I need to do is plug in my refrigerator and stick my water bottle in the freezer.
• Being able to download and listen to any song, at any given moment. Yes, I miss this. I have a phone that enables me to get on YouTube and I can download music off my laptop (tethering from my phone). Unfortunately, these things use up a lot of data, so I've only been on YouTube and downloaded music while in my village a few times. If I'm in Apia, I'm on WiFi, so I go crazy and download a ton of music. Thank you iTunes Top 100 for semi-keeping me in the music loop.
• Seeing beautiful hot air balloons in the Albuquerque sky. Especially in October for the Balloon Fiesta. There's literally hundreds of hot air balloons flying at once. It's breathtaking. Balloon Fiesta is happening right now, and I miss it. If you've never taken a hot air balloon ride, I suggest taking one!
• Hot cheetos with lime. The flavor. I don't add lime to hot cheetos. Haha. I don't miss hot cheetos. This is a surprise, I know! I don't miss hot cheetos because Apia carries them from time-to-time. They're the regular flavor, though, not the lime ones, but I can't complain. Please note: Hot cheetos are not always available in Apia, so they're still greatly appreciated in care packages! :)
• Breakfast burritos. Gosh, I miss breakfast burritos.
• Green chile enchiladas (cheese, chicken, and beef). And I miss green chile enchiladas even more than breakfast burritos. Actually, I miss all New Mexican food. 
• Breaking Bad. I'm upset the final season has been broken up into two halves. I don’t know if it's Season 5-Part 2, or Season 6. Regardless, I will miss it. Yep, I miss Breaking Bad. Unfortunately, I saw a spoiler on Facebook so I know how the series ends, but I still want to watch the new episodes. My friend Nick is sending them to me. Thank you, Nick!
• Breaking Dawn-Part 2 midnight premiere with my sisters. I miss going to midnight premieres with my sisters. 
• Vegas. My friends, cousin, and I love taking trips there. Vegas is a city that I'll always love. I miss going several times a year. When I move back to America, Vegas will be one of the first trips I take!
• HLN, Fuse, Bravo, and E!. If I had to choose, HLN is the network that I miss most, but I see a lot of HLN updates on Facebook, so not having access to that network isn't a big deal.

• Watching movies at a theater, and getting kettle corn popcorn. Apia has a movie theater that plays current American movies! I'm so excited that the Hunger Games 2 will be premiered soon (I know, I'm such a kid, haha). The theater doesn't have kettle corn popcorn, but it has regular popcorn which is good enough. A new habit I've picked up is adding peanut m&ms to my popcorn... a tasty treat!
• Twitter. I’m kind of obsessed. I have a phone that enables me to get on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram everyday. Like I've mentioned above, data is expensive, so I can't check these social media sites every other second like I used to in America, but I get on them frequently enough. 
• Working with my close friends in the summer.  I miss this.
• Ice cream. Especially Blue Bunny Banana Split flavor. Samoa has ice cream! My old village in Savai'i has a shop that sells ice cream, so I used to get this treat whenever my heart desired. My new village in Upolu doesn't sell ice cream, so the only place I can get it is in Apia. That's good enough for me.
• Pizza, particularly with black olives as a topping. Pizza is available in Samoa, so I eat it on a regular basis. I never thought I'd join the Peace Corps and have access to pizza (with black olives!).
• Coachella. I've only gone once (2012), but it was one of the best times of my life. The friends I went with will be going to 2013's festival. I'm bummed I won't be able to join them. I miss music festivals, and live music in general. I'm planning on going to Coachella 2015, and will be buying my pass next summer when the pre-sale tickets are released.
• My iPhone. I miss my iPhone. I have an Android, and it doesn't compare. The Android gets the job done, though, enabling me to communicate with America, so I can't complain.
• Drinking hot chocolate during the Fall and Winter months. I've been drinking hot drinks since my first day of PST. My favorite is koko Samoa, which is like hot chocolate, except richer, with chunks of cocoa. It's delicious.
• Wearing scarves, hats, mittens, coats, and boots. Winter attire is another obsession of mine. Yep, I miss winter attire. 

UPDATE:

• Sink. I miss having a sink to wash my face and brush my teeth. At night, I go into my host family's shower, fully clothed, to wash my face and brush my teeth. I usually end up wet. I know, I should get undressed, but it's such a hassle, and usually cold.

• Having indoor facilities. I share a shower and toilet with my host family, located in a separate structure behind my host family's house. I miss having these facilities indoors
–especially when it's raining or late at night.

• Washing and drying machine. Refer to my previous post, explaining why I miss these great machines.

• Being sweat-free. Samoa is hot. I miss going from Point A to Point B without breaking a sweat. I will add, the evenings are nice and cool, sometimes even cold! I love it.

• Texting all day. My friend Andrea and I used to text each other all day long. I miss being able to do this with my friends back home.

• Wearing whatever I want. I miss being able to wear whatever I want, without it being offensive. Such as shorts. I'd LOVE to wear shorts in the village because like I've mentioned above, it's so hot here, but shorts are not appropriate village attire, and I respect that.

• Living insect-free. I miss living in an environment where insects are practically non-existent. I'm getting better at accepting ants. Frequent readers of this blog will recall my frustration with them when I first moved to Samoa.

• Having food-free dreams. I've never dreamt about food until I moved to Samoa. Now, food (even junk food) has made several appearances in my dreams. Just last night I dreamt that I was shopping at a wholesale store, and for some reason I grabbed several large packages of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Funny thing is, I don't care much for this candy. I guess I'm subconsciously missing things I don't have access to in Samoa.

• Having a car. Being able to go anywhere, at any given moment, is a wonderful thing.

• Privacy. Oh the days of feeling like I'm not in middle school! I miss being able to come and go as I please, at any hour of the day and/or night, without having to report my whereabouts, and without people caring that I'm not home. When you join the Peace Corps, you give up a lot; privacy being one of the biggest things, for me anyway. I look forward to getting my privacy back next year. 

I'll update in the coming months!

One Year Down, One Year to Go!

I arrived in Samoa a year ago today. The fact that it’s been 12-months since I’ve seen my family and closest friends, the people who are most important to me, is mind-boggling. The fact that I’ve lived in a foreign country, a tiny country in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, for 12-months is mind-boggling. But indeed, it’s been 12-months since I stepped out of the plane at Faleolo Airport and stepped into my new life as Peace Corps Volunteer.

The past 12 months have easily been the best thing I’ve ever done because I see myself changing for the better. I’m evolving into a person who doesn’t need much to get by and am appreciative of the things I do have. Sure I complain from time to time (frequent readers of this blog know that), but living in Samoa over the past year has taught me one thing; a very valuable thing: It could always be worse. For example, my first shower experience in Samoa was pure torture. It felt like I was skinny-dipping in Antarctica, and my only reaction was to scream obscenities. I was so loud that my roommate Michelle could hear me. This is something we laugh about today, but at the time I was not a happy camper. From that moment on, freezing cold showers have been a part of my daily routine, and I’ve adapted. In the mornings, the showers are usually freezing (I no longer feel the need to scream), but in the afternoons, when I’m dripping in sweat, the cold water feels amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I still love hot water showers, and am in heaven when I’m somewhere that has hot water, such as Apia hotels and the Peace Corps office, but I’ve learned to live without hot water. So how could my shower situation be worse? I could be living in a home that doesn’t have running water. When I first moved into my new village, the water supply was shut off for nearly the entire village, except for the pastor’s house, my neighbor’s house, and my host family’s house. The reason why the water was shut off is because of unpaid water bills. I’ve never realized how precious water is until I moved to Samoa, when I experienced life without running water during Cyclone Evan and the aftermath, or when the primary school I teach at didn’t have water for a couple of weeks, or when I see my neighbors carrying buckets of water. I came into the Peace Corps with the expectation that I wouldn’t have running water, but I do have running water, which is a blessing.

Electricity is another amenity I took for granted before Samoa. For as long as I can remember, my father would always tell my sisters and me to “conserve energy.” I know, it seems simple: if you’re leaving a room, then turn off the lights, but living every single day of my life with electricity resulted in taking advantage of it because I knew I would always have it. Even when I was living on my own in college, and had to pay my electric bill, I still took electricity for granted. Living in Samoa changed that. Once again, Cyclone Evan was the first time in my life where I didn’t have electricity for a long period of time. Since then, there have been times that the electricity has shut off for several hours, or the cash power (pre-paid electricity) runs out, and at that moment I hold my breath thinking, “Oh goodness, I wonder when the power will turn on? Is my phone battery charged? Etc.” So how could this be worse? Instead of going hours without electricity from time-to-time, my daily life could be without electricity, in which I would have to rely on the light from the sun or from a candle. Once again, I came into Peace Corps with the expectation that I wouldn’t have electricity, but I do have electricity, which is another blessing. It’s a blessing because I’m able to plug in my electric fan and cool down, I can use my bedroom light to stay up late at night reading or writing, and most importantly, having electricity enables me to charge my electronics. This means I can communicate with the outside world AND watch unlimited amounts of movies and TV series on my laptop! This alone makes me feel like the luckiest PCV in the world.

What else have I learned over the past year?

*Living in Samoa has made me realize that Americans are spoiled. Don’t get me wrong, being spoiled isn’t necessarily a bad thing, nor does it mean that people are bad. But from an outsider looking in (mostly through Facebook), Americans have so much, some may even say too much, yet don’t always appreciate it and can find the smallest things to complain about.

A perfect, hilarious example of how complaints sound to PCVs

When I was living in America, I was guilty of this, and like I’ve mentioned above, I do complain from time to time, but I hope to break this over the second half of my Peace Corps service. One thing is certain: When I move back to America, I will NEVER complain about having to do laundry. Ever. The washing machine and drying machine are two of the greatest inventions of all time. I look forward to the day when washing laundry consists of opening the washing machine lid, adding soap and fabric softener, putting my clothes inside, and letting the machine do all the work. And then there’s a drying machine that will dry my clothes in less than an hour, leaving them mold-free! Oh the glory! But until then, I will spend the next year of my life bucket washing my clothes and hanging them out to dry, taking about 1.5-2 hours out my day, in addition to taking several hours, if not days, to dry.

*I’m not here to change Samoans. I think a lot of people join the Peace Corps with ideals that they are going to change the world and change their host country nationals’ lives and/or ways of living. I’ve realized that Samoans are happy people (they’ll laugh your ears off) and are content with their living conditions. They’re not dying from malaria or starvation. In fact, they have an abundant supply of taro (similar to a potato), bananas, mangoes, papaya, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, coconuts, and are excellent fishermen.

I’ve learned that many Samoans concentrate only on the present time. My neighbors are the perfect example of this. They sell donuts, delicious donuts I must add, for bingo on Thursday nights. Every Thursday I ask my host sister Eseta if there will be donuts for sale. On several occasions she has told me: “No, the family didn’t have money to buy the flour.” Other times I hear that the family didn’t have money for sugar. In my mind I’m thinking, “Okay, why didn’t they put away $20WST (or whatever the cost may be) of their earnings from last week so that they can buy the ingredients needed, which will result in a profit to be made?” This goes back to my point being that many Samoans live for today, and only today. To the average American, this may be frustrating. I’m starting to see it as a beautiful thing, relating it to the old proverb: Why worry about tomorrow? For tomorrow may never come. Americans stress out when they think about the future; often times looking past the present moment they’re in. I realize that living day-by-day won’t be realistic once I return to America, but I’ll remember to take time and enjoy the present moment. And I apologize if I’ve offended anyone. That’s not my intention. I’m not saying that living day-by-day is a bad thing. Also, I’m not generalizing all Samoans as this way, but as an outsider looking into village-life, it’s how I’ve observed a majority of the villagers. Like I’ve mentioned above, I think it’s great that Samoans live in the present.

So you may be wondering: If you’re not there to change Samoans, then why are you there? Good question. I’m here for my students. In the short time I’ve worked with them, I’ve seen a vast improvement in their English education. In addition to their academia, I’m in Samoa to be a positive influence in my students’ lives. I want to be a safe haven for them. I want to be someone who they can laugh with (and many times at), and feel comfortable to be around. The children are the future of this country, and if I can make a difference in at least one child, then my purpose is complete.

*This life isn’t forever. One of my first blogs in this country is titled “One Week Down, Only 114 to Go!” I wrote it to be humorous because come on, 114 weeks seems like an eternity away. But it isn’t. Before I know it, I’ll be back in America, probably missing the simple Samoan life.

Life in Samoa isn’t bad. By American standards, I’m living below the poverty level. I didn’t join the Peace Corps to live in luxury or become rich, but I’m fine with my living conditions and the monthly allowance I earn. I can shower daily, and I make more than enough money to buy myself food, buy my host family food, pay for my phone and internet, and go out in Apia or to resorts. Plus I have no bills and no responsibilities! I don’t have to pay rent and Peace Corps pays for my electricity. Yes, the la-la-land that I’m in will end eventually, and I’ll be thrown back into the real world, with real bills. But until then, I’m going to enjoy my time here.

During PST, we were given a chart titled the “Cycle of Vulnerability and Adjustment.” It talks about the emotional state of PCVs during their two years of service. According to the chart, right now I’m in what is called the “Mid-Service Crisis,” which is a low point in a volunteer’s service. This low is supposed to happen between 12-14 months of service. Madi, a fellow PCV, and I were talking about this, and we aren’t feeling low at all. Yes, we still have two months in this “low” category, but honestly I don’t think I’m going to feel the mid-service blues. Why? Because like I wrote above, this life isn’t forever. So instead of complaining about everything that is bad about this country, I’ve learned to enjoy it because my island-life will be over next year. And also, I’m here because I want to be. No one is forcing me to be here. In fact, I fought to be here when I thought I was going to get sent back to America. Maybe that’s why I’m not experiencing a mid-service crisis because Samoa is where I want to be. I miss America terribly, and miss my family and friends even more, but America and my family and friends will be there next year. Samoa is a once in a lifetime experience, and after next year, who knows when I’ll return, if ever. So right now, Samoa is my focus.

*I’ve made life-long friends. I didn’t join the Peace Corps to make friends, but somewhere over the year I’ve been here, I’ve created bonds with people that will last a lifetime. Madi and I are already talking about taking a COS (Close of Service) trip together around SE Asia, or taking a Round the World trip I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, and bringing in New Year’s 2015 together in Las Vegas. There have been talks of my group, Group 84, meeting up in Southern California for Coachella 2015. It’s funny to think that we still have a year to make memories together, yet we’re already talking about making memories after Samoa. I know, I know, it contradicts what I wrote above, about living in the present. Believe me, I am living in the present, but—planning for the future is nice, too, especially when it’s for leisure. When I was in Savai’i last week, Madi and I were talking about how hard it is to tell people goodbye. She referred to it as “closing a chapter.” Thinking about having to tell my goodbyes to those I care about in this country got me extremely sad, and made me tear up. I know it’s silly because I still have a year to go, but that moment verified that these people mean the world to me. I’m happy we get to share this experience together, over the next year.

My final thoughts: Samoa is changing me into a better person. But it’s not changing me into a different person. If you know me personally, then you know that I love to have fun. And on my spare time, I’m having a blast here. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m not experiencing the volunteer-blues because I do what makes me happy. Don’t get me wrong, there have been three occasions when I’ve felt extremely homesick. The first time was during Cyclone Evan, when I was stuck in my hotel room, feeling like I was condemned for all eternity. The second and third time relate to my unhappy situation in Savai’i, which resulted in me nearly getting sent back to America. Those were some of the saddest times in my life. And then there’s the thought that life hasn’t stopped in America. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve missed birthday celebrations, my sister’s wedding, and next week I’ll miss my first nephew’s birth. That’s heartbreaking to think about, but I can’t let it control my life or my reasoning for being here. Like I’ve mentioned above, my life in America will be there once I return. I look forward to it, and meeting my new nephew, but until then I’ll continue to enjoy my life in Samoa.

In honor of my one-year anniversary in Samoa, I ate green chile! It was the first time since I left Santa Fe. My best friend Jimmy and his mother have sent me green chile in care packages. I’ve been hoarding them for several months, waiting for this special occasion. I was intending on buying black beans and tortillas in Apia, to create a burrito, but I forgot to buy those items. So I ate the green chile with salt & vinegar chips and knock-off Ritz crackers, pretending I was eating a gourmet New Mexican dish.

Green chile on a salt & vinegar chip. Oh yeah!

Here’s to the next year of my service!

Term 3 Break

In a recent post, I talked about my first weekend on term break, and how I’m sick. Well, I’m still sick. The reason why I’m in Apia today is because I had a doctor’s appointment, following up on the sickness I mentioned last week.

The second weekend of my term break was wonderful. I decided to go to my group’s 1-year party celebration. This meant that I had a long day of travel ahead of me. This is how my day looked: Woke up at 5 am. Got on the bus at 6 am. Arrived in Apia at 7:55 am. Got on a bus that was headed to the wharf at 8:20 am. Arrived at the wharf at 9:15 am. Left Upolu at 10 am.  Arrived in Salelologa, Savai’i at 11:15 am. Hopped on a bus that was headed to Asau, Savai’i at 11:20 am. It turned out that that bus wasn’t leaving Salelologa until 3:00 pm, when the next boat arrived. The driver told me that I could get out at the market, to do shopping. I told him that I’d rather not, and I’d prefer to wait inside the bus with him, until it was time to head to the north part of the island. The reason why I didn’t want to get out was because I used to live in Savai’i, and I’d go to town several times a week. I knew that if I roamed around, I was bound to see someone I knew, and would be bombarded with numerous questions. Questions I wasn’t prepared to answer. Questions I didn’t know how to answer… So I was prepared to ride around with the bus driver for several hours, until departure time. As luck would have it, at 11:45 am, the driver found me a bus that was headed to the north part of the island. I happily hopped in, and away we went. The ride was quite long, so I filled my time listening to music and studying new Samoan vocabulary. I arrived to my destination at 2:50 pm, totaling about 8 hours of travel time! Sheesh! Considering that it took three buses and a boat to get to the party, it wasn’t too bad; the day flew by. I was excited to see the other members from Group 84. Total, 11 out of 13 in my group made it to the party. It was a great time, and the owner of Vaimoana (the resort where the party was held) made it special for us, setting up the dinner tables on the beach, and allowed us to have a bonfire on the beach, for s’mores. Becca and Kate wrote each of us a haiku. They were humorous. Mine was about my love for Instagraming photos of my beach days. Allyson and Josh made a powerpoint, displaying photos from our first year. It was great to look back and reminisce over the last year.

The following day, we headed to Manase for Jim and Faye’s wedding. A lot of the people I met the previous weekend were there. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was a great time. I spent that night at the resort where the wedding was held. At this point, it felt like a long weekend, and I remember thinking, “Wow, my weekend is only halfway through!” How did I spend the rest of my time in Savai’i? A group of us went back to Vaimoana. There was another bonfire, we had more s’mores on the beach, and ate delicious food. On Monday, it was time to go back to reality, and head back to Upolu. I intended on getting on an early boat. Unfortunately, that boat did not arrive, and was forced to take a later boat. I didn’t want to wait at the wharf for two hours, so I walked to Lusia’s. It was my first time there since May. Going to Lusia’s was great, but made me sad because I have a lot of good memories at that place, and I can no longer go there on a regular basis.

Since I had to take four vacation days to go to Savai’i, I acted like I was on vacation, enjoying every second of it. And like any proper vacation, I got back from vacation, needing a vacation from my vacation; I was exhausted. Luckily I was on term break for an extra week. I filled my days with sleeping, eating, exercising, Samoan language studying, and hard drive watching. I still have one weekend ahead of me. I’ll probably spend Saturday at a nearby resort. Sunday will be spent at church, eating, sleeping, and getting ready for the 4th school term.

I took a ton of photos during the break. Below you’ll find some of my favorites. Enjoy!

This was the weekend before my term break started, but I added it to this blog because it was the first weekend Danny (Group 83) along with other RPCVs started coming to Samoa for the weddings. 

Fiesta Friday

The male wedding guests joining in on the siva Samoa! (Samoan dance)

Never a dull moment with Madi 

On the boat, headed back to Savai'i for the first time since my big move.

Eight hours later, I've reached my destination!

The owner of Vaimoana was great, setting up the dinner tables on the beach.

This...

...turned into this...

...so we could do this...

...for this: S'MORES!

The band sang: "Happy Birthday, Pisikoa (Peace Corps Volunteers)!" So awesome!

Eleven of the thirteen members of Group 84

In Manase for Jim's (Group 80) wedding

Beautiful couple

I love dancing

One of the best fire dancing shows I've seen

Dinner is caught! Swordfish is delicious.

Danny (Group 83) brought s'mores stuff from America. Having s'mores twice in one weekend=one happy PCV!

A coconut falling on my head is a fear of mine! Look at that giant coconut on the ground. That bad boy would crush through a skull.

Yep, it felt like I was on holiday

Trent's (Group 80) clubhouse  

Back at Lusia's!

Waiting for our pizza. This photo is awesome because it has PCVs from Groups 78, 80, 81, 83, and 84!

Where the first wedding reception was held. At Lalomanu, Upolu, Samoa.

Our room had a gorgeous view

My cute room in Asau, Savai'i, Samoa

Community Day

Community Day happened on the second to last day of Term 3. The closest I can compare Community Day is to Open House in America. The students’ best work was displayed for parents and community members; it was all about the students, which was great. I chose to display work in which my students wrote about their favorite animal and drew a picture(s). I thought Community Day would be the perfect opportunity to display the progress my students made in the term. What impressed me so much is that Term 3 is the first term I’ve worked with them, yet they’ve improved so much, in a short amount of time. At the beginning of the term I assessed my students knowledge on alphabet and phonemic awareness. I re-assessed them at the end of the term, and was blown away by the results. At the start of Term 3, the % of students in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 who knew 36 sounds (and blends) in the English alphabet was 24%, 29%, 27%, and 36%. At the end of Term 3, the % went up to 65%, 65%, 78%, and 76%. Most of my students can now identify the 52 letters in the English alphabet. It’s encouraging to see the results on paper because it verifies that I’m making a difference in my students’ English education. I’m excited that I have Term 4 to work with them, along with next school year. I know that they will continue to amaze me.

Below you’ll find photos from the day.

Look at my students' progress! The blue bars are results from the beginning of the term. The red bars are results from the end of the term!

Building a fire to make papaya soup.

Shaving the coconut meat.

The parents

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