Dancing, School, & Fitness

Samoans are very talented when it comes to dancing. Below you will find a video I recorded of my students dancing last week. They were dancing, as a farewell gesture to the Year 4 teacher who was leaving the school.

Nothing new is happening in the village. I'm busy with my reading groups. I have 9 groups total. I work with each group twice a week, and I co-teach on Fridays.

Also, there's a fitness competition going on with the PCVs. Each PCV set a personal fitness goal. The individual who comes the closest to completing their goal, by the end of Term 1 will win. I hope I win! So far I'm at 100%!

The First Week of School

The first day of school is meant for the children to clean the classrooms. So that’s all they did the first day. My Peace Corps project is working with Years 2-6, in literacy. I will be co-teaching in all these classes, and working with Years 4-6 in small pullout groups. The first few weeks of school are meant for observations, so I can get a grasp where the children’s English is at.

On the third day of school, I was getting ready to start my observations, when I was asked if I could substitute teach Year 5 for the day because the teacher was absent. I agreed, but made it clear that I’m only trained with English and reading, so that’s what the children were going to do. They played spelling games, I read to them, they read to themselves, and then, they sang and danced for me. It was wonderful. I wish I had my camera handy.

Midweek, a student in Year 7 gave me a beautiful assortment of flowers. She said that her mother put it together for me. It was a nice surprise. I love flowers! They’re so beautiful, and smell heavenly.

Interesting fact: The rain causes the school day to be delayed, as well as an early dismissal. Samoa is currently in the “wet season” so this first school term will be interesting. 

Wedding #2

If you’ve been reading my blog, then you’d know that the first week in my permanent village, I went to a Samoan wedding. I went to another wedding last weekend. I was really excited about this one because I was personally invited. I invited my friend Kiri as my “plus 1.” 

The morning of the wedding, she arrived to my house by bus. I made breakfast, and then we got ready. My host parents told us that they weren’t going to the ceremony, only the reception. As we were waiting for them to knock on my house door, to tell us it was time to go, we noticed a line of vehicles driving down the road outside my house. It was obvious that the cars had just left a wedding. A few moments later, the cars were driving in the opposite direction, and parked in the area where my house is located. It turns out there was some kind of wedding event going on at my host grandmother’s house. I’m not sure what it was exactly, so I will say that it was a wedding reception pre-party. It was great fun, filled with ice cream, cookies, fruit salad, music, and dancing, of course! At the pre-party, the bride and groom had their first dance together. Then my host dad told Kiri and me to go outside to siva (dance). We started dancing, and before we knew it, we each had a dance partner: I was dancing with the groom, and Kiri was dancing with a groomsman.

My host cousin Natia and me

The bride and groom's first dance

My host dad lifting the bride

The reception: It was located a few villages from mine. It was very similar to the first wedding reception I attended, except no alcohol was present because the couple is Mormon. Each attendee received a lot of food; there was music and dancing. Then it was time for the wedding party to distribute cake. What I learned/was told from the first wedding reception: In Samoan wedding receptions only important people receive cake. The recipients of cake are the pastors/priests, village leaders, matais, and other special guests. Guess who received cake? If you guessed me, then ding, ding, ding, you’re correct! The announcer was speaking fast, in Samoan the entire time, so I was only able to pick up portions of what he was saying. Then I heard “Pisikoa” (Peace Corps Volunteer), and the next thing I knew, a bridesmaid was heading in my direction, with a giant piece of cake. It was a nice gesture, and definitely made me smile.

Beautiful Maid-of-Honor dress

Cake!

I’ve only been in Savai’i for 5 weeks, and have already been to two weddings. I’m guessing I will be attending plenty more weddings, over the next 22 months.