Living the Life I've Dreamed Of: March 2014

Pink Eye and My Birthday

Pink eye has infected a vast majority of the population in Samoa. Because of this, all public schools in this country have been cancelled this week. Fortunately I haven’t been infected with pink eye, which I’m really surprised by because several of my students, co-teachers, and host family members are infected.

My birthday is this week, so instead of teaching, I’ll be bringing in a new year of life at a nearby resort. How I’m spending the rest of this week: at the beach, working out, sleeping, and watching Dexter. I’m on Season 2, and am hoping to finish the entire series this week! I’m sure I’ll be able to.

Classes resume on Monday, which is the last week of the school term. Then there will be a one-week break. A majority of the PCVs in this country are getting together at Namua Island, which is a small island located off the southeast coast of Upolu. This will be where my main birthday celebration is happening. If you know me personally, then you know that I have several birthday celebrations every year. The first celebration happened last weekend in Savai’i, during a visit with my dear friend Madi, a fellow PCV in my group. I’ll celebrate again on my actual birthday, as I’ve mentioned above, then the weekend of my birthday, and finally at Namua Island.

A great start to my birthday celebrations!

Spelling Program

When I lived in America and taught in a kindergarten classroom, an awesome spelling program was used in my class. I contacted the teacher I worked with, and got the name of the program. When I was in America for the holidays, I ordered that program on Amazon.com. I brought the program to Samoa and have been using it with my students. It has been an effective tool and in the short time I’ve been using it, I see an improvement in my students’ phonics and spelling skills. I’ll go into more detail in a later post.

Proposal Writing

Currently I’m working with my school’s principal on a proposal to fund my school’s repairs and for classroom resources (like desks and chairs for the students). I’ve written one proposal a few years ago and was fortunate enough to get funding for the organization I was volunteering with, so I hope I can do the same for the school I teach at. Wish me luck!

My COS (Close of Service) Date

I leave Samoa on December 5, which is in 256 days! I see the light at the end of the tunnel, people! I’ll add a countdown to this blog.

Mid-Service Conference.

In my last two posts, I’ve mentioned my Mid-Service Conference, which happened in January. I haven’t posted photos from the conference, so below you’ll find some. Enjoy!

Our first year of service described in six words

We learned that theft is the number one crime PCVs in Samoa report, so we wrote a song titled, "Don't Go Stealing My Things," sung to the tune of TLC's "Waterfalls."