August 21, 2010
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
I know I just gave an update a day ago but I have the time right now and had a marvelous day to share with all of you.
The day actually started out like crap, literally and figuratively. Saturday is the day of cleaning in American Samoa and Josh and I decided we really need to take part in that. Right now we have about eight trash bags outside our house that was left from last years volunteers. We have an old refrigerator on our front step. We also have four or five boxes in our house filled with trash. The problem is that our neighbors took our trash cans out front and when we arrived last weekend they had them filled so we couldn’t take them back. Also, we have yet to get a straight answer as to when trash will get picked up! Since it rained every day a couple of times a day we don’t want to leave the trash outside to become damp. Currently all the trash is where it has been and we have added two or three more bags to the pile. Samoans like to litter around properties. I cleaned the inside while Josh took the outside duty. I opened the front door to throw out what I swept to find a surprise. Dozens of flies were swarming around me. I recognized the smell and looked down to see that the local dog left a bowel movement on our front step. Unfortunately I had to clean it up. Not a great start to the day!
After the cleaning up of the dog poop I decided to take a break from the cleaning and relax around the house. Around 10 o’clock I was reading the book I received on Samoan grammar when there was a knock on my door. Suanoa is a retired Vietnam vet who lives out past the high school. He grew up in Hawaii and has come back to Manu’a to take care of his 81 year old mother. For the last two years he has taken the WorldTeach volunteer’s under his wing and explored the island with them. We have past him on the road a few times and were waiting for our first adventure with him! He was over visiting his mother (our neighbor) when he thought about giving us an island tour for the day. Fitiuta is a village on the western side of Ta’u that I planned to walk to today (about two hour walk). I told him I planned to go out around 11. He invited me on an island tour of his truck instead and I accepted. I called up Crystal and we went to find Josh (who was swimming in the ocean) to come along. Finally around 11 we hopped in the car and started our tour.
Saunoa is a very interested and funny man. He is a complete radical and believes everything in AS is bullshit. Everything is corrupt and no one cares about anyone but themselves. Truthfully I can see a lot of what he spoke about going on on our little island. Unfortunately I see a lot of the same things happening in the US. He spoke a lot about the Matai System which is the chief system in each village. He spoke about how it has to do with who has the most money and how they can get their hands on more of it. I haven’t met our chief yet as he is on vacation but hopefully this week he will come back. I am interested in seeing if what Saunoa says is really true about the leader of Faleasao. Within the school system you also see and mostly hear about the unqualified receiving jobs over qualified individuals. I don’t know enough to speak about my school in particular but there is a definite family lineage that I notice within the school and DOE.
Besides sharing with us all of his views, Saunoa also drove us past the paved roads in Fitiuta and deep into the jungle. If you look at a map of Ta’u, we traveled down the east coast as far south as possible on the dirt road. Once we stepped out of the car, Crystal and I continued on foot a little ways south to see the tall cliffs. The cliffs on the southern coast are some of the highest cliffs in the world. SauNoa said that he would bring us even closer the next time we go out that way. He also wants to bring us back for sun rise sometime soon.
On the way back to Faleasao later that day we stopped at Saunoa’s place and stocked up on some fruit and veggies that he grows in his yard. He gave us tomatoes, peppers, apples, eggplant, tea, and whatever else he could find. He also told us about some cool trails that we should go on throughout the year. There are some amazing falls that he wants to bring us to, the summit of the mountain, some star mound sites, etc. Once I returned to my house I decided that I wanted to walk around in the water but not swim. I didn’t realize that it was high tide though and pretty much went swimming. The waves were knocking me down and trying to pull me to the left. A little off center towards the left of the beach there is this strong tide that grabs you and pulls you out to the ocean. When I went in I felt as though that is all that water wanted me to do so I decided to get out.
As I was leaving I ran into Doug. Doug is the quirky guy from California. He is on a two year contract with AS DOE. Last year he was working out on the main island at Samoana High School. This year he volunteered to come out to Manu’a and help with the applied tech. classes. I was telling Doug about the day and about Saunoa. He seemed excited to join us on the next adventure. Saunoa also told us about a trail behind our house that brings us out to our own secluded beach. Doug and I were talking about maybe walking it tomorrow when I got back from doing lesson planning at the school. As we continued to plan I asked, “Why don’t we just go now?” So we did.
At 5:15 we left my house and began the trip. After about a five minute hike you get to the beach. The beach was nice but would probably cut your feet up with all the broken coral. We decided to continue in the woods to see what else we could find. We ended up finding these awesome cliffs and a few caves within them. We stopped the walk sitting out on a cliff that jutted into the water. We watched the sign slowly descend and then quickly got home before we could no longer see. Amazing day :-) Tomorrow we are talking about continuing that path to see where it takes us!
Fa,
Gretchen
Monday, August 23, 2010
first week of classes!
August 20, 2010
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
First week of classes are done! To be fair, that wasn’t a normal first week of classes like we know it in the US of A. On Monday, I arrived at school at 7:30 AM for an 8 AM start. I walked into my classroom, put down my purse, and a few students came in to tell me they were here to help me clean. Since all my desks were in a pile in the center of the room I had the volunteers take the desks off the pile. As soon as they finished in about a minute the bell rang for their assembly. Five minutes later, a teacher came in to inform me that we were leaving to go to the dock, the boat was coming. Out of utter confusion I left with the other teachers and we drove down to the docks. That was all I saw of the high school on the first day.
Unloading the boat is an entire island project. Everyone that owns a truck (most everyone) comes down to the dock. They find someone that needs their things delivered and they help them out. For about three hours we watched everything unfold. We brought food up to the school and we brought clothes to our houses. All the volunteer drivers were compensated with some of the food for the schools. For the rest of the day we were told to sit back, relax, and unpack.
Tuesday became the first day of school. For the first hour or so all the students were in an assembly in the cafeteria discussing the rules of the school with the principal. Once that was completed they came around to each of their classes for a half an hour. The day is meant for cleaning and so that was all that was done. Since my room was fairly clean we mostly played games.
Wednesday was the first day with 50 minute classes unless the secretary forgot to ring the bell, then it was longer. For each of my classes I gave a couple of problems to start out the day. No one else was doing this but I figured since they were in school they should do something besides play games and clean all day long. After the problems I tried to get help with my decorations. Unfortunately, most of my posters will not be hung as the side walls don’t like anything sticking to them. Both the front and back wall of my room have boards so I am dealing with very limited space. During lunch the principal informed us that lunch will be cut short because we will be losing power at 1:15 today. The last class ended up lasting twenty minutes. Luckily for me, it was my planning period!!! :-/
Only half the island is back from vacation so next week would just be a repeat for all the new students so you just don’t start classes on the first week. Friday’s day was cut even shorter than the rest of the week. We had four out of six classes for the day. After dismissal, we waited around to finish off the first week with a big island party. The party consisted of all the teachers from the elementary schools and the high school. Luckily we didn’t need to travel far as it was at the high school. For about two hours we hung out outside as the chicken cooked on the barbeque, we ate the chicken and relaxed. I thought the big thigh of chicken I ate was the meal to find out I was mistaken. Around 5:30 we get called into the cafeteria. The administrators thank everyone for being teachers and serving Manu’a, we say grace, and then dig in. Once I got up to the front of the buffet line I am handed a Styrofoam box (like a to-go box at a restaurant). A little confused, but didn’t think much of it. Once I get back to my seat and see the mounds of food in everyone’s Styrofoam box I can’t help but laugh. Once everyone gets through people go up to get more food. It ends up that this happens at every get together…everyone wants to take food home! About five minutes into the meal there are trash bags, tinfoil, and boxes handed out to wrap up all the food. Oh, I forgot to mention, lots of alcohol was involved in all of this.
Not quite sure the plans for the weekend yet. I need to make my lesson plan for next week’s classes by Monday morning though so I think that will be a huge part of the weekend!
Fa,
Gretchen
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
First week of classes are done! To be fair, that wasn’t a normal first week of classes like we know it in the US of A. On Monday, I arrived at school at 7:30 AM for an 8 AM start. I walked into my classroom, put down my purse, and a few students came in to tell me they were here to help me clean. Since all my desks were in a pile in the center of the room I had the volunteers take the desks off the pile. As soon as they finished in about a minute the bell rang for their assembly. Five minutes later, a teacher came in to inform me that we were leaving to go to the dock, the boat was coming. Out of utter confusion I left with the other teachers and we drove down to the docks. That was all I saw of the high school on the first day.
Unloading the boat is an entire island project. Everyone that owns a truck (most everyone) comes down to the dock. They find someone that needs their things delivered and they help them out. For about three hours we watched everything unfold. We brought food up to the school and we brought clothes to our houses. All the volunteer drivers were compensated with some of the food for the schools. For the rest of the day we were told to sit back, relax, and unpack.
Tuesday became the first day of school. For the first hour or so all the students were in an assembly in the cafeteria discussing the rules of the school with the principal. Once that was completed they came around to each of their classes for a half an hour. The day is meant for cleaning and so that was all that was done. Since my room was fairly clean we mostly played games.
Wednesday was the first day with 50 minute classes unless the secretary forgot to ring the bell, then it was longer. For each of my classes I gave a couple of problems to start out the day. No one else was doing this but I figured since they were in school they should do something besides play games and clean all day long. After the problems I tried to get help with my decorations. Unfortunately, most of my posters will not be hung as the side walls don’t like anything sticking to them. Both the front and back wall of my room have boards so I am dealing with very limited space. During lunch the principal informed us that lunch will be cut short because we will be losing power at 1:15 today. The last class ended up lasting twenty minutes. Luckily for me, it was my planning period!!! :-/
Only half the island is back from vacation so next week would just be a repeat for all the new students so you just don’t start classes on the first week. Friday’s day was cut even shorter than the rest of the week. We had four out of six classes for the day. After dismissal, we waited around to finish off the first week with a big island party. The party consisted of all the teachers from the elementary schools and the high school. Luckily we didn’t need to travel far as it was at the high school. For about two hours we hung out outside as the chicken cooked on the barbeque, we ate the chicken and relaxed. I thought the big thigh of chicken I ate was the meal to find out I was mistaken. Around 5:30 we get called into the cafeteria. The administrators thank everyone for being teachers and serving Manu’a, we say grace, and then dig in. Once I got up to the front of the buffet line I am handed a Styrofoam box (like a to-go box at a restaurant). A little confused, but didn’t think much of it. Once I get back to my seat and see the mounds of food in everyone’s Styrofoam box I can’t help but laugh. Once everyone gets through people go up to get more food. It ends up that this happens at every get together…everyone wants to take food home! About five minutes into the meal there are trash bags, tinfoil, and boxes handed out to wrap up all the food. Oh, I forgot to mention, lots of alcohol was involved in all of this.
Not quite sure the plans for the weekend yet. I need to make my lesson plan for next week’s classes by Monday morning though so I think that will be a huge part of the weekend!
Fa,
Gretchen
In Manu'a
August 15, 2010
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
I have had a frustrating last couple of days but am finally relaxing in Manu’a today. Yesterday we arrived via plane to Ta’u. The experience on the plane was comical. We were told to be at the airport at 10:30 for a noon departure. Once we checked our luggage and got weighed for the flight we went to a small restaurant for lunch. At noon we were told the plane was coming in. All five of us go through this door, past security (who just waved at us), and into a waiting area. The gentleman that checked our bags also gave us the safety instructions in the waiting room. We saw our nineteen seat plane land, and let a few people off. Time for departure. The airplane was very cramped. I could not stand up nor did I have much in terms of leg room. Luckily it was only a half an hour flight so I didn’t endure it for very long. Our seats were selected by weight so I sat next to this sixth grade girl from Ta’u. At the end of the flight she told me we are now best friends. Then she wouldn’t leave me alone. Once we got off the plane she followed me around, held my hand, tried to braid my hair, gave me a couple of hugs, and then finally I was able to escape on the van. She lives in the village next to mine so I don’t have to worry too much about a peeping tom!
The airport is in the village of Fituitu. Fituitu is on the east coast of Ta’u and is the only village on the east coast. Seven miles west you will find the only other villages in Ta’u. You have the village of Ta’u and Faleasao where I will be living out the year. Faleasao is a very small village. The village consists of about 2-3 dozen houses lined up along the road for approximately a quarter of a mile. On the other side of the road is the Pacific Ocean. I am staying in a house that our principal owns at the furthest end of the village. Josh, the volunteer science teacher, is living with me. Tautua drove up to our house first. We walked inside and my jaw dropped. The house is magnificent. You walk in to the living room which extends into a dining room and kitchen. The kitchen has a long tiled counter that runs the length of the room. The furniture is all wooden with cushions for comfort. When we went to check out the bedrooms we found two beds in the one room and a single in the other. I let Josh get the two beds and I took the back room. My room is perfect. I have my very own walk-in closet, a little night stand, and a table at the foot of my bed. After standing in awe of our house for a bit, I took a stroll out to the beach and picked up some sea shells. Fortunately our house is a couple feet up from the ocean so that we don’t have to worry too much about flooding.
There were plans for the two volunteers going to Ofu (one of the islands that is part of the Manu’a Islands) to stay with Josh and I for the night. About an hour after we settled in, they received a phone call that the boat was going to take them now. Felicia and Matt were so excited. We did the five minute walk to the port with them and said our goodbyes. We can see Ofu and Olosega (the third island of the Manu’a Islands) from our house so we weren’t expecting them to take very long. It took them probably about an hour and a half to make it across. Once I am able to post photos you will probably reason why it took so long when you see the size of the boat.
Once we said goodbye we hitched a ride up to the high school. Manu’a High is about two miles away but it is a ways up the mountain for us. It is a four room school house colored purple and white. I was able to peak into my classroom to see a chalk board and a white board covering the front wall, a teacher’s desk, book shelf, and a few student desks. Our principal said that we can wait until Monday morning to get inside the classroom. There will be a lot of organizing that needs to go on for the first day! When we walked back from the high school we realized it was low tide so I jumped into my crocs and got in the ocean to look around. I saw a few large fish, but mostly small. The best part is the brightly colored coral. Once it is high tide I can’t wait to see the types of fish that will fill in looking for food from the coral.
At 6 PM every day is sa. Sa is thirty minutes of reflection or prayer time, whatever you want to do with it. At 6 there is a bell set off giving everyone a warning to find a seat somewhere or get inside your house. The second bell is to tell you sa has begun and then after the third ring you are allowed to do as you please. Supposedly there is a 9 PM bell that is the curfew for the village but I was in bed at 9 last night and don’t remember hearing it. I wasn’t very traditional during sa last night but I think once I get settled in I will like that half an hour to reflect on the day.
Today Josh, Crystal, and I all went to church. At 8:30 AM the only church in the village started service. The church is supposed to be protestant but I wouldn’t know any different since it was all in Samoan. I was excited to recognize a few of the hymns though! The pastor did recognize us at the beginning of the service to inform us of what he is speaking on. Unfortunately, we only received the two minute overview. Church was quite short, only about an hour. Communion is only given on the first Sunday of each month so that kept the time short. After church, Tautua and Patricia invited us over for Sunday brunch at 11 o’clock. At 10:30 we received a phone call that they were ready for us. Brunch was nice and relaxing. The food was very delicious: chicken, fish, cooked banana, breadfruit, and soup. We stayed around the house until about 1 PM.
As I write this I am looking out the window of our house waiting for the boat to arrive to bring our luggage. Right now Josh and I are eating off the bananas we picked outside our house, bread and apples that I brought, and some Mountain Dew and water Patricia brought for us. The boat was supposed to come out Friday night but the ocean was too rough so they stayed in port. Supposedly today is rough and the boat could turn around if that is true, hopefully it won’t though!
Leading up to our departure yesterday there was a lot of waiting around for any knowledge on our departure. Since Tuesday we were waiting for our luggage to get picked up. Finally on Friday morning we took a taxi to the DOE (Departement of Education) warehouse. Since I didn’t imagine the boat being delayed I put everything on it except for two pairs of shorts, two workout shirts, a tank top, socks and underwear.
On Thursday afternoon Felicia and I decided to go to Fagatele Bay. Felicia had gone twice prior to Thursday but I was waiting for the opportunity. Fagatele Bay is a marine sanctuary. The national park services raved about it and so it was something I definitely wanted to see before I left! Unfortunately the weather was not great on Sunday. It was low tide and the waves were extremely rough. The water dropped about 1.5-2 feet from high tide (from what Felicia says) so the coral was way to close for comfort. I decided snorkeling wouldn’t be comfortable and decided to walk around. I first started off walking off to the left. There were a lot of small fish that I watched as I walked. At one point I stepped to find out I just missed stepping on the flounder that swam away from me. A few feet later I just missed an eel! Further along I saw all sizes of crabs scurrying away from me. Once I returned back to the beach Felicia was sitting on, we chatted it up for a bit. Felicia mentioned maybe I should go out to the right and see what is out that way. As I was walking in mid calf height water a shark decides to swim by me! I screamed bloody murder scaring the shark and Felicia. I stood frozen as Felicia asked what was wrong and I informed her I just saw a shark. Finally I ran back to land. I ran up onto the cliffs that Felicia stood on to tell her what happened. As I was explaining that I saw the fin and tail of the shark swimming by, my feet slipped out from below me and I crashed into the cliff. Fortunately I am okay except for some bleeding and a lot of bruising on my left leg. Felicia and I decided it would be a good time to start heading back. The shark is considered a black tip reef shark and I would say he was about three feet long :) if you are interested.
We have been told since we first arrived in American Samoa that school doesn’t technically start until the third week. Since I have never seen the inside of my classroom nor have any materials arrived off the boat, I can see that fact coming to fruition. Oh and the boat just decided to drop off stuff on Olosega and probably won’t make it out here today…
Love,
Gretchen
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
I have had a frustrating last couple of days but am finally relaxing in Manu’a today. Yesterday we arrived via plane to Ta’u. The experience on the plane was comical. We were told to be at the airport at 10:30 for a noon departure. Once we checked our luggage and got weighed for the flight we went to a small restaurant for lunch. At noon we were told the plane was coming in. All five of us go through this door, past security (who just waved at us), and into a waiting area. The gentleman that checked our bags also gave us the safety instructions in the waiting room. We saw our nineteen seat plane land, and let a few people off. Time for departure. The airplane was very cramped. I could not stand up nor did I have much in terms of leg room. Luckily it was only a half an hour flight so I didn’t endure it for very long. Our seats were selected by weight so I sat next to this sixth grade girl from Ta’u. At the end of the flight she told me we are now best friends. Then she wouldn’t leave me alone. Once we got off the plane she followed me around, held my hand, tried to braid my hair, gave me a couple of hugs, and then finally I was able to escape on the van. She lives in the village next to mine so I don’t have to worry too much about a peeping tom!
The airport is in the village of Fituitu. Fituitu is on the east coast of Ta’u and is the only village on the east coast. Seven miles west you will find the only other villages in Ta’u. You have the village of Ta’u and Faleasao where I will be living out the year. Faleasao is a very small village. The village consists of about 2-3 dozen houses lined up along the road for approximately a quarter of a mile. On the other side of the road is the Pacific Ocean. I am staying in a house that our principal owns at the furthest end of the village. Josh, the volunteer science teacher, is living with me. Tautua drove up to our house first. We walked inside and my jaw dropped. The house is magnificent. You walk in to the living room which extends into a dining room and kitchen. The kitchen has a long tiled counter that runs the length of the room. The furniture is all wooden with cushions for comfort. When we went to check out the bedrooms we found two beds in the one room and a single in the other. I let Josh get the two beds and I took the back room. My room is perfect. I have my very own walk-in closet, a little night stand, and a table at the foot of my bed. After standing in awe of our house for a bit, I took a stroll out to the beach and picked up some sea shells. Fortunately our house is a couple feet up from the ocean so that we don’t have to worry too much about flooding.
There were plans for the two volunteers going to Ofu (one of the islands that is part of the Manu’a Islands) to stay with Josh and I for the night. About an hour after we settled in, they received a phone call that the boat was going to take them now. Felicia and Matt were so excited. We did the five minute walk to the port with them and said our goodbyes. We can see Ofu and Olosega (the third island of the Manu’a Islands) from our house so we weren’t expecting them to take very long. It took them probably about an hour and a half to make it across. Once I am able to post photos you will probably reason why it took so long when you see the size of the boat.
Once we said goodbye we hitched a ride up to the high school. Manu’a High is about two miles away but it is a ways up the mountain for us. It is a four room school house colored purple and white. I was able to peak into my classroom to see a chalk board and a white board covering the front wall, a teacher’s desk, book shelf, and a few student desks. Our principal said that we can wait until Monday morning to get inside the classroom. There will be a lot of organizing that needs to go on for the first day! When we walked back from the high school we realized it was low tide so I jumped into my crocs and got in the ocean to look around. I saw a few large fish, but mostly small. The best part is the brightly colored coral. Once it is high tide I can’t wait to see the types of fish that will fill in looking for food from the coral.
At 6 PM every day is sa. Sa is thirty minutes of reflection or prayer time, whatever you want to do with it. At 6 there is a bell set off giving everyone a warning to find a seat somewhere or get inside your house. The second bell is to tell you sa has begun and then after the third ring you are allowed to do as you please. Supposedly there is a 9 PM bell that is the curfew for the village but I was in bed at 9 last night and don’t remember hearing it. I wasn’t very traditional during sa last night but I think once I get settled in I will like that half an hour to reflect on the day.
Today Josh, Crystal, and I all went to church. At 8:30 AM the only church in the village started service. The church is supposed to be protestant but I wouldn’t know any different since it was all in Samoan. I was excited to recognize a few of the hymns though! The pastor did recognize us at the beginning of the service to inform us of what he is speaking on. Unfortunately, we only received the two minute overview. Church was quite short, only about an hour. Communion is only given on the first Sunday of each month so that kept the time short. After church, Tautua and Patricia invited us over for Sunday brunch at 11 o’clock. At 10:30 we received a phone call that they were ready for us. Brunch was nice and relaxing. The food was very delicious: chicken, fish, cooked banana, breadfruit, and soup. We stayed around the house until about 1 PM.
As I write this I am looking out the window of our house waiting for the boat to arrive to bring our luggage. Right now Josh and I are eating off the bananas we picked outside our house, bread and apples that I brought, and some Mountain Dew and water Patricia brought for us. The boat was supposed to come out Friday night but the ocean was too rough so they stayed in port. Supposedly today is rough and the boat could turn around if that is true, hopefully it won’t though!
Leading up to our departure yesterday there was a lot of waiting around for any knowledge on our departure. Since Tuesday we were waiting for our luggage to get picked up. Finally on Friday morning we took a taxi to the DOE (Departement of Education) warehouse. Since I didn’t imagine the boat being delayed I put everything on it except for two pairs of shorts, two workout shirts, a tank top, socks and underwear.
On Thursday afternoon Felicia and I decided to go to Fagatele Bay. Felicia had gone twice prior to Thursday but I was waiting for the opportunity. Fagatele Bay is a marine sanctuary. The national park services raved about it and so it was something I definitely wanted to see before I left! Unfortunately the weather was not great on Sunday. It was low tide and the waves were extremely rough. The water dropped about 1.5-2 feet from high tide (from what Felicia says) so the coral was way to close for comfort. I decided snorkeling wouldn’t be comfortable and decided to walk around. I first started off walking off to the left. There were a lot of small fish that I watched as I walked. At one point I stepped to find out I just missed stepping on the flounder that swam away from me. A few feet later I just missed an eel! Further along I saw all sizes of crabs scurrying away from me. Once I returned back to the beach Felicia was sitting on, we chatted it up for a bit. Felicia mentioned maybe I should go out to the right and see what is out that way. As I was walking in mid calf height water a shark decides to swim by me! I screamed bloody murder scaring the shark and Felicia. I stood frozen as Felicia asked what was wrong and I informed her I just saw a shark. Finally I ran back to land. I ran up onto the cliffs that Felicia stood on to tell her what happened. As I was explaining that I saw the fin and tail of the shark swimming by, my feet slipped out from below me and I crashed into the cliff. Fortunately I am okay except for some bleeding and a lot of bruising on my left leg. Felicia and I decided it would be a good time to start heading back. The shark is considered a black tip reef shark and I would say he was about three feet long :) if you are interested.
We have been told since we first arrived in American Samoa that school doesn’t technically start until the third week. Since I have never seen the inside of my classroom nor have any materials arrived off the boat, I can see that fact coming to fruition. Oh and the boat just decided to drop off stuff on Olosega and probably won’t make it out here today…
Love,
Gretchen
the first of a whole bunch, enjoy!
August 10th
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
Here are some short highlights of this past week.
On Tuesday, August 3rd I moved into my temporary home. The apartment is a ten minute walk from the airport in Tafuna. Crystal, a volunteer going to Manu’a with me, is sharing the space with me. We were living in luxury last week: we had hot water, air conditioning, a queen bed, leather couches, the works! On Sunday we had to move next door. Two brothers rented out the nice apartment for the year and wanted to move in on Monday, August 9th. Our new apartment is still nicer than what we will have in a week but it is a definite downgrade. This apartment is a studio apartment with a double bed and no working stove. It does have better water pressure, but I am missing the leather couches!
On Wednesday, I got to meet my principal Tautua. We only met for five minutes and then we had to go to our last training session. While washing my hands in the restroom I ran into this woman Donna from OCIA (Office of Curriculum and ____ Assessment) who asked how I was feeling. I didn’t know it was such a topic within the community, but I guess word does spread (coconut wireless)! Donna also asked why I wasn’t at the SAT training session. I told her I would go talk to my supervisor since I had no idea what she was talking about. Sure enough there was a definite lack of communication and I was supposed to be in an all day workshop on teaching a math SAT course. As a compromised I promised she would see me on Friday.
Thursday became a running around (snorkeling to see the sea turtle) kind of a day. At 8 AM on Friday I walked into this parking lot filled with dilapidated buildings. Sure enough the OCIA building was tucked in between all of them. By 2 PM I walked out feeling very accomplished and excited for the school year. There were about a dozen teachers from throughout the island participating in the course. Two women, Amy and Diana, from California gave up their time to train us over this last week. Amy and Diana are both trained through the Princeton Review SAT Prep course. For a majority of the days they taught the English section of the review with just Wednesday and Friday for math. While in the class I met Patricia, the wife of the principal and head of the English department at Manu’a High School. Patricia was extremely soft spoken and friendly. Throughout the day I learned more about teaching styles and felt more comfortable with my knowledge than I have yet! While leaving on Friday Donna stopped me and asked if I would like to join her at her house for a barbeque on Sunday!
Later that evening on Friday I went to dinner with Tautua and Patricia. They took Crystal, Josh, and I to a Chinese Restaurant. It was a nice evening and a great opportunity to find out more about what we are teaching. After three hours of dinner we all headed home for some much needed rest!
Saturday, August 7th was the big WorldTeach end of training brunch. At 10 AM we met at Saddies by the Sea in Utulei. The staff at the restaurant were very disorganized and it led to a very annoying meal. At 11:45 our waiter came to tell us the kitchen was closed so the last three wouldn’t get their food. Fortunately we had Rachel to talk some sense into the owner and at 12 PM I finally ate my food!
On Friday afternoon when I had arrived home for the day we received a knock on our door. Crystal opened up and told me it was for me. I walked out to find this gentleman Brian who I had met the other night. Brian is best friends with our landlords, Gwen and Victor, and we met when I stopped to talk to Gwen and Victor Thursday night. Brian offered two of his kayaks to the other WorldTeach volunteers and I for Saturday. After the afternoon brunch we all headed (about eight of us) to Fatumafuti for some swimming and kayaking. At Fatumafuti there is a huge rock that juts out some thirty feet from shore. It was fun to kayak around the rock and see the array of fish. For the rest of the afternoon on Saturday I just relaxed in the water.
Sunday came and I was extremely excited for the party. I ran into Donna at the grocery store on Saturday night and found out the plan for arriving at her house. The logistics were very hard as transportation on Sunday is difficult. Not only do no buses run on Sunday, but Donna lives in one of the furthest villages west that no taxi would drive to. Her son PJ agreed to pick up some people as well as a few of their close friends. In total we were able to get fifteen of the volunteers to show up to the party! Everything about her place was amazing. Her and her family have a private beach that we stayed on all afternoon. After our meal at 1 o’clock, her son took us on a hike to a swimming hole. The hike was about a half an hour long but he needed to bring a machete for us to get through the brush! The hike was definitely worth it as the swimming hole was amazing. After a lazy rest of the day we headed back home around 6 PM to have a restful evening.
On Monday, August 9th I met the faculty of Manu’a High School…all eleven of us! I also found out that we need to send our luggage to the warehouse today for the boat to take out to Manu’a. I have completed packing but am still waiting for someone to come pick up our luggage. Next time you will hear from me I will hopefully be in Manu’a (we still don’t know when we are leaving or whether it will be via boat or plane!).
Love,
Gretchen
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
Here are some short highlights of this past week.
On Tuesday, August 3rd I moved into my temporary home. The apartment is a ten minute walk from the airport in Tafuna. Crystal, a volunteer going to Manu’a with me, is sharing the space with me. We were living in luxury last week: we had hot water, air conditioning, a queen bed, leather couches, the works! On Sunday we had to move next door. Two brothers rented out the nice apartment for the year and wanted to move in on Monday, August 9th. Our new apartment is still nicer than what we will have in a week but it is a definite downgrade. This apartment is a studio apartment with a double bed and no working stove. It does have better water pressure, but I am missing the leather couches!
On Wednesday, I got to meet my principal Tautua. We only met for five minutes and then we had to go to our last training session. While washing my hands in the restroom I ran into this woman Donna from OCIA (Office of Curriculum and ____ Assessment) who asked how I was feeling. I didn’t know it was such a topic within the community, but I guess word does spread (coconut wireless)! Donna also asked why I wasn’t at the SAT training session. I told her I would go talk to my supervisor since I had no idea what she was talking about. Sure enough there was a definite lack of communication and I was supposed to be in an all day workshop on teaching a math SAT course. As a compromised I promised she would see me on Friday.
Thursday became a running around (snorkeling to see the sea turtle) kind of a day. At 8 AM on Friday I walked into this parking lot filled with dilapidated buildings. Sure enough the OCIA building was tucked in between all of them. By 2 PM I walked out feeling very accomplished and excited for the school year. There were about a dozen teachers from throughout the island participating in the course. Two women, Amy and Diana, from California gave up their time to train us over this last week. Amy and Diana are both trained through the Princeton Review SAT Prep course. For a majority of the days they taught the English section of the review with just Wednesday and Friday for math. While in the class I met Patricia, the wife of the principal and head of the English department at Manu’a High School. Patricia was extremely soft spoken and friendly. Throughout the day I learned more about teaching styles and felt more comfortable with my knowledge than I have yet! While leaving on Friday Donna stopped me and asked if I would like to join her at her house for a barbeque on Sunday!
Later that evening on Friday I went to dinner with Tautua and Patricia. They took Crystal, Josh, and I to a Chinese Restaurant. It was a nice evening and a great opportunity to find out more about what we are teaching. After three hours of dinner we all headed home for some much needed rest!
Saturday, August 7th was the big WorldTeach end of training brunch. At 10 AM we met at Saddies by the Sea in Utulei. The staff at the restaurant were very disorganized and it led to a very annoying meal. At 11:45 our waiter came to tell us the kitchen was closed so the last three wouldn’t get their food. Fortunately we had Rachel to talk some sense into the owner and at 12 PM I finally ate my food!
On Friday afternoon when I had arrived home for the day we received a knock on our door. Crystal opened up and told me it was for me. I walked out to find this gentleman Brian who I had met the other night. Brian is best friends with our landlords, Gwen and Victor, and we met when I stopped to talk to Gwen and Victor Thursday night. Brian offered two of his kayaks to the other WorldTeach volunteers and I for Saturday. After the afternoon brunch we all headed (about eight of us) to Fatumafuti for some swimming and kayaking. At Fatumafuti there is a huge rock that juts out some thirty feet from shore. It was fun to kayak around the rock and see the array of fish. For the rest of the afternoon on Saturday I just relaxed in the water.
Sunday came and I was extremely excited for the party. I ran into Donna at the grocery store on Saturday night and found out the plan for arriving at her house. The logistics were very hard as transportation on Sunday is difficult. Not only do no buses run on Sunday, but Donna lives in one of the furthest villages west that no taxi would drive to. Her son PJ agreed to pick up some people as well as a few of their close friends. In total we were able to get fifteen of the volunteers to show up to the party! Everything about her place was amazing. Her and her family have a private beach that we stayed on all afternoon. After our meal at 1 o’clock, her son took us on a hike to a swimming hole. The hike was about a half an hour long but he needed to bring a machete for us to get through the brush! The hike was definitely worth it as the swimming hole was amazing. After a lazy rest of the day we headed back home around 6 PM to have a restful evening.
On Monday, August 9th I met the faculty of Manu’a High School…all eleven of us! I also found out that we need to send our luggage to the warehouse today for the boat to take out to Manu’a. I have completed packing but am still waiting for someone to come pick up our luggage. Next time you will hear from me I will hopefully be in Manu’a (we still don’t know when we are leaving or whether it will be via boat or plane!).
Love,
Gretchen
Friday, August 6, 2010
turtle!
There is obviously more to update you on BUT I swam with a sea turtle today :-) I will try to update soon! (Just posted a blog I wrote up this weekend so check it out!)
Love,
Gretchen
Love,
Gretchen
Lyndon B. Johnson
(July 31st)
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
So if you don’t like the discussion of your bowels you probably should not read this blog post. Over this last week I have had diarrhea. It is the kind that I have been running to the bathroom four to five times in one day…not cool. On Thursday, symptoms started changing and I became a bit nauseated. I decided to just relax and skip out on the afternoon session. Since my stomach had been upset since Saturday, July 24th I figured it was just Traveler’s Diarrhea. After my nap on Thursday I was going to take some of the medicine that my mom had given me for Traveler’s Diarrhea. One of the other volunteers talked to me and said, “Be careful, if you are dehydrated then that medicine is going to make you worse. It dries you all up.” From that I was scared and decided just to wait it out. I became more conscious of drinking fluids after that! Thursday night I was fine, I went out to eat with everyone and went on a hike to one of the beaches. Friday morning I talked with my mom and felt better. I was still having diarrhea but was imagining that it was getting better!
At 8 AM on Friday morning we started our first session of the day. At 8:30 AM I had to run out of the room. I realized quite quickly that I wasn’t feeling any better like I was imagining. One of the other volunteers offered me a rehydration pack she had with her. I took Bret out of our session and had her help me prepare it (just dumping it in water). At 9 AM, I started drinking and it took me about an hour to finish just one cup. For two hours I was great, feeling a little more energy and enthusiasm. Then I crashed. Right at lunch time I became extremely nauseated at the smallest scent of food. I became very dizzy and had a lot of pain in my stomach. I kept dry heaving and getting very worked up. With everyone’s support I decided to lie down and see how I felt. Ten minutes later I was helped down by Courtney (mentioned in my first blog) to the car. Rachel (our Samoan culture educator) drove me to the hospital and Courtney stayed by my side the entire time.
The hospital is about a 125 bed clinic. First, you must go into a separate building and sign in. They didn’t care why you were there, just wanted to give you a little card to carry around. Next, we went into the “ER” which is smaller than my living room. You place your card in a tray and stick your receipt on this metal stick to set your place in line. Luckily there was only one other person in the “ER” (and no one at the desk) when we arrived. In about ten minutes we went back to see the nurse. He asked me my symptoms, what medicine I was taking, and family history. He then took my blood pressure and temperature. My temperature was in the low 99’s so nothing too bad, but my blood pressure was very high for me (I can’t remember now what it was). After the nurse we went back to the waiting room. Five minutes later, the doctor called me back. Well I am thinking it was a doctor, she never introduced herself, but she seemed to be in charge. She told me that they were going to first draw blood, put me on an IV drip, and then give me a pill to help with my stools. They actually did all that in reverse order but she had numbered them in the order I just told you.
Another nurse came in to stick me with the needles. Courtney was staying strong by my side the whole time. First, my left hand…the nurse said, “Well we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that we got your vein, but the bad news is we can’t get any blood from you.” So then I asked how he knew he got my vein then…he said he just knew. Halfway through an IV they came back to draw blood and stuck me three times before they were successful. Courtney was very supportive and distractive during this whole time which helped me calm down tremendously. After my first IV bag the doctor came back in and told me she was going to send me home. As it stands, I have a follow up on Monday where they will tell me how my blood results look.
Now on a completely unrelated note but something I have failed to mention, coffins. Everyone (or most everyone) in American Samoa has a burial place in the front of their house. You will not find a cemetery anywhere on the island. The locals say that they do this because even when your loved ones pass away you want to keep them close to you. They feel as though a cemetery is putting them to rest with strangers.
Now I think I have learned my lesson of drinking plenty of liquids.
Toodles,
Gretchen
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent those of the WorldTeach organization.
So if you don’t like the discussion of your bowels you probably should not read this blog post. Over this last week I have had diarrhea. It is the kind that I have been running to the bathroom four to five times in one day…not cool. On Thursday, symptoms started changing and I became a bit nauseated. I decided to just relax and skip out on the afternoon session. Since my stomach had been upset since Saturday, July 24th I figured it was just Traveler’s Diarrhea. After my nap on Thursday I was going to take some of the medicine that my mom had given me for Traveler’s Diarrhea. One of the other volunteers talked to me and said, “Be careful, if you are dehydrated then that medicine is going to make you worse. It dries you all up.” From that I was scared and decided just to wait it out. I became more conscious of drinking fluids after that! Thursday night I was fine, I went out to eat with everyone and went on a hike to one of the beaches. Friday morning I talked with my mom and felt better. I was still having diarrhea but was imagining that it was getting better!
At 8 AM on Friday morning we started our first session of the day. At 8:30 AM I had to run out of the room. I realized quite quickly that I wasn’t feeling any better like I was imagining. One of the other volunteers offered me a rehydration pack she had with her. I took Bret out of our session and had her help me prepare it (just dumping it in water). At 9 AM, I started drinking and it took me about an hour to finish just one cup. For two hours I was great, feeling a little more energy and enthusiasm. Then I crashed. Right at lunch time I became extremely nauseated at the smallest scent of food. I became very dizzy and had a lot of pain in my stomach. I kept dry heaving and getting very worked up. With everyone’s support I decided to lie down and see how I felt. Ten minutes later I was helped down by Courtney (mentioned in my first blog) to the car. Rachel (our Samoan culture educator) drove me to the hospital and Courtney stayed by my side the entire time.
The hospital is about a 125 bed clinic. First, you must go into a separate building and sign in. They didn’t care why you were there, just wanted to give you a little card to carry around. Next, we went into the “ER” which is smaller than my living room. You place your card in a tray and stick your receipt on this metal stick to set your place in line. Luckily there was only one other person in the “ER” (and no one at the desk) when we arrived. In about ten minutes we went back to see the nurse. He asked me my symptoms, what medicine I was taking, and family history. He then took my blood pressure and temperature. My temperature was in the low 99’s so nothing too bad, but my blood pressure was very high for me (I can’t remember now what it was). After the nurse we went back to the waiting room. Five minutes later, the doctor called me back. Well I am thinking it was a doctor, she never introduced herself, but she seemed to be in charge. She told me that they were going to first draw blood, put me on an IV drip, and then give me a pill to help with my stools. They actually did all that in reverse order but she had numbered them in the order I just told you.
Another nurse came in to stick me with the needles. Courtney was staying strong by my side the whole time. First, my left hand…the nurse said, “Well we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that we got your vein, but the bad news is we can’t get any blood from you.” So then I asked how he knew he got my vein then…he said he just knew. Halfway through an IV they came back to draw blood and stuck me three times before they were successful. Courtney was very supportive and distractive during this whole time which helped me calm down tremendously. After my first IV bag the doctor came back in and told me she was going to send me home. As it stands, I have a follow up on Monday where they will tell me how my blood results look.
Now on a completely unrelated note but something I have failed to mention, coffins. Everyone (or most everyone) in American Samoa has a burial place in the front of their house. You will not find a cemetery anywhere on the island. The locals say that they do this because even when your loved ones pass away you want to keep them close to you. They feel as though a cemetery is putting them to rest with strangers.
Now I think I have learned my lesson of drinking plenty of liquids.
Toodles,
Gretchen
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