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