Pictures from Pava'ia'i

Hey Everyone!! So as many of you know, the internet at our house is not reliable at all. I haven't been able to upload pictures to this blog or to Facebook since we left orientation. So today I am sitting in the nice, cool, air conditioned McDonalds, using the free wifi (free from noon to 8!!) So these 6 pictures literally took an hour to upload, so until I get better internet, don't expect many pictures!

Things are going well, missing home, but life here is good! It's hard to talk to family at home, and hear what's going on and not be there. But I'm settling into a little routine, and getting more comfortable at school. There's a chance I may be getting a classroom this week, so keep your fingers crossed!!

Those of you who know me well know that I am a planner. I have to have everything planned out well in advance. That is not always compatible with the fa'a samoa (the Samoan way of life) where things are often changed  at the last minute. So I am working on adapting to that. For example, on Friday during lunch, the students were practicing their class cheers for the pep rally next week. And they kept on practicing. The bell never rang for 5th period. So we just completely skipped 5th period, and then the bell rang around 2. So we went to 6th period, and then were done for the day. Crazy! 

Another thing about planning...I am trying to plan a trip to New Zealand for Christmas. I am so close, so why not? Might as well take advantage of the opportunity! I have also decided that when I get back home, I will likely enroll at EWU again and take that year to get my English endorsement before applying to teaching jobs. Being able to teach both history and English will open up more opportunities.  If there is one thing I have already discovered here it's that I was meant to be a teacher. I feel completely comfortable in this role, and I know that I was made to do this. So I am excited to learn a lot this year, and come home not just stories, but actual ideas to help in my future teaching.

 

This is the house where our apartments are. 5 people live up on the porch area, and I live with 2 other girls in a apartment around the back corner in the far right. The front left of the upstairs porch is where we sit to (hopefully) connect to the internet!

 

This is the view of our place from the road. The family calls this their garden. I just call it a jungle.

 Melinda (who lives upstairs) and Veronica in our kitchen. Yes, that is a mini dorm fridge that is being shared between 3 people. Also, we don't have a real stove, just 2 burners that sit on the counter and plug into the wall.

 The fale (fall-ay) attached to the house. A fale is a traditional Samoan house. 

 Food for one person. Not including desert.

 

This is the American Samoan flag that the other WorldTeach volunteers got me for my birthday, and they all signed it! I love it!

Manuia le aso! (Have a good day!)

First Week of School = Success!

First Week Of School

We all survived our first weeks of school!! (huge sigh of relief!) There is a lot to tell, so sit back, relax, and read on!

My roommate Ashley and I teach at the same school, (along with Melinda and Heidi, who live in an apartment above us)and we take a bus part of the way to school, then walk the rest of the way. It’s not too hot in the morning, and it’s a nice walk, alongside a lagoon and park. We get to school at about 7:30, an hour before school starts. On the first day we were really nervous! We didn’t know how many kids we would have, how much English they could speak, or what they would be like. And since I don’t have a classroom, and float between rooms during other teacher’s prep periods, I got to school on the first day not knowing where some of my classes would be! 

But it all worked out. We had an assembly, then began classes. I told all my students that I would be giving them journal assignments every day, so we started on those and then we went over classroom rules and procedures. All during orientation, we were told that the first day and the first week are critical to the rest of the year. If you don’t establish clear guidelines, procedures, and expectations for your students in the first days, then the rest of the year you may be struggling. You can be strict at the beginning and ease up as the year goes on, but it’s nearly impossible to be lenient at the beginning and then try to gain control (as I learned first hand while substitute teaching!) 

Well, I was trying my hardest to have clear expectations and structure to my classes. Which was a bit difficult, since the schedule changed EVERY DAY. On the first day it was a regular 1-6, with lunch after 3^rd period. The next day it was reversed (6^th period first, 1^st period last). Wednesday was all mixed up some classes (like 3,4,and 5) in the morning, then class meetings and lunch, then periods 6,1,and 2. Nuts. Thursday was different again, and Friday we had a Back to School assembly in the morning, then periods 4,5, and 6. Then Lunch, and after that a school dance. (The assembly and the dance were hilarious)

So even with a crazy schedule that changed every day, I was still able to get some things done in my classes. My first period was more difficult, because on the second day I had twice as many students show up. All of the new students had been registered for my class. So it was like having the first day all over again. Then on Wednesday I had another 6 or so come in, with my name on their schedules. This is a U.S. history class, and there is another U.S. history class taught by a different teacher that has only 2 kids in it!! So here I am with 30 kids, 9 of which did not have desks on Thursday, and there’s another class with just two. Again, it’s a bit crazy.

Even with all this craziness, I apparently was able to exercise some control over my classes. One of my juniors went to my department head (who is the most awesome lady ever, by the way) and asked to transfer out of my class. When she asked why, the student said “Because Miss Mills is too strict!”. My department head answered, “So you want to transfer out of a good class where you’re really going to learn into a class where the teacher will actually hit you?” of course the kid said no. And yes, corporeal punishment is very present here. Technically it’s illegal, but it still happens. However, us WorldTeachers would NEVER hit our students.

So even though I don’t have a classroom, I am getting used to it. It’s really not too bad, because I have 4^th period in the library and the A/C is always on Full Blast in there, which is awesome. 2 of my other classes are also in rooms with A/C, but the other teachers don’t always turn it on all the way. Plus, I’ve had students help me carry my stuff back and forth. The only drawback will be next week, when we get our new textbooks. I’m going to have to enlist more kids to move them from room to room, and hopefully none get lost in the process. All this week, we never knew the schedule until we got to school and saw the bulletin, but starting next week we are on a regular schedule, which will be nice. 

I feel like there is so much more, but I am running out of time. And I never know when the internet will decide to stop working. So I’m going to say adios for now, and hopefully I can get pictures up next week!!

Love and miss you all

"The Internet is on Samoan Time"

So, the title of this post is the reason why I haven't been writing, sharing pictures, or contacting many people very much in the last week. (Wow, I can't believe it's been only a week! SO much has happened!) Peter pointed out that the internet was on Samoan time, and it definitely is. Half the time we can't connect to it, and when we do it's only on the porch by Heidi and Melinda's apartment or in their living room. And even then, it's usually very slow and the connection will usually time out more than once.

Since I may have a limited amount of internet time, I will try to fill you in as quickly as possible!
A week ago we moved out of the classrooms we were staying at in Nu'uuli VocTech, and into our homes! Our apartment is in Pava'ia'i. There is a laundromat and little store just steps from our front door, and everywhere you look there's lush green palm trees and plants. The Samoan family that we are renting from lives on the property and they had us join in on a blessing of the house. We got to eat Samoan food cooked in an umu (outdoor oven, that Peter helped prepare!) and we served the village chiefs before eating. Quite an experience!

This past week we visited our schools and got room assignments. Alas, I am the unlucky one who doesn't actually have a classroom. There just aren't enough rooms at my school, but the principal says she is still working on trying to get me one. But I'm not getting my hopes up. So I'll just be floating from room to room wherever someone has a prep period. Was I upset at this news? Yes. Will I be flexible and deal with it? Yes. Being patient and flexible is the key to sanity (or partial sanity at least) here on the island.

Also this week we attended orientations by the DOE on the new revised standards and benchmarks for our subject areas. Did these seem long and repetitive? Yes. However I did meet some pretty cool teachers that I'm sure I'll be able to use as a resource this year.

My birthday is tomorrow!! I have received care packages from my family and cards from friends. Last night we went out and celebrated. The WorldTeach group bought a Samoan flag and they all signed it with birthday wishes for me. Such a cool idea!! I was very touched. Today I was going to go snorkeling, but it has been rather rainy all day so I just laid low and hung out at home, resting up for the week ahead. School starts on Monday!! Let the madness begin!!

(I will upload pictures later, the internet is still on Samoan time!)

Before I go, I will share the BEST news of the week:: I will be home in time for Anna's high school graduation!!! (Sorry Millie, I'll still miss your 4 hour Whitworth graduation) I was SO happy when I found out!!