Sunset over the Pacific

I know it's already the new year, but let me tell you about my awesome Christmas break!

First off, I got to see my family which was amazing. I got into Honolulu at 5 am on the 23rd, and they arrived that afternoon. I spent my time waiting with my volunteer friends Kasey and Peter who had layovers in Hawai'i. When we got there, we realized that it was noticeably colder in Hawai'i than it was in Samoa. It was also weird for us to walk around Waikiki and see so many palagis (white people in Samoan) and actually be able to understand the conversations going on around us. I have to admit, I experienced a bit of culture shock there while in Hawai'i, which may seem weird since it's another Pacific island, but it felt very different from American Samoa.

Kasey, Peter and I were lucky enough to score a limo ride back to the airport, so we arrived in style. I greeted my family with ula's that I had brought from Samoa. Right away it felt like we hadn't ever been apart. We spent the whole week hanging out, going to the beach, and exploring Oahu in our rented jeep. We hiked to a waterfall, drove up the east coast, checked out the surfers at North Shore, and went to the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. We found a few pretty good restaurants...Snapper's and Duke's being favorites. My sisters got pearls out of oysters, and I took a surfing lesson...it was awesome! One more thing to cross off my bucket list! I was also able to actually sit down and call a few friends that I hadn't talked to in a long time. It was also great to be able to text my friends and family! (the little things we take for granted...)

The week went by much too fast and soon I was saying goodbye to my family again. But this time I knew I'd be seeing them in 5 months. That sounds like a long time, but when I look at the calendar, I realize just how fast that time will go. Which is kind of bittersweet. I miss my family and friends at home, but I am also loving living and teaching in American Samoa.

This may sound strange, but I really like airports. I am always a bit nervous right when I get to them, because I always think something is going to go wrong, and my flight won't actually be booked or something. But once I get through security I am perfectly at home. I don't know what it it, I just really like being in airports, watching all the people coming and going. I took advantage of the time I had in Honolulu, picked up a couple magazines and a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks before getting on the plane. Flying over the open ocean can be a bit nerve-wracking, but as I watched the sun set over the Pacific, I silently thanked God for blessing me with such an amazing family, awesome friends, and an adventure filled life.

New Years was a mellow affair, I watched the Samoa Bowl football game (high schoolers from Hawai'i vs. our students here on island). American Samoa won in overtime and the students representing Voc-Tech did amazing! I was so proud of them! That night was mellow, I just hung out at a friend's house and we all swapped stories from our Christmas travels. In case you didn't know, we were some of the last ones to ring in the new year!!

here are a few pictures from the Samoa Bowl

One of my students and I after the game