Good News!

I have been meaning to post this for over a week now, but kept getting distracted!

I have recieved my teaching placement, and as of right now, I am going to be teaching English at Faga’itua High School on the main island of Tutuila. You would not believe how excited I was, since this is exactly the type of placement I was hoping for! However, there is a chance that placements may change in the weeks before school starts, so I just need to keep an open mind and my fingers crossed! Also, I posted a video a couple weeks ago that two volunteers from this past year made. It does a great job of showing what their lives are like on the island. Well....those girls actually taught at Faga’itua High School! So that is a perfect glimpse of what awaits me in just 12 days! Alright, back to organizing my suitcase!

What's an unincorporated territory??

Today was my last day of work, and I have roughly 3 weeks to devote to preparing for life in American Samoa! Number one: practice speaking Samoan! Number two: go to the dentist!

I also thought I'd share with you a bit more about American Samoa. First off, I'm not going to Somalia (that's a country in Africa), but a small island in the South Pacific that is an unincorporated territory of the United States. An unicorporated territory means that it is owned by the United States, but is self-governing.  People born there are American nationals (not U.S. citizens), and they cannot vote, but they do have a representative in Congress. American Samoa is a different place than Samoa, its western neighbor, which is an independant nation.

Here are some quick facts about American Samoa

• People are bilingual, speaking both Samoan and English.
• The capital city is Pago Pago (which is pronounced Pahngo Pahngo) and is located on the main island of Tutuila
• The total population is about 63,500
• The total land area is 197 sq. miles
• American Samoa is the southern most territory of the United States
• Canned tuna is the main export (though some may say the main exports are football players)
• The Samoan alphabet consists of five vowels and nine consonants
• The climate is tropical; hot, humid, and often rainy!

beach near Pago Pago

Information for the curious. (and the procrastinators)

I know there are many people who may not know very much (or anything) about WorldTeach or American Samoa. So here is the link to the WorldTeach website http://www.worldteach.org/ if you'd like to find out more about the organization!

I recommend checking out the CBS special on American Samoa: "Football Island"

To get an idea of what life is like on the island, here is a video that two volunteers from this past year created about their time spent there. (thanks to Mitch for the idea to include this!)

One Month: The countdown has begun

Talofa!
Hello everyone! Since I am leaving exactly one month from today, I figured it was the best time to start up this blog! This will be the place to go to check in with me while I'm spending a year teaching in American Samoa with WorldTeach. I promise to update this as often as possible and add pictures, as long as you promise to stay in touch with me!