what a week

Wow, last week seemed to take so long! And that’s even with having school canceled on Monday.

I got to school Monday morning all ready to go. Right away, students were asking if we were going to have school that day. I couldn’t imagine why they would think it’d be canceled. That is, until some of my 3^rd period students came in and told me that the septic tank had busted, and that there was no food. I wasn’t entirely sure how these two events were related, so I found another teacher and asked her. Turns out the septic tank had, in fact, busted. (or as Ashley’s freshmen would say, “Miss, someone put bombs in the toilet!”). The result? The cafeteria had been contaminated and the cooks could not prepare breakfast or lunch. Since the students could not be fed, they ended up being sent home after 1^st period. Us teachers, however, had to stay until 4. Lame. But I went to Carl’s Jr. and had lunch, then got some work done and my classroom cleaned, so it was a productive day. 

Since I only taught one class on Monday, I woke up Tuesday thinking that it was actually Monday. We had a football game after school that day. However, our football games are usually on Thursdays. So I then woke up on Wednesday feeling like it was Friday. My brain was just all confused, and never really did recover. School was shortened on Friday for the Parent Teacher Conferences after school. When I finally got home, Julie had already arrived from Anu’u and we went down to pizza hut and had an amazing (if not entirely healthy) end-of-the-week meal. Which included cinna-sticks, of course!

Plans to go to the beach were sadly foiled by the weather. However I did receive a package in the mail from mom, and spent much of my Saturday afternoon relaxing with some new magazines. Yesterday, Sunday, was a rough day for me emotionally, missing my family and then receiving more upsetting news from home. We are allowed to take 3 personal days during the school year, and I am taking one of those today. It is very much needed, and hopefully will rejuvenate me.

This week is spirit week, so we are having dress-up days, contests, and I think even a school dance. There will likely be class meetings to practice the performances for the PTA fundraiser on Saturday. This coming weekend is also the Tattoo Festival at Tisa’s on the East side of the island. It’s supposed to be really cool, so hopefully I can head out there to check it out.

I’m currently at McDonald’s, using the internet. Ours has not been working since Saturday morning. Unreliable internet access is just one of the many things I have gotten used to here.  Another is having to try 5 or 6 times to reach someone on the phone. Or having the rain pouring down one minute, then clear blue skies the next, multiple times a day. Or the little geckos running along the walls of my house. They eat the bugs, so I don’t mind them. At times I can get a bus within 3 minutes of getting out to the road, but I’ve also had to wait up to half an hour. If the schedule is going to be changed at school, we often don’t know until the morning of. Which is part of the reason why I have been operating on “Samoan time” since the end of July. 

1 month until my Thanksgiving mini-vacation at Sadie’s!

2 months until I see the fam in Hawaii!

4 days until the weekend is here again!

Sorry it's been so long...

So I just realized that I haven't posted anything for awhile....I apologize :( I will try to do better!

I am currently on the little island of Anu'u with my friends Julie and Rosa, who are WorldTeach volunteers at the elementary school here. Today is White Sunday, which is a special day for kids in American Samoa. They get dressed up in white and perform songs, skits, and dances during church. They have mother's day, father's day, and white sunday is just for the kids. So I went to church with Julie this morning, and got to see the festivities...it was great! Afterward, we went and ate with a family that she's friends with, then ate and ate some more! I will put pictures up when I go back to Pava'ia'i tomorrow...

Time is flying by and there are so many things happening. It's a bit hard to process it all and put it into words, so I'm just going to list some of the things that have happened since my last post about kayaking...

1. School is going really well....we are at MIDTERMS. Half way through the semester already, I can't believe it!
2. On Friday our high school had their Mr. and Miss NVTHS pageant. It was hilarious! I loved it. They are making a dvd, so I'm going to buy one.
3. Last weekend I went out to Tisa's Barefoot Bar on the east side of Tutuilla with Amber. It was so nice, relaxing with a pina colada! We were going to swim, but then saw some reef sharks swimming close to shore, so decided not too...later we saw whales in the distance. So cool!!
4. Two days ago was the first Friday of the month, which is when there are a lot of people and vendors at the market in Fagotogo, so we went to check it out....Julie and I were interviewed on the spot for the TV show Flight Night!! I'm pretty sure it's on YouTube, if you want to try and find it. I'm going to look for the link and put it on here...
5. I don't have a microwave, but at a friend's house I had POPCORN for the first time in almost 3 months!! It was amazing.
6. One of my students took the ASVAB test, and a vocab word I had taught them was on there. He was so happy that he knew it, and I was so proud!!
7. I am SO thankful to my friends and family who are emailing, calling, facebooking, skyping, sending things, and staying in touch in general. I feel so out of the loop sometimes, it's so nice to hear from people on a (somewhat) regular basis.
8. One of my students moved to California. Saying goodbye to him after just 2 months of school made me emotional. How am I going to say goodbye to the rest of my kids at the end of the year? I don't even want to think about it
9. One of my good friends from college got married last weekend...She asked me to be a bridesmaid, but obviously I couldn't be there. I would have Loved to, though. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Wells!
10. In just over 2 months I will be seeing my family in Hawaii for Christmas!!!

So that's what's been happening in my life here on the island....again, I will try to put up pictures tomorrow (if my internet is cooperating)

Manuia le aso!!

A Perfect Saturday

The last couple weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster. There have been definite highs and lows.

Lows: being a little sick, and having things happen back at home.

Highs: getting my own classroom (Yay!!), getting my cheerleaders’ uniforms, and having fun around the island.

But let me just focus on what an amazing day I had yesterday. (For the record, I am completely healthy and over my cold). Yesterday I had such a good day, which was needed after a particularly tough week at school. My friend Julie spent the night Friday. She teaches on the little island of Anu’u, which is 2 bus rides and a short boat ride from Tutuila, the island I’m on. She and her roommate come over to Tutuila most weekends to get groceries and other essentials and hang out with people here. In the morning, we both had a cup of the coffee my mother sent me. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I do love International House coffees. Mom had sent me 2 tins of my favorites, and I had been looking forward to having some all week. (It takes too long to boil water to have some in the mornings before school) After getting ready, Julie went off to do her shopping and I went over to the post office to send some letters and meet up with my friend Alison. Alison and I then went kayaking for a little over an hour. It’s hard for me to describe how I felt out there on the water. It was so relaxing to float and talk, then paddle around looking for sea turtles (didn’t see any). Plus the views around us were of course gorgeous, and the water is the most incredible shade of blue-green. It was simply amazing, and something I will defiantly do again, several times. After kayaking we went and got lunch then some home-made snickers ice cream. Then I went home and sat on the porch and read a book, while listening to the cheers coming from the Laundromat. (Western Samoa was playing Wales in the rugby tournament, and the Laundromat has a TV with cable so everyone and their mother was crowded in there watching) 

All in all, I could not have imagined a more perfect Saturday. 

 

 Alison and I out on the water

 

 Me being silly

This is the area that we kayaked in

Another Day, Another $12.50

Yes, we averaged out our monthly stipend (helps to pay for food and transportation) and it looks like each day that we go to school we are making about $12.50. It’s a little under $2.00 an hour. Ah the life of a volunteer!! But school is going well, even when testing, and meetings, and the lack of supplies make it more stressful. My kids are pretty good for the most part (they have their difficult days) but I am enjoying teaching them, and enjoying my time here.

Yesterday I may have enjoyed my time here a little too much. I was out at a beach snorkeling and stuff and when I got home, realized how bad I am at applying sunscreen. I’m pretty red, especially my lower back, from floating around in the water looking at fish. I forget that the sun is WAY more powerful here than at home. At home I rarely burn and if I do it’s never painful and hardly noticeable. This one is defiantly the opposite. But I guess I learned my lesson, and next time will pay extra attention to getting sunscreen EVERYWHERE. 

I knew that there would be times when I would miss home, and recently I have been. Mainly for one reason. My uncle was in a farming accident and was badly injured. He is still in the hospital, on the road to recovery. So my cousin organized a ‘harvest bee’ for him, and people from our small community came out to help cut his wheat. A news crew from Spokane went out to capture the action, and I was able to watch the video tonight. It defiantly made me emotional, and I can’t express enough how thankful I am. It has been hard for me to be down here knowing what my family is going through. However, knowing that they have so many amazing people supporting them and holding them up is almost overwhelming for me. This is why I will always love small towns, and I am so thankful to call Oakesdale my home. If you would like to watch the video, the link is right here: http://video.kxly.com/watch.php?id=26995

Labor day weekend means a 3 day weekend, which means a 4-day week next week! Ah! Yay! Right now the Tafuna teachers who also live here in Pava’ia’I are hosting some Peace Corps volunteers from Western Samoa. It has been great talking to them and hearing about their experience and comparing it to ours. They have been at their placements for almost 2 years now and go home in December. I can’t even imagine being gone that long, and really admire their commitment.

Speaking of home, I will not be going home for Christmas (won’t see Washington again until June!) but I will be meeting my family in Hawaii for the holiday. I’m so excited to see them and I know it will be an amazing week. I was originally planning on going to New Zealand, but I’d definitely rather see them. I am hoping to hit NZ for spring break, fingers crossed! Right now, however I am focusing on teaching and enjoying my time here on the island. It is going by so fast. I have been gone almost 2 months and teaching for a month now, where has the time gone?

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!!