Snorkeling, Volcanoes, Tattoos and More!

Hello everyone! Only two more days here at Nu'uuli Voc-Tech High School! We move to our placements on Friday! I have no idea what my wifi situation will be like once I am in my new village. Here at Voc-Tech we have been spoiled with pretty consistent wifi in the building where we have our classes, which is right next to where we are staying! I know that I will not have wifi at my house but I am hoping I will at my school. I'll post an update as soon as I find wifi somewhere! 

In the mean time... here are some interesting things I have observed/learned during the two and half weeks I have been here. I will also post some photos of my past couple snorkeling/swimming adventures!

11 things that I have observed/learned:

1. Samoans bury their dead in their own yards. Walking down the street you will see huge tombs and tombstones in front of everyone’s houses and marts. All of the land on the island is owned by the people, so burying family members on your own land forever marks it as your families land.
2. Food plays an important role in Samoan culture and must be respected. You can only eat and drink while sitting down. It is culturally inappropriate to even be drinking water while your walking down the road. You'd be surprised how difficult this rule is to follow. 
3.  Dogs are EVERYWHERE. Most will ignore you, but you always have to be on guard because some are quite mean and will chase and bite you. If a dog is chasing you, you have to pick up a rock (or at least pretend to) and throw it at the dog yelling SHH HALU. They particularly like to chase runners and bikers.
4. When Samoans walk or drive by someone they say “bye” instead of “hi”. 
5.  I am living on a "resting" volcano. The last volcanic eruption occurred in 1905. Because it is a volcano, this island will someday sink back into the ocean (but not for a few more million years)!
6.  The island is moving westward (towards China) about 3 inches per year! 
7.  Besides the animals that are considered “pests” such as dogs, cats, rats, etc., the only mammals on the island are fruit bats. These bats are huge, with a 3-foot wingspan, so we like to joke that they are pterodactyls.
8.  EVERYONE here has tattoos. It started off as a cultural tradition for chiefs but has become something that everyone does. Definitely considering getting a Samoan tattoo before I leave (sorry Mom and Dad). 
9. It is rude to walk or cross in front of someone. You must always try and walk behind someone. If you have to pass in front of them, you must bow your head and make yourself lower than the person you are crossing. 
10. I've come to the conclusion that ALL Samoans can sing. Everyone single Samoan that I've heard sing is amazing at it! Especially at church. Over half the church services that I've been too consisted of singing and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Every man, women, and child could sing a perfect four-part harmony without giving it a second thought. 
11. Homosexuality, because of the strong christian faith that surrounds Samoan culture, is generally not very excepted here. However there are three recognized genders in Samoa: men, women, and fa'afafine. A fa'afafine is a person who is biologically a male, but who has taken on the style, demeanor, sometimes body, and work of a woman. Although considered female, these fa'afafine are not considered.

Some swimming and snorkeling adventures: (click on images to make them full size) 

One week later!

Talofa! 

I’ve officially been here on Tutuila for a little over a week but I feel like I’ve been here for a lot longer. This past week has been jam-packed since day one with classes, exploring the island, and bonding. All 21 volunteers are very nice and most are around my age or a few years older.

Friday we went on a tour of the Island. We got to see some amazing views from different parts of the Island, and we finally got to go swimming!! The water was so warm and clear! If you swam out far enough, there was a bunch of coral and colorful fish. Also during the island tour we got to drive by where I will be teaching in a few weeks. My school is RIGHT on the ocean. Everyday, I will be able to look out onto the ocean right from my classroom window. 

 

On Saturday morning a group of us decided to go on an adventure to find this waterfall that we had heard some people talking about. We knew the general direction, so we decided to just take off in that direction and hope for the best. After only a few minutes a car stopped on the side of the road and asked if we wanted a ride. She was headed in the same direction as we were, so we happily and thankfully all climbed into the back of her pickup truck and we were off. Hitchhiking and riding in the back of trucks is very common here. Strangers will often offer you rides if you look like you’re going to be walking a long way. After she dropped us off we continued on our way to search for the waterfall. We kept asking some people for directions until someone just offered to walk with us. Thank goodness for this guide because without him I honestly don’t think we would have ever found the waterfall. The trail was through the rainforest and not marked at all. It was completely worth it however! The waterfall was huge and beautiful, with a small swimming hole at the bottom of it. We had a great time swimming and floating around with huge tropical birds flying over our heads! It was magical. 

So far my time here has been very busy, tiring and sometimes challenging. Overall however I am already starting to fall in love with the Island. I have met some really great people and already have made some amazing memories.

As always, I apologize for any typos. I hope all is well on the mainland. Miss you all so much! Updates on an address will be coming soon:)

"Welcome to the Rock"

Here are some pictures from my first few days here! Views from Voc-Tech and some pictures of the ocean/palms near where my placement is! Hope all is well back on the mainland.
Reminder: Click on the images to make them bigger.

Some of the many fabric choices that my new clothes will be made out of!

View from Nu'uuli Voc-Tech High School (home for the 3 weeks)

View from Voc-Tech

That clear blue pacific ocean.

Palm trees everywhere!

More palm trees and the beautiful blue ocean

Near my where my village and school will be

Near where my village and school will be

Near where my village and school will be

View from Voc-Tech

Talofa from American Samoa!

Talofa (hello)! I finally made it to American Samoa!!!!!!! After spending the night in LA we took an early flight to Honolulu, Hawaii and then from there caught another plane to Pago Pago (pronounced sort of like Pango Pango).  The group of us volunteers (there are 21 of us) arrived  Monday night around 10:00pm (Tuesday 5:00am EST). After going through customs and such we were greeted by our field director and were given welcome necklaces. While packing our suitcases into the school bus, a women came up to some of us and asked if we were a group. When she found out that we were the Worldteach teachers she got very excited and pulled out a recording device and proceeded to interview us for a radio station that she worked at. Apparently Worldteach volunteers have a bit of a celebrity status here on the island and people have been asking about our arrival for weeks. 

After we loaded all our stuff into the bus we were off to our new home for the next three weeks, Nu'uuli Voc-Tech High School. While we are here we are sleeping in classrooms on mattress pads and living out of our suitcases. I'm in a room with four other girls (I'll try and attach pictures in my next post).

Today (Tuesday 8/4/15) I woke up pretty early because of the time difference (American Samoa is 7 hours behind the east coast) so I walked around and explored the high school and ocean that is right across the street. This was my first time actually seeing the island because when we arrived it was pitch black out. Even though we are in the more industrial part of Samoa, the views are still spectacular. You look one way and you see the ocean and palm trees and the other way you see huge. lush, green, tropical mountains. 

The next three weeks (including weekends) will consist of mainly orientation. Today we had training from 8:30am-7:30pm with a couple breaks here and there. We learned mainly about basic Worldteach information and then we had different classes on Samoan culture, norms, beliefs, etiquette, and the language (which is super difficult and has a lot of vowels). 

We have a rotating chores schedule and one of my chores for the day was to buy and make dinner. So a group of us found our way to a grocery store and bought some things for a stir fry meal. When it came time to cook we realized that we only had one small frying pan and two bowls, which was not enough to cook for 21+ people, so we had to get very creative. However after dealing with the lack of materials, some mold, and having to boil any water we used for 20+ minutes, we managed to make a pretty decent meal for all 21 of us and some extra for the principle/security guard who work here at Voc-tech. 

Ive only been here a day but it feels like much longer. It's definitely been a bit hard adjusting to some things but I can tell that I'm really going to like it here. I'll try and attach some pictures in my next post! The rest of be week will be pretty similar as today was, full of different classes and training. Either Thursday or Friday we will get to tour more of the island which I'm really excited for. And one of our guest speakers invited all of us to go to church with her on Sunday. Church and religion is probably the second most important thing in Samoan culture  (right behind family), so I'm really looking forward to it. 
Hopefully the wifi will continue to work here a Voc-tech and I'll be able to post again soon!! (Also sorry if this is rambly and there are typos but I most likely won't be rereading and editing all my posts). 

Tofā, soifua!

half way there, fun facts, and my placement

I've made it to Los Angeles! Two planes down and two more to go. I should arrive in Pago Pago airport Monday night. I can't wait! I was feeling super nervous earlier today, but now that I'm on my way I just can't wait to get there! In the mean time I will leave you with some fun facts about American Samoa.

•  Samoans regard the family unit as one one of the most important factors of their daily lives. 

• Those born in American Samoa are considered US Nationals, not US Citizens. They have every right afforded to citizens with the exception of voting in Presidential Elections.

•  Due to their Christian faith, Sunday is strictly a day of rest. Stores and banks are closed, and swimming and other outdoor activities are not allowed.

•  The weather in American Samoa is very consistent with temperatures ranging from high 70’s to high 80’s all year long. When the humidity factored in, it usually feels much hotter than the temperature indicates. The ocean water is usually 82˚-86˚ Fahrenheit

• American Samoa is home to one of the world’s friendliest peoples on earth.

• The National Park of American Samoa is the only US Park in the Pacific, and the only US Park south of the equator. 

• Samoan men are 56% more likely to make the NFL than other Americans.

• Tuna and tuna products are the main export. 

Also...I received my PLACEMENT! I will be living with another volunteer in the village of Faga'alu, and I will be teaching English at Matafao Elementary School on the island of Tutuila (the main island).

My next post will be from the island!