Obviously, my children have been replaced with pod people.

It’s been a crazy couple of days.

Have you noticed that most of my blogs start out like that? Obviously, my life/Samoa is just insane in general.

Yesterday was amazing; I took my kids on a field trip to the National Park of American Samoa in Vatia. (Of course. Once a Park Ranger, always a Park Ranger.)



This sounds pretty simple and straightforward, but it absolutely was not. The principal at Leone made me jump through all sorts of hoops to get this thing approved. So for weeks, I have been in contact with Park Rangers here in American Samoa, and they have come to the school and everything, trying to get this field trip approved. It’s been a hellacious process.

There were a couple of issues. First and foremost, I was told I needed three teachers as chaperones. I enlisted Abby, and we also got one of the truancy officers, Louis (who is cute, but that is neither here nor there.) So: teacher chaperones, done.

Then I was told that three teachers weren’t enough, because my kids are all Mainstream (read: the “bad” kids.) In all actuality, while I do have many, many of the kids that are suspended kind of regularly, I also have a lot of kids who aren’t considered smart just because they can’t speak English that well. And Mainstream kids are often overlooked, and never get to go on things like field trips. Which I find colossally unfair. Just because they aren’t super geniuses doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to have a quality education. Sorry, ranting. Moving on…so, since my kids are Mainstream, I was told I needed to get four parental chaperones in addition to the teachers. So: I got four parents to come.

THEN, I was told that we needed a special bus to go to Vatia, because the village of Vatia is on the back end of the island, and you have to go over this thrilling/scary as hell mountain pass to get there. Apparently, the Vatia school bus has, like, superpowers or something, and it can make it over the mountain without blowing up on the way up or losing control on the way down. So, this was a bit of an issue, because they don’t really have any spare school buses in American Samoa, so you have to get the bus when it’s not busy dropping off elementary kids. That was a crazy challenge, and as of Monday at 3pm, I STILL didn’t know if we got the bus or not, so I had to tell all my kids to come prepared for both school and the field trip. FINALLY, I got our school secretary, Rita, to call the school bus people. Rita is super aggressive and kind of scary and totally awesome, and if you want something done at Leone, she is the one to talk to. She gets on the phone and ten minutes later I have my bus. Yay!

So, fast forward to Tuesday morning, Field Trip Day.

First thing is, the principal apparently forgot that Abby was coming, and there for a second, it looked like maybe she wasn’t going to be able to. But that crisis passes, and the bus got to the school. That’s when things went to Hell in a hand basket.

As it turns out, the Principal was super paranoid about this whole thing, because the last time Leone took a major field trip, some kids went swimming and two kids drowned. That was seven years ago, and mine was the first major field trip since. The other major problem was that the principal basically doesn’t trust me to be capable enough to handle my kids out in the world. I don’t know if it’s because I am young, or because I am not Samoan (Samoans kids do tend to listen to other Samoans better than they listen to palagis.) But it is super irritating and totally unjustified. I literally have class rosters that make seasoned Samoan teachers flinch when they read them, and I have been handling those kids just fine. So, there should be enough faith that I can handle these kids on a field trip. But no. In front of a school bus full of kids waiting to leave for the field trip, and right in front of the office full of my coworkers, the principal starts telling me that I shouldn’t be able to go, that I wasn’t going to be able to handle my kids, and that these were bad kids and I didn’t “know them.”

That’s went I kind of lost my temper.

I kind of let loose about how he didn’t trust me and he didn’t think I was a competent teacher, and that yes, I DO know these kids, because unlike him, I see them every single day, and I totally trust them. And then it turned into this whole “I’ll go back to the States” if anything happens on the field trip. And all of this stupid, stupid argument happened in front of all my kids. It’s was so awful. BUT, eventually, we were allowed to go, and let me just say: my little devil children? SO. WELL. BEHAVED. Like, it wasn't even them, but some sort of pod people that looked like them. I’m feeling pretty good as a teacher, because I’m pretty sure that my kids heard my argument on their behalf, and it would appear they really don’t want me to get fired because they were so good. It was amazing.

We left the school and headed across the island. We had to switch to two smaller buses in Tafuna, I guess so that we could make it up the mountain. Then we picked up the Park Rangers in Utulei, and headed over the mountain to Vatia. Going over that mountain was pretty intimidating, because the bus had to completely floor it to get up it, and I was pretty sure the engine was going to explode. And then coming down the other side, there are all these hairpin, switchback turns, and we were kind of flying around them at an alarming speed. My kids, of course, thought it was great gun, and accompanied the turns with exaggerated leans and “WOOOO” noises, like they were on a roller-coaster. A roller coaster that clings to the side of a volcanic peak that shoots 4000 feet up from the ocean.

Anyway. There’s a point on the road called Afono Pass. It’s at the top of the mountain, and from this point, you get a birds eye view of pretty much the entire island. It’s amazing. We stopped the bus at the pass, and the kids got out to take a look. Most of them had never been up there before.

Let me just say: Every headache, every argument, every minute of stress was completely worth it at that moment. Because the look in their eyes as they took in the beauty of their island from 3000 feet up? I’d fight with every school administrator in American Samoa to see that look.

Here’s what they saw:






While in the National Park, we did a small hike to Pola Island, and the Park Rangers led us. It was great, and the kids had the best time. Afterwards, there was a lot of them saying, “Seki a” (which means awesome). And today in class, a lot of them told me I was the only teacher to ever care enough to take them somewhere like that and that I was the best teacher they ever had. I’m sure that’s not true, but it sure did make me feel all warm and gooey inside.

Some pics from the trip:

Deranged Clowns and Classroom Burglers...

So, I got to school on Monday, and Quinn informed me that someone had broken into her room. I went to my room, and sure enough, someone had come in through the window and out through the door (it locks from the inside). What did they steal from Quinn? Hand sanitizer. What did they steal from me?

Hand sanitizer.

Yeah. Obviously, the world's most germophobic thieves busted into our rooms this weekend. Here's a pic of my room, since I realized I haven't shown one.



Anyway, they stole a few other things too, like a box of markers and a random picture of one of my students. They left the dollar in my drawer, and they left my telephone alone. They left Quinn's brand new Mac computer, but stole her construction paper. Random.

Anyway. Another interesting thing that happened already this week is that I had my first, actual, honest to goodness, no holds barred fight in my classroom. It was between one of my favorite students and one of my least favorite. My favorite said something about the other's village, and that's all it took, it was on. I was disappointed in my fave, but mostly I was just irritated because it interrupted my class. I referred them both and they are both suspended. Good times, good times.

Also yesterday (it was a day for the record books), I went to the boys futsol (indoor soccer) game and while checking out the Samoan National Team playing at the beach across the road, a stray ball came flying from the high school game I was supposed to be watching and nailed me right in the face. (No comments about balls nailing in my face, believe me, I heard them already. Mostly from my Vice Principal. lol) Anyway, my lip is a little swollen, but it doesn't look too bad. Mostly it was just fodder for the Samoans to laugh at me (they love stuff like that.)

Coach Abby (did I mention Abby is the Futsol coach) and her team:



So, this week is Spirit Week at ol' Leone High School. Yesterday was Ghost Day. I dressed all in white (as you would, to be a ghost), and all my students told me I looked like I was going to church. Apparently Samoan ghosts wear black. Whatevs.

These are ghosts:




Personally, I think they look like deranged clowns. Or members of KISS. But that may just be me.

Today was Hippie Day. Most of my students had no idea what a hippie was. I told a lot of the boys that their usual hairstyle (afro to the max) would suffice for hippie day. Some of them took my advice and looked straight up 70s Soul. It was awesome. One of my students took Hippie Day a little too literally and showed up high to class. I didn't turn tthe student in, but really, student? Don't smoke in school. You might get caught. Oy.

Anyway, stay tuned for the rest of Spirit Week: Wednesday Prom Day, Thursday Jersey Day, and Friday Multicolor Day.

Also: One of my students wore this to class. Because I am sometimes not the best role model, I thought it was super funny, and took a picture instead of making him take it off. I should have tried to take it, so I could wear it and maybe stop all the "Miss, do you have stapler?" and "Miss, do you have a marker?" and"Miss, do you have minutes on your phone?" and "Miss, do you have a patridge in a pear tree?" Just a thought.

I effing love this place.

I'm too freaking stoked to write a real blog, because my (yes, I claim ownership of them now)Leone Lions Varsity football team just beat the previously undefeated Faga'itua Vikings. So, I'll just post some pics to highlight the evening. Pretty much all the pics are of my boys. And by "my boys," I mean my students. I've become attached, in case you couldn't tell.

(The last picture is of Peni and Paisano, two of my senior boys. I love them, but this picture made me have awful visions of what my life would be like if I had them both in the same class. Peni's in Earth and Space and Paisano's in Marine Science. Thank God. lol.)

Sometimes football games get called for brawling...

I <3 Leone. My village.

Sorry for the blogging delay…those of you who know that I have kept a journal for the last 18 years also know that I write in that journal approximately four times a year. So I don’t have the best track record with journaling of any kind.

And then once I don’t blog for a little while, it becomes kind of a chore because I have so much to catch up on…I guess I should just write a little every day and then it wouldn’t be a problem.

Anyway. I left off with the Explosion in a Cafeteria (anyone get the literary reference?) That Thursday, September 29, was Tsunami Remembrance Day in the Samoas, in memory of the lives lost in the 2009 tsunami that hit the Samoan Islands. We had an assembly that day in school, and it was sad, and then we got an early dismissal. My kids’ stories remind me a lot of the survivor stories I heard after the Alabama tornadoes last April. Only it was a wall of water instead of a wall of wind.



Last weekend I went with Amanda to Tisa’s Barefoot Bar. It’s a pretty cool beach bar over on the East Side on the island (WEST SIDE 4 LIFE!), and we saw a shark, which was super cool. Although it did put a damper on our swimming plans, for obvious reasons. I like Tisa’s, but it’s a bit touristy for my taste, and the drinks are super expensive. So I doubt I will be going there on a regular basis. But it was fun for the day. Here is Tisa's:




Monday and Thursday of the past week, our field director came in and observed two of our classes, and then gave us feedback. My classes were fine, but I did feel like most of my feedback was negative, which kind of sucks. I think it’s really hard for our field director to accurately judge our teaching and our kids by watching two hours of teaching. I know my kids really well by now, and I know what works for them and what doesn’t, and so it kind of sucks to be judged on two random classes. That’s not to say that I don’t have room for improvement, because I totally do. I definitely have things I need to work on. I guess the reason I have such a bad taste in my mouth about the observations is that I know how difficult my classes were in the beginning, and I know how far my kids and I have come in the last two months. So while I see marked improvement, an outside observer wouldn’t know the starting point was much worse than now.

Anyway. The good news is, I really feel comfortable with my students now, and I feel like I’m coming into my own as a teacher.




Some of my classes put on skits last week, and they were really hilarious. They were about how you would survive if you landed on Mars, and they were predictably riddled with guest appearances from Aliens and Martian royalty. But they did mention finding the water at the polar ice caps and bringing oxygen with them since the atmosphere on Mars is pretty rough, so I was happy. I’ve included some pics of the skits.







Friday was the football game, Leone versus the Samaona Sharks. The Sharks beat us at the beginning of the year, so we had something to prove…apparently so much to prove that the JV game erupted into a massive 100 person brawl and was called during the third quarter. They cancelled the Varsity game, too, and said both teams would get a loss. Which was really not fair, since neither Varsity squad was even near the field when the brawl broke out. (Plus, all my boys are Varsity, and I wanted to see them play!)

After the “game”, my (Samoan) friend Danielle picked up Amanda and Julie from Pava’ai’i and I rode with the Samoana WorldTeachers , and we all met at the market downtown, which is totally sweet on the first Friday of the month. It was really crowded, and I saw a couple of my students (of course, I can’t go anywhere without seeing a couple of them. Lol.) We had some delicious food and then Danielle, Lisa, Lisa’s BF Rufus, and I went to the bar to sing some karaoke. It was awesome. Samoans a) take their karaoke very seriously, b) pretty much all have amazing voices and c) love them some tragic love songs. Add those three components together and you have a pretty excellent time. A pretty excellent time involving a lot of Celine Dion, song by females and males alike.

Saturday was kind of a bummer. My roommates tend to do stuff together, without me, and they went off to Western Samoa for the weekend, so I got kind of lonely on Saturday. Mostly because I had nothing to do. Then I find out, after the fact, that they rescheduled the Varsity Leone/Samoana game for Saturday afternoon. And we beat the pants (fins?) off the Samoama Sharks. Woo! But I was seriously bummed no one told me the game was rescheduled, because I would have totally gone and supported my boys. And my football habit.

Sunday was completely amazing. It was White Sunday, which is Children’s Day in Samoa, and is a really big deal. The children basically take over the church service, and it is awesome. I especially enjoyed the little boy (about three) who had enough of being onstage and just wandered down the aisle in his spiffy white suit, wearing only one shoe. And I enjoyed the roughly 8 year old that got completely into the dance, and was showing a lot of hip action. Very sassy.




After the service, Drew (my aforementioned field director, who I actually do quite like despite earlier complaints about observations), and I went to have afternoon meal, or to’onai, at a lady named Tui’s house in Leone. She works for the Department of Education, and also goes to my church. The meal was delicious Samoan food (lots of coconut stuff and lots of meat), and the company was great. Afterward, Tui took us on a drive up the west coast of the island, which was awesome because I had never been past Leone. And the West Side is MY side, so I felt that is was necessary to see it all. Plus, a lot of my kids live up the west side, and I wanted to see their villages.

Well. Let me just say, the East Side might be beautiful, but it ain’t got nothin’ on the West Side. It’s SO pretty. I can’t believe I let three months pass before ventured past Leone. One of the problems is that there bus service past Leone is a little shady, but I’m not going to let that deter me anymore. We went up past the village of Amanave, home of many of my students, who for some reason refer to it as Unkabunka. Look, I have stopped trying to explain the minds of my students. I just go with it. We drove the whole way up to the village of Poloa, which is almost the end of the road, literally and figuratively. The road past Amanave gets super scary and sea-cliff hugging. It’s really not so much a road as a death defying adventure ride.

The West Side was so beautiful, but also really sad, because it was the most devastated by the tsunami in 2009, and many people still don’t have homes. They live in the tents FEMA provided for them. We went the whole way to Poloa Elementary, which I’ve included a picture of here. It was completely destroyed by the tsunami. Luckily, the teachers got the students safely up the hill in the nick of time.



A couple of weeks ago, when we were learning about human impact on the ocean, I asked my juniors and seniors to write an essay about why it can be bad if too many people live near the ocean. I wanted them to give me answers that talked about pollution and depletion of marine resources. Instead, I got answers like this:

“People living by the coast is bad because the tsunami will come and everyone will be running and you will try to help them but you can’t.”

It wasn’t until this Sunday and my trip up the west coast that I truly understood that answer.

The Day the Cafeteria Blew Up

So, our cafeteria exploded on Wednesday.

This led to the whole school being dismissed early because if you can’t feed a Samoan, you might as well send him home. Lol.

Per usual, my kids knew of these happenings before I did and the conversation second period went something like this:
Student: Miss, are we getting out early?
Me: What?
Student: We are getting out early.
Me: What?
Student: The cafeteria EXPLODED.
Me: WHAT?!

Of course, the cafeteria did not literally explode, but my English as Second Language students couldn’t quite find the right words for “The septic tank backed up and now the oil and grease runoff from the kitchen is coming out of the faucets and up out of the drains in the floor.” So, it turned into “Miss, the cafeteria EXPLODED.” Which works.

So, anyway, about half way through second period, the news came on the brand spanking new intercoms (we are all, teachers and students alike, still very amused by the intercoms) that we would be dismissed early because of an “incident” in the cafeteria. After that, it was impossible to keep my kids under control, so I just helped the few that needed help with their study guides and let the others celebrate. It was definitely the most interesting reason for dismissing school early that I have ever experienced.

Speaking of the study guides, I gave me very first test of the year this week, in Earth Science. Before I curved it, not a single one of my kids got an A on the test. I was trying to figure out why, and I think the blame lies both with me and my students. On one hand, some of the students that did poorly never take notes, don’t do homework and are generally lazy. On the other hand, I think I overestimated my students’ ability to speak English. From the clarification questions I got during the test, their English is actually a lot worse than I realized, and I should have known that. So, somehow I have to make these multiple choice questions in simpler English. But still, many of them didn’t even TRY to do the essay, and I had several questions that they needed to draw diagrams for, and they didn’t even try with those either. So, I will shoulder the responsibility for the poor grades of the kids that I know are trying really hard but just can’t understand half of my words. But I will not take the blame for those kids that I know haven’t put much effort at all into getting a good grade. Hopefully, their failing this test will be the wakeup call they need to get on the ball. We shall see.

We had “parties” in most of my classes today, since we just had a test and it’s Friday. And let’s be honest, even though I’m the teacher, I didn’t really feel like doing anything either. So we had a dance contest in two of my periods, which was hilarious and I’m really going to try to post the video of. Also, my students showed me the haka, or war dance, and it was awesome.

While Abby and I were in my room eating lunch, this happened:

Student I don’t have but vaguely recognize runs into my classroom and throws himself in a desk, breathing heavily.
Me: “Um, what are you doing?”
Student: “I’m running from that guy. He’s trying to kill me.”
Me: “Why is he trying to kill you?”
Student: “I threw a rock at his head.”
Me (at this point in my time in Samoa, totally unsurprised by this confession): “Why did you throw a rock at his head?”
Student: “I hate him.”
Me: “Uh-huh. Get out of my room.”

I mean, in a way, it’s kind of refreshing that everything is so cut and dry. Why did you throw a rock at him? I hate him. Simple, to the point, and extremely honest. These kind of things happen all the time here, so I wasn’t even mad at this kid or disgusted by him, I just wanted to eat my lunch in peace, so I ousted him.

These sorts of occurrences seem to be the norm here. In fact, my very worst behaving student, the one I actively can’t stand, did something violent to a construction worker on campus, and is apparently expelled now. I hear he also threw a rock, but I’m not sure if that is accurate. But this was his last chance, and he’s supposedly out for good. I can’t say I feel too sad. Without him, my first period devil class, the one I cry about sometimes, is SO MUCH BETTER BEHAVED. It’s like he brought the worst out in them. Of course, I saw him on the way home from school, and he said he’ll be back next week, even though the VP said he’s out. We’ll see next week, I guess.

I have to say, I love my kids. Even if they are little hooligans.
For you viewing enjoyment:

Creepers in the Laundromat and Other Island Adventures

Look at that picture! Yep, that’s right, the Leone Lions finally won a game…is was very exciting. Granted, it was against the sucky private school, but I am hopeful that this win will give the boys the confidence to win a couple more. Our previous games have demonstrated that we have the skill to win, we just need to get our head in the game. You’ll notice that in regards to all things Leone High, I now use the royal “we.” Lol.
Also: check out those new green uniforms…those were bought for us by none other than my NFL boyfriend, Troy Polamalu. He is just so great.



Anyway. That was Friday night. Quinn and I went to the game, Abby was sick and stayed home. After the game, we walked to KSMart to get a few groceries, and on the way there we kept getting passed by all these Leone people heading home from the game. Every other truck is like, “Hi, Miss Quinn!” “Hi, Miss Amber!” Quinn remarked that it was like a parade. Made me feel like a rock star. I love this place, especially our little side of the island. WEST SIDE!




In other news, I spent Wednesday and Thursday in the hospital. Apparently, I have fish poisoning (also known as Ciguatera), which is this serious thing where you can literally get poisoned from eating toxic reef fish. I spent two days in the hospital, which is a little sketch, I’m not gonna lie. The room was kind of dirty, and you can be sure I was watching like a hawk to make sure the needle they used for my IV was brand new. (It was.) Anyway, fish poisoning is super weird. Here is a description from the internet:

“Ciguatera is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fishes whose flesh is contaminated with toxins that adhere to coral, algae and seaweed, where they are eaten by herbivorous fish who in turn are eaten by larger carnivorous fish. Predator species near the top of the food chain in tropical and subtropical waters, such as barracudas, snapper, moray eels, parrotfishes, groupers, triggerfishes and amberjacks, are most likely to cause ciguatera poisoning, although many other species cause occasional outbreaks of toxicity. Ciguatoxin is very heat-resistant, so ciguatoxin-laden fish cannot be detoxified by conventional cooking.
Researchers suggest that ciguatera outbreaks caused by cooling climatic conditions propelled the migratory voyages of Polynesians between 1000 and 1400.
Hallmark symptoms of ciguatera in humans include gastrointestinal and neurological effects. Gastrointestinal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, usually followed by neurological symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, paresthesia, numbness, ataxia, and hallucinations. Severe cases of ciguatera can also result in cold allodynia, which is a burning sensation on contact with cold.
The symptoms can last for weeks. Most people do recover slowly over time.”

So, yeah. THAT’S fun. My symptoms are already going away, so they should be completely gone in a week or so. The kicker is, I don’t even know how I got poisoned. I eat fish quite a bit here, but I don’t remember eating any of the fish mentioned. I guess red snapper are especially notorious for this…when I got back to school on Friday, I told my kids I had fish poisoning, and they were all, “Oh, did you eat the red fish?” And I’m like, “Um…maybe?” And they say, all sage-like and wise, while shaking their heads in chagrin, “You shouldn’t eat the red fish.”

I love them.

They told me if they had known I was in the hospital, they would have come visit me. I’m thinking to myself, “Uh, yeah, I wasn’t wearing any pants while I was there, so that would have been awkward.” I did not, of course, say this to them.

Saturday I did not do much of anything. I was going to go into town with Quinn and some others, but I still wasn’t feeling up to par, so I stayed home and just relaxed. (side note: many times when my kids come into class, they’re like “Just relax, Miss? Just relax?” Then they act (fake) surprised that I say no, we have work to do. They make me smile.) Saturday night I went and did laundry at the place about a fifteen minute walk away. I know, I know, what an exciting Saturday night.

Anyway, I was just minding my own, folding my clothes, and this super creepy guy comes in and just starts staring at me. And I hear him talking to his buddy, and I KNOW they are talking about me and they are laughing and making suggestive faces and he was SO CREEPY. He was about fifty, with missing teeth and these gross sores on his legs and he was drinking, and I cannot even describe the amount of creeped out I was. And the weirdest thing was just the staring. I could literally feel his stare. And I was kind of freaking out because I knew I had to walk home and I he was just hanging at the laundromat, not actually doing laundry, and I was afraid he was going to follow me home. Luckily, one of my students was there doing laundry with somebody else, and as I was leaving, they were like, “That guy was talking about you. We’re going to give a ride home.” So, I was really thankful for that (I've included a pic of John, my rescuer.)




I mean, I know creepy guys exist everywhere, but I was living in a state of blissful ignorance here in Samoa, because everyone was just super friendly and I was always walking about by myself with no problem. This is the first time I have felt legit scared by somebody here, and it is depressing because I had kind of put all of Samoa on a sort of pedestal, and it sucks to have that taken away. Especially in Leone, the village that I consider “my” village now. But I guess even in Leone, there are creepy people. Especially if you add alcohol into the mix.

I’m not putting this into words very well, but I guess I feel sort of betrayed by Am Samoa for not being quite as safe as I thought it was. Which is ridiculous, but there it is. Disillusioned, you could say.

I know it was naïve and stupid of me to get lured into a false sense of security, so I guess this a wake-up call.

Anyway.

Today I went to church and it was a good time.

At church, I saw the same student (John, see picture) that rescued me from the laudromat, so that means I have seen him every single day this week. Lol.

I am going to join the church choir, even though I don’t speak Samoan. I just miss singing. (For those of you who don’t know, I used to sing.) I can learn the words, even if I’m not sure what I’m saying. Anyway, apparently word has gotten around that I want to join the choir, because last night doing laundry this person was like, “Oh, you’re the one who is going to join the choir!” And at church today, everyone was coming up to me all excited that I’d be joining the choir. Made me feel welcome, which was really nice. I probably won’t join until after White Sunday, which is in October. They’re in the midst of preparations for it, so it’d be hard to catch up if I joined now.

Anyway. Melinda’s spending the night at our house tonight, which is nice, because I haven’t seen her in many, many moons. I’m gonna peace out and work on some lesson planning.

Manuia le po!

A Tale of a Whale

Ah, Samoa. My life here is so full of happenings that I can never remember where I left off in my blog. Let us start with Friday, September 2.

That was the day of our first pep rally at Leone High School. To say it was insanity would really be putting it mildly. There was no use teaching class, because the kids were so wound up and involved in preparations for the pep rally, it was impossible to get them to concentrate. Plus, classes were really short because the pep rally was taking up a good chunk of the afternoon.

Let me say, pep rallies in American Samoa are not quite the same as pep rallies in Western Pennsylvania. I remember maybe thirty minutes devoted to the football team/volleyball team/basketball team/whoever didn’t totally suck that year. The cheerleaders would attempt some sort of new stunt, usually unsuccessfully. We in the band might play Cat Scratch Fever and another tune or two. The players would go up on stage, we’d be excited for the game, and then it’d be over and we’d all go home.

Well. Here in American Samoa, pep rallies don’t just celebrate all the sports teams; they also serve as class competitions. So, the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes are all competing against each other in categories such as “mascot,” “banner,” “cheer,” and “overall performance.” And they prepare for it all week. The cheers are the best part in my opinion, because they are weird blends of pop music, Samoan song, traditional Samoan war chants, and your usual high school “we will rock you” kind of chants. The kids combine them all together into this 8 minute super cheer that is so amazing to hear. I’m going to try to post a video, but I don’t know if it will work. I should also mention the dancing. OMG, these kids love to shake it. I have included a picture of the junior boys, dressed to the nines as women, dancing to the junior class cheer. I have about half the juniors. These are my students. Lol.



After the competition was over, they announced the winners. In this case, the seniors won. And then promptly lost fifty class points for being overly rowdy and not listening. Lol. I also teach a good chunk of the seniors. Just saying.

It’s after the winners have been announced that things went from completely insane to absolute chaos. They play some music, and two advisors from each class have to dance, and of course I was chosen, and I was challenged to whip my hair, which I did. And the kids went freaking CRAZY when I did. They loved it, and I got a headache. Lol. And then teachers are dancing with students and students are dancing with alumni and everyone’s singing and busting a move and it’s just absolute anarchy.

It’s amazing.

Saturday morning, Quinn, Abby and I went to the football game, Leone High against Faga’itua High. (All the football games are played in the same stadium, so they have them Thursday, Friday and Saturday.) Leone really showed up for most of the game, and we were actually up 14-0 in the first quarter against an undefeated Faga’itua team. And then it all went to hell. WE CANNOT STOP WITH THE TURNOVERS. Gah, it’s killing me. We threw THREE interceptions in the endzone. They would have been our touchdowns if we had run the ball four yards instead of trying to pass. Anyway. We lost, 23-14. And I hear the Stillers are having turnover issues this week as well.






Saturday night was the Leone High Staff party. There was cake, there was tequila and there was the electric slide. Nuff said.

Monday, Labor Day, I went with Amanda to Sliding Rock, which is on the ocean not far from our house. It was a great time, and we had a blast sliding on the rocks with the waves.




Fast forward the week; it was just another week in school. My kids and I seem to have settled into a delicate balance with each other. Grades were due this Friday, and I was super amused watching these kids come up to my desk to see their grades. Some were nonchalant, some were resigned, and some looked like they were headed to the gallows. I could literally hear the funeral march as they walked. Some of my kids were super excited to get As, and they deserved it because they actually did all their work and tried hard. Some kids just did not understand why they were failing. I’m like, “Well, see this class assignment? You didn’t do it. See this other assignment? You didn’t do it. See this quiz? You didn’t take it. This is your problem.”

Friday night I went with the Tafuna peeps and the Samoana peeps to Aunu’u Island for Julie’s birthday. Aunu’u is a small island just off the coast of Tutuila, the island I live on. Aunu’u is way over on the east side, and I’m pretty solidly West Side (I’m flashing my West Side sign at you), so I had to leave straight away from work on Friday afternoon. Caught the bus to the market, caught up with Peter, Kasey and Lauren, and then we got the Tula bus the whole way to the wharf for the Aunu’u boat. All told, it was about 2 hours on a bus, which is a lot considering the island is 13 miles long. Once at the wharf, we had to catch the little boat over to Aunu’u. That boat is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. You bounce all around crossing that strait between Aunu’u and Tutuila.




Aunu’u was amazing, and I had a blast. We ate delicious food on Friday night, and then on Saturday we took a short island tour with Rose and Julie. We saw the elementary they teach at, and the beach right by their house, and walked around part of the perimeter of the island. You can walk the whole island in an hour, apparently, so you get an idea of how big it is. It’s a really beautiful place, but I am glad to live in Leone. I don’t think I have the patience to teach elementary, first of all. I have my issues with my juniors and seniors, but I realized this weekend how much I love them.

Also: Aunu’u was very, very nice, but So. Small. As we walked around, EVERYONE was staring and wondering what the heck all these palagis (white people) are doing running around. Leone is a super small village, but people aren’t quite as up in our business. I still feel like a Rock Star sometimes in Leone, just because there are like 6 white people in the whole village. But it doesn’t seem as intrusive as on Aunu’u.

One very exciting thing: While were were waiting for the boat back to Tutuila, Kasey goes, “Oh my God, a whale!” And sure enough, just chilling in the channel between the two islands, not too far from where we were standing, are a couple of whale, just frolicking and having a grand old time. We aren’t sure what kind. They were probably humpbacks, because they migrate this time of year. But they seemed to have a dorsal fin, and looked like orcas from the distance. Either way, it was amazing to just be chilling on the beach and all of the sudden, OH, THERE’S A WHALE. I’ve including a pic of Lauren on the beach and a whale jumping out in the distance, but I’m not sure it will show up well.




We came back from Aunu’u on Saturday, and we ate at Rosies in Fagatogo, and I had the best sandwich I have ever eaten. I’m not a foodie at all, but MY GOD, this thing was good. It was grilled Wahoo (which is a fish), and it was so amazing. I want to go every weekend.

Today, Sunday, Quinn and I went to church in Leone. I think I’ve mentioned before that Samoans are super religious, and over 90% of them go to church. I figured it was about time I started going, and some of my students asked me to go to their church, so I did. The church is called the Christian Congregationalist Church of American Samoa, and the way I understand it, it was founded by the London Missionary Society back in the 1800s. It’s the oldest church in American Samoa, and it is so beautiful. I have a photo of the outside, but I need to somehow take one of the inside. And also I want to somehow record the Samoans singing in church, because it the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. And I am not exaggerating.




The service is in Samoan, so I did zone out a little. I know they were talking about September 11th, because the Samoan lady beside us told Quinn. Plus I heard the words “Trade Center.” Hard to believe it’s been ten years. It’s also hard to believe that it’s so important to these people who live half a world away from the United States.

I was sitting there, kind of not paying attention, and when all of the sudden I realized the paster was speaking in English and everyone was staring at us. They were just pointing out that we were the WorldTeachers and welcoming us to worship with them. I want to join the choir, even though they sing in Samoan. I’m gonna work on that. Lots of my students go to this church, and the history buff in me likes that it’s the oldest church in American Samoa, so I think I’ll stick with it for the long run. And it’s right on Leone Bay, but miraculously didn’t get touched by the tsunami. Pretty amazing. Well, you’re all caught up. Manuia le po!