Sugas and soles! Talofa! While I'd like to say that life has been hectic over here in AmSam, that wouldn't be a total truth. School has been filled with endless work, but laziness has also been one of my biggest vices. It has become really easy to spend Saturday laying in bed, catching up on sleep, hunger, and social media. Slowly but surely, though, we're creating adventure, and the experiences are becoming hilarious and irreplaceable.
Probably the most significant thing I've done in the last week is attend a service at a Mormon church. This sounds crazy, especially to me, since this is the last thing I ever thought I would find myself doing. Living by the motto of trying everything once, though, this was bound to happen in a country with such religious prevalence. I am not the most religious person in the world, I would put myself at the bottom of that spectrum, questioning everything and very skeptical of it all. I expected my visit to the mormon church to be filled with my internal anger and frustration and people endlessly trying to convert me. Surprisingly, it was not that. It was actually kind of normal. The service started out a bit weird, and I definitely noticed some things that would make me mad if I dwelled on them, but just being there and telling myself that people are different, it went well! Things got weird when one of the speakers started crying and then again when I awkwardly said that I would not stay for the 2 hour Sunday school, but hey it worked out. I can probably definitely say that I won't be going back, but I respect the different perspective of others and am firm in mine ('you do you'). In other news, Praxis tutoring has started! Starting just two weeks ago, Johannah and I have decided to spend our Saturday mornings tutoring for the writing section of the Praxis (the standardized test for teachers). These classes are part of the DOE of American Samoa's initiative to try to have most of their teachers be certified, since now, less than half are. This is a slightly alarming statistic, but hopefully with time and more programs like this tutoring one, things can start to change. It's so refreshing to tutor students who actually want to learn (who are also other teachers, which is weird). It feels different to be answering genuine questions and having stimulating conversations about back and forth. It also feels great to share my knowledge and have an impact on the community we are working for. What sucks is having to study for standardized tests on a Saturday morning, and so I give the teachers so much credit for actually coming to class. The worst thing that's happened all week has been finding a centipede in my house. First of all, let me say that the centipedes here are apparently a terrible bug to get in a scuffle with. Even their feet crawling on you irritates your skin greatly, and their bite causes intense pain. I AM SO SCARED OF THEM. I was hoping I'd get away with never seeing one. As if I don't have enough troubles with my house to begin with (too many bugs, too hot, nonfunctioning oven, cold water, broken screens, but beautiful residents at least <3), we found one of them! Let me set the scene - last week, I got home one night, scared because my roommate was sleeping over another house and I was all alone. I'm scared of the dark, so I was just trying to breath and get over my fear, and it worked! I fell asleep calmly and woke up rested. When I went to the bathroom in the morning I saw a black thing in my bedroom doorway. Thinking it was a hair elastic, I just stepped over it. When I got back from the bathroom though, I noticed it had FEET. Then I got closer and noticed it had A LOT of feet. FML it was a centipede. I tried to step on it (with shoes on don't worry) but I just kind of freaked out, and I cried. So I got my earth and space science text book and slammed it down on it and twisted it around for about a minute to ensure it was dead. I left that book there for a full day because I didn't want to look at the dead devil. Now, I probably have a whole family of centipedes looking for vengeance. If I die by centipede attack - mom and dad, I love you. At least my kids thought it was funny when I gave them an example of how not to use their textbook. (Okay, I'm being dramatic, but my fears are real!) On the other hand, the happiest moment of my entire month has been getting a CSA box. CSA stands for community supported agriculture, so buying a CSA box is a way of purchasing fresh veggies and fruits from a regional farmer. A program called 'SuperStar Produce' does this every week, distributing $20 boxes with LOADS of goodies, and also DELICIOUS plates of food for a great dinner! I'd been waiting long for this CSA box to enter into my life, and I finally got it last week. Johannah and I decided to split the box, which was a fantastic idea since even half seems to be too much for me for a week (too much food is never a bad thing, though). In the box, we got: niu (baby coconuts), sweet potatoes, baby eggplants, egg mangoes, LOCAL AVOCADOS (zomg), star fruit, pickles, limes, bananas (tons of bananas), hot peppers, papaya, abiu (an interesting fruit that's like a caramel flavored pineapple), and pumpkins (hello fall?)!! If you're not sold yet on how amazing this is, we also got a plate of delicious smoked fish on salad with homemade dressing, local corn and sunflower seeds with corn bread croutons. HEAVEN. To make this even better, the pickup of the box is always a party - filled with people equally as excited about the box, drinking moonshine and having a good time. So let me change 'HEAVEN' to 'HEAVEN x 10'. It's weird to think about life right now - living on a really small island, really REALLY far from home, with people I've only known for not even 3 months, doing something I've never done before and don't know too much about (though I'm learned a lot really quickly), and dealing with an environment that's the opposite of everything I know. Yeah, it's definitely weird. But it's the little things that have made all the difference. Picking up a CSA box, hugging my 'inner circle', drinking a cup of the dunkin donuts coffee that I splurged too much on, eating coconut ice cream from a local ice cream shop, putting in headphones and drifting away to my spotify playlist, or watching Elf (which I've shamelessly done twice) - it's these things that keep me grounded. I'm kind of confused where life is taking me, but I do know that I'm getting somewhere somehow. It's also weird to think about where I'll be next year at this time, but I try not to dwell on that. I'm focusing on the now and forgetting about the rest because if I don't do that, I'm gonna cause myself a lot of stress (didn't even mean for that to rhyme lolz).
0 Comments
Just some pictures, because pictures are cool.
Culture shock - noun; the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Culture shock (familiar) - when World Teach volunteers freak out about coming to American Samoa because they don't know how to tie their lava-lava and mispronounce the word 'tulou', but are coming to appreciate the beautiful country, generous people, and unique customs that has become their home. I came to American Samoa with little expectations. I read my WorldTeach handbook and looked up some interesting facts about the country I would spend the next year in (mostly just listened to my mom tell me stuff), but I purposely spent little time reading blogs and doing much else. For some reason, I thought that coming into this experience knowing little, and adapting to things as they came, would be the best way to go about my adjustment to Samoan Culture. I'm still unsure if this was the right way, but one thing I do know is that for most of us volunteers, this experience is different than we ever imagined it would be, and each day brings new, exciting, and sometimes frustrating challenges. In the past few weeks, we've learned how beautiful the culture we live in is, and how difficult it is to explain our experience without experiencing it for oneself. I'll try to relay some examples of what I mean, but know that experiences are different for everyone; what some people find unusual, others have found commonplace, but here's what I have been intrigued by so far: 1. Respect: Samoa is by far one of the most respectful cultures I've ever had the pleasure to live in. From the custom of never standing and eating, to always saying excuse me when passing in front of someone, every common practice is done with regard. At first, it seemed tedious to keep track of when and how to act respectfully, but after some time (and lots of practice), it's starting to become natural (almost). With lots to remember, though, it’s stressful to think of messing a situation up – of wearing a skirt too short (above knee length), or of eating at the wrong time, but the most important thing I’ve learned to remember is the kindness and acceptance of Samoans. It’s the respect of culture and attempting to understand the customs that’s the most important, and mistakes are bound to happen. So when my lava lava (a Samoan skirt tied around the waist) falls off, I embrace it, smile, and try to tie it a bit better next time. 2. On that note....Kindness. Have you ever been to place where hitchhiking is the norm?! If it’s something you want to experience, come on over the American Samoa. Countless times, random cars have pulled over to my friends and I to ask if we needed a ride anywhere. This simple gesture explains the kindness of Samoans, which is always apparent. Being in a culture so different than my own, it’s comforting to be welcomed so open-heartedly and with such warm smiles. 3. Volleyball skill. ‘Polynesian Volleyball Players’ should never be messed with. If you ask most people in AmSam if they play volleyball, they’d probably say no, then proceed to pick up a ball and school you. Playing volleyball is just a way of life. Pick up games happen every day, and backyard rules are the only rules. Johannah and I continue to be brushed off when we ask to join an intramural team, probably because our skills would be embarrassing. Maybe if I practice enough some of the talent will brush off on me so I can finally fulfill my dreams of being a professional volleyball player (laugh-out-loud). 4. Environment: in such a beautiful place, it’s obvious that some of the favorite past times in American Samoa are swimming and hanging out at the beach. On a free day, or even after work, people of all ages crowd the water and fry up barbecues on the sand. While the ocean and island is appreciated so much, it’s also worth noticing the way the environment is regarded. Signs saying ‘Keep American Samoa Beautiful’ line the road to remind Samoans to keep their litter in the trash, but plastic usage is abundant and recycling is not a thing. It’s interesting to see where priorities lie, and curious to wonder about when the practices may catch up with the community. Regardless, we live in the most beautiful place ever. Sorry not sorry. 5. Buses: Random but really important to talk about. BUSES HERE ROCK. Step into the road, wave down a bus, and walk onto a magical world. Most likely, you’ll be on a colorful converted truck, with wooden seats, maybe some boas and beads, possibly a tv that’s showing a Korean Drama, Bollywood film, or WWE fight. Without fail, you’ll always jam out to reggae-samoan remixes of your favorite songs, or of classics you didn’t think could be remixed (like ‘My Heart Will Go On’, for instance). They turn in every which direction, dropping people off wherever they need to go, no specific route, and absolutely no schedule. It’s an experience, for sure. Just hope you don’t catch a bus driving tuna workers back from the cannery… Sorry for the rambling but, for the 800th time, this country is amazing. Different than I expected and challenging, but enlightening and fun all the same. #visitamericansamoa2016 |
AuthorThe only way to find yourself is to get lost (and eat a lot of ice cream). Archives
January 2017
Categories |