Connections

Talofa and greetings! 

Most of my blog posts are usually just pictures and captions, but I finally wrote a few things to share as well. Below are just a few short articles that I put together dealing with the connections I have made here in American Samoa. Connections are at the core of what keeps people going, right? They are the driving force behind so much of what we do, especially for Samoans. Connections are why we work, play, and love, and what more is there to life than that? Well, money perhaps, but while being a volunteer in Samoa, where I could walk around aimlessly with no food or clothes and immediately be taken in, cleaned, clothed, fed til I was very plump, given a place to sleep, and even loved, I have kind of forgotten about money and the power it has, which brings me to my next point: I only have about 40 days left on this crazy, beautiful island!!! "Mixed emotions" can't even begin to describe how I feel about leaving Faga'itua, Tutuila, American Samoa. As Dr. Seuss would say, "Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened." So smile I shall. :)

This is a photo of my FHS JV girls basketball team!!! I'm very grateful that I was able to coach these girls and connect with them through basketball, a sport that is very dear to me. I am sad the season is over but proud of what we did. Thanks again to EVERYONE for their support. We needed it! 

Connect to Their Roots

Without a doubt the best days I have had while in Samoa have been while trying to teach English to a bunch of crazy, loud, violent, wonderful Samoan teenagers. They pound on my door at all hours of the school day. The word “privacy” must not exist in the Samoan language; after all, their fales are completely open. There are no doors or windows, so you are expected to just walk right in! They hit and slap and push each other all the time. This is their way of showing love. The first week in my village my neighbor explained to me that a slap is one way to show love here. I thought he was crazy and more importantly, wrong! Now I see everything a bit differently because I finally learned to “connect to their roots” and understand the people here outside of my preconceived notions. 

My students prefer to dance instead of learn about subject-verb agreement. They prefer to play their ukuleles instead of studying the different parts of speech. They prefer to take pictures on Photo Booth instead of researching J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye. These kids even prefer to chase each other through the halls instead of sitting quietly in their desks learning about Shakespeare.

Then I made a breakthrough. I compared the parts of an essay to a fale: the roof is the intro, the posts are the separate paragraphs in the body, and the foundation is the conclusion. I had them come up with a rap and dance to explain the parts of speech. They discussed the issues that their territory is facing in an organized yet passionate debate. And you wouldn’t believe how many things the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield: a lost, confused, teenager trying to find his way through life, has in common with a Samoan teenager from a small village on a small island trying to find his purpose in this world. It took me awhile, but I finally realized that I needed to “connect to their roots.” After all, we all simply want to be understood and loved for who we are, right?

The Bigger, the Better!

While eating lunch with a coworker I complained about putting on a few pounds. The teacher replied, “Well good!!! We would feel like failures if you didn’t gain some weight while living here.” I was baffled. She was happy that I was gaining weight. “Who is this person?” I thought to myself. She is a Samoan, an extremely beautiful Samoan who isn’t stick-thin, the “norm” that we all see in magazines, movies, and on billboards in the states. Wow, I could gain a few pounds and still be seen as beautiful? Bring it on!!! 

American Samoans are Samoan first and American second. You can deal with this in two ways: embrace the differences and find the beauty in them or resist them and stick to your American ways. In other words, you can eat what you want and not have to feel guilty about it, or you can stress about it and obsess about your looks and miss out on life. You decide. I chose the taro smothered in creamy coconut milk.

I wrote this article and then the next day the man on the radio station that I listen to said as a joke, “If you are skinny and living in Samoa you are considered to be sickly and cancerous.” Oh my, haha…

Take a Quick Trip to Alaska While in Samoa!

If you’ve never gone to Alaska, now is your chance! It will be a nice, cool break from the constant heat that Samoa provides. Alaska is also known as A’oloau, a village up the mountain on the western end of Tutuila. You may be expecting moose, snow, and huge mountains, but instead you will find stray dogs, a slightly cooler breeze than usual, and a small mountain. To Samoans, though, this is Alaska, and if you visit A’oloau after spending sometime in one of the extremely hot villages “downstairs” (in a village below this village) then it really will feel like Alaska to you as well. There is even an “Alaska” bus and a group of people who refer to themselves as “snow boys” from what I have heard. This may be a small, isolated island in the South Pacific, but if you can go all the way to Alaska while still on the island then it really won’t seem so isolated. So brave the snow and catch the Alaska bus for a whole new (yet not so new) adventure!