All the eels

Well, Term Two started with a bang (and by bang, I mean massive cyclone). Cyclone Amos headed straight for Samoa and sent Peace Corps Washington into a panic. We were brought to our national consolidation point, which is a sturdy hotel in Apia. Three volunteers had to be helicopter rescued because the ferry shut down before they could make it over (pretty epic). Once we were in the hotel, the roof was strapped down and planks of wood were nailed to our windows. We weren’t allowed to leave our rooms, although I didn’t mind. I took this opportunity to take at least 6 hot showers and catch up on sleep. The cyclone luckily veered off and missed Samoa, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. I came home to a flooded room and no electricity, but everyone was safe so no complaints here!

I guess Amos didn't like this road!

I’ve spent more time lately on Upolu (the other island) exploring. I found a real New England-esque hike and felt right at home! Although there are lots of mountains in Samoa, I think Mount Vaea might be one of the only ones with a path that people can go up! The peak of Mt. Vaea is where Robert Louis Stevenson was buried. I guess he was a famous writer, but hey, I was a math major. Anywho, the hike was gorgeous and had a really neat waterfall at the bottom to swim in!

The view at the top of Mount Vaea.

Speaking of waterfalls, I found the Falefa Fall. It’s not nearly as gorgeous as my Afu Aau spot, but I’ll still spend anytime I can chasing waterfalls. The Falefa Fall creates a natural exercise pool because I spent at least half an hour trying to swim up to the waterfall and made no progress (probably a funny scene). I also went to the Piula Cave Pool. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a pool in a cave. It’s a nifty spot, but swimming with an enclosure over my head is a little freaky and once someone spotted an eel, I was out of there!

Picture being trapped treading water in this cave with an eel!

One of my favorite spots on Upolu is the To Sua Trench. I’ve already been here, but it was certainly worth another trip back (and many more in my two years). It’s a salt water swimming hole formed by the collapse of a lava tube. Swimming in the trench is a surreal experience. For some reason Upolu eels are out to get me, though, so I jumped out of the trench the second an eel was spotted. Maybe someday I’ll overcome my fear of fish, but eels really push that boundary. 

Casually swimming in a lava tube!

In other news, I promise I do actually teach still. It’s nice being in a real routine and knowing everything about the school procedures now that a term has already passed. With the evacuation excitement of the cyclone, I was able to catch up with many other volunteers and it’s super interesting to hear about the different experiences we’re all having. My group unfortunately lost another volunteer who decided to go home. We’re down to 19, which isn’t too shabby. I truly cherish the time I get to spend with other volunteers (and try to convince them to come to Afu Aau Waterfall as much as possible).

My favorite getaway spot!

There's only 6 weeks left of this term and then I'll be heading to New Zealand!

The evil mosquito

Several things about this blog post make me feel like a real Peace Corps volunteer. First and foremost, April 1^st, 2016 marked 6 months of living in Samoa! It’s insane that I’ve spent half a year here already. That’s 2.2% of my life (yes, I’m missing my daily math)! With half a year gone, I feel like I’m really a part of this country now.

Another unfortunate occurrence that makes me a real volunteer is that I officially got Zika (the mosquito illness). As a volunteer in Samoa, it’s a right of passage to get Dengue, Chickengunya, or Zika. They all come along with the territory. Luckily, Zika is the mildest of all. With that being said, it was still not fun. I had a 6.5 hour journey between islands before I could even see the medical director and then 6.5 hours home as well. The disease only lasted about a week and I survived, but I’m hoping not to get any other sicknesses while being here!

My beautiful Zika skin (head to toe).

With the 6-month mark, April 1^st was also the last day of Term One! There are four terms in the school year, so I’m ¼ of the way through the year. Teaching has been going really well and my library is still a huge hit. Easter involved an entire week of dance choreography instead of classes. The lack of separation between church and state was very apparent when a student was being strapped to the cross as Jesus. These kids are great singers and dancers, though, so it makes for a wonderful performance!

Jesus on the cross for our Easter production!

With the end of each term comes a two week break!! No matter how much I’m enjoying teaching, it’s always nice to get a break. I spent a weekend staying in beach fales (huts) and snorkeling with some other volunteers. It was great to celebrate the end of term one and beginning of break! There was real snorkeling on this part of the island, which was really cool. I’m absolutely terrified of fish and learned quickly that screaming in a snorkel doesn’t exactly work. While staying here, I ran into a camp counselor of mine from 7 years ago. She’s from Ireland, so you can just put together that coincidence yourself. It was crazy!!! Even living on the other side of the world, I’m still amazed at how small it is.

It's hard to smile in a snorkel.

The first week of break, I spent at Gataivai Primary School (two villages away) helping out with a camp. Myself and 5 other volunteers helped run an “Olympics” Camp! There were about 100 kids who attended and they got to learn all about different countries and sports. We had an opening ceremony and everything! I even demonstrated ribbon dancing and looked like a real ballerina (I hope you laughed when you read that).

Some kids with their Olympic medals (and some sore losers).

The second week of break, the Gautavai volunteer (one village away) and I ran our own camp. I chose some of my best students and walked them to Gautavai Primary School in the mornings to meet up with her students. We ran an “A Healthier You” camp dealing with washing your hands, brushing your teeth, exercising, and nutritional eating habits. The walk is only a little over two miles each way; however, it does involve braving the Sili River. I like to think that I have become an absolute pro at this river. On the down side, the first day of our camp involved torrential downpour and all my students and I fell in the river. In hindsight, it was hilarious, but at the time when I had to use a stick to pull a kid away from the waterfall drop, it was a little terrifying. Needless to say, I’m no longer as cocky about my river-crossing abilities.

I love my students!

All in all, it was a great first term and break. It’s really refreshing how much students love school and blows my mind that they were ecstatic to walk over 4 miles each day to school to learn how to brush their teeth when they could have been enjoying some down time.

Bring it on, Term Two!

Padre comes to town

As the youngest Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa, I have to be the princess of the group. I was able to defend this title by being the first to have a visitor! My real, American dad came for the first week of March and it was amazing.

Arguably one of the best parts about my dad visiting was having a car. We were able to go wherever and do whatever, which was a weird feeling for me. He flew into Apia, the capitol, and we spent that weekend driving around Upolu (the smaller of the two main islands of Samoa). We went to my training village, Sa’anapu, and I showed him my two houses from training. It was nothing like what he expected, so I’m glad he was able to see it all in person! We then drove around the whole island and I got to see the beauty of it all. We drove through mountains and along amazing beaches. We also came across a really giant waterfall that was drop-dead gorgeous!

The incredible Sopoaga Waterfall!

While on Upolu we also got to go to To Sua Trench, which is one of the big tourist attractions of Samoa! It’s a huge swimming hole that actually connects to the ocean. The water is crystal clear and you climb down a steep ladder to swim. The Trench is located on the southern corner of Upolu and the coastline is also gorgeous! You can see two of Samoa’s other islands right off the coast. I had never been to this part of the island, so it was neat to see.

Come visit and I'll take you here!

After a touristy weekend, we boarded the ferry back to Savai’i (my island). We bought Dad a Samoan outfit (skirt included) so that he would be appropriately dressed for meeting my family. When we arrived in Sili, my family was ecstatic! The pastor had to come over to bless my dad’s visit and eat lots of taro with us. Dad got his own mosquito net to sleep in and everything! He stayed with my family for the first half of the week and was able to get a reasonably accurate view of my life. We prayed on our knees every night, ate one of my beloved chickens, and definitely didn’t shower the whole time.

My host parents don't always smile in photos.

Not only did Dad get to meet my lovely family, he also got to experience school. My school was aware of my dad’s arrival and planned an entire assembly for him. We arrived at school and sat in front of the assembly hall. The students performed songs and dances to welcome my dad and unfortunately we also had to dance! Samoan dancing is a little tricky and my dad didn’t quite get the hang of it (no offense, Padre). My teachers were a little critical, but it was hilarious! He was presented gifts and then we were fed a huge feast for lunch. School was dismissed after the assembly that day, so the children were happy.

My goofy teachers were very excited to meet my dad!

The visit worked out perfectly because Samoa’s Prime Minister election was the week my dad came, so we had a short week at school. With the days off for the election, my dad and I drove around the entire island of Savai’i! We checked out the Afu Aau waterfall and Alofa’aga blowholes. It was my fourth or fifth time to the waterfall (my favorite spot), but I had never been to the blowholes! They were super neat, but also terrifying! Anytime a wave comes in, the blowhole shoots water into the air with a loud noise. I don’t always react well to loud noises (blow horns especially), so I was a little panicked. A Samoan came out and threw coconuts into the blowhole so that when it blew, the coconuts came shooting out! It was such a cool part of nature to witness.

I wouldn't dare go that close to the blowhole.

As we drove around Savai’i, we were able to stop and see some other volunteers! My dad met 11 in total and we delivered little goody bags of candy from America. It was great to catch up with other volunteers and see the pure happiness that candy brings! All in all, my dad’s visit was incredible! It was the perfect mix of vacation and culture. He finally could understand some of this experience and I finally could describe it! My entire village loved having him and so did I. It was the perfect refresher after 5 months of change!

Dad's missing his skirt in this one!

Thanks for visiting, Padre!

The miracle of childbirth

Hello from Miss Sala! School is now in full swing and I officially know what my next two years will look like, so it’s been fun setting up a routine and getting used to teaching.

My cute, little Sili Primary School!

By the time I’m ready every morning, students are waiting at my driveway to walk to school with me. My five siblings who go to Sili Primary School are also waiting outside my door, so I have a nice group escort. We usually begin the day with a morning assembly of songs and prayer. Then, it’s off to teaching. I have ten groups of 8-11 students each. I teach all of year 4, all of year 5, and half of year 6, which makes for 99 students in total. I teach on a rotating schedule and I see four groups per day. It’s complicated, but my math major brain loved designing it.

Miss Sala's nicely decorated classroom.

Thanks to a wonderful donation from the U.S. Ambassador, I have a mini library within my classroom. I also created a schedule for students to come read during lunch and after school. They line up at my door and are nearly in tears if it’s not their day to read. It’s somewhat insane how much students love school here, but it’s very refreshing.

My mini reading corner.

So, school is wonderful. The children are little angels and it’s been super fun getting started. My home life is still ever changing and unpredictable. One day, I came home from church to a woman giving birth in my house (right outside my bedroom door). It was a cool process. I was in charge of feeding the midwife and setting up some fine mats for the birth. Two hours later there was an adorable baby boy! I made some sort of leaf drink for the mother post-birth and it was smooth sailing from there.

The inside of my house (scene of the birth)!

Weather in the middle of the South Pacific is another unpredictable thing. We had an earthquake, so that was cool. My whole bed started shaking! We also welcomed Cyclone Winston to the island. The immense amount of rain put a halt to my laundry, making for a very long week of smelly clothes. We do laundry in buckets and hang it outside to dry, so rain really ends that possibility.

Group 87 is now all separated doing our own things, but it’s still very fun to meet up and hear how everyone is doing. We spent Valentine’s Day at a resort and I took full advantage of the hot water and air conditioning! My hair hadn’t been shampooed since Christmas, so this hot water was a true blessing. Unfortunately, one more member of our group decided to go back to the States. So, we’re down to 20, which isn’t a bad number. Group 86 still has 10 members here, so Peace Corps Samoa is at a solid 30 altogether (I’m the youngest, of course).

Valentine's Day sunrise over the Pacific.

That’s all for now because… MY DAD IS HERE!!

Time to teach

Hello from 2016! Cyclone Ula on New Year’s Eve turned out to be nonexistent, which was a great way to start the year. Regardless, it was a New Year’s to remember. My village has four separate churches: Methodist, Mormon, Catholic, and EFKS. However, on the first day of the year, we all came together for one church service. We held hands and sang songs, which was really neat because it was my entire village coming together! So, Christmas and New Year’s both turned out to be really loving, community-based holidays in this culture.

So far in 2016, I’ve really been able to explore my surroundings! I’ve absolutely dominated Sili’s river at this point. I can almost cross it with my eyes closed (that is a huge exaggeration and I might drown if ever attempted). There is another volunteer from my group in Gautavai, the village next door, and I found a neat plantation path that can take me straight to her! So that’s been fun and exciting. Also, my village is about a 15-minute bus ride from the gorgeous Afu Aau waterfall, which I’ve been to three times now. The waterfall is so large and forceful that it’s actually a struggle to swim very close to it. I figure it’s my Peace Corps version of a resistance pool, no matter how hard you swim you never move.

My excitement for Afu Aau!

I’ve also had some amazing weekends away with some other volunteers on my island. We spent a weekend paddle boarding, kayaking, and eating French fries (naturally) at a resort. We also went swimming with sea turtles, which was quite the experience. I’m all about skydiving and bungee jumping, but large sea animals apparently freak me out. I got in the water and a turtle immediately rubbed up against my leg. My face had some sort of reaction that sent my friends into a laughing fit. Needless to say, it was a very neat experience that I will not feel the need to do twice. The turtles are large!

Don't let the smile confuse you, I was terrified.

We’ve also gotten together to see some of Samoa’s history. We went to the Dwarf Cave, which supposedly has small footprints that we were unsuccessful in finding. The lack of success might be associated with the fact that 5 girls arrived to explore a pitch-black cave with one Tinkerbelle flashlight. Our “tour guide” spoke no English and found us to be hilarious. It was a very cool cave, but I definitely opted out on the parts where one would’ve had to swim.

The hole under us is the entrance to the cave.

Our last exploration thus far was to the Saleaula Lava Ruins. Mount Matāvanu erupted in 1905 and left 76 square kilometers of lava rock in Savai’i. Nowadays, it’s very cool to see because the lava rock is still everywhere. There is an old church that is full of lava rock, but there are also just buildings and houses built on top of the rock. It makes for a beautiful area and village!

I love the wrinkles from the lava!

So, January has been quite fun. The holidays were an isolating time period with each of us in our own villages, but my friends and I were able to make the most of it. I feel incredibly lucky to live in such a gorgeous place with so much history! School begins on Monday and then I will officially be Miss Sala. I’ll be teaching English to grades 4-6 at risk students. I have a very cute classroom that was set up by the previous Peace Corps Volunteer. I’m excited to get started and see what my next two years will really entail!

My sweet little classroom for the next two years.

Wish me luck because… the children are coming!

Kerisimasi

Manuia le Kerisimasi ma le Tausaga Fou! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Samoa. This is my first blog post as an official Peace Corps Volunteer!

Your newest 21 Peace Corps Samoa Volunteers!

For the remainder of my time in Sa’anapu, I grew to love my second family. Saying goodbye was very tough! As our training came to a close, the village had many events for us to attend. The women’s committee had a ceremony for us, the church had a ceremony for us, and we also performed for the youth group. I’ve probably never danced this much in my life, but it’s a huge part of Samoan culture and I love it (despite my lack of any rhythm whatsoever).

My host mom made my sister and I matching outfits.

On December 11, 2015, Group 87 said our oath and swore in as volunteers here in Samoa. It was a very exciting day! We were invited to dinner with the U.S. Ambassador the night before, which was surreal. We then all went our separate ways. Each one of us is in our own village, ranging between the two main islands of Samoa. I got very used to living in a village with the other volunteers. We got to spend Thanksgiving together at a resort, which definitely helped being away from home! I’m sure we will get to explore together and reunite as our time continues, but now we’re each on our own journey.

Group 86, Group 87, and Peace Corps Staff with the Ambassador.

Ever since swearing in, I’ve been living in Sili, my permanent village for the next two years. My family is incredible and I cannot wait to get to know them better (aka learn their names). My host parents have 12 children and most of them are married with kids of their own. We all live on the same family compound, so I have lots and lots of siblings, nieces, nephews, etc. I think I’m becoming Samoan because I just call everyone my sister or brother.

My cute pink house in Sili!

Sili is beautiful! It’s on Savai’i, which is the bigger, less populated island. It’s also inland, so it’s isolated from cars and other villages. We have a huge river running through the village, which is gorgeous. Unfortunately, people who live on the other side of the river have to walk across it just to get to school, church, or the rest of the village. Walking across the river comes naturally to people in my village, but it’s quite the challenge for me! I’m picturing the day when I get washed down stream. I’ve only crossed the river twice thus far and my brothers had to save me when I got swept away the second time (smooth, Sarah). Having a river is quite the blessing, though. Running water is a somewhat rare occurrence in my house, so I’m able to go to the river to rinse off or do my laundry. My host siblings and I also play volleyball in the river, which is hilarious!

Someone walking across Sili's gorgeous river.

School doesn’t start until the end of January, so my real “job” hasn’t begun, but I’ve jumped straight into integration here. I can’t communicate very well with people, but I joined my church’s youth group and choir for our Christmas performance. We performed about 10 different dances on Christmas Eve in the pouring rain. We then walked the village at midnight singing songs. It was one of the most loving Christmases I’ve ever witnessed. Santa and presents don’t exist here, so it really is all about family and community. I also joined our women’s committee and got to go throughout the village inspecting everyone’s houses. The women of my village are quite funny people, as they set me up with the Mormon missionary who is placed in Sili. This is how proposal numero 2 happened. No pigs were offered this time, so naturally I declined.

One of my many Samoan dance outfits.

We are currently welcoming in 2016 with Cyclone Ula tonight, so wish me luck. Happy New Year!!

Paradise

Where do I even begin? Hello computer, hello internet! I have officially been in Samoa for seven weeks, although it feels like seven months. I decided to make a goal to post one blog per month. So, I left the States in September and it is now November, meaning it’s time for post number 3! There’s no actual way to describe what life is like here, but I’ll do my best.

I’m currently living in Sa’anapu and over halfway through training. I got placed with a very sweet host family. It was just my host mom, Sose, host dad, Paradise, three host brothers, Hitler, Paradise Junior, and Steve, and myself. I say “just” because this is probably the smallest family in our village. Samoan families are huge! My host father was an ali’i, which, according to the Matai system, is a high chief. He was in charge of lots of rules for the village and also blowing the conch shell at 7:15 every night for curfew.

PJ, Steve, and Sose ready for White Sunday at church! 

I’m beginning to understand Samoan culture more and more. It’s very different, but I’ve really enjoyed learning about it and integrating into this village. Even though I’ve only lived here for seven weeks, I’ve had a surprisingly large amount of cultural events to go to. My host cousin got married, so I got to experience a Samoan wedding. I may or may not have talked to him for an hour before the wedding not knowing he was the groom until he was at the alter (oops). Also, our village opened a new church, which is a huge event in Samoa. The commotion for this church lasted about two weeks. Because my host dad was an ali’i, I went to about twelve different ceremonies for the church (and my family doesn’t even attend that church). The opening of a new church involves lots of money, food, and fine mats. When I say food, I mean animals. For example, while eating breakfast one morning, a pig was being hacked into pieces with a machete about 5 feet away from me. I think blood got on me. So, culture shock is real, but nature therapy is even more real. Sa’anapu got hit by a tsunami a few years back, so everything near the ocean is abandoned, including a resort! Samoans stay away from the water, but of course we volunteers love going to the beach!

At the beach in my culturally appropriate swimwear.

Training has been a whirlwind of language class, student teaching, and cultural lessons. One person from our group decided to leave, so we’re down to 21, but hopefully in two years time we’ll still have 21! We’ve also gotten to know the two other groups that are here, which has been nice. I actually got to go to Savai’i, which is the other main island of Samoa, and visit a current volunteer! Savai’i is bigger than Upolu (the island I’m on now), but also much less populated. She lives in the village Gataivai, which is stunning. She took us to a huge waterfall called Afu Aau and I was in heaven!

The definition of heaven.

So, this post could be named Paradise because of the beautiful country I’m living in. Unfortunately, it is named Paradise in dedication to my host father. Mulitalo Faumuina Lauvi Parataiso A’aitui passed away on November 10, 2015. He was known as Parataiso (Paradise). He was a very healthy man, so the death came as quite a surprise. Since I was living here with essentially no phone or internet, my dad and I would spend at least a couple hours every night talking. It was devastating when he passed away, but the funeral taught me a ton about Samoan culture. With the passing of my host father, I moved in with a different host family. They’re very nice as well, but much bigger! I have 8 host brothers and 3 host sisters (although they’re really cousins, aunts, nephews, etc., but I can’t keep track).

Iosia and Malaki, two of my new host brothers.

We only have 3 more weeks of training left and then we swear in as official volunteers! I found out that I am placed in the village of Sili, Savai’i! A volunteer from Group 85 is currently working in that village, but she leaves right before I move in. I have huge shoes to fill, but I’m incredibly excited!

Group 87 all spread out in our placements!

Sa’anapu has been great, but I’m ready for my new adventure. Tofa soifua, Sa’anapu… Mālō Sili!