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!!