Bourne Identity has shopping list

in the pics: a double rainbow looking out from the front of my school, my 9.2 students a moment before my class started, an example of how my blackboard looks after a class.

2/13
Today was a good day. I woke up about 6:15am, went for a short walk before the students start to arrive around 7am. I wore my new green lavalava—it’s fancy with silver buckles and the sewing is well done too. Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is an assembly—the students line up in a military style formation and march and turn and march and turn and get inspected for proper uniform, dress, and hair length, and clean fingernails. Wednesday is also time for reading during first period. I observed Ms. Afato’s class read a book. There were words to study—like “whispers” and “chapter.”

I had two computer classes, 9.1 and 9.2. my principal told me that all of the kids and Lefaga Seconday School are the ones who did not go to Apia to private/mission schools—made it sound like we have the “leftovers.” That’s OK—I see possibility. This week’s topics in my class have been rules and procedures 4 words (discover, learn, create, share. It’s interesting to see the students’ responses to my asking if anyone knows the meanings of the words.

I tell my class I will help them with English (and computers) if they help me with Samoan. A few new words: activity—galuega. Review—otootoga. Routine/procedure—fa’atonuga/fa’agasologa.

Breakfast was peanut butter and weet-bix (a New Zealand thing)—I usually have bananas with that, but sadly, no ripe bananas (fai’pula) have we today. Lunch (in two parts, because I have some food in my fridge to fill in the gaps when Samoans don’t eat). The palagi part: rye bread, mayonnaise, white chedder, and tomatoes—yummy. The Samoan part: a piece of taro, boiled banana with coconut cream sauce, and a piece of mackerel. Dinner was moa palagi, breadfruit, cucumber, and chili sauch (the VP and science teacher really like it. American chickens do less work when they sit in cages all the time, so more meat. Samoan chickens are VERY free range…ranging all over the yard and other parts of the village.

After school I was finally starting to figure out how I could track students’ progress in an Excel document, but my laptop charger decided to not work;( I think there is a short in the cord somewhere. So I put hot rocks on my back and lay outside my room for a while (that felt nice;), read my book (right now it’s called Ragtime—recommended by another volunteer), then I did some sprints, then a swim in the ocean—an odd effect—water is about 4-5 feet deep. At the bottom the water is very warm, at the top it’s very cold, it has a white haze. Someone said it’s because there is a stream feeding into the ocean right at that spot. Then the four teachers living at the school had dinner, I had a shower, and now I write to you. Later I’ll do some yoga because I sleep better after yoga, then maybe a snack and sleep.

And this cat, who just waltzed into my room truly fa’asamoa—no asking well—he was meowing as he walked in. he reminds me of Kismet, long and slender, big paws, and big eyes, big ears, and a big loud mouth.

A sampling of my shopping list—talcum power, Christmas lights, funnel (for my tea), staples, toothpicks, hangers, tomatoes, milk, weetBix, and cheese.

The moon (masina) doesn’t stay in the sky very long in the South Pacific—it seems to be gone by 9:30pm. Tonight a giant halo of white surrounds the moon. Eseroma told me Samoans believe when that happens, many fish to be caught.

I’m finally getting a routine down for the school thing: wake up about 6:30am, walk (to store if needed), eat breakfast, I’ve found I really like fresh ginger tea/honey/milk, get dressed for school (button shirt and nice lavalava). Go to staff room for check in. classes start at 8:30am. Lunch break (interval) at 11:30am, then periods 4 and 5. do some exercise: run, ride my bike, or swim. I haven’t tried all 3 yet—as in triathalon. Try to fix any broken computers, eat dinner with teachers that live at the school building (faleaoga). A few students make the dinner (fai le saka). Right now it’s Sandra and James. Then finish any preparations for the next days lesson, read something (I now have 3 sun magazines!), do some yoga (helps me sleep better) and candles are cool, not, well, you know what I mean. I like candles. And sleep (moe), by 12:30am usually. I try really hard…if I don’t fall asleep on the floor first.



2/11
First real day of teaching—well, only two classes, but that was enough for now. Dinner was yummy. My weekly (handwritten) plan is too messy I’m told by our VP. “use your ruler.” Well, that’s why I do most things seen by other people on a computer. “but sometimes the power is off and computers uma (finished).” Well, then we malolo (rest) until the power decides to come back.

Looking at the list of departments and HOD (head of depts.)—there are three teachers listed under almost every department—english, samoan, maths, science, art, commerce. There is only one teacher listed for the computer dept…M Crichton. My big goal b4 I leave is to have ideally two2 and realistically one Samoan teacher who can also teach computers. Teacher tutorial starts next week.

I think I’ll feel better when I know the students’ abilities. Just after one day I can tell which students might do well and which might need extra help, and which might not care at all.



2/8
How I feel now: a 1000 images flash past super fast, like one of those times in movies when the pictures speed up up up and up. I’m still unpacking image #3. You know how sometimes you see many images flash b4 your eyes? Well, at least in the movies?—that’s how I feel right now—many many many new things. And not much time to process, daydream, and just space out.

I’m finding I really don’t like to plan far into the future—like the yearly plan the teachers are supposed to complete for each class we teach. I was teaching computers and science, but I guess we have enough teachers and I only have to teach computers: year 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 11.1, and 11.2=12 classes each week, one hour each. Now if only I could get the power supply to work on one of the computers. I walked into the lab this afternoon and started sweating (afu)—it felt like a Baptiste yoga room—hot hot hot, thos computers are going to fry. mmmmmm, fried chicken, speaking of fried stuff, I eat a lot of fried fish and chicken and sausages with my Samoan family, but no fried food with my family at the school building. (faleaoga).
This afternoon—finished the first draft of the yearly plan. Uma, finished, done—taimi malolo.

Warm beer—warm beer, where’s the cold beer. My samoan dad likes to drink beer with me before dinner. He likes warm beer and I like cold beer. Four bottles of warm beer arrived tonight—into the fridge (really a freezer).

I watched the Bourne Identity. The killing machine looks into child’s eyes—all circuits scramble “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Five new teachers stood in front of all the district teachers (about 30) and said we said our name, where/what we teach, how old we are, and no, I’m not married right now, but I might as well be.

I’m starting the teachers’ computer training soon. I think I want to push to try and give them basic knowledge first, then do some practical projects/activities, then try and figure out how to use computers with their subjects, and finally figure out who could teach computers to students.