milk's power goes out to the rugby try line

in the pics: rugby is VERY popular in Samoa. some of my students at school during our friday sports time period; picture of the outside of the library in Apia.

I just posted some thoughts about a book ...to kill a mocking bird. I liked it.

http://mrcwriting.blogspot.com/2008/08/to-kill-mocking-bird.html

4/10
Hitting today…James and Ioa, with a bendy stick. Students are expected to just stand there and take it. One day a student will pound back—big changes happen then. It amazes me what I have to do to get student’s attention sometimes. When it’s time to shut down the computer I say uma, time to shut down. If a student is still stuck on the computer (especially a game), I say his/her name three times. A final technique that seems to work is digging my thumbs into their upper shoulder blades. As in a good massage, but they usually cringe. I have their attention now.

I think my body is missing milk. It has felt unsettled the last few days—and eating more taro, fish, and breadfruit doesn’t help.

Seeing a fan (and TV, microwave, and toaster on other occasions) in the garbage bin in front of the houses during my morning walk…I felt like I was back at home in Amerika..



4/9
Eseroma (vice principal) brings a flashdrive to school. I think the teachers want to learn more. This is a step in the right direction. Eseroma’s wife comes to visit him, and brings money (mealofa) as a gift, for everyone. I would rather brings gifts that can’t be found in Samoa, but that is the culture here.


4/3
5:10pm—just felt the earth shake below me. I was taking a nap (malolo) so I could have been daydreaming, but it sure woke me up.


4/1
Mr. Fualau (science teacher) shows me his achievements on TyperShark. He is my star typing student. He is excited about typing—this is good. It helps to have a typing program that is decent. (and being customizable is an even better thing—we will practice typing in Samoan. Maybe next year.)

Tomorrow I’m going to Savaii with some high school students from Seattle—of all places. I’m leaving a lesson with the Eseroma. I think we’ll start with just typing, but this a very important step—having another teacher lead the computer class.

Tonight I also helped Norman for the first time. The topic was summarizing (an article). This is where you throw out all the rote learning for the last 12 years and start imagining and creating. The first sentence in Norman’s notes about summarizing states “summarizing is a process that is complex and has many steps.” I think that adequately describes the challenge.

So I still seem to be working with all age groups in Samoa: Emmi is the 6 year old (vicePs daughter)—she likes the shapes program on the computer. The secondary school students. The university student. The teachers.


3/23
If I were to write about today, what would I say? Lots to think about, nothing to write. A day in Apia—lots of walking, lots of sun. hanging out with Iapela (my sister’s son..from my training village family). Peace corps office, but stuff, fish and chips. I’m learning what the basic basic items are in samoa: chicken, beef, bread, laundry detergent, cigarettes. I’ll take my rum, coke and lime, thank you. Lift some weights, a little bit of Frisbee, swimming in the river, good food, playing suipi (I lose_)—a samoan card game watching stairway to Heaven—the latest TV craze. Then some good reading. Sleep.


3/18
Power goes out again today. 2nd time since I’ve been here. My fridge—leaga(bad). The icy pops (milk and water) w e use for the students at canteen at interval (recess) will melt. We interrupt our daily thoughts to bring you an important message—someone just sent my phone a “creditU transfer of $2.00” then they called and apparently had the wrong phone nu7mber. Hmmmmmm…..back to no power. I think the last one lasted for 20-30 minutes. I wonder how long this one will last.


3/13
The temporary country director George (who is also the CFO for PC) came by the school to visit today. He brought a few items: a snickers, PC patch—and some news: highest number of PCVs in 37 years and mr. bush is kind in funding PC. Good to hear. Fono brought the ripe bananas—the essentials only, please. I was going to take a picture of my snickers wrapper and PC patch, but then remembered reading somewhere that the PC logo cannot be displayed on our blog in any way, shape, or form. Let’s just say that fa’I and Sniickers was good…real good.

I found out what the name of the land our school is on—Masavai. I was told that every family in Samoa has a special name for their land. I’m not sure what Masavai means though.

My friend Maria—a local shop owner—rocks! She gave me a bottle of white wine—a Rex Hill 2002 Pino Grisio from the Willamette Valley—OREGON. Newberg, OR to be exact. Yea! Reminders of home seem to keep popping up. There was also some cheese from New Zealand.