Khakis cutting edge skates for love

in the pics: the bike...it has a spider web on it. I was admiring the creativity of the students with their bicycles; the juggling circus of Lefaga secondary school...well, we had one of our sports days with many activities, juggling among them; dictionaries, not all of them are alike. the learners dictionary...I like this one much better. It gives one or two example sentences with each word. I'm learning how much it takes to learn another language, and what it really takes to teach it well.

8/27
I went swimming today, around the protected area. High tide, water sloshed me up and down. Two blue star fish I spied from above floating in the blue. I just started reading the Kalevala—a Finnish ‘epic’ it’s long (666 pages), that’s for sure.

8/26
Tonight, a late dinner. the vice principal’s wife just arrived in Samoa from Solomona (meaning Solomon Islands). the usual procedure: exchanging words. I still don’t understand most of the words, the giving of money (I got $30 tala), and THEN we get to eat: supo povi (beef soup), moa flai (fried chicken), and ulu (breadfruit). it was pretty good. then, to the cold shower.

Many works today to prepare for the big visit...the visit from the Ministry of Education that happens tomorrow. I had three students in the computer lab helping me clean the dust dust dust everywhere.

It is weird to find something from a long time ago...OK so it wasn’t so long ago. Last Friday I stayed in the village, and went to the dance at my Samoan family’s house. I wore my long slacks/khakis...for the first time since being in Samoa. And I found a piece of paper with my random notes on it from right before I came to samoa. Hmmmm..i was trying to fix my mom’s computer, reading “leaving town alive,” finding the schedule for the busses in Portland, and trying to figure out how to play DVDs on my laptop. Now it has my next shopping list for Apia (sandles, tacks, spaghetti, cheese, pnut butter, pictures of fale, box of chicken).


8/23
I spent Saturday night and most of Sunday at Norman’s house—the NUS student i help with computers, English and drumming. He is the drummer for the church choir. The drumset needs new drum heads and a ride cymbal, but we made some good jams with Norman on keys and Mataio on drums. Coming soon...jamming folk/blues at Erik’s place. I don’t have a drum to bring. I guess i’ll have to be creative. I also found an awesome place to run…up the hill and through the plantations at SAvaia uta (away from the ocean). Rocky, green, quiet. Coconut trees sway in the wind. It would also be a good bike ride, but it’s straight up with no flat parts. All up. All down. We watched a movie called “Cutting Edge.” I though of my mom because she likes ice skating and this was a skating movie—and a love story…I guess I like that too…and the girl was cute. And I like a girl that can fight back; hold her ground. And beat a boy at his own game once in a while.