Thank You!

Thank you to whatever guardian angel(s) have been on my amazon.com wishlist sending books to me! I just logged in to check it all out and see how the whole thing works, and I saw that the list has been purchased! Thank you so much! :)

Should the Police Bear Arms?

Malicious violence involving weapons doesn't really occur in American Samoa. I've been told that guns (other than hunting shotguns) are basically unheard of here. So, when a police officer was shot dead in the line of duty outside the Court House in Pago, Pago yesterday, the territory was shocked. This has sparked the debate on island about whether police should carry arms while on duty. The last time a police officer died in the line of duty was 15 years ago, when the officer was trying to save a drowning boy. Before that, it had been another 15 years prior when the officer was trying to break up a bar fight that got out of hand (a bar fight void of arms). The head of the department of public safety is fighting for his police force to carry arms. I wonder, though, if that would invite more malicious violence to the island.

If you're interested to read the Samoan News story about the incident click here.

Body Parts in Samoan

I made use of the free time this morning to learn my body parts in Samoan.

ulu - head
muaulu - forehead
lau'ulu - hair
mata - eye
laumata - eyelid
taliga - ear
isu - nose
gutu - mouth
laugutu - lips
nifo - tooth
laulaufaiva - tongue
auvae - jaw/chin
ua - neck
tau'au - shoulder
fatafata - chest
manava - stomach
pute - belly button
aoao - armpit
tulilima - elbow
tapulima - wrist
lima - hand
tama'i lima - finger
tinilima - fingernail
tua - back
muli - bottom
tulivae - knee
tapuvae - ankle
vae - foot
tama'i vae

The First Glimpse of Vatia

Today, we went on a tour around the island, and we were able to see where each of the volunteers on the main island will be living and teaching. I have to say that my village is absolutely gorgeous. We had to drive on a steep road over a mountain to get to the north side of the island. Then, we drove along the coast for a ways before coming to Vatia Bay and the absolutely phenomenal village of Vatia. It is pretty remote, but there are buses that do run to the other side of the island a few times a day. The village is small and contained at the end of the bay. My house is OCEANFRONT! Wow! I didn't get to go inside, but I've been told that it's pretty spacious. The house is on my host family's land, and both of the parents are teachers on the island as well. I'm very excited to move in there in 2 weeks. I'll have one housemate, who is also a volunteer. We drove by the school which is on an incline literally right above the water! I couldn't get photos of the perspective, but you can bet I'll find a way to post some up once I get settled in there.

The village of Vatia, my home for the next year

The view when entering the village from the east

Classrooms of Mt. Alava School

Mt. Alava School

Another Morning, Another Sunrise

The Orientation Classroom

Jealous much? 

Good Morning, American Samoa!

I woke up to see the sunrise this morning - Here are the views from the park literally across the street from my accommodations. Gorgeous! Time to slap up the sunscreen and head out for the day!

A World Turned Upside-Down?

Being about as far from an astronomer as you can get, Orion is the only constellation that I can reliably locate in the sky. I love Orion. I love that I can look into the sky and see this giant constellation. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it feels so satisfying, as if the world is right, when I spot it. I didn't think that I'd be able to see it from the southern hemisphere, which left me with a slight sense of unease as I prepared for this trip. Doing some research, I discovered that I was mistaken. I'll still be able to find Orion, he'll just be upside-down. Perhaps that will prove to be a metaphor for my life in the next year as I cross the equator for a southern-hemisphere life on a tropical island. I'm excited to find out.

**Update: I have arrived in American Samoa! I walked off the plane into humid weather with strong breezes (thank goodness!). It's dark, so I can't speak to the beauty, but I hear there's a lagoon directly across the street from my temporary accommodations. We are being housed at a vocational high school, sleeping 8-10 to a room on foam mattresses with a kitchen, bathroom, and showers at our disposal. Training and orientation get started tomorrow, so there's a lot to look forward to!