Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I'm a Survivor; I Ran Up a Mountain

American Samoa = Earthquake + Tsunami = Scary
I am alive! I made it through! More to come soon!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Some New Threads

Whoo hooo for clothes! I’m still not totally adjusted to the lack of malls and stores here on The Rock. A month ago I bought a bunch of fabric to have sewn into clothes, but I never had the will power to drop it off at a sew shop. (I’m usually totally beat at the end of the school day- the lack of AC is a killer). Finally, I forced myself to make the extra stop on the way home and got fitted for my outfits. 4 days later I picked up a new wardrobe: 2 dresses, 3 fitted skirts, and 3 lava lavas (wrap skirts). It took a Hefty chunk of my itsy bitsy stipend but was well worth it. 2 dresses and 6 skirts custom made and sewn for $120 is a steal by US standards. For only $11 + fabric a skirt can be made to suit you perfectly.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Did Someone Say Staff Par-tay?

Hmmm. What can I say about Samoana staff parties? Let’s just say their reputation precedes them! Check out this convo:
 Samoan Teacher: “Hey, Matt. You know what your wearing to the staff party yet?”
 Matt: “Ummmm” (confused look)
 Samoan Teacher: “Well you better were a tiger print thong under your Ia that way when 
      you fall into the ocean you can be a......TIGER SHARK! Whoop whoop!”
 Matt: (dazed and confused)
Staff parties in the US may remain pretty PG, but people here in Am Sam don’t hesitate to get silly with their co-workers! The goal of the night is always good food, inordinate amounts of alcohol, and crazy memories (well, if you can remember them the next morning that is...). After much debate about the locale, Maliu Mai/Taps was the decided upon as the venue! I met up with Matt and Max just in time to grab a straggling bus to the Tafuna area. Fortunately we caught the “SpiderMan” (buses here in Am Sam have some pretty cool names and paint jobs), where good ole Matt was permitted to pop open a Vailima tall boy (the local island brew). For only a buck extra and in the spirit of good times, we even persuaded the Spider Man himself to have door to door service, as he agreed to drive us all the way down the road to Maliu Mai (a good 15 minute walk). Once in the staff party I was greeted with not one but two cups of mysterious “Jungle Juice.” I could tell it was going to be a funky night. After an hour of so of chat and plenty of time for the Samoan staffers to drink up a few glasses of liquid courage, Nevi announced that the games would begin...... all WT volunteers (Matt, Max, Tanne, and I) were expected to be participants in each game! The first? Limbo. Now, this wasn’t your typical game of chest-up, back bending limbo. Due to the size of many Samoans, all you had to do was find a way to get under the broom and to the other side. After a few normal rounds the broom reached a daringly low height....(this is where I ducked out). The girls were rolling, sliding, and scooting their way under! It was a sight to see!... I wish I had a video camera.
Game two? Numbers. This is a common ice breaker game in which everyone dances around, the host calls out a number, and as quickly as possible everyone must organize into groups of that number. Anyone with out a number is out. This sounds like a pretty safe game except for the fact that Matt and Max are referred to as the “Fiances” by many of the younger female staff members. Basically, the game turned into a let’s-maul-the-boys competition. Whenever a number was called out, Matt and Max would stand perfectly still with wide eyes and terrified faces as the women hurtled their bodies towards them and wrapped their arms around their waist....While a devastating experience for the boys, I got a huge laugh. 
The final game was none other than the Jiggle Wiggle contest. Yes, that’s right. The goal was to see who could jiggle and wiggle their junk-in-the-trunk the best. It was a hysterical sight as 300 lb women shook what their mama gave them. The best part... the dancing was all done to woe Max and Matt. Something similar could be aired on the Discovery Channel as the traditional Samoan mating ritual. 
After the lively games, a bit more dancing and chatting was in order. At 10:30 pm (we started at 6pm), Taps opened up for regular night club business. Friends Kate, Thahn, and Rosemary joined around 11. Kate was turning 24 at midnight so it was a great way to begin her birthday. She and I are faithful dance partners (in an effort to avoid the creepy men), and usually burst into tears of laughter at least once a night. Samoan dance floors have a weird custom: between each song everyone rushes off the dance floor, waits for the first 30 seconds of the next song, then rushes back. Why they don’t just wait the 2 seconds in between songs, we may never know..... But anyway, after one particular song, Kate and I got the complement of our lives. As we walked off the dance floor, a woman stopped us and said, “You girls are just the skinniest things. You could get all the dance partners you wanted!” We laughed all the way back to the table...oh how we love Samoan beauty standards! 
The night ended well, and I survived my first Samoana staff party with a few good black mail moments stored away for those that weren’t cautious of the Jungle Juice. 

Friday, September 18, 2009

Storming the Point: Weekend of Kate and Jessie

After a few weeks of being sick, teaching without a voice, and experiencing some ‘blah’ days, I needed a weekend of drama-free, easy fun. I recruited Kate as my partner in crime. On Friday night I met up with the girls (Julia, Kate, Thahn, and Rosemary) for some Tian Tain dinner. We ordered some family style Chinese and feasted on wonton soup, beef noodles, cold seaweed salad, and some salt and pepper chicken! Scrumptious! After some good stories at dinner, Kate and I headed to the Leone v Fagitua football game. We were going to hitch a ride, but the night was so beautiful and breezy and we were feeling chatty, so we walked the 45-50 minutes to the stadium. The game was fun; we caught up with Raj and Jess, and showed some school spirit. I also enjoyed watching an obsessed mom. She was decked out from head to toe in yellow and green (Leone HS colors). She danced and screamed every second of the game and spun around a yellow scarf! Parents in the States would be shoot for embarrassing their kids for life, but, here, no one seemed to mind :)
After the game, we headed to “the Tafuna House” where Allison, Jung, and Adam live. We celebrated Bobby’s birthday, but I was tired and caught a ride home pretty early. 
The next day Kate and I devised an elaborate plan to “Storm The Point.” We wanted to sit on a beach and relax; Coconut Point was the perfect place. Because Max lost his phone, we couldn’t call ahead. Instead, we marched down to the house at the end of the point and brought beers of placation to make up for our announced visit. We woke up a half sleeping Max and left him dreary and confused as we dumped our stuff in side and sprinted for the ocean. It was a perfect day: clear skies, cool air, warm sun, ocean breeze, and crystal water. Kate and I lounged for hours and gossiped about life. It was pure bliss. It was only once we got out of the water that I realized how incredibly burnt I was. Kate and I then went to to oh-so-classy Carl’s Jr (but legitimately one of the nicer establishments on the island) for lunch. By this time we were in zombie mode. We felt like our brains had been fried. The air here is cool, so it doesn’t feel as hot as Houston. The sun, however, is much more intense, so it effects you much more quickly. I couldn’t believe how burnt I was after just a few hours of sun. (I could tell it was going to be a painful week). After our meal, we hitched back to my house and took a several hour nap. We had planned on going out to a movie, but instead decided to lounge at Brigit and Rosemary’s house and enjoy a movie there. Again, Kate and I were in a walking mood so we trekked the 30 minutes to their house by foot. 
Still not totally rid of cabin fever, Kate, Thahn, and I got up early and hitched a ride to Pizza Hut. (The fast food restaurants are truly the nicest buildings on the island: they are clean, have AC and outlets). We brought all our grading there and spent the afternoon being productive. I’m still not over my college addiction to working at coffee shops. Since I spent a good portion of my last year in Austin slaving away at all local shops, it’s now hard to constantly work at home..... so I guess Samoan fast food joints will have to suffice :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Magic Circus of Samoa

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Maaaaaagic Circus of Saaaaammmmmmmmoooaaaa!”
Yes, the circus came to town this week and it was the talk of our wee lil’ island. It set up in Lions Park, the area adjacent to where we spent our orientation weeks, and consisted of a small “Big Top.” The circus definitely kept up with Samoan fashion and had a variety of entertaining yet not-so-crazy acts. (Unfortunately no lions or elephants made appearances). The night was made even better by the fact that KC and Courtney were in visiting from the outer island of Ta’u and got to partake in the experience with Kate, Julia, and me. 
The real excitement came with.....“the flash photography ordeal.” (gasp) Cameras were allowed but no flash. No biggie. We are used to that, and the ring master made about a dozen announcements remind us of the policy. However, the people in front of use used their flash a couple of times, but the security would come over to yell at US! Then they would open their phones to check the time and the sudden burst of light would be mistaken as a flash. So security would come over and yell at us. Near intermission Kate took out her camera, and as she turned it on, the screen lit up.... This, again, was mistaken as flash. One second later security came barreling towards our group, though this was technically our first time creating any sort of light (and nothing against the rules).
Security: "Madam that was your last chance you have to leave."
Kate: "But that was the only time I did anything!"
Security: “You have had too many warnings."
Kate: "No. That was the people in front of us!"
Security: "Madam, please, you have to leave the boss said so." He mentions as he points to the ringleader who pointed at Kate and made the 'get out' sign.
Kate: "Uh. Ok." (gets up and leaves)

Once out of the tent Kate was questioned, and when she explained the circumstances the security guard seemed content. But, apparently, when the ring leader makes the call there is no questioning it. The guard actually sneaked Kate back in for the remainder of the first act and she was allowed to rejoin us after intermission. 
The silly incident definitely made the night more memorable and provided some good laughs. We joked that they were “palagui profiling,” as we were on of the few groups of white people in the tent. All in all the night ended well and we were able to easily hitch back home. There’s nothing better than riding in the back of a pick up with the wind blowing at the end of a night! 

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Samoan Lesson I

A Few Words/Phrases I Commonly Use:
  1. Fa’afetai (fa-ah-feh-tie)- Thank you 
  2. fa’amolemole (fa-ah-molay-molay)- Please
  3. Talofa (Ta-low-fa)- Hello
  4. Tofa soifua or Tofa or Fa or Ia Fa (Toe-fa  soy-fu-ah) - Bye
  5. Manuia le po (Man-we-ah lay po) - Have a good night
  6. Manuia le aso (Man-we-ah lay ah-so)- Have a good day
  7. O ai e’faia le lotu? (Oh eye eh-fie-e-ah lay low-to) - Who would like to lead prayer? (song and prayer is the first thing every morning)
  8. Sapo (Saw-po) - catch (used when I through Mr. Lavalava ball)
  9. Aua le pisa (aw-a lay pee-sa) - Be quiet
  10. Ua Lava (wa la-va) - That’s enough
  11. Galuega lelei (ng-a-lu-eh-nga)- Good job
  12. Faiagoa (fie-ah-oh-nga) - Teacher
The “g” is very tricky as it makes a sort of “ng” sound like in “tongue.”

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Class Time

  1. Before The Bell Journal
  2. Before The Bell Sharing
  3. Daily Samoan Lesson 
  4. Announcements
  5. Review
  6. Daily Lesson and Activities 
  7. Wrap Up
For the past 2 weeks I added a bit more to my pre-lesson class routine, and the kids have really taken to it! It’s added a bit more fun and liveliness to class that keeps them entertained and excited. Since day one, I established a “before the bell” journal. Right when they get into class, they begin writing about the creative journal topic for the day. I think they really enjoy getting to express themselves in this way, and I can already see  a noticeable improvement in their writing. Now, though, I’ve added in a sharing activity. After we are done journaling, I take out Mr. Lavalava (my fabric ball) and toss it to someone. They have to share at least part of their journal before choosing the next person to through it to. It’s such a simple activity, but it adds so much to class. The kids love the anticipation of who gets the ball next, they love hearing each other’s answers, the students learn from each other, and it allows for some really funny moments! The next thing we do is our daily samoan lesson. I have each class period teach me one new word or phrase each day! It’s helped me so much in learning the language, but it makes the students really proud. They love playing teacher, deciding what to teach me, then laughing when I mispronounce it a few times! 
The girls one period taught me “kaisi chaema” (kie-see  ch-ay-ma) which is slang for “cute boy.” After school one day, I was walking out the gates with Matt and Max when I heard, “Ms. Jessie, kaisi chaema!” 2 of my girls were using the chance to talk about the guys (their teachers as well) behind their backs. The girls like having young male teachers (just as the boys probably don’t mind having a 21 year old teacher) and knew that out of the three of us, only I would understand :) I just shook my head and gave them a small smile, and they erupted in laughter! 

Playing Teacher

I’ve finally hit the stretch where I’m totally settled in and now living day to day life. The first year of teaching is definitely a tough gig. I seem to have endless stacks of papers to grade, lessons to prepare, and notes to type. After comparing work loads with other volunteers, I think it’s that perfectionist in me that creates quite a bit more work than necessary, but, hey, it’s what I do! :) After receiving recognition at the past 2 staff meetings and getting the first “teacher of the month” award, Matt and Max have dubbed me “teacher of the year.” They claim I work too much and show up to early, so they have come to use this nickname against me! (Of course, all in fun!) 
My classes have been going well....mostly. I have gotten all my class periods pretty much in check except for one. I have a few problem kids through out my day, but my 2-6th periods are pretty good overall! I love getting to see the students’ personalities come out, and getting to play off of them is really fun. My first period, though, is trouble! They have a lot of attitude, love to talk, and hate to do work. They are also my group with the lowest academic/english levels. Nothing has seemed to correct their attitude, but hopefully I’ll figure something out soon! My third period used to be trouble, as well, but after a few chats and assignments about ‘respect,’ they are my new angels! They come in, start working, and follow directions. If anyone isn’t doing what they are supposed to, the other students yell “Respect! Respect!” It’s pretty cute! Seeing it all from a teachers eyes make for some cute moments. On Thursday I had 2 boys who were supposed to come in for my after school detention. As soon as the bell rang, they sprinted into my room. They ran to desks, huffed and puffed from running so fast, and looked up at me with such innocent eyes as they asked, “Ms. Jessie, what do you want us to do?” Of course I had to play teacher and be stern with them, but on the inside I was cracking up at how funny they were. 

Monday, September 7, 2009

Day to Day

So I realize I have been awful! awful! awful! about writing in my blog recently! This first month of school has been exhausting both mentally and physically. But I thought I would  catch you up in a series of posts. Hopefully you’ll enjoy and get a little insight into the Fa’asamoa. 
My Daily Routine.....
I have developed more or less of a daily routine. I wake up by 5:30 each morning (sometimes as early as 4 am), get ready, and head out to wait for one of the aiga buses. Sometimes the buses are ridiculously crowded. The seats “hold” 2 people, but only fit one Samoan comfortably....let’s just say things can be a tad squished. (The buses have their own rules and etiquette system. Every time someone gets on or off there is a whole reshuffling system. The men move to the back to make room for women, and anyone younger moves to the back to make empty seats for their elders people. Kids can take up a whole seat until it gets crowded, then they are expected to move on someone’s lap.) I always try and snag a seat on the right side of the bus. Over half my ride is on the scenic highway (the road right next to the ocean), so I can just sit and stare at the ocean and waves. It’s such a peaceful start to the day. I have never lived close to water, but now that I am around it everyday I can’t imagine going back. 
I get to school by 6:30 and put in a solid 2 hours of work before the school day starts. Often times I am the first teacher on campus. Classes begin at 8:30 and are started with devotion. One student stands at the front of the class, chooses, then leads the song and prayer.  The boys and girls each know their separate parts, and Samoans have such naturally beautiful voices so the songs are breathtaking. 
I teach 3 to 4 classes a day. We are on block schedule, so I see each class 3 times in one week and for an hour and thirty minutes at a time. Mondays and Wednesdays we have assembly or homeroom, so 1 class period is taken up by those. I have also taken over a business class. We had several teachers never show up for school (a very common occurrence), so I had to take over an extra class. My department only has 2 people when it should have 6....So we have been a little overwhelmed. New teachers, however, should be coming soon.....Hopefully I can get back my much needed prep period. After school ends at 3 pm, I generally stay after for about 30 minutes for detention or kids who need to make up work. Then, Max, Matt, and I usually go do something for a little while. It’s a much needed distraction after such exhausting days. Sometimes we go to Samu’s (the best ice cream/milkshake place that is run out of a gas station) or we run errands together. Generally, I’m home by 5 or 5:30 pm, and have my daily skype session with Ethan! After skyping and dinner, I put in a few more hours of planning or grading before bed. It’s not unusual to do 13 hours of school/school work a day. (Geez this whole working gig is tough! ;) 
I do meet up with the other volunteers regularly and that’s always a necessity. I see Matt and Max everyday, Cynthia and John (a super cute sweet married couple) come over on Sundays or Wednesdays for weekly dinners, and a large group of us meet at Rubbles (a restaurant/bar) every Thursday at 6. Our house has a washer and dryer so we also get visits from other groups to do laundry and have dinner. 
Our WT crew also gets together on the weekends to go to the Bowling Alley (a dance club and bar), Maliu Mai (beach front bar), or someone’s house to spend time catching up and recapping our weeks. Sundays are my designated work days, and I spend all day at home lesson planning, organizing, and grading. 

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Weekend So Far: Beaches & Flooding

After the emotional craziness of this week, I was in dire need of some major chill time. Saturday morning I had to go into Utulei for a meeting with the WT executive director. All the volunteers met in my classroom for a meet and greet session with the big boss from Harvard. After that I hit up the beach for a little R&R. 
My 2 good friends Matt and Max lucked out with their housing and got a place on a gorgeous beach!! From their house they look out at palm trees and the Pacific Ocean. On an island where many of the beaches are just rock and coral, they have a strip of sand and their very own dock! Talk about jealous! So I go to Coconut Point to take advantage of their view as much as humanly possible. They also have a litter of puppies that lives right outside their front door....anyone who knows me can understand why this is also a huge selling point! So my life is perfect when I get to play with tiny puppies while looking at palm trees and an ocean view!
I got home from the beach yesterday around 4pm when it started raining. It is now 1:45pm on Sunday, and the rain still hasn’t stopped. Our front yard looks like a swift, brown, river, and I’m afraid that the little old man’s house who lives in front of us (but at a much lower elevation) will be flooded. :( At least I don’t feel guilty for staying inside to blog, lesson plan, and grade.

Lunch Time Escape

Lunch time is the saving point in the day! Without it.....ugh.. I don’t know if I would make it! ;) We are really lucky because Samoana is in a large village with a few restaurants. Each day we actually get an hour for lunch, and we make the most important decision of the day....where to go!? Yacht Club or Shady Plate Place? 
Each day when the lunch bell rings (the bell is a man hitting an old oxygen tank), Matt, Max, and I usher our kids out the door, and meet right in the middle of campus between our 3 classrooms. We then make a made dash through the kids and head one of two directions: straight or left.....
Option 1: The Yacht Club is amazing. We can sit outside and look out at the harbor and the green mountains, feel the breeze, play with their cute little puppy, and enjoy good food. I always choose between the grilled cheese or club sandwich while the boys go with either the Steak Bomb or Chicken Burrito. It’s a little prices (compared to Shady Plate Place) but it’s worth every second. 
Option 2: Shady Plate Place is just that..shady.. but it’s not bad. We don’t know if the establishment has a real name so we just dubbed it a rather fitting name. It’s a little hole in the wall with all its windows covered up with cardboard boxes. Inside there is a counter where they dish out your food. You can choose between spicy pork, chicken noodles, chicken curry, fried chicken, or lamb stew. All come with the option of rice. In my opinion the ONLY safe dish is the chicken noodle but the boys get the spicy pork and fried chicken too. Basically they heap piles of food onto your plate and then give it to you for dirt cheap. A full meal of chicken noodles with rice and a drink....$3.25 and that’s enough to feed 2 people! You then take your seat at one of the 2 long indoor picnic tables and chow down. The whole experience only takes 10 minutes (as opposed to the Yacht Club experience which takes about 50 minutes). And don’t even think about asking what your dish is made of or where it’s prepared..... I prefer the don’t ask, don’t tell system.

Tricky Tricky System

The first part of the year has been a little tricky. It’s half way through our first grading quarter (4 weeks in), and I still don’t have an official roster! It’s slowing down, and hopefully I can start writing things in my grade book by the end of the next week, but I still have kids being switched in and out and from class period to class period. 
Absences are a huge factor for both teachers and students, as well! I have kids that miss at lease once a week (when I only see them 3 times), and they refuse to come in after school or before school to make up their work! They aren’t used to having teachers with expectations, so they think it’s absurd that they have to come after school to make up an assignment, quiz, or test that they missed! It’s also hard to teach when so many kids are constantly absent. To have to re-teach or re-explain for 4-5 kids a period makes it complicate. Kids in the US miss maybe 3 days a semester. Here, though, I have kids that have already missed more than 3 days! It’s also seen as acceptable to pull your child out of school for a fa’alavelave. Literally translated, fa’alavelave means “trouble,” but it is a traditional Samoan celebration normally associated with funerals or weddings in which great family obligations are required. When kids skip school for fa’alavelaves it can be for a week at a time, and when you consider that half the island is practically related that makes for many fa’alavelaves. 
Absences, though, are an even bigger deal when it comes to teachers. Last year several teachers missed 40+ days of work! That’s eight weeks vacation, or almost 25% of school days! And when teaches miss, they frequently don’t call in. We had one teacher just up and not show up for almost the entire school year....and guess what?!....She’s back this year! Like I said in a previous post, my department has 2 people when we should have 6! They plan on adding to it in the next couple weeks, but geez! This is not to say that the DOE (Department of Education) does not have some great teachers. There are some wonderfully passionate Samoan teachers, but it’s very hit or miss. For many, the job is a paycheck, and they wait like a hawk to clock out at exactly 3:30 pm.  
This isn’t to say that I’m complaining about my situation, but the more I learn about the DOE and the education system I understand why WT is here. There are many problems in the system, and it will be a tough battle to fight. With a set-up partially based on corruption and who-you-know rather than merit, change takes a very long time. 

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Pep Rally: You Got Spirit?

Huge high school pep rallies are a Samoan tradition. Our Samoana students had been preparing for the first pep rally since the start of school, and they finally got to show off what they had been working on yesterday (Friday Sept 4).
The first pep rally is a competition between the classes (Freshmen vs Sophomores vs Juniors vs Seniors). On pep rally day, they compete in 4 categories: t-shirt, banner, mascot, and cheer. Every Wednesday the students have 55 minutes of school time to practice, and this past week our administration cut classes by 10 minutes to allow the students 45 minutes a day to have “class meetings.” Each class also works before school, during lunch, and after school each day to perfect all their routines. 
The pep rally went really well and was so fun. It was great to watch the students perform and get so excited. I’m a sophomore class advisor, so I have been watching them practice. It was fun, though, to see their final product and see all the other classes. 
The mascot competition was the most fun since the students go all out. Each group has 5-15 kids put on a skit involving the school mascot, the shark. The juniors and sophomores were by far the best! The juniors had a Shark King (a student wearing a shark head, painted completely blue, and carrying a sword and shield) carried in by his Shark Attendants (boys painted all blue). They came in and performed a hoka (traditional Samoan dance in which you slap different parts of the body) and then “defeated” the rival schools (other students painted and dressed like the 5 other high schools on the island). The sophomores put on a Michael Jackson themed skit. It started perfectly with a boy with long hair dressed up as a mother holding another boy student dressed as “baby sharkie.” Their skit told the story of Sharkie’s life from the time he was born until the time he graduated high school. The whole thing was a musical with back up dancers and all!
The cheer competition rounded out the pep rally. Each class transforms popular songs into songs about their class, and then all 350 students in that class jumps and cheers and sings. They are even accompanied by drum beats, and it’s definitely the rowdies part of the pep rally!
(Don’t forget to check out the video clips and pictures in My Albums - 9.4.2009: Pep Rally)
A few of the cheers: 
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“A Boom Boom Pow! I said a Boom Boom Pow! Boom Boom Pow! A Boom Boom Pow! All those other classes be jackin’ our style. We’re the sophomore class. Ya, we’re in that 10th grade now! 
“Juniors think there hot. Ya. Them Freshmen think they crunk. Mmm Hmm. The Seniors think they rule. Uhh huuh. But the sophomores got it all, and we don’t think they can handle this! Ohhhhh!”
“Sophomores in the front, let me hear ya crunk!” “Crunk”
“Sophomores in the back, let me hear you smack” (Clap)
Girls: “Junior Class!” 
Boys: “Throw it up!”
Girls: “Samoana!”
Boys: “Throw it up!”
Girls: “Junior Class!” 
Boys: “Throw it up!”
Girls: “Samoana!”
Boys: “Throw it up!”

Puppy Love Cuteness

I really enjoy the personalities of many of my students, but on Friday one of my kids topped the cuteness scale. In each class period I have 9th-12th graders, so in one of my classes I now have a 9th grade boy, Prqynce, obsessed with a 12th grade girl, Aso, that sits next to him. On Friday I noticed that Prqynce was paying Aso a lot of attention, and when I was passing by their desks he says, “Ms. Jessie, look at my girl! Isn’t she beautiful.” Aso responded by nearly throwing up and retaliating with, “Ms. Jessie, make them stop looking at me!” Prqynce and Paul both sit with their fist under their chin, and just stare at Aso. Every once in a while they blurt out a cheesy line, and Aso just roles her eyes. I even let her move her desk over, so they couldn’t touch it ;) Prqynce was getting angry that Paul was also giving Aso attention, so he asked, “Can I beat Paul up? He’s looking at MY girl!” The whole class period I had to convince Prqynce to do his work rather than looking at and singing to Aso! I told him that his homework was to work on his lines, and then maybe she would pay him attention ;) After class was over, Aso walked out the door and said, “Oh, these boys!” Prqynce wasn’t as fast getting out of the classroom and, again, asked me if he could beat Paul up for liking “his girl.” He then sprinted out the door to run after the lovely Aso. It’s definitely fun getting to be the teacher and laugh at all the silly things high schoolers do. What’s funnier is that they don’t know that I’ve only been out for 3 years and know all their tricks and can catch their sneakiness! 

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Smackdown Scariness: The Blood & The Tears

Tuesday September 1st was my worst day in Samoa, was one of the worst day of my life, and will hopefully not be topped. As a teacher I knew I would have to deal with tough stuff.... but this....I never thought I would have to see up close and personal. 
It was the first class of the day (but my 4th period since we are on block schedule), and they were being angels! The day before was tough, and I dealt with the lows of Test Day #1, so I was greatly relieved when my students came in ready to work and take their quiz. The class was working silently (a rare thing), and after walking around monitoring them for a while, I decided I could finally sit down at my desk and relax for 2 minutes.....So Wrong. I was looking down when all of a sudden I heard yelling. I look up and see a fist being slammed into one of my student’s face (I’ll just call him Johnny). At first I thought it was 2 of my students fighting but quickly realized it was no one I knew. Two kids came through the back door of my classroom and jumped my student, Johnny.  They held him in a desk and just kept punching him. He finally fell out of his desk and tried to stand up, but the 2 boys picked up a metal flooding chair and began beating him with it. Johnny got back up and started stumbling to the front of the class room when they picked up and entire desk (the kind where the desk and chair are connected), and began hitting him with it. When they were done beating him withe the desk, they threw it at him, and, of course, knocked him back down to the ground. By this time, I had cleared all my other students out of the room (since fists, chairs, and desks were flying), and aside from 2 of my boys who wanted a front row seat to the action I was the only one left in the chaos. But what could I do?...me 5’1”... the main attacker...easily over 6’ - 250 lbs...Me physically getting them to stop the attack was not an option. So Johnny still manages to stumble back up after being knocked to the ground by a flying desk, and the boys manage to get him back into another desk so they can easily keep beating and punching his face and body. This lasted for several full minutes before anyone else came in. I had sent a girl to run for help, and eventually 2 male teachers rushed in. They saw the last of the punches and witnessed the threats made before the 2 attackers ran out of the room. Another teacher tried to help me calm Johnny down, but he was still in survival mode. With blood everywhere he stumbled around the room and refused to sit or stop. Finally we managed to calm him down enough to help him to the office. He was still conscious, but very out of it. He could barely walk, and his face and shirt were covered in blood. I had never seen something so violent in my life and it took everything I had in me to remain solid through the fight. But with Johnny being helped, I turned to one of the other teachers, asked them to watch my class, headed towards the office, and immediately burst into tears. I went to the bathroom and tried to calm myself down, but it took a while to stop sniffling. I was still noticeably shaken up and sniffling, as we waited in the office for the ambulance and police to arrive. My principal let me into his office, and I just began to cry again. I felt so terrible and watching my own student from 3 feet away get beaten to a bloody mess was more than I could handle. I had to explain the whole thing to the police and write down my statement. It turns out that the main attacker was older and had already graduated high school. The other attacker, however, was still a student. They had canvased the school for 30 minutes looking for Johnny. Since both sides of my class room are windows, he was eventually spotted. The attacker still in school even had the nerve to knock on my door to get me to open it and let him get a clear view of Johnny 5 minutes before they bursted back in. After explaining the fight, I had to take the officers back to my room to show them the scene. Blood was sill everywhere and a trail followed the path of the attack. 
A janitor came in to start mopping the floor, but stopped after only mopping up a tiny bit. In an effort to keep myself together, I called my mom to have her tell me about something happy. While on the phone, I realized that he barely cleaning up the floor, and ended the conversation with my mom by announcing “Crap! I have to go and get someone to finish mopping all the blood of my floor!” ....Probably not the best way to leave Mom and everyone else at ease, but looking back it was a kind of comical moment in all the emotional craziness. 
What’s more awful is that each day I find a new spot of dried blood (not to gross anyone out) that has yet to be noticed. Since the attack went all around the classroom it was hard to get every bit up. Someone in my 6th period noticed some still on his desk. He raised his hand and said “Ms..... I think there is still some blood on my desk...” My response? “Ya? I just noticed some under your feet too. I was hoping you wouldn’t notice....” Oh geez. Wednesday morning I was grading their tests only to find blood splatter on those. And then on Thursday I went to write on the edge of my chalk board only to notice a nice large splatter still left on the wall and board..... 
Needless to say, we found several reminders of the attack, and I was shaken up each time. My poor 4th period is still paranoid. Each time someone walks by we all tense up a little bit. With nothing else to do, a few of my boys partly make light of the situation. On Wednesday after a few boys walked by and gave us a bit of a scare, a boy sitting next to the back door held up a broom as protection, and the other two in that row held up their fists to exclaim, “Don’t worry Ms. Jessie! We got this!”
Unfortunately the students explained to me that fighting is a way of life here. Students fight to represent the power of their families, their villages, and their school. It’s how they earn power and respect. Fighting outside the classroom may not always be controllable, but the second it came onto campus and in my classroom, it crossed the line. The principal said that in 20 years he has not seen an on-campus attack so bad. I know there was nothing more I could have done, but it’s awful that my students, and my 4th period especially, can no longer see the classroom as a safe place. While many of the boys think that fighting is cool, the girls were extremely shaken up. One even asked me, “Ms. Jessie, is there somewhere else we can go? Some other classroom where we will be safe?” American Samoa does have many problems with poverty, abuse, alcoholism, and more. I had always thought of the classroom as the place where my students could temporarily escape those problems, but now that doesn’t ring true. 
I absolutely hate that reality, and hate that violence is so prevalent. It raises a cultural contradiction that I don’t fully understand yet. On one hand the Samoans are such welcoming, friendly people. They are so family oriented and caring, yet on the other hand, the younger generations use fighting as a means of showing power. The problem, however, starts with the acceptance of corporal punishment. Kids are beat when they do something wrong. They learn early on that the consequence for disrespect and poor actions is hitting, so when they get older they use the same method. If they feel wronged or disrespected by another kid, they hit just as they have been taught. What’s worse is that their punishment is a good beating, so they are told not to fight and hit as they are being hit. It’s a never ending cycle. 
The following is a newspaper article written by the boy’s father. If you can’t tell.... I’m the “tiny palagi teacher.”