First Week of School

School started this week. I started officially teaching on Thursday, even though I finally had kids in my class on Wednesday. Monday the students picked up all the classrooms and put chairs in them and swept them; things like that. Tuesday, they cleaned up the outside. The weeded places and swept up gravel and helped the lawn man mow. Wednesday, we had short periods and it was just a time for the students to meet the teachers. These last few days I have been working on my syllabi. I have a lot of classes, but it’s not bad. It will keep me busy. On Thursday, I finally got to teach the students. It wasn’t anything complicated. I just introduced hardware parts of the computer and what each component is and does, like input and output. I kind of went over the same things on Friday too, just more in depth.

Let me explain what kind of classes I do have. Now, when I say times a week that means I have them for 45 minute periods each time I meet with them that day. Our school has years 9-13. Year 9 is equivalent to 8th grade in the states. Year 13 is like a senior in high school. I will be teaching year 10 once a week. Year 11, 2 times a week. Year 12, 5 times a week and Year 13 I will teach 5 times a week. I will also be teaching our Tech classes. Tech is for students that want to learn a trade now to use in the work place. So, I will teach Tech 1 and 2 (we only have Tech 1 and 2) for 5 times a day each. That adds up to 23 hours a week. Which I said is a lot, but it will keep me nice and busy out here on Savai’i.

One thing that is cool is that my pule wants me to start doing an after school class where I teach the teachers computers. I was a little skeptical what with my busy schedule and all. But, then I realized that’s the goal of the PC: sustainability. Then I started talking with the other teachers and they are really excited to learn computers. So we were planning on starting second term so I get used to the class load and such, but we might start sooner. That is a big plus on my side. Yesterday after cleaning up my computer lab, some of the female teachers sat down in my lab with me and joked that I was to start teaching them now. We started talking and teasing each other. They kept asking me who my uo (boyfriend) was, and so I finally answered The Rock. They all know who he is since he is Samoan. It was funny. They got a huge kick out of it.

The other day was a nice day too. One day after class when it was raining, I had biked out to La La’s house to chat for awhile, then I started to bike back home again. I stopped at the store on the 3 corners and talked with the store owner for awhile. I want her to get to know me. Her name is Toe’ina. She is really nice. And when I started getting close to the school, I noticed I wasn’t ready to go home yet and Bob still wasn’t home, and so I kept going. La La had mentioned an old access road near my school that went down towards the water when the road starts to go back inland. I found it and rode my bike down it. It was great. It was the closest I have come to trail bike riding since I have been in Samoa. I like trail riding more than road biking. So I just kept following it and it ended on a very beautiful secluded beach. There were no houses around, no people around (that I know of). It was raining a little and so I stayed a little while and walked ankle deep in the water. It was very refreshing. Then I headed back home. I will defiantly have to revisit that place often when I need some down time. That’s where the pictures on the water were taken.

So that was briefly my first week. This weekend I am heading into Apia for the last time for awhile I think. It is just too hard going back and forth between them. With school started it just makes it harder to go back and forth as easily. Plus, I find I spend a lot more money in Apia than I want to. It is quieter at my place, more laid back. I like going into Apia to see other PC and buy things I can’t get on Savai’i, but then it’s so nice to go back home again where it’s quieter and slower paced. I can see myself going in a lot less soon. But, of course, I have to go in to watch the Super bowl. I can’t wait to wear the white shirt I made (if I don’t get dad’s shirt in time) that I wrote Seattle Seahawks on. I am stoked we made it to the Super bowl. Too bad I wasn’t in Seattle during all of this. Oh well. How many people get to say they watched a Super bowl in Samoa when their home team was playing? :)

Until next time…