Thursday, March 18, 2010

Odds and Ends Thursday 47

They say that after the slow lifestyle of the Peace Corps it’s difficult to acclimate to the fast-paced lifestyle back in the United States. I feel like after the slow lifestyle of the third term of school, I’m having a difficult time with the down-to-business attitude of first term. I’m exhausted. During the first two rugby games this afternoon, I found a chair and slept on the sidelines. No one seemed to mind. Here are some other odds and ends from the week:
  • I knew about the American Samoa trip for a couple weeks, but I didn’t want to telegraph my departure. I wanted to do more exciting things than re-discover the Carl’s Jr., but BusyCorner never emailed me. Whatever, I had a good time.
  • No cavities.
  • I’m sorry I never posted pictures for last Friday’s post. How about an emoticon to assuage everyone’s qualms? :)
  • For some reason, Blogger is not showing that Phil updated his blog recently with the story of the bus accident he was recently involved in. Everyone should read it. It’s a firsthand account of a Sports Day bus accident where two kids get their arms broken and a man on the other bus loses his arm all together. Check it out.
  • The fluorescent light in my dining room is burning out to the point it flashes on and off when I turn the switch on. It’s eerie to say the least.
  • Airport security at Fagalii is pretty basic. Since they have no x-ray machine, they just open up your bag and rifle through all your stuff. Let’s hope TSA never figures out this system.
  • Roosters are the most obnoxious bird on the face of the planet. I’m just going to throw that out there.
  • For some reason the Mexican beer Sol is now being sold for the same price as Vailima in many bars around town. Globalization is hard at work.
  • There seems to be no pattern to the music that penetrates my kids’ world. They love anything with auto-tune, but then they were all about the original “We Are the World” last year. And then yesterday in my year 12 class, out of nowhere Fiapa’ipa’i sings, “She’s just a small-town girl...” Journey? Really?
  • Yesterday marked the midpoint for Term 1. There are only 7 weeks left after this weekend. I don’t want to sound like I’m counting down the days, but I am.
  • It’s still absurdly hot. Although I’m also beginning to think that certain factors give different places around campus abnormally hot micro-climates. There’s something about the way the 10.4 classroom is angled that it doesn’t get any breeze. Luckily I’m only in there once a day. I feel sorry for those poor kids who have to sit in that heat all day long.
  • In my English class we’ve been mapping stories to find the setting, the plot, the climax, and the outcome, but I’m finding it difficult to think of stories that everyone knows. I’ve solicited suggestions from the kids, and so far we’ve mapped the following stories: Noah’s Ark, The Transformers Movie, and Mamma Mia!
That’s all I got for this week. I hope you’re well. Pictures below.


Driving along the main highway in American Samoa.


Outside, the buses in AmSam have a different shape to them than the buses in Samoa, but from the inside, you'd never know the difference.


Harbor in American Samoa.


The power went out while I was at Carl's Jr. It felt good to know our American counterparts face some of the same struggles we do here.


On my walk from Carl's Jr. to the airport I passed the Tafuna Corrections Facility. No wonder I couldn't find a cab.


This guy at the airport was wearing an "Uma le Case" lavalava. Uma le Case is Samoan slang that sort of means "Case closed." My kids say it all the time.


The picturesque airway at the Pago Pago Airport.

2 comments:

aa said...

Our airport in Carlsbad, CA, prior to its recent renovation, did not have an X ray machine for checked bags. So, when we would travel from Carlsbad to LAX, I would always dread checking a bag because TSA would mess up my perfectly packed suitcase. It was aggravating.

Amanda said...

These pictures are so beautiful!