Well it’s been so long since I’ve blogged it seems almost
pointless to try and catch up—so I’m just going to give you a highlight of the
end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 and then promise to try and be a better
blogger.
·
We had our Inter-District Spelling with 12
schools that I planned with another PCV and my students took 1st
place! Making us the winners of the District and Inter-District Spelling Bee!
· I was the head PCV of the 2013 GLOW (Girls
Leading Our World) Conference, which involved 44 girls and 12 PCVs along with
12 successful Samoan women. The
conference was 2 days and had multiple different sessions designed to help
girls realize their leadership potential and increase their motivation to
aspire to success. The conference was a
hit and the girls loved it! Also, my interview about the GLOW conference was on
3 different TV stations!
·
Last year, my students, teachers, and I pulled
off 3 Spelling Bees, 2 English Days, 1 Community Day, 1 English Camp, and 25
weeks of reading club!
·
I was finally able to sweep all the grass off
the lawn without getting blisters(now I have calluses, yay!) and pick up
approximately 10 million leaves without getting a sore back. These are things I consider real achievements.
·
I ate at least 300 pieces of taro (this is not
an exaggeration—it was probably more actually), 100 coconuts, 50 pigs (not the
whole pig of course), 200 pieces of fish, 1,674 crackers, and at least 300
bugs, mostly ants. (I no longer bother
trying to pick the ants out of my food).
·
I have really improved my Samoan, but still
don’t understand everything.
·
I made some of the greatest friends of my life
among my other Peace Corps Volunteers.
·
I travelled to Auckland, New Zealand and spent 2
and half weeks over the Christmas break with some friends there. We hiked Rangitoto Island (an old volcano),
watched a free movie at the park, watched some pretty trashy American TV, ate
way too much food, and spent New Year’s Eve at a lovely beach near a house that
we rented.
·
My mother, grandmother, great-aunt, and cousin
came to visit me in Samoa! We travelled around both islands of Samoa, ate lots
of food, spent lots of time on the beautiful beaches, went to the waterfall,
and spent several hours in the market.
·
I moved! About 2 weeks after I came back from NZ I moved to a
different family in my village. They own
a resort in my village and are so generously letting me stay in one of their
rooms—which has a bathroom inside the HUGE room and a deck that sits right on the
sea. It’s beautiful. Now I feel more like a spoiled brat than a
Peace Corps Volunteer—but I figure when life throws you lemons, you can make
lemon meringue pie!
·
I have enjoyed every morning since I moved
sitting on my deck, watching the sea and the palm trees, eating yogurt and
granola, and drinking my tea. I really
do have a great life now.
·
I GOT A YOGURT MAKER! When I was in NZD I found
a yogurt maker for $19 and so now I can make my own yogurt in Samoa instead of
paying $4 for one small package! This is probably the most life changing
event—the number of crackers I ate this year will be ridiculously less than
last year.
·
I’m now planning my wedding to my best friend!
We are getting married in December here in Samoa at my favorite resort. I couldn’t be happier!
Overall, my first in year in Samoa was the
best and most challenging year of my life! I can’t believe I’ve already been
here for 17 months and only have 10 months left! I know December is going to be
here before I know it and I’ll be back home for Christmas, drinking hot chocolate,
freezing to death under a blanket! As excited as I am to be home with my family
again, I’m going to try my hardest to enjoy every minute of my last year in Samoa
and not waste any time trying to do as much good here as I can.
