I'm typing this on my failing laptop. It seems that the cable between screen and computer has frayed. I'm blaming ants. The computer guru in Salelologa who has become my hero over the past two months says "age". Oh, well, looks like a new laptop will be my next investment.
About 50 parents showed up for a meeting at the school today to discuss my housing situation. I was seated in front, facing the parents, along with the principal, lead teacher (with whom I currently live) and the former principal, who is now the regional person (called School Resource Officer or SRO). The parents stared at me while everyone made speeches, including me.
Thankfully, the principal warned me and dictated a page of Samoan for me to read. There seemed to be great surprise when I started speaking in Samoan and by the end I'm sure their ears were sore from my bad pronunciation. I got a number of smiles of encouragement, though.
Overall, it was good news. Clearly, the parents are frustrated with the school committee who was supposed to handle this and has spent all the money collected previously from the parents. None of the committee showed for the meeting, by the way, although they were invited. They also expressed (as far as my Samoan could tell) that they really want me at the school.
One woman, who's been a sweetheart from day one, gave a long speech about how wonderful I am. She said she considers me a sister and at the end of her speech said, in English "I love you, Nancy!" So I thanked her in Samoan and went over and gave her a hug. That got a lot of laughs and helped break the tension in the room.
Outcome of the meeting is that there will be a fund raiser on Friday. I heard someone suggest a dance as a fundraiser. They were all staring at me during what I thought was a discussion of a dance. Could this mean I'll be asked to perform Friday? I'll let you know. On Saturday, someone will take the money to the hardware store to buy the supplies needed to build the outhouse for the last house I posted photos of. PC and I were previously told that the supplies were at the house and only labor was needed. Not sure what happened with that.
I was told that someone (who is unclear) will build the outhouse. It should take two days and should be completed in a few weeks. I was given the option of moving in with that family during construction, but opted not to move for the 10th time since I left home. I'll wait until it's done and I can just move once.
BTW, after the meeting, I asked for a translation of what happened. They looked surprised that I asked and said that they'd build an outhouse and I'd move. Uma. Done. A 30 second translation of a 1 1/2 hour meeting.
I'm guardedly excited about the move. I will have an indoor kitchen, which will rock. I've been accumulating more canned goods and they need a home. A friend volunteered to research ideas on a cheap way to improve the plywood kitchen counter tops. I'll be researching how to plug the holes in the tin ceiling. It was used before, so there are rows of holes which let in the rain. Chewing gum? There's gotta be a way.
That's the news for now. We've had a couple of dry days which has been great for laundry. I'll be officially teaching full time next week and the kids and I are both excited about that. Wish us luck!
Your unfailing positive attitude is inspiring!
ReplyDeleteYour computer guru can't repair/replace a frayed wire? I had a similar problem with a laptop and the connection was repaired, thus saving the laptop for a few more years.
Good luck with the fund-raising dance - - - if you are asked to dance, you can use your teacher's skill at involving everyone and get them to do duck-duck-goose (!). No? How about the Hokey Pokey?
Ran across your blog and have spent the last few days reading it all since the beginning. My husband and I are at the stage of waiting (since mid-December) for phone call from the Placement Office! We fall into the older-volunteer status, so your comments are priceless to me. Worrying about language acquisition, dietary concerns, and ability to sit on floor for hours at a time. Your positive outlook is encouraging as it is the same I try to adopt when things get a little bumpy. Life's challenges are just opportunities for experiencing more adventures. Looking forward to reading more of what you write. No detail is too mundane!
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