Puppets

My latest project at the school has been to make puppets.  I did some research and read an article recommending the use of puppets in the classroom.  I didn’t think I’d have the supplies to make 250 puppets until I found a way to make TP puppets.

The body is formed by the TP roll.  The head is a circle of construction paper and attached via two slits in the roll.  The arms are a piece of pipe cleaner that is extended through holes in the TP roll.  The kids color the face and clothes and voila…a puppet.  You insert two fingers in the roll to hold it and you’re ready for business.

I first made “Donna” several weeks ago.  Since then I’ve used her in class a lot.  The real Donna would get a kick out of it if she could see her namesake in action. “Where’s Donna?“   “She’s under the desk!”  “Where’s Donna now?”  “She’s in Ioane’s pocket!”

So far Years 3 – 8 have completed their puppets.  Some of the kids carry them everywhere.  When I ask them to bring their puppet with them to the English room for their lesson there’s always a buzz of excitement.

The puppet making slowed because I didn’t have enough TP rolls for Years 1 -2.  I put out a call to the kids for help and think we’ll be ready next week.

Each child names their puppet, decides where they’re from and how old they are.  They write about what they like and what their puppet likes, doesn’t like, etc.  They’ve worked well.  

BTW, Donna – several of the puppets were named after you and come from the United States.

I’ll be taking pictures of the kids and their puppets and will post them as soon as I can.

I'm Back

Sorry for the radio silence.  My only excuses are the slow internet connection, activities with school/village and inertia.  But, I’m back at it and here are some random observations.

My host brother (Year 8) stayed home from school yesterday with a cold.  He stayed in bed all day.  I know because I look out my front door straight into my family’s open fale.  He’s been on a mattress for two days now, lounging, watching tv, talking to the other kids.  Yesterday as I walked by, I asked him how he was doing.  Can you imagine anything worse than having your teacher stroll by when you’re home sick in bed?

Noticed at the market today a lot more people address me by name.  Some kids, some parents and some people I have no idea how they know me.  Nice to feel part of the community.  I just wish I could address all of them by name.  Or some of them.

Another social gaffe.  A village not far from me was having a big dance competition last night.  Part of a church-sponsored week-long event.  It was being held at the compound where another volunteer lives and she invited me to join her and several other volunteers to watch.  I was very excited about it.  When I mentioned it at school, everyone asked how I’d get home, since busses stop running at 5:30 p.m.  I said I hoped to snag a ride with someone or, worst case, take a taxi.  One of my school friends said “If you can’t get a ride, call and we’ll take you home.”  A generous offer since it would be late and she doesn’t live in either my village or the dance village.

I was tired yesterday and didn’t want to deal with the transportation hassle.  Would have had to arrive a few hours early so I could take the bus, then deal with finding a ride.  So I texted my regrets to the other volunteer.

I got a call this morning from the woman who’d said to call if I got stuck.  Seems she cancelled her plans last night and stayed home to wait for my call.  Another example of how communications sometime go awry. 

I was grading tests yesterday and had to laugh.  The kids had to combine nouns and adjectives.  I gave them a list of both and they had to choose which matched along with the correct form of “to be”.  One sentence was “My balls are hot.”  In this climate, that’s probably true.  The correct answer, by the way, was “The sun is hot.”  That’s also true in this climate.

I was low on cash today, so stopped by the only ATM on the island for my PC bank account.  Mid-transaction, it stopped and spit my card out, announcing it was “out of service.”  No worries, I’d borrow some money from my Florida account that I could access at the only other ATM on the island.  I walked down the road and tried that account.  That transaction was rejected by my bank in the US.  I had just received an email from my financial advisor telling me I needed to get a new card/checks.  Long, boring story.  Didn’t expect my old account to be shut down so quickly.  Very annoying that I took a two hour bus ride to get money and got zip.

BTW- future volunteers.  If you have any financial assets/obligations that will need to be tended to while you’re gone, be sure to consider it carefully.  Small things can be enormously frustrating.  Your credit card/ATM card expires while you’re out of the country?  The bank won’t mail you a new one.  You have to send a signed letter authorizing the card to be sent to someone else in the US and then they have to mail it to you.  That can take months.

I had palusami (taro leaves, coconut cream baked in a traditional hot stone oven) and iced tea for breakfast.  Great cultural mix.

The other morning I walked out of my house at 7 a.m.  That was after sweeping the floor and hanging a load of wash that I’d done in a bucket in the shower.  First thing I saw were three tiny heads and six pairs of eyes staring at me from under the step to my family’s fale.  Three adorable puppies.  Next I noticed the always amazing sunrise over the lagoon, with the palm trees waving in a steady breeze.  Then I saw the kids waiting by the road to carry my bags. 

When we got onto the school grounds I noticed the six piglets our family owns.  As they do every morning, they were looking for food.  And, as usual, one of the tiny Year 1 boys started chasing them.  Seems he’s been given the responsibility to chase them off the grounds and he seems to love the job.  As he ran full tilt, the piglets scattered, so other kids joined in the chase.  All the pigs but the runt of the litter made it safely through the fence.  

It was now mano a mano.  Or mano a hoof, in this case.  The poor little runt had been chased by so many kids and looked like he’d drop from exhaustion.  The kid also looked exhausted but still was in the game.  The kid was gaining.  I was silently cheering for the piglet, knowing what it would be in for if it was caught.  Just as the kid was in grabbing range, that clever little pig did a quick feint and outmaneuvered the kid.  It gave him just enough of an edge to make it through the fence.  The boy didn’t look too disappointed.  He knows there will be another race next week.

Postcards, Please!

Many of the volunteers who will be leaving this year have asked for postcards and gotten an amazing response.  They're a great learning tool.

I'm going to shamelessly steal their idea and ask you to send a postcard...addressed to me, but for the children in Year 7 (11-12 years old).  It would be great if you tell us what city/country you're from (and state or province, if applicable).

I promise to show you photos of the cards we receive.  I'll use them in lessons on geography, letter-writing, culture, etc.  A fun and interesting way for kids to learn.

If you prefer to send a letter, we'll answer it as quickly as we can.

Thanks in advance for your help with this.  In addition to sending a card, please share this information with anyone you know, around the world.  To help that along, here's content for an email you might blast your mailing list with:

Hello - please join me in sending postcards to some great Year 7 kids at the Faga Primary School in Savaii, Samoa.  If you send a postcard, you'll be able to see a photo of it, along with some terrific Samoan kids on this blog:  http://www.nancymagsig.blogspot.com/.  Here's where to send the postcard:

Nancy Magsig, Peace Corps Volunteer
Year 7 Class, Faga Primary School
Faga
Salelologa Main Post Office
Savaii, Western Samoa

Thanks for your help!

Photos - At Long Last!!

My bed in the hotel in Tafuna, American Samoa.

If you think we look happy here, you should have seen us after the sauna, jacuzzi and massage.  We splurged during  Early Service Conference in Apia.  From left - Natalie, Chelsea (PCV), Denise (PC staff)

About 1/3 of us made it to march in the Samoan Independence Day event.  Nice to see the American flag.

My new friends are wearing tapa cloth (made from tree bark) lava lavas.  I'm stylin' in a t shirt and ie lava lava.

Tapa cloth and tattoos.  The traditional tattoos go from above the waist to above the knees and cover just about everything in between.

After we marched.  In the brown shirt - the Congressional Rep for American Samoa.  Between him and me is the Ambassador to the Pacific Region, which includes Samoa.  He's based in Wellington, NZ.

Some of the teachers at my school were feeling playful.  I was wearing the same school uniform as I took the photo.

The green steak burrito at Carl Jr's in AS.  OMG.  I'm drooling just looking at it.  It cost $12 US, btw.  Worth every penny.

The bathtub in my hotel room.  With hot water.  Did I mention I was in heaven?

The view in AS as I walked to the store.  More, closer, spikier mountains than in Samoa.

Another mt.  Very similar to ones I'd seen in Cook Islands, Tahiti and Bora Bora.

For sale at the grocery store in AS.  I'm guessing Chinese imports.

Back Home In Savaii

American Samoa is only about 78 miles from Samoa. It seems much farther, though. I enjoyed the complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel. Honeydew and peanut butter for the toast. You won’t see that in Samoa. The only disappointment was the big bite I took of what I thought was cantaloupe. No, papaya.

After time lounging, I checked out and took the shuttle to the nearby airport. The driver was from Savaii and I’ve been to his village. Nice talking to him. The airport is small and open air. Check in was easy and the clerk was friendly. He asked if I had a connecting flight to the mainland. No, just catching the bus to the ferry. To expedite things so I wouldn’t miss the bus, he put a priority tag on my luggage, which seemed somewhat unnecessary. The plane and the airport are so small that the “luggage handler” (who is also the reservations clerk and check in guy) opened the door of the plane and smiled at me. We chatted as he hauled the luggage into the terminal. I don’t think it could get any more priority than that.

There were several cabs waiting so I hopped in and explained I needed to make a couple of stops before heading to the bus. First the PC office to drop off my dental receipts and pick up a video and book friends had left for me. Next, the hotel where stayed earlier. To save luggage space for chocolate, they were nice enough to keep my new mosquito net for me. Then on to the market.

I was the second one on the bus, so I got a good seat in the front with plenty of leg room. I also knew I’d be waiting almost an hour to leave for the wharf. It was hot, but breezy and I had Mr. Kindle to keep me amused. Plus the crowd at the market is always good for people watching.

Vendors came by repeatedly. Most selling drinks and snacks. Cans of Shasta and cold bottles of drinks. Some were orange and some white. All had their labels removed and the seal had been broken. Banana and ulu chips are standard snack items, along with Twistys. Twistys are a sort of like Cheetos but come in a variety of flavors and not as tasty, in my opinion.

Vendors were also selling more practical items. One guy had a box filled with pens, super glue, bandaids and sunflower seeds. Everything a traveler might need.
A large woman sat next to me, holding a toddler. She immediately gave the little girl a large open bottle of orange soda. I figured I’d be wearing it before the trip was over and I was correct. Within five minutes half of me was soaked in orange soda. The mother noticed and wiped off what had spilled on her. She didn’t comment on the puddle in my lap.

It was a crowded bus and because I was too squished too move, I got a bad case of “bus butt”. That’s what we call it when you sit on a hard wooden bench for over 2 hours, with someone sitting or leaning on you and you can’t move to keep blood flowing to lower extremities.

A pleasant surprise was that two of my sisters and my “father” got on the bus soon before we left. Nice to have company during the wait for the ferry and the ride. I sat next to one of the girls on the upper deck and asked which guy she thought was best looking. She indicated the palagi sitting in front of us. I felt obliged to chat with him and discovered he’s from Israel and had been traveling for several months after finishing pharmacy school. He’s staying at the beach fales in the next village from ours so we made sure he got on the bus with us and that the driver would drop him off at the right place. He promised to visit for some cards and conversation. Just call me cupid.

I realized when I walked in my house that my friends can’t stay here when they get off the flight from the States. After just a couple of days in a nice hotel, the flaws in my home jumped out at me. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it and appreciate the luxury I have compared to many. But for someone fresh from America, dealing with jet lag, it might be a bit much. Perhaps a day or two first at the resort to get acclimated.

I put up my new mosquito net. The old one was for a single bed so was too small. This one is softer, a double and has a slit in one side to make it easier to get in and out without having to untuck and retuck the whole thing. I don’t like mosquito nets. They’re hot and a pain to arrange every night. But I slept well and didn’t wake up with dozens of bites, which is what has been happening, even with the mosquito coils.

One of the real perks of where I live is that my family runs a store. It’s small. More like a kiosk, really. You just walk up to the window and place your order with whoever is working, usually Peter. I bought some chicken, potatoes, onions and eggs. He gave me a huge discount as a thank you for the chocolates I brought the family.

As I was staring at the water on the ferry crossing, I realized what I’d enjoyed most about American Samoa. It was the anonymity.

Here, everyone knows me and knows what I do. What time I get up, what I eat, who I talk to, and what I buy are all discussed. Not in a mean way, just because there’s not a lot going on and I’m the only palagi living here. As I’ve been typing this, sitting on my bed, the door and windows are open. At least 10 people have walked close enough to my house to say hello and ask what I’m doing. “Why aren’t you in church?” “There’s no church today.” “Why?” “I don’t know.”

I hear about other PCVs. They hear about me. It’s that D-list celebrity status thing. I chat with someone in the market from a village on the other side of the island and they’ll go home and tell people about it. In Pago, I was just another tourist, passing through.

Talking to the young Israeli on the bus made me realize how many things I like about life here. It was a nice evening and people were outside, walking, socializing, playing rugby and voli. I pointed out the best store on the island, which is at the edge of my village. The amazing lagoon that I get to look at every day. It was nice to have a group of kids yell my name and wave when they saw me driving past.

Last night as I curled up with Mr. Kindle under my new mosquito net, I heard the ocean. It was high tide. I could hear the new puppies mewling for their mother under the faleo’o next door. I loved having television, hot water, air conditioning and palagi food in Pago. But it wasn’t home.

Sweet Chicken of Acid

My friends introduced me to a new Chinese restaurant in Apia the other night. I think it's the best Chinese food I've had in Samoa. The menu was worth the trip, even if the food hadn't been so good. Here are some examples. I did not make these up.

Cook in Water The Beef.

The Palace Explodes the Diced Pork.

The Sweet Chicken of Acid. I had this, by the way. It didn't involve anything related to Timothy Leary. It was sweet and sour chicken and very tasty.

Squirrel's Fish.

Clear's Fish.

Serve the Clear Dish of Soup.

Bring the Fried Rice.

There were pages of entries like this. It made the ordering process fun.

This Isn't Pago

Ok, so I lied. Technically, I haven't been to Pago Pago. I'm staying in the village of Tafuna, close to the airport for Pago. The hotel, The Tradewinds, is fabulous. Air conditioning, a sofa, hot water, a bathtub. Yeah, there's a pool and restaurant too, but I didn't leave my plush room much.

The other two things I found in Tafuna were stores. One Cost You Less is very much like walking into a Sam's Club. A couple of times I realized my mouth was hanging open as I stared at aisle after aisle of stuff I'd been dreaming of.

It was a bittersweet experience, though. They had meat here. Lots of steaks, hamburger, ribs, etc. But I had no place to cook it. Likewise, there were vegetables, but they sell only in bulk, so what would I do with a truckload of veggies? Same with cream cheese, regular cheese, etc., etc.

I hit the candy aisle hard, though. I'm taking back over ten pounds of chocolates for the teachers and others in the village. I wish my budget and my luggage would have allowed me to buy more.

It was amazing to see on display all the treasures that I've gotten so excited about every time I open a box from friends at home. I splurged on a giant box of granola bars and a huge container of Swiss Miss. Breakfasts in the coming months will be stellar.

The other store I found in Tafuna, within walking distance of the hotel was KS Store. Larger, cheaper and better stocked than any store in Savaii. On a par with Farmer Joes. As I was leaving, I commented to a woman working there what a great store it is. She explained she was the owner and thanked me. We chatted for awhile about doing business in American Samoa vs. Samoa and why she chose to leave her home in Samoa to run a business in AS. Good insights into why there's such a huge difference in goods between the two countries. As I was leaving, she tossed several small bags of candy into my bags. A generous gesture.

I also found a small cafe in Tafuna. Got a cheeseburger that came with a mound of thick onion rings, $6.95 and delicious. I also got a side salad. That was my second salad, since I had a large salad from the grocery store the night before. I was planning on MacDonalds and KFC but they both involved cab fare. I've really missed salads, so it was great to get them so close to my hotel.

Some differences between Pago (or Tafuna, since I never made it downtown to Pago) and Samoa...

There are bus stops, rather than just flagging a bus down anywhere, although you can do that, too. The busses are smaller, but still have the same wooden seats and lots of people.

People seem friendlier. My theory is that people here are more confident with speaking English and so are more comfortable initiating a conversation. People here have been very friendly, often approaching me to chat. The cab driver who took me and my box of goodies back to the hotel drove past me yesterday and honked and waved.

There are American amenities. Lots of fast food options, both American chains and options for buying Samoan staples (palusami, taro) at small stores. In my village I can buy an egg salad sandwich if I get there at the right time of the morning, but other than the resort, that's the only option for buying food. Having said that, comparing a Savvian village to the capital of AS isn't really fair. I'd love to visit a village here to see how similar, or not, it is.

People love Savaii. At least 15 people have asked me where I'm from since I got here two days ago. That's more people than spoke to me during my first month in Savaii, by the way. They smile when I say the United States and then when I go on to explain that I'm now living in Savaii, they beam. Most people I've spoken with are from Samoa. The ones who aren't, have family there. Most came here for work and miss home, it seems.

I've taken photos and will post them, along with all the other photos I've been stockpiling once I get home and access to high speed internet. Hopefully, next Saturday.

I'll be happy to be home in Savaii. But I'll miss it here. It has a Samoan vibe, but American stuff. A great combination.