Peace Corps Journals / Samoa / all updates

Breakfast Club

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
Phil Dan and I breakfasted at the Aggie Grey’s breakfast buffet this morning. It’s $25 which is a little more expensive than any of the breakfast places in town but it’s all-you-can-eat and ...
0 reads

Oka Oka La'u Hani

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:39:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Oka Oka La’u HaniI just want to dedicate this to my awesome sister Jen and amazing brother Billy. It was great talking to you the other day…and allowing me to sing to you…So whenever you miss m ...
6 reads

Flag Day

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:31:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Flag DayGrowing up in the States we enjoyed our Flag Day in the elementary school classrooms with a little assembly but it never amounted to much. Sure we showed our pride in our country in little ...
10 reads

chocolate

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:29:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Just a taste of chocolateWith such amazing cocoa in Samoa and very few exports a few of us decided that we should find a way to assist Samoa in a business venture.Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able ...
6 reads

fish

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:27:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
I’aI’ve gotten used to the idea that fish will be a part of my diet and it actually does not taste bad…for the most part. I have learned that I actually prefer it to most meats. The problem co ...
5 reads

birthday

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:22:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
My birthday weekend.I should have known…Rachel is jinxed when it comes to diving. If you want to plan a dive trip be sure to not include her….Not because Rachel isn’t totally amazing because ...
5 reads

bus accident

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Saved by the hair on my little chin chin!On Friday I was heading for my amazing birthday weekend which was to start with fabulous grilled cheese at Rachel’s house. Being the amazing school system t ...
0 reads

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:58:00 +0800

(Samoa / Following the Day)
I guess I was unlike most kids. To me flying a kite required running and waiting for wind two things I did not particularly like to do. I would fly kites with my family every now and then but I n ...
8 reads

Your Reports in My Handwriting

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
I still haven’t gotten used to the idea that every time teachers have a due date for formal paperwork it inevitably translates to me typing everyone else’s stuff. Ideally I would have them type ...
6 reads

Odds and Ends Thursday 46

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
We’re on the verge of finishing week 7 out of the 15 in the first term of the school year. Term one is the longest and tends to be the most formal and straight-laced time of the school year. With ...
7 reads

Let's Not Do That Anymore

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
In high school I knew a girl who swore by a philosophy in which posited that any time you try something new you are obligated to try it twice to either confirm your experience and/or dispel any part ...
14 reads

Building a Composting Toilet Part 1

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:59:00 +0800

(Samoa / I swim with sharks on a daily basis.)
I went to Jenny PCV's village last week to help with building a composting toilet. In her region of Savaii water can be scarce especially during the dry season and water used is collected rain water ...
1 reads

Red Cross Water Tank Project

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:51:00 +0800

(Samoa / I swim with sharks on a daily basis.)
On February 6th I helped along with many other Peace Corps Volunteers paint a newly donated water tank by the Red Cross in a tsunami-damaged village Salea'aumua. Members of the Peace Corps Volunte ...
2 reads

in 50-500 years Google will be a god

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:43:00 +0800

(Samoa / <"}}}><)
0 reads

Trading Bases

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
I hung out in the staffroom when the bell rang for first period this morning waiting for the van load of teachers who would be heading to the SchoolC feedback meeting. I was reading my book when Tal ...
10 reads

Why Must I Work with Teenagers in Love?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
I’m not sought out for relationship advice very often. This was true in The States and it’s even more true here. Maengi on occasion plays the role of undercover guidance councilor helping st ...
65 reads

My Mystical Mornings

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:12:00 +0800

(Samoa / Following the Day)
My morning routine has mild degrees of variation to it. Some aspects that influence these variations on a daily basis include questions I pose to myself such as: Do I wake up extra early to exercise ...
15 reads

For anyone feeling charitable

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:02:00 +0800

(Samoa / Peace Corps Adventures in Samoa)
Even though I no longer live in Salesatele I do want to help them finish re-building the pre-school. The old pre-school was destroyed in the tsunami last September and the village is trying to get fun ...
0 reads

Village Clean-Up

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:34:00 +0800

(Samoa / Life in the South Pacific)
FROM THE SAMOA OBSERVERTsunami clean-up beginsSunday 07 March 2010 Hundreds of volunteers supported by the expatriate Australian community (and the odd Kiwi) turned up at Poutasi yesterday for the s ...
12 reads

BUBW Conference San Diego

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:51:00 +0800

(Samoa / Shuraleff in Peace Corps)
March 3 - 7 2010While awaiting a possible Peace Corps Response assignment I have reactivated my association with the foreign student exchange program AFS (formerly American Field Service). One of m ...
4 reads

Awards Re-Cap and Housecleaning

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
First the Academy Awards (feel free to skip this section)... Overall I’m happy. “Avatar” may be the technical revelation that only comes once every couple years and that’s great but I main ...
17 reads

Savaii Sports Tournament

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:51:14 +0800

(Samoa / Samowen Life)
On Friday morning we had a sports tournament for all the Savaii high schools. It was far away on the other side of the island in fact so we set off early from school at 6 a.m. The girls were going o ...
9 reads

Reflections on School

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:11:00 +0800

(Samoa / Following the Day)
Being a teacher is more work than I ever realized but it is fun because of the kids. Every time I teach a lesson that they do not totally grasp I go back to my plans and try to figure out what went ...
0 reads

Cheese Never Fails

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:09:00 +0800

(Samoa / Following the Day)
Will I ever get dive certified? My quest to be a Scuba Diver started years ago while studying abroad in Barbados. I completed the first few dives and was on my second to last dive of the program whe ...
1 reads

with this love and no other love

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:21:00 +0800

(Samoa / <"}}}><)
nothing is sacred. it is in this last breath of esoteric nonsense that i rub my eyes into clarity and with a softer voice i speak. i can transport myself into any of my travels when i sleep at night ...
5 reads

Brilliant!

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
The story goes like this: Cale 79 calls Dylan 77 and tells him he’s been hearing a funny sound around his house and he wants Dylan’s opinion on the matter. Dylan assents and then Cale holds the ...
11 reads

15 Random Things I Thought You Should Know:

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:28:00 +0800

(Samoa / Words from the South Pacific)
1. Ants are more coordinated at carrying a dead bug down a vertical wall than across the horizontal floor.2. While playing cards at my neighbor’s the 12 year old boy accidentally touched the bottom ...
28 reads

Picture Blog

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:18:00 +0800

(Samoa / Words from the South Pacific)
So this is a spider that lives in my bathroom. I plan on having an 8x10 made and placing the following caption below the picture: "He hasn't bit me yet but then again I'm not company."Another possible quote might be borrowed from the great movie "The Shinning." "Here's Johnny!"
7 reads

Am I Spongeworthy?

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
The packing list the Peace Corps sends future volunteers is 4 pages long single-spaced. It goes through the necessities and the optional items and suggests helpful reminders. In my opinion the mos ...
17 reads

Hate and love

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:17:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Hate and LoveThe longer I am here the less and less the words hate and love make sense to me. It does not seem like there is any middle ground at all. For example I was told that I was hated for not ...
12 reads

School Bus

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:16:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
School BussesPrimary schools are usually made up of one village however for some smaller villages they often combine to make one school. My school is just the case. I live in the center village so ...
11 reads

Chile Earthquake

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:14:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
The earthquake in Chile and Tsunami watchI learned about the earthquake after midnight after the third text our safety and security officer sent finally woke me up. Around two he was making his roun ...
7 reads

School calendar

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:11:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
SchoolI am starting to settle into my school calendar more and more each day…although that because of teacher shortages it makes everyone’s job harder. One teacher in our school has been out for ...
4 reads

rugby

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:59:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
RugbyDid you see it? The World Cup of Rugby was just in Las Vegas…I know I never knew much about rugby in the past…and in fact I still do not know much…but I do know the pride Samoa feels for t ...
4 reads

The Dating Show

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:56:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
The dating showTo make up for missing church a few times from being out of town I am quickly making up for it by going any day that I can. (Well only on the weekends…I do not want to commit to the ...
3 reads

A Trip to the Doctor

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:55:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
A trip to the doctorI had an appointment for the doctor in Apia for 11:00…which meant that I had to take either the 6 A.M boat or the 8A.M one. I know that usually a bus comes in my village around ...
2 reads

Week 3 of School

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:53:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Week 3 of AogaSchool has been in session for 3 weeks now and I think I have begun to find my nitch in the building. I am going to visit every class in a week spending more time with the students in ...
5 reads

What Would Jesus Do

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:52:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
What would Jesus DoChurch plays a major role in society here. I have some days where my family has lotu in the morning and in the evening as well as there have been many weekends where I have gone t ...
2 reads

Water

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:37:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
My Village Projects-WaterSo the overwhelming request was for me to get piped water to my village. I talked to another volunteer who is also trying to get this task and she told me it is a simple proc ...
1 reads

Hurricane Rene

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:33:00 +0800

(Samoa / No I Didn't Use Spellcheck)
Hurricane ReneWe warned….through text messages and by those who have watched the news about this hurricane. I was becoming nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. I had a trip to the doctor plan ...
0 reads

Odds and Ends Thursday 45

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
I can’t wait til tomorrow. The Friday night/ Saturday morning sleep keeps the entire week in balance. It’s the lynchpin the keystone. When it’s taken away like it was last Friday during the ...
15 reads

I’m the most spoiled Peace Corps Volunteer

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:52:00 +0800

(Samoa / Peace Corps Adventures in Samoa)
Last week was a bit sad with saying goodbye to my host family. I had the best fa’amavae I could ask for however. Wednesday night we went over to my host sister’s (Anita) parents’ house for din ...
12 reads

this begins now

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:22:00 +0800

(Samoa / <"}}}><)
make everything you do a step closer to your goal:mole-skin journalno ***clean the housesave moneypush upsresearchmeet with Baris and Mustafa (rize)eat healthydont shavedont cut hair
10 reads

Going Down?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
It’s a rare day in Samoa when I get to ride an elevator. In fact since I arrived I’ve only been on two: the one in the American embassy and the one in the John Williams building. I took the la ...
2 reads

Tsunami – Round 2

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:02:00 +0800

(Samoa / Peace Corps Adventures in Samoa)
Friday night I received a text around 10:30 pm from the Peace Corps office which told of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile stay tuned for possible tsunami warning. I got another text around 1:30 ...
15 reads

Cadaver Dogs

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
Just after college I moved home and there was one Friday night where the planets aligned and I wound up sitting on the couch between my parents watching crime shows on the Discovery Channel. The nig ...
18 reads

i'm a cylon

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:20:00 +0800

(Samoa / <"}}}><)
0 reads

Science?

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
When I was little I wanted to be a scientist. For a while there I wanted to be an astronaut and then a paleontolog- ist. And then I turned eight. I enjoy science lite. Back in the States I subscri ...
8 reads

alice and the protagonist

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:49:00 +0800

(Samoa / <"}}}><)
losing a journal is worse than losing a finger. i feel like this about my backpack (alice) as she is like a journal to me. she carries in her many pockets the stories i've come to tell and be told o ...
13 reads

A Tail with No End

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0800

(Samoa / Matt's Samoa Blog)
There’s a gecko that hides out behind the Obama placard on my wall. He’s relatively big and when he runs out from under the placard the rhythm of his feet on the hollow drywall sounds like thun ...
7 reads