Mavaega and the Frisbee

Today was a fantastic day. Absolutely fantastic! I have nothing bad to say besides the fact that I wish I wasn’t hungry 24/7.

·         School was great! Everyone was well behaved which was such a change from last week. We read about farmers during the Great Depression and then we talked about foods that farmers grew during that time which we then connected to the foods that they grow here on island. I assigned them their first big project: a group skit where they will bring (within their group) a farming family during the Great Depression to life! They all seem to be excited about it.

·         I had found baby carrots at the grocery store on Friday. My lunch was so much more exciting!

·         It was a super/awful/terrible/I need a pool HOT kind of day and on our walk home from school, a school bus pulled over and picked us up! THANK YOU AMSAM!

·         3 packages came for me in the mail. Hurray for fun and exciting goodies!

·         Mavaega, Kolio (other neighbor boy) and I read books about sharks and snakes. We then threw a Frisbee and not only did we manage to get it stuck on the top of my house, but we also got it stuck in a lime tree, and in a breadfruit tree. Trying to get it down from all those places was quite a challenge. While trying to knock it out of the breadfruit tree, we also managed to get a 5 foot long wooden pole and a soccer ball also stuck in the tree. OKA! (oh my goodness.)

·         Abby and I went for a run and it was fabulous!

·         I ate my weight in food (after a cold, refreshing shower of course): leftover rice/chicken/veggies, an orange, two slices of peanut butter toast, and a small bag of m&m’s…and about two Nalgenes of water. I’m tellin’ ya people, I’m becoming a Samoan with all this eating!

·         I caught up on Facebook and my email and then stumbled across this amazing video that was taken just a few days before I arrived on island. Troy Polamalu from the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted a football camp for the entire island. He also donated new cleats and jerseys to all the teams. I'll also brag a little and say that he stood right outside my house because my landlords helped organize the camp. YEP! Small island. As I may have said before, I could care less about NFL. If someone asked me who won the Superbowl two years ago, I couldn’t tell you. I just don’t get it. But being on this island, and being around hundreds of kids and people that are so passionate about the sport, I can’t help but like it…a little bit. Anyways, watch this video! I recognize many of the Leone Lions and a few of my students are even in it!:

Troy Polamalu visits AmSam

·         As I sit here typing this, Mavaega has just called my name for the sixth time. He has been drawing me pictures at his house and then running over to my house and giving them to me. The first one got me all choked up because after our day of reading and playing yesterday, I think our relationship has changed in so many ways. Not only is he my BFF but he has become a little brother to me. I just love him so much! And he’s quite the drawer – lots of pictures of me running, throwing a Frisbee, and giving him hugs. We give each other opo’s a lot (hugs!).

·         And now it is time for bed.

Goodnight!