Finally a New Post, Right?

So yeah, I have been a little bit lazy with keeping up with my blog. Sorry. I do apologize. But a lot has happened since the Thanksgiving post. Thanksgiving was delicious by the way.

We went back to our host village of Fausaga for our final two weeks with our host families. It was kind of a hectic time for all of us. We had a week of Model School, all of our assessments for Medical, Safety/Security, Cross-cultural, and Languages classes, our Language Proficiency Assessment (which we all had to score better than the Intermediate Low Level, or else we'd have to go through forty extra hours of Samoan language after training, but we're a smart bunch, and all passed), and we also had to prepare for our fiafia, or farewell party for the village.

First, we had a Model School, in which I had to prepare three thirty-minute computer lessons for a class of about fifteen. So, as I'm setting up the posters I had prepared I hear in the peanut gallery, blah, blah, blah, Bruce Lee, blah, blah, blah, Saina (China). So I figure they're talking about me, and start and introduce myself in Samoan - my name, age, that I'm a Pisikoa (Samoan for Peace Corps), where I'll be teaching, and then I jokingly say: "'O Bruce Lee 'e le lo'u uso ma 'ou te le sau mai Saina, 'ou te sau mai 'Amerika," which translates to "Bruce Lee's not my brother and I'm not Chinese, but American." That broke the ice, the kids thought it was hilarious.

On the Friday after Model School, we had Culture Day. That morning, my family dressed me up, tied teuila leaves around my legs, made a Samoan hat, etc. The guys went to the plantation and collected taro, coconuts, taro leaves for the umu, or Samoan oven, while the ladies stayed behind and made cocoesi, or a soupy mixture of papaya, coco Samoa, and sugar. Yum. After we prepared the umu and killed two pigs, some chicken, fish, taro, breadfruit, palusami, etc. We then drew roles for who would get to be the ali'i, or high chief, the tulafales, or the orators, and those who would have to serve them. I was an untitled person, as was Matt, so he and I got to fan the orators', Phil, Erin, and Onofia (who's one of our language trainers, but also an orator in his village) food while they ate. Joey was the ali'i, and Jordan fanned him and his food. Here are some photos of that day:








Walking back from the plantation with coconuts (I changed into shorts and T-shirt for the trip to the plantation, but kept the hat








Making the umu









Joey and Chris scraping the taro












My brother, Fa'avevela choking me as I peel the breadfruit (and that's Phil on the left)










This is what breadfruit looks like growing on a tree (Yeah, I didn't know either before I got here)












Jordan, Chris, Falefia, Blakey, and a Samoa whose name I forgot posing while killing the pig











The week that pursued was when we had our aforementioned assessments, which was a relief to be done with. That week was also our last week, and my family was busily trying to get me the best outfit to wear on the day of our inauguration and also the day we departed the village. So they hassled my aunt, Telesia, to sew yet another ie faitoga, or pocket lava lava, and shirt. If I haven't mentioned, my family had about ten different outfits sewn for me, and I am very grateful for them, 'cause now I don't have to go shopping for nice teacher clothes. I'd also like to mention that during that week, my mom, Elena, was quite emotional, and sad that the other Pisikoa and I were going to be leaving. So she'd just start tearing up randomly, which made it a bit awkward for me. One instance, she was making Samoan pancakes (which are round and spherical, as oppose to our flat and circular pancakes at home) for breakfast and starting to cry expressing that it'd be the last time she'd make pancakes for me.














On December 15, we swore in as official Peace Corps Volunteers, and my family had a new outfit for me, and insisted that I wear a white tie with it. So I did. And I was the only one in our group with a tie.

After the ceremony, my family adorned me with at least twenty candy-filled necklaces. We then had lunch, and the village put on dances for us. Later that day, we put on our sāsā, or Samoan dance, performed by men and women, the guys' slap dance, and then we put on a play, in Samoan.








Group 81's Sāsā










Guys Practicing the Slap Dance











Later that night, I presented my family with the I Love NY, Yankees, and Mets T-shirts I had bought for them back in States. I gave grandma and grandpa perfume/cologne. I gave the kids coloring books and crayons. They were very happy and emotional again, and even more so when I read my farewell speech in Samoan that was prepared for us. The next morning the entire village of Fausaga came to say their good-byes. There were a lot of hugs and kisses all around, but I think we were all pretty happy to be done with training and to be moving to our new sites.

Thought I might throw up these pictures of the village:
A view from our classroom of a sunset in Fausaga

Beginning of our village of Fausaga which is the district of Safata

So that's the main road in Fausaga (above) which would take you ten minutes max to traverse our little village. And my house is on the left between the second and third electricity poles.

I'd also like to mention that most of the guys in our group decided that we'd grow out our moustaches for entire duration of training. I participated. Here is a picture of us (from the top to the right: Matt, Phil, Koa, Paul, and me) (AJ grew out his moustache too, but shaved as soon as we got back into Apia that day)






And here are my before and after pics
















So on December 18, 2007, the Peace Corps drove us and our stuff onto the ferry and to our new sites. I'm living on Palauli College's school compound which is where I'll be teaching. In my next post, I'll write about the living situation and put pictures up.

I went back to the Fausaga to spend Xmas with my host family. We were supposed to go to church, but "our car broke down" so we didn't go. So there was just a lot of hanging out, not really any gift-giving at my house. I, though, got the two pictures I posted on Thanksgiving, printed them out, and framed for my family. I got the kids each waterguns. They were happy.

For New Year's, we went out to the westernmost point of Samoa, to a place called Falealupo. Samoa lies right on the International Date Line, so we got to see the last sunset of 2007, and also got to celebrate the last New Year's in the world. Crazy.

Group shot of the last sunset of '07












Me on the beaches of Falealupo












So I just wanted to end this post by letting you know that my brother, Fa'avevela (the one who's choking me in one of the prior pictures) and his wife, Pēnina, gave birth naturally to a baby girl on January 10, 2008. She was 9.5 lbs. My mom, Elena, called me and said that they would have named the child Supachart, if it were a boy after me, but since it's a girl they wanted to give her my real mom's name, Supalak. So it's not official yet, but I was honored when they asked if it was alright if they named her that. I'll update you in my next post.