One Year Reflection

October 5^th is coming up which marks the One-Year Anniversary since I left my home in North Carolina.  I was considering what kind of blog entry I wanted to do to celebrate this and decided on a list of all the new things that I’ve done since coming to Samoa.  Keep in mind, these are all things that I’ve NEVER done before coming here (no order).

·         Haven’t seen my family in person for more than 5 months

·         Opened a coconut with a knife

·         Learned Samoan

·         Adopted a cat (my mom’s allergic so it was never possible at home!)

·         Ate meat (I was vegetarian since birth and started eating meat upon acceptance to Peace Corps Samoa)

·         Watched puppies, kittens, and a baby be born

·         Made a kid cry from happiness

·         Jumped off of a waterfall

·         Went to a US Navy black tie event

·         Lived without A/C and hot water

·         Ate stingray

·         Ate bat

·         Skinny dipped

·         Made 12 amazing friends

·         Been serenaded by 250 kids on my birthday

·         Killed a centipede (tally’s up to 8 now)

·         Didn’t shampoo my hair for a month

·         Didn’t shave my legs for a month

·         Swam with a sea turtle

·         Learned a Samoan dance

·         Opened a bottle using the table (not my teeth like the Samoans do!)

·         Washed my clothes using a bucket and dried them outside on a line

·         Slept under a mosquito net

·         Slept in a house with no walls

Looking back, I’d say I’ve accomplished a lot in this past year!  And that’s all besides my actual job which is teaching 115 amazing students.  To seem them progress so far is incredibly rewarding.  In the coming days, a new Peace Corps group is arriving in Samoa to begin their two year journey.  I look forward to sharing the next year’s journey with them.

Cheers!  (Manuia!)  Here’s to another successful year!

Sunsets in Samoa

What is it about a sunset?  They happen every night and yet each one is so different and awe-inspiring in their own way that you can’t help to watch night after night.    The sunsets in Samoa are at an entirely different level of colorfulness than what I’ve seen back home.  Every night I look out from my fale and in a span of roughly 30 minutes the sky turns from a light blue, to pink, to fire orange, to purple.  It’s amazing to see the changes in such a short time.  It never fails to be awe-inspiring and I’ve tried to capture the beauty a few times with my camera.  Below are just a few of the better ones.  Enjoy!