Bittersweet Endings

It's hard to believe that my time here in American Samoa is coming to an end! I only have 2 more weeks of teaching. It's going to be weird to adjust back to living in the States. There are some things that I am really looking forward to in the US that I've been thinking about a lot (especially when I'm eating yet another tuna sandwich), but at the same time I know there are things that I will really miss.

Things that I will miss:

--The little tiny yellow bananas (fa'i) that are one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. I had a "regular" banana when I was in Sydney and it was pretty disgusting. I don't know if I can go back to eating those dull, mushy things that genetic engineering has sucked the life out of and that we call bananas in the US.

--The abundance of fresh limes, coconuts, and papaya. I didn't even like papaya before I came here.

--My favorite students, fellow WorldTeachers, and other friends I've become close with during my year here. It's going to be extremely hard to say goodbye, knowing that I'll probably never see most of my students and Samoan friends again.

--Weird/Cool names. I play soccer with a kid named G-Well (this is not his actual name). It stands for Ganster Well, as in he's a good ganster. There is also a kid, and I'm not kidding, named Bill Clinton Tino. That is his actual name that his parents gave him. I like to cheer for him at basketball games just so I can yell "Go Bill Clinton!"

--my popularity. I have never been so popular in my life. The three of us at Leone are the rockstars of the west side and we cannot go anywhere without have copious amounts of students shout and wave at us. On second thought, it might be nice to have a little anonymity when I get back home.

--riding in the back of pickup trucks, especially at night.

--being so close to the ocean at all times. As well as so many other cool natural things, like mountains, waterfalls, awesome snorkeling, etc.

--Playing soccer with the Leone village team every day after school. This has become my favorite part of the day. It's a stress reliever after a day of school and it gives me a chance to meet and socialize with Samoans my own age. Most of the players are not very skilled, but it's still fun to play, and, as G-Well told me, "All you have to do is run and try!"

--the musicalness that surrounds the island. Samoans are always, playing, listening to, or singing music. Yes, sometimes the 10 phones of students each blaring a different hip-hop song can get obnoxious, but other times I really enjoy it. I love when the students sing the prayer every morning. They can all harmonize and have beautiful voices. I love the random times when I'll be sitting at, for example, a sporting event, and the person behind me will whip out a ukelele and start jammin.

--The generosity of Samoans. Samoans, even strangers, are always willing to give you a ride somewhere if they see you walking on the side of the road or share their food or any other belongings that they may have.

Things that I will miss...not so much:

--finding ants in my cereal...only after eating half the bowl. Or having a dream that ants are crawling on me only to wake up to find that there are, in fact, ants crawling all over me. And while on the subject of tiny annoying creatures, I will also not miss cockroaches, mosquitoes, or termites. Sometimes the termites are so bad in the bathroom that I have to turn off the light and brush my teeth in the dark.

--some of my students

--sweating. ALL THE TIME. Sometimes my favorite part of the day is taking a shower. Not because my day was that bad, but because taking a shower feels so good--a 10 minute break from 24 hour sweating.

--disgusting bathrooms. I'm really looking forward to bathrooms that have soap and where the toilet paper (if there is any at all) isn't stored on the floor.

--The vicious, disgusting, sick, gross dogs that want to eat me.

--Tuna. And all things tuna related: the tuna canneries that make me want to barf every time I ride past on the bus; tuna cannery workers who are basically a smaller, mobile version of the cannery in terms of odor;  mega mayonnaise tubs; endless amounts of tuna sandwiches.

--being around so many people who don't really seem to care about anything. From my point of view it seems that there are way too many people (students, teachers, other Samoans that I've met) who just seem to exist instead of live life. This is disheartening  because I think a lot of them don't realize what they could do if they set their mind to it and really put forth some effort. I can't tell you how many times the vice principal has used the phrase "Let's hope and pray" in reference to something she wants the school to accomplish. This isn't my idea of a solid action plan, but it's the mentality of many Samoans.

--all the meat. Every Samoan meal has rice and many different kinds of meat. It is often some kind of questionable processed thing. And barbecued means smothered in some kind of ketchup-like gross sauce. I'm not a big meat eater, and I especially stay away from processed meats, so I'll be happy to leave behind the abundant platters of "barbecued" spam or whatever it is.

-Not being able to go anywhere (because the buses don't run) after 6 pm and on Sundays. It's always a rush to try to go anywhere after school and get back before the buses stop running and Sundays are just boring without transportation. There are taxis that are available at any time, but they aren't volunteer budget friendly.

--the equatorial sun. My fair, freckly skin needs a break!