First, we've finally moved into our new home in Leone. We live on the land of an amazing family (the Purcell's). They have over 11 acres of property and it's just so gorgeous! We have home-grown papaya, limes, breadfruit, bananas, sugar cane and taro; all at our disposal. I'm pretty sure that Saul and I have made something like 5 pitchers of homemade limeade (nom nom). We've also made banana muffins with fresh bananas.
The family was nice enough to invite us to a Sunday lunch where we got to indulge on delicious Samoan food (oka, corned beef, pulemasi, tuna with coconut cream etc.) Honest to goodness the food here is on my personal top three favorite things about AmSam.
Saul has also been moved from Tafuna High School to Leone High School so now we get to teach together. This is such a huge blessing! We've been hoping and hoping that somehow this could happen and it finally has. He'll be teaching business vocational education (accounting, entrepreneurship and computer applications). He has this great room with lots of resources and it's seriously just perfect. Now we get to walk to/from school together, have much more time to do things together after school, no more spending countless $$/time on commute, we'll get to know the same faculty/students, etc. etc.
I've finally got my class schedule ironed out as well. I'll be teaching two periods of algebra 1 and three periods of geometry. I'm super happy with my schedule as I only have two preps. No complaints in this department.
Speaking of school, it was supposed to start on August 12th. Here we are on Monday, August 19th and we've just heard that it'll be postponed for another week. So our start date looks like it'll be Monday, August 26th. This extra time has definitely been a blessing in disguise. While we are anxious to start teaching, it's given us time to get our classrooms ready, do some long term lesson planning and to just get our affairs in order before the school year begins.
We've still been keeping up with our favorite shows: Dexter, True Blood, Ray Donovan and just recently Breaking Bad. We've been reading our kindles incessantly. I think my book count is up to something like 7 since we've been here. I'm currently reading the Confessions of a Shopaholic series (chick-lit ftw!) and Saul is reading the Harry Potter series. We cook pretty much every meal because we don't really have any fast food or Samoan "fast food" in Leone. We do take the odd trip into Tafuna for Carls Jr. or McDonalds but buses run very limited hours so that doesn't happen too often.
I was looking back through old emails that were sent at this time last year and I just can't believe how much things have changed. This time last year, Saul and I had just gotten engaged, I was starting a new job, and we lived in our little house in Redondo Beach. Now we're both starting new jobs, we've been married for almost 4 months and we're living in our little (but bigger!!) house in Leone. I wouldn't trade this change for the world. American Samoa (Amerika Samoa) is a beautiful place with beautiful people (excuse my cliches) and I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to do what we're doing for the next year. I think about what are livescould have would have become had we stayed and the thought terrifies me. While AS doesn't really fit the standard cliche idea of "paradise," it's definitely our own paradise.
Even though we haven't started teaching yet, we're trying to brainstorm for our next adventure! Life is too short for the redundant and mundane. :) Trying to go on contract here in AS if we like it, and if they'll have us? Opening a Bed and Breakfast in Costa Rica? Teaching ESL in South Korea? Getting jobs in Europe? Going to graduate school?
The sky's the limit.
I love life, I love my husband, I love American Samoa.
-Happy Girl Chels
P.S. Addie (my little sister) is coming to visit us!!!! :) :)
The family was nice enough to invite us to a Sunday lunch where we got to indulge on delicious Samoan food (oka, corned beef, pulemasi, tuna with coconut cream etc.) Honest to goodness the food here is on my personal top three favorite things about AmSam.
Saul has also been moved from Tafuna High School to Leone High School so now we get to teach together. This is such a huge blessing! We've been hoping and hoping that somehow this could happen and it finally has. He'll be teaching business vocational education (accounting, entrepreneurship and computer applications). He has this great room with lots of resources and it's seriously just perfect. Now we get to walk to/from school together, have much more time to do things together after school, no more spending countless $$/time on commute, we'll get to know the same faculty/students, etc. etc.
I've finally got my class schedule ironed out as well. I'll be teaching two periods of algebra 1 and three periods of geometry. I'm super happy with my schedule as I only have two preps. No complaints in this department.
Speaking of school, it was supposed to start on August 12th. Here we are on Monday, August 19th and we've just heard that it'll be postponed for another week. So our start date looks like it'll be Monday, August 26th. This extra time has definitely been a blessing in disguise. While we are anxious to start teaching, it's given us time to get our classrooms ready, do some long term lesson planning and to just get our affairs in order before the school year begins.
We've still been keeping up with our favorite shows: Dexter, True Blood, Ray Donovan and just recently Breaking Bad. We've been reading our kindles incessantly. I think my book count is up to something like 7 since we've been here. I'm currently reading the Confessions of a Shopaholic series (chick-lit ftw!) and Saul is reading the Harry Potter series. We cook pretty much every meal because we don't really have any fast food or Samoan "fast food" in Leone. We do take the odd trip into Tafuna for Carls Jr. or McDonalds but buses run very limited hours so that doesn't happen too often.
I was looking back through old emails that were sent at this time last year and I just can't believe how much things have changed. This time last year, Saul and I had just gotten engaged, I was starting a new job, and we lived in our little house in Redondo Beach. Now we're both starting new jobs, we've been married for almost 4 months and we're living in our little (but bigger!!) house in Leone. I wouldn't trade this change for the world. American Samoa (Amerika Samoa) is a beautiful place with beautiful people (excuse my cliches) and I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to do what we're doing for the next year. I think about what are lives
Even though we haven't started teaching yet, we're trying to brainstorm for our next adventure! Life is too short for the redundant and mundane. :) Trying to go on contract here in AS if we like it, and if they'll have us? Opening a Bed and Breakfast in Costa Rica? Teaching ESL in South Korea? Getting jobs in Europe? Going to graduate school?
The sky's the limit.
Throw backs from Blunt's Point hike during orientation.
Move out day. Best day ever!
Back when we were living at the high school (FaceTime!)
Our landlords found California milk at the market and bought it for us! :)
Even though Saul isn't at Tafuna anymore, I loved this mural up in the gym. (DOE orientation)
In our traditional uniforms at DOE orientation.
We hiked to Sliding Rock which is the closest "beach" to our house. It's all volcanic rock and tide pools. So gorgeous!
Our compound!! Blackie aka Rambo aka lots of other things is our favorite dog on our property.
We found Tsunami on our walk to school!
Leone High School!
Saul setting his lab up.
Papayas from the tree on our property
I love life, I love my husband, I love American Samoa.
-Happy Girl Chels
P.S. Addie (my little sister) is coming to visit us!!!! :) :)
My goodness! We're so thankful that you all are so--so---so happy!!! We are delighted to see pictures and to read the blog. Your mother just told us the blog name. This is fascinating stuff! We loved seeing the snapshots since they give us a picture of your life there. We're open to different types of food, however I don't know about some of the things you named. They might taste good, but I don't know. Seems like you all are in a utopia of sorts and that's great. Life is for enjoying and you all are doing just that!! Please text your address. Your mother needs it also. We love you. Your Grandparents.
ReplyDeleteHi Chels and Saul,
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys seem to be having quite an adventures life over there. Sounds like you made a Very good choice. I'm so happy for you both. This blog is a great way for us to be able to maintain contact and updates of your life. Particularly because you don't have Wi-Fi at your house. Speaking of which, it's an adorable little place. You guys are very Blessed especially that Saul was able to be assigned to the same school as yourself. Send me a email to let me know the best time that you can FT us. Your Grandparents and I are both using my Google account to blog you.
Love you! Mom
Hi Mom + Grandparents,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're all learning how to navigate our blog and posting us comments!! :) It's really nice to hear from you all. We'll make a blog post with our address so everyone has it. No one here has home addresses, everything is P.O. Box so it's no big deal when posting it online. Mom, because school was postponed for another week we're usually here in the mornings (right now its 9am here 1pm there). I'll try to facetime you again sometime this week when we're here a bit later and it's later your time so you and Dad can both be there; probably Thursday or Friday.
Love you guys!! :)