93-KHK

Recently several volunteers from group 80 have been completing their two years of service here in Samoa and heading back to the United States. Although it’s sad to see them go, they did leave us with some parting gifts. Actually, they left us with all the stuff they either didn’t want or couldn’t fit inside their suitcases. In the volunteers resource room at the Peace Corps office is a pile of stuff labeled “free.” There always seems to be a “free” pile somewhere in the office, but only accumulates good stuff when a group heads home.

A few weeks ago I found myself poking around in the pile, not expecting to find anything too exciting. But suddenly I spotted a black Sony radio. It was in good condition, but a bit outdated with a cassette player as a feature. The antenna was a bit worn, but overall it looked pretty good, and I could hardly complain since it was free. I had looked at radios several times in Apia, but never felt like spending the money on one. It was always one of those things I thought I could do without. Being a wise volunteer, I took the time to plug it into the wall and actually make sure the thing worked because it could have been completely possible someone put a broken piece of junk in the free pile. Luckily, it worked. I put it in my bag and went to catch my bus.

Later that week, I decided to test the radio out at my house. I turned it to FM and slid the tuner. There were a handful of stations in Samoan, but I was holding out for an English one. Most people in the villages have radios and love to crank the volume up to levels that can be annoying at times, so I’ve heard plenty of music off the radio the past nine 11 months, just not in English.

But then I got lucky. Turning the tuner as slowly as I could, I finally dialed in on an English station, 93-KHK, which was playing American music. I didn’t recognize the song though. I’ve probably only heard a handful of American songs the past 11 months. When it comes to my knowledge of current day hip hop back home I am out of the loop.

Soon I heard the radio announcer and realized the radio station was coming from American Samoa, a U.S. Territory just 60 miles to the east of Samoa. American Samoa has American money, it has more American fast food chains than Samoa (Samoa only has one McDonald’s). I was hearing advertisements for Carl’s Junior and KFC. It reminded me of home. The style of the radio announcer, and the tone in his voice made me think I was riding in the car back home. In the United Sates, the commercials on the radio became annoying really fast, but here I found myself glued to this radio in amazement. I had gone 11 months without this kind of access in my house, but all of a sudden I had this outlet to the outside world.

All day I kept the radio on, almost as a companion. I had it sitting on top of my refrigerator and every time I went to get a drink of water, I would find myself just standing there listening to the music or the announcer. I kind of felt like I stepped back into history and was sharing an experience my grandparents had when they all use to gather with their families around the radio. I never would have known that a radio could have been so enjoyable.

Later in the evening I was preparing dinner, I was listening once again and heard a Fox News update from the U.S. with the day’s top headlines. I heard that President Obama had been traveling in Ohio, pitching his new economic plan—which I didn’t know anything about. I’m someone who used to be in front of the T.V. at 6:30 every night for the evening news. They even played a sound bite of President Obama’s speech, and I heard his voice for the first time in months. For a brief moment I felt this weird connection to my former life.

October is the beginning of cyclone season here in Samoa and last year the winds were swirling as Cyclone Rene grazed the coast of Samoa. This left me trying to translate the radio updates in Samoan, coming from my neighbor’s house. It will be nice this season to have a radio signal to know the latest on any cyclones that may come our way.

As the months go on, I think I’ll use the radio in small doses though. There has always been something peaceful about being alone without having a ton of background noise. I guess it is the typical image that people relate to when they think about the Peace Corps experience. Yet, I’m thankful for my little black Sony radio with the cassette player. Of course I don’t have any cassettes to play, they were all packed into my memory box back home in the late 1990’s. But luckily I still have 93-KHK.

525,600 Minutes

Editor’s note: This next week, October 7, 2010, will mark my one year anniversary of arriving here in Samoa. This type of occasion causes me to reflect on the past year and consider where I’ve come from, where I am, and where I plan to go. Recently, I sat down with Myself and answered some questions on a variety of topics. Below you will find the transcripts from the interview, which was conducted by Kyle.

Kyle: Congratulations Myself, on making it through your first year of Peace Corps service in Samoa! This must be a special moment in your service. Can you tell us what your feelings are after 12 months in Samoa?

Myself: Thank you for this opportunity to share some of my experiences from this past year. As this date has neared, I have been reminded about how I felt when I use to look forward to my four month anniversary and then five and six months. As each month passed, I felt a little bit stronger, and a bit more at ease. And that ease has continued along the way. Perhaps it is the best way to describe how I’m feeling now at my one year anniversary. I’ve been in this country long enough now to feel very relaxed and comfortable about where I am.

Kyle: Thinking back to who you were a year ago, how do you think you have changed?

Myself: I feel that change is so hard to mark during the Peace Corps service. Many of the ways I’ve changed I may not fully realize until I complete my service and get back home. Coming into this experience we all realize that we are going to change, and that leaves us volunteers often asking when the change is taking place and what is it that is changing us? But from what I’ve learned this past year, the change is very gradual. It is so hard to pinpoint one single date and say, “that is the day I started to change.” I think the change began the minute I clicked send on my application to the Peace Corps. From that moment on it has been a part of my daily vocabulary.

But realizing that change doesn’t happen at one single moment, I can say that I have become a more patient person as the months have gone on. Patience is required in so much of what I do. Being one of the most remote volunteers in the country leaves me relying on patience when traveling to and from the capital. Patience is tested when speaking the language, or trying to understand the culture. Patience was at work in those early months when I was still getting use to my house being infested with cockroaches. This patience thing comes in so many different forms that it really does start to slow your life down and cause you to reflect more and take a few deep breaths at times.

Kyle: Can you recall a particular day or moment when things just didn’t seem to be going right? What got you through those tough moments to where you are today?

Myself: I’ll never forget those first weeks out at my house after I moved in. It was mid December and almost Christmas, although it never felt like it here in the tropics. I can remember waking up each morning with this awful feeling in my stomach. I felt nervous and anxious and would just pace around inside my house wondering what I was doing here. I had never lived more than 45 minutes away from home in my entire life and then all of a sudden I made this huge move. I had always heard about homesickness, but never felt it. I’ve been on vacations before overseas where I start to miss home, but homesickness is a whole other level.

On one particular day I was getting ready to leave my house to go out into the village and do some introductory visits. I can remember getting all my stuff around. I got dressed, put sun block on and then locked the door. I began to walk up the hill near my house and into the village when I just froze. I turned around and went back into the house where I proceeded to fix a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese that I had been sent from home.

I eventually made it out of the house, but looking back on that moment I can now see how much I’ve grown. Back then I was longing for anything that would keep my mind close to home, such as that box of macaroni and cheese. Those were the days that I was growing the most though, I believe. They were the days when I was learning to live away from home and learn to live here.

Sometimes when I’m walking up that hill near my house, I smile and remember that day I turned around and went back inside. It gives me motivation to keep going and to see what new things lay ahead in this experience.

Kyle: I understand that you have been teaching at the primary school now for eight months. How are things going at school and how have you seen the students change this past year?

Myself: I think these kids are giving me the perfect gift for my one year anniversary: they are learning how to read! Within the past month I have seen some huge gains made by my students. One of my year seven students who was one of the lower students in the class is reading words he couldn’t, just a few months ago. Just this past week he had one of the higher scores on a test, where as he use to score the lowest. All along I had been telling myself I was making a difference for these kids, but now to have the proof in front of me each day is really inspiring.

Kyle: What other projects are you working on at the school?

Myself: The library has been a major project of mine for the past couple of months. We were able to get roughly 3,000 English books donated to our school from libraries in New Zealand. They are children’s books, easy readers, and there are also class sets of many books. One of the big hardware stores here in Samoa, Bluebird Hardware, was gracious enough to donate four gallons of paint to the school and I’ve been working with the students to paint the library’s walls and bookshelves. We are just about finished with the painting and getting ready to organize the books so that we can establish a check out system.

Kyle: I understand that many Peace Corps volunteers find a routine that helps them make life run smoothly. Can you tell us a little bit about your daily routine?

Myself: Well I normally wake up around 6:15a.m. and get breakfast started soon after. I’ve really enjoyed breakfast as a time to wake up and read while I’m eating. I enjoy fixing oatmeal, scrambled eggs and some days French Toast! While I’m eating the kids begin to arrive at school and walk right past my house. Every morning I have about 10 students say, “Good morning Kyle” (teacher’s in Samoa go by their first name with the students). Shortly after, I head over to school myself, which is about a seven second walk.

School starts at 8:00a.m. and normally finishes around 12:30 or 1:00 in the afternoon. After school I either work on lessons for the rest of the week or do work in the library. I normally grab a quick and simple lunch. By this time of the day it’s normally 95 degrees in my house and I don’t feel much like cooking too much. A salad is usually a good lunch.

In the afternoon I either do laundry, write letters or read. Most people stay inside their house and out of the sun during the afternoon because it’s just so hot out. I’ve tried to visit families during the afternoon but most of the time they are always sleeping!

In the late afternoon I normally do dishes and listen to the radio. Then I get ready to go jogging around 4 or 4:30. Before I go jogging I do my lifting, which consists of using a small wooden bench in my living room as a literal, bench-press. Then I’m off down the long, steep and winding road. I jog 20 minutes out, where I am able to get a cell phone signal to call home or text a Peace Corps volunteer. Normally after about 20 minutes the mosquitoes are starting to eat me alive so I head back in for another 20 minute jog.

When I get back I shower and then either go to my neighbor’s house for dinner or prepare my own dinner some nights of the week. If I go to my neighbors I normally go around dusk and they always have dinner ready for me when I get there. When I’m over there with them I try to speak only in Samoan. It has been a great way for me to develop my language skills. After we are done eating, we normally play cards for a bit. Most nights I help the kids with their English homework. After that, Milo, who is 12, and Alofa, who is seven, walk me back over to my house. I’m not afraid to walk by myself, but it’s kind of become tradition that they walk with me. We say goodnight and then I tuck myself away for the night. This is the time of day when I normally read my Bible, and write in my journal. I like to read one of several books I have going and then get ready for bed around 10 or 10:30.

All Peace Corps Volunteers have noted how early we seem to go to bed here. I remember when I was in college and would get out of marching band rehearsal at 8p.m. and eat dinner at 8:30 and start homework at 9:30!! But I’ve heard it mentioned more than once, that because we are dealing with a new language and culture every day, that can be exhausting and at 10:30 we are ready to crash.

Kyle: Is there something weird about your daily routine that makes you laugh?

Myself: Oh yes. Every night I have a procedure for getting into the mosquito net. First I tap around the outside to make sure there aren’t any huge spiders, cockroaches or centipedes lurking around. Then I shut the light off and quickly crawl under and tuck the net in under the foam mattress. I then take my flashlight and examine the interior of the net to make sure there are no centipedes. It does seem like a bit of a hassle and some nights I just laugh, but I’ve always been told that the one time you don’t check is the night you get bitten and centipede bites are the worst kind of bite you can get in Samoa! Luckily I haven’t experienced it and am just going by those who have.

Kyle: You mentioned a foam mattress? What is that like sleeping on?

Myself: Well considering during my first week at the house I went without the mattress and was just sleeping on woven sleeping mats, this feels like a plush mattress. It’s gotten indented in a few spots from regular wear and tear, but I guess the worst part is having to lay down on it during the rainy season when it doesn’t cool off below 90 in the house at night and the mattress is so full of humidity that I feel like I’m sleeping on a wet sponge. Other than that it’s great!

Kyle: Mail must help lift your spirits. Do you know how much mail you’ve received this past year?

Myself: I’m actually saving every letter that is sent to me, and as of today I have received 92 letters or cards from family and friends. This isn’t including the dozens of packages that I have received. My aunt Betty has sent me lots of chocolate and even some of her homemade strawberry jam. Aunt Carolyn has sent lots of pictures of the family and made me two pillow cases with a tropical pattern. My uncle Jamie has sent novels, such as On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, and a number of old Michigan History articles and magazines. Uncle Bruce has sent pictures from home and some Girl Scout cookies, among other things. My sister Jenny has sent countless CDs with her favorite songs for me to add to my i-pod. And my mom and Dad have been great sending anything and everything that I request from home. I’ve gotten Hostess cupcakes from my dad and several New York Times from my mom.

Kyle: So what’s the story behind your glasses?

Myself: Peace Corps discourages volunteers from wearing contacts because of the possibility of eye infections. We were required to bring two pairs of glasses with us. On two different occasions I’ve had to have my first pair of glasses sent back to the eye doctor’s office in Michigan. So my glasses first came here, went back to the U.S., were sent back here, and then when my sister came she took them with her back a second time and then they were once again sent back to me where they now rest on my face. To make a long story short: if my glasses could accumulate frequent flyer miles, they would have accumulated two, free round-trip tickets to the Far East.

Kyle: I hear a rumor that you are going home for Christmas. Can you confirm this for us?

Myself: Yes, your sources are correct. After much contemplation, I’ve decided to spend about a month at home over the holidays. The break coincides with our long school break here in Samoa so it will be a good time to take the leave. There are several other volunteers going home as well to spend time with family and friends. Originally, I had planned on taking a trip to New Zealand or Australia during that time, but a trip home will mean a lot more to me during the holidays. One of my grandmas is 95 and the other is 90 and I am looking forward to sharing this experience with them when I’m home. It will be great to be with them and my whole family for Christmas. I’m still planning on making it to Australia or New Zealand later in 2011.

Kyle: As you begin your second year in Samoa, tell me what your thoughts are.

Myself: At this point I’m going to continue taking it one month at a time. That is how I’ve done it from the beginning and it seems to be working well. The months are going by faster the longer I’m here. I can remember one night laying in bed and thinking maybe it was going too fast. I just want to take more time this second year to continue to learn about the culture and become even more integrated within my village. The hardest part is behind me though, in terms of settling in and meeting people and getting familiar with the language.

It’s like taking an introductory course to calculus. After you’ve gone through pre-calc, you can get on with the real business in calculus. I think this first year was my pre-calc year and now I’m looking to the future with more ambition and drive to solve the problems in the next part of the journey. It’s been a challenging and rewarding first year, but I’m anxious to see what unfolds in the next 525,600 minutes!

The Bedrooms: Before and After

I’ve already posted a blog with before and after pictures of my living room, kitchen and bathroom, but since then have finished the painting in my bedroom and the spare bedroom. Below you will find before and after pictures of each room. It’s nice to have all the painting done now and the house really feels like my own.

The spare bedroom before the paint went on.










Facing the same wall after two coats of paint!










The dirty walls of the spare bedroom before.









A very different room after the paint and curtains!










My bedroom before. Notice the white walls in the back.








My room on my very first day at the house, December 9, 2009.








My room after some paint! I finally got that net up too.























There's a story behind the two colors of paint. All the walls were originally going to be the same color as the top portion, but after I dropped half a gallon of paint in downtown Apia, I decided on the green for the bottom. The way in which they mix paint here isn't all that scientific and I knew for them to create the exact match might be expecting too much! It turned out nice though, I think.
















Moving in day: December 9, 2009.

W.O.W. to Group 83

After checking in for our flight in Oct. of 2009.
L to R: Jenny, Cassie, myself, and Elisa
Is W.O.W. an acronym widely used? W.O.W. = Words Of Wisdom! And some of you may be asking who or what is group 83. Group 83 is the next group of Peace Corps volunteers scheduled to arrive in Samoa in early October. Peace Corps has been in Samoa since 1967 and thus there will soon be 83 groups of volunteers who have landed on this tropical island.


Group 83’s arrival coincides with a special time of year for my own group (82). On October 7 we will have been living here in Samoa for one year! So as their arrival nears, my mind wanders back to what life was like for me one year ago at this time. That in turn leads me to this blog and pin points the meaning of the title: Words of Wisdom.
There is so much that I wish I had known last year at this time as I was preparing to live overseas for two years. They are very simple things that I was blinded to in all the bright lights of those last two weeks with friends and family.

Now in offering these suggestions to my future colleagues (and friends), I realize the importance of letting them experience the journey on their own. If I had known the ending to the book before I read the first chapter, the first pages would have read very differently. So with a bit of censoring, I offer the following counsel to any members of Group 83 who may be reading.

As future Peace Corps Volunteers, you are spending the last two weeks of your time in America frequenting every shopping center known to man. You’ve been to Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Barnes & Noble—to name a few! These are places you know like the back of your hand. You’ve accumulated a stack of receipts that could fill a dump truck and know the return policies of every store. It may seem like a bit too much—it did for me. But while you’re there, doing what you have to do, take a moment to look around and say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, because when you step off the plane here in Samoa it will all be gone. I don’t say that in a negative way, but just a fact of life way. I’ll never forget, about a month into training, Emily (group 82), and I, were going for a walk. I asked her, “You know what I really miss right now...walking through the doors into a Target.” She laughed immediately and said she loved Target and had been thinking the same thing. My longing for Target has lessened as I’ve adapted, but try to enjoy it just a little while you’re there now.

Next, take time to notice something really strange that you think you’ll never miss. I say this because at some point, you’re going to wake up under a mosquito net in the middle of the night and wish you had it with you. I remember one day I was really homesick and kept picturing our kitchen back home. I started thinking about an old pan that belonged to my Great-grandmother in which I had always cooked macaroni and cheese in—despite its loose handle. I was picturing our kitchen in every detail: the crack between the stove and the counter where food always got lodged, the designs on the fronts of the cupboards, and the sounds the dishwasher made. That stuff is just stuff, but it all brings about an image of home that you’ll run on replay over and over. So take time to take a picture of that weird thing you think you’d never miss and tuck it inside your suitcase to look at on those days of homesickness. You’ll be glad you have it.

Don’t wait until the night before staging to pack your bags. I’m an organized person and I tried my best to have my act together those last few days. Nevertheless, time ran out and there I was at 10 p.m. with heaps of stuff waiting to be placed into suitcases that had a wait limit attached to them. My friend Katy who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa, told me well in advance to get the packing done a few days before my departure so I could enjoy those last days with family. Katy was right! I wish I would have spent my last hours at home just living my normal routine. Plan ahead so you can have that experience I missed.

When you get to the hotel for staging, you’re going to be excited and meeting all the other members from your group. Make plans that evening to eat at In-n-Out near the airport. If you’ve been to an In-n-Out, you know why I suggest this, and if you haven’t been, you can thank me when you arrive here in Samoa. A bunch of us from group 82 went there for dinner together and it was a simple yet memorable thing to do. Be sure to order an ice cream as well!

Ask for an aisle seat on the plane at check in. I don’t think they’ll charge you extra and it will make your flight so much more enjoyable. I’ve always been a window person myself, but this flight is different. It takes off when it’s dark and it lands when it’s dark so you don’t miss anything as far as the view goes. Having access to get up with leisure without trampling over two other people makes 10 hours go by so much more smoothly. An added bonus: you’ll get served first by the flight attendants who normally serve from the aisle and work towards the window.

My final words of wisdom for group 83 are to remember the smells. If you’ve traveled overseas often, as I’m guessing many of you have, you know that you never forget the smells that hit you in those first few hours your in the country. I can remember how Ghana smelled as I rode along the ocean’s edge and the smell of the smog in Beijing as I departed the airport terminal. These may be good and bad, but they create an image in your head more powerful than any photograph ever would. This is often something that happens without thinking, but then again, you're going to be thinking about other things at that point: like how to say “Lau Ava lea le Atua Soifua!”

Best wishes group 83 and safe travels! See you soon!

Packing night for me in 2009. My sister's room had served as a storage area for several weeks leading up to my departure.








The last sunset in the United States, before heading out on our international flight.





Leah, just after boarding our plane in L.A. on October 6, 2009

Mr. Ambassador

Only in Samoa would you receive, via a text message, an invitation to dine with an ambassador. But that’s how it happened. I had been invited to dinner with the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. The dinner was scheduled for Monday night and it meant me having to rearrange my schedule, but when the Ambassador invites, I accept.

His name is David Huebner. I had seen him twice before—once back in December, and more recently in May. However, this gathering seemed as if it was going to be a closer encounter and a “get to know you” type of event. There were about 10 of us who were meeting with him. We were asked to be at the restaurant at 6:30 p.m. We arrived a few minutes early. The restaurant was outside of town and was a deserted place, so it looked as though we were going to have the place to ourselves. Shortly after 6:30, Ambassador Huebner arrived. Walking into the room by himself, I was surprised it was going to be just us, but very pleased at the same time.

He took a moment to walk around the table and shake each of our hands as we introduced ourselves. He was surprised we hadn’t ordered any drinks yet, although we were thinking it was proper etiquette to wait for him to arrive. The ambassador asked Joey, from group 81, to move to the left so that he could be seated at the center of the rectangular table—more conducive for conversation. We spent a few minutes breaking the ice before he decided to order some appetizers.

The evening got started by us finding out that the ambassador was going to be one of the judges for the Miss Samoa Pageant held this week. He told us he had just gone through a day of training on how to be an effective judge. We all laughed. Of all the things he’s required to do as ambassador, I’m not sure if he ever thought that judging a national pageant was going to be one of them.

Soon he picked up his drink and moved down to the head of the table to visit with those of us who had an end seat. He sat between me and Jim from group 80. I asked him how New Zealand was recovering after the recent 7.4 earthquake which struck Christchurch. He explained some of the damage to us, and said that the Embassy had started contacting all the U.S. citizens living in Christchurch within minutes of the quake.

With me being a fan of politics, both domestic and international, I wanted to pick his brain for some of his thoughts. I asked him how Hillary Clinton was doing as Secretary of State. He said that Mrs. Clinton—as I should have referred to her as—was a real “team player.” The ambassador explained that although she is head of the State Department, she is not his boss, but rather President Obama. This lead to another interesting fact. Because the ambassador is the official representative of the United States, appointed by the President himself, the ambassador holds the same status as a Four Star General within the country/countries he represents. Ambassador Huebner said that he has been saluted before by Three Star Generals visiting New Zealand.

Visiting with the ambassador, I quickly realized his level of intellect and knowledge of world events. This is a man who recently ran an international law firm with thousands of employees. He has lived in cities around the world, including London and Shanghai. Despite all of his accomplishments, he was a down-to-earth person with an occasional joke or one liner. His story about the interview process to become the ambassador left us all scratching our heads in amazement of that feat alone. 19 people working full time for 45 days to dig into his past and make sure he was a worthy appointee for President Obama. He said that there are so many positions to fill by the President, that a President can sometimes leave office after four years not having filled all the spots!

He continued to move around the table throughout the night and take time to visit with all of the volunteers. The mood was very relaxed and I always felt as though he was giving his full attention to us. A person in his position could very easily have several other things running through his mind, yet he never seemed distracted by anything else. There were a few volunteers from group 81 at dinner who were getting ready to attend their Close of Service conference later in the week. They had been preparing resumes for the conference and getting ready to return the U.S. in December in search of a job. The ambassador started giving advice on a good resume which made all of us lean in to listen more closely. He said typos are the big thing that turns him off when looking at a resume or cover letter. If a person didn’t have time to correct spelling in a resume, he said, how would they effectively operate as a lawyer?

I was very impressed by his commitment to working with youth. He said he enjoys teaching some classes a couple times a week at a school in New Zealand. It has been a priority for him to go outside of the office and meet with children. The ambassador is fully aware that he could be dinning with heads of state and other important figures, yet he said it is important to invest in the youth because one day they will remember that someone cared enough to invest in their futures.

As the evening ended, he wished us all well and gave us his business card. We took a group photo and said our goodbyes. I was very impressed by his desire to meet with us and the way in which he chose to do it. He could have invited us to a conference table, but instead he invited us to a dinner table. He didn’t need to meet with us at all, but he felt it was important and worth while. A big thank you to the ambassador for his acknowledgement of our work here in Samoa, and for his work as well.

Newsprint

I remember one particular warning that Peace Corps staff advised us of at our staging in Los Angles last October. It was my first day of interaction with Peace Corps staff and they told our entire group to get prepared for the use of lots of newsprint. What a warning! “Get use to newsprint?” It hardly seemed relevant at the time as we were anxiously awaiting our international flight to Samoa.

Well in the 11 months since that warning was issued, I’ve seen enough newsprint to blanket the islands of Samoa. Some of you may know this marvelous invention as butcher paper, or flip chart paper, I’ll call it newsprint to be consistent. Whatever you want to call it though, be rest assured the Peace Corps keeps paper companies in business throughout the world. It’s used at staging, throughout training and throughout a volunteer’s service at different conferences and meetings.

The newsprint measures about 72 x 25 inches and is usually plain white or sometimes a dark brown. It’s flimsy and comes in a large ream. If there’s newsprint in the room, expect there to be an assortment of markers nearby, as well as a roll of masking tape. With those three tools, a member of the Peace Corps can accomplish just about anything.

Most times when a Peace Corps volunteer sees a piece of newsprint, they know the very next line which will be uttered by Peace Corps staff: “Please split up into groups and brainstorm…” Is it an effective means by which to convey thoughts, especially to a large group of people? I often pose the question if it really is all necessary.

Often, by the time a group has finished writing all their main points on the newsprint, their energy level has already headed towards a decline. You then have all this writing crammed on this paper with no one who has the attention span to read it all. Not only is there a lot of writing, but usually there are a lot of people standing around the paper looking like they’re waiting to catch a bus someplace. Many times the whole group traipses up to the front to “present” the information, causing a huge distraction as you watch these group members awkwardly put their hands in their pockets or stare out into space. On the other hand, if there’s one person up there, then you have someone trying to read the newsprint upside down while trying to hold it steady in the wind that usually is blowing through the window—if you’re in a building at all.

So here’s some advice to any future Peace Corps volunteers: buy stock in the paper companies before heading over seas! Upon your return home in two years, you’ll have a hefty profit. And finally, a disclaimer I must put forward: I’ve been sucked into the addiction myself and use newsprint regularly throughout the week in my classroom. I’m currently debating counseling before the usage gets out of control.



Year 7 students taking my English exam, written on several sheets of newsprint!





Peace Corps volunteers at Early Service Training in May. Several sheets of newsprint are about the room.

Running In an Oven

Hot, hot, hot!!! You haven’t experienced the full force of the sun until you’ve visited Samoa. I’ve gotten plenty of sunburns and seen countless 90 degree days back in Michigan over the years, but none of it compares to the heat I experienced on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
I was one of six team members for the men’s Peace Corps relay team which participated in a 62 mile relay around half the island of Upolu, the same island I live on. The relay race was sponsored by the U.S. Veterans living in Samoa. They’ve organized other races and community events in the past. This race has gained more popularity over the past couple of years. This year there were ten men’s teams, with the Peace Corps contingent being one of them. Each relay team’s six members were each responsible for running 12 miles. We ran these over four heats with each heat being about 3 miles long!
There was also a group of six female Peace Corps volunteers who participated in the ladies race. The ladies began running on the south side of the island at 4:20a.m. on Saturday, and then the men began a couple hours later. Our team was the last to take off from the start line around 6:45a.m. I would have preferred to start around 4:20a.m., but they wanted the women and men to finish near the same time. So starting at 6:45a.m. meant that the sun had already been up for 15 minutes and it was hot from our first heats (no pun intended).
A.J. ran in the first spot for our team and started us off strong, and then Dan took over from him. Our Peace Corps Country Director had rented a van for us to use, so when we weren’t running we were traveling to the next hand-off point to stretch and get ready for the next runner to grab the baton and continue. Robin Yeager, the Charge de Affairs from the U.S. Embassy also helped us enormously by helping with our race fees and also packing a ton of sandwiches, energy bars, muffins, water, Gatorade and many other goodies we kept in the van for our long journey!
Taking over the running after Dan was Joey, our team captain, and a great competitor. He ran the third spot. I was in the fourth spot and grabbed the baton from Joey all day long. After me was Ben in the fifth spot and finally Matt who ran our sixth position. Between the six of us we traveled from the south side of the island up the mountainous east side of Upolu and back down to the relatively flat coastal road on the north side of the island. We would eventually end the race in the heart of Apia, Samoa’s Capitol.
Each time I prepared myself to run I got a little nervous. All my team members were telling me just to run my own comfortable pace, but still that didn’t take away from excitement and desire to pull off a good run for the team. We had been favored to win based on estimated ending times, and the team we were trying to beat was the Samoan team who had won last year when Peace Corps came in second. There was a little unsettled business. It was always a friendly competition, but knowing we had to perform helped us do just that!
That first run was annoying because I had planned to run with my i-pod, but my headphone set kept falling out of my ears and I couldn’t seem to find a decent song to match my mood, so I finally stuck it in my pocket after a few minutes and ran the rest of the day without it. I normally run with music, so this required me to focus on other things in my head to get me to that next point. It was hard. That morning sun was hot and humid and it was only 7:30a.m. It felt like it should be 11:00.
My second heat took me along the southern coast where the tsunami had hit, now nearly one year ago. There were beautiful beaches and blue waters, and I tried to remind myself how awesome it was that I had this chance to compete like this in such a beautiful place. This is something I probably wouldn’t have taken the initiative to do back home in the States.
We continued switching through our rotation. Chris, one of the female Peace Corps volunteers was our driver and was great about getting the van to the next hand off point with five guys telling her how to drive—and it smelt awful in that van! She motivated us and took pictures along the way.
Before my third heat it was discovered that because of the rotation I would be running the steepest part of the entire race, heading through some of the most mountainous areas of Samoa. We weren’t scaling the summits of these mountains, but we were high enough that my ears were popping as I ran up and then back down. I run hills on my daily runs, so I felt prepared and that I could help keep my time consistent to keep us on track.
Matt had the joy of going down the hill which we had all just helped to go up. It was a big drop to the ocean’s edge where the road flattened out for the most part. By this time it was getting close to noon and the heat of the sun was in full force upon our bodies as we ran even harder to get us to that finish line, still more than two hours away!
My fourth and final heat was the most strenuous physical activity I’ve ever done in my entire life. I can run three miles without too much trouble at 5:00p.m. in the evening, but I was trying to push myself in the intense tropical heat at 1:30p.m. The Sun was relentless and unforgiving! The country director was out there at the hand-off as I began my final stretch and my team members cheered me on. Three of the guys had already run that final heat and they said it was HOT! I kept my pace steady as I ran along the beautiful rocky shoreline. Countless coconut palms lined the road but the sun was so high in the sky that there was just no shadow to find to run in. This was it, I had to push myself. As I kept running I kept waiting to see the van and where they had stopped at the next transition spot, but every corner I rounded they weren’t there. Every long stretch I saw, they just weren’t in sight. Children were saying hi to me as I ran through villages but I didn’t even have enough energy to say hi. I was so motivated on my end destination.
And finally, there it was, the van. In need of a bathroom, I interrupted a social gathering going on in a local church hall as they all saw me dash for the bathroom. Leaving the bathroom still shaking from my race and not having time for any water yet, the group of Samoans were as polite as their culture always is and offered for me to sit with them and eat. What they were eating I had no desire to eat after running that last stretch, so I politely thanked them for the offer and the use of their bathroom facilities.
We were off for one more hand-off and then headed into Apia as Matt lead the final stretch for us. Once we got the van to the finish line we all got out and went to wait for Matt. Once he was about a minute out from the finish line we all ran with him through the last stretch and across that marvelous line! Our time: 8 hours and 5 minutes! Rumor had it that we had come in first place!!
The rumors were confirmed and it was all made official at 5p.m. during the award ceremony. We did indeed have the fastest time by seven minutes. We also found out that the women’s team from the Peace Corps had won first place for the women runners! Two huge victories for our teams!
As I said before, this is one of those things I probably wouldn’t have done a year ago. I’m finding that as I’m here longer, I’m more willing to tackle new challenges and push myself a little bit harder than I had in the past. Being a Peace Corps volunteer, I’ve been able to see how the struggles and frustrations of “the race” which we call life, can provide such confidence and motivation in how I live my own daily life.
Running in that heat , I kept telling myself I was crazy and this would be the last time I did this. But of course that was in the moment when things were feeling tough and I was certainly tired. Yet I knew deep down that each stride I took I was helping my team and myself by achieving the goals I had set out for myself. At the end of the race, I was so excited that I had decided to run the race! And yes, I may even do it again.

Accepting our first place award.




Getting ready for the race, just before sunrise.









Joey handing the baton off to me.











Here we are. From the left, Dan, A.J., Matt, Me, Joey and Ben