When we're not in class......

I know I just told you how academically demanding it is here but I left out the fact that we have gone to some of the worlds most beautiful places. One of my favorites was a natural swimming hole right off the coast and connected to a cave. It was nice to be in fresh water again (lake girl at heart). It was undoubtedly one of the most amazing places I've ever been to. It's located at the Theological college. We had an amazing lecture about Samoan religion and the influence of Colonialism. Christianity is essentially the only religion here. Europeans also brought Samoan written language. There's still a strong foundation in oral story telling though. The only book you could read for a long time was the bible. This played a large part in education as well because the schools were missionary schools so if you wanted an education it meant that you have to be a christian. It's really an interesting balance here. But after that lecture (that we had in a fale on the beach) we go to swim!

i was trying to be a mermaid........ it was worth a shot

everything's just so ugly here.

the colors are unreal. When you swim into the cave your bodie glows a bright blue.

school can just be so hard. This is meg and quinn!

The swimming hole was on the ocean so we got to swim in both.

trying to rock the lavalava dress

We've been a few other cool places too. On an off afternoon a bunch of us went to sliding rocks. Its exactly what it sounds like,a river with small waterfalls you can ride like waterslides. It's so removed from other things and is like a small sanctuary. it's awesome. I was too chicken to slide but I had a great time!

not too shabby eh?

the internet is starting to slow down so i'm going to stop while i'm ahead but i hope you guys like samoa so far! i sure do. :)

MASSIVE UPDATE!!!!!

It's finally happened! I can get Internet access that let's me put up photos!

This is my room at USP! Mickey moved in since this was taken. and it's a lot messier now.... but that was to be expected. fun fact. lizards and cockroaches fit under the door...... we've also added two fans which is nice.

Simple but comfortable!

These are the SIT dorms at USP. we share them with some girls from Fiji which is really fun.

This is the rest of campus essentially. the "workout facilities" to the right,

dining hall some mens dorms and academic buildings behind that. There's a lot more student housing and a few offices in the front but everythings open like this.

Proof we actually do homwork. This is Elsa, Takili (cook Islands) and Catarina.

This is the ocean right off of Apia. Since the cyclone it's been pretty brown I guess. They expect that it'll be tourquoise again before we leave!

I hope you got a good taste of schoo life here! i cant say it's that bad I guess! Usually what we do is have language class for 2 hours a day with Rona and Jackie (our directors/ teachers. Then we do lunch and have a guest lecture in the afternoon for an hour or more. They cover all Samoan topics like education (my favorite thus far) religion, health etc. We get some amazing people to come in who are very influential here. It's really an amazing opportunity. The work is hard. It's not the spring break we all had in mind. We had our first research paper due last week. It wasn't hard in the sense that it was unbelieveably long. We had to use books. Internet wasn't working and all we had was the library. You might laugh but here the library opens at 8, closes and 6 and isn't open on the weekends. This was hard for us to adjust to. It's so far from what research is like at Skidmore. It really showed me how lucky I am to have the academic resources Skidmore provides and the easy accessability of my life at home. But that being said, I did manage to finish a paper with no internet! Who knew it was possible....

Easy as..........

Talofa! internets been freaking out lately and i can't get any on my laptop so right now that still means no pictures :( but i thought I'd update you guys anyway!

It's been a lot of fun getting to know students from so many different places. My school (University of the South Pacific) pulls from so many different islands, each with their own culture. Tongans, Fijans and Cook Islanders are just a few of the kids I get to hang out with on a daily basis. It's really interesting how some nations are still so superstitious. I've heard ghost tales and home remedies using the moon along with bravery rituals and witch doctors. We've learned a fijan dance and a Samoan dance as well. Here's a link to the dance we learned in Hawaii..... i guess I have trouble picking up on other peoples choreography :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PKalRom8HC0



It's a lot of fun seeing how their cultures differ in ways of friendships. We learned it makes some people uncomfortable when we hug because it's a sign of friendship they don't use. That being said, these are friendships I'm so glad to have now!

Update

Looks like I'm not going to be able to get internet for a while but If anything's really important or exciting you can comment on here! I'll let you know if anything changes. Also, facebook is blocked at the school for the majority of the day but I'll check that periodically too.

SAMOA at last!

Talofa!
     I've gotten to Samoa safely and am having a blast! Culture shock has definitely been tough but I'm slowly becoming more accustomed to Apia. The toughest part by far is the heat and humidity. and the cockroaches. They're definitely the worst part. The people here are very generous and amused by our attempts at learning the language. I've made a few friends in town and have been able to figure my way around pretty well. I've tried fish a few times already and the local bread fruit and taro. None of which I like.... but I'll get used to it. Produce is expensive and hard to find because of the Cyclone/ Tsunami that hit in December but everyone says things are looking up. During the day we spend the majority of our time learning the language and then spend the afternoons exploring by ourselves and discussing what we find at night. It's a great way to see the island through other peoples eyes.
     On Sunday we went to a Catholic church with our director in her village. Afterwards she took us home where we met her entire family and took part in the traditional sunday meal cooked in an ulu. It's and open fire stove and banana leaves used to cook and cover. It was a great way to see what daily lives are like here.
     It's strange to think that I'll be here for 3 more months. The adjustment is hard but also exciting. There are so many people to meet and so much to learn here. I don't have any pictures uploaded yet but I promise I'll get around to it soon.
Love you guys!
Fa Soifua
     Amy

Even Samoans love this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RxFO8DV-9A

Jack Johnson.... Live and In Person

The Backdrop of the evening. Waikiki Beach. lookin a little frizzy.....

Quinn and Mickey and I.... I might have already posted this

As it turns out, when you meet people who actually live in Hawaii they invite you to cool things... like move premieres. Last night half the group went with Joe (the SIT alum) to "A Deeper Shade of Blue", a new surfing documentary. It was on Waikiki Beach at sunset and couldn't be more perfect. To be honest with you, a lot of the reason we went had to do with the fact that Joe said Jack Johnson would be there. As we're signing in, an angelic being walks by my right side. I turn to see Jackie J. himself walking down the block. We casually hold our act together and grabbed our seats.

The opportunity presented itself for us to go meet him. We walked to the back of the seating and told him what big fans we were. He literally couldn't have been any sweeter with 6 girls literally begging for his attention. He was personable and took a picture with us. I made sure to get a quality hand shake in so I can say I touched him.

That's when he stopped and asked if I knew all the words to Banana Pancakes. After a little convo about my Jr. High voice competition days, he asked if I would want to do a duet with him. I obvi freaked out but said yes. He then professed his love and announced it to the party. Best night EVER!

Jk Jk. only part of that is true..... the part where he fell in love with me.

But in all seriousness, we got a great picture and had one of those unreal moments where someone you admire is actually as cool as you thought.

The rolling credits were to his song Constellation so after a minute he got up and performed the song himself. Most of the people had already left so we were able to get super up close. He's so amazing live it's unreal. After the crowd begged for one more he pulled out an old crowd pleaser and did Banana Pancakes. I don't think I could have asked for a better night with these girls. A completely surreal moment. I took a video but it seems to be too big to post online. I'll find a way. no worries!

the glorious moment he decided to get on stage

stupid face got in my way but you get the point

I don't have the picture with us but I'm sure one of the other girls will post it soon!

The Girls after an amazing night. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tfvezq4BYw

A Week In Hawaii

Waikiki Beach at Sunset

As most of you probably guessed, I enjoy not having my computer, phone or Ipod at my fingertips. Being in Hawaii has been an amazing experience and it seems silly to be tied to anything other than the land and people around me. As it turns out, I have an amazing group here. I can't explain how well we mesh and blend as a whole, yet all bring something unique to the group. There is an amazing connection amongst this group of people. A lot of it seems to come from a similar outlook on life and a strong curiosity towards the world around us. We push each other to explore, ask questions and be happy. This week we have been fortunate enough to do so many things. We've seen some of the most amazing beaches and sights the island of Oahu has to offer. We've toured the island with an SIT Samoa alum (Joe) who now lives on the island. During that tour we ate fresh local produce, swam in the North Shore (aka most famous huge waves in the world) watched the Volcom Pipeline surf competition (as we sat in front of Jack Johnson's house) and saw some amazing sea turtles. We've visited museums, had amazing "drop offs" and harvested taro. And just for the record, there really are SO many rainbows. It's unreal. 

one of the Many double rainbows we saw this week. And A man who is always ready to have his photo taken.

A Beautiful Tree

A glorious sea turtle.

I've joked with my friends about how I cry a lot but they all think I just talk a lot because so far no tears. I try to explain that it's impossible to cry in a place as perfect as Honolulu. 

Besides having a blast and being at the beach we've also learned so much this week. The Pacific has so much to offer and such rich history. Each day we are blessed to have amazing professors from University of Hawaii or the surrounding area come speak to us about the Pacific.  It's strange to learn about the way the United States gained control of the Hawaiian Islands and the loss of culture in the Pacific. The mentality and way of life is something to be applauded and admired. People and the Earth matter here. It's a refreshing change to see respect within the people I'm around.

It shouldn't be surprising when I tell you I've fallen in love with this island. Our stay at the hostel has been so fun and such a terrific way to learn about each other. Meeting people from around the world is exciting and only makes me more anxious to get to Samoa.

A lot of Lava Rock. Not really sure where...

Quinn, Mickey and I at a Movie Premiere (more deets on that in a little)

Getting Lost in Honolulu with Elsa and Mickey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4X1_3VipWs