Staff Retreat & Starkes' Visit to Savaii

All the Samoa schools are on a two-week school break between terms.  On Wednesday of this past week, September 27^th, we participated in the Staff Retreat held every other year.  We started at the Falealupo Fales on the west side of Savaii.  Outdoors by the ocean was the perfect setting.  We opened with a devotional introducing the theme:  “Align with the Brethren”---meaning to follow the counsel of our church leaders in unity.  Then we danced some Zumba before being served a breakfast buffet.  Team activities were kicked off  with each team creating a team name and banner.  Games and team building activities involved a water relay from the ocean side; breaking coconuts and drinking its water; blindfolds; water filled balloons; volleyball; and building sand castles.  Lunch boxes were packed with lots of good food. It was a fun-filled team building afternoon.  At one point a few of us swam in the ocean before travelling a short distance to the Vaisala Hotel Resort where we had dinner and entertainment.  Each team presented its “item” which is to say an entertainment number.  Samoans know how to play, dance, laugh, and have fun; it was a hoot.  Dinner was fully catered with lots of good Samoan food.  The retreat committee gave out participatory awards.  Very interactive and fun retreat.

Karla was on the yellow team.

Ron was on the red team.

On Thursday Elder & Sister Starke came from Upolu and joined us in Savaii for a tour of the island.  We had a wonderful Friday and drove the complete island loop.  Along the way we stopped to feed the turtles, toured the Pea Pea Cave, climbed the Canopy Walk, and followed the trail to the House of Rock.  Our lunch stop was at the Vaisala Hotel Resort where the view was mangificent.  The Pea Pea Cave is a lava tube in which the very small, black pea pea bird dwells and builds mud nests in the lava walls.  They only lay one tiny egg; their sound is a clicking.  We certainly needed our flashlights.  You may remember that we had previously done the Canopy Walk; it was no less awesome this time.  We did locate the trail to the House of Rock. Basically, it was another lava tube in which a dwelling was created.

Once back home we had a home-cooked meal at the home of Elder & Sister Deffense.  Sharing in great company was the perfect ending of a day of adventure.  We love serving with such amazing missionary couples in a warm, embracing culture.

Pea Pea Cave

Canopy Walk

Elder Bob & Sister Arthella Starke

SLEP & Culture Day

Monday and Tuesday, we administered SLEP tests to about 400 students.  SLEP stands for Secondary Level English Proficiency and are annually administered in our English immersion school.   Each grade level came to the “Hall” or the gym where desks were set up along with a sound system.  Now we need to score them all!

We had introductory classes for two new courses:  1.  Multiculturalism and Responsive Teaching through Sheltered Instruction and 2.  Church School Finance.  Both will wrap up by mid-November.  Graduation is November 30^th and then two months of break follow in December and January.

Culture Day was Thursday for the primary school and Friday for the high school.  Apparently, Culture Day is a universal celebration done in the Samoan schools.  Vaiola students dressed in the costume of their country; sang that country’s national anthem; performed a traditioanl dance; and provided food samples.  Primary school did Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.  High School focused on Zimbabwe, Turkey, Bahamas, and Mongolia.  We saw beautiful, creative costumes and especially loved the boy playing the lead Mongolian!  Below are some pictures from the event.

The high school committee started assembling the outdoor props Thursday evening and they raised the coolest booths and backdrops constructed from resources in our "back yard jungle", so to speak.  Good thing they had coverings because we did have some rain.

Fiji

Mongolia

Bahamas

Ron ventured out in his lava lava being it was Culture Day.

Turkey Booth

Zimbabwe booth

Zimbabwe home decor from shells and coconuts.

Zimbabwe

Some of our Solomon Island guys.

A couple of our delightful International students.

A few scenic pictures of Savaii this week:

Good rains flow across the Fords.

Nonu fruit.  It is pear shaped but looks like an apple.

We don't know what the inside is like.  This tree was loaded.

Ron's little garden has started producing.  Green beans really grow that long and longer.  He grew Peruvian corn.  Elder Rees' garden gets a lot of attention and everyone is always asking him for seeds.

Spelling Bee

Karla got to assist with a Level One Spelling Bee.   All the words were English words but pronounced in Samoan when clarification was needed. "Foal" was a challenging word if you are a six year old Samoan boy and English is L2.  It was fun hearing them spell their best.

We wrapped up our Foundations in Education & HR/Law classes and will be starting two new courses next week in an attempt to finish by mid-November.  Pathway is a BYU church online program intended to get a jump start to a college education.  Many Samoans are choosing to utilize this option.

Saturday we ventured on an unfamiliar inland road with Elder & Sister Deffense.  We came out at a village on the main road and stopped at a resort where we ate our sandwiches and swam & snorkeled in the ocean which was delightfully warm.  

Below are pictures taken along our drive:

Red Banana Blossom

Breadfruit---it starts like a banana shaped pod on the right.

This crew were so congenial & were out
gathering coconut and taro.  They provided
our spontaneous coconut exhibition.

This young man scurried up the coconut
tree for our benefit.  He wraps his
lava lava around his feet for grip.

Husking the coconuts that were knocked down.  Then they
cut off the top with their bush knife for a delicious, fresh
drink of coconut water inside them.  They did several for us.

Cows along the way area not uncommon.

Kids love when we stop to talk with them.
Elder Deffense usually shares his magic trick.

Met this Bishop and his brother's family working
on the house in the background.

Typical family out on a Saturday.

These baskets are very typical transport of taro and coconuts or anything else.

We loved this sandy beach. A person can relax in the fales.

Same beach where we went swimming.

Savaii has beautiful clouds...Ron took these this week:

TVET Day

This past week’s focus was on TVET Day or an open house for the vocational areas of the school.  These areas are Food & Textile, Tourism & Hospitality, Computer Technology, Carpentry, and Agriculture.  Each department set up booths with fun hands-on activities available to all.  The objective of TVET day is to inspire students to look at vocational areas as future fields that can provide gainful employment and a pathway to a brighter future.

The teacher quickly made two of these ginger
floral arrangements the night before.

Table set for the restaurant role play.

"Tour Guide" telling the Samoan Legend of Sini

Computer generated IDs.

Carpentry Display

Canopies were great as the day was hot.

Place Settings Display
Students demonstrated folding cloth napkins to look like a Lilly.

Ag Display

Foods

Ron giving spiritual thought at kickoff TVET Devotional