Yeah the AUS pics work!

Us happy while watching Samoan songs and dances at Aggie Greys.

Aunt Mary and me feeding kangaroos in Austrailia, gosh I am spoiled.

Christy and I being giggly, giggly cousins! With our chocolate-covered bananas and stuffed penguins who had names, personalities, and lots of tri-lingual conversations. Ask my cousin for the stories, although we are probably the only 2 that thought we were funny. It is fun being 5.

Aunt Mary and Christy on the Sydney Harbor Bridge overlooking the opera house

Oops! What happened to the road?!

The gang from Austrailia except for one of the girls who was somewhere else. All the kids flew out today, including my little 6 year old sister. I said bye to her and lost it. Cried, cried, cried on the bus almost all the way to Apia. She will be living in Austrailia with her brothers and sisters. I will definitely miss her and her constant enthusiasm. We definitely had lots of great times together, coloring, playing with my hair, going to Manono...she is a very spunky 6 year old; it will definitely be different in the house the 2nd year.

Happy Christy with her coconut


One of my friends in the village climbing up a coconut tree to get coconuts for Aunt Mary and Christy. Check out how he wrapped the shirt around his leg. Not so impressive for anyone living in this country, as they learn right from birth, but very impressive of course for us!

Aunt Mary speaking to a Samoan cop....why? To inquire about what to do about her precious daughter's turtle bite

Being given a candy necklace by the mom of the student who I am teaching sign language to

Aunt Mary given the wonderful honor of giving out the year 8 prizes

I can't figure out how to switch the order of these, so just enjoy! Happy New Years everyone! I will be living it up for 2 days on a beach with a bunch of other volunteers. Hard life. Love you all! Love, Sally

The 48 hour Christmas

Wow. All I can say is that I woke up today at 10 am, record breaker time of sleep in Samoa and did nothing all day but read a book, sleep, and well go for a run, cause that will always be in my blood I suppose. Christmas can be exhausting, ha. So it all began Christmas Eve, 2 days after coming back from Austrailia and I just knew we needed a tree. I asked the kids what they thought---and what do you suppose the answer was? So, one of the kids (there are 6 here now, 4 came over from Aus), chopped down the tree and then we all decorated, and decorated, and decorated. Called home to America---so good to talk to everyone. Whoever invented speaker phone was genius. Now let me say something about this place, this is definitely a participatory place. So if I am in the village and there is youth group or something going on, they just love it when I participate. It is amazing how encouraging they are too cause I am not exactly Miss Grace. So I was writing some Christmas cards (seemed like a good thing to do Christmas Eve, esp since all letters to the States take atleast a month!) when one of the girls called and asked me to come to the practice. I missed a bunch of practices being in Aust but hey, it is Christmas so okay, I better get in the Christmas spirit and dance. At night, another church in the village was doing dances, songs, plays will 2 other youth groups from the village (not ours though). I know a lot of people over there esp kids from school so I went to watch. Started around 9- the church part- and then afterwards they all went outside and danced on a stage outside all lit up with lights...very cool! I really don't think people here sleep sometimes, well that is at night anyway, I guess the key is long mid-day naps! cause they started the dances at midnight and it went on until almost 3 am! They rang the bell at midnight, and people were walking around kissing everyone wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. So Christmas Day, 9 am I went to my church, the Methodist the one I usually go to, followed by Prize Giving for the Sunday School (kind of like an awards ceremony given at end of the year), followed by a Christmas breakfast of steak and eggs yummmm. Played with the kids and wished a Merry Christmas to people walking around in the village, went to the beach and then hung out until 5 pm, when our dances were to begin. Now...I have already mentioned this to some of you but let me explain the concept of "Samoan time" which is what Samoans call it too. My Samoan family got an invitation saying it started at 5. Well they were all playing volleyball at 5. Samoans are really funny cause they always say that if they tell you something starts at 5, well add Samoan time, so it really starts at about 7. The add 2/3 hours thing is not so rare at all. The other thing is bells here. Let me tell you, it is quite a confusing system. For this event, there was the bell at like 5 to end volleyball and to say start sweeping the church, and getting ready. Another one an hour later, which I got up and thought I should get going but looked out the window (Thank goodness I can see the church from my house or I would either be 2 hours late or 2 hours early every time!) and the guys were still hauling logs for a skit and such. So I stalled. Then another one like half an hour later, looked outside nothing, but a few minutes later music began, so I knew it wouldn't be long. In conclusion, it began around 7:30/8...pretty simple really just add 2 or 3 hours to stated time. It ended up being a very enjoyable evening. Danced, sang (like 1/3 of the words...it is hard to memorize Samoan songs!) and then we ate and chatted afterwards. I have to admit I started tearing up when I was watching one of the plays (I danced only 2 and watched the other ones that they had just learned) realizing it was a year ago I came and next year will be gone. I guess next year the only word to explain it will be bittersweet. The youth group that I go to has just been so amazingly welcoming, always encouraging, and just chill and nice about everything. Afterwards, all the ladies from the church invited me over to eat with them, but I decided to eat with the rest of the youth group instead. They always make sure I have all I want. One of the guys asked me 4 times if I wanted tea, then another one. Then, after another person asked to make sure I was full and didn't want more. There was a little meeting afterwards to figure out what to do with the money that was raised and another person sat down next to me, and translated into easier Samoan so I would understand. It really is incredible and I know I will miss them. Anyway, that ended around 11 pm, making this Christmas an enjoyable 48 hour Christmas. It is a good thing it wasn't any longer however, I am bad at choosing trees I guess, and that thing was dead by today. Oops guess it wasn't an evergreen!


Miss Photogenic! And she now knows my name... Practically whenever she sees me, she says "Ally!" Very cute and nothing like an almost 2 year old to make you feel special.

Our top year 8 girl at Prize giving with one of the pastors.

The year 8 kids all dressed in white with their candy necklaces.

Timber! Here is comes!

Christmas trees are always bigger after you cut them down!

One of the other kids from Aus decorating the very different looking Christmas tree or maybe we should call it a Christmas bush

Happily making decorations


The EFKS church decked out for Christmas Eve service

Midnight. Let the dancing begin! On the stage next to the church

The EFKS girls all in red in the Christmas spirit


Can you see me? Trying to be graceful.

All dressed up for the play

These boys don't mess around. One of the plays.

Two youth group boys and yours truly


Now, isn't that a scary picture? Don't worry it is only baby Jesus and I am not the Virgin Mary

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Love, Sally
(Sadly, I couldn't get the pics from Aus and when my aunt and cousin were here from Samoa---I will try again cause they are good!)

Aunt Mary and Christy!

I am sitting here with my cousin Christy on our last day in Austrailia. What a trip it has been! My Aunt Mary and cousin Christy arrived in Samoa on the 5th of December and then stayed for a week before we all headed to the "land down under" for a week. Tomorrow, back to Samoa for me and back to the chilly States for them. It has been great to catch up on all that is going on back at home and to show them where I have been living for a whole year. Lots and lots of giggly nights, chocolate stops, and well here are the highlights: (Pictures to follow when I am back in Samoa)

Samoa
----The last sunset of December 9th (Falealupo...)
----my cousin may have been the 1st sea turtle bite victim ever! watch out when you are feeding those supposedly harmless creatures...guess we got a little too close!
----one of the days, my aunt and cousin wanted to ride in a paopao, the small dugout canoe-like coats and learn how to husk cocounts...amazing how fast things happen when you know the village. The first guy I asked ended up having a boat and said yea sure...so we went over to his boat, he quickly did some repairs (of course only using a rock, some rope he found, and some twigs) and off we went. One of my year 6 boys was "tour guide" so he took my cousin out, then came back for my aunt...we learned however that those boats are quite small, and it was a little rough balancing, but hey it was fun...then to the coconuts. I asked another guy from the village to teach us...well, we certainly got the whole deal...he husked them, scraped them, let us eat the "Samoan ice cream", and showed us how to make the coconut cream...the most exciting of course was his climb to the top of the coconut tree in front of our house. Very impressive.
----Trip to Ma'asina. One of my Samoan brothers, after much convincing, went and got coconut branches and taught my aunt and cousin how to make the baskets. My Aunt, who makes baskets in the States, enjoyed seeing how they do it in Samoa, definitely different. They ate the Samoan way, cross legged on a mat on the floor, and enjoyed hanging out with the first people who showed me Samoa...
----Youth group weekend with Stephanie's youth group in Manono---Aunt Mary and Christy were there to watch an ava ceremony which was done when the group from Manono arrived. Well, the word "watch" doesn't exactly work in Samoa, especially if you are a visitor, because there is so much respect for visitors who come, and the people want them to be a part of everything... So as I went to get my aunt and cousin chairs so they could sit behind unnoticed, one of the ladies was directing my aunt and cousin to go and sit right along beside all of the high chiefs, pastors, people from the youth group...we later joked about their week visiting Samoa being a "100% immersion program", for obvious reasons...Afterwards, both groups performed songs, dances, and skits. They had the honor of watching me pretend to be a graceful Samoan girl...ha. Nope, but I have a year to learn how to be graceful...we'll see...
----Aggie Greys. Last night went to a fiafia at the hotel. Great songs and fire dancing.

To Austrailia!
Melbourne
----Took a day trip from the city to Phillip Island where we watched the "Penguin Parade"---it is stadium seating, all these little penguins come up to shore every night where they find their way to their little burrows where they spend the night before going back to the water in the morning. Very cute to see all these cute little pengiuns coming out of the water and walking up on the beach! On the way there, we stopped at a wildlife reserve --fed a koala and kangaroos and pet a wombat!
----Getting arrested..at the Melbourne Gaol and later toured the Prison
----Enjoyed the areas of South Gate and Federation Square, Yarra River, Victoria Open Air Market
----Went to the top of the SkyTower to view all of Melbourne...from the 85th floor...have you ever seen an elevator that only has the numbers 1,2,3, 85?

Decided that the whole driving on the left side of the road thing is way too difficult and it is also way too far to drive to get to Sydney, so we flew----

Sydney
----Sydney Opera house---absolutely gorgeous, especially when it is all lit up at night! Took a tour and then saw Christmas at the House, a performance with lots of Christmas carols, most we recognized but a few no clue, all the Aus favorites. Funny to watch there skits too about Christmas --one with a barbeque pit, and also their Christmas song about a kangaroo...very different to be going to an opera house to watch a Christmas show when everyone is in their cute summer attire!
----Took a day trip to the Blue Mountains, my favorite part though (besides the incredible Choc milkshake) was seeing kangaroos in the wild. In a national park we stopped at (in Melbourne they were in fences)---they are just like deer here, just hanging out while people are picniking besides them. One had a little baby in its pouch.
----Hyde Park- a nice city park in Sydney
----Bondi Beach, Manley Beach- took bus trips to both of these, some of the most popular beaches in Aust
----Museum of Contemporary Art, where we commentated everything, like the professional art critics that we are not

A wonderful trip. Austrailia is a wonderful, and also very large, as we have figured out, place. Definitely recommend visiting, although it is quite a trip from the States. Back to Samoa in the morning. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Crazy that it will be 2008, the year already that I will going back home. Love you all! Love, Sally