An Internal Conflict...

Hola, mi amigos...how are you all doin?...im doin okay...trying to fulfill my promise by posting every other day...are you guys keepin up with me?...im exhausted and hella busy, but im doin it for you guys ;-)

anyways, this should be a pretty short post...for the most part, i need advice on an important issue ive been grappling with...so, please help!...oh, but first, the above picture is of my 2nd period class...theyre good kids...though today they had a quiz and they would not stop whispering and talking after they finished...damn teenagers!...

okay, this is the internal conflict ive been having the last week or two...my dream was always to eventually move to delafield (WI) and settle down there...for some odd reason, ive fallen in love with the city and its school district...i love how its suburban yet quaint and sorta rural...i love the small, olden days village with the shops...i love how theres still a walmart and movie theaters...i love how the urban sprawl hasnt caught up to it too much (the city is constantly voting down proposals for new buildings and businesses)...and i think that the school district, though i really dont know anything about it, would be excellent to teach in...it would obviously have tons of funds (maybe even a computer lab!?...tafuna has never seen one of those!), students from affluent, educated families, highly organized, professional administration, and supportive parents...oh, and i can only dream of the beautiful house i could own...delafield has always been my goal...and it still is, in a way...but lately ive been feeling different about where i want to teach...

since being here in american samoa and teaching in milwaukee, ive realized how much i absolutely adore working with diverse students...i have found it to be incredibly rewarding...i love the kids and where they come from...sometimes from all over the world...i love how i cant pronounce their names (at first)...i love how they come from working-class, impoverished families and cities...it seems, in my humble opinion, that i connect with them tremendously...and i admire their attitude on life and their street smarts...theyre very grateful for the things they do have...my kids in milwaukee, and here on the island, are so thankful and eager to learn...this isnt always true, but theyre definetly not spoiled and bratty...yeah, they might be rude and disrespectful...but theyre also really enthusiastic and energetic, and truly want (and need) to learn...thats the other reason why i would love to work in a more urban, diverse school...i love the feeling of being needed...i would like to teach at a school that actually needs me...and where students and families and the community NEEDS me...it sounds conceded, but i guess i dont want to waste my time and energy, ya know?...now, i do realize that suburban kids need good teachers and role models, too...afterall, the suburban kids are also shooting up their schools, becoming drug addicts, killing their classmates while drunk driving, developing depression, and commiting suicide...and thats why this decision i need to make after i come home is so difficult...and conflicting...ill give you my list of pros and cons in a second...and then youre all gonna make the decision for me :-)


this is what happens when you give your camera to two samoan teenagers...they take off their shirts, spread fake blood on eachother, put masks on, and pose in the most violent, action-packed way they can imagine...my students are so weird...

PROS for the SUBURBS:

• Well-funded schools
• Students from affluent, educated parents
• Organized, professional administration
• Beautiful, peaceful environment
• Nice stores and shops
• Quaint, quiet homes and neighborhoods
• Safe, productive town

CONS for the SUBURBS:

• Spoiled, rich kids
• Controlling parents who think their child always deserves an A
• Demanding administration who think your students always deserve an A, and that your classes must meet all state standards and pass all testing
• A prosperous school doesn't really need me
• No diversity...mostly white, well-to-do families with children named Sarah and John

this is a picture of the children from my church...they did a little song and performance for us...it was soooo cute and sweet...it was cavity-inducing...

PROS for the CITY:

• Diverse students...black, asian, mexican, latino, russian, etc. with names like Dusko and Lalomoana
• Students from hard working, lower class families
• Students from neglectful, abusive, and dangerous homes and cities
• Freedom to teach what i want and how i want...with no nagging from administration and parents
• Decrepit schools that actually need me

CONS for the CITY:

• I really don't want to live in the city...i despise the city life
• Too dangerous
• Too stressful...why deal with disrespectful, naughty kids like that all day?
• The community doesn't give a damn about its youth, or anything for that matter
• Too hopeless
• Too loud and overpopulated

just a picture of whats right outside my bedroom window...did i post this pic already?...im running out of images to post, as you can probably see...usually theres roosters and chickens all over this little yard...

okay, well theres the decision i need to make...technically, i dont need to make this decision for another two years...when im finally off this island...but i am starting to think about it...ive even gone to the extreme and thought about working in los angeles...i know, sounds crazy...but i think the diversity of cultures in L.A. would be extraordinary...but i really do wanna come home after im done with american samoa...so, i was thinking waukesha would be a healthy medium...kinda suburban and kinda urban...though it has nicer, more wealthy areas, it still has a big working class, poor population and a significant number of mexican families...but that seems so boring to me...i need adventure and excitement...maybe africa?...thats my other place ive been imagining myself teaching lately...most likely though, ill be coming home to wisconsin...its just, where will i find the most fulfilling, satisfying job...i know what most of you will say..."joe, any school could benefit from your teaching"...but what school (and city) will benefit ME and what I want out of my life?...thats the million dollar question, folks...help!

this is just our laundry area...next to our house...i love sitting here and doing work and waving and saying "hi" to all the passersby...this is also where we do our drinking with our friends...and we also play cards in this little nook...

last thing...i wanted to leave a link for you guys...its not that great, but check it out if you want...

http://pagopago.com/

oh, and here's my dream home...well, the city at least...

http://www.delafield-wi.org/

http://www.cityofdelafield.com/

also, one of my favorite online, pop culture commentators has written a article about three of my favorite things...disney (on ice), survivor (which has kicked it into high gear recently), and superheroes (i say batman begins is the best comic book movie EVER!)...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1563919_7_0_,00.html

hey, suzy and jacob...look at this list of the "top 50 Lost loose ends"...yeah, i didnt even try to look at all of these...but this proves that the show is either brilliantly complex or irritatingly pointless...i kinda think the latter...

http://tv.ign.com/articles/745/745595p1.html

alright...i should get going now...did any of you check out those clips from my last post?...i wanna hear what you thought about them...anyways, i have some quizzes to correct...ttyl...love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

p.s...thanks kourt for the message and the heads up on the book...

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."

-Ursula K. Le Guin

Vailima = Stolen Slippers...

Ey, everybody...i kept my promise...every other day ill write a post...and so far, so good...but dont get your hopes up too much...this post probably wont be too exciting...ill just write about my weekend, my thanksgiving, and my top five obsessions...so...on your marks...get set...go...

my weekend was pretty good...on saturday i did some heavy partying and drank lots and lots of vailima (the samoan beer)...thats why i decided to put up pics of some of the samoan partying ive done here...these pics are old, and they were taken at our favorite bar...the playa's club...its the only bar on the island that plays regular, american music...like hip hop...all the other bars play samoan music...so the playa's club is our bar of choice...the top pic is of william and some guy (i think his name is Tino?) at the club...

oops, i got a little off track there...anyways, we went to lions park and had a little party on saturday night with a bunch of friends...it was a blast, but i drank heavily...so the next day i wasnt feeling too hot...in fact, i think i had the worst hangover ive ever had in my life...i mean, i was puking and sweating and, literally, in pain...my stomach felt like a badger was crawling around inside of it...and then, on sunday morning, i realized that my slippers (or flip flops...the samoans call them slippers...which is just wrong to me) had disappeared...i remembered that i went home barefoot and that i couldnt find them the night before...you see, we went to williams house and played cards with some portuguese guys (they were cute, by the way) after the party at the park, and someone must have stole my slippers...can you believe that!?...i guess its a common thing to do on the island...in a way, they werent really stolen...cause the person that stole them actually left their old slippers there...so, in their warped mind, it was more like an even trade...cept these slippers they left for me were nasty and old...mine were really nice, and they were my most comfortable slippers...oh well, theyre only like 2$ at the K2Mart...ill just have to get new ones...but now ive learned my lesson...never drink three 40s of vailima...itll mess you up, man...

just a photo of lisa and naomi...one of our friends here on the island...ill just say that she's a little crazy...we love her...but shes wild...she has a lot of energy...and, boy, does that woman like to drink...

my thanksgiving was good...i went to a church picnic thingy...we eat lots of food and played volleyball and ping pong and football...i even tried a game called tip top...the samoan girls like to play it...ill have to show it to charlie for her project...after that, i went to one of the church family's dinner...that was extremely interesting because before we eat the thanksgiving supper we had to say a prayer...and the way they did it was they had the matriarch of the family, the grandmother, stand up and say this long, beautiful sermon that she wrote and prepared just for that night...they even had a statue of the virgin mary with candles surrounding it, and the grandmother was, sort of, talking and praising the virgin mary and thanking her for all their blessings...then other people said their prayers and then they sang some spirituals...someone even thanked the lord for having me there to teach the samoan children...which was really embarassing and i hate when people say stuff like that...anyways, it was like 30 minutes of religious prayer...which id usually get annoyed by, but this, as a cultural experience, was kinda wonderful and peaceful...even though i had some of my favorite foods that day, i still didnt get to have my mom's pecan pie or yams or cranberry sauce...and, yes, even though mi madre's cranberry sauce is in the shape of a tin can, she does makes it herself!... ;-)

just a couple other pictures of the playa's club...as you can see, the bar is ghetto...they call it a pool hall but theres only two pool tables...and theyre small as all get-out...and the only decorations they have are christmas lights...that girl in the above picture is named tala...she's very pretty, and is usually the life of the party...she's one of the many samoan chicks that flirt with me...they seem to dig palagis...but she's not my type...if you know what i mean...

i wanted to put up the words to one of the songs my students sing every morning in class...of course, its in samoan, so itll probably be no fun to you guys...but its really pretty when they sing it...the boys and the girls sing in pitch perfect harmony, and its exquisite...maybe ill try to record it and post it some time...whats kind of interesting is that i asked my students to translate the song and they had a lot of difficulty doing it...so i went to some of the other teachers and they too had difficulty translating it...they told me that its hard to translate from samoan to english (or even english to samoan) because samoan has a limited vocabulary and that the ideas being expressed in the song dont have words in english to describe them...get it?...its confusing, but fascinating...language is so weird...to think that the samoans and the english have ideas and concepts and words that other languages dont have words for is kinda mind-boggling...i think i wouldve loved to have been a linguist...the gist of the song is that the singers are asking god to bless their spirits and give them joy...

UA SA ONA OLI'OLI NEI

LOU LOTO IA IESU

UA IA FA'AOLA IA TE AU

O'O LAU LEA PESE FOU

PESE...PESE ALELUIA

PESE...PESE ALELUIA

PESE O LE LA O LOU AGAGA OE

O LOU AGAGA OE

IESUE O LE FA'AOLA MAI

UA O'OLI'OLI AI

i wanna try and put links up to information about american samoa, as well...here's a link to the local newspaper...check it out when you have time...

http://www.samoanews.com/

oh, and i keep forgetting to tell you guys that on last week's survivor (or was it the week before?) their reward was to have a traditional umu dinner...well, ive had umu!...its what the samoans make and do every sunday...it was so exciting to see it on survivor...now, ive never been part of a ceremony like that, but did you see how the food was cooked in the ground under and on top of rocks?...well, thats the umu, and ive eaten food from it...i just thought that was kinda cool...

alright, heres this week's list...

My Top Five Obsessions of the Week:

5. Kelly Ripa vs. Rosie O'Donnell = see, even though i dont have a television, i can still watch all the juicy daytime drama that happens on regis and the view...and this is one helluva cat fight...first, clay aiken puts his hand over kelly ripa's mouth during an interview...than kelly says, "i dont know where that hand has been"...then rosie says on the view that kelly's remark was "homophobic"...and kelly calls into the view and the battle begins...well, sort of...the fight is over a silly thing, but its still a guilty pleasure to watch...personally, im on kelly's side...what do you guys think?...ill leave a link that has the entire story and the important clips from the shows...if you have high speed, take the time to watch these two media whores duke it out!...

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2006/11/its_kelly_ripa_.html

4. Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" = i just finished this horrific, sadly dark novel about a boy and his father walking down a barren, death road after the apocalypse...the author never tells us how the world ends, but we know it ended in a terribly violent and grotesque way...as they walk the road with their cart looking for food and for life, they encounter terrifying things...ultimately, the book is about love and how it endures even during the harshest, most heartbreaking of times...the book is like a nightmare, and itll leave you gasping...im sure ill be bringing the book home for everyone to read...

3. "Thank You For Smoking" = a brilliantly smart and funny movie (on video now) about lobbyists for the tobacco, alcohol, and gun industries...i know, i know, it sounds boring and too political...but its really entertaining and its sharp and biting, and skewers both sides of the political fence...its a hilarious satire on contemporary morality and corporate spin culture...its politically incorrect, and questions the most rhetorical of concepts in Bush's America, personal freedom...besides all this political mumbo jumbo, what makes this movie so cool is its commentary on the power of language and debate...all high school debate clubs should watch this flick...and you should all too...oh, and theres also a great message about fathers and sons...one of the best movies of the year...

2. James Bond on the Beach = i havent got to see the new bond film yet, though ive heard its excellent (and if any of you have seen it, let me know what you thought), i do know one thing about this new bond played by Daniel Craig...he's fricken hot, dude!...he's tough, rugged, and blue-eyed...and looks damn good in a swim suit...just click on the link for a smokin pic...i wanna see the movie just for this scene...is that wrong?...what do you guys think of him?...

http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2006/JamesBond-CasinoRoyale/movie.fs/47?w=1400&h=930

http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2006/JamesBond-CasinoRoyale/movie.fs/17?w=1400&h=930

http://www.jasongilbert.ca/wp-content/bahamas.jpg

1. "Dreamgirls" = did you love the musical chicago?...did you adore rent?...how about moulin rouge?...k, well, this musical has nothing in common with those musicals...but its one of the few movie musicals to be coming out for a while...and i think its gonna be really awesome...i fell in love with the music after downloading it off of itunes...i especially fell head over heals with the song "And I Am Telling You" sung by jennifer holiday...its a stunningly heartwrenching song that will bring tears to your eyes...well, it will if youre as nerdy as i am...the movie comes out december 15, and im already planning a dreamgirls party...technically, that just means i wanna go see it...i think suzy has reservations for the party already...but everyone else is invited too...it stars beyonce, jamie foxx, eddie murphy, and jennifer hudson (a past american idol who sings MY song)...but here's a little clip from the tony awards ceremony way back in 1982...its a historic, legendary performance of the song i mentioned above by jennifer holiday...i know, only you high speed users can watch it...but you wont be the same after you do...its powerfully moving and extraordinary...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq4uc9b2s1o

k, bye...love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"Adventure is worthwhile."

-Amelia Earhart

Futbol, The Global Sport...

Talofa, everybody...first of all, id like to apologize for the lack of posts...ive never wanted to become one of those blogs that start out big and promising, and then end sad and deficient...but thats what ive become...in a way, you all should be happy cause that means im busy and have a life here in american samoa (finally!)...i had an industrious week with thanksgiving and stuff...but i will be trying to write more often...my promise is every other day...so dont take me off your "favorites" list...(though im also a little disappointed in you guys...no messages on the last two posts!?!?)...anyways, im just gonna write a little bit tonight...later this week ill let you know about my thanksgiving and my top five obsessions...

as you can see from the top pic, one new reason why my life is so hectic is that ive (suddenly) been chosen to be the assistant coach for the tafuna warriors soccer team...and its been pretty interesting...here are some of the reasons why:

1. well, lets see...i dont know anything about soccer!...now, that isnt completely true...i know the basic rules, and ive done soccer at the ymca for years...ive even organized and managed soccer camp-type activities...but that was all with 8-12 year olds...this is with 15-17 year olds...and with boys that have been playing the game barefoot and shirtless on dirty fields in the sweltering sun since they were 5...and, remember, as the title of this post says, futbol (or soccer) is the world's sport...unlike the states, they take this game very seriously...its probably one of the most respected sports in the south pacific (along with the entire earth), and so theyre damn good at it...so, in other words, i feel a little intimidated and out of place...but the boys seem to like me and they seem to like the idea of teaching me how to play...theyre learning more and honing their skills by teaching me the skills...i havent decided if i really like the sport yet...the boys definetly have expert talent and body control...the way they kick, manuever, and head butt the ball is quite astounding...but its not, in my opinion, as fun or as exciting as american football...maybe my mind will be changed by the end of the season...

2. none of the players speak english...well, they all do speak it...but very little...i think ive noticed while being here that many kids who are excellent at sports also are not really experienced with english...this could be for a bunch of reasons...maybe they focused on sports more than their academics?...maybe theyre non-english speaking parents didnt make a lot of money, so playing sports all day was all they had to do?...or maybe their non-english speaking families didnt care about their sons learning english?...whatever the reason, it seems to be a constant here on the island...anyways, its been different from my english classroom because, in my classroom, i can enforce speaking only english...cause they need to practice it...but on the soccer field, i cant tell them they need to practice their english...so its been very hard communicating with them...but with patience ive been able to give them instruction and talk to them somewhat comfortably...the other day i directed the boys to run laps and stretch...all by myself!...i was so proud of myself...

3. another reason why this whole coaching soccer thing has been pretty interesting is that the lack of organization and preperation by the head coach and the high school soccer association has been extremely frusterating...and its been making me, alas, aggravated with the entire island, as well...you see, american samoa is very relaxed and laid back...theres even a phenomenon called "island time"...which means nothing begins at the time it was planned to begin...its usually an hour later...and all the samoan businesses act unprofessional and lazy...now ive gotten pretty used to this casual, lenient attitude on the island...but while ive been assistant coach of soccer, ive become very angry and even hateful of this samoan way of life...ive always been taught, through school and the ymca and the american culture, that activities and organizations should be well-planned, structured, specialized, and professional...that in order for things to be effective and efficient, things should be prepared and systematic...and that communication should be organized and controlled...but the island way of life says that activities and organizations can be care-free...they simply dont care about their sport (or anything for that matter) being well organized and efficient...so being in charge of this team has been really stressing me out...practices are cancelled at whim...the locations for practices are changed suddenly and without notice...the practices start an hour late...and even the practices are managed indolently...so its been really pushing my buttons lately...i cant really tell these people that i want things done my way...this is their damn island for christs sake...but i truly feel that my way would be the better way...i know that sounds pig-headed, but i think theyd become more efficient and effective soccer players if things were organized and well-planned...anyways, its been very stressful so far...and i wish i could do things my way!...

4. okay, the last thing i want to say about this soccer thing is that the people here on the island are incredibly, and nauseatingly, competitive...in all sports, they play with all their heart and muscle...from football to rugby to cricket to basketball to soccer...they are aggressively cutthroat and bloodthirsty when it comes to physical games...this has been great for the soccer team (warriors rule!)...but it ruined my thanksgiving day...confused?...ill explain...on thanksgiving day i went to a church function for lunch and activities...we played football and volleyball and ping pong...anyways, when i was playing ping pong the samoans wanted to have people play the winner...i was fine with that, but then the same guy kept winning...over and over and over again...i beat him twice, but i really wanted to play with a different person...but for hours, literally, the same guy kept playing the same people...and no one else seemed upset or bored by this...it wasnt a game to them...it was a competition...i, of course, see the merits of good ole competition, but i also see the merits of simply having a good time playing a game...especially a silly game like ping pong...i got so mad at this way of playing the game...i wanted to play other church goers...maybe even some of the kids...but no...i had to keep playing the same guy...i did beat him twice (the lil bastard!)...they were the same way during football and volleyball...being annoyingly competitive and belligerently playing to win...but this really caused me to miss home tremendously...i think that people in the states, particularly my family, wouldve played ping pong for fun...they wouldve switched the players up and laughed and let the kids play...above all, they would have played for entertainment and camaraderie on a holiday like thanksgiving...it was so frusterating that i almost wanted to cry...i truly longed to be at home playing with my friends and family...different cultures are a difficult thing to adapt to...and through the playing of sports, ive slowly began to realize that...i wanna play for fun!!!...

anyways, those were my thoughts on coaching soccer...im not getting very much money for doing this either...but seeing that most of the kids cant even afford the shoes and t-shirts (yes, sometimes they play barefoot...ouch!), im gonna do it outta the kindness of my heart...the boys have been great so far...and, besides, it gives me something to do on this god forsaken rock :-)

here are just some quick photos of my freshman SAT course students...we had a final pizza party at pizza hut...one of the few nice places on the island...and i dont think many of the kids get the opportunity to go here...its kinda expensive...but these freshman, as monkey-ish as they were, were a blast...their energy and enthusiam was excellent...and they were very smart...

the boys...in their JROTC uniforms...and with gang symbols...kids are so weird...elisiah, the boy in the back, is actually sam's little bro...he's a great kid with a wonderful spirit...i admire the kid...

and since i was so cruel to you guys by posting your pics without your permission, ill put this horrible pic of me up...i look so bad in this inpromptu snapshot...look how obese i am...

alright you guys...i better get going now...remember, i promise you ill post every other day...(crossing my fingers)...but you guys gotta also remember to post messages...i sometimes feel like no one is reading this...is there anyone reading this? ;-)

love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one's self to be acquainted with it."

-Lord Chesterfield

The "Ish" Game...

Hey, y'all...this will just be a quick post of a short video of one of the games that the kids here play...its sort of like "rock, paper, scissors" but much cooler and much more difficult...its actually pretty amazing to watch them play it...their reflexes and speed and sharpness is unbelievable and impressive...im not gonna explain the rules to the game but i will be teaching it to charlie for a project she's doing on western samoa...youll notice the "ish" sounds theyre making...i dont know why they do it, but i think its kinda cool...they look like robotic machines or something...or like jedi masters...every morning i hear those "ishing" sounds outside (and inside) my classroom...most of the teachers hate it...but i find it oddly relaxing...and cool...afterall, i used to make those noises all the time when i was little :-)

anyways, theres lots of noises in the video cause it was taken during lunch time in my classroom...and you cant understand the boys cause theyre speaking in samoan...and i apologize for the wind, as well...either way, youre probably not gonna have any idea what these boys are doing...just know that its a culturally peculiar game...but its also kinda tight, too...my students are so talented ;-)

Dedicated to the Ones I Love...

Hi...yesterday was the one month mark for when i come home...that means that in about 30 days (Dec. 17) ill be home for christmas...yay!...so i decided to make this post a ode to you guys...dont worry, im not gonna get corny or anything...but i will be putting pics up of you guys which i had no permission to do...you're all gonna hate me..."oh, hell's no...he did not just put that picture of me on his blog for the whole world to see!"...well, i did...and i love it :-)

the top picture is hilarious...shawn and jacob are doing the weirdest dance i have ever seen...who dances like that?...and with those facial expressions?...i brought my lap top to school one day and my students saw this pic (it was on my screensaver thingy), and i was so embarassed...i think they thought my family was special ed...i had to explain that you guys were just doing the robot...and they looked at me as if that was normal...and they were confused by jacob's hat...they thought he was a pilgrim...im like, "no, he's a gangsta"...

im sure ella looks extremely tiny in this pic compared to what she looks like now...but im so excited to see her...she'll probably have no idea who i am and get scared...especially when i pick her up and kiss her and hug her...she'll cry...i'll cry...and it'll be traumatizing...ill be the scary uncle...

one thing that ive been feeling really, really guilty over is that i feel this tremendous need to go home...i dont necessarily feel sad or homesick...(i dont want to get into a grass-is-always-greener type mentality...i know if i was home right now id be wishing for a thrilling journey somewhere new)...but i feel like i came to this island to have a worldly adventure...ive always wanted to travel and ive always longed to work in an interesting, exotic (and third world) place...and ive also always felt a desire to be a indiana jones-esque globe trotter...and since im here in the south pacific, near fiji, new zealand, australia, japan, india, south america, etc., it really gives me the opportunity to explore the earth in wonderfully electrifying ways...i could see the strange, beautiful, and fascinating locales ive always wanted to see...but out of all the places in the world i could be going to, ive decided to go home...and, technically, thats the only place i really want to go to...out of all the awesome, new quests and voyages i could be going on, i have decided to spend my money and time on home...the place i got bored with in the first place...i could go on and on about why i wanted to go home (to see my friends and family cause i miss them dearly, blah, blah, blah) but i wont...i just wanted to say that i feel guilty and kinda disappointed in myself...ive dreamed of the chance to travel and see the world, and, instead, im dreaming of going home...it really does make sense when they say "theres no place like home"...nothing compares to my family and friends...the picturesque mountains of new zealand cannot replace playing with my nieces and nephews...the taj mahal in india couldnt even come close to chilling with my sisters...the glittering brilliance of tokyo is paltry to laughing with my friends...and the intriguing brilliance of chile is no comparison to recieving love from my mom...oops, i got corny, didnt i?...anyways, im planning on traveling next summer...though i want to go home then, too...but im hoping ill at least go to new zealand and fiji...and maybe tokyo...id love that...

claudia is stunning in this picture...but who's that fat guy?...he ruins the pic...i look horrid in this picture...but i just had to put it up...i only had a few pics of home and you guys on my computer...so thats why you may not see yourself on this post...like chad...sorry, i had no images of you...

awe, the drive-in...when i told my kids that theres a drive-in in wisconsin they were flabbergasted by it...they said, "like in grease!?"...and i was like, "yes, except without john travolta singing 'sandy'...but there is a hot dog jumping into a bun!"...

theres the pimp daddy joe grooving with his sexy ladies...work it girls...shake your moneymaker...and shake whatcha mama gave ya...girls gone wild: dana's wedding edition...

my students always ask if suzy's my wife...around here, you cant be friends with the opposite sex unless youre married...its very bizarre...but i like this pic cause i think we both look hot in it...especially me ;-)

holy sprawled out baby, batman!...oh, and can someone pull down that bikini top...cheese'n'rice...girls gone wild: dad's boat edition...but doesnt ella look so peaceful and fragile in this pic?...im kinda scared to see her all growed up...i feel like ive missed so much :-(

cute picture, huh?...once again, i dont want to see charlie as a mini-woman...i mean, i suppose ill be excited for her...but she better stay my little, precious niece...and innocent...please, still be childish and innocent...teenagers are frightening creatures...and adults are just as terrifying...so dont grow up charlie...for the love of god, stay young for your uncle joe joe...and never kiss boys...or have one break your heart...cause no one wants to see uncle joe joe angry...he turns green, ya know?...like the hulk...

celia...looking just as disheveled and devilish as ever...just kidding...ive heard this girl has changed a lot...and im so eager to see her...will she remember me?...we'll see...

oh my lord, i cant wait to play pokeeno with kz and pauly...though ill probably lose about two dollars and seventy-five cents...but we have such a good time...oh, and i also cant wait to see kz's 12 inch baby...yes, thats what i guessed the length of her baby would be at birth...go ahead, laugh...k, feel better now?...at least i didnt chase a bus and ask the driver if he was "going to la quinta"...now thats embarassing... ;-)

i heart the roelke family!...theyre the greatest...best...family...EVER!...but also the most odd...i mean, who enjoys having their older cousin move their arms all around and singing and talking about bloody veal?...really, what kinda strange child enjoys that?...and what kinda aunt goes horseback riding topless?...but the man in the moon lives strong in them...and i love them to death...

yeah, Y Camp rocks...and so do these friends...i think im gonna sing theyre favorite song and dedicate it to them...HOGS!...THERES HOGS IN HERE!...THERE MUST BE SOME HOGS IN THE ATMOSPHERE!...and tiffany is gonna kill me for putting this picture up...but we have some norweigian secrets...so she'll forgive me...right, tiff?...

awe, and look at this cute and happy couple...didja know theyre husband and wife?!...just kidding...but they will be some day...i will make them...but i cant wait to see danielle...she's hilarious...

k, well, like i said, this post was dedicated to you guys...there was obviously nothing about american samoa in this post...but even i get sick of this island sometimes...im sorry (though you might be happy) that i didnt put everyone's pic online...i only had a few to choose from...if your pic is not on this post, that doesnt mean i dont miss you...i miss all of you dearly, and i am so stoked to come home and see all of you...i love you guys...though we're a world a part, your guys' love and support gives me strength and inspiration...im so blessed...

love ya and miss ya,

-JOE

"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."

-George Moore

The Little Things...

Hey, everybody...its time for another wonderful post by the always charming JOE...uh, yeah...anyways, im doin good here...once again, its been a hectic week...so, as i always say but never achieve, im gonna make this post short and sweet...

the above image is of krystal burger...its the best burger joint on island...besides, of course, mcdonalds...they have really yummy teriyake burgers and banana splits...its so greasy and fattening...yet really good...and cheap...but dont look in their kitchen...its pretty disgusting...we dont think of the kitchen though while we're sinking our teeth into deliciousness...and if you think it looks ghetto in the pic, thats cause it is...remember, this is american samoa (pronounced sah-moa) not the states...we take what we can get here...even if its krystal burger...

this is kinda a dumb picture...just looks like a bunch of bright dots to you guys...we took a drive up one of the mountains last thursday night with a friend and i took this picture of the island...like i said, it didnt turn out that great, but i do like how the lights just stop in the distance...and then its pure blackness...nothingness...its obviously the ocean, and it sorta reminded me of how random this experience is...im in the middle of nowhere...in the middle of an unfathomably vast, profoundly dark, anciently cold ocean on a tiny, seemingly insignificant dormant volcano...though it seems insignificant compared to the rest of the world, to us, the islanders and i, its our life...our lives are floating in the middle of an infinetly sinister and grave sea...and those bright dots in the picture remind me of where our lives end and the mystery of the deep begins...i feel so small...

this is a group picture that we took at the top of the mountain...thats lisa, our friend jon, and his brother...i dont know his name...he speaks very little english, so its hard to communicate with him...while we were up there, jon told us a samoan ghost story that involved human sacrifices that were performed hundreds of years ago right where we stood...and that the ghosts still haunt people to this day...for example, an all girls school was built on the sacred, eerie ground and it had to be closed down because the girls were going insane...i know, its sounds corny (whats up with all scary stories dealing with psychotic, haunted children?...is that an innate fear in all of us?)...but it was scary at the time he told us...well, told lisa...so, yeah...

no, this is not oprah's samoan mansion...or american samoa's version of dynasty...its a big, beautiful house of a family's that we went to on sunday to have brunch with...isnt it grand?!...im usually not into huge houses but i think being here on the island has made me appreciate the wonder in having a gigantic house...the family started a recycling service here on the island and are now raking in the dough...i felt like royalty walking up to it...

you know, since being on this island, i have obviously started to realize and notice the little things that make me happy...one of them is interior design!...now dont get me wrong, im not some nate berkus/martha stewart/flaming interior decorator...but while being in this house, i definetly noticed the beauty of nice furniture and elegant decor...i felt like i was in the states...it was like heaven...it probably doesnt seem like much to you guys...but to me this house was gorgeous...breathtaking...and it even had A.C.!...oh, states!...im coming home...soon...and you, too, pier one imports! ;-)

look kids, a normal, attractively designed kitchen...with wonderful wood work and sleek appliances?...no way!...way!...and did i mention the pie and bundt cake they served?...hallelujah...

their driveway...with their initials at the center...so hollywood...but as you can see in the distance, the ghettoness and poverty of american samoa is just a doorstep away...

once again, just wanted to show how the poor surround the house...though i make it seem like the poor islanders live horrible, tragic lives (how can they live in those decrepit houses?!...theres no nice furniture and elegant decor?!...what lives?!), i do believe that they dont mind or dont even realize theyre poor...theyre fine with their lives...and happy with their families...who needs stainless steel kitchen appliances?...besides me, of course...

our second home...i used to think mcdonalds was a evil corporation attempting to take over the world and make everyone fat and die of heart disease...i still believe this, but it still makes me happy while being here...and as evil as this place may be, it still has the best costumer service and reliable, consistent food of any place in the world...so, mcdonalds is now a friend of mine...as i said, a second home...no matter where im at on the globe, ill have a mcdonalds to lean on...did i tell you guys?...after im done with american samoa, im teaching in africa!...where theres probably a mickey d's hamburger palace right down the savannah...yay!...(oh, im joking about the african teaching...though africa has been capturing my imagination lately)...

just a picture of a church...theyre all over the place on this rock...

okay, here's my weekly list...dont forget to send me yours...thanks to judy lou for always having delightfully interesting, sometimes very odd, obsessions...and i thought i had O.C.D. :-) (j.k.)

My Top Five Obsessions of the Week:

5. Aveeno = i know, is this not the gayest obsession ever!?...but, man, has it made my face feel and look so fresh and so clean, clean...this moisturizer is heaven sent...the skin brightening daily exfoliation scrub is excellent for palagi skin here in american samoa...and the ultra-calming lotion is great for my irritated, rosy face...thanks to mi madre for buying the stuff for me...its obviously not available on the island...and its kinda expensive...AND it makes me look 10 years younger!...

4. Corinne Bailey Rae = soccer moms, college radio, jazz lovers, and norah jones fans rejoice!...its the next norah jones...her voice is wonderful and her easy-listening, soulful music is calm and beautiful...very sheek and bluesy and greys anatomy-ish...perfect for those relaxing, wine-induced candle lit nights...i dont have those here, but her cd makes me long for them...in other words, shawn, buy the album...very cool music...or at least, download "like a star", "put your records on", and "trouble sleeping"...

3. Top Chef = say it aint so!?...dare i say it?!...i think this reality show is better than survivor!...well, better than this season of survivor...i know ive stressed the merit of this show to many of you since last year...and many of you say that its too hard to watch the food being made and then not being able to eat it...well, thats true...but its also not really about the food...just like project runway, its about the ingenius creativity and thrilling challenges shown on the show...maybe its just me, but creating such stunning art (and believe the fat guy when he says food can be art) from nothing...or from vending machine munchies...plus, you can get the recipes online...so there...watch it...

2. Not Chewing on My Cheeks = okay, most of you know my issue with chewing on the insides of my cheeks...its been a (nervous?) habit since i was little...in fact, since i was in preschool...i remember my teacher's assitant used to do it...and i think i learned it from her...anyways, i dont think it really effected my health...i mean, eating your cheeks isnt dangerous or anything...but i do think that people thought i was some kinda weirdo with my lips pushed to the side of my face gouging my cheeks out...anyways, ive stopped the addiction...and im really proud of myself...its hard to quit a life long habit, and im dying to just bite one more time...but im not going to...next habit to break, the biting of my cuticals...that one is gonna be tough...too bad they dont have patches for habitual oral obsessions...

1. Poetry = yes, the nerdy english teacher has just said poetry is his top obsession of the week...but im teaching it this unit, and i think poetry can be a powerfully moving thing...i used to hate poetry...i remember despising the way teachers taught it...iambic pentameters and rhyming and comlex metaphors...i just thought it was the dumbest, most difficult thing to understand and enjoy...but now, after ive realized that rhyming and iambic pentameter doesnt need to be in it, i have realized the force and loveliness of good, simple poetry...it can be incredibly insightful to the emotions of the human experience...through just a few words, the reader can gain an astute understanding of nature, life, and the writers' experiences...and i hope to teach my students this...i actually have an assignment for all of you...im gonna put two of my lesson activities for writing poetry on this post...and ill put my examples on, too...these are great structures for beginning poetry writers...helps them to organize their ideas...i think itd be wonderful if you found time in your hella busy schedules to write a poem using one of the two formats and send them to me...once again, i think poetry can inspire you to look at your life and your experiences more closely...so, come on kids, lets write some poetry...

BioPoems:

this is a highly restrictive poem format...but its excellent for those less creative...or less confident poetry writers...choose a person to write the poem about...

Line 1: First name.
Line 2: Four traits that describe person.
Line 3: Relative (brother, sister, friend, etc.) of…
Line 4: Lover of… (three things or people)
Line 5: Who feels… (three items)
Line 6: Who needs… (three items)
Line 7: Who fears… (three items)
Line 8: Who gives… (three items)
Line 9: Who would like to see… (three items)
Line 10: Resident of…
Line 11: Last name.

here's my example i did for my students...it was a little difficult to do one on a child...especially my own niece...

Charlie Rose.
Jubilant, thoughtful, spirited, dazzling.
Niece and friend of mine.
Lover of hula-hooping, dancing, and laughing.
Who feels eager to grow,
motherly to her siblings,
and compassion towards outcasts.
Who needs music, movies, and mac 'n' cheese.
Who fears failure, irresponsibility, and ignorance.
Who gives help to her mother,
respect to her father,
and smiles to me.
Who would like to see the world,
A’s on her report card,
and everyone pleased.
Resident of my heart.

Salter.

I'm From Poems:

i absolutely adore this activity...if this doesnt force you to look at your life and your experiences with a keener eye i dont know what will...here's a link to the format...the orginal poem is on the left to follow...read the poem and then use the structure on the right to complete your own "im from" poem...you may want to print it out...

http://www.bright.net/~dlackey/wherefrom.pdf

like i said, use his and mine as examples...here's mine...

"Where I'm From"

I am from my mother’s China cabinet,
from burnished brown wood and dirty crayon tins.
I am from bunk bed windows,
(Sunny and dark,
my childhood bittersweet.)
I am from backyard lilacs,
the suburban greens,
whose puddles of shade
I rode through
and played.
I’m from “Happy Birthday Jesus” and copper tops,
from Patricia and Lawrence.
I’m from sarcasm
and addiction,
from the “I won’t do it agains”
and the goodnight kisses.

I’m from sleepy Sunday pews
and communions of blue,
still questioning the snowy hills of heaven.
I’m from Waukesha and Hartwell,
ring bologna and fish sticks.
From the night my naked father slept walked
toward my teenage mother’s home
to the morning my baby sister was born
with a pair of belly buttons all her own.
I am from these stories
of my mother performing miracles,
warm and magical.

In the library of glass
was my mother’s forgotten yearbook,
gray pages of her faded youth
scribbled and written on,
a past of secrets and memories,
forever signed and claimed.
I am from that woman --
A high school cheerleader with wondrous dreams
long before that China cabinet

and long before me.


okay, i wanna see some poems...ill probably get none...but i tried...hoped you enjoyed my poems...(shawn, dana, and ma...did ya catch all the symbolic details?...the double meanings?...and i hope i didnt make mama feel uncomfortable or anything)...

love ya and miss ya,

-JOE

"Travel not only stirs the blood...It also gives strength to the spirit."

-Florence Prag Kahn

Like Camping...

Good evening, ya'll...anyways, its sunday night and im very tired...but i did want to post something cause i feel bad that i never post anymore...so this will be short and sweet...just some pics and explanations...ill write more sometime this week...(i also just wrote a bunch and it got erased, so im pissed off that i lost all that work)...

our friend took us on a oceanside drive today...she took us to the western side of the island...we had never been to this side of the island...it was gorgeous...and we went at sunset too...it was breathtaking and calm and rural...very pure and peaceful...i had to take pics from the back of annie's truck, so they didnt turn out that well...but i think the top one is kinda lovely...

this is just a pic of one of the oceanside villages...see the town bell...who needs television or radioes or even blowhorns to get the village people's attention when you got a nice bell like that?

this is one of the very few cemetaries ive seen here on the island...usually the people are buried in the front yards...i think this was a family from the village's gravesite...it sounds morbid, but i think cemetaries can be so pretty...and serene...

this picture is obviously a little blurry...but i think it captured the feeling of the oceanside drive very well...it was so calm and beautiful on this side of the island...it reminded me a lot of camping...not only because of the rural aspect but also of how the people were enjoying themselves outside with the trees...the houses are small and rustic and close together...with open doors and lighted porches...and all the people sit outside and cook and talk and chillax...and kids run around and play while dogs frolick along with them...the houses look like the cabin up north or old trailers...but the people dont mind...because theyre outside...not in the house...its hard to explain but the mood of the island simply reminded me of camping...its very nolstalgic and tranquil...memories of the nature and relaxation and togetherness of the land (in gotham) and the camp sites i used to go to when i was young (muskego, mukwonago, etc.) flooded my sentiments...and then theres me...driving by in the back of a pickup while the villagers waved and said "malo"...it was so jellystone camp site...just people and nature and companionship at its most placid and organic best...just like bogus bluff...cept without the loud, obnoxious pollution of four-wheelers...and instead of a river, they have a beautiful, dazzling sea...

all along the ocean, every mile or two, they would have memorials at shorelines for people who drowned in that beach...this beach alone had 23 deaths...including a girl from tafuna who died there just this year...as you can see, theres a rescue alarm bell...but im sure by the time the villagers hear it and call for help, its probably too late...i even saw a momument for "all the korean fishermen lost at sea"...in other words, as wonderful as the ocean is, its also dangerously treacherous...many, many samoans get swept away by it every year...lets hope i dont become a memorial while im here...

okay, ill briefly tell you guys about my nice and long weekend (we had friday off because of veterans day...i swear, teachers have a sweet deal)...but i dont wanna go into too much detail cause i have more pics that id like to post later this week...anyways, thursday night we went for a drive up a mountain and eat at Krystal burger...the best burger joint on the island...so fattening...yet so damn tasty...their banana splits are to die for...then on friday we went to a friends house for dinner and drinks...once again, it reminded me of camping...we just sat out in her front yard and drank and talked and listened to music...and we were surrounded by other cabins, er i mean houses, that were doing the same thing...it was very chill...we also went to a club that night and walked to mcdonalds at three in the morning...that was thrilling...samoan streets in the middle of the night arent the safest...but no wild dogs attacked...and i actually got walked home by a bunch of samoan boys who spoke no english...cept they did ask to watch movies at my house...i didnt think that would be a smart idea though...on saturday i didnt really do that much...a lot of lesson planning and sleeping...then on sunday (today) we went to have brunch with a family from church and we went swimming and went on our oceanside drive...now im posting on my blog even though im hella tired...but i do it for the people ;-)

alright, im gonna go now...sorry for the boring ass post...on wednesday ill write more...and ill give my top five obsessions...by the way, wasnt last sunday's desperate housewives (not last night's) like the best episode ever?...now that was some excellent television...that show is back to its old self...oh, and what'd you guys think of the 10 person jury on survivor?...since thats an even number, i have a feeling that some of the jury will be eliminated somehow...dont ask me how...im sure mark burnett and jeff probst have something fun up their sleeves...i kinda hope so...i think this season has been kinda boring and bland...lost was awesome on wednesday, too...but now it goes on hiatus till february...thats gonna suck...and are any of you watching heroes?...im guessing not...but that too is excellent television...

k, love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts."

-Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Shall We Dance?

Hola, mi amigos...coma esta...here's a post dedicated to Fia Fia Night...which was this past saturday at Tafuna High School..."fia fia" means entertainment in samoan...all the classes (freshman, sophomore, etc.) put on traditional and non-traditional dances for the audience...and, boy, was it a huge audience...our PTA raised over $30,000...the kids worked tremendously hard on their dances and everything turned out wonderful...listen to me, i sound like a proud parent or something...anyways, ill tell you a little bit about the night, and maybe ill have a few musings on the love and respect for dance and music here in Samoa...its a pretty important cultural thing for the samoans...and maybe ill write about their notions of male and female that is presented in their dances...but im gonna try not to write a lot...ill let the videos speak for themselves...yes, i have vidoes for all you high speed users...but ill get to that later...

for now, the above picture is of me and some of my students...miss tafuna, pualani, is in the middle...i, of course, look like a palagi dork...

this is just a boring picture of the background for the show...its really pretty, but we use the same background for all our special events...and just change the title...but i suppose we dont have the money for new backgrounds for every show..."the warrior nation" is fiscal...

this picture kind of shows the enormous amount of people at the celebration...though it doesnt even show half of them...those are the sophomores dancing in red...it kinda sucked because the teachers had to help the students get ready and everything...i kinda wanted to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show...but i had to aid the freshman (because im a freshman advisor) in preparing for their big dance routine...i kept sneaking over to the juniors though because thats who i teach...and the juniors rock!...the classes did show their dances during an assembly at school one day, so i did get to see them all...they were all amazingly enjoyable to watch...

just a pic of the boys doing the huka (spelling?)...thats this male form of samoan dance where they grunt and stomp their feet and pound their chests...and yell things in samoan...if you ever see a samoan soccer game, the team begins with this dance...anyways, i do have video of it...thats coming soon, folks...hold on to your horses...

another pic of the kids doing their dance...this is the freshman...i actually had to stand in the back of the stage and dance and clap...its called the siva...thats a samoan way of dancing...kind of hard to explain...anyways, it was extremely embarassing...i didnt even really try...i just did the two-step and clapped my hands to the music...the palagi did his best...

here's a pic of two of my students...theyre obviously in their traditional samoan wear...acting all tough and manly...just like their male dances, the men in this culture are very masculine and alpha-male-like...theyre brutish and rough and manly...and they are proud to be a man...a warrior who hunts with no remorse...just pure MAN...i dont know how else to explain it...i think in america, many boys and men are discouraged from being proud of being a man...a man in the alpha-male sense...theyre inspired and forced to act androgenous, or even more female-like (be caring, gentle, quiet, humble, dont hunt, etc.)...of course this isnt always true...men still act like men in america...but what does "acting like men" really mean?...im not gonna go through that here...thats for my future master's program thesis...but i will say that there is a "war against boys" in america...where boys are not proud of and motivated to be boys...maybe thats an after effect of feminism in america...or maybe its just my own personal opinion...as i said, im not getting into it here....

a pic of some of my students in my freshman SAT tutoring class...good kids...

not only do i look heavenly in this picture (halo and all), but i also look kinda creepy...whats up with that smile?...and that fat?!...

another picture of the boys acting caveman-like...they think theyre so mean...k, here's a link to a video of the junior boys doing their "dance"...its not quite a "dance"...its more of a bunch of guys acting like gorillas or apes...but its cool...and very powerful...full of strength and brawn and muscle...what i find kinda interesting is that as manly as the dance is, its still a "dance" in a sense...in other words, i dont think youd find very many guys doing this in america...i think itd be seen as weird or even "girly"...or foolish...afterall, guys shouldnt be stomping around acting like cavemen...we americans are way too sophisticated, educated, and refined for that...(by the way, i dont know if this video will work...lets just try it...i know i could just post the video but i kinda wanted to write about the videos and all that...you may have to make a youtube account...if it doesnt work, ill post the vids on the blog tomorrow...just let me know...oh, and try not to view the other vids until i get to them...thats cheating if you do)...k, watch the video and see some samoan culture for yourself....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMZVkLe4Xo

i dont know if its samoan teenagers or if its all teenagers...but teens are damn vain...bring out a camera and a whole hoard of them will stampede over and smile...and show their guns...

not that this is important or anything, but the girl to the left (ours) of the girl in the middle with the decorative hair piece is a fafafina...a boy/girl...i usually refer to her as a female...her name is tweety...and she's a student of mine...

speaking of fafafinas, ill show you my next video...its of the junior girls doing their fia fia dance...its beautiful...theres a fafafina in the middle of the group...she's the only one in a dark brown top...really skinny...and she, like all fafafinas, was the star of the dance...why is the gay community so excellent at the performing arts?...discuss...anyways, i dont know how these kids remembered all their dance steps...dana and shawn know that remembering dance steps is a lot harder than it seems...but these girls do it naturally...and gorgeously...you'll see people walking up to the dancers...theyre giving them money...its a samoan tradition to slap cash on the dancers bodies...its kind of a neat tradition because it makes the performance interactive...i mean, its fun to go up to your dancing family members and stick some dead presidents on them...but its also kind of annoying because they ruin the show...its hard to see the performance and the dancers get messed up when theres a bunch of people on the dance floor...but whatever...its not my culture...so ill butt out and just admire the dance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwVW3o1yOCA

remember this kid?...this is the kid that was sleeping in my class...little punk...as you can tell from this pic, he thinks he's the shiznit...

this next video is of the REALLY traditional samoan dance...and song...miss tafuna, my student, is the one all the other dancers are focusing on...she's wearing the big, stunning head dress...she also has a samoan weapon in her hand...and is sort of doing a ballet with it...its very calm and wonderful to watch...the kids' heads kind of look like the ocean's waves...many of their dances deal with the ocean or waves or boating or fishing...i guess the island life in general...you can also see the boys get up and dance in appreciation of miss tafuna...i kinda like this aspect of their dancing culture as well...the feminine is praised and respected and admired...once again, in america (because of those fricken feminists!), girls are supposed to or encouraged to act androgenous...essentially, to act like men...get jobs...wear pants...go to the gym...be good at sports...be tough...being dainty or delicate or elegant is sort of, i think, looked down upon...but here, to be a graceful, feminine woman is exquisite...i know america being androgenous is a good thing (then boys and girls can have whatever traits they want to), but a reverence for the conventional male/female traits can be special and virtuous...again, you can see a person put money on miss tafuna's body...thats baby oil that its sticking to...i think in the olden days it was just their sweat...or something...and yes, that is another fafafina at the end wearing a white halter top thingy...man, theyre everywhere!...

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

strike a pose, ladies!...okay, this final video is of the big grand finale dance for the juniors...this dance truly rocked the house...as you can see from the vid, a fafafina is the star of the show again...she (he?) is actually in my class..her name is veteran...but his fafa name is Queen V...youll notice women trying to put money on her...but the tina turner wannabe doesnt have any of that, and swings her hair in their faces...its hilarious...and then the dance ends off with a very funny, and embarassing, bang...remember, this is an island of strict, pious christians and mormans...and here they are laughing, celebrating, and cheering for a transgendered, gay man (woman?)...its sooooo crazy...of course, you could also say the audience was laughing AT the fafafina, not WITH her...but, in my humble belief, the fafafina brought happiness and smiles to the crowd...and entertained theyre asses off...see, christians can have a good time :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKGfy1PMsiw

no, this is not a picture of a tribe of wild, cannabalistic, lord of the flies boys...these are my students...be afraid...be very afraid...oh, and i quickly wanted to mention that i keep talking about the androgenousness of america...but look at american samoa, where you're either majorly feminine or totally masculine, and youll see the most transgendered people ever...maybe there's so many transgendered people because theres no real in-between for males and females...i dont know if theres a connection at all...its just interesting that the least androgenous society has the most androgenous people...especially men...discuss...

alright, you guys...thats it for tonight...i hope the vids worked for ya...sorry to all the people with dial up...i dont know how good theyre gonna work...i tried to make the videos short so theyd play for people...and i apologize for the unorganization and messy writing...i know i try to write profoundly on these posts, but tonight i decided to let the pics and vids speak for themselves...let me know what you think of this part of the samoan culture...its fascinating...and if i was actually speaking to you all, id probably have something more intelligent to say about it...

k, bye...love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

p.s...i also posted a video of tavita jumping in the waterfall...its short...really short...i used it as a test run...to see if itd work...so heres that if you wanna watch it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52j4oU3aJck

"I'm more interested in what I discover than what I invent."

-Paul Simon