Wanted: Chuck Woolery...

Hello, blog readers...how y'all doin?...im doin good here...its crunch time...im coming home in less than a week, and so i need to finish all my grading and stuff by friday...so, once again, its gonna be a busy one...this might be my only post this week...ill try to post my last one this weekend...and then im home, baby!...yay!...the above picture is of our friends house...naomi lives there with her husband and two kids...she lives like right across the street from us...its a cute little house, kinda reminds me of the cabin up in gotham...its hella small...her daughter, buella, sleeps in the living room...she's like 14...just imagine if a 14 year old charlie had to have her bedroom in the living room...but, like all the islanders here, buella doesnt seem to mind it...we party here every once in a while...and the pictures on this post document one of those party nights...anyways, i love the tree she has in her front yard...isnt it beautiful?...its a mango tree, and it looks so full and fluffy...

im gonna try to report some of my observations on dating here in american samoa...mostly teenage dating...like i always say though, this isnt going to be a time magazine expose on dating for high schoolers in american samoa...these are just some of my brief thoughts on the topic...

first and most importantly of all, teenagers are owned by their parents here...their property of their parents...so, in other words, dating for teenagers is almost non-existent here...parents are strict about not having their teenage sons and daughters date...for several reasons...theyre too young to date and to have sex...they need to focus on school...itll add drama to their lives...the church frowns upon it...etc., etc.,...even though some of my students talk about falling in love or having crushes (and i see flirting, its called "being cheeky" here, all the time in my classroom), most of them have never dated or fallen in love or made out with another person...theyve never had the experience, as of yet, to go steady with a person...to go out to eat or to the movies or whatever...they havent had the opportunity to write love letters and poems, or to sneak out of the house to have a nice round of tonsil hockey...theyve never had the chance to be in love at a teenage age...and though this might be smart on the parents part, i still kinda disagree with it...i actually really miss kids from the states who are dating and crushing and falling in love (or is it lust?)...i think this was a huge part of my high school experience and my coming of age...dating and making out and, sorry mom, having sex was fun and adventerous...it was dramatic, in a thrillingly educational way...i obviously learned a lot about myself...and i learned about other people...and love...and a million other things...really, it just made high school exploratory, captivating, and unforgettable...i think theres something sweet and enchanting and enlightening about dating while being a young person...and its unfortunate, in my opinion, that samoan teenagers dont get to go through it...

heres a pic of us partying outside naomi's house...as you can see, its a lot like camping around here...notice the guy playing the ukelele in the background...he was a horrible singer ;-)

now, as i mentioned before, i do see the parents point in not letting their adolescent children date...it is, obviously, potentially dangerous...they could get pregnant or get an STD...they could also get depressed after a break-up or get abused or raped by their lover...they could commit suicide because of their (puppy) love...these are harsh "what ifs", but still possible...however, i think the two significant things that the lack of teenage dating produces are: more focus on school work and less focus on how they look at school...the kids here, many of them, are concentrated intensely on school studies and getting good grades...theres been a few times where ive asked kids if they had a boyfriend or girlfriend, and they will almost always say "im not interested in that...i need to focus on school first...ill worry about dating while in college"...thats where i usually stare at them, shocked and dismayed...im usually thinking, "youre a teenage boy, and girls arent on your mind!?"..."youre a teenage chick, and youre more focused on school than that hot boy in math class!?!"...its amazing to me how much dating is not on their lists of things to do...afterall, they have that science symposium due...and that pre-calculus assignment...and that essay for mr. neman's class...they cant let a little butterflies-in-the-stomach crush get in the way of that homework...this is the complete opposite than the states...theres a true epidemic of high school students simply hating or, at least, not caring about their education...there has been this problem for the past 50 years in america...the american high school experience is all about dating...how many of your high school teachers can you remember?...how many boyfriends and girlfriends?...learning is second (or third or fourth or fifth) to dating for almost all teenagers in america...and theres definetly something sad and worrisome about that...

also, the teenage girls on island have a real strong self-confidence...sure, theres still low self-esteem (the things that go on at home are despicable and horrid...ill save that for a future post)...but they seem to be much more proud of who they are than american teenage girls...samoan girls dont care what they look like...they dont care what other people think about them...their opinion of their body image is that theyre beautiful...theyre feminine and pretty and worthy, without make-up and hair gel...i actually just taught janis ian's "at seventeen" (http://www.janisian.com/lyrics/At%20Seventeen.pdf) and all my classes could not wrap their minds around her feelings in this song...especially the part where she says she's an "ugly duckling"...they were completely distressed by this comment...they asked, "how could she feel this way about herself?...she has such low self-esteem!"...many of my students even said that they could tell janis ian was caucasion because "a samoan girl would never think this about herself"...technically, janis ian wasnt caucasion, but i told them that many american teenage girls do feel this way about themselves....they feel unworthy of being seen as beautiful and pretty...they feel unwanted by boys and friends and classmates...samoan girls dont feel like they need to be wanted...they dont need to be worth anything to other people...at least, as far as the physical goes...and i think this might be because teenage girls in american samoa dont have dating on their minds 24/7...it could also be that television and magazines with their smokin-hot, skinny, nude, cocaine addicted models are no where to be seen on the island...but i strongly believe that the girls here could care less about getting the boy...they could care less about looking sexy and glamorous and jessica simpson-like...they dont even think at all like that...so, as much as im all for teenage dating, i do wonder if dating amongst teenagers leads to low self-esteem and carelessness in education...maybe our teenagers should be focused more on school?...and less on going to make-out point in their buick park avenue...

this is just a picture of lisa and naomi...

i just wanted to talk quickly about some other observations ive made about teenagers dating in american samoa...

-theres no where to go on dates...theres no malls or roller skating rinks or carnivals or arcades...my kids always tell me that the only place they go to on dates is "under the banana tree"...i think thats hilarious...

-they must be cautious of who they date...the island is so small that not only does everybody know everybody else, but also many islanders are family...you dont wanna find out youre dating your cousin...or brother...and from what ive heard, it happens often...

-familes are incredibly protective of their daughters...especially brothers...so, if you break a girl's heart, or if the family simply doesnt like you, you can bet your sweet apple bottom jeans that theyll come after you...angry mob style...ive heard many stories of families and brothers going to boys' houses to beat the crapola outta them...kinda scary...so, samoan boys are very, very careful of who and how they date...

k, thats all i got to say about that...leave a message and tell me whatcha think...ill be back in "two and two"...extra points for the first person to tell me what that catchphrase is from...

this is a picture of our friends...thats william and a girl he's been seeing named tala...the other guy is larry...yeah, the visibly drunk one who cant seem to keep his eye lids open...he's actually naomi's husband...yup, he's palagi...he used to be a teacher, too...he's taught all around the world...most notably in china...he's retired now...you can also see our friend named vailima...the samoan beer!...he always steals my slippers...lil thief...

alright, here's this week's list...

My Top Five Obsessions of the Week:

5. Punky Brewster = i gave my sister dana the season one dvd set of this classic television show, and she was awesome enough to send it to me a couple of months ago...im on the final episodes, and, man, do i have punky power!...punky, henry, cherie, mrs. johnson, allen, margo, and, of course, brandon bring me velveeta-ish cheesy happiness every time i watch them...yes, its corny and childish, but those "very special" episodes are nolstalgic, innocent, and cute...will punky find a home?...is brandon really gonna be put to sleep?...did punky really just lie to henry about his broken video camera?...will punky, margo, and cherie make up and become ketchup sisters again?...and will punky accept that crack from those older, drug using kids?...im even obsessed with the "It's Punky Brewster" cartoon spin-off...with the lovably annoying and odd gloamer...essentially, i think the show makes me long for the easy, magical days of childhood...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punky_Brewster

4. Hamburger Helper = this is the single man's life-saver...a wife-in-a-box...(i know, thats so sexist of me)...this stuff is so simple and fast and cheap to cook...and the rainbow of beefy flavors are so various and good, too...there's cheeseburger macaroni, and cheesy lasagna, and beef stroganoff, and cheesy beef taco...so much burger!...so much noodles!...so much packet powder!...and who doesnt love the small white glove mascot...he could help my hamburger any day...dont get me wrong, once im off this god forsaken island ill probably never eat this stuff again...but for now, with practically no grocery stores or food products at all, im sticking with this yummy daily dinner...

3. My Nativity Scene = i think i talked about this in a past post, but my mom just sent me my first nativity scene...its so adorable...and special to me...i set it up and put candles around it... jesus, joseph, mary, the cow, the angel, the three kings, the shepard boy, and the rest of the wacky gang are all there to remind me of christmas...i put fake snow around the scene, as well...cause we all know there was snow in bethlehem...but since when have nativity scenes been factually accurate?...i mean, my jesus is caucasion...how about yours?...sometimes i like to play with them and make them talk...sometimes ill even make the shapard boy karate chop one of the three kings...only cause he can...either way, baby jesus is my favorite...i handle him with tender loving care :-)

2. Top Chef Recipes = oh, yes i did!...i just put two -- count'em two! -- food things as my top obsessions of the week...what can i say, the way to my heart is through my (enormously fat) stomach...though i havent actually made any of these meals, some of the recipes on this wonderful show (once again, no one i know seems to be watching this diamond in the rough) seem to be deliciously superb...damn yummy...the last episode had a breakfast challenge and all the food looked so satisfyingly tasty...especially elia's "organic breakfast, lunch, and dinner"...a salty, sweet concoction...heres just a couple of the meals i want to try (hint, hint, mother)...

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef_2/recipes/episode_7/elim/elia.shtml

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef_2/recipes/episode_3/elim/betty.shtml

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef_2/recipes/episode_6/elim/elia.shtml

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef_2/index.shtml

1. Christmas Music = i love christmas songs...and ive been playing them around the clock since november...call me mrs. shenkenberg, but holiday tunes bring me joy and peace and memories...theyve especially brought me bliss and pleasure while ive been on this island...the songs are like sugar plum fairies...they bring to my heart memories of childhood and my family and of good times...i miss everyone, and im so elated to be able to go back home and spend christmas with all of you...but for now, christmas songs are what keep me comforted and at peace...and true happiness is setting up the nativity scene while drinking a glass of wine and listening to classic, divine christmas music...by the way, sarah mclachlan has a new christmas album out and its excellent...if you liked diana krall's and jewel's past christmas music, than youll love sarah mclachlan's...very serene and lovely...also, james taylor has a new one out, too...though i dont like it that much...i think im gonna do something no one has ever done in the history of mankind...im gonna put a list within a list...yes, im gonna give you my top five favorite christmas songs...and here they are...keep in mind, my favorite christmas songs change yearly, and im not gonna put the versions i like best....cause lord knows theres many versions of all these songs...im just gonna tell you the songs that bring me the most cheer and contentment as im on this island...

5. All I Want For Christmas is You = mariah carey's super

contribution to christmas!

4. Christmas Time is Here (from a Charlie Brown Christmas)

= i wanna go ice skating!

3. O, Holy Night = moves me to tears...keep that on the dl!

2. I'll Be Home For Christmas = i couldnt leave this one off

the list...not this year!

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas = i hope all of you

have a delightful and safe and peaceful holiday season!

wow...that was hard to do...theres so many great christmas songs...leave your lists!...

alright, ill write one more post later this week...then ill be home!...love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

p.s....i was gonna put pictures of baby jacob as one of my obsessions of the week...he looks so cute!...but i dont wanna start putting family and friend things in my obsessions lists...i only wanna stick to material, worldy items...but just know, im so obsessed with dana's new infant...i cant wait to see him!...

"I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."

-Hilaire Belloc