Raise the Flag...

Happy 60th Anniversary!...yup, its my 60th blog entry...that actually doesnt seem like that much to me...i feel like ive written a million of these things...i know ive been slacking lately and only writing like two or three blog entries every week, so maybe i should start writing more...60 in about 8 months doesnt seem like enough...anyways, thanks to all my blog readers for stickin with me...i couldnt have done it without y'all...a special thanks goes to those people that have been here since the beginning...who has read every single entry?...which was your favorite?...maybe we'll have a vote later in this blog entry...i really dont have any plan for tonight's discussion...so it may be chaotic...lets begin...

well, we finally got done with flag day...it was held on tuesday and wednesday...and, if you remember, its one of the biggest, most popular holidays here in american samoa...flag day is considered the day they became a U.S. territory, and they celebrate their culture and their joining of the united states with dancing, singing, and siva-ing...(or slap dancing)...as i mentioned in a previous post, all of the high schools produced and performed a celebratory, traditional dance presentation for all of the island to enjoy...tafuna's been working extremely hard to perfect our performance...and it turned out to be one of the best out of all the schools...i know, my judgement might be tainted...or biased...afterall, warriors are the best students on island!...but, really, we were considered to be the top performance...our formations were organized and prepared, our dance was the most impressive, and our singing was energetic and lively...im so proud of the kids...im glad its over though...its been a lot of work...and the kids have missed out on way too much education...speaking of that, school was canceled for today and friday...in other words, its been like another spring break...we've had four days off this week...im not too happy about it...the respect and care for education is almost non-existent on this island...and it makes me sad and frusterated...and angry...i dont believe theres any other place in the world that sees education in such a thoughtless, negligent way...but whatever...its not my people that will be left behind...

ive been kinda depressed lately because my stupid ass camera battery and/or charger is broken...so i have no battery power...luckily i was able to take some pictures of the festivities yesterday...and i have some pics saved up for future posts...but eventually i might be writing posts with no pictures...i know, it sucks...but we'll have to deal...i did buy a new one and they should be coming in the mail soon...anyways, i was unable to take video of our performance...so the images are kinda deficient...because theyre all taken from the back...thats where i had to stand...and dance...yes, this red-haired, palagi had to dance...i mostly just swayed...the classic white guy dance...im hoping to get the video recorded off of television and i can show you guys the performances when i come home...they were all very awesome...

okay, if i was a good, happy little samoan id make this post all about the beauty and splendor of american samoa, since flag day is all about being proud of samoan culture and history...but over the holiday we hung out with some friends from colorado and, of course, we had a wonderful bitch session about how messed up the island is...our friends are also contract teachers who work at samoana high school...theyve completed their two years and are leaving this summer...(i may discuss some of that later)...as we talked about all the negatives of the island, i realized how troubled and distressing the outlook for this island is...do i really wanna deal with it for another year?...can i really change anything?...or even inspire anybody?...here are just a few of the island's problems...

• the government is wickedly corrupt...they steal money thats supposed to be for the people...youd think this would be an easy problem to fix...i mean, this is america...vote them outta office...but it seems like everybody on the island steals...every day youll read about funds stolen by government officials...just this year alone, computers (along with many, many other resources and cash) that were supposed to be for the schools have magically disappeared...sure, the f.b.i. investigates and catches them...but then someone else takes office and does the same exact thing...even the government workers who are working with the people on island are stealing things...for example, our school recieved a television and computers from our p.t.a....guess what?...they havent been seen anywhere...one of the administrators or teachers or parents mustve taken them...theyre probably sitting in someone's living room...the island is riddled with corruption and lies and stealing like this, and it seems to be never-ending...i think the main reason why this is a problem is because the u.s. government supports them...in fact, the u.s. government is THE only source of all their funds...samoans dont pay taxes...so, when america bought the island to use for a military base, we agreed to finance their government and communities...and i simply feel like samoans believe this money is miraculously gonna keep comin their way...no matter what...and they dont notice the value of this money...if it was their own money going into their own taxes, maybe theyd be more respectful of government support...and less people would steal...

• another problem on island that pisses me off is the educational system...the teachers here are horribly lazy, irresponsible, and ill-equiped...i hate to blame it on the teachers...i mean, they do only get paid about 11,000 a year...(can you believe that!?)...but i dont think they have an excuse...i take teaching seriously...and i do my best to teach my students every day...but the teachers on island are reckless with their students...i wont even discuss the abuse (physical and sexual) on island (its pretty much acceptable to have sex with your students)...but i will mention how many teachers dont even teach...they just let their students talk and do nothing...heck, they may give their students an assignment from the book...but no instruction or activity is being used for learning...theres been countless times where ive walked down the hallways and have seen mass turmoil in the classrooms...also, many teachers dont even show up to work...and the kids are just left in the classroom alone...with no subs or supervisors...and then we cancel classes or have random half-days to celebrate school achievements...theres been a bunch of times where after our sports team has won a championship, the principle will reward the kids with a day off...and even the teachers get more giddy than a little school girl in a candy shop...wheres the respect for education?...wheres the desire to learn?...wheres the willingness to work hard for learning?...wheres the professionalism?...its nowhere on island...and that upsets me deeply...

• the last problem i wanna chat about is the physical abuse in american samoa...i know, we've discussed this issue plenty of times...and, surprisingly, many of you (including me) sometimes agree with this form of punishment...but as my friends and i talked about this issue, after we all had a few beers in us, i began to see the other side of this issue...the tragedy of the issue...you see, many of our students are beaten atrociously by their parents...theyre treated disgustingly...it sounds like an over-exageration...but ive seen it with my own eyes...i saw one time at a dance a boy get beat by his father...with a bat...there was blood all over the place...i guess the kid got into a fight with another kid...so, obviously, the father taught the boy not to fight by fighting with him...there was also a recent story of a teenage boy who slashed his uncles throat because he couldnt handle his physical abuse anymore...and the suicide rate is actually very high because of the abuse, as well...samoans say its a cultural thing...that its tradition and that its worked for years...that it makes their kids more respectful...that may be true...but no human deserves to get beat...especially into a bloody pulp...besides, does it really teach them anything?...the only thing it teaches them is not to be the one on the other side of the fist...it teaches them to fight and beat the other person...and not to be the one beaten...its hideously pitiful...and i dont think its gonna stop anytime soon...

alright, im done with my negative comments...next time ill be more patriotic and ill discuss the positive aspects of american samoa...i promise...its just that theyre so hard to find ;-)

speaking of corruption, one of my friends from colorado, who is just finishing her two year contract stay at her high school, is being treated incredibly unfair by the department of education...you see, when you leave after your second year youre supposed to have all of your traveling expenses back to the states paid for...and youre supposed to get paid during those last summer months, too...well, she asked if she could leave for back home in june (weeks after school ends) so she could be with family (i guess her grandpa is very ill)...the d.o.e. told her no and that she needed to stay the entire summer to work summer school...she was shocked by this...as am i...she didnt have to work summer school last year and it doesnt say we have to work summer school in our contracts...it does say that we get paid 12 months of the year and that our plane ticket home will be paid for if we stay our two years...she did do that, and theyre still saying that she will not get her summer pay or get her traveling expenses covered...its unbelievable to me...and disheartening...i mean, what if i stay and dedicate myself to this island for another year and they treat me with disrespect and disregard as they have done to her?!...i will be furious and anguished...afterall, im deciding to devote myself to this island's youth for two whole years of my life...they better appreciate that in the end...or im gonna go medieval...

OMG! The Best Viral Vid of All Time!:

you think im embellishing?...well, im not...have you guys seen this mini-movie online starring will ferrel?...its the most hilarious thing you will ever see on the internet highway...oh, my lord...i laughed obnoxiously after watching this pee-in-your-pants funny 2 minute vid...and that actress who plays the landlord, pearl, has become a web sensation...man, she's an excellently skilled actress...a future meryl streep...a someday dakota fanning!...not only does she freak me out (i would kill myself if i ever had a landlord as scary and as intimidating and as demanding as her!), but she's also a comic genius..."i want my money!!!"..."i need to get my drink on"..."im gonna smack you"...those are just a few of the now classic lines from this amusing lil' film...although i dont know if i support teaching child actors swear words, its still damn funny to watch...if youre a will fan, you have to watch this and let me know whatcha think...did ya love it as much as i did?...did it make you all delighted inside?...are you obsessed with pearl like the rest of us?...

http://sjl.funnyordie.com//v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

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

(this link doesnt have the best quality...but it might work best for people who have slower internet connections...and youtube will probably take it off soon...so watch it right now...)

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20035511,00.html
(a people magazine interview with the terrifying landlord, pearl)

thats our school secretary...im not gonna say anything about her...cept that she pays kids to give her massages...i walk into the office almost everyday with some student massaging her neck and feet...this island is so, so strange...

that kids name is iosefa...joseph in samoan...so, thats my name, too...start callin me iosefa (pronounced yo-sefa)...

Blog Entry Election:

so, i was thinkin that my blog readers could reminisce about some of their favorite blog entries outta the 60 that ive written...and they could try to elect their most favorite one...which entry made you think the most?...which entry do you remember the most?...which entry was the most entertaining?...here are a few entries that got the most responses...

"A Tearjerker and a Threat" = i discussed dollywood, school punishments, and "fuck finn"

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2007/02/tearjerker-and-threat.html

"It's a Rerun" = i discussed whether or not i should stay my 2nd year

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2007/02/its-rerun.html

"An Internal Conflict" = i discussed whether or not i should teach in a wealthy suburban school or a poor urban school

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2006/11/internal-conflict.html

"Bush's Little Army" = i discussed the military preparation young samoans are forced to do

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2006/10/bushs-little-army.html

"Me in My Lava Lava" = i think my picture of me just got y'all talkin

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2006/08/me-in-my-lava-lava.html

"My Classroom at Tafuna High" = i described my classroom

http://samoa-joe.blogspot.com/2006/08/my-classroomat-tafuna-high.html

or is there a different blog entry you liked most?...maybe the ones where i discussed the dog problem or the way samoans sit in backs of trucks?...let me know, on our 60th anniversary, which entry you remember fondly...

alright, im done...talk to ya later...leave me a message...what do you think about the problems on island?...should i leave because of them?...can i do anything to change them?...even though my friend has had a unfair ending, should i still stay my two years?...what would you do if you had a awful landlord like pearl?...do you think its right for child actors to learn naughty words just for a laugh?...and what was your favorite blog entry?...thanks again for reading 60 of my random samoan ramblings...love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"A man walks down the street,

it's a street in a strange world.

Maybe it's the third-world,

maybe it's his first time around.

He doesn't speak the language,

he holds no currency.

He is a foreign man,

he is surrounded by the sound

of cattle in the marketplace,

scatterlings and orphanages.

He looks around,

he sees angels in the architecture,

spinning in infinity.

He says, "Amen" and "Hallelujah".

-from Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al"