Recently I got back from the middle of the South Pacific (three days ago to be exact). Anyway I had the best experience of my life there! I learnt so much and had so many unique experiences. We visited schools and communities and spent several nights at an all boys school in Apia the capital city. The Samoan people are very simple and live very traditionally. School there is very very simple by our standards today. They have a chalkboard in the front of the room and no other technology. They did all their work on the board and copied it down into small notebooks. Personally I rather do school the Samoan way. It seems less stressful and they don't have to rely on technology to do everything for them which I think is very good even though technology is so helpful. Heck I wouldn't be writing on Blogger if there was no technology. So I guess I should be very thankful and that's the main thing I took away from this trip.
 |
| Amazing swimming hole. |
The boys at Saint Joseph's College and the Samoan people in general were amazing. Some of the most friendly, caring people I've ever met. They loved the 17 of us from Carmel College and treated us like we were family. By the time I left two days later from the school I felt like I was family. I have to say that it was really hard to leave the boys. Especially my friends Tia and Josh who you will see a lot below in the pictures because we were always together.
Samoa had days where we were Tourists sticking cameras out windows and visiting snorkeling spots and beaches but it also had days where we were helpers and part of the community. Seeing what some people had made me feel so lucky. I've never seen children so happy to receive school stationery supplies. I learned a little bit takes you a far way in Samoa. At the special school I also learnt how to communicate with others using sign language and how a smile and a thumbs can make someone so happy.
