Labor Day

Since it was a Labor Day we had the day off. I swear I like days off more as a teacher than when I am actually the student. I went to the school in the morning to do my lesson planning for the week. This way I could do whatever I wanted for the rest of the day. It was such a relief when I got the weeks worth of lessons plans done and I could relax for the day.

A lot of my friends and family couldn’t believe that I hadn’t swam on the island yet so today I decided to change that. When we went on our huge shopping trip we all bought floaties so we could float in the harbor. I was a little hesitant to take it out because I didn’t want a bunch of little kids jumping on it. Luckily, in the middle of the day most of Samoans avoid the sun. When we arrived at the harbor not one kid was swimming. Within the first five minutes I counted thirteen swimming next to me in the harbor. We played sharks and humans and all those kids can kick my butt in swimming. After playing sharks and humans I hopped back on my floaty and realized why mom required quiet time in our pool when I was little. I was pushed around and spun around in circles but hearing the endless giggles of kids was priceless.

After swimming for a while Lima, a teacher from the school, was going across to the main island to drop friends off. She said we could come along and we didn’t have to pay. I love riding on the boats and seeing all the different sights. On our way back we saw three humpback whales. Lima told us that it is prime mating season for the whales. So for the next couple of months we will be seeing a lot of whales by the island. They were so close to the boat and it was so cool. The whales were like 100 meters from our boat.

Once we got back to island we played sand volleyball for like an hour or so. You can tell we are getting to know the locals. I walk up to the court and within minutes I will be on the court playing. I didn’t realize how much I missed playing volleyball until I started again. After volleyball I went to the harbor and watched the water and the sun set behind the mountains. I don’t think the views will ever get old here.

With Love,

Abby