Easter Weekend

Woke up at 4am my time to make a phone call via Skype with one of my mentors from Morningside at 4:30am (10:30 time back home). He told me he had seen this air freshener on my Facebook page and stumbled upon it in Target one day. Said he bought the candle and now has the scent of American Samoa and thinks of me every time. haha. Limited National Park addition. They have other ones, too, like Denali National Park (Alaska). My friend that originally posted this photo found it in Wal-Mart in Florida. Still kind of cool.

After our great conversation, I got my workout in for the morning. That was one reason it wasn't hard to wake up at 4am. I've been waking up at 5am 5 days a week, anyways. After showering up, I made myself breakfast at home. A nice short stack of pancakes (thanks to the aid of Bisquick, some frozen fresh fruit I had in the freezer (that nicely thawed sitting next to my warm pancakes), a little applesauce, and a few cups of coffee. Mmmmm. Delightful :-) I do really love a healthy breakfast.

After my breakfast, I continued to have a productive morning. I was waiting for a message from one of my fellow volunteers as a little group of us had plans to do a hike. I did some job and recipe searching for a while until I got the message they were on their way. The hike started later than we had originally planned. I started walking to our meeting place (about a 30 minute walk), but after 5 minutes this really guy Robert I met a while back and his boys picked me up and dropped me off at the intersection I was heading to. I had recently asked him to come in as a guest speaker. We are hashing out a day, but he is excited to come.

A group of 5 of us embarked on a hike to Massacre Bay. We hitched ourselves two rides in the backs of trucks up the mountain, where we walked down a road a ways to the trailhead. Down all the way to the bay on the north side of the island. A nice hike down, and I got to talk with one of my friends I don't see a whole lot of. Took us about 1.5 hours on the descent. Here we be - Massacre Bay. Some French people showed up in the bay unexpectedly, and the Samoans slaughtered them all. Hence the name. There is a little burial site. Somewhat of an eerie place. Way in the distance you can view Pola Island. I have now seen that cool spot from so many different angles, which is cool and interesting. The dimension of this island is so hard to explain and capture in photos.

I saw this flower in the water and couldn't help but grab a photo.

Another shot of the bay:

There is a family that lives down here, and it appears that they use a boat to travel around to Fagasa Bay whenever they would head into town. Can't imagine they would hike up the mountain each time. We did see their boat as we left.

Remains of what I assume may have been a small village at one point.

Found this cool piece of blue sea glass. I have a necklace with clear glass made by a friend of my aunt's. This looks like the perfect size; so, maybe one day I will have this one made into a necklace. A nice keepsake. Plus, blue is my favorite color.

While down in this bay I saw crabs of all sizes with all different colored shells. I've seen these mini hermit crabs before but keep forgetting to get a nice photo of some of them. See that green shell there that is smaller than my finger nail? A little hermit crab lives in there, and he is not even the smallest I have seen scurrying about. Some are the size of a pinhead. Amazing! Then, on the other end of the spectrum, I got the crap scared out of me by a yellowish crab with a head the size of a soup bowl. Wowza. I was walking along some lava rock when this big guy scurried out a dark corner and down a hole. No photo but believe it!

Finally headed back up the mountain. Probably could have only taken about 1.5 hours again. Some finished it in that time, but I went at a slower pace with one of my friends. I wasn't tired at all when we reached the top, not even breaking a sweat. It's nice to go slower at times and enjoy the sounds around us. I won't always have rainforests in my backyard to go walking through any time I please. So peaceful :-)

Here is a shot I took of a spider web with some great timing on light. Spider webs are hard to photograph without the right lighting.

Some cool vines in the forest. Isn't biology simply amazing sometimes. These are hard vines - like wound tree branches.

Another botanical photo. Check out how the stem swirls around on this plant.

The trail to Massacre Bay starts near this house on top of the mountain. Check out that view.

The dog there sorta barked at us, but he was more so barking at the trees for some reason when we walked by. His neighbors, though... they were a bit more annoying. They weren't stopping when I pretended to throw rocks, and I ended up grabbing some flowers (hard flowers) off a plant and chucked them. That did the trick. Beth thought it was hilarious that I threw flowers. Had to improvise, and it worked. haha Only in Samoa do I throw hard flowers off a tree at a dog that is thinking about coming after me.

Speaking of only in Samoa... After we made it to the top, we lucked out right away with a truck that was leaving this little farm place. A real farm with a small cattle pasture. That was cool to see up here on the mountain. Right away I noticed the stench of farm in the back of the truck. Noticed these sacks in the back, and then started to hear what sounded like wheezing. "Is that the truck? Wait, is there something in that bag? Aaah, not gonna think about it. Smells so lovely back here. haha" Grabbed our companions that were waiting at the store, and as we were descending the mountain in the back of this truck, we all finally realized there indeed was a pig in this sack. A wheezing pig, so not completely dead yet. Oye. Melanie freaked out a little, all a tad weirded out, joked about it, and said "Life's just not going to be the same when we aren't riding in the back of the truck with someone's soon-to-be Easter dinner." Well... that was... an experience. Thankful for the ride, nonetheless. Especially since we departed the top of the mountain at 6pm.

 Made it back home, enjoyed a little peanut butter sandwich, got into a book, and then hit the hay. 4am-10pm. Good full day. I had put a post up on Facebook before the hike talking about things I had done already that day, and Beth did make a comment when we started hiking that it sounded like I had a productive morning. Indeed :-) Then, a nice hike with some new experiences.

Woke up around 6am, Skyped with my brother and dad before getting my morning workout in. Insanity Round 2 Week 1 complete. I hadn't Skyped with my brother or dad in a while, so that was great to see them and chat. After my workout and a breakfast including banana bread I purchased from a bakery and half an orange, I Skyped a little with my mom. I also made a batch of no-bake cookies that I wanted to give Pastor and Richard for coming into my classes and being welcoming. They ended up a little chewier and stickier this time, so I ended up rolling them in powdered suga, afterward, which worked well. I have a photo of one later in this post.

Had tentative plans to do a little snoerkeling and hiking with a few of my fellow volunteers again, and as I got the message they were ready to go, we met up about 11am in Futiga. Walked back to Fagalua Cove, where we snorkeled a bit. Nice high tide, but it was a little rough. I hadn't gone snorkeling in several months, and I finally did not really endure problems with my mask. Huzzah! Snorkeling still isn't really my thing, but it was nice to have another good experience with it for the most part. It's a weird feeling swimming around, making sure I can see someone else, being brought back 5 feet, and then gliding up and over with a wave. Ended up catching my knee on a piece of coral it seems. Bled a little, and it looked a little irritated. No big deal. Brought me back to memories of my first time snorkeling ever, when I was in the Galapagos. I still have scars from that day. Memorable scars :-)

In this photo, you can see my scar that is forming from my fall at Nu'uuli Falls back at the beginning of the year on the left. Down toward the right is my scratch from the coral that is healing up no problem.

Then, Beth, Jill, and I hiked down to Sliding Rock. I've done this two other times, but this was one of the cooler times on the trail itself. Nice little breeze to add to the shaded trail. Look at all the pretty blues in this photo. A few nice view points along the trail in addition to the calming walking through the forest. Fagatele Bay can be seen to the left.

Here's a crab that was posing nicely with his green shell.

Made some biscuits for the Easter lunch I was preparing for my roommate and myself the next day after showering from my outting. Been a while since I have kneaded some dough. I had some fun with it. haha

I am dressed up in that photo as we were soon to be picked up by Brandon (came in and spoke about FieldHouse100) to attend the Easter Service at Tafuna Baptist Church, where his brother is the Pastor, and some our Baptist teacher friends teach on the campus. After finally meeting Brian in person a little over a month ago, I've been wanting to check out their church service and this was finally the perfect opportunity.

Before heading out, Hannah and I decided to share a little "snack". I had put together one more ice cream cake experiment last weekend, which you can see on the left in this photo. Bottom to top: layer of Grandma Wingert's sugar cookie crumbs, chocolate ice cream, crunchy peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, chocolate cookie crumbs (from my friend Megan teaching on one of the outer islands), Butterfinger shavings, and an Easter egg malted milk ball on top. On the right of my plate, you see one of my no-bake cookies with the powdered sugar.

Really glad we went to their Easter service. They had this extra one the night before, as they were joining some of the other Baptist churches in their association for their bigger sunrise service Easter morning. We sang some more contemporary songs. I enjoy both contemporary stuff and classic hymnals. The way they had the lyrics displayed on the projector and one led the songs reminded me a lot of going to the Campus Ministry service at Morningside my senior year. I enjoyed it. Then, Brian delivered his message, which was nice. I felt great and was thankful to be there. I think I may go back a few more times, too, in addition to the church I've been attending thus far. It was also nice to chat with some of our friends there afterward during refreshments, which included various baked goodies.

Came home, and did a little more baking. Wanted to prepare one more thing for my Easter lunch with my roommate before going to sleep, as it would take too long after coming home from church on Sunday. Didn't fall asleep til after 10:30, I'd guess. Then, I woke up at 4:30am to prepare the main course for our lunch. I knew I would probably arrive home until around noon and didn't want us waiting on it. This was the first time in a while that my alarm woke me up in the middle of a deep sleep, so I wasn't ready to wake up yet. Onward, though. I chopped everything up, prepared it, and left it in the fridge for Hannah to pop in the oven around 11:30, which worked out well.

The church van picked me up around 5:45 for the 6:30 sunrise service. After the sunrise service, we had a little community breakfas at 8am. Only in Samoa does a potluck breakfast including all of the following: chocolate chip cookies, mini cheeseburgers, banana bread (in the shape of a pie), Filipinpo sweet rice, pork and beans with sausage, and cocoa rice. Quite the array. Haha, seriously. The first two listed make me laugh the most. I enjoyed a cup of cocoa rice, two slices of the banana bread, tried the sweet rice (good stuff), and a cup of hot chocolate.

Then, we had the Sunday School lesson time at 9am (usually 9:30am). My friend Lilian had started the coffee pot through again around 8:35 or so, as she and her sister needed a little pick-me up. Coffee sounded good, but man that pot was slow... "Maybe it'll be ready between Sunday School and regular church service." After the second to last lesson Richard has on metaphors (good stuff, by the way), the hazlenut coffee was ready. Mmm. Hit the spot. I found myself a litte droopy as I had woken up early and now had just been sitting, not using my muscles. Finally, our last service for the day from 10am-11:45am. Yep, marathon of church for me this Easter Sunday.

Now, time to see my little experiment for Easter lunch. Tried some new stuff. Main course: oven-roasted vegetables with a biscuit. The recipe I found called for potatoes, veggies, and olive oil. I changed it a bit. It was already nice and healthy, but I had a few ideas... I used potatoes, cucumbers, string beans, apples, and banana pieces I cut up. Then, instead of covering in olive oil I used apple sauce. Mmmm. Turned out well. Fun experiment. I did find myself thinking like a culinary chef, though. The plate needed a little more color. The color of the components vanished as they baked.

Then, for dessert. I had baked this papaya crisp the night before. We had talked about trying this for a while. Can't get papaya back home and thought it would be cool to try making a papaya crisp... you know, like apple or peach crisp. Success :-) Added a little scoop of vanilla ice cream as it was served.

Then, I spent most of the afternoon laying around in my bed. I really was beat. Dozed off and on and then found the stuff I needed for my Monday lesson. Worked on my blog, and now I am ready to go back to some relaxing. Perhaps finish watching the movie I started before I started dozing off. Hope you all had a nice weekend. Back to work we go.

Jail... Um... Yeah... and a Confession

Jail. You heard me right. I went to jail. More on that after I tell you about the rest of my week.

Monday morning back to work we went. Waiting on the road and decided to stick our hitchiker thumbs out, scoring us a ride with a nice guy headed our way. He chatted a little and was nice. Had a little assembly to start the school day where the principal spoke a bit on nearing the end of the school year and recognizing some accomplishments students have made. With that, all class periods were shortened by 5 minutes. Monday's lesson in my classroom included the students writing about their reflections on their current grades, going over our schedule for the week, discussing my plans for the rest of the semester, and sharing some photos and stories from my spring break. Went well and rather quickly, as it was the end of the day before I knew it. On the way home, the guy that gave us a ride home from the Koko Bean a little over a week ago saw us and gave us a lift home.

I did my laundry after coming home, decided to do my Cardio Abs before dinner, enjoyed me a good book, and called it a night. I have set a goal to do the Cardio Abs workout every day this month with Insanity. It is on the schedule a few times throughout the month, but I figure I will wake up at 5am anyways. The workouts in month 1 are not as long as month two, plus I could burn a bit more in that area. Extra challenge I feel good about for now.

Tuesday and Thursday morning caught a ride in with one of the VPs at our school. Perfectly convenient. I asked if he would drop me off Thursday to grab a coffee on our way in and I'd walk from there, but he proceeded to wait for me. Really nice of him. Getting back into the swing of catching rides, I am :-) Rode home with my Zumba instructors after class Tuesday and another ride in Wednesday morning.

Tuesday - Hannah was sick, up all night, cold, and didn't really say anything, but I could tell she was off Tuesday morning. Then, she told me she felt really crappy. I told her she should go back home, but she figured she could make a half day as we had a guest coming in the afternoon. At first I sort of mentioned I could take her classes for her. Definitely cover her attendance in the afternoon and she leave at lunch. Wanted to offer all day - knew I could handle her first two classes, but that 6th period... last time we had the two of them together I could not handle them all. After sitting in my room a bit, I decided, "Nope. She really needs to go home, curl up, and get some sleep." I walked up there and said "You're going home. I'll take all your classes."

They were all pretty good, too. I was hoping it would work out okay today. Nice reading comprehension activity I had planned for my first class that her class partook in just fine. Next one was my prep period, but hers was a small class of girls and one boy. I gave them my SERVE volunteering speech, which they enjoyed and remained attentive. Then, 6th period I did my SERVE presentation, as well. Most remained quiet. They did not punish me for volunteering to sub for them. :-) Then, Pastor Scot made it in the afternoon to share a message with our afternoon classes as our guest speaker for the week. Most of them gave him full attention, as I had hoped.

Great time having fun back at in Zumba class with both instructors both there. Pulled out some routines we hadn't done in a while, and I was having a really good time. Good ole Zumba :-) Erica's husband, Nate, is back from some army training, and he told me that he heard I'm quite the fitness freak now. haha 

Had my little dinner, did a few things on my computer, and read a few more chapters in a book. The latest release by Cassandra Clare. I actually pre-ordered this so it would get here ASAP (cause I'm a bit of a nerd sometimes). I know I mentioned reading her books in my blog last time I was in one. I love her work. I'm trying to not read it too fast. I know I will reread the whole series at some point, perhaps even this summer. The first book she wrote has even been made into a movie and is being released in theaters this coming August - The City of Bones.

Hannah stayed home again Wednesday as she still wasn't feeling the greatest, and I told the principal and the department head, so a substitue schedule went up for her classes. I told her I'd make sure it was taken care of so she could take care of herself. Wednesday was another great day in the classroom of Miss Boschen. Time to revisit goals. I shared the results of my SMART goal about fitness with my students by having them read my blog post about it as a class. I figured this would introduce them to a new way of introducing information, see some things I write about my experiences here, and see where I'm at with my goal. Successful :-)

I am so glad they enjoyed it. I love sharing about it. Talking about exercise gives me endorphins, too. haha Oye, maybe I'm a little too crazy. Maybe Nate was write saying fitness freak. Or did he say enthusiast? Hmmm. Either way. I also asked them to reflect on their goal progress and the remainder of our quarter. A different way of looking at the goal and lesson, and I think it worked out well. Nice to still have some new things to try although my time with them is winding down. It was also fun to read some of their responses. Some think it would be cool to start a blog and had no idea I did it. Some want to try Insanity. Some want to try to be healthier. Some are amazed at the weight I've lost. Few think it was boring. haha

Came home after Zumba and church on Wednesday, where I found people with similar illness symptoms as Hannah. Sure sounds like the flu bug is around. Hoping my healthy living prevents me from catching it too bad. Can't really say I've been sick since before Christmas, and those were just colds. I haven't been sick to a point where I had no appetite or couldn't really do much other than lay around. Thankful for that. No one likes to be sick. Hannah bucked it up and came to school Thursday as we had parent teacher conferences. Still has some recuperating to do, but now there is a three-day weekend ahead of us, so she should be better.

Pastor came back to speak with our morning classes on Thursday, which was a short day for students as they were released after two periods and lunch. Funny how he noticed the students are more well-behaved in the morning. He said he can't believe how we do this for 6 classes every day. He liked coming in for just two or three in one day. "Tiring," he said. haha :-)

Got to try one Samoan food, taro, prepared a little differently at lunch. I'm not quite sure how it was prepared, but I liked it a little better than the other version I've seen. I asked a student to make sure it was taro. Indeed. Then, a few of my awesome students - some of the truly awesome ones - helped me make my room look as nice as it could get by sweeping and straightening up the desks before they left. It's always nice to not have to do that all by myself. Plus, they told me, "You're the teacher. You're not supposed to do that anyway." I appreciate their help, and their basic awesomeness. They are part of what makes teaching fun and rewarding. (I've touched on this before in posts.)

Finished up work on Thursday with 3 hours sitting in my classroom for parent-teacher conferences. I saw a total of 6 parents this time around. Sounds pretty usual around here. I talked with one other science teacher afterward, and she said she actually had 16 this year but all years before only had seen about 4 by the time we finished at 4pm.

4pm... That was when I went to jail.

Jail? Jail? Jail?! Whatever for?

Well, once a month some people from the church I have been going to do some jail ministry at the men's jail on island. I have been wanting to go check it out, and this Thursday was the day. I was not arrested. Shame on any of you who thought such things. haha The church van picked me up after school, and to the correctional facility we went. Walked up, they opened the gate, and we went straight back to the church building. Can't say I've ever been in a jail before, but I thought at least they may ask me for some I.D. or what I was doing there in a normal situation. Anyways, I said to one of the boys as we walked in, "I have a feeling they don't see many palagi (white) ladies walking through here." "Yeah. They probably think you're an angel." Oh boy. We helped lead some songs in English, all I know very well from church. Then, the sermon was done almost all in Samoan by Richard, our preacher in training. Nice little service. There were about 17 inmates in attendance. From Vai O Le Ola (the church I've been attending) came Pastor, Richard, myself, and 9 of the youth. Finally, the inmates shook almost all of our hands as they left.

The compound had different housing units (all Samoan fale style), barbed wire rings above the tall fence, clothes hanging out to dry, guys lifting weights, a basketball hoop, and men that waved as we left. The women's facility is right next door, but Pastor said there are only about 5 women in there. The juvenille facility is not too far away but not the same place. There ya have it, my visit to the jail of American Samoa for about an hour. Once again, I don't really have anything to compare to. Some of the boys joked they would protect me as we walked out. Haha, thanks. I wasn't nervous or anything walking through.

I hope that this title really caught some of your attention! I was trying to have some fun with it.

Sidenote: You may have noticed in my fitness post that some people other than my friends and family have stumbled upon my blog and began following it. Another story for you - Just last week, I received an email from a lady who was looking at taking a government job here, found my blog, said she learned a lot from it, and wanted to know if I could answer a few other questions about living here. We've exchanged a few e-mails since. I am more than happy to provide any insight I can. How did she find my blog? She told me she was searching laundromats and American Samoa. Oye, don't think I write the word laundromat that many times, but Google it and my does indeed show up. Perhaps my recent story about "swimming" home from the laundromat. haha Or simply because I use the words "American Samoa" so much. Hard not to. It's cool how people are learning about life here, not just my life in particular. I told my students all about this and how people are learning about their island via my blog, which they thought was cool.

Another sidenote: I've been really into coffee lately. Not just having it with my Saturday breakfasts instead of iced tea sometimes, and a few of the mornings chilling at McDonald's, but now I actually purchased myself an itty bitty container of instant coffee, and I've been enjoying a cup almost every night after I shower. Straight up black coffee. It warms me up after the coolness of the shower and is pleasant as I read a book, work on lessons, or simply am relaxing. Also makes me feel sophisticated ;-) Instant coffee isn't too bad. Although, I am looking forward to having my coffee maker back on the mainland to use whenever I am in a coffee mood. Mmm. The instant will suffice for now at home. Here it be:

Finally, confession time... I ate a little more for lunch than usual, especially since I honestly wasn't feeling that hungry for whatever reason. Yet, I decided to eat a fair amount as it was a little earlier than usual, and I wanted to make sure I made it through the day as I had no snacks on hand and knew I wouldn't make it home til about 6pm. Well... I could feel I had overeaten all day.... but then, I kept thinking about ice cream all afternoon... 

So... "Why, not?" I asked myself. I'm eating some of the most recent ice cream cake I put together and had waiting in the freezer. "I probably won't eat any more for the night," I thought. That led to two pieces (both pretty small, though). Oh man, did I feel a little miserable after letting that sit for a bit. I let my taste buds get the better of me. 

I did not want to fall asleep feeling like that, and I still had plenty of time. Decided I would sweat it up for about 35 minutes. Not punishing myself for eating something I knew better than to (although, I don't make habits of such things anymore), but I knew I would feel better afterward. Oh yes, good decision! I could feel that ice cream fighting for a little while in my stomach, but man it turned into sweat mania in the garage as I pounded through the Pure Cardio workout. Just what I needed. I almost forgot how the warm-ups in Month 1 of Insanity made you move so much quicker. Sure, maybe not as strengthy but moving!

I'm still dripping as I type this, which leads me to my final thought for this post. If you walked into my garage these days, you might easily guess that I am back at it with Insanity after two weeks off. It sure smells like it, anyways. Eeewww... I know I know... but, also HILARIOUS and EXCITING. I could feel all impurities leaving my body as my sweat rolled off my face, soaked up my shirt, and pooled the floor. Maybe I even washed out any tinges of the flu bug I may have in my system considering all the sickies I've been around the past few days. 

Can you tell I wrote these last few paragraphs immediately after finishing my workout? I mean don't I just sound super happy, full of endorphins, and obnoxious? hahahaha Okay, maybe now. Hope you all have a nice Easter weekend. Until next time. Much love :-)

My Health and Fitness Journey on The Island

I didn’t really think I would find myself saying that exercise and a healthy lifestyle have become some of my “hobbies”. Some of my friends back at home think that sounds crazy and chuckle. I have gone on health kicks before, but most only lasted for 3-4 months. This time around I currently find myself at more than 7 months and still going strong. Such a great feeling! I remember how excited I was when I passed the three-month mark.

A few summers ago I spent the whole summer (3 months) exercising for about 1 hour after work each day while substituting a few meals a day with protein shakes. I did end up losing about 15 pounds that summer but ended up gaining it back over the next few years back at college. I exercised a few times a week but was not consistent. I also found it was harder to go to back to eating regular foods.

This time, I have continued to eat more sustainably (not substituting with protein shakes). I eat a rather good sized breakfast, a normal lunch, and then dinner usually isn’t as much. I generally only have a bowl of oatmeal or a peanut butter sandwich along with some fresh fruit or vegetables, which I really enjoy. I love fresh fruits and veggies! I am much more sustainable with my healthy diet this time.

Why did I find so much motivation while down in American Samoa to do this? At first it seemed like I had a little extra time on my hands, but now when I think about it I should never have an excuse for not being healthy and exercising regularly. I have so much more energy after I exercise. Plus, simply put, I just don’t buy unhealthy foods that much. I also buy fewer groceries at a time. If it isn’t sitting in the cupboard, then I don’t have the temptation to eat it.

I began doing some little exercise routines on my own during my first three weeks living in American Samoa before moving to my apartment. Then, I began with a regular routine. I began with some videos I had from The Firm workout program every day when I came home from work. A Zumba class also started up for the staff at my high school, and I jumped right on board with that having sessions twice a week. I wasn’t really eating less at this point. I was eating three rather full meals, and yet I could already notice a difference before Christmas as my clothes began to feel baggy and friends back home and friends here started making comments.

For a few weeks back in October, I had joined a few friends with some workouts from Insanity. I had tried this one other time with a friend back in college but struggled with my coordination. I could not believe how I was able to keep up with the guys at this time and was excited to find myself in some decent shape. I also found I enjoyed it. We did not do this regularly, though, but I still kept up with my workouts on my own and Zumba class.

Then, as I reached December, I felt like I was on a plateau and needed to add a change into my exercise routine. I decided I would officially do the whole 9-week program of Insanity beginning after holiday break as I traveled for one of the weeks. I marked this as a challenge to myself – no intention of losing weight, just wanting to keep it up with exercising regularly and push myself. I had the calendar posted on my wall, crossed out days only after I completed the workouts and kept track of the extra things I was doing like any hiking, Zumba, or other exercises. My students knew this was my SMART goal and have been following my progress, as well. The nine weeks were here and gone before I knew it. Felt so good to make it. As I was finishing, I already had intentions of potentially doing the whole program another time through after Spring Break to finish of my last few months here in American Samoa.

Some other motivation that drove me while living on this tropical island in the South Pacific was reading all about the prominence of obesity of overweight residents here. I read about it before I moved, friends back home knew about it, and I recently had a guest speaker in my classroom that discussed health and these striking statistics in this territory. According to information from the World Health Organization in 2007, American Samoa was listed as the #2 Most Obese Country on Earth with 74.6% of the population being obese. Furthermore, it ranks as the #1 Most Overweight Country on Earth with 93.5% of its residents being clinically overweight.

Wowza… Some of my Samoan friends have commented how most people gain weight when the move here, and I’ve done the opposite. I hope my story helps provide some encouragement to others. They are such friendly people, and we all could be a little healthier. There is so much fresh produce here, although I had read it was hard to come by. I did not find that to be the case at all. Just have to avoid more of the processed junk foods, which I do see a lot of around here.

Just for fun, here is a little photo trilogy that shows my progress physically. Once again, I never had the goal in mind of losing a certain amount of weight – simply being healthier, so that is why I do not have official photos in my bikini or anything showing the progress. I chose these photos as they are at appropriate times in my journey, and I am wearing the same dress in the three photos. The first photo was taken at my college graduation (May 2012) prior to moving to American Samoa and beginning my regular exercise and healthy lifestyle. The second photo was taken at my staff Christmas party here, and I began the Insanity 9-week program first week of January. The third photo was taken while on Spring Break here in American Samoa, one week after I successfully completed the 9-week program. Nine weeks and not a single workout missed. I also continued to attend Zumba class regularly, did some other exercise, and ate healthy most of the time. I’ve lost around 20 pounds, I think, based on what I remember the scale saying at my last physical in April. Guess I can more officially compare when I have one again this summer. Pictures are worth a thousand words, though. People back home, you can hold me even more accountable now. I should look more like the girl on the right when I’m back in June than the girl on the left that flew out last summer.

Interesting story... One girl who has been accepted to serve with WorldTeach here in American Samoa for the upcoming school year found my blog, began following it, and was inspired to start the Insanity program herself. She had sent me a message telling me as much, and then commented again on my post saying I had completed my goal. That’s kind of cool.

Also, I’ve mentioned exercise and healthy living so much in m blog that someone from Beachbody (who produced Insanity) stumbled upon my blog. Crazy but cool. After speaking with her a bit, as she reached out, I checked out a few of the other programs they have on their website, including one of their newest ones coming out. Seemed like an appropriate time to write a post solely on my health and fitness journey, which happened to take place while I was living on the slightly remote, tropical, mountainous, and pebble-sized island of American Samoa I have come to know and love – my third home.

So, if any of you are more curious about what it is I’ve been up to, you can read more about the Insanity workout here straight from the source: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do

Also, Team Beach Body offers several other programs if you’re interested or curious. All pretty cool depending on what gets you motivated. Videos are helpful for me or live classes with an instructor.

P90X Certification http://www.beachbodycertification.com/p90x-certification

Beachbody Challenge http://www.teambeachbody.com/connect/beachbody-challenge

Les Mills Pump Training http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/les-mills-pump-cross-training-workout-deluxe-package.do

T25 workout (their newest that is set to be released in June) http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/focus-t25-workout.do

I like the sound of the last one. 25 minute workouts pounding through. Plus, good ole Shaun T yelling at me from the screen to “dig deeper”. ;-)

If you ever have questions, comments, or need a little extra motivation for yourself, I am more than happy to help out. Remember, I’m a “crazy” girl that really enjoys exercising six days a week while keeping up with an all-around healthy lifestyle with a full-time volunteer job. I am bound determined to keep exercising regularly when I come back to the mainland, which is one reason I have started doing my Insanity workouts in the morning. Training my body to doing it in the morning so I never have an excuse later in the day on why I don’t need to workout that day; it will already be done. I started doing this for the last few weeks on my first round of the Insanity program. Now, to continue with round two. First workout already complete on this Monday morning. May 25^th, I will see you on the other side :-) Have a great day, everyone!

Keeping Occupied, Having Fun, and Relaxing a Bit

Had made plans for lunch with some friends from church - Lilian and her mom, Heidi. Lilian is the friend I generally sit with when we are in service. Miss Heidi is our great pianist. For a while, I have been wanting to meet up with Lilian outside of church, and with some extra time, Spring Break seemed like the perfect opportunity. Thursday worked for her, and she suggested meeting up at Evalani's as they serve $1 tacos on Thursdays. I do like me some Mexican food :-)

They had it set up as a nice little buffet, where you grabbed the shells, and they added the scoop of whatever meat (or beans) you wanted. Then, you added your own toppings, and could get a scoop of nacho chips on the side. Also, there were some enchiladas and burritos prepared ready to go. I had two veggie tacos with refried beans. Good stuff! Plus, only $1 each. Can't get much better than that :-)

I'm really glad we did this. Nice little outting with friends, yummy tacos, nice service, and good conversation.

Had a couple of hours before heading to Zumba class, and I spent some time reaching out for more guest speakers. I've already had a handful of bites and am really excited about this last quarter! I also did a little random searching and reading for fun. Finally, Hannah and I watched the Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean before turning in for the night. One of my favorite movies, and one of Johnny Depp's finest performances, in my opinion. I believe my dad would agree :-)


Friday morning I finally just relaxed for a while. Laid in my bed, watched a movie, and didn't do much of anything until lunch time rolled around. We walked about 7 minutes to the community college area to check out a few of the fast food places there, but not really much for me to eat. We did pop our heads in, though. So, we trekked back home, where I decided to put together a rather random but colorful lunch, which made for a nice picture.

Oven baked spinach and cheese pizza with a side of fresh and raw green beans for the main course. A fresh coconut poked open by yours truly to drink. Finally, some home-baked yellow cake from the store, some slices of canteloupe, and a small scoop of chocolate ice cream. Like I said, pretty random; yet, you can't help but smile at all those pretty colors and beautiful set up, can you? ;-)

This was also the start of a little photo shoot around the townhouse for fun. Great lighting in these shots, if I do say so myself.

Then, I responded to some emails with my upcoming guest speakers. My schedule is looking good :-) I am particularly excited for a ranger from the National Park to come 2nd week of April. All will be fantastic, though :-) Also, we received a little thank you gift and card from our friends and fellow volunteers that live on one of the more remote islands. We had intentions of trying to visit them for break, but it did not quite work out. A few others did still make it, though, and took along some groceries that Hannah and I had picked up for Karla and Megan. More than happy to help out. :-)

Ended up hitching a ride with Peteru, one of my amazing Zumba instructors, to The Koko Bean for a nice little dinner. Mashed potatoes, string beans, garlic toast, some chocolate cake, and iced tea. A nice place to go chill and chat for a little while. Hitched a ride home with this friendly guy named Mike that works at the army reserve and has seen us walking to school before. Said he'll pick us up if he ever sees us now.

Woke up early Saturday morning to get a little work in on my computer before all the other girls woke up and slowed down the Internet. Had plans to meet up with one of my fellow volunteers and friend in town for breakfast at 9:30am. Ended up with four of us chatting about things we've wanted to do on the island and things on the list we have yet to cross off. Was nice to see and chat with them before making a stop at the post office for a few things I was expecting: (1) A book I pre-ordered - the latest by Cassandra Clare - Woot! (2) A box from home with some family Easter surprises :-)

Did some more work on my computer Saturday afternoon, enjoyed some leftover pizza, watched Peter Pan, and then mostly chilled in my room. Enjoyed some Bonus Features from Breaking Dawn Part 2, which my mom sent me to complete my Twilight series collection. haha Good stuff. Not the greatest night of sleep Saturday, but headed off to church for some good messages by my friend Richard - the preacher in training that is attending seminary this fall. Then, Pastor Scot invited me over for lunch at his house, which was nice. Just a few hours at home then before evening church, where I nerded out again with my DVDs before being picked up. Hope you all have a nice week. Spring Break is over, so it is back to work for my last quarter as a volunteer teacher at Tafuna High School in American Samoa.

All Over My Island and Then Some

Monday started the big adventure about 7:20am. We started walking toward Tafuna, and a school bus picked us up giving us a lift in to the plain. Asked him to drop us off at McDonald's to enjoy a coffee (me) and soda (Hannah). It was too early to pick up our rental car I had reserved on Friday from the car guy at the airport. Sat there and chatted, one of the things we do. We were very excited for our day with a vehicle so we could drive to all the parts of the island we had not made it to yet. Had a little itinerary set up but it was open to modification as the day progressed.

When I talked to the guy on Friday about the car he quoted me $80 for a day, but then when we arrived he dropped it to $60 as the A/C was not consistently working. No need for A/C when we have windows and are only driving 25mph. Save money? Yes, please :-)

Behind the wheel I went. First stop, Matai Restaurant II in Nu'uuli for breakfast - a short stack of pancakes and two giant cups of coffee. Same pancakes and really good coffee, but the set up of this one was different from the restaurant in town. More Asain feeling. Cute white tables with some maroon painted flowers on them. Great service, as well. Both are great options. This one happens to be much closer if we have no other errands to run in town. 

Then, we made the ~25 minute drive into Utulei, where we made our way up behind Samoana High School to see the harbor and Rainmaker Mountain in the background. My friend Richard from church told us we should make a little stop up there to see the view. Definitely one spot I would never have thought of as I didn't even think about a village heading up back that way.

Picked up a few coconuts from the market and asked the lady to poke the holes in them for us. We saved them for a nice little spot, though, after driving a while. A friend had mentioned one of his work sites across from the Breaker's Point trail that had a nice view. We stopped there, and said "Cheers" to do our day of freedom island-style. Fatu ma Futi is in the background, and then we checked out the trail across the way quick.

Next item on the agenda was to head all the way to the end of the road on the East side of the island. Found some beautiful beaches after we had passed the farthest point we had ever been on the East side road beginning to wrap back around North.

Then, here was this sign saying only 10mph and no loud music as we pulled into the last village on the road. That is Pola Island toward the back and right. Beautiful spot in Vatia Bay, that I've been before and was on the agenda for Monday.

As we were making our way back to grab some East side lunch, I noticed this little spot and had to take a photo. It does a really good job of showing the beauty of this place I am with the reality of a litter problem.

All sorts of nice murals like this along the roads of Tutulia (the big island of American Samoa).

The pizzeria we intended on eating at for lunch looked closed as we passed it on our way out, but we had intentions of checking it at least again before heading 5 minutes back the other way for the famous East side burger place (where we have been a couple times). On our way that way (around the Fagaitua area) I noticed this cool looking church back in the forest and couldn't help but drive up to take a look. Very cool Catholic Church. I love photos of cool buildings and the Religious Studies minor in me was also highly intrigued.

Ended up eating at De Tama Lelei (the East side burger place) as we learned the pizzeria is closed for good. Thank goodness we made a stop there when we stayed with our friend that lives in Fagaitua about a month ago or we would have missed our chance. Sad to see it's not open anymore. Still, I enjoyed some delicious fries and a little macaroni salad at De Tama Lelei instead.

While we were sitting there this rather gross and sad-looking puppy was nearby. I took a photo as I have been meaning to grab some. One always reads about the dogs here when they research American Samoa. I've mentioned it in my blog a few times.

Next stop, a few very short hiking trails over the mountain among the villages of Afono and Vatia. I love National Parks. (Thank you, Teddy Roosevelt.) So, I had to take a few photos next to the sign. I mean it's in Samoan and everything. :-) Cloud 9..... driving up, down, around, and through the mountains - some in the National Park :-)

Headed down the Lower Sauma Trail and who do we run into? Pastor Scot (of the Baptist church I've been attending) and Pastor Christensen (the visiting pastor from California). What are the odds? Worked out so I could grab a photo for them, them one for me, and I had to take one with the two of them. This trail leads to a nice little view point of Pola Island, which is known for being a big nesting place for the seabirds, including frigate birds and red-footed boobies.

 Since this little trail was only 0.4mi roundtrip, I knew my traveling companion could handle it even though she is not one for hiking. I also wore my dress that day as I was excited to have various photos around the island. Had to snap a photo on the hiking trail in my dress and flip-flops. So Samoa. Plus, it is sort of a remake photo of one I did for creative photography class last year.

I thought this little mural was super cool because: (1) It has a red-footed booby painted on it (Makes me think of the Galapagos and now this awesome place - two big things in my life); (2) It says "Have a nice day" in Samoan and English (I love language.); 3. It's in the National Park (I love National Parks!). Plus, I took this photo using my handy dandy tripod and self-timer.

  
Headed down into Vatia Bay to the end where a little and rather bumpy road led us to a very short trail to view Pola Island from the bottom - the Pola Island Trail. This is Hannah and I after our successful 0.1 mile hike. Wooo.... It was a doozy. hahaha. P.S. Note the red in my belt -that would be the key for the rental car. Handy little spot for it when I didn't want to carry my bag all day long. ;-)

Lots of cool things to do around Vatia. This was the third time I've been down that way but added a new adventure every time. Then, we started heading back West. Made a stop at the market for some string beans and a few more coconuts, which are currently sitting in my fridge. More on that in another post. We also pulled in to Samu's (famous for the homemade ice cream) and grabbed some slushies. Hit the spot as we made the 30 minute drive toward home.

Grabbed our laundry bags and hit the laundromat. We decided it would be "fun" and convenient to do it once without having to make the walk. Using that car up. Not that the walk is really that hard - only 5 minutes, but just a nice break. Plus, we had intentions of grabbing ice cream cookie sandwiches at the Internet cafe next door to enjoy while the washers ran. Unfortunately Cindy did not have any ice cream sandwiches that day, but I did pick up a little bag of her homemade chocolate chip cookies for something else (coming up). I still had a hankering for some ice cream, so we popped in the store across from our house to find 75 cent ice cream cones rather than the $1 we paid at the laundromat by our old place. I tried the pistachio ice cream for fun. Good stuff. Vanilla will always be my favorite, but I do branch out from time to time. After the wash was done we went to hang it all up at home before heading further west.

We were heading to watch THE LAST SUNSET from the village of Poloa (the farthest west you can get on the island). There is a village past that on the road, but it is as the road starts heading North again. Poloa is the absolute farthest west on the island. Why do I capitalize "the last sunset". Well, since American Samoa and Independent Samoa are separated by the International Dateline, Independent Samoa is a day ahead over there, so we can watch the last sunset from here. My friend from church made sure I knew that. The last sunset used to happen in Independent Samoa. Here is a news article about it if you are interested: http://www.samoanews.com/

We did not see the sun completely set over the horizon as there were a bunch of clouds. It rained most of our drive home from Samu's. I still got a few nice photos, though along the way.

We proceeded to drive along the road heading for the end. Oye, I did not realize how far back it went on the West side. So many curves back in forth. Also very foresty out that way. Fun drive for sure. Now seems like an appropriate time to point out that I drove from one end of my island to the other in less than a day plus some side trips. That should help put some perspective on how physically small the island where I currently live is. If I remember correctly, I think I read or heard somewhere that it takes about 4 hours to drive all the way from one end of the road to the other (at 25 mph). This island has so much dimension to it. There isn't just a nice Nascar oval road circling the whole thing. All the dimension thanks to the beautiful mountains. I really enjoyed driving them. Aaah.

Next, we were headed for Ili'ili to make a stop for some groceries. Made an extra stop at Pritchard's Bakery in Leone where I bought a whole loaf of wheat bread that hadn't even been sliced yet. Looked nice and homemade. Yes! I finally remembered that having a real freezer above a full-sized fridge now meant I could freeze some of the bread as I don't particularly eat it fast enough on my own. I had some wheat bread the day I was babysitting for the Daku's, which reminded me how much I enjoy wheat bread. Healthier for you too. Boy the luxury of having a freezer.

Still taking advantage of having that car. A few stores that have some extra things (or some savings) that aren't so convenient for us to get to based on where we live. Successful stop as I grabbed some banana bread, again with the intention of freezing it for later. Had to grab it while I saw it, plus a few other things.

Decided to grab some onion rings and enjoy some iced tea at Toa Bar and Grill in Nu'uuli around 8pm before our "late-night" stop for some tacos and burritos we had on the agenda. Good onion rings, that I found myself cutting with a knife and fork eating slowly bite by bite. Hannah is rubbing off on me. I found myself chuckling as I did it. Who cuts up onion rings and eats them super slow? haha Classy people :-) Then, went through the drive through at Carls Jr./Green Burrito. This was supposed to remind us of Taco Bell runs in college. haha Just for fun.

We were ready for bed when we made it home to enjoy our take-out quickly and then crashed. To use up the last few hours of our rental car, we agreed to wake up early and be ready to go by 5:15am. Made a stop in Nu'uuli at Zeek's Treats for some fresh donuts and cinnamon rolls. Yum. Glad I finally made the stop in here. Then, we headed toward up over a mountain to a point known as "Alaska" to attempt to watch the sunrise. Rained throughout the night, so still fairly cloudy in the morning. Still a nice viewpoint. Thought about how much I like the mountains again as I drove up and down this one that morning.

Next, we headed to Sliding Rock, a spot Hannah had not yet seen on the West side.

As I was turning around here, my photographer eye noticed how it looked like I'm about to back over a cliff as you look in the side-view mirror here. haha nothing to worry about. Just perspective :) Was an interesting experience for me to drive a rather small car that could turn on a dime unlike my old SUV.

Fianally remembered to take a photo of the driver in the rental car when we made a stop at Pritchard's Bakery for some hot cocoa Tuesday morning. Vroom vroom. haha

Popped in one more store so I could pick up some peanut butter quick and save myself $1.50. Yes, worth it as I had the vehicle and was passing by. Not necessarily worth it when I would have to go out of my way to stop there. Topped off the gas, returned the car, and grabbed ourselves a bus to LauFou for a little breakfast at the Koko Bean. Finally, we stopped in at this little boutique Cousin Nina is currently watching over for a friend to chat with her.

She could tell that Hannah and I looked pretty beat. I mean we did go 14 hours non-stop the day before, slept maybe 5 hours, and then were at it again. Squeezed in as much as we could in our day of freedom with a car. Totally worth it and another fantastic free-spirited adventure.

Definitely laid down on my bed and dozed off a bit I think before awaking to do a few things. So, the coconuts that had already been poked open that we drank the coconut water out of were in the fridge, and I was determined to crack them open on my own. Island experience, you know... Once I figured out I was hitting it on the wrong equator and turned it properly, I was successful with a little help from my cement step. Awesome! I may have been more excited than necessary, but how many people back in Nebraska can say they've split open their own fresh coconut after drinking the water followed by enjoying the raw fruit inside?

Skyped with one of my girls back home that afternoon, the lovely and awesome Sarah Eagen, before heading into Zumba class. I packed clothes with me to change into as I decided I would head to church that night. Yes, church on a Tuesday night. I was so exhausted, but as Pastor Christensen was only on the island for a few days I decided I wanted to go again. We had extra services this week with him being here, plus they dubbed it a "revival". Although I was a bit sweaty when the boys picked me up in the van, I am really glad I made it to church that night. Pastor Christensen delievered a great message about Ruth. Wow, do I connect well with Ruth. He talked all about how we should serve others and not worry about ourselves first. That is why I am here in American Samoa. I did not come to "find myself". I came to serve. I answered this call to serve here. Really great story from the book of Ruth in the Old Testament.

Made it home around 9pm, where I told Hannah we were still having a piece of the little ice cream cake I made before crashing. After having some ice cream cake at church on Sunday and being in my culinary experimenting mood this week, I had an idea for my own creation. Here she be... simple and delightful. From bottom to top: chocolate chip cookie crumbs, chocolate ice cream from New Zealand, crunchy peanut butter, vanilla ice cream from New Zealand, Butterfinger shavings.

Kept myself busy all day again on Tuesday going all the way from 5am to 9pm with just a little 30 minute doze late morning. Woke up Wednesday morning about 7am and decided to go ahead with my plan of a hike. I was very excited about this hike. I planned on going from Sliding Rock up toward the trail for Fagatele Bay then cutting down on another trail toward Fagalua Cove. The Fogama'a Crater Trail was the only National Park trail on the island of Tutuila I had not yet been on. Well, now I can officially say I have been hiking on all 10 National Park hiking trails on the island of Tutuila. Check! :-) A great hike.

I found myself looking at Fagatele Bay from a different angle for a little while. I had already hiked from Sliding Rock up to Fagatele Bay before with friends but went a little beyond this time.

Then, down to the cove I went. The trail I had not yet touched until Wednesday morning. Beautiful little spot and not that far in if you take a different road and start on the trail itself rather than adding int he extra one I did that morning.

Cool little story about the hike that day. Making my way to the top of the Le'ala Shoreline Trail, I ran into some guys doing some trail maintenance. Well, actually they were taking a break when I stumbled upon them. Charles introduced himself and his companions and chatted me up asking me if I was WorldTeach and what not. Nice guy. Plus, I was jealous of his NPS t-shirt.

As I proceeded along the trail, I could tell they had definitely been there. Really nice. So, then on my way back it was nice and clear. I did finally catch up with them at the bottom and told them how nice the trail was. The four of them smiled, one said you hike too fast", and one asked how my hike was. Working for the NPS. Cool jobs. Here's the nice clear trail. No having to duck under broken branches or crunch on leaves the whole way. haha I didn't really even think about it not really being clear on my way up, but I could tell the difference on the way down.

Sat and waited a little while for a bus to head back home. Was back home by 12:30pm, so I had a nice little 4.5 hour outting. Great exercise, too. Nice and sweaty. Ate a nice lunch including some of that whole wheat bread, a little peanut butter, some cantaloupe, a few slices of cucumber, and some of my raw coconut. Mmmm. Enjoyed the last few pieces of the ice cream I make an hour or so later with Hannah. (Yes, I made it so small there were only a total of four pieces.)

Then, I spent some time sending emails and making contacts working on lining up guest speakers for the rest of the semester and catching up on a few things. Tried working on my post again, but I ran out of time before I needed to head out the door in for Zumba. Lina caught me on the way in, so I didn't have to walk the whole way. They're always surprised that I will go walking out in this heat. Really not that hot. Had my clothes ready for church again, as it was Pastor Christensen's last night with us. We normally have a Wednesday night service anyway, but I haven't made it to that one in a few weeks. After singing hymns and Pastor's last message for us, we had a little fellowship time. Got to try another Samoan specialty - pani popo (cocnut bread). Absolutely delicious. I think the rolls were made with some coconut in them, and then a coconut milk sauce was there. Yum yum. Pastor Scot said they have the bread in Fiji but the sauce is what he thinks really makes it. This is his favorite food down here. I can see why. I got a nice little chat in with Pastor Christensen before heading home in the super packed van. One of the girls asked me if this is what it's like in the States. Not quite. haha I love the van, though :) Made it home around 10pm that night, listened to some music, and hit the hay.

Finally sat down and caught up on my blog Thursday morning for me. I am finishing it up around 10:15am. I woke up around 7:45 this morning. I have just a few little plans between now and school starting back up on Monday. Not the go, go, go I've been the past few days. Time to relax a little. Hope you all are having a nice week. Until next time... Manuia le aso. (If you were paying attention earlier you will know what that means.) :-)