This landed on Mary’s book while she was reading yesterday:
I kill a lot of bugs and spiders in our house, and a few are interesting enough to deserve a portrait before meeting their demise. This little guy looks like it’s half scorpion, half spider. (The book is At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. I strongly recommend it.)
A couple of kids improved their grades in my class today:
Flattering, but someone needs to teach Alia the word “hyperbole.”
Do I care that they were obviously made in two minutes right before PE started? No.
Today we went to Nu’uuli Falls with Ashley and Jeremy. I’d been there a few times, but never with a camera. We put in into two ziplock bags to keep it dry and I’m relieved to report that it survived. I’m glad we took the risk because I was able to get some of my favorite pictures of American Samoa.
Nu’uuli Falls isn’t one waterfall, but a series of four very tall waterfalls and dozens of smaller ones.
Here’s a video of the first waterfall, which is a relatively easy walk from where we park:
The first waterfall is cool, but to see the really good stuff you have to be willing to do some climbing.
After a very steep climb and a walk along the rocky, slippery stream, we got to the second big waterfall.
Getting into the cold water felt great after the long, hot hike.
The next stop was at what’s known as the “Slide of Death.” I’m pretty sure no one has actually died there, but it’s pretty intimidating the first time you try it. Here’s Jeremy showing excellent form:
I’ve done the slide on previous trips. Today I was content to just jump off of the side of the cliff. Climbing all the way to the top once is exhausting enough- I wasn’t interested in climbing up, sliding, and climbing up again to continue on the trail.
After seeing me jump, Mary decided to give it a try.
Farther upstream we found a slide that Mary and Ashley were willing to try:
We made it as far as the bottom of the third big waterfall. Climbing any farther is far more difficult and dangerous, with steep slopes of mud and gravel. I’ve been to the top of the last waterfall once and that was enough.
The last two falls are quite close together. In this photo you can see the top of the fourth waterfall:
I’m really proud of Mary for being able to make this trip. It’s extremely difficult and a bit dangerous, but she hung in there and kept up. It was a really fun day and we’ll definitely do it again.
Our friend Turner recently bought a little 14-foot skiff. Yesterday he took Michaela, Mary and I for a cruise. We made a lap around the harbor, then followed the southeast shore of the island for about a mile.
Seeing the harbor from the water was interesting. I’ve driven around it dozens of times but I’d never had this perspective before.
I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted an update! Here are some highlights from the last few weeks:
We celebrated Mary’s birthday a day early to avoid competing with the Super Bowl. A few friends joined us for an afternoon at Tisa’s Barefoot Bar. Laying on a beautiful beach, drinking pina coladas made from fresh coconut milk, eating the delicious cupcakes that Sarah brought- birthdays don’t get much better than that.
Our friend Turner hosted a Super Bowl party at his place and we had a great time. There were more Steelers fans than Packers fans, but the Packers fans brought better food. Brats with sauerkraut, pork ribs, and lime cake were the highlights. It was nice to see the Packers win, but what I enjoyed most about this year’s Super Bowl was hanging around outside without any shoes on. That was also my favorite thing on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
I’ve recently discovered Samoan karaoke. The level of musical talent here is incredible- there are very few Samoans who don’t have a great singing voice, and there’s nothing like a karaoke bar to show it off. The woman I saw sing “Crazy” last night was nearly as good as Patsy Cline herself.
On Tuesday nights I get together with a few guys to watch UFC fights. Nearly every week someone brings some really delicious food. We’ve had homemade chili, fresh tuna sashimi, wild boar, oka made with marlin that Jeremy caught (oka is an excellent Samoan dish similar to ceviche- raw fish and vegetables marinated in lime juice and coconut milk), and plenty of excellent steaks and burgers. But I don’t know if anyone will be able to top the lobsters and coconut crab that Jeremy and Kevin caught last weekend and cooked for this week’s Fight Night, followed by the homemade chocolate ice cream cake Ashley made. The fights were pretty good, too.
We’re going to have some guests from Wisconsin! My friend Dan will get here on March 7th, and Mary’s sister Emily and brother-in-law Nathan are coming on the 21st. We can’t wait!
At parent-teacher conferences, the mother of one my students told me she really likes my curriculum. I didn’t tell her that my “curriculum” consists of the eight or so sports I know the rules of, or that I decide which one we’re going to play that day on my drive to work.
Our rescued puppy, Lolo, is about five months old now. She’s doing well and has even learned a few basic commands.We’re still waiting for her to grow into those ears.
To conserve space and reduce loading time, the photos on this blog are much smaller than original size. If you'd like full-size versions (most are either 2.7 or 4.3 MB) email me at reboulet@gmail.com.
Our Year in American Samoa 