School in Samoa vs. School in Australia

As many of you may know I recently moved with my son to Australia after nine years of living in Samoa.  There were many reasons for this move, most are personal, but ensuring that my son has a good education was a major reason for this move.

All of my son's schooling was in  Samoa, except for six months where he was in Australia.  In this time he attended both public and private schools.  At all of his schools he had a cousin who he knew before hand so it was easy for him to make the transition.

This year he is attending a public Australian school.  It is a different school to the one that he attended previously because we lived out of the zone for the previous school he attended.  I was actually surprised at how strict the zones were.  We had to provide proof that we lived within the area before they would even discuss what the registration process was.

I remember in Samoa that it was more of a matter of who you knew at the school that determined whether or not you attended the public school.  There were zones in place, but this was not adhered to strictly.

My son's new school in Australia was so new the buildings had not been finished when we registered so we had to go to a different venue for registration.  Registration was streamlined the forms were all ready and I called ahead so that I knew which documents I needed to provide.  The forms also included the books and fees that were needed and payment could be made at registration.  It came with a list of uniforms and prices so that I was able to get an idea of what I needed to purchase.  To sum up the experience it was very organised.

I looked at the prices for school books and uniforms and automatically compared them to what I was paying in Samoa.  This is what I found:

Australia Public School Books (including stationery): AUD$210
Australia Public School Uniforms (three shorts, three tops, two jumpers, backpack, hat, socks & shoes): AUD$282
Australia Public School fees: AUD$300 (this was not so much a school fee it was payment for technology and building contributions)
Australian Public School TOTAL: AUD$792

Samoa Public School Books: AUD$0
Samoa Public School Uniforms (three shorts, three tops, shoes): AUD$140
Samoa Public School fees: AUD$80 (AUD$20 a term and there were four terms and not called a school fee but a parent contribution)
Samoa Public School TOTAL: AUD$220

Samoa Private School Books: AUD$50
Samoa Private School Uniforms (three shorts, three tops, shoes):  AUD$140
Samoa Private School fees: AUD$1200 (AUD$300 a term and there were four terms)
Samoa Private School TOTAL: AUD$1390

This was a little surprising to me.  I was sure that even though I paid school fees per term that the exchange rate would make any school in Samoa less expensive than a school in Australia.  How would I rate the service in relation to these prices?

Australian Public School, as I said earlier they were very organised.  The school buildings are brand new and there are state of the art technology that is accessible to my son.  He was most excited that he would be using an iPad as a part of his schooling.  There was an orientation day where we could go in and meet the teacher before the school year began.  My son was placed in a composite class for grades 5 and 6.  As enrolments increased the school saw a need to divide the two classes and hire a new teacher so that there was a separate year 5 and year 6 class.  The school organised all the stationery and books to be purchased in bulk by the school making it a little more affordable.  These came in packages that each student picked up and took to their class.  I have been most impressed with the communication from the school.  When there was a change in teacher I received a letter.  The teacher sent home a letter explaining the homework and when PE would be held and what would be happening in class.  This is helpful for me as I now know when I should have sports uniforms ready and when to expect homework.  They have a before and after school program in place so if ever I need child care for my son before or after school a program is already in place.  I am very impressed with this school thus far.

Samoan Public School, well you get what you pay for.  The classes were over crowded with more than 50 students in a class.  The students sat on the floor the majority of the time.  Stationery was provided free of charge which was great.  The service was poor.  There was no communication from the school.  The teachers still use threatening tactics and have even hit my son.  So much so that he would cry some mornings because he was scared of his teacher.  My son could not read and his writing was extremely poor after four years of attending a Samoan public school.  At the time that was all I could afford so like I said you get what you pay for.

My son loved the private school that he attended in Samoa.  He was happy to go to school and actually looked forward to it.  The class sizes were reasonable with less than 30 in a class.  This allowed my son the attention that he needed to get himself to the level that he should have been at.  They offered after school tutorial classes free of charge for students like my son who needed the extra attention.  There were class assistants to ensure that my son did not go unnoticed and so he received the assistance he needed.  There was regular communication from the school so I was well informed.  I loved the bus service that was offered by the school.  It allowed me to save time and petrol as the school as quite a distance from my house.  My son learnt a lot from his time at this school and I am very pleased with his progress.  I believe that the value I received was worth the price I paid.

While we loved the private school I am happy with the move and look forward to my son's continued education in Australia.  I do hope that the education system in Samoa make the necessary changes so that people stop moving overseas to get a better education.

Bucketlist Combined

Ok so I was supposed to write each of my bucket list of things I've done in Samoa in an individual post each week for six weeks.  That was over two months ago and I didn't do it.  I can list each of my excuses for not doing this, or I could just get on with it and write my list.  Well here is the list:

Namua Island
My son and I loved this place!  The customer service officer was lovely.  She was well mannered and able to give me all the information that I needed as well as take the booking.  When we arrived the boat was ready to leave.  The boat driver (? I think there is a term for this I just can't think of it) was also very accommodating.  He was nice but not too nice where once could come off as being sleazy.  The facilities were well maintained and very accessible. 
I am a bit of an environmentalist so I was ecstatic to see that they used solar power for their lights, gas for cooking and water tanks for the water.  I would love to see them look into a biogas system to treat wastewater and also generate power for cooking and lights.
The path up the mountain was not set up as well as it could be.  If they had a dedicated and well maintained path up the mountain it could add to their already lovely establishment. 
Namu'a is beautiful, it is quiet and just lovely.  I can't wait to go back!

Afu Aau Falls
I am not a good driver and having to follow a map while driving at the same time was a challenge for me.  I found the drive and signage for the Afu Aau Falls very easy.  The road going to the falls is not paved.  We went on a nice day so it was easy for our Hyundai Getz to get up, but I can see that it would be more difficult if wet weather so be mindful of this when planning your trip.
The falls themselves are beautiful.  Like so much of Samoa the beauty really is something that you need to see first hand in order to understand just how beautiful it is.  The entrance fee was not expensive and the people at the gate were friendly.

Canopy Walk
I have always wanted to do the canopy walk ever since I first saw photos of it.  I also loved that I would be able to share my first experience on the walk with my son.  When you arrive there was a little hut where a group of men sat.  This was not very inviting and made me a little apprehensive to approach them.  They ended up being nice men.  The price of entrance was a little steep, but I was told that it included the price of entrance for two other attractions down the road, the foot print and a stone house I think.  I had not planned on going to either of these sites but because it was included we added it to our itinerary.
We had a guide take us up the canopy walk.  It was higher than I expected, but if my 11 year old can climb up I was not about to chicken out now.  So we climbed and the views were spectacular.  You could also see that there were huge improvements made to the canopy walk in comparison to the photos that I had seen.  This made me feel even more comfortable paying so much to enter.  The walk itself was shorter than I expected.  It was a beautiful walk though.  Then we reached the other side and climbed up a massive tree up into the sky.  I felt a little like Jack and the beanstalk climbing up to see the giants.  We didn't see giants but could see the leafy tree tops that led to the ocean.  Absolutely amazing experience.
We finished our tree canopy experience and made our way to the foot print.  The signs were not well placed or easily visible.  When we arrived we expected to see a sign for parking or for costs to see the footprint, there was nothing.  Instead a man walked up to us so we showed him our receipt and told him about what the man at the canopy walk told us.  The footprint man explained that neither he nor the stone house guy are accepting the receipts anymore and we needed to take our receipt back to the man at the canopy walk and tell him that.
This incident put me off and there was no way that I was going to talk to anyone.  If the footprint guy had a problem with the canopy guy they needed to discuss it amongst themselves and not include the paying customers.  I was saddened that their miscommunication had ruined my day and my visit to this area.

Pizza Place
I had always wanted to visit the pizza place in Savaii opposite the Le Lagoto Resort.  I had been told great things about them and I love my food so thought I would give it a try.  The service was not the best, she appeared to enjoy talking to other staff more than taking my order.  We love niu and wanted to drink as much of it as we could before we left and was so disappointed that this niu somehow tasted like mould and we couldn't even finish them.  The pizza was costly so I expected that it would taste amazing, again I was disappointed.  The crust was flaky and too light and the chef seemed to think that toppings were optional so he didn't use many.  It tasted ok but I would not pay that much money for the size and quality of pizza from this establishment.

Casino
I don't gamble.  I can't bring myself to waste money on something when I could use it for things like food or books.  I did however spend $10 at the casino.  I couldn't just go there and not play anything.  Anyway, first we entered and gave our passports, because you can only go to the casino if you hold a passport that is not from Samoa.  Once registered I smelt the delicious aroma of fried sausages and grilled onions.  We walked past the BBQ area not sure if the special hot dogs were for sale or what the purpose was.  We walked through the outside entertainment where the courtyard was completely empty except for the entertainment.  Then inside the downstairs area we saw a handful of people.  We asked for assistance on how to gamble and were offered a complimentary hot dog (I was cheering on the inside).  Then when I lost all my $10 we went upstairs.  The set up was much like downstairs.  We were offered another hot dog each and I thought to myself no you didn't just waste $10 you just brought two $5 mini hot dogs.  It did not have the glitz or the glam that I was expecting.  It was a lot smaller too, but that is understandable given the clientele is not as big as it could be.  All in all my trip to the casino was good, just don't ask me to comment on my dinner at the resort restaurant afterwards!

There are still some things on my Samoan bucket list but I will have to tick them off the next time I go.  This post made me miss Samoa even more but I am still sitting at a computer sweating in 30 degree heat so I guess that is as close as I will get for now.

Samoan Bucketlist #1

I have had the privilege of calling Samoa home for the last nine years.  The memories, both happy and sad will be cherished.  The friends and family that I have gotten to know better have helped to make me become a stronger and more resilient person today and I will hold them forever in my heart.  I can honestly say that making the decision to leave Samoa has been one of the hardest I have ever had to make, it was easier to decide to get divorced so that is a big choice right there!  The opportunities that I have had to do so many things and meet so many people are beyond what I ever thought I would accomplish in my life thus far.  Over the next six (6) weeks I will be sharing with you some of my things that I have yet to do in my Samoan Bucketlist, so here is number one.  

Over the White Sunday Holiday I made sure to go to the beach.  It was not just any beach that I chose it was one that I had never been to before and I am a poor volunteer so couldn’t afford to stay the night at this beautiful place.  I am so happy with my decision to check out Return to Paradise Resort because I have fallen in love with this location.  I will admit that the weather was not on our side that day, but it was worth the trip.  The sign from the main road was easy to locate and easy follow it was when you got further down the road that it got a little confusing.  There is a sign that gives a list of prices for the use of the beach with a little fale Samoa beside it.  IGNORE this sign!  There is no one there to take your money so continue to drive past.  As we reached where we could see the water and the pristine beaches it was unclear as to where to go now or if we should have turned right at the false price sign because there were no signs for the resort once we got on this road.  If you pass another beach fale set up and begin on a dirt road then you are heading in the right direction.  Keep following this road until you reach a security guard.  This is where you will be given a piece of paper telling you that it is free to use the beach, yay!  But you do have to spend money at the restaurant/bar.  This is great because in essence you are just paying for lunch at the beach.  The costs are reasonable $25 for an adult and $10 for children.  You are given a voucher so make sure you don’t lose it otherwise you have to pay more money.  Only guests staying at the hotel are able to use the pools, which is completely understandable.

The beach is gorgeous!  It is calm enough for young children to swim, there is coral close by so you can get some snorkeling done and there is even a rock pool along the beach.  The sand is clean and there is even a volleyball net already set up.

The service at the restaurant was better than some other places in Apia.  The staff were friendly and made you feel welcome.  They were polite and timely in their service.  The food was good.  We ate pizza and would recommend the bacon one with pineapple.  I also enjoyed the pulled pork pizza even though the rest of my table didn’t like it, their loss I say!  The prices were as expected for a resort outside of Apia ranging from $25 +.  I think the only thing I would suggest is a dessert menu as I am a huge sweet tooth and would have enjoyed some chocolate.

One of the things that I think I will miss the most about Samoa is being able to admire the chiseled torsos of the handsome men of Samoa.  If you are as lucky as I was you may even get to see the likes of Mr Lavalava or some Toa Samoa players when you visit Return to Paradise.  

Neglecting underage drinking in Samoa

I have recently become addicted engrossed with the television show Bar Rescue.  I love watching them make something great out of something that has been neglected.  One of my favourite episodes was where the owners were rebuked for serving customers who were already clearly intoxicated and then allowing these people to leave without ensuring they were safe.  This particular episode hit home this week as the court case for Leslie Kohlhase ended.  While I can write a whole blog on the trial and the outcome I choose not to comment on this as I know all parties involved in the case and I don’t want my opinion to hurt people I care for.  What I would like to address is underage drinking.

In almost all the news reports the age of Leslie was mentioned.  I know that her age, 19, has a 1 in it, but the one is not preceded by a 2 as in she was not 21.  The legal age for drinking alcohol is 21 in Samoa.    We are not Australia or NZ we are Samoa so Samoan laws apply, not what happens overseas.  I know firsthand that there is a problem with underage people getting into clubs and being served alcoholic beverages in Samoa.  I know this because I see students I taught foundation English to out at the clubs.  Yes there are signs saying you don’t serve people under 21, yes the police come and walk around the night club at 12 when the club is supposed to close but how many of the clubs have actually been penalized for serving underage patrons?  How many Leslie Kohlhase’s will enter the clubs this weekend and get completely smashed?  

It is the responsibility of the owners of bars, nightclubs and anywhere that serves alcohol to ensure that they are not serving alcohol to underage patrons.  It is also the bar owner’s responsibility to ensure their patrons are safe.  In general regardless of age, you are not ensuring they are safe by continuing to serve them alcohol once it is obvious they are already intoxicated.  Throwing them out on the street when they can barely walk is also not ensuring their safety.  Yes you can argue that once they have left your premises they are no longer your responsibility.  But how bad will you feel knowing that you could have taken someone’s keys and put them in a taxi so they get home safely rather than hearing the next day that they have been run over by a speeding car and killed?  You may not have a legal obligation, but isn’t a moral obligation just as important?

It is the responsibility of the Police to enforce this law by not just doing a walk by when the clubs close but to do spot ID checks and following through with prosecuting locations that violate this law.  If the Police do not feel that this law is a priority then the club and bar owners won’t feel it is important either and we end up with our current situation where our youth act as if they are above the law.

As a parent, I don’t understand where the parents of these kids are.  Because legally they are still kids.  A parent’s sole responsibility is to ensure the safety and well being of their children.  How can you do this if you are not there?  You obviously know they are out if you allowed them the use of your car and because they are most likely not working you probably gave them money too and yet you feel it is appropriate to allow them to go out and break the law by underage binge drinking unsupervised?  Yes I see that your child is getting older and you feel that they can go out, just ensure that they are out with you or an adult whom you trust to be responsible.  In my opinion if you are going to allow your child to participate in underage drinking, which is your right as long as it is in line with the laws of your country, then do so in your home where you know they will not endanger themselves or others.  Even when I was of age to go out clubbing my mother still came to pick me up from a club because she wanted to make sure that I was safe.  Yes your child may get embarrassed and may not talk to you for an hour or so but which is better having them not talk to you or no longer being able to hold them in your arms because they crashed their car into a pole and died?  Parenting is the hardest job in the world it means you will have to say no to your child, your child may not like you all the time but that is part of being a good parent setting boundaries and enforcing them.  

The current underage drinking situation in Samoa is a result of our negligence, not just one person or organization but everyone.  Let’s work together to turn the situation into something great so that we no longer put the lives of our youth at risk.

Know Your Role!

Samoa’s Film Control Board recently banned the comedy “Sex Tape” from being publicly shown at the only Samoan Movie Theater.

The Samoa Observer reported:

According to the Chief Censor, Lei’ataua Niuapu Lei’ataua, they are merely doing their job.

“The reason why we’ve banned the public screening of the movie is because of the explicit scenes of sex and sexual activities,” he said. “This will affect our culture and traditions if we allow this movie to screen publicly. So we’ve decided to ban it.”

I can understand that the Film Control Board would like to keep the culture and traditions of Samoa safe, but that is not their job.  Their job is to classify the movie and let the people decide whether or not they feel the movie is appropriate for them to see.

If keeping the culture and traditions of Samoa safe was their main objective then they would not have allowed Hercules, Transformers, Fast and the Furious or The Other Woman to be shown in Samoa.  Ok so I watch a lot of movies, but these were the most recent that I have watched at the Samoan movie theater.  Why would I say that all these movies should not have been shown?

Hercules – Don’t hate me I love The Rock and I would watch this movie again on DVD if given the chance because there is a great number of six packs and I am all for appreciation of God’s creations.  But it goes against Samoan Culture and tradition as it makes violence appear to be something good.  That going around with a bow and arrow or a sword and killing people is ok.  It also shows us that animal cruelty is acceptable.

Transformers – Ok I am also a fan of Mark Wahlberg and mother of a boy who loves transformers so I know that I will be watching this movie again.  But if we were to use the rule set down by the Film Control Board we should not have been able to view this because the girl in the movie is disrespectful of her father and lied to him about a boy!  I am sorry but Samoan culture says that we should all be respectful to our elders and definitely should not be dating or thinking of kissing a boy at that age.

Fast and the Furious – I have watched this more than a few times and will watch it again because hello Tyrese, The Rock, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.  But this movie goes against Samoan traditions as it teaches that stealing and not listening to authorities such as the police are acceptable not to mention the idealizing of driving dangerously over the speed limit.  With that said I don’t understand why the Film Control Board allowed it to be shown.

The Other Woman – Ok I kind of see why this was allowed as adultery is a common thing now in Samoa so it kind of upholds our traditions, but you would think that as God fearing people that we would not have allowed it just because of the fact that they drink heavily in this movie and the bible says that we should not drink heavily!

I like the intentions of the Samoa Film Board in trying to keep Samoa safe from all things that are bad in movies, but the reality is that you aren’t doing that consistently.  If your sole reason was to safeguard our traditions and culture then you really need to be consistent because I am sure that I can name other movies that could be detrimental to our culture and traditions.  However, I still believe that it is not the role of the Board to safeguard our culture or traditions but rather to classify the movies so that I can tell if it is appropriate for me to take my ten year old son to.  I believe that at 35 years of age I am old enough to determine whether or not a comedy showing the pain and heartache of filming a sex tape and having it go public will make me want to go out and make a sex tape and if I did choose to make a sex tape I am an adult who has every right to do so as long as it is consensual and within the laws of the land I live in.

So what do I have to say to the Samoa Film Board?  Know your role!