I've changed my name to Ms. Adventure

If my weekend was any indication of how my week is going to be then it may as well be the best week of my life. Friday was a little rough in the beginning (well until like 5), but then the fun began. Some friends of mine came to pick me up to go for a drive to no where in particular. We ended up driving up the mountain to get some relief from the heat, and we wanted to take some pictures. We thought that it would be a good idea to take pictures behind one of the Bush stores (convenient stores) here, so we stopped and got out of the car. There was a lady sitting outside the store who came up and started talking to us. She couldn't figure out why in the world we would ever come to American Samoa. She was really funny. We don't have any idea what her name is but I do know that at one point she went to New Zealand to become a nun and she dropped out because she thought the life nun's lead was boring. She worked with this man who gave us all kinds of stuff and loved us because we were American. He was from Korea and speaks little to no English, but we did understand that if we would teach his children English after school then he would cook us Korean food for dinner. Too bad I don't eat anything from across the Atlantic Ocean, or it could be a good setup.

Saturday we went to Larson's Bay which was one of the most amazing beaches I have ever been to because it was so secluded. You drive down all of these dirt roads and park at this dead end so that you can hike down to the beach. I didn't come prepared for this hike because I had on my flip flops, a skirt, and sunglasses. It was only about half a mile down to the bay but it was strait down. Because I am an incredibly nimble and coordinated person I was able to just run down it. It’s weird because you will be hiking along a trail and then the trail disappears and then you are in a taro plantation. It reminded me of the movie The Beach. We were the only people at the beach so we had a lot of fun. I was able to snorkel for the first time, and I loved it. It was a little nerve racking because it opened up a whole new world, but over all it was fascinating. When we were ready to leave I anticipated a killer hike, but I had no idea. Coming down was a breeze to going back up. I’m not the most athletic girl and I was in flip flops so I thought that my legs were falling off. I was trying so hard to keep my feet in my shoes while we were scaling the rocks that I thought my calf muscle was tearing off of my shins. It was totally worth it though.

Today at church was White Sunday. I am not really sure exactly what White Sunday is, but I know that it is for the children. It's something like Easter, but not Easter, so I don't know. In fact, I don't understand a lot of things they do here. It was a neat day though. The children all wear white to church and they perform songs, memory verses, and skits. They all did a good job, but after an hour and a half I was ready to call it quits.

I’m really excited about tomorrow for 2 reasons. 1) We don't have school. Thank you Christopher Columbus. And 2) because I actually made the plans. Being the NKOTI (New Kid on the Island) I usually have no idea what to do, but this time I pulled through in a big way. We are going to Annu'u which is an island a mile off of Tutuila (where I live). Its part of the national park and it has some great hiking, so I am pumped. We are taking the ferry out in the morning, so that we can get in a full day of swimming, snorkeling, and hiking. This place has quicksand, but not in a place where you will fall in (because I would for sure). I am becoming a regular adventurist.