Sometime in the last 8 months, I think I’ve kind of
forgotten that I used to separate what I considered “normal” and what I
considered “Samoan”. Now, I mostly have trouble telling the difference unless I
really think about it. Last night was one of those nights.
Last night, Manu’a High School held the induction ceremony
for the new National Honor Society students. I feel like we have so many
assemblies (and classes, meetings, general interactions) where the
principal/vice principal/teachers/everyone ends up yelling at the students (not
that they don’t deserve it….) that it was nice to go to something that was
actually celebrating their accomplishments, and the four new members of NHS
(plus the old members) all definitely deserve it. The ceremony was at 6pm, so I
decided to stay after school and get some work done and head straight there,
which meant I literally spent one billion hours at school yesterday (ok, fine,
13.5, but still!!). But I am very glad I did.
National Honor Society is a very Western- very American-
organization, and its traditions are very Western as well. But Samoans have a
knack for making things their own, and this was no exception. I had been trying
to remember all day if there had been an induction ceremony for NHS when I was
in high school, and though I still can’t remember (though I’ve been assured
that there was, and that there are photos somewhere on Facebook…) it did make
me look at the event in a different light: how was it different than what would
have happened at DeLaSalle High School? Well.
The event was held in the cafeteria, which had been
specially decorated for the night: NHS balloons covered the walls, and at the
front was a huge airbrushed banner: “Our Choices Not Chances Determines Our
Destiny” (ahem). The principal, keynote speaker, and a few other important
members of the community sat under the banner, facing the audience. The NHS
members sat at the front of the audience, the inductees in front, wearing all
white, and the current members behind them wearing their official NHS uniforms
(blue ies (skirts) with the logo on them and yellow shirts- and, yes, the
uniform is basically the same for boys and girls).
The ceremony started on time (which is so weird for Samoa)
with a prayer, and then a speech from the NHS advisor. Then, four of the former
NHS members stood up and gave speeches on the four tenants of NHS: character,
leadership, scholarship, and service. The new members stood up one by one, lit
candles, and were honored by their parents with an NHS logo to pin on their
shirt and an ula lei (a necklace of flowers) … or two… or three. And, once that
was over with all of the members of NHS stood up and…performed a song and
dance! This is SO Samoan, and something I am so used to now, but it makes me
think… if, back at my high school, we had been required to perform in front of
an audience to get into NHS, how many people would say “yeahhh… thanks, but no
thanks!”
After the ceremony, the current NHS students as well as some
of the other high school students who had come to help out walked around with
trays of sodas and water, and then brought out Styrofoam to-go containers to
every person present, along with a bag of chips and a cup of ice cream (!!!).
The to-go container contained an entire meal: 2 sandwiches, 2 cupcakes, and a
muffin. I’m still always confused when I’m handed a to-go container like that
at an event: am I expected to eat there? Or are we all supposed to take our
food home with us? Eating together in Samoa is very different than eating
together in America (or, especially, in Russia!): it seems like it’s the food
that is important, instead of the company, and everyone eats relatively
quickly, gathers whatever is left, and heads back to their respective homes…
coming from a family that will spend 5 hours at the table when we have company
that’s so weird to me. However, when it’s a school night and it’s already
almost 8pm, I’m not exactly complaining…
Congratulations were given, photos were taken, and, finally,
the school bus took us all home where I relaxed on the couch, ate a grilled ham
and cheese sandwich, and watched 3 episodes of How I Met Your Mother. And now
it’s Friday! I am definitely not complaining!
Also: the countdown is on:
91 days to graduation
98 days in Samoa
