Visiting teachers from Hawaii warmed by Samoan culture

By Talaia Mika 15 August 2019, 2:00PM

Students of Magiagi Primary School are proudly welcoming new teachers and friends from Ywam: a group of students and young teachers from Hawaii.

The purpose of the visitors' mission is to assist the students of Samoa with their education through Christianity in any way they can.

For two weeks, the school will be facilitating for their stay inside the campus which they described as very local, interesting and beautiful.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, a staff member of Ywam, S.G. Douglas, said they had received an impressively warm welcome.

“It’s good and been really great with the school today, so welcoming and so nice,” she said.

“Basically we’re here to come and help the teachers in any way that we can, to serve and love the kids and just be here for them.”

The students themselves were excited to see new interesting faces which will help push them to come to school.

Ywam is completing a six-month program in Hawaii in which they learn about God and the programme in Samoa is an outreach which allows them to learn about and serve people in a new culture..

“We’re really excited [about out] first time in Samoa, there is so much joy here that America actually doesn’t really have so it’s really refreshing and I’ve heard it from my team being here," Ms. Douglas said. 

The group has been in Samoa for a month and three weeks, arrived on July 3rd and is in Samoa for a total of three months.

After two weeks in Magiagi the contingent will have another one week in Savai'i offering assistance to a local school before returning to Hawaii. 

Their first day was meeting the students and teachers of the school and they have discovered more about the Samoan culture which has helped them be inspired on their first day already.

After observing on their first day, Ms. Douglas said there was a slight difference in the teaching systems between Samoa and America. ‘Repetition’ is the key in Samoa, she said. 

“We definitely think the Samoan culture is very family-oriented and everyone laughs and joke a lot and we love laughing,” Ms. Douglas said.

By Talaia Mika 15 August 2019, 2:00PM

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