While some students watched the movie, four students who had decided not to take the elective course were actually out in the wilderness battling the elements. Although the temperature never got to 75 bellow zero, and they did not have any issues with frostbite, Lizzy, Sarah, Julia, and Meaghan did return with stories of river crossings, some rain, and post-holing in 2 feet of snow on top of Mt Fyffe.
Those students who weren’t hiking, or taking Environmental Literature spent the week reading Samoan Planters by O-Meara, baking cookies for their friends in class, and playing Bananagrams.
We woke up on Wednesday to the news that a tsunami had hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. This was pretty difficult to hear, especially for those staff members who had been to Samoa on numerous occasions in the past. The village of Lalomanu, the former location of the marine ecology course, is on the side of Upolu that was most affected by the tsunami. Although the island of Savaii, our intended destination, was far less affected (there was little damage and only one death from a heart attack) the travel warning issued by the New Zealand travel authority caused us to postpone our departure which had originally been planned for Saturday. Students and staff spent time praying for the country of Samoa on Friday. On one level most of us are disappointed not to be in Samoa, but at the same time our disappointment is a small thing compared to the tragedy going on in that country right now.
We’re thankful that Rich Stevick, a professor from Messiah College could be with us this week and, although we are not in Samoa, we will still have the opportunity to reflect on cross cultural learning under his guidance.
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