3 Days over the International Date Line!!

We spent 3 days in Western Samoa, on the island of Upolu, while Mr. Runyon had some Coast Guard work! These islands do not belong to the U.S., so that means another stamp in my passport! Also, even though it is a 30 minute flight, we jumped ahead 24 hours!! Pretty crazy! The pictures below show us at the beach in a traditional Samoan "Fale", pronounced "fall-ay", we snorkeled and saw some amazing fish and coral, we checked out some serious waterfalls, went swimming in an ancient, giant, blow hole, went to the home/museum of Robert Louis Stevenson (where he wrote his most famous works "Treasure Island" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and is buried there, too), and a happy birthday toast to Mr. Runyon, who got to celebrate his birthday two days in a row because we were hopping over the International Date Line! Enjoy the pictures!

A Day at Two Dollar Beach!

A Samoan Boat Ride!!

I hope you all enjoy this post.. it was an amazing opportunity, one that is never usually given to non-samoans!

My Visit with a NOAA Scientist

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of spending a day at the NOAA Observatory, which is only one of four observatories in the world that studies the atmosphere for carbon dioxide levels, ozone levels, and types of greenhouse gases present based on radiation amounts. 
To view the video, you'll have to click the following link to Youtube as this was too large to upload to this blog. 
Runyonfun with NOAA on Youtube click here

This video runs about 14 minutes, so grab a drink, sit back, and I hope you enjoy!

Beauty and Reality

This post speaks for itself...

How to Post Comments, In case you feel like it!

Hello everyone! Although I have been getting great comments from a lot of you, it has been brought to my attention that maybe this isn't as obvious to all about how to post on this website. So here's a play-by-play:
First, click on the link below the post that says "No comments:" (or comments, if someone has left some). Next, inside the box that says "Post a comment", type your comment. You can sign your name with your comment, if you wish, whatever floats your boat. Third, under the comment box is a drop down menu that says "Comment as". Scroll down the list and select "anonymous". Finally, click "Publish". It will then go to me for approval, and once I do, it will show up on the site! Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! Hope that helps!

Hiking in American Samoa

Hi all! Here is my first attempt to use iMovie to create my own little movie trailer about a beautiful hike Mr. Runyon and I took last week. Along the route of our hike were 7 waterfalls, each leading into the other, but we were only able to hike to the first three. I learned a lot about video taping and using iMovie, so my next movie should be vastly improved. Still, I enjoyed the process, and look forward to using this in the classroom!! I hope you enjoy!

Bats in the Backyard!

Every night we hear the bats in the trees in the backyard, usually screeching and fighting, but these bats are pretty cool!! They are giant fruit bats, and they fly here all the time, not just at night. It's difficult to get video of them flying because they are so erratic, but this time, I caught one just as it landed in my tree right outside my kitchen window. I hope you like it!!

Guess what I did today??

Hello Students and Friends!

Today was very special as a cruise ship was in port for the day, and the Coast Guard had to inspect it, which included watching them put out a mock fire in one of the galleys (kitchen), watching them practice an "Abandon Ship" order from the Captain (including them actually launching 6 of the 12 life boats), and getting to eat lunch on board (my favorite part!!). This cruise ship had never been to an American  port, and that is why the Coast Guard had to inspect it for safety. This ship is not as big as the others that cruise our part of the world, but rather travels from port to port with people who kind of live on board! From here, it was going to Peru! In May, it will go through the Panama Canal, and on up to New York City! Fantastic day!!

Perfect Timing?

As I type this we are officially under a Tsunami watch (means we're keeping on the lookout in the Pacific for a sign of a wave) for the next two hours! Students, I know that you are studying plate tectonics, and I am living in the very heart of it! All of the South Pacific islands lay exactly on the Ring of Fire at convergent boundary zones where the oceanic plates are subducting back into the mantle. Each time is slips back down, it is registered as an earthquake, and because it is underwater at a deep ocean trench, tsunamis are generated. 

I am not worried for American Samoa. We are pretty far, and there are lots of islands between the origin of the quake and us. But still.. what timing!!

Here's a link to the story:
http://www.news.com.au/world/tsunami-warning-after-string-of-earthquakes-off-solomon-islands/story-fndir2ev-1226571643903

Daily Shot of Monsoon!

Folks, it is official.. this place gets A LOT OF RAIN! While today the sun is out here and there, yesterday I saw some of the most torrential of the downpours. This will probably be my last post of the rain, I mean... how much of it can you watch anyway?? But this one says it best. It's been one week since being here, and 2 of the 7 days has seen the sun (although it still rained those days, too!) Students, when you get to studying wind patterns of the world, including sea breezes and monsoons, visit this part again!

A Perfect Saturday, Finally!

Saturday dawned with a gorgeous sunrise over the South Pacific, and with it the promise of no rain before high tide, which was to be around noon. That meant one thing: KAYAKING! We kayaked out towards the reef, and saw some beautiful fish along the way. I have posted some video about it. Later in the day, we tested out our snorkeling gear with some shallow water snorkeling- stuff works great! We also were in dire need of getting in the water- it was swelteringly hot! We had a nice visit from one of Mr. Runyon's crew mates, to which we decided a Super Bowl party is on tap for today. We finished our perfect day with from-scratch pina coladas and Yahtzee! Today my arms are sore... I love that they are sore from kayaking in such beautiful water!

Some Quick Clips

First, yesterday I was completely creeped out by a dog that had walked upstairs to our screen door and was having a peek! This dog is someone's pet, not a stray, but they still fight outside in gangs, just like The Outsiders.. The other clip is a view out our deck towards the ocean (too grey to see), and all this liquid sunshine that is keeping me indoors! Booooo!!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

Day three of being here has brought not much activity, sadly!! It has been pouring rain. If I can get to the porch in time to capture some of the deluge on video, (it takes a LOT of rain to capture it on video) I will send you a little liquid sunshine!

Despite the downpour, I still hear so many birds!! And my first night here, I heard the strangest sound of an animal coming from the breadfruit tree in our backyard (which is neither bread nor sweet), to which Mr. Runyon said, "Oh, that noise? That's just some bats..." AWESOME! I will get video of that too!

Declaring war on the sugar ants today... just like Bill Murray in the movie Caddyshack!

A Samoan Greeting

Polynesian cultures are very ceremonial! One traditional greeting is the placing a garland of flowers around a person's neck. This symbolizes welcome and love, an idea that pervades the polynesian ideal. Samoans, and polynesians in general do wear leis daily. Some are extravagant, others are very simple, consisting of seeds or greenery. 

This is a picture of a traditional samoan lei, and also a huge floral arrangement made from both local flowers and domesticated American traditional carnations and mums. 

On My Way!

As I begin to type this, my plane just flew over San Francisco and out into the vast Pacific!

Somewhere over Cleveland I read some amazing cards and letters! I loved how some of you incorporated science knowledge into your well wishes. Zoe’s potential/kinetic picture brought a huge smile to my face, and I began to instantly think of ways to use tropical themed items as a review for that lesson! Alex’s message in a bottle was clever, and made me think of doing a lesson involving sending messages in bottles to each other from American Samoa to Plymouth using the world’s oceans currents as our guides to our routes. I’ll try to work on something from my end of the world! You have made Hello Kitty proud! She is well-represented in my bon voyage extravaganza!! And I must thank my very good friend, Mr. Hall, and all the teachers for encouraging you to make these cards for me. Some of your cards are so funny!! Others are heartfelt and very genuine. When I decided to share my reasons why I was leaving for third term with you, I chose to invite you into a very private part of my life through the Coast Guard. I am proud of my hubby, and pleased that all of you know him now in some way. Maybe some day you can actually meet him! When I show him all of your cards, he will see why I am such a lucky teacher to have you all. 

My trip so far has been an adventure in itself. Once we were finally leaving New York City (school was just starting for you) I felt the difference of my journey immediately. Hawaiian Airlines brings the feel of Hawaii in everything they do! My lunch onboard was:

Champagne/guava cocktail

Smoked salmon pate and grapes

Mahi Mahi fish in a Thai green/cream sauce over angel hair pasta (incredible)

served with 2 samosas (Indian style hot pocket) and Thai cucumber salad. Delish!

Each course was served with a small orchid flower. (I am saving one- pressing it in a book)

Dinner was wrapped up with a just-big-enough piece of carrot cake and a cup of green tea.

Since then, I have only been drinking guava juice, which is absolutely delicious, by the way!!

My trip is only half over...12 more hours to go!!

Tofa, PSMS!! (Good Bye!)

I want to thank you all for a wonderful send-off for my last day!! I will miss you! I will take my cards on the plane with me and enjoy bragging about you all to my fellow plane passengers!! See you from the other side of the world!!

Welcome to my blog!!

Hello Everyone! Here you will be able to keep tabs on all of the cool adventures that I hope to have while in American Samoa! Find where American Samoa is on a map! (Pretty far, right??) I hope to hear from you regarding my posts!!