So we have been back in the country only 3 weeks and so much has happened. In this time the girls A team won the netball shield. This is no mean feat and a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. Next game is against the top of the grade and a very strong team so we will see if we can hang on to the log of wood! Of course we had a celebration out that night and took the shield with us around town!!
As well as this we have had the South African team visiting to play 2 test matches against the Samoan National side. Always exciting to have international teams here. The courts never look better. We also seem to acquire new things like tarpaulins to keep the sun out so at least local netball also benefits. Most of us were at the courts working in some way or another. Adam and I got roped into doing the flip chart scoring. I'm sure he was more on to it than me as I was so focused on all there was to watch such as the teams and what the international umpires were doing. Speaking of which, myself and Ioane were asked to umpire the curtain raiser for the first game. This was between SCOPA and SMOGA the top 2 secondary school teams in the country. Always a rival match that one. Anyway little did we know that the NZ international umpires, Faye, Jono and Bobbie, came in to watch our game, assessed us and passed us for our Regional Umpiring badges!!! Very exciting for us as we are now the first ever umpires to reach this level in Samoa. We will see now about attending the clinic in Auckland in September to help us study towards the NZ Theory and NZ practical exams. This honor does not come lightly however as we are already getting asked the hard questions regarding the rules!!!
We - meaning mostly Adam - have also done our good deed at USP and got stuck in and painted the netball court lines. Having waited over a year and having come up with 3 quotes that were all exorbitant it was becoming pretty urgent that we needed a court painted so Adam sourced some road marking paint, make up a template with wood the right width for the lines and we went and measured up and painted the thing on before anyone could stop us. Yellow hobbit feet later (paint overspray!) and the courts look fab. It has been great. Now we can train properly. One small thing to sort out now which is the 2 tennis net poles sticking up in the middle of the mid court however hopefully maintenance will be on to that soon ..... or maybe we will have to wait another year to get them removed. Can't rush these things!! The courts have been christened by USP and the UniGames team ....
Yes there have been 2 solid months of serious organising to take the University Netball Team to Australia. Just yesterday we got that bit more funding we needed for our last bill which is the accommodation in Toowoomba. So we are off on Friday 2nd July to be the first team to compete in the UniGames in Australia. The team are all pretty excited and so am I. It has not been easy fundraising and filling in forms, forms and yet more forms but we have the flights, visa's, accommodation, travel insurance, uniforms, balls, team lineups etc all sorted now and we are ready to play. Think we are all going to freeze as it is 5 degrees over night and 10 degrees through the day in Toowoomba but will let you know how it goes. I hope the 13 young adults I have to supervise behave?????????????????????????
Other than netball ...... well is there anything other than netball? Oh yes there is that work thing that gets fitted in around! Have been asked to re-design the inside of the Alafua Library which is a great opportunity. Hope there is some serious money available. Have to move the counter back apparently and make more student space then see if we can refurbish etc. I am hoping to create more of a "learning commons" space with more/new computers, small and large tables for study, wireless internet, relaxing space and generally make the place look more inviting. Adam again has been a fab help using his autocad skills to draw up a floor plan of the libray and help me plan what would need to go where. Big job. Need to write a proposal. I guess that will be the first task when I get back from Toowoomba.
Take care all. Speak soon xx
PS check out Flickr as will be uploading more photos soon
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Go the Manu! and true Samoan Style!
I suspect only in Samoa can a public holiday be declared to welcome home the 7's rugby team and celeberate their series win for 2010?! Well we arrived back in Samoa just in time for this day. Go the Manu we say as if they take out the Commonwealth Games as well we just might get another day off!!
Have spent a great week in Australia for my nephew's 1st Birthday and managed to catch up with 2 long lost friends from the UK at the same time. Managed to make a truck Birthday cake with tray on the back full of lollies so was happy with that. Went to Movie World one day with Mum and Dad and Adam had to go on all the rides! I held the camera! The Scooby Doo ghost ride freaked me out and Batman simulation made me feel sick! The bubbles during the street parade and Shrek in 4D was more my style!!
Now back to normal life which means planning the UniGames Netball trip to Aussie at the start of July in Toowoomba - it's going to be freezing there. In true style nothing happened towards the organisation of this while I was away so now we are full on into fundraising. If anyone out there would like to sponsor us even a small amount that would be much appreicated. We also have accommodation etc to pay for in Australia so....anyone?? Donations of team tracksuits etc also most welcome as these guys are going to freeze and I know even myself I don't have anything warm to wear in Toowoomba!!
Also in true Samoan style we are still experiencing rolling power cuts. These started about the 24th May with campus having no power every afternoon from 1.00-5.00pm and will continue for the forseeable future. We are running out of things we can do with no power and it gets very hot and dark in the library. The students also panic about getting their assignments printed so we have a huge queue at the desk - don't ask me why the library is the only place they can print on campus!! This afternoon however it is raining which apparently means the hydro power generation is all good so the power is staying on - yippee!
Adam also had the funniest trip to the Vet yesterday with old man who will not stay in the boot of the car but prefers to climb over the back seat while the car is moving and even over into the passenger seat. Anyway driving with a dog on your lap is not to be recommended and causes much amusement to passers by!! Old man by all accounts managed to switch the wipers on and off and turn off the radio with his nose when the breaks were put on not to mention slobber all over the place! Adam also seems to have acquired a number of scratch marks on his legs so I wonder why that might be!! All this just to have stitches removed.....
Have spent a great week in Australia for my nephew's 1st Birthday and managed to catch up with 2 long lost friends from the UK at the same time. Managed to make a truck Birthday cake with tray on the back full of lollies so was happy with that. Went to Movie World one day with Mum and Dad and Adam had to go on all the rides! I held the camera! The Scooby Doo ghost ride freaked me out and Batman simulation made me feel sick! The bubbles during the street parade and Shrek in 4D was more my style!!
Now back to normal life which means planning the UniGames Netball trip to Aussie at the start of July in Toowoomba - it's going to be freezing there. In true style nothing happened towards the organisation of this while I was away so now we are full on into fundraising. If anyone out there would like to sponsor us even a small amount that would be much appreicated. We also have accommodation etc to pay for in Australia so....anyone?? Donations of team tracksuits etc also most welcome as these guys are going to freeze and I know even myself I don't have anything warm to wear in Toowoomba!!
Also in true Samoan style we are still experiencing rolling power cuts. These started about the 24th May with campus having no power every afternoon from 1.00-5.00pm and will continue for the forseeable future. We are running out of things we can do with no power and it gets very hot and dark in the library. The students also panic about getting their assignments printed so we have a huge queue at the desk - don't ask me why the library is the only place they can print on campus!! This afternoon however it is raining which apparently means the hydro power generation is all good so the power is staying on - yippee!
Adam also had the funniest trip to the Vet yesterday with old man who will not stay in the boot of the car but prefers to climb over the back seat while the car is moving and even over into the passenger seat. Anyway driving with a dog on your lap is not to be recommended and causes much amusement to passers by!! Old man by all accounts managed to switch the wipers on and off and turn off the radio with his nose when the breaks were put on not to mention slobber all over the place! Adam also seems to have acquired a number of scratch marks on his legs so I wonder why that might be!! All this just to have stitches removed.....
Friday, May 28, 2010
Emergency Surgery!
Don’t worry it was either of us, but one of our dogs!
The other day we noticed an ugly growth on Old Man’s back and it started looking a bit nasty, so we decided to take him up to the Animal Protection Society (APS) to get it checked out. Unfortunately Angela had to work, so I had to do this myself. Old Man had never been in the car before, and even though he has been wearing a collar for a while and we even bought a lead a couple of weeks ago, he has never been on the lead. After trying to convince him to jump up into the car I realised the only way he was going to get was if I picked him up and put him in. Lucky for me he is a very laid back dog and just let me do it – unlike Lucky who tried to run away and then peed all over me when I picked her up! But unlike Lucky, once we started moving he didn’t want to sit still.
Somehow he managed to drool all over the place then climb from the back of the car over to the back seat then tried to stick his head on my lap for a pat! Once we got to APS I was pleasantly surprised when he let me put the lead on then climbed out of the car almost on command.
Once the vet had inspected the lump we decided to remove it. The surgery went OK, but when they removed the lump they discovered it was a tumour and was a lot bigger than they thought. After half a day recovering from the anaesthetic he seems to be back to normal, but he does have quite a big scar now.
So, a big faafetai lava to Skye and the team at APS for locking after Old Man so well.
The other day we noticed an ugly growth on Old Man’s back and it started looking a bit nasty, so we decided to take him up to the Animal Protection Society (APS) to get it checked out. Unfortunately Angela had to work, so I had to do this myself. Old Man had never been in the car before, and even though he has been wearing a collar for a while and we even bought a lead a couple of weeks ago, he has never been on the lead. After trying to convince him to jump up into the car I realised the only way he was going to get was if I picked him up and put him in. Lucky for me he is a very laid back dog and just let me do it – unlike Lucky who tried to run away and then peed all over me when I picked her up! But unlike Lucky, once we started moving he didn’t want to sit still.
Somehow he managed to drool all over the place then climb from the back of the car over to the back seat then tried to stick his head on my lap for a pat! Once we got to APS I was pleasantly surprised when he let me put the lead on then climbed out of the car almost on command.
Once the vet had inspected the lump we decided to remove it. The surgery went OK, but when they removed the lump they discovered it was a tumour and was a lot bigger than they thought. After half a day recovering from the anaesthetic he seems to be back to normal, but he does have quite a big scar now.
So, a big faafetai lava to Skye and the team at APS for locking after Old Man so well.
Yes, we are still here!
I know it has been a while since we posted anything, but we have been very busy recently.
Busy with what you ask. Well, netball season is fast approaching so once again every spare moment is taken with training, playing or discussing netball which is why I am writing this instead of Angela!
This season there is plenty happening on the netball front. We are all very proud of Ang passing her umpiring exam. This year the umpires are much more organised, but this also means more meetings, learning the rules and even some fitness training! So Wednesday night is umpiring night. Ang is still running the USP team. This year the boys have also decided to enter a team so as well training the girls’ team she also has to try to teach the boys the basics of netball. No easy task! So Tuesday night is USP netball night. Of course we are both still playing for Hyundai, which means training on Mondays and Thursdays. By the time we play on Saturday then wash all the sweaty netball gear on Sunday there isn’t a day in the week that doesn’t involve netball!
On top of all this Angela has also taken on organising a Samoan Universities netball team to participate in the University Games in Toowoomba, Queensland in July. This is proving to be a big job, but she is getting stuck into it. Last weekend she ran trials so that she could select the team. 26 keen students/netball players came along to try out, and she had to make some tough decisions to narrow it down to the final 12. But that is where the fun began. She now has to organise visas, flights, accommodation, uniforms etc for 12 students. Just getting them all to turn up to a meeting is proving to be difficult! I am sure it will all come together in the end, but I get the feeling there will be a few stressful moments before they finally get on the plane! (By the way - funding is still a major issue, so if anyone out there is able to assist with sponsorship the team would be very grateful!)
One last piece of news – we are off to Brisbane to celebrate Lincoln’s 1st birthday next week. We are looking forward to catching up with the family – and Angela has promised to make the birthday cake. I will post an update and some pictures as soon as we get back!
Busy with what you ask. Well, netball season is fast approaching so once again every spare moment is taken with training, playing or discussing netball which is why I am writing this instead of Angela!
This season there is plenty happening on the netball front. We are all very proud of Ang passing her umpiring exam. This year the umpires are much more organised, but this also means more meetings, learning the rules and even some fitness training! So Wednesday night is umpiring night. Ang is still running the USP team. This year the boys have also decided to enter a team so as well training the girls’ team she also has to try to teach the boys the basics of netball. No easy task! So Tuesday night is USP netball night. Of course we are both still playing for Hyundai, which means training on Mondays and Thursdays. By the time we play on Saturday then wash all the sweaty netball gear on Sunday there isn’t a day in the week that doesn’t involve netball!
On top of all this Angela has also taken on organising a Samoan Universities netball team to participate in the University Games in Toowoomba, Queensland in July. This is proving to be a big job, but she is getting stuck into it. Last weekend she ran trials so that she could select the team. 26 keen students/netball players came along to try out, and she had to make some tough decisions to narrow it down to the final 12. But that is where the fun began. She now has to organise visas, flights, accommodation, uniforms etc for 12 students. Just getting them all to turn up to a meeting is proving to be difficult! I am sure it will all come together in the end, but I get the feeling there will be a few stressful moments before they finally get on the plane! (By the way - funding is still a major issue, so if anyone out there is able to assist with sponsorship the team would be very grateful!)
One last piece of news – we are off to Brisbane to celebrate Lincoln’s 1st birthday next week. We are looking forward to catching up with the family – and Angela has promised to make the birthday cake. I will post an update and some pictures as soon as we get back!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
We Passed!
Whoo Hoo 5 of us from Samoa Netball Umpiring passed our Regional Theory exam. Very stoked about this as it is a first for Samoa to have Umpires at this level. We are looking up. Must be party time now!!!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Savaii II
Just had an adventure getting home. Ferry over booked by several hundred people. Adam went for a passenger ticket meanwhile i got called to drive the car on. The boat then set sail without adam and many others. After minor panic they now have another boat coming so im waiting 2 hours for him to get here. This is samoa!
Super savaii
Its been a lovely few days in savaii celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. Could quite easily get used to living in a fale on the beach swimming every day. Walked up a star mound first day. Not sure what possessed us in the overgrown bush and 33 degree heat. Swim at the water falls after was the saviour. Plenty of jack drunk along with some blue juice!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)