By Bronwyn Dean and Caroline Quinton

Samoa, 16 September 2024 -- Caroline Quinton and I represented St Joseph’s College (A Salesian school in Melbourne) at the Salesian Education Immersion in September of 2024. As I begin to write this, I am sitting at the airport in Samoa unable to properly illustrate the incredible immersive and cultural experience that we have been part of with ten staff from our Salesian schools.

The immersion included visiting our communities in both Savaii and Apia and being welcomed with a traditional kava ceremony, music, dancing and traditional dress. At Don Bosco College (Salelologa, Savaii) and Don Bosco Technical Centre (Alafua, Upolu), we visited classes and met students and staff. We had the chance to listen, observe and even run activities with the hard-working staff from these schools.

An important part of our time together was the staff professional development which focused on the Preventive System; specifically for every student to feel known, safe and engaged and what a Salesian classroom looks like, feels like and sounds like.

The highlight of the immersion was the homestay component, spending two days with staff on both islands. They opened their homes and inadvertently opened my heart allowing me to feel so loved and cared for. I stayed with two beautiful, strong and hardworking women, Sarah in Salelologa and Sheree in Alafua. They welcomed me like family, I loved getting to know their immediate and extended family, especially the children.

Since I was nine, I have developed a beautifully genuine relationship with the Salesian Sisters in Australia and the Pacific. I spent three days with the community in Malololelei, seeing firsthand their gentle manner and work in the local community specifically with the Daughters of Mercy and in the Divine Mercy Primary School. Our group visited the primary school on the last day of the immersion. In a time when we thought that our hearts could not fit in anything more, we were welcomed once again in a traditional heartfelt Samoan way with prayer, music and dancing. Following the traditional welcome, the students from preschool to Year 8 treated us like rock stars. Following each Australian participant around the school wanting to know our names, ages and information about our family.

I am unequivocally a better person because I have had the opportunity to live with, share stories and get to know the Samoan community. ‘’If you can be anything in this world, be kind’. I feel that the Samoan communities that I journeyed with over the last ten days, truly embody the definition of kindness, love, hospitality and community.

Each participant on this immersion has been challenged in their own way; emotionally, physically and culturally. Our eyes and hearts have been opened to the beauty of Samoa; the incredible landscape and the most generous and hard-working people that you may ever come across. Our eyes and hearts have also been opened to the severe level of poverty in education, in health and in Samoa in general. At times, this was extremely overwhelming to see.

We return with a genuine desire to continue that connection with Samoa, to assist a country made up of beautiful people who desperately require support in order to grow in education, health and well-being.

I return with a heart so very full of memories and positive learning experiences. I am grateful to our Salesian Schools for this opportunity, allowing staff to make closer connections with our Salesian communities.

Until we meet again Samoa.

Bronwyn Dean

I, Caroline, ditto Bronwyn’s words. I cannot express in words the extent to which I was touched, loved, cared for, embraced and humbled by this immersion. I had had no experience of the Samoan culture nor people prior to this trip. Obviously, I knew of the country Samoa and a little of their rugby skills but that was probably the limit of my knowledge and understanding.

The Homestay experience was not only welcoming but demonstrated the core values of family/extended family. Families live in close proximity to each other and rely on each other for support with meals, child minding and any other activities that can be mutually beneficial.

Not only that, but the sheer poverty of my first homestay, while confronting to me, was evidence that ‘things’ are never more important than family. This is something our Australian students may benefit from hearing, experiencing and then, ‘knowing’... We have the best of everything here and therefore expect the best. To know Samoa and its people (in my short time with them) has opened my eyes and of course my heart and mind to life outside of Australia. I am hoping that I can contribute to an ongoing connection with our Salesians in Samoa in any way that I can. I owe them that.

I am motivated to do whatever I can to assist with accessing resources (decommissioned laptops and any other school supplies, old textbooks etc.) that would be gratefully received by any of our Salesian Schools in Samoa.

I am so blessed and enriched by this immersion and I am so incredibly grateful to you Cathy, Bron and Liam for enabling me to be a part of this experience. Thank you also to the Calgiero Project for the organization and support of us all whilst away from our families during this time.

God bless you all.

Caroline Quinton

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