Tahiti background
Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, it’s become a popular vacation destination thanks to its many enticing attractions including black-sand beaches, lagoons, waterfalls, and two extinct volcanoes. Tahiti is made up of two different sections connected by a peninsula and overall makes a figure eight. The sections are called Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti.

Interviewing a Tahitian Native (Mrs. Bella Sarandrea)
How was school life different for you?
The native language before French is Tahitian and it is taught in every elementary school, along with english which is mandatory in high school.
Preschool also started earlier and was a mandatory school unlike America. They attended preschool for a consecutive 3 years before entering kindergarten.
Schools were more strict and enforced a strict uniform policy even in public school. School was strictly business, teachers were solely there for learning purposes not as friends or emotional support.
Was your household similar to those of Americans?
The household is very similar, however animals here are treated differently. They were not pets in Tahiti, they were either cattle or used for protection purposes, much life a house alarm.
How was your calendar different?
Wednesday was always a half day for everyone, it was meant to divide up the week and high school students could go to school on Saturday if they preferred to. Holiday breaks were also longer than those in most schools in America, Christmas break was always over two weeks, even three weeks sometimes. All saints day was celebrated all over the island as well. Summer was slightly shorter than common and was let out in July due to longer holidays throughout the school year.