I've been thinking that my blogging has not been too exciting lately, sobi thought I would provide you with a few stories. Please laugh...
My host sister asked me the other day what i ate in the states. I
mentioned burritos, cheese, pasta, cheese, nachos, fish, cheese. She was stunned that I didn't eat spam or corned beef. When i first arrive in Pohnpei I found a pig leg with hoof still attahced in
freezer. If anything drills home the reality of the situation, it was this surprise.
Thankfully my family is careful when they cut up pig as I don't have
to worry about eating pig hair, unlike a few of my peers. The huge chunks of fat on the diced meat, well that's another aspect I have a feeling I will never learn to appreciate.
Ive perfected the art of eating dried apricots and prunes. After many
failed attempts of my snacks becoming infested with ants I now eat with freedom from ants...or so I believe, anyway. You see, I stand in the middle of my room, shoosh all the ants off the bag, then open it. I have to be very careful as to not let any remaining ants make their way to my hands. You would be surprised how ants just appear. Oh, as soon as I finish my apricot serving I must immediately wash or sanitize my hands. It appears that ants can sense apricot nectar from afar. The one time I didn't wash my hands about 10 tiny ants were crawling all over my hand and arm as I was reading on my mat, which is located on the floor. Last night I was scaveging for a snack and decide to try to finish my trail mix. I was snacking away when I noticed an ant. After careful inspection it became apparent that the ant have taken over my trailix. A sad day. I loved that mix from my brother and Natalie. This morning I went to throw the bag away and noticed something very strange. It was no longer controlled by the tiny ants as ninja ants now ruled the mix. Very weird!
A few nigts ago I woke up at 4:45am and had to pee. I'm very lucky
that I have an indoor bathroom and that it's located next to my room.
So I make my way to the bathroom, open and close the door when
something catches my eye. By this point I'm on the toilet and just
inches from my head is a huge spider- about 4"x4". I found myself
leaning the opposite way looking at this spider directly in his/her
eyes. Creepy. Back home I would have freaked out and probably not been able to fall back asleep. Here- no problem. I slept like a baby with my host of ants and mosquitos.
Oh! I figured out what is causing my freak face! Sakou! The local
drink that gets ya drunk after many many times drinking it. Anyway I drank Sunday with some family members and got drunk! I realized that I felt awesome when I looked up from my chair and all of a sudden I felt as if I was tripping. Later I was walking up to my house through a shortcut in the jungle when I felt all wobbly (yes I had wobbly knees and for those who know me and my wobbly knees you can only imagine what I looked like). When I got to my house I was taking off my flip flops, lifted my head, and knocked a vase of fake flowers (don't ask why we have fake flowers when real ones grow wild everywhere) out of the holder. My host brother was walking by and busted out laughing. Later that night I was reading my chic book, which reminds me, when i read its with a flashlight on my chest- every few pages i have to wind it to brighten the light. I love flashlights! I was wearing my glasses and the words were blurry. However the more I tilted my head back the better I could see. It wasn't until later that I realized I could see better with my glasses off. It was at this point that I thought maybe I forgot to take out my contacts. So I get up and nope they were in the case. So sakou cures farsightedness! However I will never get to test this theory because Im allergic to it. So sad.
I woke up in the middle of the night scratching my face off. At 4am I'm trying to look in my tiny compact mirror to see if i'm
freak face and sure as shit, red face is back. 3 days
later and I'm still red faced although it has dissipated somewhat. So
I've come to the conclusion that I am allergic to sakou.
Disappointing that I will not be able to get drunky on sakou as it
was quite an enjoyable time.
I have 2 weeks left with my current family. My host mom told me that she's going to cry when I leave. I have been instructed to come back every weekend to spend time with them. I don't know about every weekend but I'm sure I will be coming back. They have been a wonderful family. I've been blessed to have had this experience. I have developed a great relationship with my sisters and, this is shocking, tend to only speak pohnpeian in the hose. It's a great feeling. I look forward to my next family but they have a lot of work ahead of them to compare to my current. Regardless, I have faith in knowing that it will be a good placement.
Stay tuned for more stories!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Too hot to handle, too cold to hold
Have you ever encountered so many issues that it makes you ill to even think about them? That when you begin considering how to deal with them, you don't even know where to begin? It's so overwhelming that you just want to scream?
Obviously I have come to this enevitable point. Only 1.5 months into my pre-service training and already the issues are too much. It's mind boggling. No, I'm not going to quit. It's actually quite the opposite. It's given me the power to want to do something. Make a difference. Do what I came here for. And so I begin...
"The Compact"
Did you know that a portion of your tax dollars goes to The Federated States of Micronesia? In exhange for air, water, and of course land, the Micronesians receive a chunk of change (which compared to the amount of money to finance the iraq war is really nothing) for various things such as education, healthcare, roads, etc. This all began in the early 1980's and was recently reenacted under the bush administration. After the reenacted, Micronesians have to be more accountable for the money they receive. Plus they have to divide the money amongst the four states, which is another problem. Since the money must be divided evenly some states have to let the money sit in a trust account until there is enough money for projects to be completed. A great example is Chuuk state which does not have a main paved road. Currently there's a dirt road that circles the entire state which according to current volunteers is a complete mess...huge potholes and muddy terrain. Not fun shit. This year the trust contained enough money to begin the road project which, thankfully, is underway.
Return to the compact...this money flow is supposed to end in 2023 with the hopes that Micronesia will be well established. The money is also accruing interest so it is anticipated that the people will be able to use the money accordingly and will no longer be involved with the States. What will happen to Micronesia when the compact ends?! Well it looks like China is getting in on the action. They are currently building an embassy here in Pohnpei and have been tending to a pilot garden project. Both projects employed only Chinese workers and used little resources and people from the island. The garden project now sells their produce to local markets which has taken away the opportunity for local farmers to sell their whole foods. Currently the govenor of Pohnpei is in talks with the Chinese about a casino. The casino would, of course, be built by he Chinese and would serve as a travel destination for Asian tourists. It would provide job opportunity for locals-after the construction is completed, but if you talk to any local person, a casino on this island is unheard of.
So what does a little peace corps volunteer do? I've recently started getting out in the community. My home is behind my family's store which is located on the main road. On my family's property there is also a thatched roof enclosure that has a sakou rock and bench seating...a great setup. The area is always a hot spot for sakou drinking and serves as a spot to simply rest and chat. It's a great place to meet many locals. It's taken some time for me to be comfortable and "read" and understand the culture. I've taken to chatting with many who speak English. I've neglected working to speak pohnpeian but have instead decide that's okay as I have gained a better understanding of the issues.
The Catholic Dicone and I have chatted on several occasions about Pohnpeian issues- issues that seem so easy to fix but making things come together here is a problem within itself. My perspective on various government issues and the risk on education have heightened my awareness of what is not being done. The government is all English speaking. However English isn't even "officially" taught until the children are in 4th grade and even then it's loosely a piece of the instructional element. By 7th grade all subjects need to be taught in English. By this time retention of students is compromised. There is an 8th grade exam that students must pass in order to go to high school. So most students get in but their grade level is approxmately 2-3 grades below. So a freshman is at a 6th grade reading level. Many of the teachers try to speak English in the classroom, but seeing that it's so easy to speak their native language, lessons tend to be taught in Pohnpeian.
Another aspect that has recently astonished me is that elementary students K-8th are not provided a lunch. Nothing! High schoolers get fed at school but not the little ones. Apparently the recently elected govenor pledged that he would provide school lunches for all public education citing specific funds to use. Unfortunately those funds disappeared as did the " school lunch for all kids" promise. Many kids bring food but those who don't spend $ 1-2 to purchase ramen noodles and a soda. Awesome nutrition. Get them hyped up on sugar and preservatives and wonder why they misbehave or are simply lethargic. My knowledge of how this is affecting these hildren developmentally is heart breaking. They deserve lunch for Christ sake.
One must return to the government. They only speak English and the majority of pohnpeians don't have the language ability or the confidence to speak their minds. There are leaders, congressmen and such, in the community, ones I haven't met, but I really hope have the pohnpeian best interests in mind. These people need to have their voices heard. If they continue down the current path they will lose power of their state, and the younger generation may not be able to pull them through.
All in all, I've become acquainted with various aspects of what Pohnpeians are doing right and wrong. More importantly, I'm learning why I'm here. Although it's quite overwhelming and sometimes nauseating, I honestly believe that I'm in the right place- physically and emotionally. I can only hope that I will do what is right for the people here and, of course, be of an asset to the society. Only time will tell...
Obviously I have come to this enevitable point. Only 1.5 months into my pre-service training and already the issues are too much. It's mind boggling. No, I'm not going to quit. It's actually quite the opposite. It's given me the power to want to do something. Make a difference. Do what I came here for. And so I begin...
"The Compact"
Did you know that a portion of your tax dollars goes to The Federated States of Micronesia? In exhange for air, water, and of course land, the Micronesians receive a chunk of change (which compared to the amount of money to finance the iraq war is really nothing) for various things such as education, healthcare, roads, etc. This all began in the early 1980's and was recently reenacted under the bush administration. After the reenacted, Micronesians have to be more accountable for the money they receive. Plus they have to divide the money amongst the four states, which is another problem. Since the money must be divided evenly some states have to let the money sit in a trust account until there is enough money for projects to be completed. A great example is Chuuk state which does not have a main paved road. Currently there's a dirt road that circles the entire state which according to current volunteers is a complete mess...huge potholes and muddy terrain. Not fun shit. This year the trust contained enough money to begin the road project which, thankfully, is underway.
Return to the compact...this money flow is supposed to end in 2023 with the hopes that Micronesia will be well established. The money is also accruing interest so it is anticipated that the people will be able to use the money accordingly and will no longer be involved with the States. What will happen to Micronesia when the compact ends?! Well it looks like China is getting in on the action. They are currently building an embassy here in Pohnpei and have been tending to a pilot garden project. Both projects employed only Chinese workers and used little resources and people from the island. The garden project now sells their produce to local markets which has taken away the opportunity for local farmers to sell their whole foods. Currently the govenor of Pohnpei is in talks with the Chinese about a casino. The casino would, of course, be built by he Chinese and would serve as a travel destination for Asian tourists. It would provide job opportunity for locals-after the construction is completed, but if you talk to any local person, a casino on this island is unheard of.
So what does a little peace corps volunteer do? I've recently started getting out in the community. My home is behind my family's store which is located on the main road. On my family's property there is also a thatched roof enclosure that has a sakou rock and bench seating...a great setup. The area is always a hot spot for sakou drinking and serves as a spot to simply rest and chat. It's a great place to meet many locals. It's taken some time for me to be comfortable and "read" and understand the culture. I've taken to chatting with many who speak English. I've neglected working to speak pohnpeian but have instead decide that's okay as I have gained a better understanding of the issues.
The Catholic Dicone and I have chatted on several occasions about Pohnpeian issues- issues that seem so easy to fix but making things come together here is a problem within itself. My perspective on various government issues and the risk on education have heightened my awareness of what is not being done. The government is all English speaking. However English isn't even "officially" taught until the children are in 4th grade and even then it's loosely a piece of the instructional element. By 7th grade all subjects need to be taught in English. By this time retention of students is compromised. There is an 8th grade exam that students must pass in order to go to high school. So most students get in but their grade level is approxmately 2-3 grades below. So a freshman is at a 6th grade reading level. Many of the teachers try to speak English in the classroom, but seeing that it's so easy to speak their native language, lessons tend to be taught in Pohnpeian.
Another aspect that has recently astonished me is that elementary students K-8th are not provided a lunch. Nothing! High schoolers get fed at school but not the little ones. Apparently the recently elected govenor pledged that he would provide school lunches for all public education citing specific funds to use. Unfortunately those funds disappeared as did the " school lunch for all kids" promise. Many kids bring food but those who don't spend $ 1-2 to purchase ramen noodles and a soda. Awesome nutrition. Get them hyped up on sugar and preservatives and wonder why they misbehave or are simply lethargic. My knowledge of how this is affecting these hildren developmentally is heart breaking. They deserve lunch for Christ sake.
One must return to the government. They only speak English and the majority of pohnpeians don't have the language ability or the confidence to speak their minds. There are leaders, congressmen and such, in the community, ones I haven't met, but I really hope have the pohnpeian best interests in mind. These people need to have their voices heard. If they continue down the current path they will lose power of their state, and the younger generation may not be able to pull them through.
All in all, I've become acquainted with various aspects of what Pohnpeians are doing right and wrong. More importantly, I'm learning why I'm here. Although it's quite overwhelming and sometimes nauseating, I honestly believe that I'm in the right place- physically and emotionally. I can only hope that I will do what is right for the people here and, of course, be of an asset to the society. Only time will tell...
Red-faced no more!
The rash is gone the rash is gone! You have no idea how jubilant I was last week when I realized that the frickin rash had finally subsided. Who knows what caused it and why. All that is left, yes, I did lie a bit but really the freak face is no longer as apparent as before, is dry skin. Moisturizer helps but I'm rather paranoid putting anything on it! Anyway, I feel much better these days.
Language class is going well as well as the rest of training. Today we learned how to gut a fish and de-scale it. Don't worry Dad and Hal, I proved my skills and actually one teacher commented on my fisherman abilities. You would have been proud. I sliced the stomach open and yanked out the guts. This sounds odd, but yanking the guts reminded me of sucking the head of a crawfish. Is it weird that my mouth started salivating? Damn. Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl. My friend Erica was having problems so j took over for her. Dealing with the guts and smell didn't bode well with her.
Speaking of Erica- this past Saturday was her 23rd birthday! So to celebrate, she, Kate, and I went to Nan Madol. We checked out the ruins quickly before making our way into the water. Although the bottom isn't sandy and glorious, the water was amazing. We sat in the water looking out at the nearby island and simply enjoyed the beautiful day. Our friend Morgan, a local, tagged along as our tour guide and when it came time to depart, he decided to take us an around about way home. I was game and although Kate was a bit whinny, we went ahead and followed him. He prefaced the journey by saying 1)this will only take about 10 minutes and 2) you will get to see our town from a high point...2 statements that I will be more cognizant of in the future.
So the journey begin...we hike up this road and up the mountain that is now made up of deep ravines that even a truck can not get up. It's hot and were all wet from swimming. Kate is complaining that her legs are chaffing and Erica is commenting that she's going to sprain her ankle. I am trying to remain optimistic and peppy and tell Morgan that everything is fine.
We are hiking along and it's nearing 5 pm. We come to a house and end up cutting behind it into the jungle- literally the jungle. We are now going down the mountain and are following the water pipe. The shit is scary! I'm sliding all over the place, tripping over roots, and sliding down deep trenches, where I have to shimmy my way down. Kate keeps commenting and muttering under her breath and Erica is now convinced that, yes, she is going to break her ankle. I'm still maintaining and ask Morgan several times "how much longer?". He responds with "3 minutes and we will be at the highest point in this district.". I tell the girls but they aren't buying it. Finally we reach a place where we can see our training site in the distance and before we can marvel in it, Morgan pushes us on. So, now were in the middle of this jungle going down the mountain and have passed our scenic lookout spot. My optimism is fading and I'm starting to feel a bit nervous. We are wet, tired, and hungry and it's getting late. If we have to climb the mountain, we are not getting home until well after dark.
So the expedition continues...I cut my foot, Kates shoes are rubbing blisters(don't forget about the chaffing on her legs) and Erica has grown quiet, also not a good sign. Eventually I can't go on without a break. I tell Morgan that we have to stop and evaluate and he seems confused. I don't care at this point and we stop for a rest. Kates muttering that she doesn't know how she's climbing back up this mountain, blah, blah, blah...and I'm simply tired. We pee and hang for a bit before deciding that were losing daylight- and so we press on. Oh, but what's that 100 feet in the distance? A road?! No shit! It's a road...that forks...and yes, we are now almost home! Morgan hooked it up with a great shortcut through the jungle. You can only imagine how thrilled we were to know where we were. A first of many lessons on communication barriers.
Needless to say, we all made it home safely and indulged in a cocktail and laughed about the entire day. I can't wait to see what we do for my birthday!?
For my exciting news...I started scuba diving class last night and will go out on my first closed water dive on Saturday. I'm super stoked to get certified especially since I will be living close to Kolonia and will have access to many dive sights. The teacher for the class is a peace corps alumnist from the 1960s and never left the island. He looks like Santa and is super jolly! Haha!
The weather has been interesting. According to locals we are entering the rainy season as well as the trade winds. Wind is awesome! Rain is good mainly because it really cools the air. Humidity- well that's a given. But actually my body is adjusting to it. It's much more intense than living in New Orleans but half the time I don't even take notice of it. I'm just excited about having some sort of breeze!
Food is still an interesting aspect of this experience. This morning I ate oatmeal while my sister ate rice and canned Vienna sausages. Muy interesante. I considered taking a bite of the sausage...I love those things! Remember Mer when your parets would buy me a case of them monthly freshman year? So fricking tasty! Yam season is upon us and will be here through March. They are pretty good, although starchy, but when dipped in ketchup- deeeelicous! I'm over rice. Totally over it. My sister asked me the other day what I ate in the states. She was shocked that I didn't eat pork, rice and was in a state of complete confusion when I said I didn't eat canned food- particularly corned beef and spam. The good part is that I won't have to eat it for the rest of my stay...canned tuna and Vienna sausages though will do just fine. :)
Last week I made black bean burritos! So so so good. The tortillas I found at a wholesale outlet cost me $7 but it was worth it. I made them last for 4 meals. Oh how I miss cheese...I considered buying some but it would have cost me $25 for a considerably large chunk...I couldn't bring myself to pay that much. I'm sure once I get settled I will indulge myself.
I heard through the coconut wire that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize...how did that go over with the majority of Americans? What other news am I missing out on? I feel out of the loop so please write me! I need details of American life...aham@huskers.unl.edu.
Grandma Modie- thank you for the lovely letter! I love you!
Brian, Misty, and Janet- thank you again for the packages. You don't know how great it is to get a piece of mail. Jenny-I look forward to the letters from the students. I know the kids here are gonna dig corresponding with American students!
Peace out, y'all!
Language class is going well as well as the rest of training. Today we learned how to gut a fish and de-scale it. Don't worry Dad and Hal, I proved my skills and actually one teacher commented on my fisherman abilities. You would have been proud. I sliced the stomach open and yanked out the guts. This sounds odd, but yanking the guts reminded me of sucking the head of a crawfish. Is it weird that my mouth started salivating? Damn. Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl. My friend Erica was having problems so j took over for her. Dealing with the guts and smell didn't bode well with her.
Speaking of Erica- this past Saturday was her 23rd birthday! So to celebrate, she, Kate, and I went to Nan Madol. We checked out the ruins quickly before making our way into the water. Although the bottom isn't sandy and glorious, the water was amazing. We sat in the water looking out at the nearby island and simply enjoyed the beautiful day. Our friend Morgan, a local, tagged along as our tour guide and when it came time to depart, he decided to take us an around about way home. I was game and although Kate was a bit whinny, we went ahead and followed him. He prefaced the journey by saying 1)this will only take about 10 minutes and 2) you will get to see our town from a high point...2 statements that I will be more cognizant of in the future.
So the journey begin...we hike up this road and up the mountain that is now made up of deep ravines that even a truck can not get up. It's hot and were all wet from swimming. Kate is complaining that her legs are chaffing and Erica is commenting that she's going to sprain her ankle. I am trying to remain optimistic and peppy and tell Morgan that everything is fine.
We are hiking along and it's nearing 5 pm. We come to a house and end up cutting behind it into the jungle- literally the jungle. We are now going down the mountain and are following the water pipe. The shit is scary! I'm sliding all over the place, tripping over roots, and sliding down deep trenches, where I have to shimmy my way down. Kate keeps commenting and muttering under her breath and Erica is now convinced that, yes, she is going to break her ankle. I'm still maintaining and ask Morgan several times "how much longer?". He responds with "3 minutes and we will be at the highest point in this district.". I tell the girls but they aren't buying it. Finally we reach a place where we can see our training site in the distance and before we can marvel in it, Morgan pushes us on. So, now were in the middle of this jungle going down the mountain and have passed our scenic lookout spot. My optimism is fading and I'm starting to feel a bit nervous. We are wet, tired, and hungry and it's getting late. If we have to climb the mountain, we are not getting home until well after dark.
So the expedition continues...I cut my foot, Kates shoes are rubbing blisters(don't forget about the chaffing on her legs) and Erica has grown quiet, also not a good sign. Eventually I can't go on without a break. I tell Morgan that we have to stop and evaluate and he seems confused. I don't care at this point and we stop for a rest. Kates muttering that she doesn't know how she's climbing back up this mountain, blah, blah, blah...and I'm simply tired. We pee and hang for a bit before deciding that were losing daylight- and so we press on. Oh, but what's that 100 feet in the distance? A road?! No shit! It's a road...that forks...and yes, we are now almost home! Morgan hooked it up with a great shortcut through the jungle. You can only imagine how thrilled we were to know where we were. A first of many lessons on communication barriers.
Needless to say, we all made it home safely and indulged in a cocktail and laughed about the entire day. I can't wait to see what we do for my birthday!?
For my exciting news...I started scuba diving class last night and will go out on my first closed water dive on Saturday. I'm super stoked to get certified especially since I will be living close to Kolonia and will have access to many dive sights. The teacher for the class is a peace corps alumnist from the 1960s and never left the island. He looks like Santa and is super jolly! Haha!
The weather has been interesting. According to locals we are entering the rainy season as well as the trade winds. Wind is awesome! Rain is good mainly because it really cools the air. Humidity- well that's a given. But actually my body is adjusting to it. It's much more intense than living in New Orleans but half the time I don't even take notice of it. I'm just excited about having some sort of breeze!
Food is still an interesting aspect of this experience. This morning I ate oatmeal while my sister ate rice and canned Vienna sausages. Muy interesante. I considered taking a bite of the sausage...I love those things! Remember Mer when your parets would buy me a case of them monthly freshman year? So fricking tasty! Yam season is upon us and will be here through March. They are pretty good, although starchy, but when dipped in ketchup- deeeelicous! I'm over rice. Totally over it. My sister asked me the other day what I ate in the states. She was shocked that I didn't eat pork, rice and was in a state of complete confusion when I said I didn't eat canned food- particularly corned beef and spam. The good part is that I won't have to eat it for the rest of my stay...canned tuna and Vienna sausages though will do just fine. :)
Last week I made black bean burritos! So so so good. The tortillas I found at a wholesale outlet cost me $7 but it was worth it. I made them last for 4 meals. Oh how I miss cheese...I considered buying some but it would have cost me $25 for a considerably large chunk...I couldn't bring myself to pay that much. I'm sure once I get settled I will indulge myself.
I heard through the coconut wire that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize...how did that go over with the majority of Americans? What other news am I missing out on? I feel out of the loop so please write me! I need details of American life...aham@huskers.unl.edu.
Grandma Modie- thank you for the lovely letter! I love you!
Brian, Misty, and Janet- thank you again for the packages. You don't know how great it is to get a piece of mail. Jenny-I look forward to the letters from the students. I know the kids here are gonna dig corresponding with American students!
Peace out, y'all!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Rain, ants, and a site assignment
I realize that it has been quite some time since I've updated so please bear with me...grab a coffee or soda, take a break and see what's been happening in Micronesia.
This past week it rained a lot! Now that i know about the tsunami (the day after it hit america samoa) i can understand why. Needless to say, my shower water was brown with floaters. It was dark in the bathroom when I noticed it. At first I thought I was seeing things. No, after investigation with the flash light, it was obvious that there were floaters. Eh. No biggie.
No major roach stories as of late...though ants never cease to amaze me. I bought ant traps thinking that I was a genius but the damn ants are too smart! They see the ant trap, walk up to it, turn around, and continue to go around it. After awhile they stop their trek around or near the trap but this just results in them migrating to another place. Most notably my underwear.
Yes, the ants have eaten thru my underwear- my clean underwear!
Little holes were showing up in random pairs...i thought, hmmm hats strange- I just bought these. During school some other
volunteers were discussing holes in their underwear. It turns out that they too have been victims of under eating ants. I sprayed a shit ton of Off in my room...I left and came back and to find my sheets covered with dead Mosquitos and ants. My underwear now reside in a ziploc bag that is inside a plastic grocery bag that hangs from a nail on the wall. Awesome!
Speaking of ants--after we received our site location, the volunteer group that will remain in Pohnpei got to go to Nahlap, an island off the reef on the western side of Pohnpei. The island is about 1 mile long and a quarter wide. It's located on the reef so during high tide, we were able to swim out pretty far. The island had water slides located in various places along the reef so we were all thoroughly entertained. In addition, on the far end was a nice lttle place to swing from ropes into the water. I didn't partake, I was exhausted and just wanted to relax, so a group of us watched the sun set along the horizon. It was beautiful!
For the first time, I realized that I'm a peace corps volunteer in Pohnpei, Micronesia...you would have thought that this was realized before, but after being so busy and just reveling in the fact that I was surrounded by all these new and amazing people, I had forgotten I was here. Needless to say, Nahlap made it all real.
We ate great local food and relaxed in the hammocks that were stationed along the beach. There were no beds but the island people provided us with mats and pillows in our little wooden huts with tin roofs. The downfall- abundance of ants- Nahlap ants. The ants in pohnpei are somewhat level headed- in Nahlap they are cracked out! They have no governing system and are everywhere. After awhile I referred to them as ghost ants because you could see only their shadow. In addition, the damn things bite! Fortunately I didn't get bit...until I got home. I had taken a pair of cotton pants and only wore them a short time due to the heat, so when I got home I put them on, until I started feeling these weird tingling on my legs. I quickly rip off my pants and sure enough- ant bites all along the inside of my legs. Awesome. It turns out that I brought some Nahlap ants back with me. Maybe the Pohnpeian ants will educate them on order and such.
I started language training this past week. It has been pretty intense and
will end up being over 100 hours of Lang training in 6 weeks. My
instructor is funny- total pohnpeian. His laugh is hysterical and his
smile always makes me giggle a bit as he's missing some front teeth.
The other instructor also kills me. He's this shorter pohnpeian but
could completely pass as Italian. He has white hair and wears these
round blue eye glasses. When he doesn't have his shirt pulled up
above his potbelly, he wears silly sayings on his clothes. His shirt
today was a picture of him from some birthday bash drinking
sakou...it read "I may be old but I can still do it!".
I've decided that I will learn the
language in time. I'll do my best and use the locals to help me
through it....though I'm really picking up words and phrases and am
feeling confident. It takes time and thankfully these peole are very
forgiving. Unlike Spanish this language emphasizes short responses.
What's crazy is that they have over 10 counting systems...such as one
for ordinal numbers (no problem), long objects, general counting, days
of the week, coconuts, poop!, people...nutty!
My biggest concern right now is this rash on my face. Obviously it's
an allergic reaction- the culprit i have yet to deduce. What started as a
mere nuisance has spread to cover my entire face, ears and neck. It
itches and when I get hot, which is the majority of the time, I get
super red face and it just explodes in freakiness. Now it is swollen
around my nose and under my eyes. My host family was very concerned. I met with the medical officer and she believes it's a virus. I wonder if maybe it's mold. As of now, benadryl
and cortisone do nothing...as the mutant on my face has become
immuned. I refer to myself as freak face. Awesome. The med officer gave me some super strong benadryl that does the job but it's still there.
I had a bit of a breakdown the other night. It was so hot in my room...my
face was itching and the benadryl wasn't doing anything for me both
with the rash and sleep. I was tempted to borrow a fan from my family
but abstained from projecting my problems on them. So I ended up
sleeping on the tile floor with only a pillow probably in an ant
colony. I woke up at some point and moved to my mattress but again
couldn't sleep. Finally I slept but woke at 6 am to the damn rooster
directly out my window. The only thing I can do is accept the
reality...which I have. But good news as of recent- my host sister gave me her fan. I slept like a baby and my face didn't look near as bad. It was so chilly in my room that I had to turn it off in the middle of the night. I was so elated when this occured...some of the best dreams!
So the good things....i met my future school staff at Sekere Elementary! Fortunately I will be working with mainly women including the principal and co-teacher. The principal prefers modern day instruction practices and the teacher uses these in her classroom. I will be teaching 8th grade (originally it was going to be 5th grade but after my principal saw my background she switched teachers) in all subjects. My teacher was recently nominated to begin a health club at school- yet another perfect match! This will definitely make a great secondary project in which i have to complete by the end of service. We chatted a bit and I found out that my teacher is 34, has a background in health education, has been teaching for 11 years, and is single with 2 younger children. She gave me an overview of her work day and I honestly believe this is going to work out great. They both seem very excited to have me and at one point my teacher said, "I admire you. You go to school for many years and then decide to join the peace corps. You must be a free soul." I was delighted.
All in all, everything is well on this side of the world. Just living the life and learning so much about myself and this "new world" that I am continually impressed with. Each day is a new day and there is rarely the routine that I remember and dread about America. Of course I sometimes wish for the finer things in life, but honestly, those pass. All it takes is one glimpse out my bedroom window...oh and a root beer float! Yes a root beer float! The Pohnpeians have yet to really embrace the deliciousness, but I will work on them!
Loves....
Ham
This past week it rained a lot! Now that i know about the tsunami (the day after it hit america samoa) i can understand why. Needless to say, my shower water was brown with floaters. It was dark in the bathroom when I noticed it. At first I thought I was seeing things. No, after investigation with the flash light, it was obvious that there were floaters. Eh. No biggie.
No major roach stories as of late...though ants never cease to amaze me. I bought ant traps thinking that I was a genius but the damn ants are too smart! They see the ant trap, walk up to it, turn around, and continue to go around it. After awhile they stop their trek around or near the trap but this just results in them migrating to another place. Most notably my underwear.
Yes, the ants have eaten thru my underwear- my clean underwear!
Little holes were showing up in random pairs...i thought, hmmm hats strange- I just bought these. During school some other
volunteers were discussing holes in their underwear. It turns out that they too have been victims of under eating ants. I sprayed a shit ton of Off in my room...I left and came back and to find my sheets covered with dead Mosquitos and ants. My underwear now reside in a ziploc bag that is inside a plastic grocery bag that hangs from a nail on the wall. Awesome!
Speaking of ants--after we received our site location, the volunteer group that will remain in Pohnpei got to go to Nahlap, an island off the reef on the western side of Pohnpei. The island is about 1 mile long and a quarter wide. It's located on the reef so during high tide, we were able to swim out pretty far. The island had water slides located in various places along the reef so we were all thoroughly entertained. In addition, on the far end was a nice lttle place to swing from ropes into the water. I didn't partake, I was exhausted and just wanted to relax, so a group of us watched the sun set along the horizon. It was beautiful!
For the first time, I realized that I'm a peace corps volunteer in Pohnpei, Micronesia...you would have thought that this was realized before, but after being so busy and just reveling in the fact that I was surrounded by all these new and amazing people, I had forgotten I was here. Needless to say, Nahlap made it all real.
We ate great local food and relaxed in the hammocks that were stationed along the beach. There were no beds but the island people provided us with mats and pillows in our little wooden huts with tin roofs. The downfall- abundance of ants- Nahlap ants. The ants in pohnpei are somewhat level headed- in Nahlap they are cracked out! They have no governing system and are everywhere. After awhile I referred to them as ghost ants because you could see only their shadow. In addition, the damn things bite! Fortunately I didn't get bit...until I got home. I had taken a pair of cotton pants and only wore them a short time due to the heat, so when I got home I put them on, until I started feeling these weird tingling on my legs. I quickly rip off my pants and sure enough- ant bites all along the inside of my legs. Awesome. It turns out that I brought some Nahlap ants back with me. Maybe the Pohnpeian ants will educate them on order and such.
I started language training this past week. It has been pretty intense and
will end up being over 100 hours of Lang training in 6 weeks. My
instructor is funny- total pohnpeian. His laugh is hysterical and his
smile always makes me giggle a bit as he's missing some front teeth.
The other instructor also kills me. He's this shorter pohnpeian but
could completely pass as Italian. He has white hair and wears these
round blue eye glasses. When he doesn't have his shirt pulled up
above his potbelly, he wears silly sayings on his clothes. His shirt
today was a picture of him from some birthday bash drinking
sakou...it read "I may be old but I can still do it!".
I've decided that I will learn the
language in time. I'll do my best and use the locals to help me
through it....though I'm really picking up words and phrases and am
feeling confident. It takes time and thankfully these peole are very
forgiving. Unlike Spanish this language emphasizes short responses.
What's crazy is that they have over 10 counting systems...such as one
for ordinal numbers (no problem), long objects, general counting, days
of the week, coconuts, poop!, people...nutty!
My biggest concern right now is this rash on my face. Obviously it's
an allergic reaction- the culprit i have yet to deduce. What started as a
mere nuisance has spread to cover my entire face, ears and neck. It
itches and when I get hot, which is the majority of the time, I get
super red face and it just explodes in freakiness. Now it is swollen
around my nose and under my eyes. My host family was very concerned. I met with the medical officer and she believes it's a virus. I wonder if maybe it's mold. As of now, benadryl
and cortisone do nothing...as the mutant on my face has become
immuned. I refer to myself as freak face. Awesome. The med officer gave me some super strong benadryl that does the job but it's still there.
I had a bit of a breakdown the other night. It was so hot in my room...my
face was itching and the benadryl wasn't doing anything for me both
with the rash and sleep. I was tempted to borrow a fan from my family
but abstained from projecting my problems on them. So I ended up
sleeping on the tile floor with only a pillow probably in an ant
colony. I woke up at some point and moved to my mattress but again
couldn't sleep. Finally I slept but woke at 6 am to the damn rooster
directly out my window. The only thing I can do is accept the
reality...which I have. But good news as of recent- my host sister gave me her fan. I slept like a baby and my face didn't look near as bad. It was so chilly in my room that I had to turn it off in the middle of the night. I was so elated when this occured...some of the best dreams!
So the good things....i met my future school staff at Sekere Elementary! Fortunately I will be working with mainly women including the principal and co-teacher. The principal prefers modern day instruction practices and the teacher uses these in her classroom. I will be teaching 8th grade (originally it was going to be 5th grade but after my principal saw my background she switched teachers) in all subjects. My teacher was recently nominated to begin a health club at school- yet another perfect match! This will definitely make a great secondary project in which i have to complete by the end of service. We chatted a bit and I found out that my teacher is 34, has a background in health education, has been teaching for 11 years, and is single with 2 younger children. She gave me an overview of her work day and I honestly believe this is going to work out great. They both seem very excited to have me and at one point my teacher said, "I admire you. You go to school for many years and then decide to join the peace corps. You must be a free soul." I was delighted.
All in all, everything is well on this side of the world. Just living the life and learning so much about myself and this "new world" that I am continually impressed with. Each day is a new day and there is rarely the routine that I remember and dread about America. Of course I sometimes wish for the finer things in life, but honestly, those pass. All it takes is one glimpse out my bedroom window...oh and a root beer float! Yes a root beer float! The Pohnpeians have yet to really embrace the deliciousness, but I will work on them!
Loves....
Ham
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
