From the moment I accepted my placement in Chuuk, Micronesia (after I smiled with excitement), my immediate afterthought somewhere inside of me was, “Why the heck have I been placed in Micronesia?” I had been studying the Spanish language since middle school, studied abroad in Madrid, become so interested in the language that I had considered majoring in it in college (however I ran out of time), and had passed the Spanish interview. Yet, despite my love for Spanish, my desire para dominar la lengua (to become fluent), and my hope to be placed in Central or South America, I had been placed half way across the world in a country that spoke Chuukese. Now, my second afterthought was, “What the heck is Chuukese?” So I trusted the decision on behalf of JVI- trusting that for some reason, probably many reasons, somehow Chuuk was the right place for me. I remained optimistic, even though my gut wanted to be disappointed, that my experiences in Chuuk would be different, but worthwhile.
Typical of myself, going with the wind, I departed from the US on Aug. 4, calm and contained, yet excited and anxious. I’ve almost been in Chuuk for 3 months. Now I am certain that all I have to learn has not yet been presented to me- I may not recognize or piece it all together until even after I leave this place, but there is one thing that I can saying is already brewing inside of me. Growing up, I have repeatedly heard the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways.” And I would say this applies to this. Why did I need to come all the way to Chuuk to learn this about myself? Who knows? Well you are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about by now so I’ll end the suspense.
The last month and a half or so I have been experiencing uncomfortable rashes all over my body. In the last 2 weeks they have been the worst, until about the last couple of days. They are on the tops of my feet, my ankles, calves and thighs, my butt, back, and stomach, my forearms, wrists, and shoulders – you probably are getting the point that they are practically anywhere and everywhere on my body. They itch a lot and are like little red bumps. No it is not heat rash- its suspected to be a bacterial infection. I have been recently treating it with Neosporin and a steroid and they have been improving. However, last week my skin problems culminated with a boil on the back of my upper-upper thigh. It hurt! I was sitting lop-sided-ly to avoid putting pressure on it and walking awkwardly when students weren’t around to watch me. No, I didn’t give up showering when I came here - this is just what happens when you shower with bacteria-filled water and sweat a lot.
Since the beginning of the year, when I started teaching biology and chemistry, I knew that my love for science had been reignited. It was my favorite subject growing up and somewhere during my young adult search for what to do with my life, I somewhat abandoned it. I realized within a couple of weeks of teaching that I really did always like it along the way and wanted to be able to incorporate it more into my future career plans. These feelings, intensified by my frustrations with the poor water situations in developing countries, helped me to realize that I wanted to pursue something related to human health and environmental impacts. Flirting with the idea of medicine (although it would incorporate a lot of science) just didn’t entirely feel right. Besides my 5-year old aspirations to “continue my daddy’s private practice,” the idea of listening to medical tapes about gross bowel problems and looking at nasty photos of diseases has never thrilled me. Overall, I think medicine would be hard for me to be passionate about. With some more thinking – I recalled how my cousin Monica had introduced me to “public health” when I helped out at the office for the Association of Schools of Public Health last winter. Well, thanks Monica, I think you may have planted a seed.
I started researching more in the last month and came across environmental health sciences- a branch of public health. This fits me! I have started researching graduate school programs and while the internet takes forever and the progress is slow- I am getting more and more excited. It seems like a great field that fits all of my interests- I can pick a program based on the amount of science I want. I can apply it to international contexts and it is something that I am passionate about. We cannot have healthy people without healthy environments.
So why did I have to come all the way to Chuuk to connect the dots? Your guess is as good as mine. I guess I am hard-headed. I figure that if I start researching schools now I am on schedule. It’s this time next year that I would need to apply- and well the progress is pretty slow with the resources here (and you know me- this of course is not written in stone).
As for me being in Chuuk, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. And that's okay for now.
Anyways- enough about my future-
This past weekend was the “Girls’ Gathering” at Xavier. So on Friday, all of the girls stayed on campus inside of driving back to their host families. They spent the night, didn’t sleep, ate lots of junk food, and picnicked on Saturday. It was a great opportunity for them to spend time with each other and bond, but oh so hilarious to witness. Maybe I am being biased and choosing not to recall how silly I actually was when I was 13-17, but it was certainly entertaining.
The night started with a game similar to what we Americans know as Truth or Dare. The girls persuaded me to play and the way it worked was that everyone sat in a circle and passed a bottle. This part was like hot potato. If you were holding the bottle when the music stopped playing, you had to pick a piece of paper out of a bag that either had a truth or a dare. Well, of course they rigged it to stop on me. So when I picked my paper, it read, “Which senior boy do you think likes you and why?” I laughed and said I couldn’t answer it. I read two words and the girls screamed so hard that I had to stop to be heard. They were so excited and thought I could actually reasonably answer the question. Then I said I have a joke with a male staff member – we have a love/hate relationship. They asked what I liked most about him and I said his jaw line (what, who looks at jaw lines? But it was an easy way for them to leave me alone without really saying much) And of course they all screamed with excitement. The next day a couple of them asked me if it was really true and I confidently said, “No, it was a joke.” Their looks of disappointment were so big, as if I could actually share dark, juicy, personal secrets of mine with them (not that I have many dark, juicy, personal secrets anyway). Then they smiled and I explained how answering that question honestly would be unprofessional and weird, similar to them choosing what 10 year-old child they babysat for had a crush on them, in front of the children themselves. Then they understood and were still happy I played.
There were more funny events of the weekend that just left me laughing, but those will be saved for a later conversation (for what happens at girl’s gathering is pretty much top secret out here in Weno- or at least they like to tell everyone that even though all the boys somehow find out the next morning). The picnic the next day by the beach was nice and sunny. Several girls pitched in money to rent a canoe for the day so that turned into a constant-lets-see-who-we-can-tip-off-the-canoe game. Once lunch came out, the girls started to have a huge icing fight with the cake so half the cake’s icing went to the girls’ faces. It amazed me that most of them didn’t care at all. Many didn’t even bother to wipe it off and just play volleyball for an hour or two with icing smeared all over their faces.
The month of November should be pretty busy. Things on the agenda: This weekend I am going off-island (hooray, my first break from Weno) to Tolowas for a JV retreat. Then, in 2 weekends, the Xavier Staff retreat will be on-island, but at Blue Lagoon (about an hours drive from Xavier on the other side of the island by the nice beaches). The weekend following, I will help chaperone/lead the Junior Retreat. I’m excited for it because it is always nice to be able to get to know the students in a non-academic setting. Then the last week, Katie and Josh’s families will be visiting, as well as it will be Thanksgiving. Woah! That’s a lot. So if you don’t hear from me, I’ll catch up more in December.
As for this week, the Juniors are supposed to put together a “Haunted Hallway.” We’ll see how it goes. Happy early birthday to Jenn! Talk soon.
-Steph
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Micronesian Suitcase
The room was calm and comfortable. 6 women, including myself, sat Indian style on the cool cement floor - slowly wrapping the recently pounded breadfruit with clean, crisp, green banana leaves. The father lay several feet away overseeing the progress. One by one we filled the suitcase with gifts for her relatives- breadfruit, coconut oil, tapioca, mussels, fish, and more. The goods were precious. The pace was slow. The room was peaceful. Few words were needed.
With each item that was placed in the suitcase, one more was kept on the floor, reserved for the guest. I knew this meant me. My throat became dry and my face grinned.
“Try, try.”
In her broken soft English, she handed me the slimy gray strand of food that could only be named “from the water.”
“Try, try.”
Humbly, I accepted in appreciation for her gift. I grinned hesitantly - anxious and fearful that I would not like it knowing that a plateful was awaiting me. 12 eyes were watching intently. I began to chew and smile. I swallowed and tried another. I invited the other women to join and we all began eating. Despite feeling nervous, the experience was gratifying. Their generosity was attached to no expectations other than to share with me all of the little that they had.
The tapioca was sliced- soft and slightly sweet, like chewy candy. We all smiled. Some giggled.
The efforts continued. As we wrapped the gutted raw fish, I tried to slow my mind. It wanted to wander. It wondered if this fish was really going to be eaten a day from now. Instead, I trusted and kept wrapping.
We zipped the two humble suitcases and set them by the door. 6 hours remained until the trip to the airport. We sat on the rocks as the sun fell into the water. The sky became orange, then pink,
gray, and then black.
We sat in each others’ company knowing that it would be months before we would see each other again. Little words were spoken, but smiles were exchanged.
Friendship is powerful. It moves hearts and minds. In only two months, I know she moved my heart- with her gracious smiles, soft voice, and compassionate spirit. She made me feel at home.
I took me weeks to hear her voice- subtle, but dignified. She was patient. She trusted.
She left with ambition - to find a job, attend college, and support her now far-away family. Two suitcases in hand, filled only with gifts for others.
Two suitcases in hand, filled only with gifts for others. She took nothing for herself.
I recall three months ago. As I scurried to fill my two suitcases, I pondered every thing I thought I would need. I gathered clothes, medicines, keepsakes, odds and ends. I felt prepared.
I was foolish. Things cannot prepare you when you look different, when you feel out of place, or when you do not know what to say.
Things cannot prepare you for your heart to be touched.
The small handshake of an excited four-year old communicates enough.
In Micronesia, a little is seemingly always enough.
With each item that was placed in the suitcase, one more was kept on the floor, reserved for the guest. I knew this meant me. My throat became dry and my face grinned.
“Try, try.”
In her broken soft English, she handed me the slimy gray strand of food that could only be named “from the water.”
“Try, try.”
Humbly, I accepted in appreciation for her gift. I grinned hesitantly - anxious and fearful that I would not like it knowing that a plateful was awaiting me. 12 eyes were watching intently. I began to chew and smile. I swallowed and tried another. I invited the other women to join and we all began eating. Despite feeling nervous, the experience was gratifying. Their generosity was attached to no expectations other than to share with me all of the little that they had.
The tapioca was sliced- soft and slightly sweet, like chewy candy. We all smiled. Some giggled.
The efforts continued. As we wrapped the gutted raw fish, I tried to slow my mind. It wanted to wander. It wondered if this fish was really going to be eaten a day from now. Instead, I trusted and kept wrapping.
We zipped the two humble suitcases and set them by the door. 6 hours remained until the trip to the airport. We sat on the rocks as the sun fell into the water. The sky became orange, then pink,
gray, and then black.
We sat in each others’ company knowing that it would be months before we would see each other again. Little words were spoken, but smiles were exchanged.
Friendship is powerful. It moves hearts and minds. In only two months, I know she moved my heart- with her gracious smiles, soft voice, and compassionate spirit. She made me feel at home.
I took me weeks to hear her voice- subtle, but dignified. She was patient. She trusted.
She left with ambition - to find a job, attend college, and support her now far-away family. Two suitcases in hand, filled only with gifts for others.
Two suitcases in hand, filled only with gifts for others. She took nothing for herself.
I recall three months ago. As I scurried to fill my two suitcases, I pondered every thing I thought I would need. I gathered clothes, medicines, keepsakes, odds and ends. I felt prepared.
I was foolish. Things cannot prepare you when you look different, when you feel out of place, or when you do not know what to say.
Things cannot prepare you for your heart to be touched.
The small handshake of an excited four-year old communicates enough.
In Micronesia, a little is seemingly always enough.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
So if a little fallen gecko poop on your arm is not enough of a welcome
This was actually written over a week ago but because of power and other such things, I haven’t been able to post it. So it’s a little longer than normal. Enjoy anyway.
Note: If you are one of my cousins reading this to young children- read this paragraph first. The rest of the blog is safe- but this is a little disturbing.
I apparently had not yet been welcomed enough in Chuuk. I think that yesterday I saw the most disturbing thing I have seen in Chuuk thus far. I was walking to my volleyball practice. It was about 3:30pm and as I passed the forested area that is normally a hang out spot for the routine drinkers, I noticed a couple of men preparing a campfire while a couple others were pulling dogs by a rope. Next thing I knew- the men threw the rope over a tree and pulled it as hard as they could in order to hang the dogs. I certainly did not ask to witness this nor was I warned. So as I tried to ignore the pitiful yelping noises coming from the dog as it gasped for air, the men picked up large sticks and starting whacking at the dogs’ heads. My whole body cringed as I tried to walk even faster and clear my mind of the brutal image I was just left with. I tried to just tell myself “it’s okay. I live in Chuuk now.” Yes, people eat dog here and it is not uncommon for people to slaughter their own animals whether they are chickens, pigs, or dogs, etc. Dog is not only a meat people eat, but it is almost a class above most other (gross, but then again who knows when the opportunity will arise when I will be served it). To say the least, my westernized perspective that values domesticated pets and animal rights found this nauseating.
No animals are domesticated in Chuuk really. Cats are seen as bringing good luck by some, but despised by others. And people are known to kick or throw rocks and sticks at dogs. So with that being said, I had the pleasure of taking in a small kitten that I named Cinnamon, or Cimmy for short (thanks Mom), a couple weeks ago. She was starved and so weak that she could not even move her back legs. For the first couple of nights we kept her inside some of the volunteers’ offices for protection from “predators” and fed her canned tuna. This drew some very polar reactions among the staff, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have diverse attitudes towards animals. Within a couple of days, Cimmy (who also goes by “Shingles”) had developed enough strength to walk and roam like any other curious cats. Those of us taking care of her decided it would be good to “free” her to the Rec House- a gazebo-like structure behind Xavier. Well, then problems arose since there is a lack of communication of how the Xavier community was going to keep Cimmy as a pet. She sometimes rebels and wanders upstairs to the porch/kitchen area where we played with her during her first few days of recovery and leaves her “trail.” Understandably this is upsetting for people that live here. And while I am a proponent of keeping Cimmy around Xavier and training her to stay outside, others want to kill her. Cimmy lives in Chuuk – just that fact makes her hardy and undomesticated- so her survival outside is very possible now that she is not at immediate risk of death.
Apparently last year there came a time when the old director was paying employees for dead or caught cats around Xavier because of the problems they were causing (Note: The entrance to Xavier is open on both sides on the ground level so anything can wander in). While in the scheme of things this situation is not a big deal, it does somewhat upset me. Luckily, when I first wrote this blog, it was full of venting thoughts. Since then, I have been able to edit it and say things have calmed down towards Cimmy. People aren’t expressing such distaste towards her now that she is starting to “follow rules.” And I have a new adorable friend. I just crack up now every time I watch her have a stare contest with the very curious campus dog, Puma. Although she is about 1/100 of his size, she carries more presence and is not scared of him. One swipe of her hand and he backs off.
Cimmy is getting a little bigger, but is still adorable and loves to crawl up on me and curl into a ball. We have a nightly date, which usually results in me ending up with itchy legs for mosquitos.
Last weekend my Chuukese friend, Nievic, told me that she would be leaving this coming Sunday to return to Hawaii for school. She will be working to continue her third year of college at Chaminade, and while I must be happy for her and encourage her to go, I’m also sad. She was my first Chuukese friend in Weno and she has done a lot for me thus far. We play on the same volleyball team and she knows the most English of the players since she has been to school in the states before and can help me with translating a lot. She was also the first to treat me with local medicine- good ol’ coconut oil on a gash I got on my knee. It apparently heals wounds well, and while I later also cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment, it healed well. Last Sunday she invited me over to her house and made me soki-sok. It is a type of banana cooked with coconut milk- very common here and very good. But they don’t use the good-ol’ Chiquita types of bananas you are probably familiar with. There are several types of bananas here on island, and the kind used in soki-sok are very starchy. You wouldn’t eat them plain and people term them “cooking bananas.” Then we had “sardines,” which was actually canned mackerel. I asked her if she thought it tasted like tuna fish because that is exactly what I thought it tasted like, but she quickly shook her hand no and said it tastes different. So for those of you reading this that know me well and as having a “refined palette,” that apparently does not apply when we talk about “canned fish.” I am making baby steps with seafood here. You probably know I am not a fan of it, and while the opportunity to eat it is frequent, I try to steer clear. Probably the most exotic thing I have tried is sea cucumber (flavored to be salty and spicy, but slimy like worms) and it was actually okay to me. I haven’t quite mustered up the courage for shashimi –raw fish, sushi like- yet.
Moving on-
A lot has happened at school since I last posted- we have hosted a group of Australian high school students for an immersion trip, we have held freshmen “Entertainment” Day, and held a dedication ceremony thanking the Mabuchi Corporation of Japan for their generous gift of waterproofing the school’s roof over the summer- a project that cost close to three-fourths of a million dollars. For both the Australians and Japanese visitors, the students performed traditional dances. It was really cool for me to watch. They dressed up in grass skirts or traditional thu’s (which are basically a cloth flap tied around a males’ privates like you see on maybe the Discovery or History channel) and covered themselves in coconut oil and “tribal paint.” The dances were very well done, with a lot of chanting, although it was a little weird for me to see some of my students basically half-naked. They even did a fire tossing performance. About 10-12 of the boys twirled “batons” of coconut wood whose ends were lit on fire. It was impressive and dangerous. Only one of the boys accidentally burned a part of his toe. This would have never ever happened in an American school! I’m excited to send pictures soon.
The entertainment day was ridiculous- it was basically a 2 hour show of upperclassmen cross-dressing and posing as freshmen. The freshmen loved it. I didn’t agree with it. In my opinion it was inappropriate and certainly did not necessitate students to miss class, which happened, but culturally cross-dressing is extremely entertaining. I guess we are also dealing with the maturity of 13-17 year olds.
The school received a plentiful donation of sports equipment from the Australians, which was much appreciated. As for the immersion experience, I don’t know how much of an immersion trip it actually was since the Australians only spent one night sleeping on campus- the rest they spent at a hotel, the nicest hotel actually, in Weno. But they remarked that they were very moved by their experiences. They spent one morning learning how to build the huts out of coconut leaves/wood. It was encouraging to see the students get excited to host the boys, and I think both groups learned from the experience. I am guessing the Australians’ experiences were profound since they come from what I have heard is the wealthiest boarding school in Sydney. They experienced the 1 to 1.5 hour bus trip from their hotel to Xavier every day on the pitiful road of Weno. The trip is only about 9 miles so that will give you an idea of the condition of the road. As well as they passed through the “downtown” and several villages, exposing the hardships of the Chuukese people- the lack of a sewer or trash collection system, the pothole-filled road, the long stretches of sheet metal posted to give the people some privacy to their very humble houses, some which would be labeled shacks. However, they also enjoyed the luxury of paying a company to go snorkeling, which the locals would never do and participated in other sight seeing on other islands.
The student body’s goodbye to them on Thursday actually brought tears to my eyes. Micronesians are extremely heartfelt people from what I have experienced thus far. They express emotion and thanks in a different way than I am used to- a uniquely warm way. They are very intentional about it. The students gathered around the Australians- literally only leaving room for them to breathe. Envision about 10 people crowd by a group of about 130. No, personal space is not really honored here. With their arms stretched out, the students sang to them. Students are not scared of singing here- I love that about them. I think it was the words of the song that actually got me. It spoke about how they had touched each others lives and while they depart or separate, they hold each other alive in their hearts and their memories. I think it made me think of home and the love I felt when I left in July. May not sound like much, but the couple of minutes were peacefully beautiful and reminded me of how much I appreciate everyone back home and the generosity that has been shown and shared with me in the last few months. Thanks again. (Can you believe it is almost 3 months since my send-off? Wow.)
I have started teaching the students and other neighborhood kids how to do backbends and other gymnastics skills. I have actually perfected my backbend (T, you would be proud). It’s ironic that I didn’t do so in the 4 years I taught gymnastics from an actual gym with mats and such, but demonstrating the skills is an easy way to grab the kids’ attention and connect with them, especially when a lot of the village kids speak no English. They are always impressed to see that I can do it and want to learn. It’s great. The other days I started playing and dancing with these 4 girls between the ages of 3 and 10. I have to tell you- no joke the 3 year-old could shake her hips better than I can (which doesn’t say much ha ha but you get the idea). They start training them for hula early.
So before I end this very long blog (sorry for that), I want to say one thing. I am beginning to feel very settled. Marca, my volleyball coach, told me yesterday that she wants me to know that her and her relatives consider me part of their family now. While I still know barely any Chuukese and obviously nobody can replace those I love from home, my adjustment is coming along slowly but surely. Thanks for all the continued support. I do feel like in some way I don’t really understand yet, Chuuk is where I am supposed to be right now.
Hope to hear from you soon.
-Steph
Random thoughts:
Living in Chuuk has truly solidified my belief that poverty encourages resourcefulness and creativity. Every now and then I see things that really strike me as being extremely creative in lack of better resources. For instance, using a box that a six-pack of soda bottles or cans would come in to create a hat with a stiff bill or using torn up cardboard box pieces or banana leaves as fans for small relief from the stifling heat and lack of electric fans or AC. I’m disappointed I can’t think of more, but they will come to me later.
Note: If you are one of my cousins reading this to young children- read this paragraph first. The rest of the blog is safe- but this is a little disturbing.
I apparently had not yet been welcomed enough in Chuuk. I think that yesterday I saw the most disturbing thing I have seen in Chuuk thus far. I was walking to my volleyball practice. It was about 3:30pm and as I passed the forested area that is normally a hang out spot for the routine drinkers, I noticed a couple of men preparing a campfire while a couple others were pulling dogs by a rope. Next thing I knew- the men threw the rope over a tree and pulled it as hard as they could in order to hang the dogs. I certainly did not ask to witness this nor was I warned. So as I tried to ignore the pitiful yelping noises coming from the dog as it gasped for air, the men picked up large sticks and starting whacking at the dogs’ heads. My whole body cringed as I tried to walk even faster and clear my mind of the brutal image I was just left with. I tried to just tell myself “it’s okay. I live in Chuuk now.” Yes, people eat dog here and it is not uncommon for people to slaughter their own animals whether they are chickens, pigs, or dogs, etc. Dog is not only a meat people eat, but it is almost a class above most other (gross, but then again who knows when the opportunity will arise when I will be served it). To say the least, my westernized perspective that values domesticated pets and animal rights found this nauseating.
No animals are domesticated in Chuuk really. Cats are seen as bringing good luck by some, but despised by others. And people are known to kick or throw rocks and sticks at dogs. So with that being said, I had the pleasure of taking in a small kitten that I named Cinnamon, or Cimmy for short (thanks Mom), a couple weeks ago. She was starved and so weak that she could not even move her back legs. For the first couple of nights we kept her inside some of the volunteers’ offices for protection from “predators” and fed her canned tuna. This drew some very polar reactions among the staff, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have diverse attitudes towards animals. Within a couple of days, Cimmy (who also goes by “Shingles”) had developed enough strength to walk and roam like any other curious cats. Those of us taking care of her decided it would be good to “free” her to the Rec House- a gazebo-like structure behind Xavier. Well, then problems arose since there is a lack of communication of how the Xavier community was going to keep Cimmy as a pet. She sometimes rebels and wanders upstairs to the porch/kitchen area where we played with her during her first few days of recovery and leaves her “trail.” Understandably this is upsetting for people that live here. And while I am a proponent of keeping Cimmy around Xavier and training her to stay outside, others want to kill her. Cimmy lives in Chuuk – just that fact makes her hardy and undomesticated- so her survival outside is very possible now that she is not at immediate risk of death.
Apparently last year there came a time when the old director was paying employees for dead or caught cats around Xavier because of the problems they were causing (Note: The entrance to Xavier is open on both sides on the ground level so anything can wander in). While in the scheme of things this situation is not a big deal, it does somewhat upset me. Luckily, when I first wrote this blog, it was full of venting thoughts. Since then, I have been able to edit it and say things have calmed down towards Cimmy. People aren’t expressing such distaste towards her now that she is starting to “follow rules.” And I have a new adorable friend. I just crack up now every time I watch her have a stare contest with the very curious campus dog, Puma. Although she is about 1/100 of his size, she carries more presence and is not scared of him. One swipe of her hand and he backs off.
Cimmy is getting a little bigger, but is still adorable and loves to crawl up on me and curl into a ball. We have a nightly date, which usually results in me ending up with itchy legs for mosquitos.
Last weekend my Chuukese friend, Nievic, told me that she would be leaving this coming Sunday to return to Hawaii for school. She will be working to continue her third year of college at Chaminade, and while I must be happy for her and encourage her to go, I’m also sad. She was my first Chuukese friend in Weno and she has done a lot for me thus far. We play on the same volleyball team and she knows the most English of the players since she has been to school in the states before and can help me with translating a lot. She was also the first to treat me with local medicine- good ol’ coconut oil on a gash I got on my knee. It apparently heals wounds well, and while I later also cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment, it healed well. Last Sunday she invited me over to her house and made me soki-sok. It is a type of banana cooked with coconut milk- very common here and very good. But they don’t use the good-ol’ Chiquita types of bananas you are probably familiar with. There are several types of bananas here on island, and the kind used in soki-sok are very starchy. You wouldn’t eat them plain and people term them “cooking bananas.” Then we had “sardines,” which was actually canned mackerel. I asked her if she thought it tasted like tuna fish because that is exactly what I thought it tasted like, but she quickly shook her hand no and said it tastes different. So for those of you reading this that know me well and as having a “refined palette,” that apparently does not apply when we talk about “canned fish.” I am making baby steps with seafood here. You probably know I am not a fan of it, and while the opportunity to eat it is frequent, I try to steer clear. Probably the most exotic thing I have tried is sea cucumber (flavored to be salty and spicy, but slimy like worms) and it was actually okay to me. I haven’t quite mustered up the courage for shashimi –raw fish, sushi like- yet.
Moving on-
A lot has happened at school since I last posted- we have hosted a group of Australian high school students for an immersion trip, we have held freshmen “Entertainment” Day, and held a dedication ceremony thanking the Mabuchi Corporation of Japan for their generous gift of waterproofing the school’s roof over the summer- a project that cost close to three-fourths of a million dollars. For both the Australians and Japanese visitors, the students performed traditional dances. It was really cool for me to watch. They dressed up in grass skirts or traditional thu’s (which are basically a cloth flap tied around a males’ privates like you see on maybe the Discovery or History channel) and covered themselves in coconut oil and “tribal paint.” The dances were very well done, with a lot of chanting, although it was a little weird for me to see some of my students basically half-naked. They even did a fire tossing performance. About 10-12 of the boys twirled “batons” of coconut wood whose ends were lit on fire. It was impressive and dangerous. Only one of the boys accidentally burned a part of his toe. This would have never ever happened in an American school! I’m excited to send pictures soon.
The entertainment day was ridiculous- it was basically a 2 hour show of upperclassmen cross-dressing and posing as freshmen. The freshmen loved it. I didn’t agree with it. In my opinion it was inappropriate and certainly did not necessitate students to miss class, which happened, but culturally cross-dressing is extremely entertaining. I guess we are also dealing with the maturity of 13-17 year olds.
The school received a plentiful donation of sports equipment from the Australians, which was much appreciated. As for the immersion experience, I don’t know how much of an immersion trip it actually was since the Australians only spent one night sleeping on campus- the rest they spent at a hotel, the nicest hotel actually, in Weno. But they remarked that they were very moved by their experiences. They spent one morning learning how to build the huts out of coconut leaves/wood. It was encouraging to see the students get excited to host the boys, and I think both groups learned from the experience. I am guessing the Australians’ experiences were profound since they come from what I have heard is the wealthiest boarding school in Sydney. They experienced the 1 to 1.5 hour bus trip from their hotel to Xavier every day on the pitiful road of Weno. The trip is only about 9 miles so that will give you an idea of the condition of the road. As well as they passed through the “downtown” and several villages, exposing the hardships of the Chuukese people- the lack of a sewer or trash collection system, the pothole-filled road, the long stretches of sheet metal posted to give the people some privacy to their very humble houses, some which would be labeled shacks. However, they also enjoyed the luxury of paying a company to go snorkeling, which the locals would never do and participated in other sight seeing on other islands.
The student body’s goodbye to them on Thursday actually brought tears to my eyes. Micronesians are extremely heartfelt people from what I have experienced thus far. They express emotion and thanks in a different way than I am used to- a uniquely warm way. They are very intentional about it. The students gathered around the Australians- literally only leaving room for them to breathe. Envision about 10 people crowd by a group of about 130. No, personal space is not really honored here. With their arms stretched out, the students sang to them. Students are not scared of singing here- I love that about them. I think it was the words of the song that actually got me. It spoke about how they had touched each others lives and while they depart or separate, they hold each other alive in their hearts and their memories. I think it made me think of home and the love I felt when I left in July. May not sound like much, but the couple of minutes were peacefully beautiful and reminded me of how much I appreciate everyone back home and the generosity that has been shown and shared with me in the last few months. Thanks again. (Can you believe it is almost 3 months since my send-off? Wow.)
I have started teaching the students and other neighborhood kids how to do backbends and other gymnastics skills. I have actually perfected my backbend (T, you would be proud). It’s ironic that I didn’t do so in the 4 years I taught gymnastics from an actual gym with mats and such, but demonstrating the skills is an easy way to grab the kids’ attention and connect with them, especially when a lot of the village kids speak no English. They are always impressed to see that I can do it and want to learn. It’s great. The other days I started playing and dancing with these 4 girls between the ages of 3 and 10. I have to tell you- no joke the 3 year-old could shake her hips better than I can (which doesn’t say much ha ha but you get the idea). They start training them for hula early.
So before I end this very long blog (sorry for that), I want to say one thing. I am beginning to feel very settled. Marca, my volleyball coach, told me yesterday that she wants me to know that her and her relatives consider me part of their family now. While I still know barely any Chuukese and obviously nobody can replace those I love from home, my adjustment is coming along slowly but surely. Thanks for all the continued support. I do feel like in some way I don’t really understand yet, Chuuk is where I am supposed to be right now.
Hope to hear from you soon.
-Steph
Random thoughts:
Living in Chuuk has truly solidified my belief that poverty encourages resourcefulness and creativity. Every now and then I see things that really strike me as being extremely creative in lack of better resources. For instance, using a box that a six-pack of soda bottles or cans would come in to create a hat with a stiff bill or using torn up cardboard box pieces or banana leaves as fans for small relief from the stifling heat and lack of electric fans or AC. I’m disappointed I can’t think of more, but they will come to me later.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Red Flower
Chuukese girl: “Bun iea”
Me: “Burn ire”
Chuukese girl: “Bun ieea”
Me: “Burnn ieea”
Chuukese girl: “Bunnn ieea”
Me: “Bunnn ieea.”
That’s pretty much what it sounded like when a bunch of local girls tried to teach me how to say “flower” in Chuukese earlier this week. I was seemingly hopeless to mimic their accents, but none the less I tried my best, and the conversation ended with all of the kids giggling and wanting to teach me more words. It was excellent. The whole thirty minutes I spent with these kids probably left me feeling the happiest I have felt since I have been here. Learning the word for “flower” was only a very small piece of the experience. Let me tell you more.
It was Monday afternoon, the first afternoon I went running after participating in the local volleyball game (see below for more on it). I had already run through the village of Penia once and was headed back to Xavier. The kids threw a volleyball at me as I ran past them and in their minimal, broken, yet very enthusiastic, English said, “Stephanie, practice, practice.” The ball, which was literally falling to shreds, was more like a kickball than a volleyball. As I “peppered” with the kids for about 10 minutes, a group of older teenagers played a game in the street. The net was held across the street and if a car came through, they just lifted part of it so that the car could clear the net (Try to imagine this happening on the one main street of where you live with a bunch of little kids running all around. It still gets me). At one point when I was chasing the ball, I fell on a huge metal pipe that happened to be right next to the road, of course making a couple kids laugh and then later leaving a huge bruise on my butt. It’s always okay if I laugh with them so having a sense of humor helps. If you know me at all, you know I am used to falling. I wouldn’t have survived this long had I not developed a sense of humor around it, so I laughed also.
Then I saw one of the little boys that typically pesters me when I am running. He’s probably 4 and his name is Dumber (pronounced Dam-bear). He’s a little shrimp, but he has the personality of a “big kid” on the streets. I decided it would be a good time to actually try to “meet” him. So I walked up to him and tried to give him a high five (which I learned nobody does here and had to end up teaching some of the kids). Now that I was actually giving him attention, he ran away from me. Even though last week he was bold enough to pinch the back of my thigh as I ran by, he was all of a sudden the shy one. I ended up sitting down Indian style talking with some of the girls, ranging from age 10-early 20s. They are all really nice to me and somewhat look out for me. While I was sitting, Dumber came up and threw a flower at me. The girls around me got angry with him and said something to him that I didn’t understand. I put the flower in my hair and thanked him anyway. Then one of his side kicks came up and gave me another, which I also put in my hair. Now, Dumber wasn’t as scared of me anymore and nicely handed another one to me. I put this one at the top of my head and he laughed. With time, the mood seemed to lighten. While I am still a spectacle, I think that the people are slowly coming to see that I want to become a part of their community, rather than an outsider. In general, I think that the overall reputation of volunteers and students at Xavier is the opposite. The physical location of Xavier (on the top of Mabuchi hill in the “jungle” of Weno and away from the “downtown”) and the fact that it is for the most part an English only environment separates or isolates it a lot from the local community. Essentially, a large effort has to be made to overcome the obstacles of geographical space and language. Continuing on with the story…
As the sun was starting to set, I decided it was time to head back. Running up Mabuchi hill in the pitch black would not be fun. It’s not as if there are street lights even if the island power is on nor are they paved the way we are used to. Plus, while the locals knowing me by name is a positive for my personal safety, it’s still smarter to take precaution when I am alone. So I started to head back. Here comes the best part of the encounter. I had been running for about 20 seconds when I heard little screams behind me. I looked back and Dumber and his sidekick, Ansoor, were running toward me. “Stephanie! Stephanie!” I stopped and as they ran towards me, they both held out their hands to shake mine. I shook their hands, smiled, and said good bye. Now while it might not mean much to you to earn the respect of four year olds, I believe the encounter as a whole was symbolic of much more. I ran home at ease, listening to random calls from other neighbors, “Good morning, Stephanie,” (Yes, good morning at sunset…It makes me smile also.) It is not easy to enter into a place where you are the stranger. Although you may be educated or “American,” you are not familiar with Chuukese life or the culture and language of Weno. If I have to say one thing, this experience has challenged me to be confident and outgoing thus far- to continue to demonstrate to the people here that I want to learn from them as much as I want to teach them. It was memorable and I don’t think I will ever forget that afternoon with the red “bun iea.”
Now I know that was a long story, but hopefully you enjoyed it. I want to tell you a couple more things. As for the volleyball game on Sunday (my first game with the locals and the day before my encounter with Dumber)- it went well. My team won. I was pretty nervous. I knew that I would be the spectacle. So of course once I stepped foot on the court, everyone cheered and clapped. Margaret, my coach and the wonderful woman who has been so helpful to me in translating and such, assured me that they were saying good things and cheering me on. I told some of the girls on my team that I was nervous – most of their responses were “Why?” Of course, these games don’t really mean anything and are just for entertainment and local competition. I had to explain to them how I was the one that was different, the one that everyone was watching. Then, I asked them if they would be nervous if they went to the US and played in front of all Americans. They quickly shook their heads yes and smiled, understanding now where I was coming from. All in all, it was good to sit among the locals- rather than within the group of “white people.” I still have to get used to some things, such as playing in a long skirt and not following the rotation I am used to. However, with all things said, I’m really excited for this opportunity.
Some other notes:
Since I last spoke to you, we have had 2 ambassadors visit Xavier. First, the US Ambassador to the FSM and just today, the Australian ambassador to Micronesia (includes Palau, FSM, and the Marshall Islands) visited. It is a huge deal to have the ambassadors come to Xavier. Not only does the director make it a huge deal, but the students interpret it as meeting a celebrity. Last week when the American ambassador visited, one of my advisees looked at me with a giggling giddy look and literally while fanning herself, said, “Oh my gosh, Ms. Stephanie, meeting the ambassador, that’s like a dream come true.” I smiled and let her be very happy. If only she knew how many ambassadors there are in the world and that they are pretty much just people like you and me. Anyways, walking out of the presentation today, one of my sophomores turns to me and goes, “I don’t want to be rude, but I think the American ambassador was better. She made us laugh, rather than just laughing at herself.” I just smiled and agreed.
As for classes, both of my Biology and Chemistry classes have taken their first quizzes. The averages were pretty average- some A’s, mostly B’s and C’s, and some D’s and F’s. However, I have since learned the biggest obstacle my students are facing right now is knowing how to take notes. While a lot of science is taught through experimentation and demonstration, it also includes lecture. And for the most part, the students here don’t know how to or just don’t take notes. If you write a word on the board, then immediately copy it into their notes, but distinguishing what is important is apparently extremely difficult. For the most part, they have had little experience with taking notes or creating outlines. Next task- to figure out how to improve this situation without babying them! So…to say the least I am respecting teachers a lot more now. They have to work hard! (Not that I ever doubted that, but it is a lot more than I ever realized). Right now, I have about 40 lab notebooks waiting to be graded, I feel as if I just finished the last batch of 30, and I have 30 more coming in tomorrow.
And I can’t leave you without mentioning on a smaller note….The nurse at Xavier and I think that I had heat exhaustion or the beginnings of such (extreme dehydration) yesterday. I know that’s not actually a smaller note, but a big one. I had been on the roof of the school for almost 4 periods of class for a chemistry lab. Well, another lesson learned – bring an umbrella next time! The roof is covered with a silver reflector that basically resembles what “crazy people who want skin cancer really bad” use at the beach to get an ultra-tan. So, my cure was a cold pack, LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of water, and sleep. I thought I had been drinking enough water…more next time. It wasn’t so fun that island power has been terrible lately which means no fan. We went a week without any and then only had half power (randomly selected, only half of outlets work). We have been told we will only have intermittent half power until November because of the budget, so we’ll see. I know that was a long blog…hope you made it through. Miss you. Love you. Talk soon.
Peace,
Steph
P.S. I woke up this morning with this thing on my face. The nurse thinks either I got bit by a roach (on my face!!! gross!!) or that it could be a boil…ugh! perks of Chuuk.
Me: “Burn ire”
Chuukese girl: “Bun ieea”
Me: “Burnn ieea”
Chuukese girl: “Bunnn ieea”
Me: “Bunnn ieea.”
That’s pretty much what it sounded like when a bunch of local girls tried to teach me how to say “flower” in Chuukese earlier this week. I was seemingly hopeless to mimic their accents, but none the less I tried my best, and the conversation ended with all of the kids giggling and wanting to teach me more words. It was excellent. The whole thirty minutes I spent with these kids probably left me feeling the happiest I have felt since I have been here. Learning the word for “flower” was only a very small piece of the experience. Let me tell you more.
It was Monday afternoon, the first afternoon I went running after participating in the local volleyball game (see below for more on it). I had already run through the village of Penia once and was headed back to Xavier. The kids threw a volleyball at me as I ran past them and in their minimal, broken, yet very enthusiastic, English said, “Stephanie, practice, practice.” The ball, which was literally falling to shreds, was more like a kickball than a volleyball. As I “peppered” with the kids for about 10 minutes, a group of older teenagers played a game in the street. The net was held across the street and if a car came through, they just lifted part of it so that the car could clear the net (Try to imagine this happening on the one main street of where you live with a bunch of little kids running all around. It still gets me). At one point when I was chasing the ball, I fell on a huge metal pipe that happened to be right next to the road, of course making a couple kids laugh and then later leaving a huge bruise on my butt. It’s always okay if I laugh with them so having a sense of humor helps. If you know me at all, you know I am used to falling. I wouldn’t have survived this long had I not developed a sense of humor around it, so I laughed also.
Then I saw one of the little boys that typically pesters me when I am running. He’s probably 4 and his name is Dumber (pronounced Dam-bear). He’s a little shrimp, but he has the personality of a “big kid” on the streets. I decided it would be a good time to actually try to “meet” him. So I walked up to him and tried to give him a high five (which I learned nobody does here and had to end up teaching some of the kids). Now that I was actually giving him attention, he ran away from me. Even though last week he was bold enough to pinch the back of my thigh as I ran by, he was all of a sudden the shy one. I ended up sitting down Indian style talking with some of the girls, ranging from age 10-early 20s. They are all really nice to me and somewhat look out for me. While I was sitting, Dumber came up and threw a flower at me. The girls around me got angry with him and said something to him that I didn’t understand. I put the flower in my hair and thanked him anyway. Then one of his side kicks came up and gave me another, which I also put in my hair. Now, Dumber wasn’t as scared of me anymore and nicely handed another one to me. I put this one at the top of my head and he laughed. With time, the mood seemed to lighten. While I am still a spectacle, I think that the people are slowly coming to see that I want to become a part of their community, rather than an outsider. In general, I think that the overall reputation of volunteers and students at Xavier is the opposite. The physical location of Xavier (on the top of Mabuchi hill in the “jungle” of Weno and away from the “downtown”) and the fact that it is for the most part an English only environment separates or isolates it a lot from the local community. Essentially, a large effort has to be made to overcome the obstacles of geographical space and language. Continuing on with the story…
As the sun was starting to set, I decided it was time to head back. Running up Mabuchi hill in the pitch black would not be fun. It’s not as if there are street lights even if the island power is on nor are they paved the way we are used to. Plus, while the locals knowing me by name is a positive for my personal safety, it’s still smarter to take precaution when I am alone. So I started to head back. Here comes the best part of the encounter. I had been running for about 20 seconds when I heard little screams behind me. I looked back and Dumber and his sidekick, Ansoor, were running toward me. “Stephanie! Stephanie!” I stopped and as they ran towards me, they both held out their hands to shake mine. I shook their hands, smiled, and said good bye. Now while it might not mean much to you to earn the respect of four year olds, I believe the encounter as a whole was symbolic of much more. I ran home at ease, listening to random calls from other neighbors, “Good morning, Stephanie,” (Yes, good morning at sunset…It makes me smile also.) It is not easy to enter into a place where you are the stranger. Although you may be educated or “American,” you are not familiar with Chuukese life or the culture and language of Weno. If I have to say one thing, this experience has challenged me to be confident and outgoing thus far- to continue to demonstrate to the people here that I want to learn from them as much as I want to teach them. It was memorable and I don’t think I will ever forget that afternoon with the red “bun iea.”
Now I know that was a long story, but hopefully you enjoyed it. I want to tell you a couple more things. As for the volleyball game on Sunday (my first game with the locals and the day before my encounter with Dumber)- it went well. My team won. I was pretty nervous. I knew that I would be the spectacle. So of course once I stepped foot on the court, everyone cheered and clapped. Margaret, my coach and the wonderful woman who has been so helpful to me in translating and such, assured me that they were saying good things and cheering me on. I told some of the girls on my team that I was nervous – most of their responses were “Why?” Of course, these games don’t really mean anything and are just for entertainment and local competition. I had to explain to them how I was the one that was different, the one that everyone was watching. Then, I asked them if they would be nervous if they went to the US and played in front of all Americans. They quickly shook their heads yes and smiled, understanding now where I was coming from. All in all, it was good to sit among the locals- rather than within the group of “white people.” I still have to get used to some things, such as playing in a long skirt and not following the rotation I am used to. However, with all things said, I’m really excited for this opportunity.
Some other notes:
Since I last spoke to you, we have had 2 ambassadors visit Xavier. First, the US Ambassador to the FSM and just today, the Australian ambassador to Micronesia (includes Palau, FSM, and the Marshall Islands) visited. It is a huge deal to have the ambassadors come to Xavier. Not only does the director make it a huge deal, but the students interpret it as meeting a celebrity. Last week when the American ambassador visited, one of my advisees looked at me with a giggling giddy look and literally while fanning herself, said, “Oh my gosh, Ms. Stephanie, meeting the ambassador, that’s like a dream come true.” I smiled and let her be very happy. If only she knew how many ambassadors there are in the world and that they are pretty much just people like you and me. Anyways, walking out of the presentation today, one of my sophomores turns to me and goes, “I don’t want to be rude, but I think the American ambassador was better. She made us laugh, rather than just laughing at herself.” I just smiled and agreed.
As for classes, both of my Biology and Chemistry classes have taken their first quizzes. The averages were pretty average- some A’s, mostly B’s and C’s, and some D’s and F’s. However, I have since learned the biggest obstacle my students are facing right now is knowing how to take notes. While a lot of science is taught through experimentation and demonstration, it also includes lecture. And for the most part, the students here don’t know how to or just don’t take notes. If you write a word on the board, then immediately copy it into their notes, but distinguishing what is important is apparently extremely difficult. For the most part, they have had little experience with taking notes or creating outlines. Next task- to figure out how to improve this situation without babying them! So…to say the least I am respecting teachers a lot more now. They have to work hard! (Not that I ever doubted that, but it is a lot more than I ever realized). Right now, I have about 40 lab notebooks waiting to be graded, I feel as if I just finished the last batch of 30, and I have 30 more coming in tomorrow.
And I can’t leave you without mentioning on a smaller note….The nurse at Xavier and I think that I had heat exhaustion or the beginnings of such (extreme dehydration) yesterday. I know that’s not actually a smaller note, but a big one. I had been on the roof of the school for almost 4 periods of class for a chemistry lab. Well, another lesson learned – bring an umbrella next time! The roof is covered with a silver reflector that basically resembles what “crazy people who want skin cancer really bad” use at the beach to get an ultra-tan. So, my cure was a cold pack, LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of water, and sleep. I thought I had been drinking enough water…more next time. It wasn’t so fun that island power has been terrible lately which means no fan. We went a week without any and then only had half power (randomly selected, only half of outlets work). We have been told we will only have intermittent half power until November because of the budget, so we’ll see. I know that was a long blog…hope you made it through. Miss you. Love you. Talk soon.
Peace,
Steph
P.S. I woke up this morning with this thing on my face. The nurse thinks either I got bit by a roach (on my face!!! gross!!) or that it could be a boil…ugh! perks of Chuuk.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
One week of teaching down …topped off by rainy weekend camping
What sounds better than a successful first week of class topped off by a weekend of camping? Not much. I was actually surprised how smoothly the first week of classes went. I’ve learned about three-fourths of the students’ names and am having much more fun teaching than I thought I would. Learning names isn’t as easy here as you would think. I’m typically good with names, but here students go by names that are radically different than what might be written on the roster. And when you ask them to repeat their names because you can’t understand them or move closer to hear them better, their voices get softer. Crazy phenomenon that makes all the teachers laugh somewhat. It’s almost as if they get embarrassed to say their names. I teach 2 sections of sophomore biology and 2 sections of junior chemistry. It seems that my first class everyday is a dry run – everything gets a little smoother after it, but at least the students in my first class are pretty enthusiastic. My juniors seem much more reserved, at least thus far. Plus there are fewer of them.
What better luck than to have the school generator break on the first day of school! So while Xavier is usually fortunate to have power at least during the school day, it didn’t for the first 2 days. My class room got pretty dark when it started raining. Nobody could read the chalkboard- which I barely use anyway since it doesn’t work very well. All of its surfacing has chipped off so the chalk doesn’t stay on the board. It’s a lost cause for the most part. It’s supposed to get replaced soon- but that just means it’s on a long list of future repairs and improvements. We’ll see. At least it forces me to branch out and come up with more creative ways to teach. My students are pretty eager to learn and well behaved (at least so far – I’m still new to them so hopefully I’m setting good classroom management boundaries now); however, they work much more slowly than students that would be 10th or 11th graders in the US. They also seem to struggle with basic problem solving and critical thinking skills. We are working to improve on those. I am using a textbook for both my classes. The Biology book is pretty good and updated. The Chemistry book is pretty decrepit. It seems that almost half of the books – my teacher editions included- are falling apart or missing whole chapters. So the students here are very accustomed to sharing books and it helps that the boys are boarders.
Yesterday was pretty notable for my days thus far in Chuuk. 1. It was my 1-month anniversary of my arrival! 2. I started playing volleyball with the locals. 3. I went hiking to Witipong (a nearby village) and went camping.
Now, as for volleyball, I really enjoyed it. I broke out of the Xavier bubble a little and walked down to the nearby village of Penias. The woman, Margaret, who invited me to play, is a first grade teacher at a local catholic school and she speaks pretty good English. I met her because I run through that village a lot and one day when I was wearing my old volleyball shirt, I go the courage to ask if I could join sometime. So the people only know me as the strange American who runs through the street everyday. Remember running to run is such a foreign concept here. She told me that the kids were very excited when I asked to play and asked her if I playing in the NBA or the National US Volleyball team. That made me laugh! For one, if you have ever seen me play basketball, I’m pretty terrible and for two, how are the NBA and me wanting to play volleyball in any way related. Well, I played for about an hour and a half before I had to go back to get ready for camping. It was a lot of fun, even though most of the time I didn’t know what people were saying to me. My Chuukese is coming along little by little and hopefully this will help. The court they play on would be the cause of hundreds of lawsuits in America. There are rocks – huge rocks- all over it, and since the net is tied up to coconut trees, they provide a good obstacle to dodge as well. Not to mention it is a couple feet from the lagoon so every once and a while you have to fetch the ball from the water with huge coconut leaves. At the end, Margaret cut me open a fresh coconut- a hospitality and peace offering here- and talked to me about how this will be good for everyone. I will be seen as their friend soon, rather than “the American,” and as Margaret said, “At least in Penia, people will not want to bother me.” Also, I can help them with their English as I learn Chuukese.
After volleyball, a group of us volunteers hiked to Witipong. It was about an hour and a half hike. Pretty rugged too. The machetes came in handy as we tried to truck through way-overgrown grass and shrubs that were probably a couple of feet taller than me, etc. It got even more interesting when we got to a mini-cliff we had to climb. We all made it up and back safely- but it was pretty slippery – and I did not enjoy that part of it. Although very physically uncomfortable, it was a fun night. The sun went down at 6ish like clock work and then 3 of the male volunteers built a mini-fire with the few pieces of dry wood they could find, while the rest of us broke open the peanut butter and tuna sandwiches. Not soon after the sun went down, the gray clouds rolled over. Perks of Chuuk! It rained the whole night! We came with a couple of mats and some of us had rain jackets, but for the most part we were highly unprepared. And even rain jackets can only withstand so much. So by midnight everyone was soaked. I would have never thought I would have been this cold in Chuuk, not mention within the first month of being here, but I was shivering the whole night. We counted down the hours until the sun would rise so we could start warming up and head back. Luckily the good humor and spirits of everyone kept the night entertaining. Some of the second year volunteers were just happy to be away from Xavier on the annual “Capture the Flag” night, where the boys lather themselves with coconut oil and try to scare the freshmen. Unfortunately, we could still hear their screams and laughs all the way from Witipong. Every time the rain would start, most of us would laugh followed by an uncomfortable groan. God must have been laughing at us. When we first got to the top of the mountain, we all thought that sleeping straight on boulders would be the most uncomfortable part of the night, but oh! We were so wrong. So while a couple of people took shrubs and literally built themselves a nest to sleep on, by sunrise, we were all cuddled together in an attempt to get each other’s body heat to warm us up.
At 5am, we all started hiking back to Xavier. It was a much quicker hike back since it was all down hill. I took some more beautiful photos of Chuuk. It was a new view of Weno- tall grasses and palm trees that almost remind me of Africa (except for when you look to either side you see the lagoon of endless water), some more Japanese artillery abandoned among the grasses, tapioca plants, etc. By the time I got back I was drenched and covered in mud from slowly sliding down the cliff we climbed to get there. I had small paper-cut-like-cuts from the grass all over my legs and heads. And about 100 meters from my house I slipped in a huge pile of rotten breadfruit! Disgusting! Rotten breadfruit may be something none of you ever experience, but it is gross. Just take my word for it.
So while I was supposed to make it down to Penia for the weekly volleyball games, I was too exhausted this week. I had my first official Chuukese lesson instead and planned for classes. All is well and I hope to hear from you all soon.
Take care.
-Steph
What better luck than to have the school generator break on the first day of school! So while Xavier is usually fortunate to have power at least during the school day, it didn’t for the first 2 days. My class room got pretty dark when it started raining. Nobody could read the chalkboard- which I barely use anyway since it doesn’t work very well. All of its surfacing has chipped off so the chalk doesn’t stay on the board. It’s a lost cause for the most part. It’s supposed to get replaced soon- but that just means it’s on a long list of future repairs and improvements. We’ll see. At least it forces me to branch out and come up with more creative ways to teach. My students are pretty eager to learn and well behaved (at least so far – I’m still new to them so hopefully I’m setting good classroom management boundaries now); however, they work much more slowly than students that would be 10th or 11th graders in the US. They also seem to struggle with basic problem solving and critical thinking skills. We are working to improve on those. I am using a textbook for both my classes. The Biology book is pretty good and updated. The Chemistry book is pretty decrepit. It seems that almost half of the books – my teacher editions included- are falling apart or missing whole chapters. So the students here are very accustomed to sharing books and it helps that the boys are boarders.
Yesterday was pretty notable for my days thus far in Chuuk. 1. It was my 1-month anniversary of my arrival! 2. I started playing volleyball with the locals. 3. I went hiking to Witipong (a nearby village) and went camping.
Now, as for volleyball, I really enjoyed it. I broke out of the Xavier bubble a little and walked down to the nearby village of Penias. The woman, Margaret, who invited me to play, is a first grade teacher at a local catholic school and she speaks pretty good English. I met her because I run through that village a lot and one day when I was wearing my old volleyball shirt, I go the courage to ask if I could join sometime. So the people only know me as the strange American who runs through the street everyday. Remember running to run is such a foreign concept here. She told me that the kids were very excited when I asked to play and asked her if I playing in the NBA or the National US Volleyball team. That made me laugh! For one, if you have ever seen me play basketball, I’m pretty terrible and for two, how are the NBA and me wanting to play volleyball in any way related. Well, I played for about an hour and a half before I had to go back to get ready for camping. It was a lot of fun, even though most of the time I didn’t know what people were saying to me. My Chuukese is coming along little by little and hopefully this will help. The court they play on would be the cause of hundreds of lawsuits in America. There are rocks – huge rocks- all over it, and since the net is tied up to coconut trees, they provide a good obstacle to dodge as well. Not to mention it is a couple feet from the lagoon so every once and a while you have to fetch the ball from the water with huge coconut leaves. At the end, Margaret cut me open a fresh coconut- a hospitality and peace offering here- and talked to me about how this will be good for everyone. I will be seen as their friend soon, rather than “the American,” and as Margaret said, “At least in Penia, people will not want to bother me.” Also, I can help them with their English as I learn Chuukese.
After volleyball, a group of us volunteers hiked to Witipong. It was about an hour and a half hike. Pretty rugged too. The machetes came in handy as we tried to truck through way-overgrown grass and shrubs that were probably a couple of feet taller than me, etc. It got even more interesting when we got to a mini-cliff we had to climb. We all made it up and back safely- but it was pretty slippery – and I did not enjoy that part of it. Although very physically uncomfortable, it was a fun night. The sun went down at 6ish like clock work and then 3 of the male volunteers built a mini-fire with the few pieces of dry wood they could find, while the rest of us broke open the peanut butter and tuna sandwiches. Not soon after the sun went down, the gray clouds rolled over. Perks of Chuuk! It rained the whole night! We came with a couple of mats and some of us had rain jackets, but for the most part we were highly unprepared. And even rain jackets can only withstand so much. So by midnight everyone was soaked. I would have never thought I would have been this cold in Chuuk, not mention within the first month of being here, but I was shivering the whole night. We counted down the hours until the sun would rise so we could start warming up and head back. Luckily the good humor and spirits of everyone kept the night entertaining. Some of the second year volunteers were just happy to be away from Xavier on the annual “Capture the Flag” night, where the boys lather themselves with coconut oil and try to scare the freshmen. Unfortunately, we could still hear their screams and laughs all the way from Witipong. Every time the rain would start, most of us would laugh followed by an uncomfortable groan. God must have been laughing at us. When we first got to the top of the mountain, we all thought that sleeping straight on boulders would be the most uncomfortable part of the night, but oh! We were so wrong. So while a couple of people took shrubs and literally built themselves a nest to sleep on, by sunrise, we were all cuddled together in an attempt to get each other’s body heat to warm us up.
At 5am, we all started hiking back to Xavier. It was a much quicker hike back since it was all down hill. I took some more beautiful photos of Chuuk. It was a new view of Weno- tall grasses and palm trees that almost remind me of Africa (except for when you look to either side you see the lagoon of endless water), some more Japanese artillery abandoned among the grasses, tapioca plants, etc. By the time I got back I was drenched and covered in mud from slowly sliding down the cliff we climbed to get there. I had small paper-cut-like-cuts from the grass all over my legs and heads. And about 100 meters from my house I slipped in a huge pile of rotten breadfruit! Disgusting! Rotten breadfruit may be something none of you ever experience, but it is gross. Just take my word for it.
So while I was supposed to make it down to Penia for the weekly volleyball games, I was too exhausted this week. I had my first official Chuukese lesson instead and planned for classes. All is well and I hope to hear from you all soon.
Take care.
-Steph
Friday, August 29, 2008
Cake Pancakes!!
So it’s been a while since I last wrote to everyone. It’s been a fun couple of weeks between my birthday celebrations, hula dancing shows, touring the Mercy Ship, getting ready for new students to arrive, etc.
Last Friday night (weekend before my birthday) we went down to Saramen Chuuk (the other JVI site in Chuuk) and celebrated my birthday, along with two other volunteers’ birthdays. Ellen, Katie, and Meg made delicious chocolate chip cookie cake and the birthday trio wore silly party hats we found at the grocery store for 25 cents. I picked out the Little Mermaid hat – I felt like I was seven again. I ended up sleeping at Saramen that night even though the rest of my crew went back and I’m glad I stayed. We went to brunch the next morning and then hung out, playing hearts and this crazy board game called Settlers of Catan. Even though I like all the workers and volunteers up at Xavier, it’s nice to get off the Xavier campus, see new faces, and hang out with other volunteers sometimes. As well as, the meal routine at Xavier quickly becomes routine, so brunch was nice.
To get back up to Xavier, I walked about a mile and a half to the airport to meet up with the Xavier truck picking up incoming students. After a couple minutes I noticed that I was seeing way more white people than I normally see walking down the street in Chuuk, and then I remembered the US Naval Mercy Ship had docked the day before. I talked to a couple of the Navy people and we scheduled a tour day the following week. So on Wednesday I got to tour the ship. Definitely the biggest ship I have ever stepped foot on. It was pretty cool to see. It is a converted oil tanker- now a hospital that usually tends to casualties but it currently doing a humanitarian effort in the Pacific after being denied by Myanmar. Since the beginning of June, the ship has performed a little over 900 surgeries in multiple countries in the Pacific. It has pretty new technology from what I could see and uses sea water for steam power and drinking water (purified first of course). 2 of the Xavier students actually volunteered on the ship as translators for the doctors.
Last Saturday I watched my first hula show. These girls can shake their hips! The show had about 6 women and then a little girl maybe age 4. She was lost the whole time and not very good at shaking her hips yet, but already in training. Pictures to come.
Well, as for my actual birthday- It was relaxing. I had 2 teaching workshops, ran, and then celebrated with the rest of the staff here. Now, there’s nothing like a welcome to Chuuk than cake pancakes! Yup, you heard me right. Not surprisingly the propane didn’t work to light the oven so we couldn’t bake a cake. Instead Katie had the ingenious idea of making the cake mix into pancakes. So I got to blow out candles on top of a giant stack of pancakes. I think that will make for an unforgettable birthday. They were actually delicious- topped with icing, ice cream, and chocolate syrup. You all should try it sometime if you want an unhealthy alternative to your breakfast pancakes. I.P. (Island Power) blessed me that day because it stayed on all night, making watching a movie possible, and having my fan on through the entire night! I think that was the first night that happened since I have been here so that was a tremendous gift. I didn’t wake up dripping in sweat. So while, my birthday might have been a little more chill than my 21st, the staff made me feel loved!
Switching topics a little- I want to talk about running here. You would think it would quickly become mundane being able to only run on the same road to and from Xavier every day. Well, to say the least every day brings something new and interesting – whether it be harassment from men, being offered a coconut or water along the way, smiles and laughter from children who try to have conversations with you that you don’t understand at all, being asked my name by every 3rd child I pass, finding my name spelled in water in the ground, or what has happened lately, having Chuukese people tag along while I run so that by some point in my run I have anywhere between 2 and 8 kids following behind. People don’t just run to run here so the locals think I am crazy. So now I have a little running team going. Yesterday after my run I had 3 girls – maybe ages 8, 14, and 22- ask me if they could continue to run with me. Of course I said yes. There isn’t much to promote health here, especially for females, so I think it will be a good avenue to connect with them. While I was running yesterday, I talked to the girls about how it is healthy and good for their bodies. Louisa, who is probably 15 or 16 understands me pretty well, and translates to the younger kids. The 8 yr old impressed me the most. While I ran about 4 miles, and probably only had the girls with me for about half the run, the youngest kept up the whole time. What’s even more amazing is that they all run either barefoot or in sandals. We worry about not having enough treed on our running shoes in America - we wouldn’t think to go out for a run barefoot.
Now I’m just putting on the finishing touches to my office, classroom, and planner before the school year starts. I put up 2 bulletin boards in my classroom yesterday and then several others around campus. Hopefully they will be respected for the majority of the year. From the looks of the ones I took down from last year, they are a prime spot to tag “So and so was here,” etc. I tried to put up laminated posters instead of paper as much as I could in my classroom to deter such, but we’ll see.
Today, the Navy band is playing downtown and the ex-pats are meeting at the Oriental restaurant so we will go “downtown” for that. All is well, but missing everyone. Keep in touch.
-Steph
Last Friday night (weekend before my birthday) we went down to Saramen Chuuk (the other JVI site in Chuuk) and celebrated my birthday, along with two other volunteers’ birthdays. Ellen, Katie, and Meg made delicious chocolate chip cookie cake and the birthday trio wore silly party hats we found at the grocery store for 25 cents. I picked out the Little Mermaid hat – I felt like I was seven again. I ended up sleeping at Saramen that night even though the rest of my crew went back and I’m glad I stayed. We went to brunch the next morning and then hung out, playing hearts and this crazy board game called Settlers of Catan. Even though I like all the workers and volunteers up at Xavier, it’s nice to get off the Xavier campus, see new faces, and hang out with other volunteers sometimes. As well as, the meal routine at Xavier quickly becomes routine, so brunch was nice.
To get back up to Xavier, I walked about a mile and a half to the airport to meet up with the Xavier truck picking up incoming students. After a couple minutes I noticed that I was seeing way more white people than I normally see walking down the street in Chuuk, and then I remembered the US Naval Mercy Ship had docked the day before. I talked to a couple of the Navy people and we scheduled a tour day the following week. So on Wednesday I got to tour the ship. Definitely the biggest ship I have ever stepped foot on. It was pretty cool to see. It is a converted oil tanker- now a hospital that usually tends to casualties but it currently doing a humanitarian effort in the Pacific after being denied by Myanmar. Since the beginning of June, the ship has performed a little over 900 surgeries in multiple countries in the Pacific. It has pretty new technology from what I could see and uses sea water for steam power and drinking water (purified first of course). 2 of the Xavier students actually volunteered on the ship as translators for the doctors.
Last Saturday I watched my first hula show. These girls can shake their hips! The show had about 6 women and then a little girl maybe age 4. She was lost the whole time and not very good at shaking her hips yet, but already in training. Pictures to come.
Well, as for my actual birthday- It was relaxing. I had 2 teaching workshops, ran, and then celebrated with the rest of the staff here. Now, there’s nothing like a welcome to Chuuk than cake pancakes! Yup, you heard me right. Not surprisingly the propane didn’t work to light the oven so we couldn’t bake a cake. Instead Katie had the ingenious idea of making the cake mix into pancakes. So I got to blow out candles on top of a giant stack of pancakes. I think that will make for an unforgettable birthday. They were actually delicious- topped with icing, ice cream, and chocolate syrup. You all should try it sometime if you want an unhealthy alternative to your breakfast pancakes. I.P. (Island Power) blessed me that day because it stayed on all night, making watching a movie possible, and having my fan on through the entire night! I think that was the first night that happened since I have been here so that was a tremendous gift. I didn’t wake up dripping in sweat. So while, my birthday might have been a little more chill than my 21st, the staff made me feel loved!
Switching topics a little- I want to talk about running here. You would think it would quickly become mundane being able to only run on the same road to and from Xavier every day. Well, to say the least every day brings something new and interesting – whether it be harassment from men, being offered a coconut or water along the way, smiles and laughter from children who try to have conversations with you that you don’t understand at all, being asked my name by every 3rd child I pass, finding my name spelled in water in the ground, or what has happened lately, having Chuukese people tag along while I run so that by some point in my run I have anywhere between 2 and 8 kids following behind. People don’t just run to run here so the locals think I am crazy. So now I have a little running team going. Yesterday after my run I had 3 girls – maybe ages 8, 14, and 22- ask me if they could continue to run with me. Of course I said yes. There isn’t much to promote health here, especially for females, so I think it will be a good avenue to connect with them. While I was running yesterday, I talked to the girls about how it is healthy and good for their bodies. Louisa, who is probably 15 or 16 understands me pretty well, and translates to the younger kids. The 8 yr old impressed me the most. While I ran about 4 miles, and probably only had the girls with me for about half the run, the youngest kept up the whole time. What’s even more amazing is that they all run either barefoot or in sandals. We worry about not having enough treed on our running shoes in America - we wouldn’t think to go out for a run barefoot.
Now I’m just putting on the finishing touches to my office, classroom, and planner before the school year starts. I put up 2 bulletin boards in my classroom yesterday and then several others around campus. Hopefully they will be respected for the majority of the year. From the looks of the ones I took down from last year, they are a prime spot to tag “So and so was here,” etc. I tried to put up laminated posters instead of paper as much as I could in my classroom to deter such, but we’ll see.
Today, the Navy band is playing downtown and the ex-pats are meeting at the Oriental restaurant so we will go “downtown” for that. All is well, but missing everyone. Keep in touch.
-Steph
Monday, August 18, 2008
13-mile Walk
So, this past weekend was pretty awesome. On Friday, a couple of us hiked about 4 miles to the top of the Japanese lighthouse. It was incredible! Check out the pictures! Breath taking for sure. Well, we attract attention wherever we go because we are not Chuukese. So while climbing the lighthouse, we gained a following of about 12 Chuukese kids. These kids are fearless. Now, I'm slightly scared of heights so as I climbed up the shaky ladder that led to the top I was a little nervous. Chuukese kids- they hang off the sides of the lighthouse- dropping about 10 feet to the lower levels. They also would jump into the center area without any qualms. I guess these kids do climb coconut trees on the daily, but the whole time I just kept thinking how bad it would be if one of them fell. It was fun to play around with them. Learning our names is the most exciting activity for them, which means when they see us on the road next, they can scream it out as if they really know us.
Then, on Saturday we decided to walk around the whole island for entertainment. Its about 13 miles. We had great intentions and woke up at 6am but didn't really head out until about 7:15. Katie really wanted to be able to make it to Blue Lagoon- the nicest resort on the island mostly reserved for foreign divers- for banana pancakes before they stopped serving them at 11am. Blue Lagoon was at about the 9 mile mark. Pretty much the whole island was up and cheering at 7:30. The 1-mile marathon relays were going on- actually they had just finished. By 7am here, it is hot! So we walked along the streets saying "Nosoor annim" (Good Morning) to just about everyone we passed. It's customary here. So is asking people "Where are you going?" Traveling is such a strange concept here because people mostly stay in their village unless they need something from the "downtown." And our response being we are walking around the whole island left people even more puzzled, but that's okay. That would never happen in the crowded streets of the US, but it send a cheerful vibe so I don't mind it.
It was a good opportunity for me to take pictures outside of a bumping moving vehicle. I saw several cool things along the walk- Chuukese apples (see picture), a kid about 35 feet high climbing a coconut tree, a swing set up on the side of a mountain, a coconut tree growing out of a coconut, and a shark! Yup, we saw a shark. It was small and only about 10-15 feet off the shoreline. A little frightening, but still really cool. I found a couple of sand dollars and met these 3 kids that helped guide us through the backside of the island- which is considered the "jungle" area of Weno. Since communication is pretty hard still, we drew in the sand and taught each other our names. You could tell that the kids really enjoyed hanging out with us even though we barely spoke. The sad part of the day was we didn't make it to Blue Lagoon for the banana pancakes so Katie was upset for a couple of minutes. But lunch was still delicious. We actually made it there by 10:45am but they had started lunch early that day.
By the 13th mile we were all pretty exhausted. We pretty much came back and collapsed. But it was well worth the walk. Now, I mentioned pictures several times. I finally uploaded about 80 photos- however, I couldn't figure out how to think them to my blog through snapfish yet. So I sent out an email to most of the addresses I had (I have more to add, I know since my journal with the rest of them was back at my room). If you would like to be added to the list, just shoot me a comment that you are interested with your email address.
Hope all is going well with everyone. Today we started meetings for school and are continuing to clean out the classrooms. Good luck to everyone starting school in the next week or so. Talk soon.
-Steph
Then, on Saturday we decided to walk around the whole island for entertainment. Its about 13 miles. We had great intentions and woke up at 6am but didn't really head out until about 7:15. Katie really wanted to be able to make it to Blue Lagoon- the nicest resort on the island mostly reserved for foreign divers- for banana pancakes before they stopped serving them at 11am. Blue Lagoon was at about the 9 mile mark. Pretty much the whole island was up and cheering at 7:30. The 1-mile marathon relays were going on- actually they had just finished. By 7am here, it is hot! So we walked along the streets saying "Nosoor annim" (Good Morning) to just about everyone we passed. It's customary here. So is asking people "Where are you going?" Traveling is such a strange concept here because people mostly stay in their village unless they need something from the "downtown." And our response being we are walking around the whole island left people even more puzzled, but that's okay. That would never happen in the crowded streets of the US, but it send a cheerful vibe so I don't mind it.
It was a good opportunity for me to take pictures outside of a bumping moving vehicle. I saw several cool things along the walk- Chuukese apples (see picture), a kid about 35 feet high climbing a coconut tree, a swing set up on the side of a mountain, a coconut tree growing out of a coconut, and a shark! Yup, we saw a shark. It was small and only about 10-15 feet off the shoreline. A little frightening, but still really cool. I found a couple of sand dollars and met these 3 kids that helped guide us through the backside of the island- which is considered the "jungle" area of Weno. Since communication is pretty hard still, we drew in the sand and taught each other our names. You could tell that the kids really enjoyed hanging out with us even though we barely spoke. The sad part of the day was we didn't make it to Blue Lagoon for the banana pancakes so Katie was upset for a couple of minutes. But lunch was still delicious. We actually made it there by 10:45am but they had started lunch early that day.
By the 13th mile we were all pretty exhausted. We pretty much came back and collapsed. But it was well worth the walk. Now, I mentioned pictures several times. I finally uploaded about 80 photos- however, I couldn't figure out how to think them to my blog through snapfish yet. So I sent out an email to most of the addresses I had (I have more to add, I know since my journal with the rest of them was back at my room). If you would like to be added to the list, just shoot me a comment that you are interested with your email address.
Hope all is going well with everyone. Today we started meetings for school and are continuing to clean out the classrooms. Good luck to everyone starting school in the next week or so. Talk soon.
-Steph
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