My host father brought me to his police station today, to use the internet -- big step up from the bus stop wireless I used last week. I have now spent more time in Pohnpei than I have left here. It may only be a matter of weeks (quite a small chunk of the two plus years ahead), but it still seems pretty wild. The time spent here has been great and a really smooth transition into a new culture.
A week from yesterday (Saturday for me, Friday for most of you), I'll be heading out to Yap -- the western-most state of the FSM. The following six weeks will be spent on the main island of Yap, and my training will focus on learning the language, some acculturation stuff specific to Yap and teaching skills. Once that month and a half is done, I'm moving on to Woleai! It's an outer island atoll of Yap, very traditional, and I'll be wearing a loin cloth, which I'm sure many of you will get a kick out of (don't worry, I'll post the photos).
Other than site placement day and some more training, not a lot went down during this past week. A fellow volunteer (Mike) did teach my host father some Brazilian jujitsu moves on Monday night, though. Things picked up Friday night with a party at my house. Mike and Matt came over with their families, as well as many relatives of my host family (I'm starting to think they're related to everyone in Pohnpei). We drank sakau, ate barbecued chicken, and played music all night long. I even got to help with the pounding of the kava roots (the plant sakau comes from). It was a great night - spent most of Saturday recovering. Also on Saturday, we hiked up the ridge to see some big guns left by the Japanese after WWII. They're HUGE! Today we went to church and looks like that's about all that's going on, aside from this internet trip.
Well, my battery is dying and I didn't bring the power chord. So check back later and maybe I'll have the photos from this week posted. You stay classy, Planet Earth.
P.S. Oh yeah, I meant to mention that once I make it to Woleai, there won't be any internet connection. So, this blog will only get updated every few months (when I head to the main island for training or resource trips). Sorry if that loses some of you, but the best thing for you to do at that point is start sending me letters - big props to Kc, Katie, and Jo for having started that revolution. Your letters are greatly appreciated!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Site Placement Day!
Today (Sept. 16th) was site placement day, and I know where I'm going! Country – FSM, State - Yap, outer island atoll - Woleai. It's amazing, and I'll tell more about it soon, hopefully. This has been an amazing day, amazing week, amazing month. Wow, so amazing. Thank you for checking up on me, all. I really appreciate being able to share this experience with you. A note on my photos, I have a super slow connection, so I couldn't order/arrange them the way I wanted. They pretty much go in opposite order of what I wanted. Sorry. Anyhow, quick explanation - the photos follow my journey from LA to Honolulu, to Kosrae to Kolonia, Pohnpei to Madolenihmw, Pohnpei and then there are photos from Nan Madol (old, kickin' ruins). Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A week has passed.
Well, it's 9:30pm here in Pohnpei, FSM on Sunday the 13th and 4:30am in Boise – part of the few hours during which we get to share the same date. Soon I'll be a day ahead. I've finished my first week of training and am winding down my first weekend with my host family. We landed in Kolonia a week ago yesterday. So I'm onto the second week of island living. It's been amazing, absolutely amazing.
I don't want to overload this page with endless description of all that's transpired over the past week. Let's keep it short, sweet and possibly worth reading. The group spent a couple of days in Kolonia, had some orientation meetings, interviews for medical stuff and placement stuff, met a few current volunteers, and got to know the lay of the land just a little bit. Highlights include being met at the airport by Jo, watching Pohnpean little league baseball, walking with Jo to her classroom and BSing like we were back in P-town, nearly being late for my placement interview and having the gals I was eating breakfast with send me off carrying an egg sandwich that I ate while running to the Peace Corps office, and hanging out with a group of my fellow trainees shooting the breeze and playing cards, frisbee, soccer, chess and volleyball. I am such a huge fan of the people in this group. Side note: for those of you who don't know her, Jo is a really good friend of mine from Portland who is with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps International and serving in Kolonia – it's unbelievable that we ended up in the same part of the world, even more so to have seen her when I landed. I can't imagine another person I would rather have here as a source of information on what life is like in the islands, how teaching is and what I should prepare for.
We left Kolonia and headed to Madolenihmw (Mad-o-lo-neem) to meet the families that would be hosting us for the next three weeks. I've been taken in by Robert and Lorna Gallen (totally the names you were expecting, huh?). They live with Robert's sister Grace and her husband Rolence. Both couples have three kids and everyone is wonderful. Great people, all of them, and they're taking really good care of me. We live in the middle of the jungle – no shit. I walk to and from training on an old Japanese military road from WWII. Takes me about 45 minutes each way.
We train all morning and afternoon. I exercise beforehand with a handful of other trainees and tend to play cards afterwards for a little while. Training can be a little on the dry side, but it's good stuff and I really appreciate the effort put in by the training staff. They're doing a bang up job (brownie points, check). Honestly, as Matt (a buddy in the training class) and I agreed this past Friday night while drinking sakau (local intoxicating beverage made from pounding the roots of the kava plant and mixing the mush with water, squeezed through wet hibiscus bark), you couldn't pay us to be anywhere else right now. I LOVE what I'm doing, I love the people, I love the place. I'm living the dream, truly living it. Highlights from Madolenihmw, to date: drinking sakau and chewing bettle nut my first night with the family (our safety and security officer told us to avoid both), getting lost on my way home the first day, walking home with Matt, Ruthanne, Mike and Kirby, talking with Robert in the evenings, playing cribbage with Ruthanne and Mollie in the afternoons after training, volleyball Friday afternoon, drinking with Matt and his host family that night, watching a local play and chatting with Lauren afterwards on Saturday, and going to the local ruins – Nan Madol – with my host cousin Larry and host brother Curtis and swimming with Matt, Mollie, Kanani, and Gita today.
Alright, enough. Here are some photos that I feel sum up my experience (photos coming soon).
I don't want to overload this page with endless description of all that's transpired over the past week. Let's keep it short, sweet and possibly worth reading. The group spent a couple of days in Kolonia, had some orientation meetings, interviews for medical stuff and placement stuff, met a few current volunteers, and got to know the lay of the land just a little bit. Highlights include being met at the airport by Jo, watching Pohnpean little league baseball, walking with Jo to her classroom and BSing like we were back in P-town, nearly being late for my placement interview and having the gals I was eating breakfast with send me off carrying an egg sandwich that I ate while running to the Peace Corps office, and hanging out with a group of my fellow trainees shooting the breeze and playing cards, frisbee, soccer, chess and volleyball. I am such a huge fan of the people in this group. Side note: for those of you who don't know her, Jo is a really good friend of mine from Portland who is with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps International and serving in Kolonia – it's unbelievable that we ended up in the same part of the world, even more so to have seen her when I landed. I can't imagine another person I would rather have here as a source of information on what life is like in the islands, how teaching is and what I should prepare for.
We left Kolonia and headed to Madolenihmw (Mad-o-lo-neem) to meet the families that would be hosting us for the next three weeks. I've been taken in by Robert and Lorna Gallen (totally the names you were expecting, huh?). They live with Robert's sister Grace and her husband Rolence. Both couples have three kids and everyone is wonderful. Great people, all of them, and they're taking really good care of me. We live in the middle of the jungle – no shit. I walk to and from training on an old Japanese military road from WWII. Takes me about 45 minutes each way.
We train all morning and afternoon. I exercise beforehand with a handful of other trainees and tend to play cards afterwards for a little while. Training can be a little on the dry side, but it's good stuff and I really appreciate the effort put in by the training staff. They're doing a bang up job (brownie points, check). Honestly, as Matt (a buddy in the training class) and I agreed this past Friday night while drinking sakau (local intoxicating beverage made from pounding the roots of the kava plant and mixing the mush with water, squeezed through wet hibiscus bark), you couldn't pay us to be anywhere else right now. I LOVE what I'm doing, I love the people, I love the place. I'm living the dream, truly living it. Highlights from Madolenihmw, to date: drinking sakau and chewing bettle nut my first night with the family (our safety and security officer told us to avoid both), getting lost on my way home the first day, walking home with Matt, Ruthanne, Mike and Kirby, talking with Robert in the evenings, playing cribbage with Ruthanne and Mollie in the afternoons after training, volleyball Friday afternoon, drinking with Matt and his host family that night, watching a local play and chatting with Lauren afterwards on Saturday, and going to the local ruins – Nan Madol – with my host cousin Larry and host brother Curtis and swimming with Matt, Mollie, Kanani, and Gita today.
Alright, enough. Here are some photos that I feel sum up my experience (photos coming soon).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
I have arrived!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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