International Development Volunteers Conference, Yap ‘10

The first night of IST II, my fellow PCV Eriks and I got together with a couple of volunteers from a international aid program of Japan’s that’s similar to Peace Corps, generally known as JICA (‘Jai-ka’) though different branches have different names. Anyhow, Kaz, Koji, Eriks and I all went over to Kaz’s apartment to hangout, have a few drinks and dinner. Kaz works with Youth Services in Yap, the office for which has a conference room where the Woleaian group had our language training back in October. I’d met Kaz there and gotten to know him a bit. I’d usually show up to the office first and Kaz would show up a short while later; we’d chat until his supervisor and the folks from my group showed up. Koji met most of the people from my group and myself one night during the first training we’d been called in for when the Peace Corps and JICA groups got together for dinner.

Eriks and I had run into Kaz earlier in the week and made plans to get together, and he told us he’d invite Koji as well. On Thursday, Eriks and I met Koji at the Youth Services center to wait for Kaz, so he could show us to his place. A slightly confusing thirty minutes ensued wherein Koji would call or text message Kaz asking how we should get to his apartment, and Kaz would give answers that simply seemed to befuddle Koji. It was not at all a wasted time, though. I hadn’t really spent much time with Koji prior to that point, but by the end of the curious half hour, I knew I liked him. He’s just damn funny, no other way to put it, and he’s the type that’s funny without meaning to be. At least he doesn’t seem to try at all. He had a few one-liners that had Eriks and I chuckling heartily before we made it to Kaz’s.

Once we got to Kaz’s apartment, the typical small talk ensued, “How’ve you been?” “I really dig your place!” “Where should we put this stuff (drinks we’d brought)?” That was followed by the four of us sitting down at the dinner/coffee table with beer in hand, and I’m not going to mislead you here, it was a little awkward for a bit. I think that was the moment when each of the two-somes realized they didn’t really know the other very well. Add into the mix the cross-cultural component and the small bag of potato chips Eriks and I’s stomachs were fearing would be the only food of the evening (we didn’t bring food and didn’t see that Kaz had prepared anything) and you’ve got some stilted conversation and less than easy laughter.

However, any and all strangeness dissipated quickly, and a bevy of delicious Japanese food dishes were whipped up before our eyes by Kaz throughout the evening. The spirits flowed freely and conversation even freer. Each of us explained about our backgrounds, how we ended up in the FSM and where we imagined we might be headed next. Kaz has a job waiting for him back in Japan, Koji (who works with Marine Resources in Yap) will do something similar but is still figuring things out, Eriks would like to travel Europe and teach in Latvia (where his ancestors came from, ‘Eriks’ is a Latvian name), and me, well… I’m working on the plan, hopefully finish my master’s at any rate. We talked about all kinds of other stuff: politics, our respective volunteer programs, life in mainland Yap as compared to the outer islands, etc.; we listened to music [I managed to recognize a Japanese band and impress the guys a little] and munched away on all the tasty chow Kaz was making. We had squid in soy sauce, cabbage pan seared with a Japanese mayonnaise (sooo good), chilled noodles, and a stir fry. It was ridiculously delicious, all of it. The whole evening was a blast was a pretty cool example of the unique opportunities that come up in Peace Corps. Here Eriks and I were, two Americans from the West (Idaho and Colorado) in Yap State of the FSM, sharing our lives and culture with a couple of guys from Japan, discussing our takes on this new home of ours that had brought us together.