Halloween in December!

A friend of mine sent me a package that was amazing. It wasn't things for me, it was candy for Halloween. I was able to share my American culture with my family on Moch.

Silly me, I thought I would teach people to knock on the door, say “trick-or-treat,” and walk away. I explained the idea of dressing up and announced we would have Halloween on Friday. It was the first week in December, but who cares?

In the evening, a number of people were milling around the yard. My sister and one of my students had ghostly white faces, they were anticipating the start of Halloween. My guitar was being passed around and I was listening to some of the best harmonized singing I had heard at my house. I decided to get my digital recorder (thanks for the early Christmas present Mama!) because the singing was fantastic.

I went to my room and was rummaging around in the near darkness, trying to locate my new contraption. As I was searching, I heard Samery yell, “Trick-or-treat!”

Before I knew it there was a mob outside my window chanting, “TRICK OR TREAT!!” For a moment I panicked, What do I do? I grabbed the candy and ran to the door of my house while the mob moved to the porch. Clearly I wasn't going to teach everyone to knock on the door!

I opened the door to the crowd of friends and family. I gave Marcia's carefully prepared bags of candy to the white faced ghouls. Meanwhile everyone was trying to get their hands on some of the loot. True to the Chuukese style, I then threw the remaining bags of candy and loose candy to the crowd. Everyone was scrambling to get as much candy as possible, pushing, shoving, and shouting my name. It was so exciting and unexpected I was laughing my head off.
 

As people were searching the porch and the yard for any candy they may have missed, I slipped back to my room. There was one more surprise.
 

I returned to the porch and sat down. People gathered around, knowing I had something more and were curious to see what it was.
 

SNAP! Snap, snap!
 

I had a bright orange glow stick in my hand, for about 2 seconds, before it was snatched away. Hands were grabbing in anticipation as the rest of the package appeared. Someone grabbed the second package and ran. I jumped up, ready for a chase, not knowing who had stolen the rest.
 

“It was Samery!”

I ran into the house, chasing Samery. I snatched and grabbed but couldn't retrieve them. As I stood with my arms around her, trying to retrieve the glow sticks I whispered, “save them for New Year's” and she scurried off to hide them in her room.
 

Halloween in December was amazing. It was not what I expected at all, it was so much better! I couldn't have created a more exciting Halloween if I tried!

 

Apologies

When was the last time someone apologized to you? Did you accept the apology?

In America, people apologize occasionally, but excuses are often a part of the apology. People tend to put the blame on something or someone else. Even in the apology, responsibility is not taken for an action. As a result, forgiveness is not really granted and the air is not cleared.

When I first arrived I was surprised to hear people saying, “omasala tipis” which means “sorry for my sin.” People would apologize for things I hadn't even noticed they had done.

Now that I have been here for a few months I really appreciate the apologies. When people say they are sorry here, they mean it. There are no excuses, just a heartfelt apology for an action they did.

I am also learning to apologize. It wasn't until I arrived here that I realized saying I was sorry was not something I was altogether comfortable with. I'm slowly learning that it is much easier to say I'm sorry for something I did than to wonder if the person was offended by my actions. An apology is never offensive, so you can never go wrong by offering an apology. It also means that forgiveness is an important part of my life. People don't hold hard feelings against one another after an apology is accepted.

In America, people say you should forgive and forget, but often there is no apology. Americans seem to be uncomfortable with the idea of admitting they have made a mistake and telling someone else about that mistake. It means making yourself vulnerable and showing a weakness, something that goes against the values of being strong and independent. People expect apologies from others but often are not willing to admit that they themselves have also made mistakes.

Now imagine that every person always apologized for their mistakes because they knew it was the right thing to do. It clears their conscience and the air. It is such a simple and positive behavior.

I hope that when I return to America I can teach the art of apology to others. I just hope that people can also learn the art of forgiveness. Accepting an apology is just as important as making it. If a person cannot accept an apology, that is also a weakness. I encourage you to try it. Say your sorry for something you have done, big or small, and see what happens. Don't make excuses, just do it. I think you will feel better. The funny thing about offering an apology is that you may find you get one in return.

Welcome Party

I am currently sitting and listening to the high school students rehearse songs in preparation for the welcome party that will take place this afternoon. One of the seniors is playing piano, another is leading the songs, another organizing students, still others are bringing in tables, chairs, and desks. The remaining high school students are sitting on the floor, singing so loudly it is both exciting and a little painful on the ears. The singing is both nasal and chesty, creating a sound so intense I can't compare it to anything I have heard before. Perhaps it is a combination of South African and Bulgarian styles?

Earlier, students and staff swept the school grounds. Tables from my chemistry classroom were lowered over the balcony railing and brought into the main meeting building. The tables have been covered with table cloths and set up at the front of the room for the honored guests. Desks have been placed along one edge of the room for the male staff members.

The welcome celebration is in honor of the three Peace Corps staff members that will be visiting. I feel lucky that the community on my island cares so much. Yesterday and today were both half days of school to allow students to rehearse songs and for the staff to prepare food. I am looking forward to when the Peace Corps staff arrives so they can experience the appreciation, songs, speeches, and food that awaits them.

I'm an Aunt!

I can't resist telling everyone that I recently became an aunt! My brother and his wife back home gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on October 4^th, 2012. My mom was wonderful and sent me many email updates once Evan and Sasha headed to the hospital. I have also received a few pictures via email. It's not quite as good as being there, but I feel so lucky that I have the internet.  Without technology I might not even know that I had become an aunt!

My nephew's name is Jesse Calvin and I cannot wait to meet him!

Ways of Life

Every now and then it dawns on me just how different my life is here. I've decided to give you a glimpse into my days. These things seem so normal to me now, but are so vastly different from life back in America.

My walk to school- My favorite part of walking to school is using the shortcut that goes by the taro patch in the middle of the island. I look out over the taro field and enjoy the view of the big leaves shining in the morning sun, surrounded by coconut trees. The short cut opens into someones yard where I see my favorite pig on the island. Why is it my favorite? It's big, spotted, and snorts its greeting to me every day. One morning a chicken was perched on the edge of the pig's bowl eating the pigs food; the pig was foraging in the trash while snorting at me, the intruder; and a cat was sitting with its back to the chicken and the pig, clearly thinking it was superior to both.

Washing dishes- The dishes are washed outside either under a tree or near the well (an open hole in the ground). We have one large bowl to wash for washing and another to rinse in. While washing the dishes, chickens come and eat any leftover rice off the plates, cats look for bones and fish, and flies buzz around and land on anything they desire.

Showering- Step one- go to the well and fill up a bucket with water. Step two- lug the bucket to the bathroom, preferably with the help of someone else. Step three- use a container to pour water over your head and body. Step four- shower as usual. Step five- rinse off using the container to dump more water over your head. Note: only Samery and I shower in the bathroom. Everyone else showers outside. Girls wear a shirt pulled up under their armpits and guys shower in shorts.

Eating- Meals take place on the floor in shifts. I'm not sure if there is an order to the shifts or not. I may have my own plate of rice or I may share with others. There are multiple plates of rice then plates or bowls of whatever else is available (fish, breadfruit, taro, ramen). All eating is done with fingers, no utensils are needed.

My Family

My family here does not have the typical family structure. Rather than having host parents, I live with three sisters. Samery, my oldest sister and host, is 30 years old. It seems very special to have a sister here the same age as my brother back home. She is a teacher at the school. Sandra is 16 and is a junior. Samery has started to call us twins, which I find quite amusing. Sasa is 10 years old and is the youngest of all the sisters (there are more I haven't met).

When I first arrived Samery was on Weno, so another sister, Maxie, was my host for the first ten days or so. I believe she is 24. Maxie is married and she has a son, Martson, who is around quite a bit. I think Martson will be three years old in a month or so. Martson understands more Chuukese than I do and I wish I knew what he was saying when he talked to me! Maxie was a great host when I arrived. I thought she lived in the house too and it wasn't until she said goodbye, after Samery arrived, that I understood she lived in a different house.

In addition to all my sisters, there are four high school students living with us, three girls and one boy. There are only two high schools among many islands, so high school students from other islands live with sponsor families for the entire school year.

Having so many people at the house is wonderful. At first I thought it might be odd to live with one of my students, but it has not been an issue. I think everyone here are so used to having people overlap into different parts of their lives that they don't even think about it. It makes me wonder if I'll live and work in same community in the future. I enjoy it here!

Every day there are many other people that visit and sleep at our house in addition to those I previously mentioned. I think most of these people are cousins. The majority of the visitors are male, ranging in age from elementary school to about 30. At any moment they might be chatting, drinking coffee, cooking, playing ping pong, relaxing, sleeping, or singing and playing ukulele. I will never have to worry about being lonely with all the people at home.

One day I asked Samery why she was willing to host so many people. She has five extra people in her home between me and the students. Her answer was simple and warmed my heart. "I like to care for people," and she does a great job. My family includes so many more people than my sisters and I am happy to be a part of the family.

My New Home

I arrived on my island three weeks ago and I love it here. I am currently sitting on the second floor balcony of my school. There are no hallways so the balcony serves as the hallway. I am overlooking the courtyard where chickens are wandering and people are sitting. The ocean is visible behind the security building. We had a little rain this morning, so it's overcast and breezy. I can hear the breadfruit leaves as they hit the ground. I still have difficulty differentiating between the sound of rain and the sound of the wind in the coconut leaves. When the leaves hit against themselves it sounds just like the pitter-patter of rain.

The view from my home new is beautiful! When sitting on the front porch I can see the ocean 75 feet away. Looking at the ocean is very different here because of being in a lagoon. The waves don't come crashing to the shore like they do in Maine. Instead, they crash on the reef far from the shore and the water inside the reef is calm like a lake. There are a number of "coral bars" between the reef and the shore (it's like a sandbar, but made of coral; I have no idea what that is actually called). We have a stone wall rather than a beach and I enjoy sitting on the wall at sunset. There are many coconut trees along the wall, finishing out the tropical view.

 

view from my porch

In my yard are two local huts made from sticks and pandanus leaves. These huts let the breezes pass through and are great places to take a nap or play cards. The volleyball net is used in the evenings when it is not quite so hot. We have a cook house in the side yard where the majority of the cooking takes place. Any cooking in the cook house is done over a fire. Much of the food prep is done there as well. I have helped to grate taro and have observed someone mash breadfriut. We also have an oven made from an old barrel in which delicious bread is baked.

My house itself is made of concrete. All of the floors are tiled and are swept every day. Houses here typically don't have a lot of furniture and mine is the same. We have one table in the main room. Sitting and laying down on the cool tile floor is how we relax. In my room I have a table and a bed frame with a foam mattress. I feel very spoiled to have a bed. The first week I was here I slept on a woven mat and had adjusted to the hard floor by the time the bed arrived. Most of our time is spent outside or on the porch. People don't need furniture in the house or windows that close when it is never cold!


 

my house

The island itself is quite small. The main road is a loop and I was able to jog the loop in ten minutes. This leads me to think the loop is about a mile around. I say the main road, but it is more like an extra wide path made of crushed coral and sand. Many paths criss-cross the island, going between houses and the taro field in the middle of the island.

Overall the island is very quiet. The first week here I felt like I was living in a campground. There are no cars and the sound of voices echo through the trees. If I hear a rustle in the leaves I look to see a hen with her chicks, a little lizard, or a pig. The pigs are typically tethered to a tree and snort a lot. Hearing the snorts always makes me grin. There are also a number of roosters around. I am thankful that no roosters live in my immediate vicinity, so they have yet to wake me up. It seems like roosters crow any time they are disturbed.

I am enjoying life here very much. It is certainly a different way of life and it is nice not to have the rush and clutter of America. I do have the internet here which such a luxury. I think it is one of three islands in the whole state of Chuuk with internet. I feel so lucky! Life is good!

Picnic Island Paradise

Last weekend we went to a picnic island and spent two nights there. I'm sure it is the kind of place where everyone pictures me living when they think of me in the Pacific. It was very small, with white sand and coconut trees. Hammocks made of fishing net were strung between trees, encouraging people to relax and enjoy themselves.

The trip was organized by the current Chuuk Peace Corps volunteers and I am so thankful they wanted to do this for us (the new trainees). We arrived Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday, giving us plenty of time to talk, swim, eat, play games, get advice, and explore the reef. I say plenty of time, but I could have stayed there for a week.

Never before have I seen water that was so many shades of blue and green. Looking out over the water I first saw a light sea-foam green with the white sand below, further out a is was blue, then changed to bright turquoise. As the ocean met the sky it was a navy blue. For the first time in my life all those paint colors made sense: aquamarine, sea-foam green, pacific blue. I was seeing them all in their true form.

Little hermit crabs were everywhere. When I stood still I watched the crabs make their way across the sand. As I walked the shells would drop down to the ground, in an attempt to convince me that they weren't crabs at all, just shells in the sand. If you picked one up, it would hide inside it's shell. To encourage it to some out, and much to my amusement, Ben demonstrated that you could stick your tongue out and say, "bladle bladle blodle." Sure enough the crab would crawl out of its shell and reach out into the air. It reminded me of humming to snails on the coast of Maine. 

The first night we were there the moon was full. It shown down on the water, creating a rippling moonbeam trail reaching to the horizon. It was so beautiful and bright! I was turning in circles in delight and pure satisfaction when I noticed a moonbow over the island. The moon was shining to brightly through the sprinkling rain that a full moonbow was arching over the entire island. The sight was magical. We were shouting, laughing, hugging, and dancing in excitement over the moonbow.

Being on the island allowed us to relax and connect with everyone. The current volunteers have been so helpful and honest with us. Their stories have made me laugh and cry, filled me with anticipation and excitement as well as apprehension and nervousness, and have given me true insight into what lies ahead. Each of them has shared their stories, hoping to make our experience just a little better, giving us a heads up and tips for things we may encounter. It will be so sad to see them leave and head back to the US.

Next week all of the current trainees will become Peace Corps Volunteers and then will head off to our own islands for service. After creating all these wonderful friendships it will be so hard to say goodbye. I have become so close with everyone that being the alone on my island is a bit intimidating. I know I'll make connections, but initially I'm sure I'll feel lonely and crave the closeness of other Peace Corps Volunteers.  Spending an weekend together on our little island was a gift.  Thank you M77's, you are so wonderful!

No Place for Trash

In the US we take for granted that we have huge landfills and we don't really think about where our trash goes. I put it on the side of the road on trash day and somehow think that it disappears. Here there is no place to put the trash. It's on the side of the road, in yards, and in the ocean. Seeing trash around me makes me realize how much waste people create. It's really bad! In the US you see junk yards with cars, and somehow this makes you feel better because it's all in one place, like the cars belong there and it's okay. Here, cars sit in yards and on the side of the road. They are used for parts as they sit, so eventually all that is left is the skeleton, slowly taken over by nature. Vines grow in, on, and through them, but the car still exists, with no place to go.

Picture all the trash and recycling you neatly bag up in a month, put into your trash cans and recycle bins, and have taken away each week, never thinking of it again. Now picture it sitting in your from yard; maybe some of it is in bags and some is loose, some has blown away to your neighbors yard, and some is stuck in the mud. Then imagine everyone else on your street doing the same thing. Maybe some people centralize their trash in one area, maybe others spread it out so that it isn't all in one pile. Now, instead of just picturing a months worth of waste, picture it accumulating for a year or two (this includes everything you might get rid of). It's overwhelming!

Thankfully people here do not create as much trash as Americans. People don't waste things or buy frivolous things. Yes, there are plastic take out containers, but there isn't as much waste as from take out food here a from restaurants in America. Bottles are used for other things before being thrown out, as are plastic bags. Clothes are worn until they can't be anymore and then are used as rags. If Americans lived here and created all the trash they did in the US it would be totally disgusting.

It was odd the other day when I had a bottle from water and my choice was to bring it into my house, only to have someone else add it to the trash pile outside, or consciously throw it into the trash pile myself. It felt so odd to be purposely throwing a bottle on the ground. I am such a recycler in the US, it's hard to abandoned those habits completely. Maybe while I am here I can encourage people to make take out food containers out of leaves. Sometimes this is done now for breadfruit and taro, and I think it is what people did before the containers were available.

Seeing all the trash here makes me wonder about all the land fills in the US.  People should not waste so much, nor should there be so much packaging! 

Road Construction

For the past month I've been living and training on the main island of Chuuk in Weno. Chuuk is so different from Pohnpei. There has been a ton of construction happening on the roads. Roads that are in the process of being rebuilt are super muddy. Sometimes the mud is solid to walk on and other times you sink down, losing your flip flop in the muck. A word of advice, when walking in mud using flip flops, plant your heel first. This prevents massive amounts of suction and reduces the risk of breaking your flop or losing it in the mud. But don't worry, there are plenty of puddles available to wash the mud off your feet. Even really muddy water will do the trick. 

Roads that are still waiting to be built have potholes ranging from the size of turkey platter to a crater, taking up the width of the road. These fill with water because the main road is very close to sea level.  Car rides are super bumpy and progress is slow. 

The road project that is being undertaken in huge. Roads are being paved and a drainage system is being installed. There are so many pumps running because as soon as holes are dug, they fill with water.  When the project is finished the roads will be wonderful.  I hope I get to see all the roads completed!

I didn't intend to write so much about the roads, but they are a huge part of my life and traveling. Walking anywhere is such an adventure, navigating through the mud.

Life on Weno

My family here has been wonderful. My room is very simple and I am enjoying having nothing in my room other than a woven mat to sleep on and my luggage (I wish I had less luggage, though I need it all). I am thankful I brought a camping mat, it's just enough padding and comfort. There are no TV's in my house and any movies that are watched are viewed by many people on a portable DVD player. It creates such a sense of community when everyone in the family has to sit close together to watch something. I have seen videos of three major events that happened in Chuuk. Two were large celebrations with lots of singing and one was footage of a sporting competition. The person who created the sports video played the beginning of "Who Let the Dogs Out" each time a race started,which I found to be quite amusing! The slow motion replay soundtrack was an old time bluegrass song.

Weno has mountains in the center of the island, so I am trying to absorb their height as much as I can before I go off to my island. The tallest thing on my island will likely be the coconut trees. I'm curious to find out if I feel overwhelmed by seeing a mainly flat horizon without anything that is tall. I remember in Georgia feeling slightly claustrophobic when I was in a valley surrounded by mountains, perhaps here I will feel like there is too much space around me.

Interactions between men and women here are very different from the US. Women typically associate only with other women, and men with men, unless you are family. Women are friendly and are curious about why I'm here. Men tend to whistle, hiss, or say things like, "I love you," if I or any Peace Corps girl walk by. I tend to ingore them because by responding you risk showing interest. Children almost always say hello and will wave out from car windows if they see me walking by.

During training I often by "take out" for lunch. The food is sold in shops on the side of the road, is homemade, and includes both local and American food. My personal favorites have been boiled bananas with coconut milk, breadfruit with coconut milk, and the spaghetti (there are veggies in the sauce!). Also available is fried chicken, fish, rice, hot dogs, banana soup (also really good), and more. I'm glad this fresh food is available, but it's hard to get little plastic containers everyday, knowing there is no good way to dispose of them.

My life on Weno entry wouldn't be complete without mentioning the current Peace Corps Volunteers. They have become such an integral part of my life here. They have led almost all of our sessions during phase two and did a fantastic job. They have been a tremendous resource for us and I love them! The current PCV's have been been so open and honest with us, giving advice and telling us stories of their experiences in Chuuk. I can hardly believe that they will be departing so soon (one is leaving tomorrow, and the last is leaving in January). The volunteers have become my family and we are so close, it will be hard to say goodbye tomorrow when I head off to my little island of service.

Model School

Part of our training here in Pohnpei was participating in something called model school. This was a 2 week summer school that was open to all students on the island in upper elementary school. Students were interviewed and then divided into levels and classes. Each volunteer was then assigned to a class of students to teach with a co-teacher. Some trainees had local teachers to work with and others, like myself, worked with another Peace Corps Trainee.

I loved model school! It was so wonderful to be teaching students in a classroom again. Before arriving I wasn’t sure how useful or effective co-teaching would be. This was something I had never done before and didn’t know what it would be like to share teaching responsibilities with another teacher. I only had a 9-day experience with co-teaching, but it was wonderful! Jake was fantastic to work with and our skills complemented each other quite well. One of the greatest advantages was being able to walk around and help or assess students while the other teacher was teaching. I felt like I knew the students and their abilities much better because I wasn't the one always teaching.

Working with another teacher meant we had at least twice as many ideas of how to teach the students. It did require planning together, but it meant I couldn’t procrastinate and I enjoyed discussing ideas with someone else. It was also really helpful to reflect on the day’s work with Jake who was there in the classroom seeing the same things. We were also able to give each other feedback and suggestions.

I am super excited to be co-teaching for the next two years. I know it will be a lot different teaching with a local teacher. It will likely take much longer to build trust, figure out teaching styles, and feel comfortable with one another. I was very lucky to be able to co-teach with Jake almost seamlessly, trading back and forth lead teaching with hardly any effort at all. Through the model school experience, I now know the kind of co-teaching relationship I am looking for when I am working in Chuuk.

As most of you know, I LOVED my job teaching music. I still think it is amazing that my job was to sing, dance, play instruments, and teach kids about music all day long. My job was fun and felt like play! I had no idea how to teach reading, writing, speaking, or math. I have only taught these things for 9 days, but it was the perfect way to give me insight into what I will be doing. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I feel confident that I can teach these things!

Site Placement

I found out my placement for the next two years!  I’m heading off to Chuuk!  I will be on a small island, with a population fewer than the number of students I taught in the US.  The school I’ll be working in has grades 1 – 12, so I don’t know yet what I’ll be teaching.  There will be 7 other volunteers with me Chuuk, with the closest one being about a 20 minute motor boat ride away on a clear day.  I will be able to swim because there are beaches.  Here on Pohnpei most of the island is surrounded by mangroves, which means there are many fewer beaches.

On Saturday I’ll be heading off to the second stage of training.  I’ll have another host family for the four weeks before moving in with my permanent family in August.  I am going to miss my current host family very much!  It has been a fun experience to have such a large family, with so many people around all the time.  I have to remember to take pictures them before I leave! 

Language training has begun and I am looking forward to using it soon.  It’ll be easier to learn if I am hearing it around me.  I’m hoping to do a few more updates in the next few days.  So much has been happening and I’m determined to catch up!

Team Chuuk

or as we've come to call ourselves

Chuukadoodledoos!

Snorkeling

I had water safety training this weekend.  I am now trained to start a boat, put a life jacket on while in the water, and make a safety circle with a group of people in the water.  We were told about all the things that can hurt, sting, puncture, and poison us when in the water a week ago.  The only thing I saw that we talked about being dangerous was white tipped coral.  This is either poisonous or stings, I can’t remember which, I just know that I don’t want to touch it if I see it.

After training we got to go snorkeling and it was amazing.  I thought two things immediately when I jumped in the water, wow, this is really warm and it tastes really salty!  The water here is even warmer than Maine lakes in the summer.  It was still refreshing to be in, but incredibly comfortable.  I could have easily stayed in the water all day.  The water is so salty it seemed to take hardly any effort at all to stay afloat.

When I was snorkeling I saw so many different fish of all shapes, colors, and sizes.  At first I felt like I was looking into a fish tank because that is the only place I have ever seen colorful fish.  As I began to adjust I felt like I had discovered a whole new world.  At one point I was surprised to look down and see an entire school of fish swimming below me.  Their scales shimmered when they changed directions and glided through the water.  Later I was surrounded by a school of fish.  It was a little strange at first.  How often are you completely surrounded by something and don’t feel intimidated?  Once I relaxed a bit it was an incredible feeling.  No matter what way I turned I saw the silvery, blue fish.  They were so close I could see their mouths snap open and shut as they ate.

I was also able to swim over coral reefs.  This was where I saw fish of so many colors, it was truly incredible!  It was so interesting to watch them swim in and around the coral.  All the different fish were doing their own thing while I am watching and swimming by. 

When we were in the boat we saw a few manta rays (similar to sting rays, but harmless).  We would see the top fin surface and then watch the dark spot glide under the water.  I caught a glimpse of one when I was snorkeling, but didn’t it get a good look because I got lost in the bubbles of another volunteer. 

Many people had waterproof cameras on our excursion, so I will try to get some pictures from other volunteers to post.  I would like to try and show you what I saw!  It was wonderful to have a chance to be in the water after being on the island for two weeks.  One of the volunteers lives right on the water, so perhaps I’ll get some swimming in next week.

That’s all for now!

First Impressions

I have embarked on a new journey that has landed me in Pohnpei, one of the states in the Federated States of Micronesia.  The process to get here was long, but now that I am here it seems hard to believe that it’s really happening!   A new chapter in my life has begun and this blog will hopefully allow you some insight.

I’m sure I’ll say this every time, but there’s so much to say I don’t know where to start.  I am on the island of Pohnpei for training to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.  As a volunteer, my job will be to co-teach English in a school.  Through co-teaching we (the volunteers) will hopefully leave our skills behind with the local teachers and not take them with us when we leave.  Principals have to apply to have volunteers come, so it’s nice to know that our help is being sought after rather than forced upon them. 

There are so many things here that are similar to my life in the US and so many that are different.  Thus far the culture shock has been a lack thereof.  One huge difference for me is the weather.  I’m so sweaty and/or sticky all the time.  I’m currently lucky enough to have a fan in my room, but that will probably change when I get my placement.  It rains quite a bit, but the sun often comes out shortly after (I’m hoping to see some great rainbows).  An umbrella has become an essential item to carry as long as I’m carrying things I don’t want to get wet, otherwise I welcome the extra shower.

Animals are very present here, but in a much different way.  There are many dogs and cats which are not thought of as pets so much as having a functional purpose.  Cats take care of rats, dogs are loosely used as guard animals, though they appear to be street dogs.  Pigs are a status symbol and are brought to important gatherings (I saw them at a funeral) and then the pork is shared with everyone.  I found out after my arrival that the spiders are not poisonous, nor are there snakes!  Both of those things were quite a relief.  There are lots of insects and ants, things that like to eat people or food. 

My host family is very generous and welcoming.  I have been given the master bedroom with my own bathroom.  I was so shocked because I thought I might have to take bucket showers outside!  I feel very lucky about my accommodations.  My host parents have twelve children, many of whom have children of their own.  I’m doing my best to learn everyone’s name and relations.  My family has multiple houses located close together and now that a week has passed I’m figuring out who lives in which house and who doesn’t live close by.  My host mother was very patient with me and wrote down all her children, their spouses, and their children so that I could try to learn who everyone was.  This helped so much!

Another big adjustment for me has been the food.  There is a lot of American food here (chips, bread, ramen, beverages, etc.) most of which I didn’t eat much of in the US.  I’ve had lots of chicken, rice, and some fish so far.  We were told that there wouldn’t be many fresh fruits and vegetables available here and that is correct.  I have had oranges, bananas, cucumbers, and cabbage, though typically only one per day.  If you know me, this is a big adjustment.  I never realized just how much I like to end my meals with vegetables until I got here! 

I brought my guitar with me and my family loves it when I play for them!  I’m glad that I can use music as a way to connect with people.  Some of the grandchildren want to learn to play, so hopefully I can teach a few chords before I leave.  I forgot how much of a challenge it is to teach guitar when there is only one!  I was so spoiled when everyone in my music classes had their own ukulele!  One of the grandchildren requested “The Cat Came Back” the second time I brought out the guitar after hearing it the night before.  So far I have only been playing songs by ear and I haven’t looked at any books.  I’m hoping that my ears will improve while I’m here.

That’s probably enough for now.  I just wanted to give you all an idea of what life is like for me so that maybe you could picture my life half way across the world a little more accurately!

Oh, just a side note.  I’m a little paranoid about making writing mistakes in my blog.  Just bear with me!  I’ll do some editing before I post, but I also don’t want to make it a huge chore.  I’ll be curious to see if my writing gets better or worse as I teach English here.

Testing

Just checking to see that I am capable of making a blog post.  More later!