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!