I have officially been a Peace Corps Volunteer for over three months! I have learned to live without many of the comforts of the typical American lifestyle (video games, hot naked showers, ethnic foods) and embrace a more Pohnpeian way of life (strange movies, shower skirts, many unique uses for instant ramen). However, I bet that I am the only PCV who can keep up with (and wants to keep up with) the ever changing Japanese and Korean pop music scene! Thank you internet. I plan, I teach, I grade. I plan some more, I teach some more, I grade some more. Life goes on. And then of course, in typical Pohnpeian fashion, some important event needs to happen in the near future that requires my immediate attention that I had absolutely no idea of until I read about it in the morning announcements.
“What do you mean?” you may ask. Well, one such event was the COMET (College of Micronesia Entrance Test) that all seniors who want to go to the only college in Micronesia need to take and pass. The LA department chair decided that intense practice two weeks prior to the big test would sufficiently help the seniors conquer it. This practice included crazy vocabulary words (raffinate?), very difficult reading comprehension passages (who seriously cares about the history of fossil fuels?), and multiple essays (anything from government sponsored health care to ocean pollution to the staple foods of Pohnpei). All of the LA teachers were expected to help out, even if it meant canceling their own classes in favor of supervising the seniors. I refused to make my freshman suffer the consequences so I only attended a few of the practices, but to make up for it I did my share of correcting tests and reading and grading the many, many essays produced. I think the seniors benefited since I heard only good things after they took the test. Let’s hope everyone passes with flying colors!
One unforeseen benefit was that all the classes that day had to be moved to the campus where the seniors were not testing (as to have a proper environment for thinking), so I had my students help me in the MHS library! Before, the library was an intimidating mountain of books. After, all the book shelves were in place with books in them and I could cry at how glorious everything looked. Now all that is left (haha) is some intense organization, and then the library will actually be usable for everybody! Let’s hope this happens by the next school year. Another good thing was that I took all the leftover tests and used them with my juniors. They will be super prepared for their test next year (I can only hope!).
The Science Fair would be another example of such an event. Scheduled to be in early February, the science department chair called for multiple meetings to discuss logistics and such. As one of three health science teachers, I was of course expected to have my students participate, and I was more than happy to have them do so. I had my students prepare and present role plays about “making the right decision” and everyone voted on which ones to send to the science fair. I was very proud of my students for creating some excellent skits. Since this was going on at the same time as the COMET practice, things were extremely hectic. Luckily (for me) the chair talked to the higher ups and now the science fair will be sometime in March or April. We’ll see.
One event that I had absolutely no role in but was affected by it nonetheless was Champion Week, which actually just occurred. Champion Week is just the fancy term for sports, sports, sports. Due to this, classes have been cut in half for the past two weeks so students could practice basketball, baseball, volleyball, and track and field after lunch. With all this time I could be productive in grading papers and tests (most of my students did horribly on their first health science test – perhaps it was too hard, perhaps nobody studied, perhaps I am a horrible teacher who shows no mercy but oh well), preparing lesson plans, and doing necessary (and unnecessary) internet things. I also had time to devour some excellent books (namely George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series that EVERYONE should read, thank you Ate!). I want to give a shout out to Mrs. Peters’ 6th grade Social Studies classes for their amazing letters and goodies that my students immensely enjoyed. I will do my best to get back to all of you!
Outside of school I have been hanging out with my family, hanging out with my fellow volunteers, and planning for a trip to the Philippines that will (God willing) happen late June. Thanks to Championship Week, I was also able to spend a few nights with my training family in Kitti (it was great seeing everyone and catching up!). The games were pretty exciting and even intense at times. I was teased for wearing the red of MHS instead of the white of NMHS (Kitti’s Nanpei Memorial High School). Volleyball was great fun to watch, and baseball was a blast because MHS girls really know how to work a crowd (the gun cheer was my absolute favorite). The boy’s baseball team even won! I guess all that extra practice paid off.
This past Saturday I helped clean up the PC IRC (in-country resource center) and attended Catholic mass in ENGLISH. I absolutely needed this since there is only so much Catholic mass in Pohnpeian that I can take without being able to fully comprehend everything that is said. However, one downside to hanging out in Kolonia (where anything social occurs) is the taxi situation. Once, it took me two hours instead of the usual one to get home since taxis like to make multiple pit stops, usually for no feasible reason I can think of (with my still Americanized mind set). Another time I had to wait two hours in Kolonia just for a taxi to show up, even after calling the base three times. Grr. However, I did meet a pretty awesome Chuukese security guard who was concerned for my well-being. Yay nice people!
That’s more or less life for me since my last blog post. Remember, I want to know what’s happening with all of YOU dear readers (preferably not from Facebook stalking). Updates are always welcome, as are books, letters, pictures, whatever you can think of and are willing to send me. Menlau! (a more informal way of saying thank you in Pohnpeian).
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
In the shower – without a shower skirt
On the second day of the new year, I ate Nothing for dinner.
Nothing was one of my family’s three dogs. It was black, kind of ugly, and quite tasty. I didn’t see the actually slaughtering of Nothing, but I did see a carcass roasting over a fire and figured it out pretty quickly. Dog tastes like a cross between pork and steak. Mwein (Maybe)? It’s one of those things you just have to try for yourself, like joining the Peace Corps! (HINT HINT) Is it sad that I was infinitely amused when I fed our family cat some dog? I get the same feeling whenever I throw chicken bones to the family chickens.
The first week of school was reserved for clearance and orientation, meaning that I had a whole week to plan for what I was going to do in the next semester, as well as work in the library. The vice-principal informed me that I was to co-teach two junior classes and solo teach two freshman classes. I would be teaching Language Arts III with one of my co-teachers from last semester, which was great. I would also be teaching the freshman Health Science…WHAT? I definitely needed to do a lot of planning for that! During the week I also managed to create an assessment containing grammar, writing, and reading for the juniors, exercise by running/power walking, catch up on Facebook, and do errands in Kolonia.
My first week officially back at school went pretty smoothly. Everyone was late on the first day, and I’m pretty sure my co-teacher and I were the only ones actually teaching since all the other teachers were making their students clean the classrooms. And my health classes…do you all know the three parts of the health triangle? Thank goodness I have a health textbook, but since my students do not it’s up to me to educate them about how to live healthy lives. Even if it means the occasional whack on the head for practicing unhealthy habits!
My primary assignment (English teaching) is also going well…like last semester, I am primarily in charge of writing and oral communication. I had a very fun and informative class about the different types of prewriting (I like to think so, anyway). It’s different for me, teaching juniors Language Arts instead of freshman, but this also means more possibilities for writing assignments and growth in my students as writers and speakers.
I attended my first PTA meeting this past Friday – it was basically the principal and vice informing interested parents about the progress of their children and who is teaching what this semester. I’m teaching the most classes (four classes in four periods – one period is 1½ hours, with an hour break for lunch) but my poor friend the World Teach Volunteer has to prepare for three classes while I only have to prepare for two! Teaching drains a lot out of me, though, especially when I move around and am active in the classroom in order for my students to be interested in what I’m saying. Sleep is amazing.
I was a total menwai (foreigner) this past weekend. After the PTA meeting, I went to Kolonia with my host parents to take care of more errands (like copying the almighty bathroom key). Saturday morning, I headed to Kolonia again with Team Madolenihmw so we could all celebrate another volunteer’s birthday! We hung out, watched Harry Potter (still good), ate delicious pizza, and partied it up menwai style, plenty of choice beverages and dancing included. After a crazy night, I had my first hot and absolutely GLORIOUS naked shower in over two months. All of you Americans reading this are probably laughing at how ridiculous I sound, but after experiencing daily “showers” using a small pink bowl to dump myself with COLD water collected in a former pig trough while wearing a skirt (you got that?), I definitely appreciated a hot naked shower. Sunday was a day for recovering – I ate a delicious tuna omelet and hung out in the PCV lounge with my fellow volunteers.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I asked my juniors if they knew who he was. Mind you, they just took an American History class last semester (even though it seems quite odd for them to be learning about the founding fathers when they should be learning about the history of their own country). They had no idea (“Teacher utahn sehse” – “Teacher I really don’t know”), so I launched into a mini history lesson and then a mini lecture about how they should all know what their rights as Micronesian citizens are, especially since they took civics their freshman year! I had them write about what rights they value the most and why. My health classes were all about the decision making process – do you know the six steps? MHS also hosted the Agricultural Fair, so all of the elementary schools came and students sold their locally grown produce.
“This all sounds great, but what about you personally?” You might be asking this to yourself right now. I’m doing well! My language progress is coming, slowly but surely, since my host family still uses Pohnpeian when talking to me (only using English when I really don’t understand what they’re saying). I am trying my best to speak Pohnpeian at home (using English when I lack the right words) and even at school, much to the amusement of my students. My host family is still awesome (we’re watching better movies now), the students and staff are still awesome (my co-teacher told me that she was glad I was with her – yay!), and my friends and family back in the states are still awesome (and continuously supportive).
So sohte pwunod (no worries) about me. But I am curious about all of you! What are you up to now? Write me letters or Facebook me – it may take me a while to respond but I would definitely appreciate it! I don’t think I’ve been truly homesick here, but I’ve had my fair share of low moments (I feel useless at home and at school, there’s no way I can integrate into this community, why can’t I freakin’ speak Pohnpeian, no one understands me, I’m bored!). I’ve gotten through them by reading emails from family and friends and looking at pictures. So more reading materials and more photos would be amazing and are always welcome. Kalahngan lap (Big thanks)!
Monday, January 3, 2011
In the New Year
I can’t believe it’s already 2011! 2010 will be a hard year to beat – besides finishing my final semester of college, graduating from IWU, visiting my sister in
Before Christmas break, I wrapped up the semester by grading lots of papers and tests and turning in my very first grades. During the break I have been cleaning up the library space and stacking books, attending numerous Christmas parties (ice cream and presents are usually involved), watching Filipino soap operas with my family (very frustrating yet addictive), reading a lot of books, and going to Kolonia to run errands and hang out with people (I saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1!). I’ve participated in family sakau time, family movie time, and family nap time. On Christmas Eve I attended a family kamadipw (lots of sitting and staring at all the crazy things going on). On Christmas Day I went to mass with my family, gave and received presents, and drank lots of sakau, resulting in me being seriously ohn sakau (drunk) the next day (oh well!). On New Year’s Eve my entire family (which is very rare) attended a village party, complete with Lucky Number (you give a present, you receive a present), dancing, and BINGO. We rang in the New Year five minutes early (according to my watch) with noise makers and handshakes.
This year, I will do my best to be an effective PCV, whether that be in teaching, in doing community development work, or in cultural integration. Nantioahng! I will leave you all, my dear readers, with a quote from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere that perfectly summarizes my experiences in Pohnpei thus far. Happy New Year!
“It was pure madness – of that there was no doubt at all. It was loud, and brash, and insane, and it was, in many ways, quite wonderful” (109).
Thursday, December 9, 2010
In Class
“This is a joke, right?”
“Nope, I actually want to hear what you have to say about your ideal boyfriend. Now get up there!” ~ Exchange between a student and myself about a speaking exercise
I love being the “Peace Corps” at my school because I get away with making students do the craziest activities. Usually a lot of laughter and multiple reminders to SPEAK ONLY IN ENGLISH are involved, but overall I think my students are, little by little, gaining confidence in their English speaking abilities. My big plan to do interviews for the rest of the semester lasted for about two weeks, so I am actually teaching some lessons now. The interviews themselves went really well – I was able to speak individually with all of my students and I learned a little bit about their lives while gauging their conversational skills.
After multiple and last minute changes, I now have a set teaching schedule until the end of the semester. I team teach two freshman Language Arts classes and teach one freshman Language Arts class on my own. I am mostly in charge of writing and speaking while my co-teachers do reading and grammar. These poor kids now have someone who will return their multiple writing assignments back to them, red scribbles and all, and expect them to correct their papers to receive a grade. They also have someone who will force them to use English in class, which has definitely been good for them already.
What else…by the end of the first week I was put in charge of coaching junior and senior students in a writing contest and in the debate team. This was extremely last minute for everyone involved, so the students didn’t get much time to practice. However, the debate team and coaches were able to speak with the Vice President of the FSM regarding the topic! At the end of the session the VP shook my hand and wished me luck during my service. How cool is that! The debate team didn’t win but I felt that they did well, considering the circumstances (so much for the free trip to Kosrae though!). The principal was disappointed – I think he thought that having two Americans (there’s a World Teach volunteer at MHS) coach the team would guarantee victory, but it did not really matter in the end. We’ll try again next year!
Whenever I am not in school I am with my host family. They’ve taken me to several feasts, church every Sunday (Advent!), and Kolonia to do errands. Usually, though, the family just hangs out at home watching movies, chilling on the porch, and playing with the baby (my host father especially!). During these times I practice my poor Pohnpeian skills and read lots of books, ranging from books on how to teach English to the excellent Three Cups of Tea given to me by my cousin. Food has been interesting – sometimes I get tasty local food, sometimes I get ramen and rice for the whole week. The chores I do mainly revolve around keeping my room and my personal belongings in order, but I did get to rake garbage once – that was exciting. I feel useless around the house, mostly because I don’t know what to do or want to get in the way, so I spend that extra time planning for school, grading papers, or doing things to keep me sane. I also feel very needy whenever my family has to do something for me, such as buy a new light bulb just so I could shower or drive all the way to a different village just so I can get water, but I figure that they knew what they would be getting into signing up to take care of the Peace Corps.
Thanksgiving was fun – after a half day of school I went to Kolonia with Team Madolenihmw (woot!) to do errands and hang out in the PC lounge before THANKSGIVING DINNER hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission (second only to the U.S. Ambassador in importance). It was a mini reunion since most of the PCVs came. I chatted with a Foreign Service Officer (I am considering that as a possible career choice) who, I was able to peg, majored in Japanese in college. Also present were the U.S. Ambassador, the new PC Country Director (a very cool guy), and a former PCV who now works in the embassy. Dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables, stuffing, potato salad, rolls, my favorite butter and sugar bread, and extremely delicious cheesecake with oreo crust! I was so stuffed at the end.
Speaking of thanks…I want to give a big THANK YOU to my very awesome and understanding mom and dad who constantly encourage me, my friends who support me a world away, and everyone in my new Pohnpeian family.
The U.S. gave money to the FSM to construct new educational facilities, and M.H.S. is the proud recipient of the very first, up to standards, school building. To celebrate the occasion, all schools in Madolenihmw canceled classes and everyone, including the Nanmwarki (King) of Madolenihmw, the Governor of Pohnpei, and the President of FSM (!), showed up for the big feast. It was quite exciting, but I didn’t have enough courage to ask the President for a photograph. Oh well! I don’t get to teach in the new building because it is reserved for the upperclassman, but I now have my very own classroom. I also have a possible secondary project – a school library! Now that there is space to organize the many random books MHS has, I have decided to help MHS organize a functioning library. The principal has jumped on the idea, so I just need to get started and hopefully all will go well! The principal has also decided that I will help out the Social Studies department next semester due to my Sociology degree – we’ll see how that all works out.
I have a request of you, my dear readers. If you have the time and money, please send me books containing speaking and writing activities in them. I want my students to get a wide variety of exercises that engage their creativity and imagination. While you’re at it, please send me books for the new library and more books for my personal enjoyment! Mwahaha. :)
“Nope, I actually want to hear what you have to say about your ideal boyfriend. Now get up there!” ~ Exchange between a student and myself about a speaking exercise
I love being the “Peace Corps” at my school because I get away with making students do the craziest activities. Usually a lot of laughter and multiple reminders to SPEAK ONLY IN ENGLISH are involved, but overall I think my students are, little by little, gaining confidence in their English speaking abilities. My big plan to do interviews for the rest of the semester lasted for about two weeks, so I am actually teaching some lessons now. The interviews themselves went really well – I was able to speak individually with all of my students and I learned a little bit about their lives while gauging their conversational skills.
After multiple and last minute changes, I now have a set teaching schedule until the end of the semester. I team teach two freshman Language Arts classes and teach one freshman Language Arts class on my own. I am mostly in charge of writing and speaking while my co-teachers do reading and grammar. These poor kids now have someone who will return their multiple writing assignments back to them, red scribbles and all, and expect them to correct their papers to receive a grade. They also have someone who will force them to use English in class, which has definitely been good for them already.
What else…by the end of the first week I was put in charge of coaching junior and senior students in a writing contest and in the debate team. This was extremely last minute for everyone involved, so the students didn’t get much time to practice. However, the debate team and coaches were able to speak with the Vice President of the FSM regarding the topic! At the end of the session the VP shook my hand and wished me luck during my service. How cool is that! The debate team didn’t win but I felt that they did well, considering the circumstances (so much for the free trip to Kosrae though!). The principal was disappointed – I think he thought that having two Americans (there’s a World Teach volunteer at MHS) coach the team would guarantee victory, but it did not really matter in the end. We’ll try again next year!
Whenever I am not in school I am with my host family. They’ve taken me to several feasts, church every Sunday (Advent!), and Kolonia to do errands. Usually, though, the family just hangs out at home watching movies, chilling on the porch, and playing with the baby (my host father especially!). During these times I practice my poor Pohnpeian skills and read lots of books, ranging from books on how to teach English to the excellent Three Cups of Tea given to me by my cousin. Food has been interesting – sometimes I get tasty local food, sometimes I get ramen and rice for the whole week. The chores I do mainly revolve around keeping my room and my personal belongings in order, but I did get to rake garbage once – that was exciting. I feel useless around the house, mostly because I don’t know what to do or want to get in the way, so I spend that extra time planning for school, grading papers, or doing things to keep me sane. I also feel very needy whenever my family has to do something for me, such as buy a new light bulb just so I could shower or drive all the way to a different village just so I can get water, but I figure that they knew what they would be getting into signing up to take care of the Peace Corps.
Thanksgiving was fun – after a half day of school I went to Kolonia with Team Madolenihmw (woot!) to do errands and hang out in the PC lounge before THANKSGIVING DINNER hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission (second only to the U.S. Ambassador in importance). It was a mini reunion since most of the PCVs came. I chatted with a Foreign Service Officer (I am considering that as a possible career choice) who, I was able to peg, majored in Japanese in college. Also present were the U.S. Ambassador, the new PC Country Director (a very cool guy), and a former PCV who now works in the embassy. Dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables, stuffing, potato salad, rolls, my favorite butter and sugar bread, and extremely delicious cheesecake with oreo crust! I was so stuffed at the end.
Speaking of thanks…I want to give a big THANK YOU to my very awesome and understanding mom and dad who constantly encourage me, my friends who support me a world away, and everyone in my new Pohnpeian family.
The U.S. gave money to the FSM to construct new educational facilities, and M.H.S. is the proud recipient of the very first, up to standards, school building. To celebrate the occasion, all schools in Madolenihmw canceled classes and everyone, including the Nanmwarki (King) of Madolenihmw, the Governor of Pohnpei, and the President of FSM (!), showed up for the big feast. It was quite exciting, but I didn’t have enough courage to ask the President for a photograph. Oh well! I don’t get to teach in the new building because it is reserved for the upperclassman, but I now have my very own classroom. I also have a possible secondary project – a school library! Now that there is space to organize the many random books MHS has, I have decided to help MHS organize a functioning library. The principal has jumped on the idea, so I just need to get started and hopefully all will go well! The principal has also decided that I will help out the Social Studies department next semester due to my Sociology degree – we’ll see how that all works out.
I have a request of you, my dear readers. If you have the time and money, please send me books containing speaking and writing activities in them. I want my students to get a wide variety of exercises that engage their creativity and imagination. While you’re at it, please send me books for the new library and more books for my personal enjoyment! Mwahaha. :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
In Deleur
I’m officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! :) A lot has happened since my last post, so here we go…
The rest of Phase II included more language study, the dreaded Language Proficiency Interview (for me at least), another teaching practicum (this time with 8th graders), hanging out with the family, finishing all six seasons of LOST (I can’t believe we did it in five weeks), my first experience with Pohnpeian funeral practices, the coconut wireless going crazy (mwahaha), sleepovers, trips to Kolonia and Sokehs Rock (very steep but worth the climb), and the official Swearing-In ceremony.
To be perfectly honest, for the longest time I was scared that I would be kicked out of Peace Corps for not meeting the basic language requirements. Since I’m officially a PCV that did not happen (thank goodness!), but I really, really need to keep studying Pohnpeian. I can understand and respond to basic questions, but most of the time what is said goes way over my head. I’m pretty good at figuring out the gist of it (due to words I recognize and the random English words thrown in – kind of like my understanding of Tagalog) but getting it out is definitely the hard part. Practice practice practice!
The teaching practicum was only four days (so I wasn’t able to do much) but I did get my students writing about their school and participating in class (a little bit at least!). The last few weeks with my training family were filled with card games, random conversations, a few too many power outages, watching LOST when there was power, (a typical day would be training, LOST, dinner, sleep), giving candy to kids on Halloween, drinking more sakau (what else?), and for the first time being left alone when my family had to go to a funeral. I got a lot of reading done, including an excellent fantasy novel (I need more!).
Funerals in Pohnpei are four days long. I went to only one of the four days but I was extremely tired afterwords. People accompany the body in the morgue (in this case located in the hospital) until it is moved to the burial site, where it can be observed. The first day is for the immediate family, the second day is for extended family and friends, the third day everybody brings fish to eat (not sure why fish), and the last day is for cleaning up (I think). Food is important all four days, so everybody gathered can enjoy the company and reminisce about the deceased one. Due to another funeral one of my friends was able to sleep over at my place. Fun times!
The coconut wireless is one of the best things about being in Pohnpei. I’m not sure how it started (I think a few too many walks together) but rumor had it that two of the trainees were dating. When I heard about it I laughed hysterically and really did nothing to dissuade those who believed it (much to the chagrin of the two in question). I loved seeing them cringe, what can I say?
Days before the swearing-in ceremony the fellow trainees and I decided to provide our old and new families with entertainment in the form of singing and dancing. After hard work and practice we perfected two songs in Pohnpeian with accompanying dance moves. The ceremony itself went very smoothly – the families immensely enjoyed our songs. I still can’t believe we swore-in with our sunglasses on! I said goodbye to my training family and met my permanent family in a slightly awkward fashion, but it was all good. My new family has had several trainees and volunteers in the past so they’re used to crazy foreigners. They also like to laugh at my Kitti accent since we live in Madolenihmw (like having a southern accent in the States).
The family I was initially assigned to did not work out for me, but the family I am with now is wonderful. My pahpa is apparently high-ranked (kind of intimidating), my nohno insists on only speaking to me in Pohnpeian (there’s my practice!), my oldest sister has an adorable baby(whom everybody loves to play with), the second oldest sister is an honor roll student at M.H.S., and my youngest sister acts as my tour guide and tries speaking to me in Pohnpeian (not quite at her level yet). I’m still not sure about the other males in my family, but overall they have been great. They’re also Catholic, so I get to go to mass every Sunday (yay!). My room is smaller than the one I previously had and has frequent visitors (a.k.a. cockroaches and geckos), but I am slowly getting used to it. I am also getting used to not having indoor plumbing, meaning that I have an outdoor bathroom and an outdoor shower. Showering in the rain is quite the experience!
My first week at the high school was a bit overwhelming, but once I get into the groove of things I think I’ll like it a lot. The principal has high expectations for the new PCV (like helping the debate team become #1 in FSM) and I’ll do my best to meet them. All of the teachers in the Language Arts department have been very welcoming and have already given me great advice and ideas. Thankfully they are open to the concept of team-teaching. My assigned counterpart works in a totally different department but I think I have found two teachers whom I can work well with. I’ve been observing the different teachers this week and I have already begun teaching. My big plan for the next few weeks (until the end of the quarter) is to conduct interviews with the students in order to gauge their conversational abilities, only possible because I am team teaching. We’ll see how it all works out!
The rest of Phase II included more language study, the dreaded Language Proficiency Interview (for me at least), another teaching practicum (this time with 8th graders), hanging out with the family, finishing all six seasons of LOST (I can’t believe we did it in five weeks), my first experience with Pohnpeian funeral practices, the coconut wireless going crazy (mwahaha), sleepovers, trips to Kolonia and Sokehs Rock (very steep but worth the climb), and the official Swearing-In ceremony.
To be perfectly honest, for the longest time I was scared that I would be kicked out of Peace Corps for not meeting the basic language requirements. Since I’m officially a PCV that did not happen (thank goodness!), but I really, really need to keep studying Pohnpeian. I can understand and respond to basic questions, but most of the time what is said goes way over my head. I’m pretty good at figuring out the gist of it (due to words I recognize and the random English words thrown in – kind of like my understanding of Tagalog) but getting it out is definitely the hard part. Practice practice practice!
The teaching practicum was only four days (so I wasn’t able to do much) but I did get my students writing about their school and participating in class (a little bit at least!). The last few weeks with my training family were filled with card games, random conversations, a few too many power outages, watching LOST when there was power, (a typical day would be training, LOST, dinner, sleep), giving candy to kids on Halloween, drinking more sakau (what else?), and for the first time being left alone when my family had to go to a funeral. I got a lot of reading done, including an excellent fantasy novel (I need more!).
Funerals in Pohnpei are four days long. I went to only one of the four days but I was extremely tired afterwords. People accompany the body in the morgue (in this case located in the hospital) until it is moved to the burial site, where it can be observed. The first day is for the immediate family, the second day is for extended family and friends, the third day everybody brings fish to eat (not sure why fish), and the last day is for cleaning up (I think). Food is important all four days, so everybody gathered can enjoy the company and reminisce about the deceased one. Due to another funeral one of my friends was able to sleep over at my place. Fun times!
The coconut wireless is one of the best things about being in Pohnpei. I’m not sure how it started (I think a few too many walks together) but rumor had it that two of the trainees were dating. When I heard about it I laughed hysterically and really did nothing to dissuade those who believed it (much to the chagrin of the two in question). I loved seeing them cringe, what can I say?
Days before the swearing-in ceremony the fellow trainees and I decided to provide our old and new families with entertainment in the form of singing and dancing. After hard work and practice we perfected two songs in Pohnpeian with accompanying dance moves. The ceremony itself went very smoothly – the families immensely enjoyed our songs. I still can’t believe we swore-in with our sunglasses on! I said goodbye to my training family and met my permanent family in a slightly awkward fashion, but it was all good. My new family has had several trainees and volunteers in the past so they’re used to crazy foreigners. They also like to laugh at my Kitti accent since we live in Madolenihmw (like having a southern accent in the States).
The family I was initially assigned to did not work out for me, but the family I am with now is wonderful. My pahpa is apparently high-ranked (kind of intimidating), my nohno insists on only speaking to me in Pohnpeian (there’s my practice!), my oldest sister has an adorable baby(whom everybody loves to play with), the second oldest sister is an honor roll student at M.H.S., and my youngest sister acts as my tour guide and tries speaking to me in Pohnpeian (not quite at her level yet). I’m still not sure about the other males in my family, but overall they have been great. They’re also Catholic, so I get to go to mass every Sunday (yay!). My room is smaller than the one I previously had and has frequent visitors (a.k.a. cockroaches and geckos), but I am slowly getting used to it. I am also getting used to not having indoor plumbing, meaning that I have an outdoor bathroom and an outdoor shower. Showering in the rain is quite the experience!
My first week at the high school was a bit overwhelming, but once I get into the groove of things I think I’ll like it a lot. The principal has high expectations for the new PCV (like helping the debate team become #1 in FSM) and I’ll do my best to meet them. All of the teachers in the Language Arts department have been very welcoming and have already given me great advice and ideas. Thankfully they are open to the concept of team-teaching. My assigned counterpart works in a totally different department but I think I have found two teachers whom I can work well with. I’ve been observing the different teachers this week and I have already begun teaching. My big plan for the next few weeks (until the end of the quarter) is to conduct interviews with the students in order to gauge their conversational abilities, only possible because I am team teaching. We’ll see how it all works out!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
In sukuhl
I am currently in the midst of Phase II of PST. The end of Phase I included the conclusion to the teaching practicum (I’m going to miss my class!), bonding activities with all of the trainees (including lots of cards games and pizza), and a party for all of the host families and co-teachers with the trainees (including myself) providing entertainment. My family gave an excellent farewell party to my cousin (another trainee) and we all did the Cha-Cha Slide. Even though I wasn’t going anywhere I went to the airport to take photos and say my final goodbyes to the trainees who were leaving. If I ever get free internet I will definitely post pictures! That same day I went to a feast in my village and somehow ended up doing the Macarena in front of everybody – I know I’ll be remembered as that crazy dancing Peace Corps.
Phase II kicked off with a trip to Nahlap with the Pohnpei trainees, our Program Assistant (PA), and his family. We went swimming in the ocean, ate leftovers from the feast, and basically had lots of bonding time (complete with card games, land crab chasing, and too many rats). Learning Pohnpeian has been quite interesting, to say the least. Our teacher is the chief of his village – Peace Corps has some excellent connections! I know lots of random vocabulary (some words not as practical as others) but putting everything together to form sentences is a totally different matter. I try to practice by speaking phrases at home but my family pretty much resorts to English (oh well)!
Speaking of which – after living with me for five weeks my family finally decided to bust out some very strange Filipino movies and, much to my delight, a genuine Magic Sing karaoke microphone. Besides singing and puzzling out the love squares the main thing I have been doing is watching lots and lots of LOST. We’re already halfway through Season 3! The best part is that I have gotten my family hooked, so we all watch (and are confused) together. I also went to a Catholic church for the first time since coming here (my family is Protestant), went with fellow trainees back to the waterfall (good exercise), and fixed my doorknob. Don’t laugh, I was very proud of myself for doing it on my own. Drinking sakau with my family has definitely made me more determined to study Pohnpeian, while dancing at feasts is pretty much expected of me (and the rest of the Peace Corps) from now on.
Phase II is basically language training with cultural, teaching, and community development sessions thrown in, which has definitely been good for me. However, so far I have benefitted the most from the overnights with current Peace Corps volunteers. The first night I stayed with a PCV in Madolenihmw (woot!). It was great seeing her interact with her family (they are all hooked on a Filipino soap opera) and observing her in the classroom (and helping out a little bit too). I hope to one day reach her level of Pohnpeian! The next night I stayed with a PCV in Sokehs. She is very comfortable with her family and vice versa. I ended up playing Super Smash Brothers and other N64 games with her brothers! I also got to help her catalog the non-fiction books in her library. For me, the entire experience (minus the island tour which got me slightly car sick) was a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the current PCVs better and see what my own experience could possibly be like when I finally get to my permanent site.
Sorry for my lack of updates, I’m just monumentally lazy (for those of you who know me personally). I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who reads my (sometimes boring but hopefully informative) blog and for those of you who leave comments. Please look forward to more posts in the future!
Phase II kicked off with a trip to Nahlap with the Pohnpei trainees, our Program Assistant (PA), and his family. We went swimming in the ocean, ate leftovers from the feast, and basically had lots of bonding time (complete with card games, land crab chasing, and too many rats). Learning Pohnpeian has been quite interesting, to say the least. Our teacher is the chief of his village – Peace Corps has some excellent connections! I know lots of random vocabulary (some words not as practical as others) but putting everything together to form sentences is a totally different matter. I try to practice by speaking phrases at home but my family pretty much resorts to English (oh well)!
Speaking of which – after living with me for five weeks my family finally decided to bust out some very strange Filipino movies and, much to my delight, a genuine Magic Sing karaoke microphone. Besides singing and puzzling out the love squares the main thing I have been doing is watching lots and lots of LOST. We’re already halfway through Season 3! The best part is that I have gotten my family hooked, so we all watch (and are confused) together. I also went to a Catholic church for the first time since coming here (my family is Protestant), went with fellow trainees back to the waterfall (good exercise), and fixed my doorknob. Don’t laugh, I was very proud of myself for doing it on my own. Drinking sakau with my family has definitely made me more determined to study Pohnpeian, while dancing at feasts is pretty much expected of me (and the rest of the Peace Corps) from now on.
Phase II is basically language training with cultural, teaching, and community development sessions thrown in, which has definitely been good for me. However, so far I have benefitted the most from the overnights with current Peace Corps volunteers. The first night I stayed with a PCV in Madolenihmw (woot!). It was great seeing her interact with her family (they are all hooked on a Filipino soap opera) and observing her in the classroom (and helping out a little bit too). I hope to one day reach her level of Pohnpeian! The next night I stayed with a PCV in Sokehs. She is very comfortable with her family and vice versa. I ended up playing Super Smash Brothers and other N64 games with her brothers! I also got to help her catalog the non-fiction books in her library. For me, the entire experience (minus the island tour which got me slightly car sick) was a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the current PCVs better and see what my own experience could possibly be like when I finally get to my permanent site.
Sorry for my lack of updates, I’m just monumentally lazy (for those of you who know me personally). I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who reads my (sometimes boring but hopefully informative) blog and for those of you who leave comments. Please look forward to more posts in the future!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Still in Kipar (for now)
October 1, 2010 is a day that all Micro 77s (my Peace Corps group) will remember because it was the day we FINALLY received our site announcements. After sitting through some interesting sessions (one on mental health, ironically enough) we all went outside and saw different colored flags. The Program and Training Officer (PTO) handed each of us an envelope with a colored slip of paper inside and told us to go stand at the flag that matched the color we got. After opening the envelopes all the trainees scrambled to get to their flags. As soon as I got to my flag I realized that I would be staying in Pohnpei! In case you’re curious, two trainees are going to Kosrae, eight are staying in Pohnpei, seven are going to Chuuk, four are going to Yap, and eight are going to Palau. I can’t know for sure until next year’s Mid-Service training, but I think everyone is well suited for their states and assignments.
Based on an interview I had two days prior I guessed that I would either be staying in Pohnpei or going to Palau. The Program Assistant (PA) of Pohnpei had asked me what grades I would prefer to teach, and I told him elementary because I look like a high school student and would get no respect from the students. He laughed it off and everyone in the room told me that I would be just fine in a high school setting. He also seemed to like my strategy of learning the local language – having a host family that speaks no English. That’ll work, right? I also should have suspected that I would be staying in Pohnpei after the Training Assistant (a lively, lovely Pohnpeian lady) said that she wanted to keep me here in Pohnpei so I could assist her with next year’s group. I thought she was just joking, but I guess she was serious!
I admit, I was a little disappointed to not go to a new state (how awesome would Survivor: Janelle be?). However, after that initial feeling I definitely got excited because I realized that all of my efforts to learn about Pohnpeian society and culture would not go to waste and that I had a solid foundation to go into Phase II of training. I got really excited when my PA handed me the folder detailing my assignment. I will assist in teaching Language Arts at Madolenihmw High School (you pronounce it Ma-doe-le-neem). Imagine that, me as a high school English teacher. XD
I’ll be teaching Language Arts from morning until lunch every day. My counterpart is a recent grad from the University of Hawaii, so hopefully together we can help improve the English abilities of our students. I also want to be involved in several extracurricular activities as my secondary projects, such as teaching a basic computer class (similar to what I did over the past summer), helping out a tutoring program for high achieving students aiming to go to college (known as Upward Bound), participating in the Talent Search Program (where students get extra instruction in core subjects on Saturdays and go on special field trips throughout the year), leading various clubs on campus (Anime Club, anyone?), and to top it all off, being an academic advisor (I am THRILLED at this prospect!). I would also like to get involved with the library since a grant was awarded to Madolenihmw last year. If I have free time (haha) I might try to help out at the elementary school that shares campus space with MHS.
My permanent host family seems really sweet. They are currently hosting a PCV so I know that they are definitely open and willing to accept me as part of the family for the next two years. I have a 32-year-old host brother (a Pohnpei hospital employee), a host sister-in-law (who I’m going to assume is around the same age), three little host nephews (aged 3, 8, and 12), and a host father (a Pohnpei Economic Development Authority employee). Hosting me is going to be a big change for them because their current PCV is a white, athletic male. I think it will work out quite nicely, since my host brother’s only comment was “to hope that the trainee will very much have some respect and willing to eat whatever we have in our house. Food is a major part of our culture and that we eat, we would like her to try and eat our food.” I definitely do not foresee that as a problem! They live in the village of Kepirohi, in the municipality of Madolenihmw. I will have internet access (so much for escaping from the world), indoor plumbing but an outdoor toilet, and two other PCTs in my municipality.
So what does all this mean for you and me? I will be staying with my training host family until mid November, when I will (hopefully) be sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. From now until then I will receive intense Pohnpeian language and cultural training, as well as participate in a teaching practicum at MHS. I will move in with my permanent host family after their current PCV departs. I will keep the same mailing address (P.O. Box 9).
You may also been wondering what have I been up to since my last blog post. Well, I have been observing/co-teaching English at the local elementary school. This has been a really positive experience for me since I was lucky enough to co-teach with the principal! The kids have responded well and are always so excited to learn. Stickers are wonderful motivators. I’ve also been eating a lot (boo weight gain), exercising a moderate amount (running/jogging/hiking/ power walking), watching a variety of interesting movies, trying to do my laundry by hand (I have succeeded once out of my three previous attempts) and hanging out with the trainees (we’re all going to be LOSTIES by the end of our service). One weekend consisted of water safety day, where I learned to love my Personal Floatation Device (PFD), and going to Nahlap, a nearby picnic island where I got to spend quality time on a boat in the Pacific Ocean.
I’m really happy and excited to stay in Pohnpei but slightly nervous to start learning the language and training to become a quality high school Language Arts teacher. God has blessed me in countless ways and I’ll do my best to succeed!
Based on an interview I had two days prior I guessed that I would either be staying in Pohnpei or going to Palau. The Program Assistant (PA) of Pohnpei had asked me what grades I would prefer to teach, and I told him elementary because I look like a high school student and would get no respect from the students. He laughed it off and everyone in the room told me that I would be just fine in a high school setting. He also seemed to like my strategy of learning the local language – having a host family that speaks no English. That’ll work, right? I also should have suspected that I would be staying in Pohnpei after the Training Assistant (a lively, lovely Pohnpeian lady) said that she wanted to keep me here in Pohnpei so I could assist her with next year’s group. I thought she was just joking, but I guess she was serious!
I admit, I was a little disappointed to not go to a new state (how awesome would Survivor: Janelle be?). However, after that initial feeling I definitely got excited because I realized that all of my efforts to learn about Pohnpeian society and culture would not go to waste and that I had a solid foundation to go into Phase II of training. I got really excited when my PA handed me the folder detailing my assignment. I will assist in teaching Language Arts at Madolenihmw High School (you pronounce it Ma-doe-le-neem). Imagine that, me as a high school English teacher. XD
I’ll be teaching Language Arts from morning until lunch every day. My counterpart is a recent grad from the University of Hawaii, so hopefully together we can help improve the English abilities of our students. I also want to be involved in several extracurricular activities as my secondary projects, such as teaching a basic computer class (similar to what I did over the past summer), helping out a tutoring program for high achieving students aiming to go to college (known as Upward Bound), participating in the Talent Search Program (where students get extra instruction in core subjects on Saturdays and go on special field trips throughout the year), leading various clubs on campus (Anime Club, anyone?), and to top it all off, being an academic advisor (I am THRILLED at this prospect!). I would also like to get involved with the library since a grant was awarded to Madolenihmw last year. If I have free time (haha) I might try to help out at the elementary school that shares campus space with MHS.
My permanent host family seems really sweet. They are currently hosting a PCV so I know that they are definitely open and willing to accept me as part of the family for the next two years. I have a 32-year-old host brother (a Pohnpei hospital employee), a host sister-in-law (who I’m going to assume is around the same age), three little host nephews (aged 3, 8, and 12), and a host father (a Pohnpei Economic Development Authority employee). Hosting me is going to be a big change for them because their current PCV is a white, athletic male. I think it will work out quite nicely, since my host brother’s only comment was “to hope that the trainee will very much have some respect and willing to eat whatever we have in our house. Food is a major part of our culture and that we eat, we would like her to try and eat our food.” I definitely do not foresee that as a problem! They live in the village of Kepirohi, in the municipality of Madolenihmw. I will have internet access (so much for escaping from the world), indoor plumbing but an outdoor toilet, and two other PCTs in my municipality.
So what does all this mean for you and me? I will be staying with my training host family until mid November, when I will (hopefully) be sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. From now until then I will receive intense Pohnpeian language and cultural training, as well as participate in a teaching practicum at MHS. I will move in with my permanent host family after their current PCV departs. I will keep the same mailing address (P.O. Box 9).
You may also been wondering what have I been up to since my last blog post. Well, I have been observing/co-teaching English at the local elementary school. This has been a really positive experience for me since I was lucky enough to co-teach with the principal! The kids have responded well and are always so excited to learn. Stickers are wonderful motivators. I’ve also been eating a lot (boo weight gain), exercising a moderate amount (running/jogging/hiking/ power walking), watching a variety of interesting movies, trying to do my laundry by hand (I have succeeded once out of my three previous attempts) and hanging out with the trainees (we’re all going to be LOSTIES by the end of our service). One weekend consisted of water safety day, where I learned to love my Personal Floatation Device (PFD), and going to Nahlap, a nearby picnic island where I got to spend quality time on a boat in the Pacific Ocean.
I’m really happy and excited to stay in Pohnpei but slightly nervous to start learning the language and training to become a quality high school Language Arts teacher. God has blessed me in countless ways and I’ll do my best to succeed!
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