Somewhere

Ticket Lady #1: Where is she going?

Ticket Lady #2: First Newark, then Honolulu, then…somewhere…

It’s humbling to know that you can spend two amazing years working and living in a country that the average American doesn’t even know exists.  Does this make me sad?  Well, yes.  Does this make me more determined than ever to bring back and share my experiences with anyone willing to listen?  Of course!  That’s the elusive “third goal” of the Peace Corps, which also happens to include this very blog.

Before I left Pohnpei to visit the States on break, I received something that I have been wanting for quite a long time – a traditional title in my community!  About two months after my host parents asked the Soumas (remember him?) about this, I was granted one – Nahnsou Deleur.  Nahnsou is the title, Deleur is my village.  I grin uncontrollably whenever someone addresses me as such because it signifies that now, after being in my community for a little over a year, I am no longer mehn wai.  I am mehn Pohnpei.  And that is awesome.

K-Ben can dance and say my title!

Travel time from Kolonia to Chicago – 40 hours.  Luckily not all of that time was spent on airplanes.  This trip is not for the faint-hearted!  When I finally arrived at the correct place I was just so glad to see my family and my house.  After being extremely cold for a few days I was pretty much able to adjust (except for the food – explosions of flavor!).  I hung out with long lost family members and reliable college buddies, played mahjong and took advantage of Netflix, explored Chicago and remembered why I value diversity so much.  I was able to do everything I needed – spend quality time with my family and friends (Wii!), take full advantage of the internet, go shopping for my host family and me (books!), and eat lots and lots of FOOD.  I also experienced the very first snow fall of 2012 – it’s going to be a while until I see snow again!

Enjoying snow with the Santos ladies

Travel time from Chicago to Kolonia – 38 hours.  I ordered Starbucks and fast food from all the airports I went to – because I could.  I was also pleasantly surprised to sit next to two fellow PCVs on their way back to Chuuk.  When my time traveling was done and I stepped off the plane, I remembered just how HOT Pohnpei was.  My host family was there to greet me at the airport and return me back to my second home.  I apparently got fatter and whiter – that about sums up my break.

I blame you, delicious Christmas lechon!

“We were desperate and you weren’t here” are not what one wants to hear upon return to one’s place of work.  Hear them I did.  This semester I am teaching two junior World Cultures classes (which have been great so far) and one junior Algebra II class.  AHH!  I am also running the library since it is officially open for student use.  Right now I am helping the Language Arts department out, preparing the seniors for the College of Micronesia Entrance Test (COMET).  Intensive vocabulary practice, reading comprehension, and essay writing for them – intensive grading for me!

Future Peace Corps Micronesia Volunteers: if you are reading this blog (along with the other ones conveniently listed to the right of your computer screen) in preparation for your departure in June, do know that all of us here are SUPER EXCITED for you to come!  If you have any questions, comments, or just want to say kaselehlie, please feel free to email me.

Freaking Out

When I see little black bugs crawling all over the water seal toilet, I freak out.

I often amuse my host family by freaking out over the various insects that like to invade my space (or my chocolate).  You would think that after being here for over a year I would be used to them by now.  Not quite.  But I am well equipped with a can of Raid to go after the little buggers.

Behold the toilet

When I see my fellow PCVs all together in the same place, I freak out.

M77’s Mid Service Training was held at the eco-friendly Village Hotel.  I slept on a water bed under a mosquito net, housed in a thatched-roof bungalow.  Volunteers from all over the Caroline Islands came back to rainy Pohnpei to reflect on the first year of service and prepare for the next.  Our training encompassed a variety of subjects, including sexual assault and intervention, communication, and content-based teaching.  More important than the training though, was the time in which we all bonded over our crazy experiences navigating through Micronesian and Palauan culture.  I am honored to serve with this incredible group of people.

Coming in after the midnight flight

When I watch my students flawlessly perform their skits, I freak out.

This quarter has kept me and my students very busy.  My freshmen practiced subject-verb agreement, learned vocabulary words, read Micronesian legends, wrote about personal memories in their journals, and created and executed skits based on both topics I gave them and topics of their own choosing.  I was stunned at how well my students did in acting out their completely English, completely memorized skits.  My goal was to give these students confidence in their ability to communicate in English, and I think together we accomplished this.

My juniors embarked on reading adventures with Island of the Blue Dolphins, Call It Courage, and The Pearl.  Thanks so much again to my family and friends who sent me copies – they were much appreciated and fully used.  They also learned vocabulary words, wrote essays about different prompts, journaled about future dreams, and faced off in engaging debates.

Some of my freshmen girls

When I think about going back to the states in less than a week, I freak out.

Not in a bad way, mind you.  My time in Pohnpei, especially at my site, has been absolutely wonderful (if you can’t tell from my previous entries, hehe).  I can only hope that I’ve given a little something in return for all that’s been given to me.  However, I know that without the support of everyone back home I would not have been successful here.  I can’t wait to see you all (especially my newest family member) but don’t freak out if I start acting a bit strange!

Season’s Greetings from Pohnpei

Feasting

Let me walk you through a typical Pohnpeian feast, or kamadipw.

Here’s the setup: Feast season in Pohnpei coincides with the harvest of yams, normally starting in September and running through November.  Feasts are entire village celebrations of the traditional leaders and of the harvest.  Food, dancing, and sakau abound.  There are two major feasts Pohnpeian villages can have.  The most important one is the kamadipw en wahu, the feast for the Nahnmwarki (king) of the municipality, of which Pohnpei has six.  I happen to live in the most populated municipality, Madolenihmw, where its Nahnmwarki is considered the highest ranking in all of Pohnpei.  So, if you can imagine, feasts get pretty intense.  The second most important is the kamadipw en kousapw, the feast a Pohnpeian village has to celebrate its Soumas (village chief).  My village, Deleur, recently held its kamadipw en kousapw.  It’s a small village, populated by 50 or so people.  However, that does not mean its feast had to be small.

Since my pahpa and nohno have high traditional titles, they are always expected to provide a lot for their village feasts.  Actually, everybody who attends a feast is expected to bring something to share because they will get something in return (except crazy mehn wai who normally have no idea what is going on).  This is no problem because Pohnpei has such a communalistic, collectivistic culture.  Everyone is ALWAYS willing to share what they have for the benefit of all.  Moving on…a day before the feast my host family and I went to town to buy food for making numerous trays (including rice, chicken, hotdogs, juice, snacks) and gifts to pass out (like shirts, mwaramwars, fabrics).

The day of the feast, my nohno and host sister got up at 3AM (!) to cook all of the food and prepare the trays to bring

My pahpa also went out to buy a pig that would be one of many to be butchered, roasted, and passed out to the feast-goers

Since this feast was in walking distance of my house, I was driven there half way and walked the other half (don’t judge).  You can tell how long a feast has been going on by the amount of people, pigs, yams, and sakau pounding you can see and hear.

The main part of a feast is held in the nahs.  Yes, that is a dead dog.

Here’s where the pigs are cooked.

 No feast is complete without music…

…or sakau.

Look at all those yams!

Just a small sampling of trays that would be given away at lunch time.

 As token mehn wai and host daughter of high titled parents, I am normally made to sit in the nahs with other women.  It’s a place of honor, but also a place where I won’t get in the way of anything.  From my vantage point I could see pretty much everything of importance.

The traditional leaders being honored sit in the front of the nahs.

The pounding and drinking of sakau goes on for the entire length of the feast.

Once the dancing starts it doesn’t stop!

 First gifts are brought up to the front then passed back out.

The MC (the guy standing up without his shirt on) dictates the pace of the events.

Food preparations are done entirely by women.

The village Soumas giving a speech thanking everyone for coming.

Next comes the passing of the food.  The MC first calls out the titles of those highest ranking who get the biggest and best trays.  Then all of the food is gradually passed out to everyone else.

Female food line!

My nohno is the one in the black and red shirt putting trays in the nahs.

 After we all eat, we watch the entertainment in the form of organized dances and speeches given by prominent community members.

My little host sister (purple) and student (red) had dance practices for a week.

The Principal of a local elementary school reminding everyone that they need to take responsibility for Pohnpei’s future and not rely solely on U.S. funds.

Last is the giving and taking of sakau, yams, gifts, and pig parts

Sakau plants being brought up

My host sister (purple) participated in passing some of the gifts out.

The Soumas really got into the swing of things!

Yes, those pigs are indeed flayed open.

Bonus visit by the Governor of Pohnpei!

My pahpa (purple) helped decide the people in which to pass out the pig parts to

Feasts are fun but rather tiring events.  I even danced a bit at this feast (sorry, no evidence).  If you, dear reader, ever come to Pohnpei make sure you attend at least one of these kamadipws!  You will surely be expected to dance but you will definitely have a good time.

The day after.

At home

Sometimes, it's best not to ask.

Dancin’ the days away

“Go dance.”

“I can’t dance!”

“Go dance.”

And thus began my week long dance practice.

Most of the Pohnpeian women that I have met while being here really know how to shake up.  At any kamadipw, special occasion, or just for fun, it is almost a given that if there is music, then there will be dancing.  In honor of Education Day, a day when all the educators on the island gather together to celebrate their successes and reconfirm their commitment to teaching, each municipality had to prepare a song and/or dance to perform for their fellow teachers.  So it was decided by my Principal that all of the teachers at Madolenihmw High School would participate, whether or not they could sing or dance.  Everyone would sing, but for some reason only the ladies would dance.

I love singing – give me lyrics and a melody and I’ll totally sing.  Roughly translated into English, the song MHS chose to sing was about showing the light to people who have lost their way (very appropriate for teachers).  However, I don’t dance.  This is a fact of life.  Over the years I have avoided dances and dancing in general.  Of course, with the “why not?” attitude I have adopted here, I conceded to join in on the dancing.  Surprisingly, I’m actually glad I did since practices were a lot of fun and the dances weren’t too hard once broken down.  The best part, though, was watching the other ladies dance.  They sure know their stuff!  Conversely, it was pretty hilarious observing those teachers who didn’t know the moves attempt to dance since I was in the same boat as them and probably just as ridiculous.  Our performance on Education Day was full of energy and spirit though lacking a bit in accuracy of dance movements.  But sohte pwunod (no worries) since everybody had a good time.

Ironically, this all took place in the midst of mid-terms, so when I should have been grading I was dancing instead.  Curses!  My classes have been both challenging and rewarding for me over the course of this past quarter.  The large class sizes and variety of learning styles and levels in the same class constantly make me work hard to adapt my lessons so everyone can learn.  They haven’t always been successful but teaching is a work in progress, I believe.  However, I have seen my students grow a little more comfortable and confident in using English every day, which is one of the primary reasons as to why I’m here in the first place.  I also love that many students are excited to have an accessible library and borrow books, which makes me really hope that I can spend more time in the library next semester and find a librarian who will carry this all on.

Though I spend most of my free time planning and grading, I have been able to join in on family sakau time, play with the baby, research options for the future (I’m thinking grad school somewhere), and party with my fellow mehn wai.  As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or just want to catch up.  Kaselel until next time!

Drinking sakau (too much sakau)

Looks delicious, right?  Now imagine these roots being pounded on a large flat stone, twisted in hibiscus vines, and squeezed into a dahl en sakau (kava cup).  Sakau remains very much a constant in my life, whether it be in a bottle or off the rock and shared with family, friends, or strangers alike.  It brings people together, which may be the very reason why sakau is so valued in Pohnpeian culture.  It certainly brought my entire extended host family together as we celebrated the birthdays of my host brother, my host father, and my self at one big kamadipw.  It also makes a person reflect on the traditions and lore surrounding this drink, as well as reflect on life in general.

My own life has been taken some unique turns this past year, but with the grace of God and support of my family and friends I have been able to navigate each one.  I have already learned so much – how to teach English, how to integrate into a culture different from my own, how to go with the flow when need be but stay firm when necessary.  Most of all, being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia has made me learn how to treasure the little things.  Eating breadfruit everyday.  Catching a student sharing a library book with an interested friend.  Understanding a new Pohnpeian word that I have been curious about for the longest time.  One moment that really made me smile was giving recommendations for four of my former students to join Upward Bound, a program for the best and the brightest sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are destined for greatness.

This current school year already has me in full blown work mode.  I’ve acted as an emcee and as the token mehn wai teacher.  Due to some very last minute changes in the schedule (per norm) I am now teaching FOUR (out of four) classes, two sections of juniors and two sections of (crazy) freshman.  All Language Arts but no Biology though (woo-hoo!).  I do my best to incorporate grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary, test taking, and journaling into my classes so I can expose students to the many interesting facets of the English language.  And yes, I spend most of my time lesson planning and grading papers, though I do think (and hope) that it is time well spent. 

The library coordinating is also going well.  All of the fiction books have finally been organized.  New metal shelves have been obtained and installed to house the many stacks of non-fiction books currently sitting on the floor.  The process of getting the shelves was quite the doozy but well worth it.  I am still in the process of finding a permanent librarian, though I have found a counterpart of sorts to work with for now.  I just wish there were more hours in the day!

I would like to thank EVERYONE (even you silent lurkers) who has followed my blog for the past year.  Kalahngan lap once again.  Here’s to another great one!

This post has been brought to you by M77’s Team Pohnpei.

Floatin’ along

“You want to read this fantasy book?”

“Why not?”

“You want to listen to this Korean boy band?”

“Why not?”

“You want to join the Peace Corps?”

“Why not?”

My “why not?” philosophy in life has made me the person I am today, I like to think. Why not give something a try? If all doesn’t go according to plan, at least there will be no regrets.

So when I read the email inviting me to spend the weekend in Pakin, of course I replied yes. Since this was right after GLOW I was already packed with everything I would need. Following a brief respite, I boarded the boat that would take our band of adventurers to this outer island atoll of Pohnpei. The ride itself was beautiful – bright blue skies and clear ocean waters, with the greenery of Pohnpei disappearing in the distance. Our destination was the Chief’s Island, inhabited by only two families. After some enthusiastic greetings I set out to explore the land in the fading light. “Gorgeous” does not do justice to describe what I saw.

Rising with the sun the next day, I took in all of the little things that made Pakin a lovely place. The sound of the waves breaking on the sand. The breeze hitting my face as I swayed back and fourth on the chair swing. The kids singing bright tunes accompanied by a boy playing a ukulele shaped like a rock guitar. The gang set out to explore the rest of the atoll via boat. I was mesmerized by the vibrant colors of the ocean as we visited the other islands.

Our longest stop was on Pakin’s main island, home to most of its population (100 or so people), its school (three classrooms), and its tireless PCV (pictured on the left). I actually made a shot into that basket!

Upon return to the home base I spent the rest of my time swimming in the ocean, making sand castles with the resident 4-year-old, showering using well water (makes me appreciate Pohnpei’s never-ending rain all the more), and drinking tea while watching the stars. Absolutely glorious.

August so far for me has been a time of recovery from the business of the summer. I attended the 45^th anniversary of the Peace Corps in Micronesia at the U.S. Embassy (wow!). I am honored to be a small part of that legacy. Now I am back to working in the library (organizing the fiction books), planning for the school year (teaching sophomore language arts classes and BIOLOGY WHY), spending quality time with my host family (going to parties and rainy day picnics), and contemplating my future while floatin’ along in the Pacific Ocean.