Relaxation, Anticipation

This weekend, we went to the island of Pisar. It is about an hour away from our island, Weno, and close to the size of a football field, maybe a little smaller. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. We left Friday afternoon and spent the weekend relaxing, exploring the island, snorkeling and walking along the reef. During this time of year, flies infest Pisar, so we had a few meltdowns with how many flies there were; otherwise, it was an amazing weekend! The beautiful thing about Pisar is that it is on the edge of the Chuuk Lagoon, meaning we can go swimming in the true Pacific Ocean and see all of the awesome sea creatures, including reef sharks, eels, and a ton of fish. It was exactly what we needed to refresh ourselves and get ready for the first week of school!

This year, I am teaching four sections. I am teaching one section of sophomore biology, two sections of junior literature, and one section of senior English skills. It will be a big challenge lesson planning for three different classes, and probably an even bigger one teaching all four of them, but I’m excited to get going. We had our Mass of the Holy Spirit on Friday before we left for Pisar, and it was really great getting to see all the students. Another great thing is that the Saram students are incredible singers, and it made mass so beautiful. I’m fired up and ready to start off the semester; it will have its challenges, and I still have to learn how to actually teach, but it will be a growing experience for all of us!

The Little Things

My journal excerpt from yesterday:

“It’s the little things. I say that all the time, and I mean it, but I always seem to forget that for me, the little things really matter. So, I got a little reminder of that from my neighbors this afternoon. It rained today, it rained hard. And when I went up to grab something from my room, I heard a giggle coming from outside. I looked out my window, and saw my neighbor’s little boy, butt naked, shampoo on his head, empty half of a milk carton in his hand, gathering rainwater as he danced and laughed and ran around the compound, sometimes dumping the water on his head but most of the times throwing it everywhere but. A rain shower. And an infectious giggle. It’s the little things.”

My Host Family

This weekend, we all went to our host families for the first time! My host family lives on the island of Udot. It is about a 40 minute boat ride from Weno, where we are all staying. That is when the weather is good and the lagoon waters are calm, which wasn't the case Friday. It had rained most of the night Thursday and into Friday, so the lagoon was really rough. Doesn't make for a very cozy boat ride, especially in a 15 ft. boat. Luckily, Jo my hot dad is an expert behind the wheel, so it wasn't too too bad. We got there and we were all soaked to the skin though, because the waves were hitting us on one side and the rain was getting us on the other! It was definitely a first boat ride to remember!

That night, we just had dinner and I went to bed. Nai Nai (my oldest sister) made sashimi and fried fish, which was amazing. Nai Nai has given us all Chuukese lessons in the past, so hopefully I can convince her to do that again this year. We definitely need it! Nai Nai has two  younger sisters, Crystal and Keinani. Crystal will be home from school in about a week, so I will get to meet her then. The way the family unit works, Kiki (my host mom) also has five of her nephews living in the compound with her, Jo, her parents, and her daughters, so there are 12 people overall. All the kids call Kiki "Mom," so the boys are all my brothers and the girls are all my sisters. The youngest of her nephews is about 12, and his name is Kanei Jr. He's an awesome kid, even though we can't communicate very well.

Saturday morning after breakfast, Kanei Jr. comes up to me and says "Sa na" (pronounced sa dah) and we're off into the jungle. We went to go pick some breadfruit. The way they prepare it is by picking it from the trees, boiling it, and pounding it into dough form. Hence, bread-fruit! Everyone I met here can climb trees like it's nobody's business. Two of the older boys, Jess and Rifsan, came with us, and they were at least 30 feet up trying to get at the fruit. And then Kane Jr. shimmied his way up a palm tree no problem to get us some coconuts while we waited. It was crazy! Pretty cool!

After a nap and lunch, we were back out adventuring. This time, we just went and grabbed big leaves to wrap the finished breadfruit in, and then came back and played foursquare for a good three hours. It was a ton of fun! I'm glad foursquare is a universal game, and that you don't need to say much to play! Whenever I did say anything, I got laughed at because I said it wrong. Guess I'm going to need to practice more!

We came back to the house and Kiki got out her ukelele and started playing and singing, and the rest of the weekend, random family members would be walking around doing the same. The Chuukese are so talented! It's awesome to listen to. Saram students are known for their ability to sing, so I'm really excited for that (yes, I know, I can't sing...living vicariously through others!).

It got dark pretty early, and Kanei Jr. and I went and laid under the sky for a while, watching the bats waking up. After, we went to their back yard area and hung out while he sang some songs with one of the neighbors. After a few minutes, Kanei Jr. stuck his arm around me, leaned in and said "my brother." For knowing him for only a day, it was really heartwarming to hear that. It will definitely be something I look back upon when we start hitting hard times. And I know I have a family here in Chuuk.

Sunday morning, we went to mass, and came back and played more foursquare and some volleyball. After that, took another nap, had lunch and got in the boat to come back to Weno! It was an incredible weekend with an incredible family, and I am so blessed that they have taken me in. I can't wait to spend more time with them in the future, and to keep learning more about this place and people.

The First Few Days

Ran annim! It's dinnertime here, but I think most of you are sound asleep or close to it!

This is officially my fifth day in Chuuk. I don't even know where to start. Weno (the island I am on) is incredible. It is one of about 150 in the state of Chuuk, which includes the Chuuk Lagoon and the outer islands. We have Peace Corps friends on the outer islands, and they just left to go back to their sites yesterday.

I can't possibly give you all we have done in the past few days; I have learned and done so much already. But here are a few highlights of my trip so far:

We spent the first 4 days at Saramen Chuuk Academy (translated "Light of Chuuk Academy," Saram for short). That is where I will be teaching, along with Jason and Mackenzie, my community mates. On our second night, we were treated to a "local feast" of fish, breadfruit, rice, and bananas pounded with coconut milk. It was delicious! I use the word "treated" loosely, because we made the meal ourselves. Our second-years (Mack, Tess, and Chris) bought the ingredients, including 5 full parrotfish, and we got to de-scale, gut and clean the fish before cooking them. It was a really cool experience! I have to say, it tasted much better having done most of the work myself. Now all we have to do is learn how to spear fish, which I have been told we can do with our host families.

The next day, we took a hike up to Octopus Head. It is a hill close to Saram that resembles, well, you can guess. It was quite the adventure. Kicho, one of the second-years' friends and the dorm moderator at Xavier High School (where the other JVs teach) came with us to be our guide, and brought along two cousins. We trekked up the hillside through the tropical jungle in the mud (because it rains almost every day...a lot of rain!). It was intense. At the top of the hill, there is a network of caves and tunnels the Japanese used during WWII, with cannons still in them. It was incredible to be able to see all of them. We all took tumbles on the way down. I caught air when I fell. It was pretty fun, but we definitely deserved nap time afterward!

Yesterday, we took a flatbed truck up to Xavier High School. It is a Jesuit school, where five other JVs live and 3 of them teach. The remaining two teach at an elementary school down the hill. Xavier is pretty incredible, with ocean views (and views of over 20 islands, some barely big enough to hold a few trees). We sat and watched the stars last night, and saw at least 10 meteors in the hour we were up there. We then got back to the JV house and battled cockroaches and spiders before settling in and going to bed.

It has been quite the adventure so far. There have been a few moments where it has hit me that this is home for two years, but so far it is completely surreal. I'm guessing when I begin teaching it will begin to become more real. Right now, I'm just soaking it in.

Missing everyone back home! Love you all!

Island Hopper

“Welcome to the Island Hopper! We are about to land at the first of seven islands on our way to Guam and the Mariana Islands, the Majuro atoll, capitol of the Marshall Islands. Next will be Kwajalein, followed by Kosrae, Pohnpei and Chuuk of Micronesia.”

The Island Hopper is a unique tradition in the Pacific, in which one plane a day acts like a “bus of the skies,” stopping at many of the islands in the Marshalls, Micronesia, and ending in Guam. Our flight attendants are awesome, and are based out of Guam. This is their route, and they love it.

As for me, I’m doing pretty well. Excited, nervous, happy, sad, you name it and I’ve felt it (probably all in the last 24 hours, too!). It was hard having a second round of goodbyes over the past few days, with family, new and old friends alike. The last two weeks at Orientation have been incredible, and the rest of the people serving with JVC, as well as the Rostro de Christo volunteers in Ecuador, are truly wonderful and inspiring people.

Now we are on our way to the first Micronesian island, and I think that’s all I have for now. Kinamwe (peace)!

Why Can't Caterpillars Trust?

Funny you should ask.

As part of our orientation for JVC, we have had many sessions on various topics alongside a 2-day silent retreat we all just got back from. The morning after our silent retreat, we had a session on how to care for ourselves while in our countries, and how to serve from a place of spiritual/emotional/mental "abundance" as opposed to serving in a state of depletion. As part of this session, we participated in a simple walking meditation, walking slowly and focusing on each step we took.

One thing I noticed is that, as we take each step, we fall (very slightly) before we take the next step. As we put our front foot forward for every step, we have to trust that the ground will be there to catch us. And we do, every time. We don't walk on the sidewalk like it's a frozen lake, testing the ground as we go. We just walk, simple as that.

In reflecting on this, I was brought back to my time on silent retreat. During lunch our last day, I looked down at my shirt to see a tiny caterpillar on it. I'm talking as long as an eyelash, maybe shorter. Being a bio major and major nerd, I just watched it for a while. And I noticed that, before it moved, it would inch out, testing where it was about to 'step' before moving a muscle. It didn't trust (or didn't have the capacity to trust) its surroundings.

And that is why caterpillars can't trust.

I know it's incredibly random, but it is important for me as I go into country and into this experience. Trust will be crucial in the next two years. Recognizing my capacity to trust myself, to trust my community, to trust God, and to trust the Micronesian people is what will help get me through, especially during the challenging times.