Teaching in Pohnpei; Story #1

In May, before leaving for Micronesia, two of the WorldTeach volunteers had sent four boxes filled with teaching curriculum to use in Micronesia.  Two months had passed with no signs of the boxes and they were becoming increasingly anxious that the boxes may never come.  Erin, to help with her frustration, changed her expectations to a December arrival time.

During lunch one afternoon I went to do the routine mail-run and to my surprise, Erin and Andy's boxes had arrived!  I was so excited to give Erin the news that I decided to try and take as many boxes as possible back to our office.  The man working behind the desk carried two boxes for me to sign for and without testing their weight, I happily signed.  I picked them up and thought, "Wow.  These are really damn heavy...but you know what, it's only 800 meters, I can do it."  It's unfortunate that I'm an optimist and that I made that decision with only five steps into my trek, because after 10 steps I was absolutely exhausted!  The boxes combined weight must have been over 60lbs and the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees.  Halfway through I was almost in tears, so I decided to purposely over-exaggerate my exhaustion hoping that someone would notice my obvious struggle and give me a ride.  I plopped my foot down, sighed obnoxiously, wobbled and pushed one more step forward.  The sequence repeated. Plop, sigh, wobble, push, plop, sigh, wobble, push. Finally, I arrived back to campus and was already five minutes late to my own class. I looked in the mirror and gasped at what I saw.  I was completely drenched in sweat, I smelled like ass and my hair was one big frizz ball.  Now, in the states if a teacher arrived looking as I did it would raise at least a little concern, but in Pohnnpei no one seemed to notice or care!  I taught an 85 minute class looking as though I just ran a marathon in a skirt and a dress shirt...

Sokehs Rock

making our way up

kids at the top

            the view

   

making our way down

Sokehs Rock 8/26/08: We had heard stories about Sokehs Rock, but none prepared us for the intense rock climb we conquered two Sundays ago.  For the first few miles we walked on a paved road around a small island to get to the trail head.  Once there, we started our trek up hill.  We climbed rocks made into stairs, used trees to stabilize ourselves, and took breaks as needed due to the steep incline.  It was a challenge to even reach the base of the rock!  Once we arrived at the base, Michaela said, "Okay, now begins the technical part of the climb.  Do you see that pipe?  That will become your lifeline."  I looked up at what we were about to climb, noticed the rusted pipe and started to shake.  However, my ego wouldn't let me back down, so I continued upward.  As we ascended, we reached for tree roots and held our body tight against the vertical earth.  We carefully tested each rock and branch to make sure it would hold.  We gave guidance to one another when one of us got stuck.  There were times when I imagined myself dying (okay, a little exaggeration...hehe), and times when the adrenaline pumping through my body made me want to yell out in excitement!  Once we reached the top we were greeted by Pohnpeian kids (yeah, they put us to shame on the climb) and fresh pineapples ready to pick!  We spent some time enjoying the view, taking pictures and listening to the kids sing hip hop songs from the states.  Basically, we were avoiding the reality that at some point we had to go back down!  After almost an hour of relaxing one of us had to get back so, just as carefully, we made our way back down the rock.  I found going down much easier.  Whenever I couldn't find solid footing I would use the pipe as a firefighter pole to slowly inch my way down.  When we reached the pavement, we talked about how each of us (at least at one point) thought that we were going to die.  However, immediately following that conversation we made plans for the next encounter with Sokehs Rock!

Picture Update!

Below are some pictures for all of you to enjoy!  Hopefully this will give you a better idea of how my life is in Pohnpei!

Me and my Pohnpeian family-and that's only some of them!  

Sepe and me "making our style"!
SohSol (one of my host brothers)
Host brothers and Sisters:Indigo, Sepe, Emma, Sohsol (front) and Jojo (far left)

This is a test to see if my internet connection can handle uploading four pictures at a time...stay tuned for more pictures!

Finding solid ground...

This past week has been extremely busy; however I'm gradually becoming more grounded in Pohnpei. I'm getting used to a more laid back lifestyle (it seems odd to think I need to "get used to" living a more relaxed life), and have started to view things like time and schedules as more fluid. Those of you who have known me for a while remember that I have had to work hard to become a punctual person and live a more sequential life. Living here actually makes me little anxious that a floodgate will open and my free-floating, abstract mind will come pouring out due to all the years of suppression! It also doesn't help that on one of our hikes my watch broke. I've finally gotten over the severe watch-withdrawals (I NEVER take that thing off at home), however, not having a watch to keep me "in-check" has also enabled my abstract-minded nature to drip out. Additionally, being "on-time" in Pohnpei allows for a 20-minute cushion...adjusting back to the states might be a little harder than I initially anticipated! However, why think of that now, right? :) Luckily I'll have enough responsibilities at the college to hold me accountable to things like punctuality, preparedness, etc. Other areas in which I have been surprised is how I'm WAY less absent-minded on island and that I like to clean- I know it's weird (I apologize to those of you who spit out your coffee from the shock of that last comment)! My theory is that, for once in my life, I actually have time to be more intentional with where I put things and I have time to clean while not under a tight schedule or after a long, exhausting day. Okay, enough on my personal growth and more about what I've done!

As of Wednesday, I've finally moved into my apartment, established an office at the college and received my teaching curriculum (whew!). My apartment is AMAZING! It's on the third floor overlooking the ocean and, because of the location, we get a lot of airflow to help cool down our apartment and dry our clothes. I also live near an excellent running/walking route on the airport causeway. Most mornings I wake up early to take a walk (with a cup of coffee in hand) and enjoy the sunrise. The temperature is usually much more mild in the mornings (and along the ocean) so it has proved to be an excellent way to start my day. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up tomorrow or Monday so you can get an idea of what my living arrangements look like. Michaela, my roommate, is basically a duplicate of me. She was a college heptathlete (she even got stress-fractures in the same locations as I did), she's into all types of sports, she loves hiking, and we have the same middle name (among many other similarities). She also has been living on island for a year, so that makes life much easier for me!

As a group (WorldTeach) we have gone on an exciting adventure each weekend. My favorite weekend adventure was going on a six waterfall hike with all of the WorldTeach volunteers. I've been on many different hikes but nothing has been comparable. Not only was it absolutely stunning, it was physically demanding! We alternated between climbing up steep hills on "all-fours," to sliding down muddy slopes on our butts. We had to wade through rivers on slick rocks, jump off rocks/cliffs into open water, and then swim against the current to reach the waterfalls. The “path” was literally carved by our machete-bearing guide as we progressed through the jungle. I could not stop smiling the entire time! Scott, when you get here you are going to love this hike! Other adventures have included hikes to Sokehs Ridge where you can get a 360 degree view of the island, trips to an outer island called Nahlap, and car rides along the parameter of the entire island (Michaela and I plan to walk around the entire island before we leave!).

Overall, life has been pretty nice. I'm still riding the rollercoaster, however whenever I feel down or less confident I'm learning to just stop and take a moment to look around me. It's so beautiful that feeling down almost seems silly.
Please continue to read and post on my blog! I thoroughly enjoy all of your posts! Also, on the right hand side is a list of things I could use on island. Nothing is urgent but it's kind of like a "wish list" if you are looking to send anything!

Hello!

This was recorded in the morning while visiting Nahlap (an outer island) with my host family.

A common analogy that we have been using as volunteers in Micronesia is that our experience is like being on a rollercoaster.  Ups and downs come without warning and last for varying durations of time.  Yesterday I was filled with amazement and almost a childlike excitement and today I've been much more flat.  In some volunteers their position on the rollercoaster is transparent, while others (the more expressively muted or the perma-smile junkies) it's harder to detect.  However, visible or not, we are all onboard this topsy-turby ride that leaves us exhausted at the end of every day.  But really, how could we not be?  I left the "good old" midwest where coffee shots (tear), farm land (ahhh the tractors...), lake resorts (go Woodlawn!), and open highway were in common sight.  I lived by my wrist watch, alarm clocks, and revolving deadlines.  My friends, family and fiance were readily accessible by cell phone, email, or even in shouting distance.  I worked in a temperature controlled office along side a computer.  When thinking about how life was at home and how it is here, how could stepping into a third-world, Pacific Island culture not bring about a rollercoaster ride through the culture shock tunnel, right?  Most things are unfamiliar to all of us.  For example, the climate alone has been an ever-present contender for my energy.  Ninety degree weather at 100% humidity is almost inescapable .  The air is so thick that at times I feel like I'm chewing on it and even when I manage to find a room with a/c I find that my body rejects the drastic temperature change (instant nausea...mmm).

Another source of "culture shock" is how people live on island.  Even more shocking, however, is how my interpretation is probably very different than it would have been had I been reading this description second hand, in central MN.  Although we are living in a third world country, the people here seem...happy.  Things seems to work...well.  So while reading my experiences with poverty and the people try not to interpret it as negative or positive because in all honesty I'm not even sure how to interpret it yet!  

When I first entered my host family's house (at 2am) I was confronted with smells I was not used to, 6 - 8 kids sleeping on the linoleum floor, older women with mwarmwars (a crown of flowers) to present to us and food prepared just in case we were hungry (again, at 2am!).  It was clear that they their resources were few, so when I stepped into my beautiful bedroom complete with a full sized bed, desk and fan, I could not help but feel guilty.  It didn't feel right taking up so much physical space while so many children were sleeping on the floor.  When I woke up the next morning, not knowing any of the language, I timidly walked into the dining/living room and was amazed by the spread of food they had ready for me.   They told me to sit and eat and it appeared as if the younger kids were just waiting to serve any need I might have.  Once again, I felt guilty and unsure how to react to their willingness to be incredibly gracious and serving.  In the states I've learned to be low-maintenance and self-sufficient while visiting a friend/family member, so by stepping into a culture that assumes the duty to serve and feed a guest I find myself feeling undeservedly pampered.  It's actually very uncomfortable at times, however I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to fully accept their incredible capacity to care and give as something that pleases them equally.  Micronesians, even from my limited time here, seem like incredibly benevolent people.

Regarding the food, I have found my heaven!  Sashimi is extremely inexpensive and fresh fruit is plentiful.  My host family prepares every meal and smiles when we sigh with delight.  I wish we would be able to eat more meals together, however my experience so far is that we (the other WT volunteer living with me) are to be served first, kids are not allowed to eat "our food" and everyone leaves the room, except for one young women sitting on on the parameter waiting to see if we need anything.  When we have finished eating we are hardly even allowed to clear our own plates.  Again, their kindness, almost servitude, is hard to adjust to.  

I have to run but future blog topics include: the KIDS, RUNNING, SOCCER, LANGUAGE, DRESS CODE, HOW MUCH I SMELL and FAITH...

Weŕe finally here!

Kasehlelia! (hmm...not positive on the spelling yet, but it means hi...and goodbye (like Aloha)!

Itś hard to believe that I am finally living on the little speck on the globe that I have been showing so many people the last few months. There´s nothing like stepping into 90 degree weather at 100% humidity to break the denial of being so far from home. I´ve now been living here for three days and already know my way around the ¨town.¨ Itś quite small but it has everything I need. My host family has also been extremely gracious. They feed us well (Sashumi!!) and the kids are a lot of fun. They have actually been my Pohnpeian teachers! The land is breathtaking. It really is a tropical paradise. There´s fresh fruit growing from trees, an ocean view within walking distance and, really, no real conception of time (I am still trying to get used to this!).

As far as life with the other volunteers, we are a quirky bunch. Itś going to be interesting how each of us adjust. :)

I also had a chance to meet my future boss at the College of Micronesia, Pohnpei campus. She seems very nice and comforting. I just hope that I can remember English grammar rules...itś been a while!

Well, that is all for now. Stay tuned for more...