A Nation in Between

A few weeks ago, when I was still in Pohnpei, I saw something that really stuck in my head. My host sister, Lolima, was sitting in the living room watching a DVD of the Jonas Brothers on the family's flat-screen TV. As she was sitting there, a chicken walked into the house and started pecking at the floor next to her. Lolema laughed and shooed the chicken out before returning her attention to the Disney Channel stars.

This image is very indicative of the state of the FSM: it is a nation caught between. It is between two huge continents, individual states and and a federation, and between tradition and Westernization.

Lets take those one at a time:

There are reminders of the fact that they are geographically located between two continents everywhere. Chuuk was the headquarters of the Japanese Navy during WWII and there are remnants of Japanese infrastructure from the war all over the place. I've seen countless bunkers, caves, and towers, not to mention the tourists on the cruise ships who go diving every day to look at the ship wrecks. Most of this infrastructure, as I have been told multiple times, was built by Chuukese people who were essentially enslaved by the Japanese. As you might imagine, there is a fair amount of resentment towards the Japanese here, although much of it has died down in the time since the war.

The Federated States of Micronesia is composed of four states--Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae-- and was established in 1986. The preamble to the constitution (which was actually written by a former Peace Corps Volunteer) states that "the ocean does not divide us but unites us." I couldn't agree more. The only problem is that the ocean is pretty much the only thing that the islands have in common and unites them. They have completely different languages and cultures, and therefor do not have a strong national identity. The political system was based on the the US's, so there is a national government as well as state governments, but the FSM government is almost entirely funded by the US as laid out by the Compact of Free Association. I'll write more about the Compact later because it is really important here.

The tension between tradition and Westernization is palpable. As the story above shows, it's present in all aspects of daily life. Here's another example. Micronesians are overwhelmingly Christian--the missionaries came in and went to town! That being said, many Micronesians hang on to traditional superstitions and stories. Magic is also everywhere. Ask someone how Nan Modal (which is a impressive and really old fort in Pohnpei) was made, and you'll hear that it was made by magic. Satowan, the island where I am going, is rumored to produce the most powerful love potion in all of Micronesia. Just spray a little of the perfume on yourself, and the girls will come running. (I'm not making that up.)

That's enough rambling for one day. Hope all is well on the homefront. Pictures are coming, I promise!

All the best,
Ben