I’ve been dreading writing this blog post. It’s not that I don’t want to write it, it’s that I don’t know where to begin. For the past four months, I’ve been living a life that is, in a word, indescribable. From the food I eat to the things I do to the way I interact with people, every little thing is just totally different from anything I have ever experienced before. So rather than trying to give you an overview of my life here, I will give you a few little anecdotes that you can piece together for yourself and fill in the gaps in-between with whatever you like.
The Time I Swallowed a Spider (well, almost)—So it turns out that spiders like to hang out in dark, wet places. It also turns out that if you fill your water bottle half way and then forget to put the top on it, it becomes a perfect little dark, wet spot.
Picture this little hypothetical situation: You’re already having a bit of a crappy week. The damn chickens outside your window have been waking you up before 5 every morning and you’re taking antibiotic pills twice a day because you sliced your arm open on a piece of rebar earlier this week and it got all green and infected. After peacefully dreaming of dead chickens, you wake up, pop an antibiotic pill in your mouth and take a swig of water out of your water bottle. Unfortunately, there’s more than just water in your water bottle and before you know it, you are shocked to find an equally shocked spider in your mouth.
Pause. You are now faced with a challenge: spit out the spider but not the pill all the while trying not hose down your bedroom with water or wake your host family.
Well, this hypothetical situation was not so hypothetical for me, but you will be proud to know that I accomplished the feat I spitting out the spider but not the pill with expert aplomb. The spider, I’m afraid, did not survive the ordeal.
The Time a Giant Breadfruit Tree Fell and Came within Feet of Demolishing My School—Breadfruit trees are not big, they’re enormous. A good sized breadfruit tree can easily be 12 feet around and over a hundred feet tall. As you might imagine, when one of these trees starts looking a little ill, people get pretty worried that they are going to fall on someone or something. The trouble is that every tree belongs to someone, and a tree is a valuable commodity. If it’s big enough, it can be made into a canoe, and I not, it at least represents quite a bit of firewood. So, you can’t just chop down a tree whenever you feel like it, even if it’s about to fall on your house.
Well, there was a giant breadfruit tree right next to the school that was not looking too good. The principal was pretty worried that it was going to fall, so he decided he would start up a collection so that the school could buy the tree from the owner and then chop it down. But, before the principal had collected any money, there was a big storm and the tree fell down.
To say that our school came within feet of being demolished is an understatement. I don’t know if there’s a stronger word than demolished—razed, perhaps—but had that tree fallen at a slightly different angle, fully one half of our school would have been turned into dust. I don’t even want to think about how long it would take to get funds together and build a new school. Probably decades; centuries, probably. And had it happened during the school day, God knows how many students and teachers would have been killed. But, the tree missed the school and everyone was elated—now we don’t have to pay for it! Sometimes, I guess you just have to have some good old fashioned dumb luck
The Time a Random Girl Showed Up at My Window at Night and Asked Me to Let Her In—This one happened pretty much just like the title says. Random girl + my window + “Ben, let me in!” This is actually not as weird/creepy as it may seem. “Nightcrawling” is rather common here in Chuuk, although it is usually the guys who nightcawl the girls. Dating, as we know it in the states, is a big no-no, so young people just sneak into each other’s windows at night…to, you know, chat…and have Bible study.
And by the way, the answer to your question is no.
The Time I Met the President of FSM—I took a trip to the neighboring island of Lukinioch in February because there was a massive celebration there for the 100 year anniversary of the Catholic church in Chuuk. It was awesome to see a couple of the other volunteers and just have a little change of scenery for a weekend. The celebration was enormous—thousands of people came from all over Chuuk and Pohnpei and every island had prepared songs and dances to perform for everyone. Perhaps this is a good time to mention the incredible ability of chon FSM (people of FSM) to endure marathon meetings sitting cross-legged on cement. The meetings at this celebration easily went 5 hours, and there were two every day. I couldn’t take it, so I walked around the perimeter on the guise of trying to get a good look at each group when they were singing.
Anyways, after church on Sunday, I was hanging out on the lawn and who should happen to walk by? Many Mori, President of FSM. Perhaps “meet” isn’t exactly the right word, but he came over shook my hand and said hello. And then he was off. In terms of population ruled, meeting President Mori was about equivalent to meeting the mayor of Topeka, Kansas, but hey, still pretty cool to meet a head of state.
I'm heading back to the Mortlocks this afternoon. Right now I'm trying to psych myself up for the 22 hour ship ride on a tiny fishing vessel. At least there will be a couple other Peace Corps Volunteers on the ship with me, and it has to be better than the four days it took me to get in to Weno three weeks ago. But that's a story for another time.
One more time let me say how much I appreciate all the love and support. Thank you to everyone for sending the letters, packages and good vibes my way.
Catch you all in another 3 or 4 months,
Ben
April 15, 2011
December 12, 2010
Little Reminders
12-12-01
I was in a bit of a funk today, so I decided it would be a good idea to decorate my room with all the pictures of my family and friends that I brought with me and all of the letters and postcards that I have received so far. I’m not sure why this hasn’t hit me until now, but I am unbelievably lucky to have such incredible group of friends and family. I’m not really sure how to put this without sounding dramatic and overly sentimental, but all the love and support has not gone unnoticed and is greatly appreciated.
I may be “roughing it” by American standards, but I’m definitely living well. I’m physically comfortable and healthy, I’m surrounded by good people here, and I have the greatest friends and family I could ask for. That’s pretty much all I need to be happy.
Lots of love,
Ben
I was in a bit of a funk today, so I decided it would be a good idea to decorate my room with all the pictures of my family and friends that I brought with me and all of the letters and postcards that I have received so far. I’m not sure why this hasn’t hit me until now, but I am unbelievably lucky to have such incredible group of friends and family. I’m not really sure how to put this without sounding dramatic and overly sentimental, but all the love and support has not gone unnoticed and is greatly appreciated.
I may be “roughing it” by American standards, but I’m definitely living well. I’m physically comfortable and healthy, I’m surrounded by good people here, and I have the greatest friends and family I could ask for. That’s pretty much all I need to be happy.
Lots of love,
Ben
Campaignin'
12-8-10
Today there was a “campaign rally” the incumbent candidate running for Senator At-Large for Chuuk State. By campaign rally I mean that the guy showed up on the island and the whole island had a meeting. This is not a post about Chuukese politics, but rather just a few interesting observations I made during the meeting.
1. The set up—This is clearly a big event for the people of Satowan. I guess it’s not every day that a senator comes to visit a tiny island 180 miles from the state center. The meeting was held in a large, well, meeting hall next to the Catholic Church. The municipal government of Satowan only owns a handful of chairs, so everyone except the important people (i.e. the senator, the senator’s posse, the mayor of Satowan, myself) sat on the ground. The chairs were arranged and rearranged no less than 12 times before the ceremony began—apparently they had to be perfect.
2. The police presence—I don’t know whether they came with the senator or if they were already here on Satowan, but there were at least 20 police officers present for the ceremony. The best part was when the senator was marching in to the meeting hall, and all of the police officers did a military-like heel turn and salute. This kind of precision is something rarely seen in FSM, and it almost made me laugh out loud. After the senator walked by, the police officers carried on with what they had been doing, namely smoking cigarettes and lounging.
3. The jacket--The senator wore a heavy winter jacket throughout the entire 2 hour meeting. Keep in mind that while it is cold in the States right now, it is decidedly not cold here in Micronesia—it was easily 85 degrees today. It was clear that he wasn’t wearing it because he was cold as he was sweating bullets and fanning himself the whole time. I don’t know if it’s a sign of authority or what, but he looked totally ridiculous and pretty uncomfortable too.
4. The cigarettes—In the middle of the meeting, one of the members of the senator’s posse got up and started passing out cigarettes to everyone in the audience. Here on Satowan, there isn’t a question of whether or not you smoke, just how often you smoke. The reason for the handing out of cigarettes was simple: the senator wanted votes. What the Chuukese call “campaigning,” Americans would call “bribery.” Before he left the island, the senator had given out some 30 bags of rice, cases and cases of canned meat, and countless cigarettes.
5. The breast feeding—Picture this: you’re at the DNC. Barack Obama in in the middle of a moving speech defending some policy decision that he made, and a woman in the second row lifts her shirt and begins breastfeeding her son. Well, I wasn’t at the DNC and it wasn’t Barack Obama defending his policy decisions, but the rest it true. I guess this should stop surprising me by now—I’ve seen women breastfeeding in church, watching basketball, and, my favorite, while driving (yes, I mean operating a motor vehicle not just riding in one). That’s just impressive.
Ben
Today there was a “campaign rally” the incumbent candidate running for Senator At-Large for Chuuk State. By campaign rally I mean that the guy showed up on the island and the whole island had a meeting. This is not a post about Chuukese politics, but rather just a few interesting observations I made during the meeting.
1. The set up—This is clearly a big event for the people of Satowan. I guess it’s not every day that a senator comes to visit a tiny island 180 miles from the state center. The meeting was held in a large, well, meeting hall next to the Catholic Church. The municipal government of Satowan only owns a handful of chairs, so everyone except the important people (i.e. the senator, the senator’s posse, the mayor of Satowan, myself) sat on the ground. The chairs were arranged and rearranged no less than 12 times before the ceremony began—apparently they had to be perfect.
2. The police presence—I don’t know whether they came with the senator or if they were already here on Satowan, but there were at least 20 police officers present for the ceremony. The best part was when the senator was marching in to the meeting hall, and all of the police officers did a military-like heel turn and salute. This kind of precision is something rarely seen in FSM, and it almost made me laugh out loud. After the senator walked by, the police officers carried on with what they had been doing, namely smoking cigarettes and lounging.
3. The jacket--The senator wore a heavy winter jacket throughout the entire 2 hour meeting. Keep in mind that while it is cold in the States right now, it is decidedly not cold here in Micronesia—it was easily 85 degrees today. It was clear that he wasn’t wearing it because he was cold as he was sweating bullets and fanning himself the whole time. I don’t know if it’s a sign of authority or what, but he looked totally ridiculous and pretty uncomfortable too.
4. The cigarettes—In the middle of the meeting, one of the members of the senator’s posse got up and started passing out cigarettes to everyone in the audience. Here on Satowan, there isn’t a question of whether or not you smoke, just how often you smoke. The reason for the handing out of cigarettes was simple: the senator wanted votes. What the Chuukese call “campaigning,” Americans would call “bribery.” Before he left the island, the senator had given out some 30 bags of rice, cases and cases of canned meat, and countless cigarettes.
5. The breast feeding—Picture this: you’re at the DNC. Barack Obama in in the middle of a moving speech defending some policy decision that he made, and a woman in the second row lifts her shirt and begins breastfeeding her son. Well, I wasn’t at the DNC and it wasn’t Barack Obama defending his policy decisions, but the rest it true. I guess this should stop surprising me by now—I’ve seen women breastfeeding in church, watching basketball, and, my favorite, while driving (yes, I mean operating a motor vehicle not just riding in one). That’s just impressive.
Ben
Island Time vs. American Time
12-7-10
Two facts of life here: 1) planning doesn’t really exist in Chuuk, especially on outer islands and 2) even when there is a plan, nobody pays too much attention to it and therefore it is rarely followed. I have been here for over three months now, and I would like to think that I have adopted “island time,” in many capacities. I know that I cannot control the schedules of other people or companies and I acknowledge and accept that. In a way it is very freeing to be on island time. Don’t worry about it, whatever it was that you had to complete today can probably be completed tomorrow.
In general, island time and American time do not mix. When talking with other volunteers, you have to be specific about what kind of time frame you are operating on (e.g. “Please be there at 2:00, American time.”). There are, however, instances when island time and American time have to intermingle. This tends to causes problems.
My December 6th, 2010:
Today is a Monday, but school has been cancelled because there is a funeral on the island. Funerals take precedence over everything, work and school included. However, the funeral is on the other side of the island and the deceased is not related to my family, so nobody in my family is planning (there’s that word again) to go. Therefore, I have nothing to do today except have radio conference with other Peace Corps Volunteers at 4:00 pm (American time). I have already talked to one of the teachers at the high school, Thomas, and he said that I could use the radio at the school. All set, right?
7:20—I wake up and am immediately told that I sleep very late. My host father has apparently been up since 4:00 for some church function. I eat a leisurely breakfast, knowing that I have nothing to do for another eight hours.
8:15—I go swimming/fishing with my host father and a couple of other guys.
10:30—I get out of the water and go take a shower. Afterwards, I lie down, listen to some music and do some reading.
11:30—I eat lunch.
12:00—I call the Peace Corps office in Weno using my Satellite Phone. I have questions about the School Improvement Plan (SIP) that I am working on for my school and would like some help from another volunteer. I talk to my friend Porter, and while he gives me some advice about the project, it is mostly nice to just hear another American voice.
12:15—Having nothing else to do, I take a nap.
2:00—I get up and begin to consider this radio conference. This will be the first time that I have used one of these radios. Also, I have no idea what I am supposed to talk about or even who is going to be on the other end.
2:15—Thomas, the teacher at the High School who has agreed to let me use the radio, says he wants to meet with me about their school’s SIP. I remind him about the radio conference at 4:00, but I tell him that I can meet with him after that.
2:18—I learn that the ship carrying all of my belongings (oh yea, did I mention that because I came on the plane I was only allowed to bring 20 pounds of stuff… so I’ve been living out of the contents of my small backpack for a week now) is due to arrive at the dock around 4:00. This is a problem. I need to get my stuff off that ship, but I also need to use the radio. I ask my host father if he will help me. He says that he is going to the burial (remember that funeral?) but after that he will get my stuff from the ship.
2:45—My host father and I walk to the burial. It’s only about a 10 minute walk from out house. I run into Thomas there and remind him (again) about the radio conference.
3:30—Thomas and I leave the burial. We have to stop at the principal’s house to get the key from him so that we can get in to the school and use the radio.
3:35—We arrive at the principal’s house and are told that he is at a canoe blessing ceremony down the road.
3:40—We arrive at the canoe blessing ceremony. The principal is there, but he is somehow involved in the ceremony and is unavailable at the moment.
3:45—Food is served. Thomas and I are given a huge plate of rice and three sizable fish to eat. I remind Thomas that I need to use the radio soon and that we still haven’t talked to the principal about the keys. He nods and says that we should probably eat quickly.
3:53—The ship arrives. My host dad, who is also at the canoe ceremony, leaves to go get my stuff.
3:57—Thomas and I finish eating (he has eaten the vast majority of the food) and finally talk to the principal about the keys. The principal leaves to go get his keys.
4:07—The principal still has not returned. I go to his house and find him sitting on his porch eating a banana. When he sees me he gets up, goes into the house, and returns with one key and a hammer. He tells me that he lost one of the keys so he will just pry the lock off.
4:12—We finally get to the school. The principal pries off the outside lock and unlocks the inside door.
4:14—I finally get to use the radio. I turn it on, call for any Peace Corps Volunteers, and hear nothing but static and Chuukese in return. For 15 minutes I call for Peace Corps and get nothing. I am either too late or the radio is not working. Great.
So, to recap, I had one thing to do all day, and it didn’t happen because everybody on this island operates on island time and not on American time. I was pretty upset that I missed the radio conference, but now that I think about it, I really didn’t miss anything important. I’m sure that there was nothing discussed that we can’t talk about next week. All of the volunteers that I would have talked to know how island time works, so none of them will be pissed that I wasn’t on the radio.
Island time, baby. Take a breath. Relax. Everything's OK.
Two facts of life here: 1) planning doesn’t really exist in Chuuk, especially on outer islands and 2) even when there is a plan, nobody pays too much attention to it and therefore it is rarely followed. I have been here for over three months now, and I would like to think that I have adopted “island time,” in many capacities. I know that I cannot control the schedules of other people or companies and I acknowledge and accept that. In a way it is very freeing to be on island time. Don’t worry about it, whatever it was that you had to complete today can probably be completed tomorrow.
In general, island time and American time do not mix. When talking with other volunteers, you have to be specific about what kind of time frame you are operating on (e.g. “Please be there at 2:00, American time.”). There are, however, instances when island time and American time have to intermingle. This tends to causes problems.
My December 6th, 2010:
Today is a Monday, but school has been cancelled because there is a funeral on the island. Funerals take precedence over everything, work and school included. However, the funeral is on the other side of the island and the deceased is not related to my family, so nobody in my family is planning (there’s that word again) to go. Therefore, I have nothing to do today except have radio conference with other Peace Corps Volunteers at 4:00 pm (American time). I have already talked to one of the teachers at the high school, Thomas, and he said that I could use the radio at the school. All set, right?
7:20—I wake up and am immediately told that I sleep very late. My host father has apparently been up since 4:00 for some church function. I eat a leisurely breakfast, knowing that I have nothing to do for another eight hours.
8:15—I go swimming/fishing with my host father and a couple of other guys.
10:30—I get out of the water and go take a shower. Afterwards, I lie down, listen to some music and do some reading.
11:30—I eat lunch.
12:00—I call the Peace Corps office in Weno using my Satellite Phone. I have questions about the School Improvement Plan (SIP) that I am working on for my school and would like some help from another volunteer. I talk to my friend Porter, and while he gives me some advice about the project, it is mostly nice to just hear another American voice.
12:15—Having nothing else to do, I take a nap.
2:00—I get up and begin to consider this radio conference. This will be the first time that I have used one of these radios. Also, I have no idea what I am supposed to talk about or even who is going to be on the other end.
2:15—Thomas, the teacher at the High School who has agreed to let me use the radio, says he wants to meet with me about their school’s SIP. I remind him about the radio conference at 4:00, but I tell him that I can meet with him after that.
2:18—I learn that the ship carrying all of my belongings (oh yea, did I mention that because I came on the plane I was only allowed to bring 20 pounds of stuff… so I’ve been living out of the contents of my small backpack for a week now) is due to arrive at the dock around 4:00. This is a problem. I need to get my stuff off that ship, but I also need to use the radio. I ask my host father if he will help me. He says that he is going to the burial (remember that funeral?) but after that he will get my stuff from the ship.
2:45—My host father and I walk to the burial. It’s only about a 10 minute walk from out house. I run into Thomas there and remind him (again) about the radio conference.
3:30—Thomas and I leave the burial. We have to stop at the principal’s house to get the key from him so that we can get in to the school and use the radio.
3:35—We arrive at the principal’s house and are told that he is at a canoe blessing ceremony down the road.
3:40—We arrive at the canoe blessing ceremony. The principal is there, but he is somehow involved in the ceremony and is unavailable at the moment.
3:45—Food is served. Thomas and I are given a huge plate of rice and three sizable fish to eat. I remind Thomas that I need to use the radio soon and that we still haven’t talked to the principal about the keys. He nods and says that we should probably eat quickly.
3:53—The ship arrives. My host dad, who is also at the canoe ceremony, leaves to go get my stuff.
3:57—Thomas and I finish eating (he has eaten the vast majority of the food) and finally talk to the principal about the keys. The principal leaves to go get his keys.
4:07—The principal still has not returned. I go to his house and find him sitting on his porch eating a banana. When he sees me he gets up, goes into the house, and returns with one key and a hammer. He tells me that he lost one of the keys so he will just pry the lock off.
4:12—We finally get to the school. The principal pries off the outside lock and unlocks the inside door.
4:14—I finally get to use the radio. I turn it on, call for any Peace Corps Volunteers, and hear nothing but static and Chuukese in return. For 15 minutes I call for Peace Corps and get nothing. I am either too late or the radio is not working. Great.
So, to recap, I had one thing to do all day, and it didn’t happen because everybody on this island operates on island time and not on American time. I was pretty upset that I missed the radio conference, but now that I think about it, I really didn’t miss anything important. I’m sure that there was nothing discussed that we can’t talk about next week. All of the volunteers that I would have talked to know how island time works, so none of them will be pissed that I wasn’t on the radio.
Island time, baby. Take a breath. Relax. Everything's OK.
That Satowan Post
12-5-10
Well, here I am.
Satowan is a small island—it only takes about 40 minutes to walk from one end to the other. All the people live on the lagoon (west) side of the island and there is one main road that goes the length of the island. The road is made mostly of packed sand and is pretty well maintained. One thing that I never considered before coming to the FSM is how much of an impact a good, clean road has on the aesthetics of a place. It makes the entire area feel safer, cleaner, and like that people care about their island. I live about 100 yards from the ocean and can go swimming whenever I feel like it. To be honest, I haven’t really taken advantage of this yet, but I’m sure that I will once I get a little more comfortable. My house and living conditions are very comfortable. I have a real queen sized mattress, a wardrobe-ish thing to hang my clothes and some cubbies to store my things, and a manual flush toilet (as in, you dump a bucket of water in the bowl).
My first two weeks have actually been pretty busy. The Department of Education in Chuuk mandated that every school in the state complete a School Improvement Plan and turn it in to the DOE by December 15th. This is a large document that schools and communities were supposed to work on all semester. Well, I arrived on December 1st and quickly discovered that my school had done pretty much no work on their SIP and expected me to essentially write it for them. I did my best to throw together some meetings so that this would be as much of group effort as possible, but I still ended up writing pretty much the whole thing. Also, the principal of the high school on the island asked me to “help” write their SIP as well. I kind of put my foot down about that because that isn’t my school. I told him that I would minimally help correct it, but that I wouldn’t write it because it isn’t my job to do that. I’m not here to do anyone’s job them. I am happy to help you do your job better, but I will not do it for you.
The whole SIP fiasco and just school in general has been a bit frustrating. I will save my ranting for private emails and letters, but suffice to say that there are a lot of issues with the school. The principal clearly sees me as an all-inclusive fixer of everything and defers to me on pretty much everything even though I have made it clear that I work for him, not the other way around. Hopefully things will improve the more we work with each other.
Other than the school situation, pretty much everything else is good. My Chuukese is coming along, albeit slowly. I have met some people in the community and I meet more every day. I have gotten into a routine of playing basketball with a bunch of the guys every afternoon for about an hour, which has been really nice. I do end up spending quite a bit of time alone, which has taken some getting used to. I am not a solitary person at all, so living even a partially solitary lifestyle is a bit tough. I find that I often think about friends and family back home and my fellow PCVs who I won’t see until March. I have learned, however, to see the benefit in being alone at times as it gives me time to process what I am doing and why I am here. As it turns out, the answer to those questions is much more complicated now than they were before I left. I guess it’s all part of the adjustment.
Happy holidays everyone! Christmas and New Years are supposedly the two biggest holidays of the year here, so I’m sure I’m in for a good old time.
Lots of love,
Ben
Well, here I am.
Satowan is a small island—it only takes about 40 minutes to walk from one end to the other. All the people live on the lagoon (west) side of the island and there is one main road that goes the length of the island. The road is made mostly of packed sand and is pretty well maintained. One thing that I never considered before coming to the FSM is how much of an impact a good, clean road has on the aesthetics of a place. It makes the entire area feel safer, cleaner, and like that people care about their island. I live about 100 yards from the ocean and can go swimming whenever I feel like it. To be honest, I haven’t really taken advantage of this yet, but I’m sure that I will once I get a little more comfortable. My house and living conditions are very comfortable. I have a real queen sized mattress, a wardrobe-ish thing to hang my clothes and some cubbies to store my things, and a manual flush toilet (as in, you dump a bucket of water in the bowl).
My first two weeks have actually been pretty busy. The Department of Education in Chuuk mandated that every school in the state complete a School Improvement Plan and turn it in to the DOE by December 15th. This is a large document that schools and communities were supposed to work on all semester. Well, I arrived on December 1st and quickly discovered that my school had done pretty much no work on their SIP and expected me to essentially write it for them. I did my best to throw together some meetings so that this would be as much of group effort as possible, but I still ended up writing pretty much the whole thing. Also, the principal of the high school on the island asked me to “help” write their SIP as well. I kind of put my foot down about that because that isn’t my school. I told him that I would minimally help correct it, but that I wouldn’t write it because it isn’t my job to do that. I’m not here to do anyone’s job them. I am happy to help you do your job better, but I will not do it for you.
The whole SIP fiasco and just school in general has been a bit frustrating. I will save my ranting for private emails and letters, but suffice to say that there are a lot of issues with the school. The principal clearly sees me as an all-inclusive fixer of everything and defers to me on pretty much everything even though I have made it clear that I work for him, not the other way around. Hopefully things will improve the more we work with each other.
Other than the school situation, pretty much everything else is good. My Chuukese is coming along, albeit slowly. I have met some people in the community and I meet more every day. I have gotten into a routine of playing basketball with a bunch of the guys every afternoon for about an hour, which has been really nice. I do end up spending quite a bit of time alone, which has taken some getting used to. I am not a solitary person at all, so living even a partially solitary lifestyle is a bit tough. I find that I often think about friends and family back home and my fellow PCVs who I won’t see until March. I have learned, however, to see the benefit in being alone at times as it gives me time to process what I am doing and why I am here. As it turns out, the answer to those questions is much more complicated now than they were before I left. I guess it’s all part of the adjustment.
Happy holidays everyone! Christmas and New Years are supposedly the two biggest holidays of the year here, so I’m sure I’m in for a good old time.
Lots of love,
Ben
November 28, 2010
Packing up and shipping out
Hey friends,
It's been almost three weeks since swear-in, and I'm still not at my permanent site. But that's about to change! On Thursday, the three of us Mortlocks volunteers are flying out there, and I'm starting to get really excited. I'm happy to be flying, although from what I have heard the flight is, how do I say this... a little terrifying. The plane is an 8 seater twin prop and the runway on Ta (the only island in the Mortlocks with a landing strip) is short and narrow. I have been assured that the pilot is very skilled, but I'm sure it will be an interesting experience.
The last three weeks have been very mellow for me. I did help write that grant for the Chuuk Women's Council, but that really only took up about 3 or 4 days of my time. I spent about two weeks on Tonoas with my host family there who I absolutely loved. I played a lot of chess with my host father and had some great conversations with him on everything from his experiences living on Satowan to his (sometimes heated) conversations with the Jehovah's Witnesses who stop by every week. Any time I come in from the Mortlocks I am really going to make an effort to see that family.
For Thanksgiving, a bunch of volunteers came in to Weno from their various islands (everybody else has gone to their permanent sites by now, so I don't see them very often any more) and we had three Thansgiving dinners, one on Thursday one on Friday and one on Saturday. None of them involved turkey or mashed potatoes, but they were all pretty tasty. Although I expected to become friends with my fellow PCVs, I didn't think we would become this close. It's a little hard for me to believe that I have known these people for less than three months. They are all awesome people and we have become not only a support group for one another but also really good friends. Needless to say, it was great to see everyone one more time before I head out to Satowan.
Living here in the Pacific, there are many things that remain constant no matter what. It is always hot. It is always humid. The sun rises and sets at the same time no matter what time of year it is. That being said, there are times when I briefly forget where I am or what I'm doing here. If I get absorbed in a book, or am checking my email or Facebook, or am watching a movie, there's always a moment when I snap out of it and think "Holy crap! I'm thousands of miles away from home on a timy island in the biggest ocean in the world." I don't know if it still hasn't really sunk in that I'm really here, or if that will just be a constant feeling.
I'm doing my best to keep my mind in the present and focused on what I am doing here. It's hard though. I often find my mind wandering back to Colorado or Silver Spring (or sometimes my fellow PCVs) and wondering what everybody is up to. I'm hoping that once I get out to Satowan, I will be able to focus a little more on my work and my community. But maybe not.
Overall, my first three months of Peace Corps have been absolutley increadible. I couldn't have asked for better host familys or better Peace Corps friends. I am of the opinion that I can do anything and be anywhere as long as I am surrounded by poeple who I care about and who care about me, and I have that here.
So this is probably going to be the last post for a while. I'll be back in Weno next February or March (there's a chance I'll be able to access the internet before then, but no guarantees). Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone, and I'll catch you up on my adventures in 2011!
Lots of love,
Ben
P.S. My old SAT Phone wasn't working properly, so Peace Corps issued me a new one. The new number is 8816-4141-9876. Same instructions as before to send a message, but new number.
It's been almost three weeks since swear-in, and I'm still not at my permanent site. But that's about to change! On Thursday, the three of us Mortlocks volunteers are flying out there, and I'm starting to get really excited. I'm happy to be flying, although from what I have heard the flight is, how do I say this... a little terrifying. The plane is an 8 seater twin prop and the runway on Ta (the only island in the Mortlocks with a landing strip) is short and narrow. I have been assured that the pilot is very skilled, but I'm sure it will be an interesting experience.
The last three weeks have been very mellow for me. I did help write that grant for the Chuuk Women's Council, but that really only took up about 3 or 4 days of my time. I spent about two weeks on Tonoas with my host family there who I absolutely loved. I played a lot of chess with my host father and had some great conversations with him on everything from his experiences living on Satowan to his (sometimes heated) conversations with the Jehovah's Witnesses who stop by every week. Any time I come in from the Mortlocks I am really going to make an effort to see that family.
For Thanksgiving, a bunch of volunteers came in to Weno from their various islands (everybody else has gone to their permanent sites by now, so I don't see them very often any more) and we had three Thansgiving dinners, one on Thursday one on Friday and one on Saturday. None of them involved turkey or mashed potatoes, but they were all pretty tasty. Although I expected to become friends with my fellow PCVs, I didn't think we would become this close. It's a little hard for me to believe that I have known these people for less than three months. They are all awesome people and we have become not only a support group for one another but also really good friends. Needless to say, it was great to see everyone one more time before I head out to Satowan.
Living here in the Pacific, there are many things that remain constant no matter what. It is always hot. It is always humid. The sun rises and sets at the same time no matter what time of year it is. That being said, there are times when I briefly forget where I am or what I'm doing here. If I get absorbed in a book, or am checking my email or Facebook, or am watching a movie, there's always a moment when I snap out of it and think "Holy crap! I'm thousands of miles away from home on a timy island in the biggest ocean in the world." I don't know if it still hasn't really sunk in that I'm really here, or if that will just be a constant feeling.
I'm doing my best to keep my mind in the present and focused on what I am doing here. It's hard though. I often find my mind wandering back to Colorado or Silver Spring (or sometimes my fellow PCVs) and wondering what everybody is up to. I'm hoping that once I get out to Satowan, I will be able to focus a little more on my work and my community. But maybe not.
Overall, my first three months of Peace Corps have been absolutley increadible. I couldn't have asked for better host familys or better Peace Corps friends. I am of the opinion that I can do anything and be anywhere as long as I am surrounded by poeple who I care about and who care about me, and I have that here.
So this is probably going to be the last post for a while. I'll be back in Weno next February or March (there's a chance I'll be able to access the internet before then, but no guarantees). Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone, and I'll catch you up on my adventures in 2011!
Lots of love,
Ben
P.S. My old SAT Phone wasn't working properly, so Peace Corps issued me a new one. The new number is 8816-4141-9876. Same instructions as before to send a message, but new number.
November 13, 2010
Volunteer!
Hey friends,
Well, I made it. Last Wednesday I swore an oath to protect the constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic, and officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer. The ceremony was really nice. There were speeches from the mayor of Tonoas, the lieutenant Governor of Chuuk, and the Country Director of Peace Corps Micronesia. All of the new volunteers gave speeches as well, in the local language. I'm sure mine wasn't great, but I think I got my point across.
So as a brand new Peace Corps Volunteer, I'm heading off to my island of service, right? Well, not yet. The plane that flies to the Mortlocks isn't running until the first week of December because the pilot is on vacation. So I'll take the state-run ship, The Milo, right? No, actually The Milo is dry docked in Japan right now for repairs. So I'll take one of the privately owned ships, right? Yes, but they only run when they feel like it, and right now it appears that none of the ships really feel like going anywhere. So... I might be stuck in the lagoon for a while. It could be anywhere from a week to a month. Realistically, I'm not expecting to get out there until after Thanksgiving. Oh well, I can roll with the punches.
So for the next however long, I'm going to be splitting time in Weno and Tonoas. I'm trying to keep myself busy, and actually stumbled into a pretty cool project. I randomly met the president of the Chuuk Women's Council, a few days ago. She needs help writing a grant proposal, so I readily offered to write it. I figure it will not only give me something to do for the next couple of weeks, but will give me an in with a relatively important person. Yay!
Besides that, I plan on playing my guitar a lot, going spear fishing (I'll be sure to write about that), climbing coconut trees, and enjoying the island lifestyle.
All the best,
Ben
P.S. My address will be the same once I go out to Satowan, but you can start addressing the letters to Ben Perdue, Peace Corps Volunteer instead of Ben Perdue, Peace Corps Trainee!
Well, I made it. Last Wednesday I swore an oath to protect the constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic, and officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer. The ceremony was really nice. There were speeches from the mayor of Tonoas, the lieutenant Governor of Chuuk, and the Country Director of Peace Corps Micronesia. All of the new volunteers gave speeches as well, in the local language. I'm sure mine wasn't great, but I think I got my point across.
So as a brand new Peace Corps Volunteer, I'm heading off to my island of service, right? Well, not yet. The plane that flies to the Mortlocks isn't running until the first week of December because the pilot is on vacation. So I'll take the state-run ship, The Milo, right? No, actually The Milo is dry docked in Japan right now for repairs. So I'll take one of the privately owned ships, right? Yes, but they only run when they feel like it, and right now it appears that none of the ships really feel like going anywhere. So... I might be stuck in the lagoon for a while. It could be anywhere from a week to a month. Realistically, I'm not expecting to get out there until after Thanksgiving. Oh well, I can roll with the punches.
So for the next however long, I'm going to be splitting time in Weno and Tonoas. I'm trying to keep myself busy, and actually stumbled into a pretty cool project. I randomly met the president of the Chuuk Women's Council, a few days ago. She needs help writing a grant proposal, so I readily offered to write it. I figure it will not only give me something to do for the next couple of weeks, but will give me an in with a relatively important person. Yay!
Besides that, I plan on playing my guitar a lot, going spear fishing (I'll be sure to write about that), climbing coconut trees, and enjoying the island lifestyle.
All the best,
Ben
P.S. My address will be the same once I go out to Satowan, but you can start addressing the letters to Ben Perdue, Peace Corps Volunteer instead of Ben Perdue, Peace Corps Trainee!
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