two quick things: 1) scathesedays.blogspot.com - a blog about the happenings at Saramen Chuuk. Good pictures and regularly updated.
2) www.chhukreform.org - a website keeping up with what's going on in Chuuk for those interested.
so if you're curious as to what life out here is like, this could help you fill in the many blanks.
-matt
Monday, September 7, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Most of the summer
Well, it has been a while. Usually when I start a blog post I know what I am going to write about, but for this one I have no idea. I have gotten several emails and messages telling me to get it in gear, so here it goes. I don’t even know when the last post I wrote was. So I will just start with the summer.
Luke Lavin a Pohnpei JV who was also my friend from Gonzaga, we were in the same class, decided to come and teach at Saramen Chuuk for the summer. So we were roomies and it was a blast. But we did get black magicked. Hard. I mean really hard. Let me paint this picture for you. We get back from our end of the year retreat (Re-o/Dis-o) to find that we have no running water. Now, there was a group of about 100 people from the outer islands staying in the classrooms of the school, and one of the women decided that she could siphon some water from our pump. Then in the course of this she sat on it and broke our water pump. Hence, no more running water.
I think that this warrants a quick explanation of our water situation. We live on the second floor. On the ground level there is a very large water catchment that catches rain water and stores it. We then have a little 1 hp pump that we plug in, when we have power, and it pumps the water to a much smaller catchment on the roof. We need to fill it about every week. But when there is water in the catchment, we have running water. So we start the summer with an empty roof catchment and no way to fill it.
This means that we bring garbage bins downstairs and fill them at a faucet and then carry the full, heavy, buckets up to the room so we can flush toilets and at least think about doing dishes. But one of the best parts of living with Luke this summer is that we just saw eye to eye on everything. And at this point we realized that it was survival and dishes came secondary… or lower.
Despite this we had a rocking summer, we adopted the motto “refuse to lose,” Griffey came back and it just made sense. Then about 9ish days after the water ran dry (like Boys II Men… who also got plenty of play time this summer!) we got it fixed. Now I know what you are thinking, but you just wait.
Before the water came back we hit another rather large snafu. Namely, our refrigerator/freezer died. In Chuuk everyday is 85-95 and 90% humidity with about a 30% chance of showers. It is the steadiest climate in the world. And while that steadiness is great, it is not good for keeping food. And without water that leads to really weird stuff growing in our kitchen… and bathroom. The fridge is still not fixed to this day. FYI.
So maybe you don’t believe in the black magic yet. That’s fine, I’ve got more. But before I continue I really want to reiterate that this was one of, if not the, best summer of my life. A lot of things went wrong but Luke and I just had so much fun. We were pretty flexible and just rolled with all of these setbacks. It was so much fun and after a year of not much laughing, it seemed like I was constantly smiling.
So anyways more black magic stories. Now we get to health. This paragraph is not for the squeamish, and I will spare many of the gory details. So just remember that everything I say here should be multiplied by at least 800%. Luke got a horrendous full body rash, several times. I got a bug bite that turned into a boil and I now refer to it as the tumor. Plenty fevers. Occassional diahrrea. And I have a pretty bad fungal toe. There’s the short and sweet of the health list.
Now to the ghosts. One night I am fast asleep and Luke walks into my room. He leans in halfway and is looking for something. He has his white shorts on, the ones he always wears, and no shirt. It’s like 3:30 in the morning. His door is adjacent to mine and I figured that he might just need some goldbond because we used a LOT of goldbond this summer… it is just so cooling and medicinal. But he kept looking around so I said his name a few times and he didn’t respond. Then finally I yelled it. From the other room I heard him say, “What?” in the most annoyed and sleepy tone. I blinked hard and realized that Luke was not standing at my door, nor was he ever. He was laying in his bed sleeping and I was seeing things. We both quickly canvassed the whole apartament. No one. It only added to the black magic feel of the summer.
Now a word about black magic. There is traditional local black magic here that certain families supposedly possess and it can be anything from a love potion to make someone fall in love with you, to a fatal curse. Traditional families will still place their hair in a banana tree after it is cut so no one can take it and black magic them. Right before re-O/Dis-O I cut off 12 months of hair and about 4 months of beard. The beard was nasty and huge, but Luke and I had a side burn competition going. The jury is still out on who won but he loked like Millard Fillmore and I looked like someone who really really REALLY likes Ziggy Marley.
Ok, I’ll stop with the black magic stories but hopefully by now you get the drift. I could go on with health issues or the time we met aliens, but it just doesn’t seem right for this forum. Other notable things from the summer include a wonderful visit from my parents. We got to go off island for the 4th of July weekend with mom, dad, Luke, and Jake (a local Peace Corps). It was a blast and I cannot express how wonderful it was to see them. I keep realizing what a home boy I am. Now let me qualify that statement, Chuuk is amazing. I am beyond lucky to be here and have this placement. I have learned so much and am actually getting decent at the language (there will be a story about that in a few paragraphs). I feel like I am still in school because I am learning so much. Everything from practical boating tips, to teaching tips, or even how to respect each other. Chuuk is wonderful. With that said, Tacoma made me. It is my home and I feel like I need to work my way back to that place so that I can give back, if that makes any sense.
Summer school ended Friday July 24. I went to the docks to see what the boats were doing. Turns out that there was a boat going to the Hall Islands, locally known as Bafung, but it was leaving that night. I came back and after a little discussion, Luke and I were off.
It was a 14 hour boat ride and it was perfect. We left at about 7:30 pm. It was dark and clear, but there were clouds to the north. Luke and I sat on the bow and had the hardest time deciding whether to admire the stars or the phosphorescence in the water. As if to make up our mind for us a dolphin started playing with the bow of boat and the colors of the phosphorescence played with its body under the water so much that we couldn’t tell if it was a thousand air bubbles making the light show or the phosphorescence. It swam amazingly. I stood there in awe. But the night continued to get later and we needed somewhere to sleep. We found a spot. It was on 3 different coolers and all at different heights, but it was surprisingly comfortable.
We awoke just as the sun was rising and we were spotting the first glimpses of land. There are not words for everything I was feeling and seeing. It was the perfect culmination of the summer. All the people spoke almost exclusively Chuukese, so I had to struggle to communicate, but I think it really helped me. That Saturday we stayed on the boat all day as it went from island to island until we finally ended up at the middle of the 3 islands, called Ruo. A woman named Anna offered us a place to stay at her house… and by offered I mean something closer to demanded. We obliged and went ashore on her skiff. We initially thought that we would only spend one night there so we only brought food for one night. She led us through the village and the jungle until we arrived at her house; mind you it was dark. She placed a bucket out back below her catchment and informed us we could shower. Luke went first. As he did I talked to her and she explained that her and her sisters would sleep in the same room with Luke and I. This is a cultural no-no. And I subtly told Luke. We didn’t freak out but we did decide to go with the flow and see where the night took us. There were kids outside dancing the Macarena, so we weren’t too concerned. Then, out of no where this skinny old man with gray curly hair and a thick gray beard walked up, holding a flashlight. He wore jeans with a piece of twine for a belt, no shirt and lacked teeth. He was our savior. Dougie took us back to his house and gave us a room. Little did we know that this was the best thing to happen to us… possibly ever.
Dougie is the man. We stayed with him for 3 nights. He took us all over the island, fed us, and talked to us. He spoke pretty good English so we conversed a lot. It was simply perfect. We ate delicious fish, breadfruit, taro, bananas, and all of the coconuts we could drink. Heaven could not be much different than this.
The mayor, a wonderful and gregarious man, that we had met and befriended on the boat asked us to come over to his house one night and “watch TV”. Luke and I had the same reaction. “Absolutely”. We arrived and sat on his porch as the kids pulled out a table, a TV and a DVD player literally putting it in the middle of a banana grove, in the middle of this jungle, in the middle of the island Ruo, in the middle of the Pacific. Before I knew it there were over 50 people around (yes I counted). I heard the roar of the generator and on came the TV. It started up and it was a concert DVD. There was a band and a slightly older white guy with greasy hair and a big guitar sitting at the microphone. He started acapella. I didn’t quite recognize the lyrics. It was familiar but I couldn’t quite catch it. Then as he hit the chorus I realized what it was just as white cursive writing appeared on the bottom of the screen Bryan Adams, “Heaven”. Luke and I look at each other as if to say “of course.” We went back to Dougie’s with unbreakable smiles.
There are plenty of stories from this trip and I will be happy to email them if you want to know more, but as for now I think I will get on with the boat ride home and the New JV’s.
The wind shifted. It usually comes from the east, but on the day we left it started coming from the west. The people out there told me that wind from the west means a typhoon will come (shortly thereafter Taiwan and China, I think it was there, were hit by a typhoon…) But it also made the seas very angry. This was not good because our 48’ boat was now carrying 2000 lbs of fish it had caught and about 85 people. Luke and I wound up seated upright on a cooler. The whole trip. Not so bad right... wrong. We were sandwiched between 3 pigs, and perched right above a bag of preserved breadfruit. It tastes great but smells like death. Moreover the 7’ swells made just about everyone on the boat vomit. But it was too crowded so no one could get to the gunwales. They just 'hit the deck,' if you catch my drift (no, I did not vomit thank you very much!). The smell was not so pleasant. The boat ride back took much longer. Upon arriving at Saramen Chuuk, our home, we realized that we had been up for a little over 32 hours straight. And we both agreed that even though the boat ride was kind of miserable it was a wonderful experience and capped the perfect trip.
Luke went home, unfortunately, and Megan Bell came back from Pohnpei. She stayed down at Saram and we cleaned and prepped for the newbies by watching R. Kelly’s urban hip-hop opera on my computer (Katie Childs, if you read this I am SOOOOOO sorry! I don’t know where it came from but I just found it on there the day before Megan got back. We will watch it together someday, I promise). The new ones came and they are very very cool. My community is a blast and I cannot wait for Megan Hendricks to get back and complete it. We stay at the dinner table for hours every night laughing and talking and we stay up much too late simply because we like hanging out with each other so much that we don’t want to go to bed. I am so happy and it is in such stark contrast to last year where things were so quiet in the community. It is a very different feel. I think we successfully broke the black magic.
Things are going great thus far and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone, once again for all of your care and support. I appreciate you taking the time to read this massive massive work I just wrote, and I miss you all! Thank you again. Fokkun Kinamwe, tong, me pwa pwa ngeni kemi menisin. Ai tong Ngoruch!
-Matt
Luke Lavin a Pohnpei JV who was also my friend from Gonzaga, we were in the same class, decided to come and teach at Saramen Chuuk for the summer. So we were roomies and it was a blast. But we did get black magicked. Hard. I mean really hard. Let me paint this picture for you. We get back from our end of the year retreat (Re-o/Dis-o) to find that we have no running water. Now, there was a group of about 100 people from the outer islands staying in the classrooms of the school, and one of the women decided that she could siphon some water from our pump. Then in the course of this she sat on it and broke our water pump. Hence, no more running water.
I think that this warrants a quick explanation of our water situation. We live on the second floor. On the ground level there is a very large water catchment that catches rain water and stores it. We then have a little 1 hp pump that we plug in, when we have power, and it pumps the water to a much smaller catchment on the roof. We need to fill it about every week. But when there is water in the catchment, we have running water. So we start the summer with an empty roof catchment and no way to fill it.
This means that we bring garbage bins downstairs and fill them at a faucet and then carry the full, heavy, buckets up to the room so we can flush toilets and at least think about doing dishes. But one of the best parts of living with Luke this summer is that we just saw eye to eye on everything. And at this point we realized that it was survival and dishes came secondary… or lower.
Despite this we had a rocking summer, we adopted the motto “refuse to lose,” Griffey came back and it just made sense. Then about 9ish days after the water ran dry (like Boys II Men… who also got plenty of play time this summer!) we got it fixed. Now I know what you are thinking, but you just wait.
Before the water came back we hit another rather large snafu. Namely, our refrigerator/freezer died. In Chuuk everyday is 85-95 and 90% humidity with about a 30% chance of showers. It is the steadiest climate in the world. And while that steadiness is great, it is not good for keeping food. And without water that leads to really weird stuff growing in our kitchen… and bathroom. The fridge is still not fixed to this day. FYI.
So maybe you don’t believe in the black magic yet. That’s fine, I’ve got more. But before I continue I really want to reiterate that this was one of, if not the, best summer of my life. A lot of things went wrong but Luke and I just had so much fun. We were pretty flexible and just rolled with all of these setbacks. It was so much fun and after a year of not much laughing, it seemed like I was constantly smiling.
So anyways more black magic stories. Now we get to health. This paragraph is not for the squeamish, and I will spare many of the gory details. So just remember that everything I say here should be multiplied by at least 800%. Luke got a horrendous full body rash, several times. I got a bug bite that turned into a boil and I now refer to it as the tumor. Plenty fevers. Occassional diahrrea. And I have a pretty bad fungal toe. There’s the short and sweet of the health list.
Now to the ghosts. One night I am fast asleep and Luke walks into my room. He leans in halfway and is looking for something. He has his white shorts on, the ones he always wears, and no shirt. It’s like 3:30 in the morning. His door is adjacent to mine and I figured that he might just need some goldbond because we used a LOT of goldbond this summer… it is just so cooling and medicinal. But he kept looking around so I said his name a few times and he didn’t respond. Then finally I yelled it. From the other room I heard him say, “What?” in the most annoyed and sleepy tone. I blinked hard and realized that Luke was not standing at my door, nor was he ever. He was laying in his bed sleeping and I was seeing things. We both quickly canvassed the whole apartament. No one. It only added to the black magic feel of the summer.
Now a word about black magic. There is traditional local black magic here that certain families supposedly possess and it can be anything from a love potion to make someone fall in love with you, to a fatal curse. Traditional families will still place their hair in a banana tree after it is cut so no one can take it and black magic them. Right before re-O/Dis-O I cut off 12 months of hair and about 4 months of beard. The beard was nasty and huge, but Luke and I had a side burn competition going. The jury is still out on who won but he loked like Millard Fillmore and I looked like someone who really really REALLY likes Ziggy Marley.
Ok, I’ll stop with the black magic stories but hopefully by now you get the drift. I could go on with health issues or the time we met aliens, but it just doesn’t seem right for this forum. Other notable things from the summer include a wonderful visit from my parents. We got to go off island for the 4th of July weekend with mom, dad, Luke, and Jake (a local Peace Corps). It was a blast and I cannot express how wonderful it was to see them. I keep realizing what a home boy I am. Now let me qualify that statement, Chuuk is amazing. I am beyond lucky to be here and have this placement. I have learned so much and am actually getting decent at the language (there will be a story about that in a few paragraphs). I feel like I am still in school because I am learning so much. Everything from practical boating tips, to teaching tips, or even how to respect each other. Chuuk is wonderful. With that said, Tacoma made me. It is my home and I feel like I need to work my way back to that place so that I can give back, if that makes any sense.
Summer school ended Friday July 24. I went to the docks to see what the boats were doing. Turns out that there was a boat going to the Hall Islands, locally known as Bafung, but it was leaving that night. I came back and after a little discussion, Luke and I were off.
It was a 14 hour boat ride and it was perfect. We left at about 7:30 pm. It was dark and clear, but there were clouds to the north. Luke and I sat on the bow and had the hardest time deciding whether to admire the stars or the phosphorescence in the water. As if to make up our mind for us a dolphin started playing with the bow of boat and the colors of the phosphorescence played with its body under the water so much that we couldn’t tell if it was a thousand air bubbles making the light show or the phosphorescence. It swam amazingly. I stood there in awe. But the night continued to get later and we needed somewhere to sleep. We found a spot. It was on 3 different coolers and all at different heights, but it was surprisingly comfortable.
We awoke just as the sun was rising and we were spotting the first glimpses of land. There are not words for everything I was feeling and seeing. It was the perfect culmination of the summer. All the people spoke almost exclusively Chuukese, so I had to struggle to communicate, but I think it really helped me. That Saturday we stayed on the boat all day as it went from island to island until we finally ended up at the middle of the 3 islands, called Ruo. A woman named Anna offered us a place to stay at her house… and by offered I mean something closer to demanded. We obliged and went ashore on her skiff. We initially thought that we would only spend one night there so we only brought food for one night. She led us through the village and the jungle until we arrived at her house; mind you it was dark. She placed a bucket out back below her catchment and informed us we could shower. Luke went first. As he did I talked to her and she explained that her and her sisters would sleep in the same room with Luke and I. This is a cultural no-no. And I subtly told Luke. We didn’t freak out but we did decide to go with the flow and see where the night took us. There were kids outside dancing the Macarena, so we weren’t too concerned. Then, out of no where this skinny old man with gray curly hair and a thick gray beard walked up, holding a flashlight. He wore jeans with a piece of twine for a belt, no shirt and lacked teeth. He was our savior. Dougie took us back to his house and gave us a room. Little did we know that this was the best thing to happen to us… possibly ever.
Dougie is the man. We stayed with him for 3 nights. He took us all over the island, fed us, and talked to us. He spoke pretty good English so we conversed a lot. It was simply perfect. We ate delicious fish, breadfruit, taro, bananas, and all of the coconuts we could drink. Heaven could not be much different than this.
The mayor, a wonderful and gregarious man, that we had met and befriended on the boat asked us to come over to his house one night and “watch TV”. Luke and I had the same reaction. “Absolutely”. We arrived and sat on his porch as the kids pulled out a table, a TV and a DVD player literally putting it in the middle of a banana grove, in the middle of this jungle, in the middle of the island Ruo, in the middle of the Pacific. Before I knew it there were over 50 people around (yes I counted). I heard the roar of the generator and on came the TV. It started up and it was a concert DVD. There was a band and a slightly older white guy with greasy hair and a big guitar sitting at the microphone. He started acapella. I didn’t quite recognize the lyrics. It was familiar but I couldn’t quite catch it. Then as he hit the chorus I realized what it was just as white cursive writing appeared on the bottom of the screen Bryan Adams, “Heaven”. Luke and I look at each other as if to say “of course.” We went back to Dougie’s with unbreakable smiles.
There are plenty of stories from this trip and I will be happy to email them if you want to know more, but as for now I think I will get on with the boat ride home and the New JV’s.
The wind shifted. It usually comes from the east, but on the day we left it started coming from the west. The people out there told me that wind from the west means a typhoon will come (shortly thereafter Taiwan and China, I think it was there, were hit by a typhoon…) But it also made the seas very angry. This was not good because our 48’ boat was now carrying 2000 lbs of fish it had caught and about 85 people. Luke and I wound up seated upright on a cooler. The whole trip. Not so bad right... wrong. We were sandwiched between 3 pigs, and perched right above a bag of preserved breadfruit. It tastes great but smells like death. Moreover the 7’ swells made just about everyone on the boat vomit. But it was too crowded so no one could get to the gunwales. They just 'hit the deck,' if you catch my drift (no, I did not vomit thank you very much!). The smell was not so pleasant. The boat ride back took much longer. Upon arriving at Saramen Chuuk, our home, we realized that we had been up for a little over 32 hours straight. And we both agreed that even though the boat ride was kind of miserable it was a wonderful experience and capped the perfect trip.
Luke went home, unfortunately, and Megan Bell came back from Pohnpei. She stayed down at Saram and we cleaned and prepped for the newbies by watching R. Kelly’s urban hip-hop opera on my computer (Katie Childs, if you read this I am SOOOOOO sorry! I don’t know where it came from but I just found it on there the day before Megan got back. We will watch it together someday, I promise). The new ones came and they are very very cool. My community is a blast and I cannot wait for Megan Hendricks to get back and complete it. We stay at the dinner table for hours every night laughing and talking and we stay up much too late simply because we like hanging out with each other so much that we don’t want to go to bed. I am so happy and it is in such stark contrast to last year where things were so quiet in the community. It is a very different feel. I think we successfully broke the black magic.
Things are going great thus far and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone, once again for all of your care and support. I appreciate you taking the time to read this massive massive work I just wrote, and I miss you all! Thank you again. Fokkun Kinamwe, tong, me pwa pwa ngeni kemi menisin. Ai tong Ngoruch!
-Matt
Saturday, April 4, 2009
It has been a long time since I have written anything on here, so I am at a bit of a loss as to where I should begin. First off, I am officially a year older and I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and deeds and support. Things in Chuuk have been busy as ever. In fact, just last week there was a bank robbery. Yes, you read that right. You can jog around our entire island in maybe 6 hours (as you all should know, I am not much of a runner, so this is something I do not know first hand). And everyone either knows, or is related to, everyone else. Yet some people tried to rob a bank. They were caught shortly after when they stopped to buy alcohol at one of the maybe 4 places on the island that sell it. They are currently being held in police custody. It was not exactly Ocean’s 11.
That made last week very exciting. That and the Zags run to the sweet 16. I still do not understand how any team, even UNC, can shoot 57% from the field in a sweet 16 game. I wish I could have seen it.
As the end of the year quickly approaches I catch myself marveling, more and more, at how fast this year went. I also am growing more and more excited for the summer and next year. It looks like Luke Lavin (a friend from Gonzaga and a volunteer in Pohnpei) will be in Chuuk for the summer and we are going to have a great time. I have so many ideas of things we can do, and knowing Luke he will have some great things in mind of his own. We even have been given initial approval to put a team in the local canoe race around the lagoon that will happen in July! I could not be more excited.
We have also gotten some positive initial responses about a grant that Saramen Chuuk put in to the USDA Rural Development program to obtain some desperately needed solar panels for the school. Also, the group that Jake, a local Peace Corps, and I have been working on, called the Chuuk Local Food Community, has officially been formed and we should have the Strategic Action Plan completed by the end of the week. That, unfortunately, is moving a little slower than we all hoped, but it is still moving and I honestly believe that an organization centered around supporting local food is much needed here, not only for health reasons, but also economically.
Classes are going well and our community is abuzz with post-JVI ideas for both of the girls. It is an exciting time to be in Micronesia, particularly Chuuk. They are beginning to pave the roads (in some instances repave) and we are currently awaiting the results of the Chuuk Gubenitorial election. Apparently there is a runoff in the works soon.
Our Easter Break is coming up and Caitlin and Jessie are headed out to an island group far far away from home. It is about a 24 hour boat ride to get there. Which means that I will be home all alone for break. I have some pretty good plans in the works though. Some different island visits in the lagoon and some practice on the local canoes before the possible race in July.
Well that is enough for now, I realize that this isn't the greatest but I just wanted to put a quick update because I have gotten some emails asking about the blog.
That made last week very exciting. That and the Zags run to the sweet 16. I still do not understand how any team, even UNC, can shoot 57% from the field in a sweet 16 game. I wish I could have seen it.
As the end of the year quickly approaches I catch myself marveling, more and more, at how fast this year went. I also am growing more and more excited for the summer and next year. It looks like Luke Lavin (a friend from Gonzaga and a volunteer in Pohnpei) will be in Chuuk for the summer and we are going to have a great time. I have so many ideas of things we can do, and knowing Luke he will have some great things in mind of his own. We even have been given initial approval to put a team in the local canoe race around the lagoon that will happen in July! I could not be more excited.
We have also gotten some positive initial responses about a grant that Saramen Chuuk put in to the USDA Rural Development program to obtain some desperately needed solar panels for the school. Also, the group that Jake, a local Peace Corps, and I have been working on, called the Chuuk Local Food Community, has officially been formed and we should have the Strategic Action Plan completed by the end of the week. That, unfortunately, is moving a little slower than we all hoped, but it is still moving and I honestly believe that an organization centered around supporting local food is much needed here, not only for health reasons, but also economically.
Classes are going well and our community is abuzz with post-JVI ideas for both of the girls. It is an exciting time to be in Micronesia, particularly Chuuk. They are beginning to pave the roads (in some instances repave) and we are currently awaiting the results of the Chuuk Gubenitorial election. Apparently there is a runoff in the works soon.
Our Easter Break is coming up and Caitlin and Jessie are headed out to an island group far far away from home. It is about a 24 hour boat ride to get there. Which means that I will be home all alone for break. I have some pretty good plans in the works though. Some different island visits in the lagoon and some practice on the local canoes before the possible race in July.
Well that is enough for now, I realize that this isn't the greatest but I just wanted to put a quick update because I have gotten some emails asking about the blog.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas, New Year's, and roaches
Well first, I want to start with a list of books I have read since being here. Don’t ask me why I want to start with this, I don’t know, but I have often been asked what we do when the power goes out and it’s night time, and well, we read. I will also include a rating system where one * is pretty bad and 5 * are pretty darn good. So here is my book list:
Istanbul - Orhan Pamuk *****
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - ***
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - ***
Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins ****
A Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner (a history of the CIA) *****
A Fool’s Gold - Bill Merritt ***
The Fire this Side - Julian Augon (sp?) A collection of essays on Chomorro independence. ***
Soul Mountain - Gao Xingjian ****
Becoming Who You Are - James Martin S.J. ****
The Language of God - (written by the man who headed the uman genome project, I had to give the book back and I forgot to write down his name) ****
Snow - Orhan Pamuk *****
China - Enabling a New Era of Changes - World Economic Forum - Pam C.M. Mar and Frank Jurgen Richter ****
A Peace to End all Peace - Fromkin ****
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein ***
I am currently working on The Scramble for Africa but it is so damn dense that I had to put it down for a while. Now I am reading The First Taint of Civilization: a history of the Caroline and Marshall Islands in Pre-Colonial Days, 1521 - 1885. Then I will move onto this book called A Farewell to Alms: a brief economic history of the world.
So there is my book list, pillage at your own discretion. As you can tell, I am a pretty easy grader.
Well, it’s New Year’s Eve day and the weather is beautiful. We have been on an amazing streak of power for the last month, but then the island generator broke and there was no power two nights ago and sketchy power last night. But tonight is looking optimistic. I do not know what I am going to do yet, there is not exactly a lot going on... Also, I vow to talk as minimally about basketball as possible this time because I have heard that Katie Meyers isn’t a huge basketball writing fan. And I like Katie so damn much that I could not refuse such a request, and plus it came from a pretty amazing medium.
The Pohnpei JV’s have come and gone. In between, we had a blast. It was so great to see Luke and Jo, and to finally meet Megan. I had heard rumors about how much fun Megan is and now I can spread them myself. We went to Pisar. It is a little flat island, well actually like three islands, out on the reef and they are basically uninhabited. It was great to get out there and read and swim and play. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Our communication with Pohnpei was difficult so the organization of the retreat was not perfect, and I think Pohnpei felt under prepared because they did not find out the theme or their role until they arrived in Chuuk. But they all did very well.
Christmas went pretty well, but honestly, in my mind it is all running together. A couple packages and letters I had received from home were hidden from me by Jessie, one of my roommates, and then they showed up under the Christmas tree on the morning of the 25th. It was wonderful. I can honestly say that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the support I have received from everyone at home. I really am blessed in that way.
So I have a story, that I think is pretty interesting. The night of the 21st Michael Gall, a Peace Corps volunteer, who went to Xavier with Jessie, stayed over and he stayed in the downstairs apartment with me. Michael’s family is in the pest control business. And we have cockroaches. Michael purchased two cans of bug spray and we went to work. I use the term "we" very loosely because it was mainly Mike, I just sprayed where he told me. We tore apart the kitchen and canvassed the bathroom. By the end of the ordeal we counted 45 cocraoches, that we could see, either dying or dead. I would say that the total number is close to 90 or 100. The ants are thrilled. They had a feast. So we really cleaned up the place for Pohnpei!
Also, a sidenote, as I write this, I keep hearing more and more pigs squealing as they are slaughtered for the New Year’s feast. It is an interesting sound.
Moving on,
Jake, a Peace Corps volunteer, and myself have been working on this project. Jake started it in August, then we were talking about a month ago, about things we would like to do in Chuuk or things that we find necessary. I described to him an organization that would promote health awareness and local food. Focusing on local food as a way, a small way, to help the economy. And then Jake explained that he already had the ball rolling on that exact project. There is still some debate about the name but it sounds like it will be the Island Food Community of Chuuk. We are currently trying to become incorporated and the support from everyone in the community has been so overwhelmingly positive. We had an excellent day yesterday obtaining the signatures and support of some very knowledgeable people in the community and I am really excited to see where this goes in the next two years!
As is always the case, the holidays are never easy. And this one is no exception. It seems like everyone back home is doing something scary or important or relevant and I can’t help but find my mind wandering to their adventures. Then, inevitably, missing them. Things here can be hard, but worth it. Everything, from the island to the people are so beautiful. I am truly lucky to be able to be a part of the island community here.
For our retreat we were supposed to give oral histories, storytelling. And my story was about a time in high school where I found myself on a rocky beach after the tide had just gone out and everywhere I stepped the phosphorescence glowed blues, turquoises, greens, and cyans. But my point about all of this was light. How amazing I find light and how easy it is to be amazed and awed by light. Especially here in the islands.
The light is bright and hot, but not harsh. It is clear and crisp yet changing. It is unlike any light I have ever experienced. My point was that when I am able to stop and be amazed, when I am able to stop and admire the light, I know that things are going pretty well. And lately I have admired, almost daily, the beautiful Micronesian light. Illuminating a translucent lagoon and decorating the lush hills. I have watched it paint the clouds in broad brush strokes and puncture thousands of tiny holes in the dark blanket of night. And I have been amazed.
I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this and for all your support and love, it really means a lot. I would also like to say that if you didn’t like my little spiel on light blame Brad Reynolds. If he wouldn’t have gotten me hooked on this whole photography thing I never would have been amazed by light in the way I am now.... So it’s all his fault. Thanks Brad!
Istanbul - Orhan Pamuk *****
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - ***
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - ***
Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins ****
A Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner (a history of the CIA) *****
A Fool’s Gold - Bill Merritt ***
The Fire this Side - Julian Augon (sp?) A collection of essays on Chomorro independence. ***
Soul Mountain - Gao Xingjian ****
Becoming Who You Are - James Martin S.J. ****
The Language of God - (written by the man who headed the uman genome project, I had to give the book back and I forgot to write down his name) ****
Snow - Orhan Pamuk *****
China - Enabling a New Era of Changes - World Economic Forum - Pam C.M. Mar and Frank Jurgen Richter ****
A Peace to End all Peace - Fromkin ****
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein ***
I am currently working on The Scramble for Africa but it is so damn dense that I had to put it down for a while. Now I am reading The First Taint of Civilization: a history of the Caroline and Marshall Islands in Pre-Colonial Days, 1521 - 1885. Then I will move onto this book called A Farewell to Alms: a brief economic history of the world.
So there is my book list, pillage at your own discretion. As you can tell, I am a pretty easy grader.
Well, it’s New Year’s Eve day and the weather is beautiful. We have been on an amazing streak of power for the last month, but then the island generator broke and there was no power two nights ago and sketchy power last night. But tonight is looking optimistic. I do not know what I am going to do yet, there is not exactly a lot going on... Also, I vow to talk as minimally about basketball as possible this time because I have heard that Katie Meyers isn’t a huge basketball writing fan. And I like Katie so damn much that I could not refuse such a request, and plus it came from a pretty amazing medium.
The Pohnpei JV’s have come and gone. In between, we had a blast. It was so great to see Luke and Jo, and to finally meet Megan. I had heard rumors about how much fun Megan is and now I can spread them myself. We went to Pisar. It is a little flat island, well actually like three islands, out on the reef and they are basically uninhabited. It was great to get out there and read and swim and play. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Our communication with Pohnpei was difficult so the organization of the retreat was not perfect, and I think Pohnpei felt under prepared because they did not find out the theme or their role until they arrived in Chuuk. But they all did very well.
Christmas went pretty well, but honestly, in my mind it is all running together. A couple packages and letters I had received from home were hidden from me by Jessie, one of my roommates, and then they showed up under the Christmas tree on the morning of the 25th. It was wonderful. I can honestly say that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the support I have received from everyone at home. I really am blessed in that way.
So I have a story, that I think is pretty interesting. The night of the 21st Michael Gall, a Peace Corps volunteer, who went to Xavier with Jessie, stayed over and he stayed in the downstairs apartment with me. Michael’s family is in the pest control business. And we have cockroaches. Michael purchased two cans of bug spray and we went to work. I use the term "we" very loosely because it was mainly Mike, I just sprayed where he told me. We tore apart the kitchen and canvassed the bathroom. By the end of the ordeal we counted 45 cocraoches, that we could see, either dying or dead. I would say that the total number is close to 90 or 100. The ants are thrilled. They had a feast. So we really cleaned up the place for Pohnpei!
Also, a sidenote, as I write this, I keep hearing more and more pigs squealing as they are slaughtered for the New Year’s feast. It is an interesting sound.
Moving on,
Jake, a Peace Corps volunteer, and myself have been working on this project. Jake started it in August, then we were talking about a month ago, about things we would like to do in Chuuk or things that we find necessary. I described to him an organization that would promote health awareness and local food. Focusing on local food as a way, a small way, to help the economy. And then Jake explained that he already had the ball rolling on that exact project. There is still some debate about the name but it sounds like it will be the Island Food Community of Chuuk. We are currently trying to become incorporated and the support from everyone in the community has been so overwhelmingly positive. We had an excellent day yesterday obtaining the signatures and support of some very knowledgeable people in the community and I am really excited to see where this goes in the next two years!
As is always the case, the holidays are never easy. And this one is no exception. It seems like everyone back home is doing something scary or important or relevant and I can’t help but find my mind wandering to their adventures. Then, inevitably, missing them. Things here can be hard, but worth it. Everything, from the island to the people are so beautiful. I am truly lucky to be able to be a part of the island community here.
For our retreat we were supposed to give oral histories, storytelling. And my story was about a time in high school where I found myself on a rocky beach after the tide had just gone out and everywhere I stepped the phosphorescence glowed blues, turquoises, greens, and cyans. But my point about all of this was light. How amazing I find light and how easy it is to be amazed and awed by light. Especially here in the islands.
The light is bright and hot, but not harsh. It is clear and crisp yet changing. It is unlike any light I have ever experienced. My point was that when I am able to stop and be amazed, when I am able to stop and admire the light, I know that things are going pretty well. And lately I have admired, almost daily, the beautiful Micronesian light. Illuminating a translucent lagoon and decorating the lush hills. I have watched it paint the clouds in broad brush strokes and puncture thousands of tiny holes in the dark blanket of night. And I have been amazed.
I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this and for all your support and love, it really means a lot. I would also like to say that if you didn’t like my little spiel on light blame Brad Reynolds. If he wouldn’t have gotten me hooked on this whole photography thing I never would have been amazed by light in the way I am now.... So it’s all his fault. Thanks Brad!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
As I sit here, at Xavier High School on Thursday, November 27, 2008. It is Thanksgiving. Today is unlike any Thanksgiving of my life. When in I lived in Europe I spent Thanksgiving with many very close friends in Ireland. It was wonderful even if I did feel a twinge of loneliness and longing to be with my family. That twinge easily dissipated with laughter and friendship as we had one of the best (extended) weekends of my life.
Today is different. I love Chuuk. I am learning so much from my time here, but it is not easy. I have met people here who fast turned into role models and have taught me more about life and development than any class ever could. For them I am thankful.
Today I give thanks in the manner of most of my days, subdued and quietly. I give thanks for my basketball team. We are now 3-1 with our first blowout under our belts (75 – 52). They have taught me how to coach more than I have taught them how to play. My lesson started the second day of practice when I was coming down pretty hard on one of the new and very tentative freshmen for not attacking the basket. His defender was one of our 2 captains, a senior and the best perimeter defender on our team. On the very next possession T.J., the senior captain/defender extraordinaire let the freshman go by him. But he did not let the freshman (Kay Kris) know. Kay Kris did not stop smiling for a week. And I am very thankful to say that Kay Kris was our second leading scorer with 10 points in our last game.
I am thankful for T.J. teaching me Chuukese. He teaches me language, but he teaches me how to be Chuukese, how to lead like he does, how to live humbly like they do, and how to help each other in the Chuukese way.
I am not trying to say that things here are perfect because they are far from it, but there is beauty everywhere. I love going to bed at night listening to the wind stir up the branches on the nearby coconut and breadfruit trees. I love listening to them, rustling louder and faster until a storm comes in, carried by the westward wind. I love the calm after the storm. It is so still. The night becomes hotter and more humid as the rain evaporates until the slow sea breeze comes back and cools us off.
I love listening to the students who arrive early for school. They talk outside of our apartment window. They play and they sing. I love Chuukese singers. They have the most beautifully haunting voices. I do not have the words to describe them, but they are truly remarkable. Moreover I love how accepting they are of each other. In school I was always the most self conscience when it came to singing because my voice is not that pleasing, but these students, whenever we have a few extra minutes in class they always want to sing. And everyone sings! It is beautiful. No one can help but smile as they watch and share in their song.
I am Thankful for many things today especially Chuuk. But I am also thankful for everyone back home. The support I have been given through these past four months has been remarkable to say the least. I never feel alone and always feel loved, no matter what is happening here. While I am often saddened to think of Gracie walking or Gabi talking and how far away I am from all of that. I am not sad for long. I think of, and am thankful for, how much I am learning here, and how much I believe that will help their lives.
So while I may not be able to walk into Viafore’s and talk with David and Debbie as I eat my sandwich, I am still in a wonderful place and it is becoming a home. There are challenges but they are nothing more, or less, than learning experiences and opportunities to grow. So thank you all for your support and love. Because I am thankful for many things on this day and if you are reading this then you are one of those supports from home topping my thanksgiving list.
Today is different. I love Chuuk. I am learning so much from my time here, but it is not easy. I have met people here who fast turned into role models and have taught me more about life and development than any class ever could. For them I am thankful.
Today I give thanks in the manner of most of my days, subdued and quietly. I give thanks for my basketball team. We are now 3-1 with our first blowout under our belts (75 – 52). They have taught me how to coach more than I have taught them how to play. My lesson started the second day of practice when I was coming down pretty hard on one of the new and very tentative freshmen for not attacking the basket. His defender was one of our 2 captains, a senior and the best perimeter defender on our team. On the very next possession T.J., the senior captain/defender extraordinaire let the freshman go by him. But he did not let the freshman (Kay Kris) know. Kay Kris did not stop smiling for a week. And I am very thankful to say that Kay Kris was our second leading scorer with 10 points in our last game.
I am thankful for T.J. teaching me Chuukese. He teaches me language, but he teaches me how to be Chuukese, how to lead like he does, how to live humbly like they do, and how to help each other in the Chuukese way.
I am not trying to say that things here are perfect because they are far from it, but there is beauty everywhere. I love going to bed at night listening to the wind stir up the branches on the nearby coconut and breadfruit trees. I love listening to them, rustling louder and faster until a storm comes in, carried by the westward wind. I love the calm after the storm. It is so still. The night becomes hotter and more humid as the rain evaporates until the slow sea breeze comes back and cools us off.
I love listening to the students who arrive early for school. They talk outside of our apartment window. They play and they sing. I love Chuukese singers. They have the most beautifully haunting voices. I do not have the words to describe them, but they are truly remarkable. Moreover I love how accepting they are of each other. In school I was always the most self conscience when it came to singing because my voice is not that pleasing, but these students, whenever we have a few extra minutes in class they always want to sing. And everyone sings! It is beautiful. No one can help but smile as they watch and share in their song.
I am Thankful for many things today especially Chuuk. But I am also thankful for everyone back home. The support I have been given through these past four months has been remarkable to say the least. I never feel alone and always feel loved, no matter what is happening here. While I am often saddened to think of Gracie walking or Gabi talking and how far away I am from all of that. I am not sad for long. I think of, and am thankful for, how much I am learning here, and how much I believe that will help their lives.
So while I may not be able to walk into Viafore’s and talk with David and Debbie as I eat my sandwich, I am still in a wonderful place and it is becoming a home. There are challenges but they are nothing more, or less, than learning experiences and opportunities to grow. So thank you all for your support and love. Because I am thankful for many things on this day and if you are reading this then you are one of those supports from home topping my thanksgiving list.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
first game
So this is going to be very short, but I've been asked by a lot of people how the season is going. Our second game is tomorrow.
Our first game started very well. At half we were up by 12 in what wound up being a 33 point game. The kids were playing 'd' and responding to all of my instructions. Then came the fourth quarter and the game had tightened, as had my players sphinctors. We wound up committing 8 turnovers in the 4th quarter as giving up 12 points to their "best player" and losing by one. 34 - 33. I was less than thrilled with our utter meltdown in the 4th quarter. I also was less than thrilled by the sideline coaching that some of the parents were doing. We gave up 24 of the other teams 33 points to one player. When he shot, even from behind the 3-point arc, which he hit 5 of, his shot did not go any higher than 10'8" off of the ground. It was like a laser beam.
Our offense was stagnant at best and there was a lot of moaning and groaning. But we are developing a good sense of family and I think they will rally and continue to figure it out. I had to bench one of our best players for showboating in the game, which really hurt, and the island is not used to our style of defense so, by the end of the game, we had 4 of our 10 players with 4 fouls... That hurt. But we all mad emistakes, including me, but I did draw up a play with 2 seconds left in the 1st half that go us a layup and I felt like a real coach after that. I fully expect to win a lot this year, even though I feel like our talent is subpar on the island. But that is all for now and I'll try to write more later. Feel free to write a comment if you enjoyed or didn't. Just let me know that someone is reading this other than the fam! Toodles.
Our first game started very well. At half we were up by 12 in what wound up being a 33 point game. The kids were playing 'd' and responding to all of my instructions. Then came the fourth quarter and the game had tightened, as had my players sphinctors. We wound up committing 8 turnovers in the 4th quarter as giving up 12 points to their "best player" and losing by one. 34 - 33. I was less than thrilled with our utter meltdown in the 4th quarter. I also was less than thrilled by the sideline coaching that some of the parents were doing. We gave up 24 of the other teams 33 points to one player. When he shot, even from behind the 3-point arc, which he hit 5 of, his shot did not go any higher than 10'8" off of the ground. It was like a laser beam.
Our offense was stagnant at best and there was a lot of moaning and groaning. But we are developing a good sense of family and I think they will rally and continue to figure it out. I had to bench one of our best players for showboating in the game, which really hurt, and the island is not used to our style of defense so, by the end of the game, we had 4 of our 10 players with 4 fouls... That hurt. But we all mad emistakes, including me, but I did draw up a play with 2 seconds left in the 1st half that go us a layup and I felt like a real coach after that. I fully expect to win a lot this year, even though I feel like our talent is subpar on the island. But that is all for now and I'll try to write more later. Feel free to write a comment if you enjoyed or didn't. Just let me know that someone is reading this other than the fam! Toodles.
Friday, October 17, 2008
basketball
So, it is late here, close to midnight and my roommates are in their apartament fast asleep because they both have stuff to do tomorrow. But me, I am livin' large. We have had an absolutely ridiculous streak of power lately. There has been island power everynight since Tuesday (it is now Friday, almost Saturday) and the power is still on. I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so I figured why not stay up, write a blog and then maybe make some phone calls. It is a wild night here in Chuuk.
Well, although our season does not officially start until November 4 (that would be Nov. 3 for those of you back home in the States) the coach at Xavier is a JV and we decided to have a scrimmage. Naturally a couple stories came out of it.
First, a little background on Xavier, it is the premier high school in Micronesia. Kids from all over attend Xavier. They have students from all 4 states in the FSM, students from Palau, the Marshall Islands, probably Kiribati and I am sure more. The boys board at the school and the girls stay with host families. Their coach had been having two-a-days for a week and we had 3 practices in 3 weeks due to various cancellations. But lately we have been practicing consistently and I am relatively pleased with our progress. I have been teaching them a man-to-man defense. This is particularly difficult because everyone on the islands plays zone. A great example illustrating how hard this is to coach is that they did not know how to match up during the start of the game. So we came out and no one knew who they were guarding. It was my fault for not teaching them this, but it never occurred to me.
So Josh called me Wednesday night and told me he was taking his team down to play at Saramen (my school) on Thursday. This was perfect because we have use of the full gym on Thursday and we don't have to share with the girls' team. Well Xavier did not show up until 4 pm, which was stressful for me because my students walk home and after dark in Chuuk is not safe for them, as many teachers took the liberty of telling me what felt like several hundered times as we waited for Xavier. Josh and I decided to play two 10 minute halves stopping the clock at dead balls. We also decided that we - Josh and I - would call the fouls. Now my natural tendency is to let the kids play, I feel that it builds mental toughness, teaches them to play through the whistle and not rely on the refs. I think Josh and I differ on this view.
Warning: this next section contains basketball jargon please skip if you do not feel like reading that!
The brand of defense I have been trying to teach the kids is a physical and aggressive man-to-man style defense with a lot of help. I encourage them to play physically especially against cutters and screeners. Apparently this is a new concept on the island. But the kids have taken to it and are doing very well and learning very quickly.
After a few posessions the guys figured out who they were guarding and looked like a basketball team. Then the whistles started. Josh called a reach in foul and I rolled my eyes. Then, in the same possession, he called another and I bit my tongue. Then his "star" player drove into the lane, out of control, jumped not knowing what the hell he was going to do with the ball and threw it away. Josh called another foul here. I, as calmy as I could, told him that I felt that was an unfair call... I believe "chicken shit" was the phrase... and explained that I view basketball as a contact sport and I did not feel that my players breathing on his constituted a foul.
We jumped on them by about 12 points early on and Josh eased up on his whistle. The half ended and we had about a 4 or 6 point lead. I subbed out my starters and put in the 2nd group. I decided we should split the time between the players because it was only a scrimmage and everyone needed the experience. Josh did, during the intermission, explain that he thought we should call the game a little tighter several times.
The second half started and Xavier showed us their half court trap, which worked for a few possessions and tied up the game. But we continued to play solid defense and subpar offense and Josh continued to voice his opinion that we needed to call a tighter game. Like I said earlier, I did not call much of anything, either way, for the reasons stated above and also because I don't really worry about the refs. There is nothing I can do to change their call, and their word is the law, so unless I see something blatant I just assume we had a liberal ref.
Well the game was tight and getting down to the wire. I was a little competitive. One of my roommates asked me when the game was going to get over midplay and I snapped at her. I knew that she was alluding to the fact that our kids needed time to walk home while it was still light but I did not have to be hear all of that again. Xavier had offered to give them a ride up the road, so that solved the problem. So, poor Jesse caught my short side. Shortly after this incident Josh expressed that he thought we should call the game tighter and I, as calmy and tranquilly as possible, explained that if he took his pacifier out and his whistle out of a certain orophus (spelling?) he could call whatever he wanted. This little quip warranted several comments from teachers and students the next day at school, apparently I was excited. I like to use the word passionate.
Well, regulation ended in a tie. I put my starters back in and we decided to play a 5 minute over time. We both scored a few times and the game ended 28-28. Josh and I decided to call it at that.
, I was happy with the game. We have not even put in an offense yet, but our defense looked very good. I like to think of it like the kind of defense that Lincoln High School ran when coach Kelly was there. It is that physical brand of basketball. Though we are young, they are coming around.
Now I would like to add another disclaimer: Josh I am sure would argue that we are hackers who grabbed and pushed his kids at every chance we got. Just know that because I am the one writing this, the story is biased.
After that I went home and caught a ride up to my new host family's house. We had dinner and I recieved a Chuukese lesson. We talked for a few hours, then I went to bed and slept like a baby. It was a very good day, but I did feel stressed.
I have only been on the island for two months and I am the new guy. I like being the new guy because I get some room to make mistakes and such. But it can also be frusterating at times, like when 800 people tell me that the kids need to get home before dark. Or, for instance, after the game was over I had three people tell me 6 times in the span of maybe two minutes that we needed to get everyone out of the gym and lock up. Then they continued to remind me even after I said that I would take care of it and started collecting the balls and herding the kids out. Going to the host family's was the most welcome of breaks.
My host family is the secretary at Saram. Her, her husband, and son have taken me in and have been so wonderful. They always feed me and are giving me Chuukese lessons. This is absolutely clutch because the girls (Jesse and Caitlin) decided that this year they did not think that our community as a whole should have a Chuukese tutor like they did last year. So we were all on our own. This was a little difficult for me because I had only been here two months and didn't know enough people, or know them well enough, to feel comfortable asking them to help me with the language. But the host family has been awesome. I really feel like I am making progress.
OK, that's enough for now. Thanks for reading and I'll try to write more soon.
Well, although our season does not officially start until November 4 (that would be Nov. 3 for those of you back home in the States) the coach at Xavier is a JV and we decided to have a scrimmage. Naturally a couple stories came out of it.
First, a little background on Xavier, it is the premier high school in Micronesia. Kids from all over attend Xavier. They have students from all 4 states in the FSM, students from Palau, the Marshall Islands, probably Kiribati and I am sure more. The boys board at the school and the girls stay with host families. Their coach had been having two-a-days for a week and we had 3 practices in 3 weeks due to various cancellations. But lately we have been practicing consistently and I am relatively pleased with our progress. I have been teaching them a man-to-man defense. This is particularly difficult because everyone on the islands plays zone. A great example illustrating how hard this is to coach is that they did not know how to match up during the start of the game. So we came out and no one knew who they were guarding. It was my fault for not teaching them this, but it never occurred to me.
So Josh called me Wednesday night and told me he was taking his team down to play at Saramen (my school) on Thursday. This was perfect because we have use of the full gym on Thursday and we don't have to share with the girls' team. Well Xavier did not show up until 4 pm, which was stressful for me because my students walk home and after dark in Chuuk is not safe for them, as many teachers took the liberty of telling me what felt like several hundered times as we waited for Xavier. Josh and I decided to play two 10 minute halves stopping the clock at dead balls. We also decided that we - Josh and I - would call the fouls. Now my natural tendency is to let the kids play, I feel that it builds mental toughness, teaches them to play through the whistle and not rely on the refs. I think Josh and I differ on this view.
Warning: this next section contains basketball jargon please skip if you do not feel like reading that!
The brand of defense I have been trying to teach the kids is a physical and aggressive man-to-man style defense with a lot of help. I encourage them to play physically especially against cutters and screeners. Apparently this is a new concept on the island. But the kids have taken to it and are doing very well and learning very quickly.
After a few posessions the guys figured out who they were guarding and looked like a basketball team. Then the whistles started. Josh called a reach in foul and I rolled my eyes. Then, in the same possession, he called another and I bit my tongue. Then his "star" player drove into the lane, out of control, jumped not knowing what the hell he was going to do with the ball and threw it away. Josh called another foul here. I, as calmy as I could, told him that I felt that was an unfair call... I believe "chicken shit" was the phrase... and explained that I view basketball as a contact sport and I did not feel that my players breathing on his constituted a foul.
We jumped on them by about 12 points early on and Josh eased up on his whistle. The half ended and we had about a 4 or 6 point lead. I subbed out my starters and put in the 2nd group. I decided we should split the time between the players because it was only a scrimmage and everyone needed the experience. Josh did, during the intermission, explain that he thought we should call the game a little tighter several times.
The second half started and Xavier showed us their half court trap, which worked for a few possessions and tied up the game. But we continued to play solid defense and subpar offense and Josh continued to voice his opinion that we needed to call a tighter game. Like I said earlier, I did not call much of anything, either way, for the reasons stated above and also because I don't really worry about the refs. There is nothing I can do to change their call, and their word is the law, so unless I see something blatant I just assume we had a liberal ref.
Well the game was tight and getting down to the wire. I was a little competitive. One of my roommates asked me when the game was going to get over midplay and I snapped at her. I knew that she was alluding to the fact that our kids needed time to walk home while it was still light but I did not have to be hear all of that again. Xavier had offered to give them a ride up the road, so that solved the problem. So, poor Jesse caught my short side. Shortly after this incident Josh expressed that he thought we should call the game tighter and I, as calmy and tranquilly as possible, explained that if he took his pacifier out and his whistle out of a certain orophus (spelling?) he could call whatever he wanted. This little quip warranted several comments from teachers and students the next day at school, apparently I was excited. I like to use the word passionate.
Well, regulation ended in a tie. I put my starters back in and we decided to play a 5 minute over time. We both scored a few times and the game ended 28-28. Josh and I decided to call it at that.
, I was happy with the game. We have not even put in an offense yet, but our defense looked very good. I like to think of it like the kind of defense that Lincoln High School ran when coach Kelly was there. It is that physical brand of basketball. Though we are young, they are coming around.
Now I would like to add another disclaimer: Josh I am sure would argue that we are hackers who grabbed and pushed his kids at every chance we got. Just know that because I am the one writing this, the story is biased.
After that I went home and caught a ride up to my new host family's house. We had dinner and I recieved a Chuukese lesson. We talked for a few hours, then I went to bed and slept like a baby. It was a very good day, but I did feel stressed.
I have only been on the island for two months and I am the new guy. I like being the new guy because I get some room to make mistakes and such. But it can also be frusterating at times, like when 800 people tell me that the kids need to get home before dark. Or, for instance, after the game was over I had three people tell me 6 times in the span of maybe two minutes that we needed to get everyone out of the gym and lock up. Then they continued to remind me even after I said that I would take care of it and started collecting the balls and herding the kids out. Going to the host family's was the most welcome of breaks.
My host family is the secretary at Saram. Her, her husband, and son have taken me in and have been so wonderful. They always feed me and are giving me Chuukese lessons. This is absolutely clutch because the girls (Jesse and Caitlin) decided that this year they did not think that our community as a whole should have a Chuukese tutor like they did last year. So we were all on our own. This was a little difficult for me because I had only been here two months and didn't know enough people, or know them well enough, to feel comfortable asking them to help me with the language. But the host family has been awesome. I really feel like I am making progress.
OK, that's enough for now. Thanks for reading and I'll try to write more soon.
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