Siis and thoughts on the first few weeks

Ok so in the last post when I said I was going to the island of Fefen I lied.  I meant Siis.  They are right next to each other, so at least I was close.  I am trying to upload some of the pictures I took right now, so we will see if that goes through. 

Even though I have not put any pictures from Micronesia up yet, if you want to see my pictures when I do put them up, go to www.snapfish.com.  The user name is mmille14 and the password is mm7841.  It seems to be the best way to share pictures, mainly because its free and it uploads the fastest.

Ok, so back to Siis.  It was awesome.  We were barely there for 24 hours but it was very very fun.  We left Weno late on friday, close to 5 or 6.  It was about a 45 minute boat ride.  We rode right into a storm, so the ride took a little longer because the water was a little choppy.  So, Siis is an island in the lagoon, meaning that it is protected by the reef that protects all the islands in the lagoon.  Basically it is not open ocean.  The marine life and water is all the same but we don't exactly get waves here in the lagoon.

Pulling up to Siis we had to pull up the engine and push ourselves in because it was so shallow and there were a lot of plants growing under the water.  As we were approaching I looked down and saw, as the water splashed off of the outside of the boat, the phosphorescence lighting up on the surface.  This made me very happy and reminded me of the Puget Sound.  They did not light up as bright and are much more scarce, but it was still a little taste of home.  When we got there it was night and we ate dinner, talked with the family, then went to bed.  Oh, we also sang.  Turns out that everybody in Chuuk is a phenomenal singer.  I don't know how it happened but it did.  And apparently Saramen is famous around here for always having the best choir.  A rumor which I completely believe after hearing them sing at mass!  I want to try and record them and maybe make some cd's to sell in the States in order to raise money for the school.  If anyone has any ideas how to record them well, I am all ears.  I was actually thinking of emailing Uncle Johnny to see if he had any suggestions.

So the next day in Siis we walked around the island, that took all of 20 minutes.  Then we went to the sandy beach there and snorkeled around a coral reef out there.  The water was literally too warm at times, but if you go deeper it cools off.  After swimming we played some volleyball with the local kids some of whom were in the pack that walked with us around the island.  We returned to the house (more like a compound really because the whole extended family lives there too) and had lunch, then prepared to leave.  

While I did not get to go spearfishing this trip I heard a lot about it and it is definitely on the top of my list for of things I need to do while here.  They take a boat out and dive in with a spear and an underwater flashlight.  They basically spear tuna and other big fish but what sounds really fun is all the fish that you get to swim with (like stingrays).  Then they told me that sometimes the blood from the spearing attracts sharks and if a shark comes you just give them your fish.  While a little scary it sounds awesome.  I mean, if they can do it, I certainly can do it with them, I hope.

I finished my first week of school and although it was challenging and difficult I did enjoy it.  I just hope I do well!  I ams till waiting for our Vice Principal of Activities to return from Beijing (he is on the FSM Olympic committee so he is at the Olympics) we can open the gym and start basketball stuff, which I am most excited for.  I am really worried that they will not play man-to-man because literally all they play here, even in pickup games at the park, is zone.

Speaking pickup games at the park, I played in one.  The Micronesians loved it because the rim was lopsided so I hung on it to straighten it out.  That was an instant hit with the locals and after that they were much nicer to me.

As for our community, we are still in the polite phase, but we do get along pretty well.  There are some differences to be expected: since I am new I have a lot of energy and have all these ideas I want to help undertake (by 'all' I actually mean like 3 or 4)  but they often explain how that is not possible of insinuate that it would not be a good idea, for whatever reason.  I think they are a little disillusioned with the whole process here because life can get a little stagnant and we hang out with a lot of Peace Corps people who are better paid, get better scholarships after leaving, get better training, support, and live in more remote and seemingly more fun areas.  But the way I see it is that we have the opportunity to educate the future leaders of Chuuk and possibly Micronesia, so that is how we can contribute and change.  A disclaimer for this paragraph is that these are only my opinions and observations, that does not mean that they are accurate.

So I have been taking a few things in my own hands and I do not know if that is good or bad for the whole community thing.  For instance, we are supposed to have someone come about once a week to tutor us in Chuukese, but it does not seem that this is a high priority right now, so I am just going to find someone I can do that with personally.  That way I don't feel like I am stepping on their toes but I can also begin to learn the language... We'll se how this goes.

Also, a Navy ship called the MercyShip is here right now and it is quite the big deal.  The ship is basically a huge floating hospital.  It has a staff of 600 and can sleep 1200 patients.  They do all the work for free.  The only stipulation is that you get a TB test before you can board.  They administer the TB test for free at a local clinic.  It sounds like we might get to go and tour it soon.  However the bad news is that the people aboard the ship confirmed a rumor that had been going around the "coconut wire" (the local gossip) lately.  We already knew that there is a Hep A outbreak on the island, but now we have confirmed that the case of Multi-Drug Resistant TB that surfaced in Canada has been traced back to Chuuk.  So there is also apparently a TB outbreak here too.  We are all really excited about this.  But we are taking care of ourselves, and honestly, I am not that worried....

So a lot has been happening, but I will only tell one more story before I get off of here.  Last night I was sleeping in my apartment.  The girls live in the apartment upstairs so I get the whole downstairs to myself (the kitchen, dining room, and two other bedrooms are in the downstairs apartment) which is great because that is where we spend most of our time anyways.  But last night I heard something slam against the wall outside.  I assumed it was the neighbors and that maybe they had drank too much and were throwing beer cans up at our windows, which has been known to happen.  So I rolled over and tried to sleep.  Then I heard the screen on the window outside my room rattle.  I laid silently still for a moment and heard some more movement and some papers fall.  So I slowly and (hopefully) stealthily got up and walked out of my room until I was about to see the window where the noise was coming from.  I turned the corner, turned on my headlamp, and began to talk.  I was saying "hello", then I realized that there was someone on the ledge outside of the window.  As a side note, there is a cement ledge that goes around the outside of the entire second floor of the school.  So, startled, I yelled some profanities and ran at the window.  The person bolted and did not come back the rest of the night, but it did add a little adventure to my life.  After the adrenaline wore off I went back to bed.  It was, nonetheless, quite the experience.

Thanks for reading!

Shades of Chuuk

Here I am, about a week in and I am still sweating like a whore in church (pardon the expression). It is not overly hot, but the humidity is very difficult. I have had a lot of down time since there is just not a lot to do on the island (the nearest swimming beach that I know of is a good 6ish miles away, however snorkeling there is sweet). I have read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and am about 200 pages into HP and the Deathly Hollows. It is a little lame, I know, but I saw the teaser for the new movie and had to get caught up on the story line since there are no movie theaters here, but there are some on Pohnpei.

We went to Xavier last weekend for some phase II stuff and Xavier's campus stunned me. They had grass huts for kids from the different islands, a big field, newly painted buildings, etc. It even has a generator so that they don't need to rely on the extremely sketchy island power. Also, their toilets flush without having to dump a bucket of water in just the right place. However, you still shower out of a big rubbermaid bucket of water, so its not that adavenced.

And now we have appled for an USDA grant to get solar panels on the roof of Saramen, so that could mean that we will have a steady power source... how frightening is that?!?!

We have been cleaning and getting ready for classes which has been nice, but I am sick of lesson planning and seriously procratinating doing them anyways. I have done my first week and written out a tenative pace plan so I know where I want to be at the end of the year, but I am waiting for my first classes so that I can better judge where the kids are at and where we can realistically get. For instance I asked our principal, Wayne, how far I should get with the sophmores in World History class. He responded, "Well just start with the beginnings of humankind and get all the way to now, or at least through the cold war." Now Wayne is a great guy and we get along well, especially since there are only about 4 males employed at the school. But how am I supposed to get from the dawn of civilization to the cold war in 2 semesters. So, I'd say I have a pretty full plate in history. Not to mention the fact that I have only taken about 2 econ classes in my life and now I have to teach it... that should go well... But english, jr english skills to be exact, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on. I am going to have them do a portfolio throughout the year doing units on various forms of writing, so I at least feel like that should be decent.

Next weekend we are going to the island of Fefin, its about an hour boat ride and it is much more remote than Weno (pronounces Wetta or Wenna, the "n" in the original spelling makes a sound somewhere between an 'n' and a 't'). I am really excited to get out into the bush and see what the more remote islands are like.

Xavier is coming down for a community night tonight. I am looking forward to tonight not only because there is a male JV at Xavier and I went to orientation with 2 of the girl JV's up there, but also because there will be beer and frankly, I'd die for a beer right now. I am also hoping to get them all involved in several of my favorite passtimes, not the least of which will probably be pong or catchphrase. ok, well I hear lesson planning and Harry Potter calling me, I wonder which one I will answer???

phone # and thanks to john ruby

ok so the phone # here is: +011 691 330 6765..... if you use it do try and remember the time change, I have roommates.

and I dont have a lot of time but I want to say a huge thank you to John Ruby, who, after talking to mike at a golf tournament promptly emailed me some stellar zone offense ideas. Although I might also be mad at him because now if we lose I do not have the excuse that I had poor x's and o's versus a zone! So thanks a million coach!

Guam for a night

Well I am finally at the hotel in Guam. I was in an airplane for, all tolled, about 16 - 18 hours (i don't know exactly) plus layovers I have been travelling for about 25 hours. I think the smartest decision I ever made was not going to bed last night. I think my body is so confused that it has no idea what time it is and I might just be able to adjust to this big time change rather easily. Flying in was crazy, I did not realize how big the Pacific really is. There were points when, if I didn't know where the ocean was and where the sky was, I would not have been able to tell. Both up and down were blue and cloud swept. It was very pretty. They also did a good job in placing me on the plane. From Huston to Honolulu I sat behind a midget who felt the need to try and recline his seat all the way. Naturally I put my knees there so he couldn't, but I did let him recline a little. However about four hours in that tactical bastard got me. I was sleeping and I turned angling my knees towards the window - I was in the window seat. As soon as I turned he reclined that thing so that his head was on my lap, and in so doing damn near dislocated my knee cap. Needless to say I was not happy and everytime I saw him put a pillow behind his head or even make a motion that could, by some stretch of the imagination, be concieved as a sleep position I made sure to drill the back of his chair several times and at 3 or 5 or 10 minute intervals. Apparently I am really cranky when I don't sleep.

But I did manage to sleep on most of the plane rides, watch some movies and even read a little. Now the big decision is what to do about dinner.... Also, when packing last night I forgot to include a change of clothes for the flight tomorrow, so I get to enjoy my first several hours in the saune that I imagine Micronesia to be in August wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt... Sorry Mike but I forgot the Peninsula shirt in one of my big checked bags. I'll get a good sunset pic for you with it on though!

Allright, a quick word on Guam then I'll head back up to the room. Guam is gorgeous, but it is strange. The houses (at least the ones by the airport, so actually thi probably is not very accurate at all) seem very run down. However the people are so wonderful and gentle. The flora is also gorgeous and it is as humid a place a sI have ever experienced. THis makes me worried for Micronesia. Basically, I think the long and the short of it is that I am going to sweat a lot these next two years. Thank God I brought those two cpntainers of extra strength GoldBond. I just hope it lasts the whole year until mom and dad visit and can bring some more.

Ciao for now,
Matt