I apologize that I haven't done a blog post in over 3 weeks. My first couple weeks on the island have been SO packed full of surprises and adventures. I'll try to give you a recap of everything that's gone on so far...
First off, the plane ride(s) here were comprised of long, bumpy flights that I barely ate any food on. Overall, we were traveling for around 22 hours from LAX to Honolulu, to Guam, to Chuuk, and finally to Pohnpei. I was able to talk with some other volunteers and we got to know each other on our long flights, which was nice. There were about 20 volunteers that we left in Chuuk, and then the remaining 6 volunteers continues onto Pohnpei, which was about a 50 minute flight from the other Micronesian island of Chuuk. When I stepped off the plane, the first thought I had was "am I in a swamp?!" because the air was so sticky and humid. Take into account that it was midnight when we landed. It was 12:00pm and I was sweating since the first second I stepped off the plane. Regardless, we went to go find our luggage (which I found out was left in Guam) so we had to go without our stuff for the evening. We met our WorldTeach program director who drove us to our host families for the night. I felt kind of bad driving to this house in the middle of the night, but we did anyways. So we drove up, the dog was barking non-stop and my host mother came out and yelled at the dog to quiet down. Because it was so late (and I was so jet-lagged and tired from my long trip) I pretty much went right to my room and fell on my bed asleep.
Right away in the morning, we had to go meet the Director of Education on the island and start our orientation. After a very nice breakfast of eggs, toast, and fresh mango, we went with the other volunteers to meet some very important people on the island. Despite the fact that I hadn't showered or changed clothes yet, I sweated my way throughout the day and learned some new Pohnpeian sayings and met lots of new people. The day ended with a scavenger hunt around the island, which I was finally able to see in daylight the beauty of my surroundings. I was absolutely blown away with how gorgeous everything is here- between all the different colors of flowers, the uniqueness of all the coconut and palm trees, and the jaw dropping lagoon scenes. I am definitely excited that I'll be able to live on this island for the next whole year! Our luggage came in that night, and I was able to go home and enjoy a nice cold shower and get to know my host family a little more. They are very welcoming and provide me with a gracious home and amazing food. I'm blessed to be living with such a family!
Since then, I've moved into my apartment with a fellow WorldTeach volunteer that will also be at PICS high school with me. We live right in the middle of Kolonia, walking distance from both school and many local shops. Our apartment is nice and breezy with 2 bedrooms, a cozy living room, stocked kitchen and large bathroom. Although we don't have any hot water, it hasn't bothered me too much to shower in cold water. It's almost refreshing. We don't have internet at the apartment yet, but we've passed the time watching movies, drinking on our balcony, and getting to know the town. We often walk to the grocery store and look at the selection of produce (which is very limited at times- a block of cheese can be from $8-$15!!). We've been going to one of the local markets, Simon's, and trying whatever fish they have in that day. So far, we've enjoyed Skipjack Tuna, Rainbow Runner, Mahi Mahi and fresh Mangrove Crabs. We just ask what's best that day and they filet it right up for us! I've been pretty spoiled with all the home cooked meals we've made so far :)
Throughout our teacher orientation training, we were able to explore a lot of cool places on the island with the other volunteers. We have 8 volunteers altogether, but we will be teaching at various places on the island. Two will be in Kitti, two in Madelenine, two at the College of Micronesia, and I'll be with the other volunteer at PICS high school. We all had our orientation training right in Kolonia, so we got to know each other pretty well and had a blast going to some of the local bars and checking out the gorgeous views. Last weekend, we went out to Ahnd Atoll (pronounced Ant), which was the absolute prettiest place I've ever been in my life. Because it is privately owned by a local family, when we visited that day we were the only ones on the island. We were on a deserted island in paradise. We drank fresh coconuts (and maybe a little Malibu!), walked the beaches, found cool shells and went snorkeling. Because we were in the sun all day, I suffered from it the next couple days with a horrible sunburn lol. Words of wisdom- next time I go to Ahnd I will apply sunscreen every 30 minutes!! It was a gorgeous day that capped off our orientation in the perfect way.
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| The boat we used to travel to Ahnd |
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| Fun on the boat! |
We went to PICS high school and I was able to see my classroom. I met a lot of the staff, including my department head, and found out that I'll be teaching 4 sections of Algebra II to the seniors. I have three A sections (academic tracked students) and one V section (vocational tracked students). My classroom is very large, and I will be posting pictures once I have it all decorated. School starts in only 3 days, so I have a ton of work ahead of me to get my classroom ready and prepare my first few weeks of lessons! I'm really excited to start teaching in my own classroom, and get to know my students. From what I've heard, Micronesian students are a lot more timid and shy than students in the US, so this will force me to be creative in my lesson planning and running my classroom. I think it will be a challenge, but one that will be good for me! I can't wait to see what the school year brings.
As for the weather, it is tough for me to handle- especially in the middle of the day. The heat from the sun added with the humidity of the air is almost unbearable. I am doing my best to not complain and always stay hydrated, but I hope that I will get used to the weather sooner rather than later. Despite the heat, the island is so beautiful with coconuts and bananas within reach almost everywhere. There's a large Japanese influences on the island because of the close proximity to Japan, along with Australians and expats from the US. Overall, there's a lot more "white" people than I thought there would be on the island. I'm learning more and more of the language every day, and I hope that my students can help me learn even more. I doubt I will be fluent by the end of the year, but I want to be able to have a conversation with locals without trouble.
One local custom that we've partaken in (and really enjoy) is the drinking of sakau. It's very similar to kava, if you've ever heard of that, but sakau is the Pohnpeian drink and it only is drank on this island. It is a local root taken and watered and pounded in hibiscus, giving it a liquidy, muddish consistency. Technically, it is a mild narcotic, and it gives you the feeling of a numb mouth and very relaxed. It is very much part of the culture here, and it is a highly respected act from the locals perspective. When we came, we were given a traditional sakau ceremony at one of the local sakau bars, and my good friends the Augustines. They rubbed our arms down with coconut oil (which is GREAT for skin, hair, and practically everything!) and we were given mar mar's to wear on our heads. We passed the sakau cup around and drank and enjoyed each other's company. We often drink sakau to just hangout and pass the time at night. I have yet to really feel the effects from it, but I'm sure it will come with more time on the island.
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| At the sakau ceremony (coconut cup in my hands) |
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| Picture from a dinner at Cupid's restaurant (with a gorgeous lookout view!) |
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