Step Right Up to the Jesus Kissing Booth

Christmas Dinner... Served on a Coconut Palm Plate

(The Crab is a Coconut Crab brought from the Outer Islands of Yap)

This beautiful old turtle was sitting on the lawn of a neighbors house still alive.... and then.... well... he became food
A Very Disco Christmas Mass
Interesting Fact: After midnight mass on Christmas Eve the people attending all go up and lined up to go to the little nativity native house covered in christmas lights where a tiny Jesus figurine was. One by one the people filed up and kissed baby Jesus. When my family motioned me to go, I stood up and got in line empty handed. That is when I realized there was a offering basket in front of the Nativity scene and each person who kissed Jesus had money they put in the basket first. Well... I had left my basket on the floor where I was sitting, so I didn't have money. So, I guess I stole a kiss from baby Jesus, but then afterwards I snuck in a buck.

Sunburned Christmas

Merry Christmas! School is out now, all is well. I've got a sunburn... certainly is different from Christmas in the U.S. No snow.. .not even a slight chill in the air. In fact, it's darn hot... and my nose is pink. Friday was a fun day at school for the kids, no classes, just games and activities. Over the next two weeks I'll be going in on occasion to do more work at the library and basically staying in the village. Christmas Eve will include midnight mass wearing my grass skirt at church. Then Christmas Day I'm making spagetti for a party that my neighbors are having. So Spaghetti and Grass Skirts and Sun Burns... just another Christmas in the Pacific.

Much Love, Joy, Laughter, Peace, And Happiness to all of you on the other side of the world!

Merry Christmas!

Children reading makes me giddy with joy..... (and it's recess time too)

Kids looking through the library book piles, since we're repainting the shelves and walls
I love these kids!

This is my Christmas Present... smiling kids with balloons and tinsel on their heads

Drinking the Water with Low Caste Bananas

When you first come to any developing nation, usually you are bombarded with warnings. DON'T DRINK THE WATER! Of course, Micronesia is no exception to this. Part of our medical training showed us no less than 4 ways to safely treat drinking water before consuming. Then we learned about all the parasites and other diseases that can happen to us if we fail to do as we're told. One in particular included pictures of the worms that you would actually puke up after they grow in your intestine for weeks... or months.. EEEK! Of course, I was really good about this, boiling my water, drinking the water Peace Corps provided for us during training, and avoiding water from the tap and rainwater. And...unlike others in my original training group... who drank lots of Sakau made with untreated water... I didn't get sick in Pohnpei.

Then training ended, and I'm on my own in my village. Well, luckily my host mom normally boils drinking water and puts it in our freezer, so i thought I was doing pretty good. Of course, then I have to go to a party with huge things of ice water and koolaid (think it's boiled?) probably not. And then there are the times I go to neighbors and they make me a big glass of water or tea mix or koolaid.... not boiled either. But it's rude to refuse, so I drink it happily...if not cautiously. I still felt pretty good about not drinking too much untreated water... and most days my tummy seems pretty happy.

Now, I should have been suspect at the fact that my school has one of those great water cooler/heaters... with the big 5 gallon water drums. Wow, fresh water... of all the things the school lacks... like when we sometimes run out of printing paper... we always seem to have those big water containers. Awesome! So I make sure every day to fill my water bottle before going home, just incase we're out of boiled water, and I drink lots at school. I don't want to be dehydrated now do I?

Well... funny thing happened the other day... I'm sitting outside on a break between classes and I see one of the teacher with the empty water drum...... and what does he do? Goes straight to the tap outside, fills it, and puts it back on the water dispenser. Hmmrph? So, you mean all this time I've been drinking untreated water? YUP... looks like it.

Luckily, I don't yet seem to be vomiting worms, which is always a plus. So, I guess I have a pretty tough tummy after all.

On a different note: I ate a fantastic banana today... It was red on the outside, shaped kinda like a mango, and neon yellow and squishy on the inside. And now my pee is also neon Yellow. Fantastic! Lots of Vitamin A! Yummy Yummy.

I heart Neon Yellow (Low Caste) Bananas! p.s. They're low caste because they grow up, not down like most others.... so only the low caste look up, and refuse to look down... or something like that. Low Caste Bananas Rock!

Beneath the Beauty

Looking around, ideal, bliss
Tropical paradise it seems
Bathing in Equitorial Sun
Lush vegetation, smiling faces
Ahh, the beauty of this place

Rub your eyes, look closer
take off the shades
to see the scars
Tongue bleeding
from months of biting it

Coconut palms hide drunken messes
The pain of alcoholic hell
Jobs suffer, families suffer, bodies suffer
Budweiser profits and smiles
Even granting us special cans...
Bud Nation

Hibiscus flowers hide violence
Drunken fights and domestic scars
women bracing themselves
voices halted by years of tradition
South meets North, high meets low,
Husband meets wife, drunk arms swinging

Grass Skirts hide failing bodies
chew rotting teeth
tobacco granting cancer
diabetes robbing kids of parents
Spam profits, Pepsi profits, Yap loses
Imported addictions thriving
Learning how modern influence can kill

So come, with your cameras ready,
capture the beauty, watch dances,
enjoy the view
But know this....
what you see is only the surface
For even in paradise, an iceberg lies below

Sitting With Chiefs

Another week in the rollercoaster that is my life now in Yap. It's up and down, up and down.... yaaaayyyyy... and then... ahhhhhhh... as I go swooping downward, only to find myself trucking back up minutes later. So is life.
Village life certainly is different from the routine of training. In training I was busy from morning untill 6pm when I went home.... now I'm still busy, but it's a very different kind of busy. Now my days are filled with writing lessons, planning things for the library, researching book donations, keeping calm when teachers fail to show up or even call, painting, gutting fish, learning Yapese dance, and of course sitting with chiefs.

Now it isn't everyday that you sit with a chief, but it happens quite a bit for me. And when a chief says sit... you sit. So, the other day I was walking back from the place where I do my laundry, a 10 minute walk, with a giant bag of freshly dry clothing across my shoulder when I noticed an old man sitting in front of the road that leads to my home, facing the driveway, in the middle of the road. Interesting? (Did I mention it was 7pm, and in minutes would be completely dark) So, one of the men in the village said "V, do you have time.... please sit." So there I sat in the middle of the road and met the eldest man in the village... our village elder and the High Chief of a neighboring municipality. He didn't speak any English, but another man was there to translate what I couldn't understand. The men in my village had just had a meeting where they discussed my presence in the village and how they had to keep me safe and secure... punishment "beheading....joked one of the men"... actually the punishment if some of the young men in the village bother me is Stone Money, Shell Money, and possible banishment from the village, Wow! So, our elder, this tiny old High Chief sat in the road (slightly intoxicated) asking me how I felt here, if I wanted to help... and repeating "Siro...Siro... Siro... " over and over... which means "excuse me or apologies" Did I mention cars drive down this road?... where we three were all sitting in the middle of... in the dark! But, like I said... when chiefs say sit... you sit.. and that's just what I did. I sat, talked, and pondered about all the things my village must think about this young American living up the dirt hill in their village. Just another day in the village

I'm getting better at village work now also, cleaning, gardening, cooking. I know when Americans hear those three words certain images pop into your head.

*Cleaning... Mrs. Clean with her mop and shining floor, dusting shelves....
*Gardening... Kneeling in a 10 by 10 patch of tomatoes and flowers, wearing a big hat and gardening gloves, pulling weeds...
*Cooking... Preheating the oven for garlic bread, going to the refrigerator to get veggies and butter... boiling water for pasta.. sauteeing onions.... or if you're in a rush.. just pop leftovers in the microwave... all in your kitchen, bright and full of appliances...

Now do me a favor... WIPE AWAY EVERY PRECONCIEVED IDEA ABOUT WHAT THOSE THREE WORDS MEAN IN AMERICA... in Yap... they are VERY different.

CLEANING IN YAP... First things first... get out your machete. Cleaning here involves machetes.. Last weekend I worked from morning until evening cleaning a taro patch... knee deep in mud, cutting (or trying to cut) overgrowth in an abandoned taro patch that the jungle had reclaimed. I came home, dirty, covered in mud, sweaty, and sore... kinda makes me wish for that Mr. Clean image with a mop

Back from the Taro Cleaning
GARDENING IN YAP.... SEE ABOVE

COOKING IN YAP.. Well, without stoves, ovens, microwaves, toasters, and all the other little conveniences of modern kitchens, cooking can be quite interesting. Steps to making a Yapese meal.

Step 1: Use coconut husks to build a fire in the kitchen house
Step 2: Scrub the mud off the taro or yam, then using large knives to cut the outside of the taro off
Step 3: Clean the fish (Yes that means descaling and gutting.. I know dad would be proud)
Step 4: Go to the garden/jungle to gather greens
Step 5: Husk, cut open, and grate one copra (mature coconut)... squeeze with water with your hands to make coconut milk
Step 6: Combine the fish, coconut milk, and greens for a yummy soup.. while the taro boils.
Step 7: Relax..... it's hard work....
Step 8: finally eat and enjoy

My favorite time of day these days involves the time I spend working on the library at school. I've got a ton of work to be done, but things are beginning to happen. I've been writing everyone and every place I can think of to find books. I have managed to clean out most of the junk that was being stored in the library, and we've started repainting all the book shelves. Over the holidays I'll start recatologing what we have and dusting the books and donating so many of the books that are no use for my english language learners.... Some rotary club in California thought it would be a great idea to ship the elementary school cases of Very Old, Falling Apart, Adult novels from the 30s through 50s...

If you were a little kid learning to speak english... would these books look appealing? I think not!The kids helping me repaint the book shelves.. they want a library so bad!
The Library/Storage Space here at school

Thanksgiving Reflections

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (which they obviously don't celebrate here), I thought I would write a list of some of the many things that I'm thankful for.... So here goes

I'm thankful for the children laughing and singing outside of this room right now

I'm thankful for my Dad, Mary, Sabina, and the rest of my family that have been so supportive during this journey.

I'm thankful that I have a wonderful man in my life, who loves me and cares for me so much despite the fact that I decided to follow a life goal and move half a world away.

I'm thankful that I've been given the opportunity to have another family right here on my little island, who care for me, watch out for me, feed me, shelter me, and rub tumeric all over me :)

I'm thankful for the Parrot fish, angel fish, snapper, lobster, tuna.... and the list goes on.... that I get to enjoy as a regular staple in my diet here.

I'm thankful that I get to live in a place where I am learning how to live off the land for the basic necessities.

I'm thankful that there are no longer 8 cases of budweiser in my classroom... and there is a pencil sharpener

I'm thankful that despite my isolated location, the wonders of the internet have given me the opportunity to share stories and exchange email with the people I love back home

I'm thankful that Kimmy B's suggestion of rubbing Oil of Oregano on my plague of ringworms... even though it burns like hell.... seems to be working better than all the other stuff combined.

I'm thankful for all the kids and adults throughout Gagil that pop out of places like trees, behind bushes, and near the waters edge to shout...."HeY V....Kefel" with smiles as I'm walking the 40 minute walk home after school.

I'm thankful that I was placed somewhere with such an amazing culture full of color and dance, and that I'm being given the opportunity to join the women of the village as they dance.

I'm thankful for my mom...my gaurdian angel, who I know is watching after me and keeping me from harm while I'm here.

I'm thankful for so very much here... including all of you who read this... Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Eat twice as much...just for me :)

Love,
V

Budweiser, Ping Pong, and Butcher Knives...another day at school

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but there are certain things that I foolishly expected were somewhat constant throughout most schools worldwide. Especially U.S. public schools after the many school shootins, schools have adopted strict policies against weapons (even butter knives aren't allowed). Also, most schools are alcohol, drug, and tobacco free.

Imagine my surprise on the first day of teaching at my school when sitting on the teachers desk is a large butcher knife for pencil sharpening, and two of my students also had their own knives that they were using and playing with at their desks. Wow! Can you imagine a class full of eighth graders in the U.S. passing around the class butcher knife? Even sometimes picking it up and running around playing with it when the teacher isn't looking. Well, this is what I saw my first day. (P.S thank you George for the pencil sharpener, I'm bringing it tommorow!)

I also found it interesting that the student's desks are in rows facing a homemade ping pong table made with two teacher desks and plywood. I always thought the debate was teacher-centered or student-centered classrooms, what about ping pong centered? I don't know how to begin to address that this may not be the best learning environment.

Finally, to the Budweiser. In the corner of the classroom on one of the book shelves are EIGHT cases full of Budweiser cans. What?! I asked why they were there and I was told that they were probably left over from a carnival this weekend. Storing them in the classroom, Oh My!

And this, my friends, is why I'm here. I think I've got my work cut out for me. The knives are one thing, but maybe I can find someway to delicately suggest that Budweiser and Pingpong tables really should stay in bars and pool halls, and out of childrens classrooms.

Besides this, I really think I'm going to enjoy working at the school. There is a lot to be done. I'm basically totally fixing the library, which now sits locked and used as a storage space, with dusty old books that are absolutely not appropriate for a children's library. Today I'm pricing paint and possibly a rug and cleaning supplies, so that my principal can put in a request for some extra funds from the Educ. department. It will take a long time, but hopefully I can get it up and running, and make it a warm inviting place where children learn to go and love reading.

Teaching is another thing, most teachers here lack qualifications, formal training, and some even certification. Often, teachers fail to show up without leaving lesson plans, and even if they did, there is no substitute teacher plan here, so the students are either alone or another teacher has to fill in. (Guess who that will be now?...me) Teaching also comes straight from old grammar textbooks that are filled with ideas and concepts completely foreign to these students (ex. snow, escelators, squirrels...).

So, wish me luck everyone, I've certainly got a lot to work on, and hopefully I can make some positive change, even if right now it is completely overwhelming. My access to internet and mail is much more limited now that I'm in the village full time. Sadly, after recieving a new AC adaptor for my laptop, I found out that this wasn't the problem, it's just broke, so no internet at home for me. Also, the school's internet is very unpredictable and often the server goes down and I may not have internet for quite a while. I plan on going into town once a week to check the mail, send letters, check email, and do my errands (banking, shopping, etc.) So, if you write and don't hear from me in a while, no need to worry, I'm just in the village working my tail off at my new school...trying to get the beer, pingpong tables, and knives out of there, while adding good books, teaching skills, and smiles.

Much love to everyone, and thank you all for commenting on my swear in ceremony, I couldn't have made it this far without all the support. THANKS!!!!

Swear-In... I'm a volunteer!!!!

I'm officially a volunteer now, no more trainee, change the T to V because now I'm a PCV! The swear-in ceremony was an amazing event. The chiefs, principals, lt. governor, trainers, our families, and other community members all gathered to watch the event. I was nervous and excited all at once. First, we all introduced ourselves and talked about where we were from, where we would be working, and gave thanks to the community in YAPESE! Then there were speeches by the lt. governor and country director for Peace Corps, and finally we took the oath. The oath that we took to become volunteers is similar to the oath all government employees must take, and I must say while I said the words it really hit me. Wow! What a pledge! What an honor to be a part of this, and what a challenge. As I said this I had to hold back tears that came out of nowhere. This is really it, it's official, I did it!

Below is the official Peace Corps oath.

I, [state your name], do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, domestic and foreign, that I take this obligation freely and without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge my duties in the Peace Corps by working with the people of [the host country] as partners in friendship and in peace.

To finish the ceremoney we performed our dance, ate, and performed it again. When we first said we wanted to perform a dance none of us had any idea how big a deal this was. We knew dance in Yap was important, but noone knew the extent. Every detail is important, the making of a dance involves ceremony, and before we could perform it chiefs had to present shell money, lava lavas, and betel nut as an offering to make the dance official. Then after finishing the dance, we had to do it again to "hang up" the dance, which means that noone else can do the dance without the approval of our trainer who wrote the dance. Bamboo dance is a type of warrior dance, it's fun, energetic, and really wears you out because to do it properly you spend the entire time with your knees bent to almost a squating position. Before starting my family brought me over and six hands began fixing me. My host mom rubbed a combination of tumeric and coconut oil all over my body which made me glow orange while my aunties tied young coconut leaves around my arms, wrists, and head while others fixed my nunu (leis). Then I was given a very special necklace made of whale teeth also covered in tumeric and oil, and a belt made of pretty black and white beads. I felt like a princess being fixed. Yes, I am part of this family, I'm their daughter, neice, sister, and friend and sitting there with all the hands fixing me made me so happy.

Ready for swear-in, before getting dressed with the dance decorations...

censored with extra leis for the picture

Enjoying the breeze, waiting to begin the dance
Chanting at the beginning of the dance

Dancing in the moment... bamboo dance is fun
I'm a volunteer! and Yapese Warrior Bamboo Dancer!!
The New Micro 75s and our Program Assistant, minus our 1 outer island volunteer
Loving the way my family decorated me

PICTURES... weaving, practice, and dress rehearsal

All of this... and it's just the dress rehearsal... my friend Devin and I showing off the thus, skirt, and nunus

Dress Rehearsal.... in grass not hibiscus Before Practice Some of the girls showing off our bamboo and our practice skirts
Weaving thatch for a roof Weaving is fun!

Training is complete... the language test is finished... woah.. now only the Dance left! Crazy how fast time passes when you're attempting to learn a new language and culture and stay sane while living half a world away from home.

Now let's talk a bit about Yapese and my ability? to speak Yapese. You see, I really do know quite a bit, but using it is another story. I'll give you a typical example. So, I'm sitting at home outside and the mosquitos are starting to come out. I want to light a mosquito coil but I don't have a lighter. Wait... I know how to say this. I'll ask for the lighter in Yapese.

And then this is what happens in my head "ok... so the verb for 'to have' is what... but it's a question...so maybe it's different... It's present tense so it's Gu be.... but I'm asking for theirs so i have to say rom after lighter... but wait isn't a question different.. i don't think...wait isn't p' the word for have or is that give?.... ummm.... ahhh...should I just go get my own lighter from my roomm... oh no they're walking away"

Nina, Ga be p' e lighter rom?........and then she looks at me like I'm crazy and laughs...
I mean, I try again "Ba e lighter rom?" ... oh yeah that's right

"Danga" she replies which means no.... so I've just spent ten minutes of contemplation on one phrase... a phrase which I'm using a borrowed word too and it still is difficult. Hopefully I learn to be less concerned and just start blurting out Yapese phrases and let them correct me later. Obviously I've got a lot of work to do. I think I'm going to search for a tutor soon.

I've added a book list to the blog (bottom right) so I can keep track and share some of what I'm reading while I'm here. If you see anything you're interested in send me a note and I can share more. I've been lucky so far in having read all books that I found both interesting and well written. My latest book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" strikes close to heart now since I'm experiencing first hand the challenges and benefits of living off local, but I'll save that for another time.

much love,
V

Hitting Torpedos with Machetes is a bad Idea :)

I'm at the midway point of my final week of training. By this time next week I'll be an official PCV, Peace Corps Volunteers. Also by this time next week I'll be preparing to let down my inhibitians in honor of the unique and beautiful customs of Yap. With one week left, my afternoons are filled with practice, practice, practice for my bamboo dance that i'll be performing sans top. It's all really exciting and at the same time somewhat nerveracking, after about 2 1/2 months training is coming to an end and my new life as a village PCV is about to begin. From that point on I will no longer be surrounded daily by other trainies and Americans, instead I'll be in my village, my little gem of a community on the far end of Gagil, where I'll be trying my very best to be a helpful addition to the school and the people there. My daily visits to telecom (where I use the internet) will stop and I'll probably make it into Colonia (town) about once a week to check the mail and do any necessary shopping. Things will be really different and it's both exciting and scary.

The past couple mondays there have been holidays, and this weekend we finally got to have a long weekend also, which was nice to spend extra time with our community.
FUN FACT: Last Monday this country celebrated it's Independence Day ...it was officially still two years younger than I am (1986). Strange thinking I live and serve in a country that I'm actually older than!

So, with a long weekend, I enjoy such wonderfully Yapese things as hiking stone paths, hearing myths (about a boy who lost his fathers fish hook, went to live underwater to get it back, and upon returning forgot to put green coconuts in his canoe so he turned into a stone...moral of the story...don't forget your coconuts??),I had a friend come to the beach with me for some relaxation, barbeque, thatch making, and pig slaughtering. Totally normal right?

The torpedo thing came about from our hike through the stone paths and trails deep in the far end of my village. My friend and I went with my host mom and another village woman to get taro, and we stopped to rest at this area very close to an old japanese wreck from WW2. It was basically just a lot of rust and metal, hardly recongnizable, but still interesting to see. When we started hiking again my host mother took down her machete and beat it against this thing and said, "Look Metal" My friend and I were wide eyed as we saw the "metal" was in the shape of some type of old amunition... I'm no military expert of course, but movie and tv have put certain images of what missiles and ammunition looks like, and this old rusty metal thing next to the WW2 wreckage, was most certainly shaped like something we felt probably shouldn't be just hit with a machete. (kinda small torpedo..ish shaped) At this point my other trainee friend and I just laughed.... well... that certainly is a "metal thing." Only in Yap, only in Yap. I should add that moments before pointing out the metal thing with the machete, my nina actually killed a mosquito on her arm with the same machete with out even blinking.. Oh I love her and one day I hope to also be so good at using a machete that even mosquitos know to stay away. I love Yap!

We're out of Onions! and other Shocking News...zzzzap!

So, remember those mountains of onions you browsed through the last time you went to the grocery store. You know, the vidalia, the yellow, the red, the sweet, the white, and the list goes on. 5 lb bags or 2 lb bags, so much variety, and all so super yummy..

Well folks...We're out of Onions! NO, not my house....the entire island state of Yap is out of onions. All of the stores have none left, even the little stores have been wiped clean. See, those type of onions don't grow here, only green onions, so they have to be imported. The thing is, when things run out...they just run out. So now, the state of Yap is Onionless...sad... that is, untill the next cargo ship arrives loaded down with onions, beer, ramen, and spam. I can see why the island for so long was so dependent on growing and eating local foods. I'm perfectly fine with no onions, but it's such an interesting concept... things like that help bring to my attention the true isolation of this remote island in the Pacific.

In other news.... the SHOCKING news...literally. Electricity here is bonkos! My laptop is no longer functional because the power cord has somehow fried... which caused a slight panic attack the day it happened as I sat there pressing the power button over and over with no result "But...but....but.....what? I mean... how am I gonna keep in touch with home? How am I gonna write..how am I gonna call steve....ahhhhhh....." (teardrop teardrop) Luckily I got over the ridiculousness and came back to my happy realization that I'm in YAP...of course things are going to happen that I don't expect, and I can live without until I figure out how to get another cord shipped out here. (It's harder than you would think because no electronic companies will ship to P.O. boxes... and that is the ONLY option here..so I've got some figuring out to do)
And I'm not the only one, a bunch of other current volunteers...almost all...have had to replace their power cords at least once.

It's gotta be something with the electricity here, it's different somehow than from the U.S. TWICE I've shocked the heck out of myself...also known as electricuted myself... and both times were bizarre and unexpected. Both times I was just going to plug something in, and my hand was barely near the socket when... ZZZZZZZZZAP a jolt of electricity went running through my hand and arm. My hands weren't wet... I wasn't feeling the socket... I was just going to plug something in. If nothing else it wakes me up in the morning...that's for sure! So, me and my electronics...the few that I brought, are going to have to be much more careful from now on.

The Yap Zap is no fun :)

Shrimp, Eels, Machetes, and Grass Skirts

Me in the jungle by the river in my village

You know.. somedays I'm just in awe that I'm actually here in Yap. A few days ago I had the opportunity to go into the jungle and explore some. See, my home here is in the middle of tropical jungle, but close to the main dirt road and my fear of getting lost in the jungle has kept me from venturing out too far from the main road. So, the other day a relative said, hey I'm going to the river to look for shrimp and collect firewood, do you want to go? Of course I jumped at the idea, and soon I found myself trekking into the jungle following a man with a very large machete. Now in the states, the idea of venturing into the jungle following a man I hardly know with a huge knife would be a little freaky, but here it seemed like the most natural thing that I could be doing. So, I happily worked my way through the jungle behind him as he cut vines and bamboo that were blocking our path. It's a good thing that I hadn't gone into the jungle on my own, because now that I've been I'm fairly certain that I would have gotten lost if I was alone. This man however seemed to know the jungle so well that he could have been walking blindfolded and still found his way. Soon we were at the "River", really it's more like a small stream, but it was nice anyways. We walked up and down the "river" looking for shrimp and found some, but out efforts only succeeded in us catching one shrimp. If we had had a small net I could have gotten many, but we were using a local tool that they use to catch shrimp and it's really difficult. They basically strip a small piece of a leaf stem, then me a little loop in one end. You try to get the loop around the tail of the shrimp and pull up, and the loop tightens and you catch a shrimp. Fun stuff, but I still wanted a net. While looking around a HUGE eel came out of it's hiding spot in the river and tried to steal the shrimp from us. Feeling that eel would have been awful if it had bitten me, so from then on I was much more cautious as I walked through the river back to our land in the jungle.

My Auntie's House on the BeachI made my way back through the jungle to my home, where my nina was waiting and said we would finish my skirt. So, we loaded up the various pieces of grasses and materials and went to my aunties house by the beach to finish the work. We sat and weaved and I helped as much as possible preparing the grasses for her. We laughed as she told me that the old man who made the local twine for us to tie it together might have put "local magic" on it so that I would chase after him when I'm wearing it. So, if I suddenly begin chasing after an old man in my village while wearing my pretty new practice skirt, we all know why.

Soon she was weaving together the most beautiful skirt I've ever seen. I was absolutely glowing when I finally tried it on. We laughed and they attemped to show me how to stand when I dance. I have to squat down low and stick out my butt. I kind of look like a duck when I'm standing like that, but a happy Yapese Dancing Duck, so I think it's awesome. This skirt is only for dance practice, so I can only imagine how beautiful the real hibiscus performance skirt will be when it is complete.

Practicing a Women's Sitting Dance Move in my new skirt

Does Halloween Candy Make Ringworms Go Away?

Yapese is Fun...showing off some tenses

Ahh, another week on the island, another week of training complete, and guess what? It’s Halloween! Now, had I not looked at the date on my watch I would have in no way known it was Halloween. It’s HOT! The stores are not decorated with pumpkins and witches and ghosts, there are no costume shops, and no bags of black and orange treats for sale, no plastic pumpkins, or glow in the dark skeletons to hang from the ceiling. No… Halloween here in Yap consists of me opening the card I got from my cousin Sabina that said “Do not open until October 31st” and spending another day of training trying to learn how to say “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat” in Yapese. I wonder what they would think of me then if I actually said such a thing on the bus to someone. I might get kicked out of the village for that one.

I’m sure you’re all wondering what in the world the title of this blog entry meant, so I’ll share… I’ve got ringworms. Well… at least that’s what everyone thinks who has seen the lovely quarter sized circular red mark that has been on my stomach for the past three weeks. So, I looked up in my handy dandy medical handbook what to do when one has ringworms, and it looks as if I’ll be using “Anti fungal cream” for the next 3 or 4 weeks, luckily for me the Peace Corps medical officers knew that such a thing may happen so I had just the thing I needed to treat it in my massive black medical kit that I was given in Pohnpei to help me take care of myself while I’m out here on my little island. I know you’re all so excited to hear about fungus… but at least ringworms are actually fungus, not really a weird worm crawling around in me. Gotta look on the bright side of things! And I can’t really expect to move to a tropical island in a developing nation and not contract at least one interesting illness while I’m here. I think it comes with the package. They say you can get ringworms from water, dampness, and cats… all of which I couldn’t avoid if I tried… So maybe it was my mudbath falls or maybe the cute kitty in the pictures or all the puddles I walk through on a daily basis, but whatever it was… I just hope it goes away before my fantastic Swear-In ceremony dance, because there won’t be anything to hide behind while wearing only my local hibiscus skirt and nunus (flower leis).

LOOK....ringworms...you cant really see so well with the picture

Speaking of skirts, I’ve spent my evenings this week preparing my practice grass skirt. Lots of fun. First I used a knife tied to a long bamboo pole to cut down banana leaves, then I sat and patiently tried to shred about 35 of them, one at a time without breaking the leaves. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, and I’m not nearly as fast as the local women, so it took me forever, but they’ve been shredded and soon my family will tie them together for my skirt. Grass skirts here are really thick and heavy, so you need to wear them when you practice dancing to get used to the feeling, so the one I’m working on is strictly for dance practice. Besides the bamboo dance that I’ll be performing for my swearing in ceremony in three weeks, I’m also joining the Women’s Sitting Dance at my church. The dance was made by my host grandmother or great-grandmother, and it’s very important for me as a family member to dance and represent the family. I’m both honored and excited to be given the chance to join these women in a traditional dance, so soon after moving here to Gagil.

Working on my grass skirt, whew this is tough

See...this is how it's done

Pictures from another weekend on the Island

One of our Papaya trees at dusk

A really awesome mural on our church of Jesus in a Thus (traditional men's clothes of Yap)

Me drooling on myself, showing off a mouth full of Betel Nut

My Niece and I after Church

My sweet Kitty and Me
My nieces and I being silly

Relaxing in the kitchen house with my basket for cleaning and carrying food like Taro

Grating Copra... "Kerker e marow" ..this is where we hang out all the time, never inside

The Little Things That Matter

In training and staging we talk a lot about “coping mechanisms.” Just how are you going to deal with things when everything isn’t going your way? I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, and I think the best thing to do is notice the little things that go right. They aren’t going to be huge WOW moments the majority of the time, but little things, that maybe you might even ignore under normal circumstances, but here thousands of miles from friends, family, and home, it is these little things that make all the difference. Now, I also think that it’s important to be able to laugh about the little things that go wrong as well, so those things don’t start to add up to something greater and harder to handle.

Little things that made me smile this week:

• Three days ago someone said hello to me on the bus, two days ago someone said good morning and another person had a conversation with me, yesterday about three people said hello or smiled, and today people said hello, some smiled, others even said goodbye…. I’m starting to be stared at less on the bus and talked to more like I’m a regular human being…not just a strange “mrikan”.


• The other day while walking to the beach two dogs started to follow me. I turned around and said “Churay” (which means go away in Yapese) and flicked my wrist and they both instantly listened.


• I got my first phone call from home.. Yay!


• I told my nina (mom here), “Ngu gu wan ko maluk” (I’m going to take a shower in Yapese) this afternoon… and then I did just that… and I can count in Yapese too!


• For my first visit to my school I’ll be teaching at, my soon to be students brought me Nunu’s (leis) that they made, a woven fan, a woven ball, and a bag of fresh oranges (marmar), bananas (P’ow), passion fruit (tomatis), and coconut (u’chub).


• I have not yet hit anyone or been hit by a bamboo stick during dance practice… dance warrior Verina is kickin butt : )
  
  Little things I have to laugh at this week:


• My purse is somehow starting to grow mold…. It was hanging on my door and today I looked at it and said, “hmm, that looks a funny color” Upon further examination I realized that is because it’s covered in fuzzy white mold… yum


• I’ve got this strange reddish mark on my stomach.. which I thought was a bug bite, but it’s been there for almost three weeks now and when showing a friend she said… well maybe it’s ringworms… but it’s probably just fungus…. “just fungus?”…Lovely


• The puppies have conspired against me. This afternoon I stepped inside for a few minutes and left my flip flops on the steps. When I came back out they were gone. So, I took down my other pair of flip flops so that I could go look for the first pair, but I needed something inside, so I went inside for about 40 seconds. When I came back out, one of the new flip flops was missing. So, with one flipflop on, one off, I hobbled through the mud to another part of the yard where I found the puppies had started creating a neat pile of “Verina’ flip flops.” Smart little things they are!


• It’s been raining like crazy typhoon crazy rain storm all week. If this were in the U.S. there would surely be a weatherman out in the rain gripping a microphone, holding onto a coconut tree, with the camera man focusing on the bending palm branches and the slanting rain, but here… no one seems worried.
  
  So, that’s the story morning glory. I’m noticing the little things, and trying to smile as often as possible. And in order to make everyone else smile.. I’ll share with you all:
  Verina’s Yapese Special Soup Surprise Recipe
  (that I made tonight for dinner with guidance from my Nina)
  2 packets of ramen with seasoning
  ½ an onion
  2 carrots sliced
  3 sliced hot dogs
  1 can beef stew
  1 handful of greens from the garden
  some creole seasoning
  hot pepper from the garden
  water
  
  Mix together… cook… serve with boiled unripe bananas… and don’t forget to laugh.. dang this soup is great! (compared to leftover turkey tail.. it’s the best thing ever!) YUM!

mmmm... turkey booty

Here on the islands of Yap, and all over Micronesia for that matter, there is a certain delicacy that I’m sure many of you have not been privileged to try in your lifetime. What is this delicacy? This Micronesian dining treasure…. Is it fish?... Is it some sort of fruit?... Is it the milk from the juiciest of coconuts?... No my friends… not even close… this delicacy is in fact Turkey Tail.

What is turkey tail some of you might ask? Well… to put it nicely… it is the rear end of a turkey… the turkey’s behind…. The turkey booty… yes, turkey tail is what’s for dinner here in Yap. I’m pretty sure in most places it’s sold as dog food. To describe it.. turkey tail is mostly fat, tendon-like stuff, and bone, with a tiny sliver of meat here and there. I can understand why they eat it… it’s super cheap, it’s protein and fat, and it’s available.. I guess for an isolated developing country such as this that is good enough reason.

Now those who know me, know that I’m definitely not a picky eater. I’ll try and enjoy just about everything, but turkey tail is one thing that I just can’t seem accept. Maybe this will change after year one, but for now… I dread turkey tail. I’ve tried it grilled, fried, barbequed, and made in a stirfry.. but nothing seems to work. I’ve only been fed it 3 times in the past 2 ½ weeks , but each time involves me coming up with smooth tactics where I try to pick off the little pieces of meat that are there, then somehow slyly figure a way to feed the rest, little by little to the dogs. I’ve even buried some in the sand as a tactic after being offered and accepting a large piece at a beach barbeque. It’s not too bad though.. definitely nothing to whine about.. I just had to share this with all of you, because it really made me laugh tonight as I was sneaking piece by piece of my entire plate to the puppies. So… if anyone has any great turkey tail recipes please let me know. I’m willing to try anything to make this better :)

On an awesome note… today I received FOUR letters. Thank you Dad, Steve, Sabina, and Mindy!!! I’m going to read them over and over and over, and each time it will make me smile.

Betel Nut, Betel Nut, Betel Nut

My niece.. with some of the stone money in the village

The birthday boy in his thus.. with his head freshly shaved and covered with tumeric
The Centipede that tried to make friends with me in my room

Ahh... so another week of training is complete. Only four more weeks left to finish. The language is inching along at the rate of a snails pace, but I am learning more and more each day. The week ended, and once again I had another weekend in the village. I really do love this village, but it is also hard. Sometimes it just reminds me how much of an outsider I am here, but sometimes I get excited because this is my new home for the next two years. Slowly I'm getting to know more people and family, but I wouldnt yet say that I actually have friends here.

Saturday was a first birthday party. It was a really big deal because they cut the babies hair for the first time. It's a symbol of cutting the hair that you had in the womb off, so you are your own person now. They shaved the boys head, then rubbed his head with fish blood, cleaned it, then rubbed it with tumeric which is a very important thing here. So, I went to a nice party on the beach with a cute baby wearing a little red thus, a nunu crown, and a head covered in tumeric. There was more food than I know what to do with, and all very yummy. There were a ton of people there, but I couldnt help feeling alone. Even as I sat with this group or that... I don't speak the language.. and it's difficult feeling like I really belong here yet. Not to say that the people here aren't welcoming, they definately are, but it's still not the easiest at some moment.

Sunday... today... I went to church... walked home... got a 50 cent ice cream (awesome!)... went swimming... snorkeling... then sat around on the beach chatting with this group and that and chewing... yes chewing. Chewing what you might ask? Chewing Betel Nut. Betel Nut is the seeds of a certail type of palm that grows here. Everyone in Yap chews alot, and you can tell by their mouths. Usually their teeth are black or orange from lifetimes of chewing. But, it's part of socialization here, so I feel I must join in at least on occasion.

To chew betel nut you crack the nut open with your teeth, then you put lime powder on the nut that they make from some type of coral, then you wrap the nut with lime with a leaf of a pepper plant or another plant. Place the whole thing in your mouth and chew. Instantly your mouth begins to salivate and fill with spit. No worries though, you are supposed to spit. The combination of betel nut, lime, and leaf turns dark red, so you are spitting dark red. It kind of relaxes you, kind of makes you dizzy, it's hard to describe, but saturdays and sundays I chew when I'm offered. Apparently I'm a novice when it comes to chewing, because sometimes they say... "V" your drunk from chew... I guess my face gets a little red when I chew... but oh well, at least I'm trying to enjoy part of this custom. Don't worry, I brush my teeth extra long after everytime, so my teeth don't turn orange.

So everyone be prepared... If you come to Yap.. You'll be asked to chew... it's your decision, but don't be surprised, because betel nut is king here on my small island in the Pacific... and it isn't that bad

MUD

I slipped and fell in the mudd... twice today while carrying a handful of letters to the post office. I was near the mud, because as I was walking to the Post Office to drop off my mail and check the box... there are no sidewalks so I was walking at the edge of the road... a car screamed past me nearly hitting me, so I jumped startled by this driver and walked to the road gutter a few steps where I slipped in the mud, and gracefully caught myself before I landed covered in mud. I stood up, wiped off my hand, took a deep breath relieved that I had caught myself... took two steps.. slipped once again, this time landing straight on my butt in the mud, my handful of letters going in the mud, and ending up covered. So, after two trips to the mud bath, with a handful of muddy letters that I could no longer mail.... I made it to the post office, where I had no mail, and small boys were laughing at this silly American covered in mud walking down the road.

This is life here... nothing goes as planned... nothing is predictable... nothing happens like you think it's going to happen.. and you better suck it up because some days, you're gonna be covered in mud.. whether you like it or not.

Wishin and Hopin and Dreamin and Wishin

Hey.... so just a thought for those of you who have asked about what type of things I need or want to have sent to me. Here are a few that I can think of

*Good mosquito spray (preferably that doesnt smell awful)
*Sunscreen, oil free
*Envelopes with the peel and stick closing.... the glue ones that you lick all stick together because of the humidity
*Snacks... healthier ones like granola bars, dried fruit, etc.
*Long loose shorts... athletic shorts or casual stuff works
*Art supplies... paints, paper, scissors, chalk, anything really
*Books
*DVD's or CDs... any kind... burned copies are just as good too
*Anything fun and happy
*good instant coffee... if there is such a thing..
*Creole seasoning
*Silica Gel packs from new products... you know the little things that say "Do Not Eat" in packaging..
*Just a note saying hi
*Trail Mix
*Books on grant writing, writing proposals, and ESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)... i need all the help I can get
*Flash Cards (any type of grammar, english, picture cards etc. to use as a teaching resource)
*Hemp and beads... possibly with a book or guide to tying hemp jewelery or knots
*Good Tupperware Containers... to keep the ants, spiders, and rats out of my goodies :)

Flat rate boxes are the best way to pack heavy stuff for pretty cheap... same as in the U.S.
Miss ya all... Much Love

Life on the Canoe Paddle

There is a myth about how Yap got it's name. The myth goes that when one of the first white men came to the islands they were greeted by the native who came to their ship in their canoes. When the white men pointed to the island to ask what this place was called, the natives thought they were actually pointing at the canoe paddle, so they said "Yap" which mean canoe paddle, and from that point on Wa'ab became Yap. This is just a myth I'm told, but a fun one. In all actuality though, where I'm living is called Wa'ab by the locals and Colonia is called Donguch.

So life here is pretty great. I train every day in Donguch with language, cultural, and technical training. The language is really difficult, but I'm slowly starting to figure it out. This weekend was great because I really got to experience my village. First, Saturday we had a cleaning at the church. Each village in Gagil takes turns cleaning the church grounds, and it was our village this week. I GOT MY FIRST BASKET.. Very big deal here. You must have a basket when you walk through the village, or something in your hands or else you are up to no good. So, they wove me a basket from coconut palms for me to carry food and work. So I raked and hauled leaves with my basket all day long and met many people from Gagil.

Here is where things got a bit tricky. See, there are many rules of behavior here in Gagil.. cultural norms that they expect villagers to follow. Unfortunately for me... I'm having to learn as I go, so of course I'm messing them up left and right. Luckily they realize I'm new, so they are patient with me and I'll get it right the next time.

So... here are just a few examples of the do's and don'ts of village life.
1. (the one I learned the hard way) If people, especially men, are talking to you while they are sitting, you must sit down and talk with them. You can't stand while talking to them, it's rude, even if you are just stopping to say a few words, you must sit or kneel to get low to the ground with them.
2. Never walk over any person or their basket if it is on the ground near where you are walking, always walk around, no matter how inconvenient it is. If you must walk by a person sitting, bow down low and say "siro siro" (excuse me)
3. Try to Never walk between two or more people talking, even if they are on either side of a side walk, either walk around or if you have to walk between, once again duck low and say "siro" as you pass.
4. When walking through the village don't walk side by side, walk behind or in front of the person you are with as a sign of respect for the village, also don't be loud when going through the village.
5. For women in my village I can only walk on the main road in certain areas, in one spot there is a dirt path that all women must take around. Only men and children can walk on the main road at this part.
6. If a man is around, unless he is family, don't lay down...even if you are at the beach relaxing ...sit up... it isn't proper.
7. Alway have a basket or purse when you walk through the village... if you don't have anything in your hands break of a small branch and carry this, to show that you are walking with a purpose.
8. If someone offers you something, take it if you can, especially if they offer you betel nut. (I'll explain betel nut later, but it is a big thing around here)

So...of course I've broken about everyone of these rules at least once before being told that the rule actually existed... so it's hard, but I'm really trying to get it right now. And of course, these are only a very small portion of the actual rules that exist, but this is part of the challenge of learning to live and adapt to a different culture.

The rest of the weekend was amazing. I was invited to a beach barbeque party where I met the chief of the municipality and the chief of the village and some teachers at my school. Everyone seems really nice and I felt good to start meeting such high ranking people here. Sunday, we went to church... catholic church.. where I learned they don't use church pews here, we sit on the floor and kneel on the floor...tile floor... and it kills my knees.. But noone else seems to be bothered, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and learn to do it. Then the rest of sunday I spent at the beach eating and drinking coconuts and swimming. I even went night swimming by the light of the full moon, very amazing. Unfortunately I also had 3 canadian dollars and some change taken from my wallet while I was swimming... strange thing for someone to steal... but I guess this is one of those things, that even if I'm living here I'm still new and American and some people might see me as being rich and easily taken advantage of, so I'll just have to be cautious.

Outer Island Correction...and legend

As I stay and learn more and more each day about these islands I'm beginning to get a better understanding of the people here and their traditions. So, I want to make a correction my last post. As a friend here said best, the caste system on Yap is like a complex spiderweb that covers the island, so it's very difficult to understand. I was wrong when I said the outer islanders were below the lowest caste...in fact they don't really have a caste, they are a completely different entity. The relationship to the outer islanders is more like they are the children of the people of Gagil.... we take care of them... and this is why they can eat with us.

There is a legend that goes with the story of how the people of Gagil came to have this relationship with the outer islands. The story goes a little something like this. Long ago there was a girl in one of the high rank families in Gagil. Whenever a turtle was killed, she would be given the breast of the turtle which is the best part of the meat. One day she was away from her home and she smelled that someone was cooking a turtle and this made her very happy because she knew she would soon be given the turtle breast and she was hungry. Well, when she walked to her home she found a basket hanging for her, and inside the basket was the arm of the turtle, not the breast. This made her really sad and upset. She took a coconut shell in her hands and walked out into the ocean weaping. She walked far out and anytime she got to a place where the water was over her head she placed sand in the coconut shell and an island was formed. She did this far out, creating the outer islands as she went. She finally stopped at MogMog where she lived untill she died. And this is how the people of Gagil have this relationship like ownership over the outer islands and see their people as like their children. Even today, when a turtle is killed, the turtle breast must be taken to MogMog, to the women's house, as a symbol to the lady from long ago.

I'm sure I butchered that story, but that is the gist of it anyway, really interesting. Remember I'm learning these things as I'm sharing them with you, so I may not get it exactly right, but it's too interesting not to share.

By the way, thanks to everyone who reads and comments..even if I can't reply to them all. They really make me happy... so Kammagar (Thank You in Yapese)

The Caste System...still alive today in Yap

As I walk through the streets of Colonia (where my training is) it is interesting to look around and people watch. You can easily tell the people who are outer islanders from the people who are main islanders from what they are wearing. It isn’t uncommon to see a man wearing just a thus (loin cloth) or a woman in a lava lava (a woven cloth worn around the waist). Why would you know this person is an outer islander? Because, this is what they HAVE to wear…they have no choice. Outer Island men where thus that are only one color, and main islanders wear thus with two or three layers of color or hibiscus. Outer island women where lava lavas, while main island woman traditionally wear grass skirts (but now only for ceremonies) In fact, because I am a main islander I can never wear a lava lava. Now lava lavas are beautiful and look cool and comfortable to wear, so I would love to wear one, and I was curious as to why it would be so wrong to wear one.

Although we can have outer islanders at our homes or eat with them, we cannot dress like them, and they have to stay in certain places in homes or the villages. Wow! Really? Now, my curiousity over the Lava Lava and the caste system here was further sparked as I read a help wanted sign outside of a store. The sign read, “Clerk Needed, Full Time. Main Islander or Outer Islander Apply. Equal Opportunity Position” Main Islander or Outer Islander? As my host mom said, this is an unspoken problem here, mainly of the past. But, she said that many educated outer islanders often leave for Guam or the U.S. to find jobs where the caste system doesn’t regulate their lives as much.

Now that I’ve explained the outer islanders a bit, let me talk about where I am living. In Yap there are different areas or municipalities, of them Gagil, Tomil, and Ruul are the highest three castes. I living in Gagil, and the village where I’m teaching Gachpar is the highest caste village in all of Yap. Riiken, where my home is, isn’t as high, but it isn’t low either. People of lower caste on the main island are not allowed to eat with those of a higher caste. Also if someone from Gachpar or a high caste village dies, people from a lower caste village would dig the graves and bury the dead for them as a sign of respect. Even as we ate dinner tonight my host mother explained to me that the banana we were eating was really not for our caste, it was for a really low caste, but now the health advisors have said the higher castes should eat this type of banana because it is high in vitamin A and vitamin C. Who would have ever thought that a banana could be part of the caste system? It isn’t that those of higher caste look down upon those of lower caste as less than they are, but it is a sign of respect, that the people of different castes follow the rules of the system. Lower castes are showing their respect to those of higher castes when they act in certain ways.

Here, where you are born decides your caste. Someone born in Gachpar is very lucky to have been born into the highest caste, while for those born into the lowest caste, they will probably remain in this caste for life. The only opportunity for upward movement is if a woman marries a man in a higher caste. If this happens the higher caste must actually pay the woman in the lower caste in order for her to advance to the higher caste. However, if a woman marries a man in a lower caste, she must go down to that caste level, the man can NEVER move up. So for the woman caste may be a big deal. Marry up and you go up, marry down and you have no choice but to go down, you cannot keep you caste level.

So here today in 2008 on a small island in the Pacific I’m getting the opportunity to witness a modern day caste system. Straight from my memories of high school history books and now I’m witnessing it first hand. Though it is not as strong as it once was, it is still very alive and part of the lives of the people who live here. I wonder how this will affect my goals and experiences living here. Of course, I’m still learning a great deal and I have two more years to soak in as much information as I can, so I may not have all the details of the caste system here, but I wanted to share this because I find it really fascinating. Maybe the caste system may seem unfair for some (and I’m not advocating either way), but it is a part of this culture that they have been able to hold onto, and for that it is a good thing. So often culture is lost by western influence, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to live somewhere that has managed to hold onto so much of their Yapese cultural identities, even if it differs from my own beliefs or ideas.

My Beach in Gagil.... not to be confused with Ma Abich.. which means "You Eat" in Yapese

Home sweet Yap!!

I Love Yap!!! 3 minutes from my house walking

The spider that hangs out with my toothbrush...as big as my hand fingers to wrist

MarMar Crowns as a Yapese Welcome
Mogethin!! (Yapese Greeting)

I made it, safe and sound to my beautiful new home in Gagil, Yap. I'm a short walk to the beach, in another simple home with a host mom who seems awesome so far. She's a nutritionist for an early child hood education program, and her children are already grown and out of the house so it is just her and I here in the home. We have an outdoor kitchen, but an indoor bathroom, that I'm so excited about. I did however come face to face with the biggest spider I've ever seen as I went to brush my teath... I'll upload a picture soon. I felt silly, but I had to go get her to kill the spider... I was scared... and she laughed... I don't mind the geckos and lizards and ants and dogs and cats and roosters and cockroaches... but a spider that big..eeekk! I'm gonna have to get used to this. I guess I can't live in paradise without having some obstacles, like giant spiders, once and a while.

My host niece spent most of the day with us, she's five years old, and she was absolutely fascinated with my nose. She kept laughing and pointing at mine, then hers, then back at mine. She kept saying, wow, it's pointy. And I just had to laugh, Yapese people in general have pretty flat broad noses, and here I come with my pointy german american nose, and a little girl thinks it's amazing. Of all the things I expect to be different, I guess I just can't predict all of them, like hours of entertainment for a five year old child seeing an American nose.

On another note, because my host mom is a nutritionist, she only eats local food. This mean, no more rice. Nope, taro and yams for me everyday from now on. I'm happy about this, even if taro isn't the most exciting food in the world, at least I'll be eating healthy. We'll also have fish and banana, and she grows a garden with potato top (greens) and other local vegetables. Tonight we had a stirfry of greens and tuna with taro. This is going to be good, especially since some volunteers in larger families here end up eating rice and spam literally every single night. I'm happy my days will be filled with local foods!

Tommorow we'll begin our last 6 weeks of training, and language training! My host mom speaks english, but she said tommorow we will start Yapese... no more English... so goodbye English... hello Yapese... and hopefully I don't mix up the Pohnpeian words I learned while living in Madolenihm as I start speaking Yapese.

Kefel (Yapese Goodbye)