The New Year

So the winter break has come and gone. On Ejit, we’ve finished 2^nd quarter finals and we’re in the beginning of quarter two. I spent Christmas here in the Marshall Islands and Annie went back to visit home so I spent a lot of time getting to know the community here.

Christmas in the Marshall Islands is celebrated during and after the 25^th with the Christmas “Jebta” or beat. It’s basically a marathon of dancing and/or singing with various performing groups. After they perform a collection for the church is made. They had 3 beats in Ejit and at each one I donated an average of 3 dollars. It was really great seeing my kids practice for the beat and then perform in front of the whole community. They had a lot of fun and I enjoyed it.

The greatest benefit from staying was definitely the greater way I’ve been accepted by the community here. I’ve celebrated Kemmems (1^st birthdays), the Christmas Jebta, and New Years with Ejit and they’ve definitely noticed. Kids and adults have opened up to me and are much more welcoming. The vast majority of mine and most of Annie’s kids definitely enjoy hanging out with me outside of school (inside also) and we’ve had a lot of positive experiences.

New Years here was crazy. Every year there is a huge “block” party in Majuro where food, drinks and entertainment are available in a protected block near the RRE (a hotel). Kristin’s band opened for an Okinawan cultural/conversationalist band. They put on a pretty good show and the energy (and booze) were so high that a bunch of Japanese tourists and outer island volunteers jumped on the stage. I left the block party early and walked back home at 1:30 am to join the celebration in Ejit. New Years is like Halloween or Christmas caroling here in the Marshall Islands. The kids go door to door singing new year songs and get candy. I stayed with the kids until around 4 am and went back home exhausted.

Even though Annie was gone I didn’t spend much time alone. There are always kids knocking on my door but Sarah and Charlie from Kili also came over and spent time living in Ejit. Sarah came early but she left for a while when her boyfriend Steve came to visit. Charlie arrived on New Years Eve and moved into Annie’s room. They even subbed for Annie when her arrival was slightly delayed. Charlie taught us how to make French bread (it’s delicious) and the kids a few new step patterns. Sarah came back when Steve left and relaxed. They left for Kili yesterday and we were sad to see them go.

There are a few more things I could write about but I’ll save them for the next entry or the January update. It’s coming out in two weeks or so.

End of 2007

I’m in Majuro until Tuesday (tomorrow), when I ship back to Kili. I’ve been here since New Year’s Eve, and it has been great to take a break in civilization. I had some beer, a salad, butter, internet, lots of great things.
Christmas on Kili was alright, although in my opinion Christmas is not Christmas without family. So from my perspective there was no Christmas this year. Although you might say I had a Christmas miracle in the sense that I was able to get back to Majuro at all. The boat was scheduled to leave December 27th, some time in the afternoon. At 2am that, there was knocking on our door, and I thought it was probably the crazy guy looking for food. But in fact it was two students, telling us that the boat was here, and that it was leaving soon. I thought it impossible that it would leave so soon after arriving, because they had to unload stuff. But I started packing any way, and half an hour later, I arrived at the beach to see the ship, the “Ribuukae” floating away. I was heartbroken and went on a Scrubs binge, watching all of season four over the next two days. But fortune smiled upon me – the boat got as far as Jaluit, but then was called back because they failed to drop off some equipment for the public works department on Kili. So I got on the boat and made it back to Majuro. I threw up a couple times from seasickness, but it was a triumphant seasickness, because I knew I was going back to civilization.
In November we finally got around to teaching sex ed to grade 6,7, and 8. We separated the boys and the girls – I taught the boys. I was daunted at first by the prospect of teaching 25 boys about sex all at once, but we got through it. My main problem by the end was keeping them from drawing penises all over their papers.
People on Kili often ask us for recorded CD’s and digital photo prints - and we don’t have nearly enough paper, ink, or CD’s to give them away – so we’ve begun various systems of exchange. I like to think we are introducing some economic development. In return for burning CD’s for students, we’ve gotten such things as fresh-squeezed lime juice (for limeade!), loads of coconuts, breadfruits, squash, and – my favorite – crabs. We had a couple crab feasts just before Christmas. The third graders who brought us the crabs were able to get 20 in a matter of hours just by picking them up off the reef! I was impressed.
We liked to play volleyball every day at our neighbor Brenda’s house with her and her daughters and other neighbors, until the house’s patriarch (who sometimes joins in our games) cut up the net into little pieces with his machete. Apparently he was angry at his daughter for not helping to clean the house, so he did it to punish her. Unfortunately, he punished a lot more people than that. I couldn’t believe someone would destroy something that so many people enjoy, especially because it is so irreplaceable. It would be weeks or months before someone was able to take a ship to Majuro and buy a new one. Fortunately I did just that and I will bring a net back with me when I return to Kili. I talked to a Marshallese woman about the net getting cut up, and she said, “That happens a lot.”
“What happens?” I said.
“Men not using their brains.”