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.”
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
After Christmas
This whole break has been an amazing experience. I’ve gotten to know the kids here much better. The kids I was close to before the break are even closer and I’ve gotten to know more kids on a more meaningful level. Staying in Ejit for Christmas has cemented me into the community here and I feel more accepted. This is especially apparent when I go to community events. My kids will yell out “Hi Paul” even if there is an important speech going on but then there are the babies. The babies or more accurately the toddlers on Ejit seem to think I am the most fun thing that ever came to Ejit. When I show up they immediately mob me and ask to be carried (jaja) or to get piggy-back rides (kuku). I can usually keep them off for a while but eventually their cuteness breaks through my mental shields and I have them take turns playing king of the (Paul) mountain.
My favorite one and he know’s it is a baby called Popeye. Seriously. I’m pretty sure it’s on his birth certificate. Toddlers are pushy in the
The Marshallese tantrum is unmistakable. It consists of the child yelling vaguely intelligible insults and demands at adults and then picking up a rock and throwing it at anyone in range. The tantrumite however has this technique down to a science. They take one rock and then threaten to throw it at you multiple times. A baby will pump his or her arm at you about five times, finally throw the rock and then pick up another. Kids reserve this tantrum for their parents but I’ve seen it directed at me once when a kid wanted to get on a boat with his mom and dad but they were going to leave him with relatives.
Marshallese culture (manit majel) does not have strong taboos against bad words and cursing. Just blatantly saying another person’s parent’s name is considered and insult (if I were a kid and someone just said “Peter” or “Ana” loudly we would fight) but they don’t hold distinctions between levels of curses and bad words. They know what the middle finger means, and usually the recipient will raise his or her hand and say “Paul, he f*** me.” With a middle finger held in the air to leave no doubt.
Popeye knows what the middle finger means but he will also say it when showing the finger to someone he is angry at. (Usually a school aged aunt, uncle or cousin). I laugh about it when he’s not there but whenever he does it I make sure he knows I don’t like it.
In the
On the 29th to the 31st we’re having our midyear retreat so after that I’ll post something again.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Christmas Break
Saturday was the Christmas Parade. At 8 AM I was woken up by knocking on my door. The kids wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the parade. I harnessed my inner Grinch and told them that the parade wasn’t until 10, to never knock on my door that early again and to come back in an hour. At 9 on the dot (a lot of the kids have their watches exactly synched to mine) they knocked on my door and told me we were leaving now. I threw on some clothes, gathered my things and ran outside only to have the kids ask me if I could ask Meljodik if she could send a boat to Rita so we could all watch the parade. Finally the kids got Randy and Nono to drive a boat over so everyone could go.
We got there way too early and everyone was standing around. There were a few people there and the police were waiting but none of the parade goers were in sight. I wasn’t able to eat breakfast so I walked over to one of the window stores and bought 3 bags of donuts ($4.50) and shared them with the kids. Then the Harlem Ambassadors basketball team showed up
At around 4 I started asking all of the kids if they were going to the Harlem Ambassadors game. A good number were going but a few couldn’t make it. Some of the boys had asked me to take them when we first heard about it last week. I was a bit worried that I would be showing favoritism if I took them because I wouldn’t be able to take every kid who wanted to go. Fortunately that problem sorted itself out. Only 3 kids who wanted to go (that I talked to) didn’t have anyone to take them so I spoke to their parents, made sure they had $1.50 for the cab ride there and back and we hopped on a boat.
The game itself was interesting. There were similarities between the Harlem Globetrotters, the Harlem All-Stars (I think that’s their name) and the Ambassadors. The Majuro team was totally outmatched by height and additionally Marshallese don’t like playing defense. The first seven minutes of the game was a string of breakaway dunks followed by many awed oohing and ahhing from the crowd. Soon everyone began to lose interest and the kids began to act like they normally do all the time. Whenever there was a break in play kids would wander on to the court. My personal favorite moment was when the announcer for the Ambassadors said “Parents, please keep your children off of the court.” If there was one adult there for every 10 kids I would be surprised. Basically the kids ignored everything the poor lady told them to do. This is our life. However, I do have a leg up on her in my classroom. I personally know every one of my kids’ parents.
After dropping the kids off at Rita I waited for a boat and then told them that I was going to spend the night in Rita with friends. I went to meet them for something to eat because I didn’t eat dinner and then went to sleep for our first Meico Beach Yacht Club Race Day. It was really fun and we had gorgeous weather. During the after-party the entire yacht club was invited to attend the Christmas party at the Australian Navy compound. The area is considered one of the most gorgeous in Majuro and I’ve been told that if you get an invite you’d better go. It’s on the 23rd so I’ll probably post again after that.
Merry Christmas.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
October Update from Kili
I haven’t really been able to access internet for a long time, so here are some things I would have written in the past month, since I arrived on the ship after my brother’s wedding.
11/17/07 - Chicken, chicken, chicken.
A USDA aid ship arrived today bearing boxes upon boxes of chicken. They had to use a backhoe to deliver them to all the houses. So now we have the equivalent of 9 whole chickens packed in our freezer. This is very welcome, because the only meat we had left was corned beef, which I hate.
11/14/07
We celebrated Halloween last Saturday (a week late, I know, but we couldn’t do it October 31st because the funeral for the 4th grader was held that day). We had the 7th and 8th graders dress up and hide in the “Haunted Jungle”, then took the younger kids through in groups. The funny thing about having this event in the jungle is that’s where people go to make out. I guess there is much more romance among my students than I had realized, because they were all making out by the end of the night! What’s more is there are two students in my 8th grade class that are very flamboyant and apparently gay, but I wasn’t sure if their behavior indicated homosexuality in the same way it does in the US. I also didn’t know the Marshallese cultural stance – approval or disapproval – of homosexuality. Well I found out that one of these boys has a boyfriend in 7th grade, and they were among those making out Halloween night!
The next school day I had my 8th graders write letters to someone of their choosing in the school, to practice letter format. As it turns out, they were all either love letters or letters gossiping to friends about romances between other students.
11/7/07
So far the most compelling reason for me to return next year is that I know I will be much better at teaching by then, so this job will be easier and more rewarding. I will be providing much better service to the Marshallese people than I am now, so if my mission was to help them, I will accomplish it much more effectively next year. Other than that, I can’t fathom coming back. Maybe I’m just grouchy because I’m tired again, but I really miss home. Sometimes it seems like every day is the same and all the kids are the same: needy and unappreciative. But other times they show me that they are really creative and full of life.
11/4/07 – Gospel O’ The Lord
Never do I feel so close to God as when I am surrounded by people singing beautiful Hymns. Music is the Language of the Lord, man. I came to realize this in church with the Marshallese people singing their amazing harmonious Marshallese hymns. There is no organ, just a church full of voices in multi-part harmony.
10/29/07 - The Racist Chicken
Yesterday I went over to our neighbor Brenda’s house to ask for some coconuts. She pointed me in the direction of a pile of them and I started to go over there, and I almost stepped on a chicken. I missed though, so no harm no foul, right? Well the chicken flipped out and, feathers ruffling, wings flapping, started pecking at my legs! I started to run away, and it just kept chasing me! It chased me all over the yard and would not leave me alone for the longest time; meanwhile, Brenda, Ronnie, and Anci were laughing their heads off at me. Finally it left me alone. I asked Brenda why it attacked me so persistently, and she said, “Because of your white skin.” Erin found and showed me later a relevant word in the Marshallese-English dictionary. It was warre, which means “attack by a mother hen”. I think I threatened her chicks somehow.
10/28/07
Grades are due tomorrow. What a joke – I have about three grades in every subject. I was stuck in Majuro so long, both before the program started and then after the wedding, that I have taught these kids very, very little in the first quarter.
10/24/07
A 200-lb adult man came into the 7th grade classroom, punched one of the students in the face and slammed his head into the wall. He was bleeding from the face and was sent home. Apparently the student had thrown a rock at this guy’s son, so he felt the need to come to school and kick the shit out of him. I am so angry about this. If anyone tries to do this to one of my students in my classroom, I will attack him.
11/17/07 - Chicken, chicken, chicken.
A USDA aid ship arrived today bearing boxes upon boxes of chicken. They had to use a backhoe to deliver them to all the houses. So now we have the equivalent of 9 whole chickens packed in our freezer. This is very welcome, because the only meat we had left was corned beef, which I hate.
11/14/07
We celebrated Halloween last Saturday (a week late, I know, but we couldn’t do it October 31st because the funeral for the 4th grader was held that day). We had the 7th and 8th graders dress up and hide in the “Haunted Jungle”, then took the younger kids through in groups. The funny thing about having this event in the jungle is that’s where people go to make out. I guess there is much more romance among my students than I had realized, because they were all making out by the end of the night! What’s more is there are two students in my 8th grade class that are very flamboyant and apparently gay, but I wasn’t sure if their behavior indicated homosexuality in the same way it does in the US. I also didn’t know the Marshallese cultural stance – approval or disapproval – of homosexuality. Well I found out that one of these boys has a boyfriend in 7th grade, and they were among those making out Halloween night!
The next school day I had my 8th graders write letters to someone of their choosing in the school, to practice letter format. As it turns out, they were all either love letters or letters gossiping to friends about romances between other students.
11/7/07
So far the most compelling reason for me to return next year is that I know I will be much better at teaching by then, so this job will be easier and more rewarding. I will be providing much better service to the Marshallese people than I am now, so if my mission was to help them, I will accomplish it much more effectively next year. Other than that, I can’t fathom coming back. Maybe I’m just grouchy because I’m tired again, but I really miss home. Sometimes it seems like every day is the same and all the kids are the same: needy and unappreciative. But other times they show me that they are really creative and full of life.
11/4/07 – Gospel O’ The Lord
Never do I feel so close to God as when I am surrounded by people singing beautiful Hymns. Music is the Language of the Lord, man. I came to realize this in church with the Marshallese people singing their amazing harmonious Marshallese hymns. There is no organ, just a church full of voices in multi-part harmony.
10/29/07 - The Racist Chicken
Yesterday I went over to our neighbor Brenda’s house to ask for some coconuts. She pointed me in the direction of a pile of them and I started to go over there, and I almost stepped on a chicken. I missed though, so no harm no foul, right? Well the chicken flipped out and, feathers ruffling, wings flapping, started pecking at my legs! I started to run away, and it just kept chasing me! It chased me all over the yard and would not leave me alone for the longest time; meanwhile, Brenda, Ronnie, and Anci were laughing their heads off at me. Finally it left me alone. I asked Brenda why it attacked me so persistently, and she said, “Because of your white skin.” Erin found and showed me later a relevant word in the Marshallese-English dictionary. It was warre, which means “attack by a mother hen”. I think I threatened her chicks somehow.
10/28/07
Grades are due tomorrow. What a joke – I have about three grades in every subject. I was stuck in Majuro so long, both before the program started and then after the wedding, that I have taught these kids very, very little in the first quarter.
10/24/07
A 200-lb adult man came into the 7th grade classroom, punched one of the students in the face and slammed his head into the wall. He was bleeding from the face and was sent home. Apparently the student had thrown a rock at this guy’s son, so he felt the need to come to school and kick the shit out of him. I am so angry about this. If anyone tries to do this to one of my students in my classroom, I will attack him.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Crazy Power Outages and Birthday Parties
Last Tuesday night we had our second Kammem in three weeks. This one was huge and Annie and I were really excited about it because a large number of our kids were going to perform traditional dances. They had been practicing for weeks and we kept hearing how tired they were. We had school the next day and Annie and I were ready for a shit show the next morning but prepared.
The preparations were crazy and one of the major attractions was the pig. In the Philippines the full pig is roasted on a spit (I forgot the name. Sorry mom). In Hawaii and other places it is cooked in an underground oven. Here the pig is slaughtered and then boiled in a huge pot. On our walk to school each day we pass by a pig pen and every day we see or hear the pigs there. The biggest one was on the Kammem menu and Annie was sad. She’ll post more about him later.
Kammem’s usually start at 8 o’clock but at 7:30 it started to rain. Hard. We waited for the rain to subside but then the power died. Annie and I made our way over to the basketball court where the Kammem always is and were told that the party would start when the power came back on. At 8 PM we heard that power would be back at 9 PM. After 9:15 rolled around we heard that power would be on at 10. By 9:45 there were around 10 to fifteen kids lying on a mat (and each other) on the floor taking a nap and finally at 10:30 power came back on. This time around we were ushered to the head table immediately because I accidentally made eye contact with one of the community leaders. At the table there were huge plastic containers full of food and when we sat down we were served an enormous platter of meat. There was a full lobster-sized crawfish on each platter, the best cuts of turtle (I enjoyed it more this time), chicken, and of course our friend piggy. I wasn’t that hungry and I was extremely careful this time. I didn’t touch the shell fish and stayed far far away from the potato salad and sashimi. We ended up going to sleep at 2 in the morning.
School on Wednesday was hard but we were able to drag ourselves out of bed on time. Then right before school starts at 8:30 we lost power again. Unfortunately for us, the Marshall Islands Energy Company (MEC) lost generators during an accident and cannot meet the 12 megawatt energy needs of Majuro during peak times. In order to prevent the other engines from overheating they need to shut off power to the outermost lines. This means that Laura and Ejit have been losing power during the day for the past week. The part for them to fix it is apparently expensive and only made in Germany. They’ve ordered it and we’ll see if we get power soon. I have my own suspicions but I won’t post them here. Send me an e-mail if you want to hear about it.
That’s all for now. This Friday was the Marshallese President’s Day so it’s a 3 day weekend. I’ve got relaxing and work to do.
The preparations were crazy and one of the major attractions was the pig. In the Philippines the full pig is roasted on a spit (I forgot the name. Sorry mom). In Hawaii and other places it is cooked in an underground oven. Here the pig is slaughtered and then boiled in a huge pot. On our walk to school each day we pass by a pig pen and every day we see or hear the pigs there. The biggest one was on the Kammem menu and Annie was sad. She’ll post more about him later.
Kammem’s usually start at 8 o’clock but at 7:30 it started to rain. Hard. We waited for the rain to subside but then the power died. Annie and I made our way over to the basketball court where the Kammem always is and were told that the party would start when the power came back on. At 8 PM we heard that power would be back at 9 PM. After 9:15 rolled around we heard that power would be on at 10. By 9:45 there were around 10 to fifteen kids lying on a mat (and each other) on the floor taking a nap and finally at 10:30 power came back on. This time around we were ushered to the head table immediately because I accidentally made eye contact with one of the community leaders. At the table there were huge plastic containers full of food and when we sat down we were served an enormous platter of meat. There was a full lobster-sized crawfish on each platter, the best cuts of turtle (I enjoyed it more this time), chicken, and of course our friend piggy. I wasn’t that hungry and I was extremely careful this time. I didn’t touch the shell fish and stayed far far away from the potato salad and sashimi. We ended up going to sleep at 2 in the morning.
School on Wednesday was hard but we were able to drag ourselves out of bed on time. Then right before school starts at 8:30 we lost power again. Unfortunately for us, the Marshall Islands Energy Company (MEC) lost generators during an accident and cannot meet the 12 megawatt energy needs of Majuro during peak times. In order to prevent the other engines from overheating they need to shut off power to the outermost lines. This means that Laura and Ejit have been losing power during the day for the past week. The part for them to fix it is apparently expensive and only made in Germany. They’ve ordered it and we’ll see if we get power soon. I have my own suspicions but I won’t post them here. Send me an e-mail if you want to hear about it.
That’s all for now. This Friday was the Marshallese President’s Day so it’s a 3 day weekend. I’ve got relaxing and work to do.
Friday, November 9, 2007
The Good, the bad and the annoying
Halloween at Ejit was really great this year. Annie and I had at least 30 kids inside our small house engaged in various stages of mischief with an overall effect of barely contained chaos. Annie dressed up as a pumpkin and I went as a vampire/skeleton hybrid. I scared them all when they first saw me (some of the kids jokingly said I was ‘the black magic’) but only one kindergartener refused to enter the house for a while because I scared her. The whole thing was exhausting but well worth it. It was a highlight of the kids and my week.
I apparently caught something during the kaimem two weeks ago. Poor Ejit has had some of the worst luck among all of the groups on Majuro. Scabies, pink eye, giardia, a stomach virus and now Dr. Pinano and I think that I have a mild form of amoeba. I won’t list the symptoms here for the faint of heart, but if you want to find out what they are a quick google search will provide you with the information. (It’s the digestive form, not the brain eating type). Just remember that I have a mild form of it. There’s another kaimem coming up this Tuesday and I’ll be sure to watch out for suspicious food this time.
We have new neighbors next door and although we like them they bought over their dog. As we’ve mentioned before the dogs on Ejit are brutal and this particular dog is pretty small and scared all the time. It is smaller than the rest of the grown dogs on Ejit and it’s sort of cute. Unfortunately the dog has an incredibly frustrating way of expressing its insecurity at night. At around midnight the dog begins sustained, frantic and loud barking because it wants to be let inside. The first night this happened the dog barked for 15 minutes straight. Finally I went outside with my kali stick and whacked the ground threateningly at it. This worked for a little while because the dog ran away and barked at some other house outside of our hearing. Fifteen minutes later the dog came back but after a few barks it guess it grew tired and went to sleep. Last night it started up again but this time as soon as it started I went outside and threatened it. Fifteen minutes later I needed to go back outside and threaten it again but things are improving. Hopefully it will stop barking soon.
I know it sounds cruel but I haven’t physically hit the dog and if I have to choose between the dog and my sleep I’ll pick my own sanity every time. I’ll post more on this as it develops. Maybe I’ll mention to our new neighbors that I’d love to try dog…
I apparently caught something during the kaimem two weeks ago. Poor Ejit has had some of the worst luck among all of the groups on Majuro. Scabies, pink eye, giardia, a stomach virus and now Dr. Pinano and I think that I have a mild form of amoeba. I won’t list the symptoms here for the faint of heart, but if you want to find out what they are a quick google search will provide you with the information. (It’s the digestive form, not the brain eating type). Just remember that I have a mild form of it. There’s another kaimem coming up this Tuesday and I’ll be sure to watch out for suspicious food this time.
We have new neighbors next door and although we like them they bought over their dog. As we’ve mentioned before the dogs on Ejit are brutal and this particular dog is pretty small and scared all the time. It is smaller than the rest of the grown dogs on Ejit and it’s sort of cute. Unfortunately the dog has an incredibly frustrating way of expressing its insecurity at night. At around midnight the dog begins sustained, frantic and loud barking because it wants to be let inside. The first night this happened the dog barked for 15 minutes straight. Finally I went outside with my kali stick and whacked the ground threateningly at it. This worked for a little while because the dog ran away and barked at some other house outside of our hearing. Fifteen minutes later the dog came back but after a few barks it guess it grew tired and went to sleep. Last night it started up again but this time as soon as it started I went outside and threatened it. Fifteen minutes later I needed to go back outside and threaten it again but things are improving. Hopefully it will stop barking soon.
I know it sounds cruel but I haven’t physically hit the dog and if I have to choose between the dog and my sleep I’ll pick my own sanity every time. I’ll post more on this as it develops. Maybe I’ll mention to our new neighbors that I’d love to try dog…
Sunday, November 4, 2007
DVTP update via email
Hi there!
Earlier today I sent out the second update of this school year for the Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program. If you follow this blog and have not received an email with the DVTP update and you would like to get it, please email me (Kristin Romberg, field director) at dvtp@dartmouth.edu asking to be put on the update list.
Thanks!
-k
Earlier today I sent out the second update of this school year for the Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program. If you follow this blog and have not received an email with the DVTP update and you would like to get it, please email me (Kristin Romberg, field director) at dvtp@dartmouth.edu asking to be put on the update list.
Thanks!
-k
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