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.

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 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…

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

Update on Annie

I thought it was high time for a blog entry. A lot has changed in the last few weeks. For one thing, I’m a lot happier here, and feeling more like a member of the community. We finished quarter 1 at school (which is crazy to think about) and are swiftly moving into quarter 2. I am starting to teach some valuable skills to the little whippersnappers, which is making me happy. In science, I’m teaching grade 4 about the moon, grade 3 about insects and life cycles (we’re contrasting insects/humans) and I’m pumped for grade 7’s upcoming exploration in plants and environmental science. Almost every day Daniel asks me when we will plant our tomato seeds. Of course, planting tomato seeds entails me somehow carrying a huge bag of soil across the reef (not to mention a pot!) so, understandably, I’m waiting for very low tide… In English, I’m getting better at assigning readings at the students’ levels and this is good. Also, I now have a voice at the end of the day! Apparently being a drill sergeant pays off after a while. I still have a lot of problems, and I’m still very exhausted, but I’m feeling better about teaching on the whole. This is not to say that it’s easy, or that I’m even very good yet, but I am better—so that’s something.
My new favorite thing to do in my spare time is jambo out the opposite way from Majuro as far as I can go at low tide, and then walk/swim back. It’s amazing how good it feels to get away and have a little alone time once in a while. It’s a lot cleaner down there and it feels refreshing and invigorating. It’s also a good source of exercise—because exercising on Ejit is an adventure, to say the least. I tried jogging on the field for the second time today and was bitten by a dog. I have a new respect for leash laws and for my dog Panda, because she doesn’t bite people. (Not to worry, I cleaned it thoroughly and I plan to beat the crap out of that dog if he messes with me again.) I noticed a man walking out there today with a large, scary stick, and thought “Why didn’t I think of that?” Hindsight is 20/20 I guess.
Great news—I’m going home for Christmas! I leave December 14 and I am so incredibly excited. My sister will be home too so I really just can’t wait.
In the near future I am excited at the prospect of throwing a Halloween party for the kids here on Ejit and for the upcoming Ejit Christmas concert, which apparently Paul and I are responsible for planning. There's a lot coming up!

Missing friends and family back home,
Annie

Leaving on a Boat

There is a boat going to Kili tomorrow! Or maybe the next day if they are too slow loading it (pretty likely). So I will be taking to the high seas for 24 hours on the "Lona". I was told to bring dramamine, lots of water, and not to eat much tonight or tomorrow. I am expecting to get seasick, but we'll see how it goes.

Highs from the last week:
Playing baseball with a group of Japanese volunteers last week
Playing soccer with Chris, Ray, and a bunch of Marshallese kids in Laura
Playing ultimate frisbee with a group of Mormon missionaries
Swimming in the lagoon with a bunch of Marshallese kids - also getting a workout from launching child after child into the water.
Homemade sushi tonight.

Lows:
Stomach flu on Sunday. It only lasted one day though.

Cute kids, phone and internet woes- from 10/7

We just got internet back at the house so here's a slightly out of date blog entry. I'll post again relatively soon.

Ants rule the world here in the Marshall Islands. All food in our house fits into two categories- Food ants don’t want/can’t get to and food ants want. The first category can be stored in our cupboards. The second category needs to go in the fridge or freezer. Before the Marshall Islands I didn’t know you could store flour in the fridge and it wouldn’t coagulate. We’re constantly on guard but it’s a losing battle. The ants can get into almost anything. Air tight, zip locked bags? Not ant proof. Tupperware? Only if it’s perfectly airtight and you eat the food quickly.

The ants also seem to think that electric and phone wiring is delicious. After enough time they eat through the lines and they need to be replaced. That’s why we have a very loud buzzing noise whenever we try to have a conversation on the phone and why Annie and I can’t log on to the internet. The ‘line guys’ are supposed to call us eventually to set up an appointment to fix the lines, but I have no idea when that will happen. I’m hoping they call this week, but I’m sure that scheduling a time will be a headache with the interference and ‘island time’.

During week five or six a new girl named Rosana came into my 1^st grade class. She is from an outer island and she speaks almost zero English. This would be a challenge in and of itself but she’s also terrified of me. Five minutes into the first day of class she burst into tears because of the amount of English I was using and because she was afraid. I didn’t know the reason why she was crying at the time so I brought her to Meljodik and Rosana never came back. At the end of class, Meljodik motioned me over and told me that Rosana was scared and we’d try again tomorrow. The next day, she lasted ten minutes and the same thing happened. This time I sent her to Hevlen, the 1^st grade teacher. After staying with Hevlen we decided to have Rosana’s mom come in to help her calm down in class. It works but she still thinks I’m ‘rinana’ or a bad man. When she comes with the kids to knock on our door Rosana refuses to speak or come inside with the other kids. She came late to my class every day and the few times I answered the door she would try to run away when she saw my face. Her mom had to speak sternly to her to get her to come inside the classroom.

This is a new experience for me. I’ve never had anyone remain terrified of me for this much time. Sometimes my deep voice scares little kids (mostly girls) but they get over it quickly. The language barrier here and the fact that Rosana is stuck in a danger learning zone almost every time she sees me must be the reason she’s still scared.

These two slightly negative points have been counterbalanced by two major highlights this week. The first one happened when one of my favorite kids in 2^nd grade was absent for two days. If he had missed three days of school I would have gone to his house to check on him but that night he knocked on our door. After I said hi, Tommy looked up at me and said “Paul, can I copy the binal?” I was confused but after a bit of guessing I figured out that he thought I had given the class a copy of the upcoming final for the end of the quarter (Yes, I have to give a final exam to all of my classes. Including my 1^st and 2^nd graders). I told him not to worry about the final because I didn’t give one out yet. He looked confused so I told him that I needed him to get a good night’s sleep so he would be able to come to school tomorrow. Tommy nodded his head and with a final goodnight he went back home. (He lives next door.) It was so damn cute and it definitely made me feel great.

The other highlight happened when Joki (6^th grade) asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him last Saturday. I said yes but I wasn’t able to buy a fishing rod (the only one EZ Price had was 100 bucks) and they were out of fishing line and hooks. On Saturday Joki let me borrow all of the equipment I needed and we went out on his dad’s boat with Ken (6^th grade). Joki had asked his dad if he could use the family boat to go fishing so we went out to a good spot about 200 yards into the lagoon. We used a combination of flour, sea water and canned tuna in oil as bait. Usually this gets the kids something but we weren’t able to catch anything this time. After 15 minutes the boys got bored and we headed back in. When we hit land Joki asked me if I wanted to swim, jambo and eat yu in Kejeji’s island. I said yes, dropped off my stuff at home and followed them. When we arrived there were a ton of kids swimming and almost all of them decided to join us. We went for a trek through the island and I almost felt like I was on an outer island. Everything was beautiful and it felt like I was in the jungle. We went for a jambo through the island and stopped at the two tree houses the kids built. One of the nearby trees was converted into a makeshift coconut husker and the boys husked mature sprouted coconuts so that we could eat the yu inside. After a coconut sprouts the milk and flesh inside become spongy and relatively sweet. I helped them with the particularly tough ones (yes, all the Dartmouth volunteers can husk coconuts) and brought back two for Annie and Charlie. The Marshallese use the yu in one of their desert dishes called ice likur. The yu is cut up and mixed with water, sugar, condensed milk and then frozen. It was one of the first “traditional” dishes I had in the Marshall Islands. Joki promised me that we’d go out again this Saturday. I hope we catch fish next time.