(06/04/09)
Well I be damned!! Who wudda thunk it!?? The Orlando Magic not only beat the Boston Celtics, but Dwight Howard went and Double-Doubled the crown right off Lebron’s dome. While I’m not going to pole vault onto the O-Town bandwagon because, honestly, I didn’t expect such a sudden emergence of excellence from the southeast, I obviously feel a sense of pride since I did spend my childhood rooting for the Magic as I grew up in Orange County… back when there were more orange groves than strip malls. My beloved Orlando… what hath become of thee? But I digress… Since there’s now only 1 NBA Finals series to cover, the ESPN folks in Australia won’t have to decide which one to broadcast, so we’ll be able to watch all of the games. CRICKEY!! And I’m definitely be engrossed in the competition since Orlando actually beat the Lakers twice during the regular season… Go Superman, you just go.
And the NBA Playoffs isn’t the only final season that I’m experiencing here in Palau. Well, Palau really only has like two seasons – wet and dry, which could also be coined Spring and Summer, but just go along with me here. Anyways, since I’m scheduled to part with the Pacific in November, this will technically be my last summer season spent soaking solar rays from the Equatorial sun. And finally, the pieces have fallen into place where I’m now working with the Office of Invasive Species on several projects, something I’ve been dreaming of doing since last year.
So… here’s to a magical final summer season filled with monkeys and NBA Championships!!
“Hmph Moment”
Well, I haven’t done one of these in quite some time, but something happened today I deem worthy of being shared. So, expectedly, from time to time there’s going to be miscommunications and misunderstandings due to cultural differences and language barriers. And the other day I called my house in Ngchesar and asked the domestic helper to give my host mom my box of dryer sheets to bring to Koror the next time she comes so I could do my laundry. So today I got home from work and asked my host cousin if my host mom had stopped by. So he proceeds to tell me that she had stopped by and had brought some cooked food for me and put it in the fridge. So then I asked if she had brought a box of dryer sheets. So he tells me that she had brought something and put it in the dryer. So I go open up the dryer and lo and behold my bed sheets from Ngchesar are in there. So I turn around and my host cousin is looking at me like I’m crazy for asking my host mom to bring down my bed sheets and put them in the dryer. I just freakin’ burst out laughing and once I calmed down I explained that I had called the house and asked the domestic helper to give her my dryer sheets, but things got lost in translation and she ended up giving my host mom my bed sheets. And the reason they ended up in the dryer was because they were washing them in Ngchesar and the power went out, so when she brought them to Koror they were still damp so she put them in the dryer! So, I literally ended up getting dryer sheets!! Ah man… I’m gonna miss this place.
Which leads to me another interesting observation. My host cousin told me I should’ve told the domestic helper to give my host mom my Bounce, because that’s how they refer to dryer sheets over here. And I’ve noticed on several other occasions that some items are typically referred to by popular brand names rather than what they actually are. The following are some examples:
- Laundry detergents are usually called Tide
- Dish soap is always called Joy
- Dryer sheets, as I recently learned, are called Bounce
- Bleach is referred to as Clorox
- Pampers means diapers
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
“The Trees Will Protect Us…”
(04/11/09)
Since it seems as though I’m on a quest to experience every possible outdoor activity in Palau… this weekend I ventured forth and cruised the Pacific Ocean with some friends on a sail boat! Although this wasn’t some huge, luxurious, Diddy style vessel, it was still a beautiful boat and a wonderful trip. I actually helped the owner refurbish this sailboat last summer and had been anticipating an opportunity to go sailing in exchange for my expert stainless steel polishing and rust-prohibiting application services.
So seaward we went on a temperate Saturday morning bound for the shores of one of Palau’s pristine, postcardesque rock islands. Now, I haven’t the slightest clue about sailing or navigation so the first couple hours of the trip consisted of me bombarding the captain with questions regarding sailing lingo, names and purposes of the various pulleys, clips, and flaps that are somehow rigged together to form a buoyant mode of transportation, and using a handheld GPS device in conjunction with nautical maps. As we cruised, I noticed that we were headed further and further away from the direction we wanted to go, so, naturally, I inquired as to why in the world we seemed to be straying so far off course and into open ocean. Well… apparently the captain’s affinity for sailing was much more than I had anticipated, so he wanted to do as little “motoring” as possible and preferred to stay with the wind although we were going off course. Eventually, though, this decision caused us to venture into larger waves than seemed safe for the size of craft we were in, so we finally changed course and motored back closer to the reef to avoid any potential disasters… a decision I was quite in harmony with.
After about 6 hours of sailing, we finally anchored approximately 50 yards from Ngerchong, a secluded tropical paradise that’s was pretty much uninhabited save for the two Filipino workers that live there and are in charge of its upkeep. And what an amazing job they were doing because the grounds were manicured to the point of rivaling that of a popular resort-style rock island where we had a weekend training session last year. I mean, the pathways, shower facilities, and environment were stunningly beautiful and clean and I had a blast exploring all its nooks and crannies.
Since there were four of us on the trip, two decided to sleep on the boat while another friend setup a tent for us at one end of the island. Now, the tent was setup while I had been snorkeling from the sailboat to shore and when I reached the camp site I realized how windy the area was since the site was pretty much exposed to elements from both sides of the island. So I suggested we move the tent to the front of a guest house so at least one side of the tent would be protected from the wind. But my advice was dismissed as my friend insisted that she had selected the perfect spot since we were under some trees and that’d they would protect us from the wind, but more so any downpours. So, I didn’t pursue the conversation any further and we hunkered down for the night. Sure enough… a storm moved over the island during the night and brought a healthy dose of powerful gusts with it, to the point where half of the tent was collapsed in and sticking to us as rain seeped in through the areas in the screen that were now exposed since the tent’s cover had been partially torn off. Now, I’m not one to brag, but I couldn’t help but shoot an “I told you so…” look to my friend as she tossed and turned and complained that her sleeping back was getting wet! I honestly thought at some points that the tent would completely collapse and we’d be sent running for shelter under a summer house, but fortunately we were spared any midnight madness.
The 5 hour sail back to Koror was much more enjoyable and I was able to get some more hands on experience with sailing. We also managed to snag a huge Spanish mackerel since the captain had decided to do some trolling. Anyways, I’m not sure if sailing will become a regular activity of mine since I much prefer to get from point A to point B as quick as possible when it involves long journeys, whether that be o’re land, sea, or air. But nevertheless, it was a memorable experience that I’ll cherish as I know these opportunities will most likely not be readily available once I leave this place.
Since it seems as though I’m on a quest to experience every possible outdoor activity in Palau… this weekend I ventured forth and cruised the Pacific Ocean with some friends on a sail boat! Although this wasn’t some huge, luxurious, Diddy style vessel, it was still a beautiful boat and a wonderful trip. I actually helped the owner refurbish this sailboat last summer and had been anticipating an opportunity to go sailing in exchange for my expert stainless steel polishing and rust-prohibiting application services.
So seaward we went on a temperate Saturday morning bound for the shores of one of Palau’s pristine, postcardesque rock islands. Now, I haven’t the slightest clue about sailing or navigation so the first couple hours of the trip consisted of me bombarding the captain with questions regarding sailing lingo, names and purposes of the various pulleys, clips, and flaps that are somehow rigged together to form a buoyant mode of transportation, and using a handheld GPS device in conjunction with nautical maps. As we cruised, I noticed that we were headed further and further away from the direction we wanted to go, so, naturally, I inquired as to why in the world we seemed to be straying so far off course and into open ocean. Well… apparently the captain’s affinity for sailing was much more than I had anticipated, so he wanted to do as little “motoring” as possible and preferred to stay with the wind although we were going off course. Eventually, though, this decision caused us to venture into larger waves than seemed safe for the size of craft we were in, so we finally changed course and motored back closer to the reef to avoid any potential disasters… a decision I was quite in harmony with.
After about 6 hours of sailing, we finally anchored approximately 50 yards from Ngerchong, a secluded tropical paradise that’s was pretty much uninhabited save for the two Filipino workers that live there and are in charge of its upkeep. And what an amazing job they were doing because the grounds were manicured to the point of rivaling that of a popular resort-style rock island where we had a weekend training session last year. I mean, the pathways, shower facilities, and environment were stunningly beautiful and clean and I had a blast exploring all its nooks and crannies.
Since there were four of us on the trip, two decided to sleep on the boat while another friend setup a tent for us at one end of the island. Now, the tent was setup while I had been snorkeling from the sailboat to shore and when I reached the camp site I realized how windy the area was since the site was pretty much exposed to elements from both sides of the island. So I suggested we move the tent to the front of a guest house so at least one side of the tent would be protected from the wind. But my advice was dismissed as my friend insisted that she had selected the perfect spot since we were under some trees and that’d they would protect us from the wind, but more so any downpours. So, I didn’t pursue the conversation any further and we hunkered down for the night. Sure enough… a storm moved over the island during the night and brought a healthy dose of powerful gusts with it, to the point where half of the tent was collapsed in and sticking to us as rain seeped in through the areas in the screen that were now exposed since the tent’s cover had been partially torn off. Now, I’m not one to brag, but I couldn’t help but shoot an “I told you so…” look to my friend as she tossed and turned and complained that her sleeping back was getting wet! I honestly thought at some points that the tent would completely collapse and we’d be sent running for shelter under a summer house, but fortunately we were spared any midnight madness.
The 5 hour sail back to Koror was much more enjoyable and I was able to get some more hands on experience with sailing. We also managed to snag a huge Spanish mackerel since the captain had decided to do some trolling. Anyways, I’m not sure if sailing will become a regular activity of mine since I much prefer to get from point A to point B as quick as possible when it involves long journeys, whether that be o’re land, sea, or air. But nevertheless, it was a memorable experience that I’ll cherish as I know these opportunities will most likely not be readily available once I leave this place.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Photos.... Phinally!
Hello All,
Thanks again for continuing to keep up with my blog. I have uploaded more pictures to my "Part Deux" album. I have to give thanks and credit to C. Lejkowski, one of my fellow PCVs, for the dive pictures in Yap and underwater Jellyfish Lake photos! Sulang! I hope you all enjoy them.
Thanks again for continuing to keep up with my blog. I have uploaded more pictures to my "Part Deux" album. I have to give thanks and credit to C. Lejkowski, one of my fellow PCVs, for the dive pictures in Yap and underwater Jellyfish Lake photos! Sulang! I hope you all enjoy them.
"Whathaveyous"
5/1/09
It’s been awhile… I know. Sorry about that, but it isn’t totally my fault. You see… the island has been enduring power hours for the last 5 weeks. I guess it’s been quite a big deal, and annoying, since everyone is used to power 24/7. Apparently several of the generators, due to negligence, were “offline” due to mechanical failure. These, and other revelations, lead to the firing of a couple of the higher uppers at the power company and Japan, the US, and the Philippines have all been to tapped to lend assistance/expertise to help remedy the situation. Fortunately, power was off in my state from 9am to 1pm, so I’ve been sleeping comfortably. Unfortunately, since power has been off during school hours I’ve been unable to access the internet on a regular basis. And apparently the server in our Peace Corps office gets messed up when they cut the power and we have to wait for someone from the telecommunications company to come and reset it, so the internet has been down the few times I’ve gone to the office during the past several weeks. Life on an island…what can I say?
Secondly, for the most part, nothing seriously exciting or something I haven’t already blogged about has happened so there’s been no urge to post. But last year I did an entry called “Snippets,” so this time around I’ll post one called “Whathaveyous.” Hope you enjoy…
Final Stretch…
Well, as of today, I have 3 weeks remaining in my career as a classroom teacher. School ends May 23rd and if I do end up working in the school from August to November it’ll be in more of an advisory/assistant role rather than a handling-my-own-classes role. I think after teaching for 2 years that the teachers have developed a better idea on how to handle the subject, so next year I’ll observe them more and just help them out if necessary. Although I’m looking forward to the summer, I know I’m going to miss my students. Though some of them drive me crazy to the point where I find myself counting the amount of land crab holes as I walk home from school, they all have taught me a little bit more about life and patience and for that I’ll always remember them.
Retiring The Number…
They say all good things must come to an end… Personally, I think that stinks but such is life. So as of April 29th, 2009 my stint as a semi-professional (I love typing that… haha) basketball player in Palau’s National Basketball League officially ended. After getting royally screwed in our Division 2 playoffs and being eliminated because an opponent protested that we played an underage player, who, I will add, only scored 3 points and played about 57 seconds in the final minute of the 4th quarter because we were blowing them out by 20 something points and the protest was accepted on some extremely shady grounds… we set our sights on the league playoffs and gaining Division 1 status for next season and possibly winning this year’s championship. The league is setup that the top 10 teams comprise Division 1 and the rest make up Division 2, so it’s a bit of an honor to be called a D1 team. After easily winning our first playoff game we gained the chance to play a D1 team, and if we beat them, then we’d be in Division 1 next season. The game was back and forth and our opponents were determined to remain in their Division, but our hunger and skill were a bit much for them and we ended up the victor! But the ending of the game was the craziest I’ve ever experienced. When our opponents realized in the last minute that they were going to lose, they began playing with less intensity. With about 3 seconds remaining in the game, they inbounded the ball and passed it up to one of their star players who then stopped at the 3 point line, turned his back to the basket, and chucked the ball up over his head. As it reached its apex and began sailing down towards the rim… THE LIGHTS WENT OFF!! Crazy I tell ya… So the game ended with an insane 3 point shot that we’ll never know whether it went in or not because the power cut out. So then we had to feel our way out of the gym. But outside we celebrated because we’d finally reached Division 1. It was a bitter-sweet celebration because I knew I wouldn’t be here to play in D1, but I was content knowing that I helped the team get there. I actually played much better this season and averaged around 14 points a game with 10+ rebounds. I joked with my brother that they should call me Mr. Double Double, but my skills pale (a gross understatement) in comparison to Mr. Howard. Anyways, our next game was against Palau Community College and after a hard-fought battle we ended up losing by 4 points. Although I was getting a little choked up at the end I managed to keep myself together. Playing basketball has been such a huge factor in me being able to finish out my service here because on the occasions when I was ready to throw in the towel all I would do is just look forward to my next game and I’d decide to stick it out. Plus the guys on the team have been such great friends to me and it’s really helped me feel like I became a part of the Palauan community. So, for me it was more than just throwing on a uniform and running up and down the court… basketball was a source of strength for me when I felt beaten. And for it to come to an end was tough, but I go out with such great memories, people to call whenever I visit Palau in the future, and pride that we made it to Division 1. And no… they aren’t retiring my number…I joke, I joke.
Clamazing…
Next week is Senior Citizen’s Day and since food is like the focal point of almost every celebration here, it was time to go out on the boat. The day’s catch? Clams… Apparently the rubaks and mechas of Palau love to eat giant clams. But not just the entire thing, they have a special yearning for clam egg sacks… So, last week I went out with some of the state workers to harvest clams. We left around 9am and returned around 5:30pm. If you recall, I went clamming in January 2008 during a rock island trip after the funeral of my host grand-mother. I was more of a spotter during that outing because I had never done it before, but this time around they told me I need to get at least 10 decent sized clams and left me to figure out the rest. Luckily, I remembered how the guy I was spotting for was cutting out the meat so by the day’s end I was able to collect 12 clams. When we finished harvesting for the day, as we typically do after a day’s fishing, we prepared some of the catch as sashimi. I don’t know how many of you guys have ever eaten clam muscle, but it freakin’ clamazing! I mean… tourist come to Palau and pay big bucks just for a couple slices of clam muscle and here I was eating from a container full or fresh, not even reaching the shore yet, clam muscle… All we did was make a dip from soy sauce and lemons and we were good to go. But they taste even better without any dressing. But of course, the boat captain, the same guy I go spear fishing with, made some comment about how I’m becoming more Palauan and if I’m to be a true Palauan then I need to eat what Palauans eat and so I needed to try clam egg sack. And when I gave him the most perplexed look ever he said, “C’mon… what!? It’s the best part… so creamy and milky.” So, I selected a clam off the floor of the boat and he cut out the egg sack for me. And so there I was, inserting the egg sack of a clam in my mouth. Let me attempt to describe it for you. Think of a Gusher, you know… the candy, which, by the way, I hate. First you have to bite with a little pressure to break the thin sack layer and then it’s like an explosion of mush in your mouth. Add this awkward salty, creamy flavor like day-old alfredo sauce and you’ve almost got an idea of what clam egg sack taste like. But they love this stuff… I mean… some of the guys were just grabbing a clam and biting into it. Needless to say… I just stuck with the muscle. But the boat captain did give me this really cool shell that he found and as I type it’s sitting in a shady place waiting for the mollusk inside to die so I can take the shell to Koror to be polished. It’s the same shell they used in the past to blow to call meetings and such.
One Liners…
My host brother, Matthew, just lost his first tooth…
I start working with the Office of Invasive Species June 1st…
I climbed my first betel nut tree last week…
I’m almost done setting up the school’s library…
The locals call “black outs,” “brown outs”…
Hayden, the baby I named, is growing fast and looks like me for some reason…
Enjoy the pictures!
It’s been awhile… I know. Sorry about that, but it isn’t totally my fault. You see… the island has been enduring power hours for the last 5 weeks. I guess it’s been quite a big deal, and annoying, since everyone is used to power 24/7. Apparently several of the generators, due to negligence, were “offline” due to mechanical failure. These, and other revelations, lead to the firing of a couple of the higher uppers at the power company and Japan, the US, and the Philippines have all been to tapped to lend assistance/expertise to help remedy the situation. Fortunately, power was off in my state from 9am to 1pm, so I’ve been sleeping comfortably. Unfortunately, since power has been off during school hours I’ve been unable to access the internet on a regular basis. And apparently the server in our Peace Corps office gets messed up when they cut the power and we have to wait for someone from the telecommunications company to come and reset it, so the internet has been down the few times I’ve gone to the office during the past several weeks. Life on an island…what can I say?
Secondly, for the most part, nothing seriously exciting or something I haven’t already blogged about has happened so there’s been no urge to post. But last year I did an entry called “Snippets,” so this time around I’ll post one called “Whathaveyous.” Hope you enjoy…
Final Stretch…
Well, as of today, I have 3 weeks remaining in my career as a classroom teacher. School ends May 23rd and if I do end up working in the school from August to November it’ll be in more of an advisory/assistant role rather than a handling-my-own-classes role. I think after teaching for 2 years that the teachers have developed a better idea on how to handle the subject, so next year I’ll observe them more and just help them out if necessary. Although I’m looking forward to the summer, I know I’m going to miss my students. Though some of them drive me crazy to the point where I find myself counting the amount of land crab holes as I walk home from school, they all have taught me a little bit more about life and patience and for that I’ll always remember them.
Retiring The Number…
They say all good things must come to an end… Personally, I think that stinks but such is life. So as of April 29th, 2009 my stint as a semi-professional (I love typing that… haha) basketball player in Palau’s National Basketball League officially ended. After getting royally screwed in our Division 2 playoffs and being eliminated because an opponent protested that we played an underage player, who, I will add, only scored 3 points and played about 57 seconds in the final minute of the 4th quarter because we were blowing them out by 20 something points and the protest was accepted on some extremely shady grounds… we set our sights on the league playoffs and gaining Division 1 status for next season and possibly winning this year’s championship. The league is setup that the top 10 teams comprise Division 1 and the rest make up Division 2, so it’s a bit of an honor to be called a D1 team. After easily winning our first playoff game we gained the chance to play a D1 team, and if we beat them, then we’d be in Division 1 next season. The game was back and forth and our opponents were determined to remain in their Division, but our hunger and skill were a bit much for them and we ended up the victor! But the ending of the game was the craziest I’ve ever experienced. When our opponents realized in the last minute that they were going to lose, they began playing with less intensity. With about 3 seconds remaining in the game, they inbounded the ball and passed it up to one of their star players who then stopped at the 3 point line, turned his back to the basket, and chucked the ball up over his head. As it reached its apex and began sailing down towards the rim… THE LIGHTS WENT OFF!! Crazy I tell ya… So the game ended with an insane 3 point shot that we’ll never know whether it went in or not because the power cut out. So then we had to feel our way out of the gym. But outside we celebrated because we’d finally reached Division 1. It was a bitter-sweet celebration because I knew I wouldn’t be here to play in D1, but I was content knowing that I helped the team get there. I actually played much better this season and averaged around 14 points a game with 10+ rebounds. I joked with my brother that they should call me Mr. Double Double, but my skills pale (a gross understatement) in comparison to Mr. Howard. Anyways, our next game was against Palau Community College and after a hard-fought battle we ended up losing by 4 points. Although I was getting a little choked up at the end I managed to keep myself together. Playing basketball has been such a huge factor in me being able to finish out my service here because on the occasions when I was ready to throw in the towel all I would do is just look forward to my next game and I’d decide to stick it out. Plus the guys on the team have been such great friends to me and it’s really helped me feel like I became a part of the Palauan community. So, for me it was more than just throwing on a uniform and running up and down the court… basketball was a source of strength for me when I felt beaten. And for it to come to an end was tough, but I go out with such great memories, people to call whenever I visit Palau in the future, and pride that we made it to Division 1. And no… they aren’t retiring my number…I joke, I joke.
Clamazing…
Next week is Senior Citizen’s Day and since food is like the focal point of almost every celebration here, it was time to go out on the boat. The day’s catch? Clams… Apparently the rubaks and mechas of Palau love to eat giant clams. But not just the entire thing, they have a special yearning for clam egg sacks… So, last week I went out with some of the state workers to harvest clams. We left around 9am and returned around 5:30pm. If you recall, I went clamming in January 2008 during a rock island trip after the funeral of my host grand-mother. I was more of a spotter during that outing because I had never done it before, but this time around they told me I need to get at least 10 decent sized clams and left me to figure out the rest. Luckily, I remembered how the guy I was spotting for was cutting out the meat so by the day’s end I was able to collect 12 clams. When we finished harvesting for the day, as we typically do after a day’s fishing, we prepared some of the catch as sashimi. I don’t know how many of you guys have ever eaten clam muscle, but it freakin’ clamazing! I mean… tourist come to Palau and pay big bucks just for a couple slices of clam muscle and here I was eating from a container full or fresh, not even reaching the shore yet, clam muscle… All we did was make a dip from soy sauce and lemons and we were good to go. But they taste even better without any dressing. But of course, the boat captain, the same guy I go spear fishing with, made some comment about how I’m becoming more Palauan and if I’m to be a true Palauan then I need to eat what Palauans eat and so I needed to try clam egg sack. And when I gave him the most perplexed look ever he said, “C’mon… what!? It’s the best part… so creamy and milky.” So, I selected a clam off the floor of the boat and he cut out the egg sack for me. And so there I was, inserting the egg sack of a clam in my mouth. Let me attempt to describe it for you. Think of a Gusher, you know… the candy, which, by the way, I hate. First you have to bite with a little pressure to break the thin sack layer and then it’s like an explosion of mush in your mouth. Add this awkward salty, creamy flavor like day-old alfredo sauce and you’ve almost got an idea of what clam egg sack taste like. But they love this stuff… I mean… some of the guys were just grabbing a clam and biting into it. Needless to say… I just stuck with the muscle. But the boat captain did give me this really cool shell that he found and as I type it’s sitting in a shady place waiting for the mollusk inside to die so I can take the shell to Koror to be polished. It’s the same shell they used in the past to blow to call meetings and such.
One Liners…
My host brother, Matthew, just lost his first tooth…
I start working with the Office of Invasive Species June 1st…
I climbed my first betel nut tree last week…
I’m almost done setting up the school’s library…
The locals call “black outs,” “brown outs”…
Hayden, the baby I named, is growing fast and looks like me for some reason…
Enjoy the pictures!
“Destination: Yap”
02/27 – 03/03/09
“Welcome to Yap. It has become a tradition here for us to land and then be taxied to the terminal due to on-going construction.” And with those words from my pilot, I reached Palau’s nearest island neighbor. I mean, I had heard that Yap was overflowing with tradition, but I had no clue that it spilled all the way to the uncomfortably short runway that forced pilots to slam down the airplane like they were landing on a Navy carrier. As I waited in the pre-dawn immigration line I couldn’t help but stare at the mountain-high stacks of luggage loaded precariously on Continental pickup trucks as they eased up a hill to the baggage claim area. I subtly, ashamedly, wondered if an avalanche of SCUBA and personal bags would spice up the morning the bit, but I also hoped that my suitcase wouldn’t be involved in the unfortunate event. But alas, I figure the airport personnel have become seasoned pros at luggage Jinga, so catastrophe was averted.
As soon as I decided to visit Yap my host mom contacted one her relatives living there to ensure I didn’t have to spend money on accommodations. But since I had no clue what he looked like, and ditto for him besides my host mom’s description that I’d be traveling with several other Peace Corps and would be the only one with a permanent tan, I ended up wandering around a bit giving lingering glances to bystanders in hopes to running into him. I’m sure this made some of the local men uncomfortable, especially an older guy sitting in the loincloth. So after a couple minutes of this and no luck, the host father of one of the PCVs in Yap gave me a ride to the house where I was supposed to be staying since it was in their same village. Upon arrival, I waited by the car as he woke up the wife of the guy I was supposed to be staying with, who was a bit confused as to why I had come with another family since her husband had gone to the airport to pick me up. So I and the wife got to chatting as we enjoyed a “chew,” the local slang for chewing betel nut. Anyways, the guy eventually returned and everything was fine. If it’s one thing Peace Corps emphasizes, it’s the importance of being flexible. As soon as the guy arrived he informed me that I wouldn’t be staying with him because he had a daughter who recently had a baby and that if I were a girl it’d be cool, but since I was a dude he had made arrangements for me to sleep elsewhere. So, he (heretofore referred to as “my host father”) took me to another family about 10 minutes away, and after making arrangements to meet me in the morning, I crashed for the night.
In the morning (well, a couple hours later since we arrived at 3am Friday) I was surprised to discover that I was actually staying on the same family compound as a PCV from my group that was stationed in Yap. So we got to spend the next 5 days catching up on his experience in Yap and what he planned on doing when our contract was up. The lady who hosted me was an extremely nice Yapese hospital employee who made sure that I was comfortable and gave a quick run-down on what I should and shouldn’t do and other faux pas to ensure I remained culturally appropriate. Since I was staying in her home, people in the community would consider me as part of their family, so it was important that I didn’t do anything that would be frowned upon. For example, the Yapese are a very respectful, modest people, so playing loud music, wandering through another village alone, or taking pictures of people’s homes and families without first asking permission could cause problems. The not-wandering-through-other-villages rule was reinforced as my host father drove me around on our way to breakfast. I had asked him if I could visit one of Yap’s famous stone money gardens and he told me one was in the next village over from where I was staying, but made it a point to emphasize that I mustn’t go over there if he didn’t go with me. I inquired more into this and what I understood was that the Yapese don’t really go to other villages without first letting a high ranking member of that village that they will be visiting and usually bring something on their visit as a show of respect. And although I wasn’t staying with my host father, he made it a point to take me to breakfast every day, give me to rides to the village where Yap Day was being held, and provide dinner for me on a few of the nights. My living arrangements and treatment from my host families only enhanced the wonderful experience that I had in Yap. And I felt fortunate to be able to have that “village experience” instead of being surrounded by tourists in a hotel. In the future, as I travel more, I hope to be able live with local families as much as possible because it adds such an authentic dimension to ones experience in a different country.
We designated Saturday for diving. Yap is well-known for its frequency for encountering manta rays while snorkeling and diving, and since I’m like the only person in my entire Palau group to have not yet seen a manta ray, I spent the morning offering rice wine and chanting aquatic scripture to the manta gods in hopes that they would smile upon my humble soul. So our first stop was a place called Miil Channel – where it’s almost guaranteed to see a manta because well, you can’t really guarantee seeing anything when it comes to mother nature… save for a sunrise and sunset, and possibly the sun and moon, well, I guess also high and low tide… OK, but whatever, you get my point. So we coasted over to the manta “cleaning station” where they usually come to have fish swim in their mouths and eat whatever it is that fish deem a delicacy that found inside a manta ray’s mouth. I knew instantly that my chances had been decreased because the visibility was pretty poor and people had reported that the mantas weren’t really around the past few days. After about 30 minutes of sitting yoga style on the ocean floor, we labeled manta rays as mythical creatures and spent the remainder of the dive looking at corals and fish. I don’t know if it’s because the rice wine was too strong or if I skipped a verse of scripture, but the manta gods did not have mercy upon me, and I was truly bummed. After a slow, sea-sickness inducing boat ride to our next stop, Vertigo, we submerged to an hooked into the reef edge while 7-10 sharks swam curiously around and in front of us. The visibility at this site was excellent and reminded me of Palau’s Blue Corner, but the sharks were coming much closer than at Blue Corner. After about 20 minutes of checking us out the sharks departed for their daily chores and we finished the dive by cruising along the reef wall where we spotted several large bumphead parrot fish, a huge prehistoric looking lobster, and several species of reef fish. After each dive we were served hot cocoa, which tasted excellent and warmed us right up!
After eating breakfast at the hospital with my host father, we traveled about 45 minutes on manicured roads to Maap, the village that was declared the official site of Yap Day several years ago. I am not going to attempt to describe was transpired over the next two days (yes, “Yap Day” actually lasted two days), instead, I’ll defer to you my photo album where I’ve posted a photo journal of the time in Yap. I figure the pictures can speak far more words while giving you a visual adventure of what I experienced.
I spent my last day on Yap walking around Colonia, its capital city which is developed around a lagoon, and kayaking with the group to a deserted island that was once the home of an early Irish explorer/settler of Yap named O’Keefe. The story goes that when O’Keefe arrived to Yap he attempted, in vain, to get the Yapese to harvest copra (coconut “meat”) for him. When he soon realized the importance of stone money to the locals and how treacherous their voyage on local rafts and sailboats to Palau was to mine the stone to make the money, he ended up making a deal with the locals that if they harvested copra for him he would provide ships to help them in their travels between Yap and Palau – thus began a long term relationship with O’Keefe until he left the island. But before we ventured off on our kayak trip, we took turns jumping off the Manta Ray Resort restaurant, which is a large pirate ship looking thing that has been converted into a rather unique eating atmosphere. Although people do it on occasion, I think they tolerated us a bit more because we ate their several times during our stay and the owner is a former Peace Corps volunteer. But we had a blast doing it. I really wish I could upload videos to my blog so you could see our antics. Once I get back to the States, or anywhere with faster internet, I’ll upload all the videos I have wanted to during my service.
During my final and rather festive dinner with my host father and his family, they surprised me with two souvenirs – a beautiful hand-woven lava lava from the outer island where his wife is from and a small hand-woven basket/ “purse” that Yapese men use to carry their betel nut. While I was grateful for receiving both gifts, I was extremely excited about the lava lava because I had seen them for sale on the Yap Day grounds for $35 and then again in the souvenir shops for $80, so to acquire one for free from a high ranking person from the outer island where it was woven made it all the more special and it’s something I’ll cherish for years.
As I waited at the airport sporting 2 leis – one from each host family – I couldn’t help but reminisce on my wonderful vacation that was now coming to a close. And although it was slightly tarnished in the airport by a high ranking government official visiting Yap from another Pacific island who’s bark was much louder than his bite…………………………………. I had an amazing experience and look forward to visiting Yap again sometime in the future – maybe then the manta gods will look more favorably upon moi.
“Welcome to Yap. It has become a tradition here for us to land and then be taxied to the terminal due to on-going construction.” And with those words from my pilot, I reached Palau’s nearest island neighbor. I mean, I had heard that Yap was overflowing with tradition, but I had no clue that it spilled all the way to the uncomfortably short runway that forced pilots to slam down the airplane like they were landing on a Navy carrier. As I waited in the pre-dawn immigration line I couldn’t help but stare at the mountain-high stacks of luggage loaded precariously on Continental pickup trucks as they eased up a hill to the baggage claim area. I subtly, ashamedly, wondered if an avalanche of SCUBA and personal bags would spice up the morning the bit, but I also hoped that my suitcase wouldn’t be involved in the unfortunate event. But alas, I figure the airport personnel have become seasoned pros at luggage Jinga, so catastrophe was averted.
As soon as I decided to visit Yap my host mom contacted one her relatives living there to ensure I didn’t have to spend money on accommodations. But since I had no clue what he looked like, and ditto for him besides my host mom’s description that I’d be traveling with several other Peace Corps and would be the only one with a permanent tan, I ended up wandering around a bit giving lingering glances to bystanders in hopes to running into him. I’m sure this made some of the local men uncomfortable, especially an older guy sitting in the loincloth. So after a couple minutes of this and no luck, the host father of one of the PCVs in Yap gave me a ride to the house where I was supposed to be staying since it was in their same village. Upon arrival, I waited by the car as he woke up the wife of the guy I was supposed to be staying with, who was a bit confused as to why I had come with another family since her husband had gone to the airport to pick me up. So I and the wife got to chatting as we enjoyed a “chew,” the local slang for chewing betel nut. Anyways, the guy eventually returned and everything was fine. If it’s one thing Peace Corps emphasizes, it’s the importance of being flexible. As soon as the guy arrived he informed me that I wouldn’t be staying with him because he had a daughter who recently had a baby and that if I were a girl it’d be cool, but since I was a dude he had made arrangements for me to sleep elsewhere. So, he (heretofore referred to as “my host father”) took me to another family about 10 minutes away, and after making arrangements to meet me in the morning, I crashed for the night.
In the morning (well, a couple hours later since we arrived at 3am Friday) I was surprised to discover that I was actually staying on the same family compound as a PCV from my group that was stationed in Yap. So we got to spend the next 5 days catching up on his experience in Yap and what he planned on doing when our contract was up. The lady who hosted me was an extremely nice Yapese hospital employee who made sure that I was comfortable and gave a quick run-down on what I should and shouldn’t do and other faux pas to ensure I remained culturally appropriate. Since I was staying in her home, people in the community would consider me as part of their family, so it was important that I didn’t do anything that would be frowned upon. For example, the Yapese are a very respectful, modest people, so playing loud music, wandering through another village alone, or taking pictures of people’s homes and families without first asking permission could cause problems. The not-wandering-through-other-villages rule was reinforced as my host father drove me around on our way to breakfast. I had asked him if I could visit one of Yap’s famous stone money gardens and he told me one was in the next village over from where I was staying, but made it a point to emphasize that I mustn’t go over there if he didn’t go with me. I inquired more into this and what I understood was that the Yapese don’t really go to other villages without first letting a high ranking member of that village that they will be visiting and usually bring something on their visit as a show of respect. And although I wasn’t staying with my host father, he made it a point to take me to breakfast every day, give me to rides to the village where Yap Day was being held, and provide dinner for me on a few of the nights. My living arrangements and treatment from my host families only enhanced the wonderful experience that I had in Yap. And I felt fortunate to be able to have that “village experience” instead of being surrounded by tourists in a hotel. In the future, as I travel more, I hope to be able live with local families as much as possible because it adds such an authentic dimension to ones experience in a different country.
We designated Saturday for diving. Yap is well-known for its frequency for encountering manta rays while snorkeling and diving, and since I’m like the only person in my entire Palau group to have not yet seen a manta ray, I spent the morning offering rice wine and chanting aquatic scripture to the manta gods in hopes that they would smile upon my humble soul. So our first stop was a place called Miil Channel – where it’s almost guaranteed to see a manta because well, you can’t really guarantee seeing anything when it comes to mother nature… save for a sunrise and sunset, and possibly the sun and moon, well, I guess also high and low tide… OK, but whatever, you get my point. So we coasted over to the manta “cleaning station” where they usually come to have fish swim in their mouths and eat whatever it is that fish deem a delicacy that found inside a manta ray’s mouth. I knew instantly that my chances had been decreased because the visibility was pretty poor and people had reported that the mantas weren’t really around the past few days. After about 30 minutes of sitting yoga style on the ocean floor, we labeled manta rays as mythical creatures and spent the remainder of the dive looking at corals and fish. I don’t know if it’s because the rice wine was too strong or if I skipped a verse of scripture, but the manta gods did not have mercy upon me, and I was truly bummed. After a slow, sea-sickness inducing boat ride to our next stop, Vertigo, we submerged to an hooked into the reef edge while 7-10 sharks swam curiously around and in front of us. The visibility at this site was excellent and reminded me of Palau’s Blue Corner, but the sharks were coming much closer than at Blue Corner. After about 20 minutes of checking us out the sharks departed for their daily chores and we finished the dive by cruising along the reef wall where we spotted several large bumphead parrot fish, a huge prehistoric looking lobster, and several species of reef fish. After each dive we were served hot cocoa, which tasted excellent and warmed us right up!
After eating breakfast at the hospital with my host father, we traveled about 45 minutes on manicured roads to Maap, the village that was declared the official site of Yap Day several years ago. I am not going to attempt to describe was transpired over the next two days (yes, “Yap Day” actually lasted two days), instead, I’ll defer to you my photo album where I’ve posted a photo journal of the time in Yap. I figure the pictures can speak far more words while giving you a visual adventure of what I experienced.
I spent my last day on Yap walking around Colonia, its capital city which is developed around a lagoon, and kayaking with the group to a deserted island that was once the home of an early Irish explorer/settler of Yap named O’Keefe. The story goes that when O’Keefe arrived to Yap he attempted, in vain, to get the Yapese to harvest copra (coconut “meat”) for him. When he soon realized the importance of stone money to the locals and how treacherous their voyage on local rafts and sailboats to Palau was to mine the stone to make the money, he ended up making a deal with the locals that if they harvested copra for him he would provide ships to help them in their travels between Yap and Palau – thus began a long term relationship with O’Keefe until he left the island. But before we ventured off on our kayak trip, we took turns jumping off the Manta Ray Resort restaurant, which is a large pirate ship looking thing that has been converted into a rather unique eating atmosphere. Although people do it on occasion, I think they tolerated us a bit more because we ate their several times during our stay and the owner is a former Peace Corps volunteer. But we had a blast doing it. I really wish I could upload videos to my blog so you could see our antics. Once I get back to the States, or anywhere with faster internet, I’ll upload all the videos I have wanted to during my service.
During my final and rather festive dinner with my host father and his family, they surprised me with two souvenirs – a beautiful hand-woven lava lava from the outer island where his wife is from and a small hand-woven basket/ “purse” that Yapese men use to carry their betel nut. While I was grateful for receiving both gifts, I was extremely excited about the lava lava because I had seen them for sale on the Yap Day grounds for $35 and then again in the souvenir shops for $80, so to acquire one for free from a high ranking person from the outer island where it was woven made it all the more special and it’s something I’ll cherish for years.
As I waited at the airport sporting 2 leis – one from each host family – I couldn’t help but reminisce on my wonderful vacation that was now coming to a close. And although it was slightly tarnished in the airport by a high ranking government official visiting Yap from another Pacific island who’s bark was much louder than his bite…………………………………. I had an amazing experience and look forward to visiting Yap again sometime in the future – maybe then the manta gods will look more favorably upon moi.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Picture Update
So I've finally gotten around to uploading some long overdue pictures... bringing my web album to 2009. Enjoy!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
“The Morning After…”
2/22/09
So, as I had anticipated, today I woke up, did my daily internal system check, and realized that – bam! – I was no longer hampered with the woes of anthrospeedosis. But at the same time, the all too familiar sensation of a maybe too strong of a drink the previous night was present. But I’m not complaining…
So, yesterday I tackled two monstrous sea beasts that have been an abundant source of stress for the past several weeks – the GRE and Spelling Bee. The GRE, for the most past, wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be but I did drop the coconut when it came to time management on the quantitative sections… so I’m not sure how that’ll all turn out. In 6 weeks I’ll have the answer. As for the Spelling Bee, it went quite well considering the fact that my students only had around 2 months to study. I also learned that my school hasn’t participated in the event for at least the last 8 years, which totally baffles me since the kids and parents were so supportive this year. But I’m confident that they will continue to participate after I leave since one of the teachers assisted me in preparing the kids this year and has promised to carry the torch.
So what’s next? Well… Yap. Yap is one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia and widely considered to be the most traditional, in terms of culture, in this region. Around this time each year, Yap produces an internationally acclaimed event that draws tourists from around the world – Yap Day. I’m not sure if it’s a celebration of its independence or just a grand display of its culture, but ever since I arrived in Palau I’ve heard so much about this event and how I should go if I get the chance. Well, since I won’t be here around this time next year and am only an hour plane ride away, I’m going. I’ll be leaving on Friday this week and returning next Tuesday and am super excited about visiting Yap! I promise to take plenty pictures and blog ya all about it! Till then…
So, as I had anticipated, today I woke up, did my daily internal system check, and realized that – bam! – I was no longer hampered with the woes of anthrospeedosis. But at the same time, the all too familiar sensation of a maybe too strong of a drink the previous night was present. But I’m not complaining…
So, yesterday I tackled two monstrous sea beasts that have been an abundant source of stress for the past several weeks – the GRE and Spelling Bee. The GRE, for the most past, wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be but I did drop the coconut when it came to time management on the quantitative sections… so I’m not sure how that’ll all turn out. In 6 weeks I’ll have the answer. As for the Spelling Bee, it went quite well considering the fact that my students only had around 2 months to study. I also learned that my school hasn’t participated in the event for at least the last 8 years, which totally baffles me since the kids and parents were so supportive this year. But I’m confident that they will continue to participate after I leave since one of the teachers assisted me in preparing the kids this year and has promised to carry the torch.
So what’s next? Well… Yap. Yap is one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia and widely considered to be the most traditional, in terms of culture, in this region. Around this time each year, Yap produces an internationally acclaimed event that draws tourists from around the world – Yap Day. I’m not sure if it’s a celebration of its independence or just a grand display of its culture, but ever since I arrived in Palau I’ve heard so much about this event and how I should go if I get the chance. Well, since I won’t be here around this time next year and am only an hour plane ride away, I’m going. I’ll be leaving on Friday this week and returning next Tuesday and am super excited about visiting Yap! I promise to take plenty pictures and blog ya all about it! Till then…
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