I heard some people need a quick lesson on how to leave blog comments. Here's the 101.
Go to the end of a post. Click on the link that says "comments". It will then take you to the individualized page of that blog post. Go to the bottom and click "add comment". Type what you like. Please put your name somewhere in the post. Then click "submit" or whatever link, and it will ask you to type the text of a picture. Then, viola, blog, post, comment, boom!
If you need help with this, just post a comment to this post asking how to post a comment....
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The word for American in Pohnpeian also means Sneaky and Slow
It's been 5 weeks in Pohnpei, and I really can't see myself doing anything else with my life right now. I'm pretty happy that I live in the Pacific ocean helping children to be able to speak English. Everything is peachy.
Apparently the pressure is on for me to get married. There's literally been about 10 comments about me getting married while I'm here in Pohnpei. The girls here are all quite nice, dark skinned, small, pretty, and can cook. If you know me, that's kind of my cup of tea, so we'll see what 2 years does to Mr. I'm Not Getting Married Until I'm 30.
Eating the local food is quite an adventure. The concept of washing hands and serving with spoons (not hands) is lost here, but I'll be immune to about every known bacteria/virus after living here. Ants crawl all over the table at all times. Flies land on the food. If your food hasn't been touched by ants, you've probably eaten quickly. My favorite food here has been sashimi skipjack tuna. Mango runs a close 2nd place, but fresh skipjack caught on the same day is without comparison.
I fixed up my current guitar (my uncle from the opposite of the island is lending me his). Since it was missing the 6th string and because I wanted to say 'thank you' in some way, I put new strings on it. It plays like a champ now after the new strings, cobwebs removed from the inside, spider removed, and random papers removed from the inside. I'll once I move to my main site in late August, but for now that Fender is all mine! I tried to teach the song "Sarah Beth" to my host sister AnJanet today. She kept saying "Serepein" (girl in Pohnpeian) instead of "Sarah Beth". It was adorable.
I'm learning more and more language through practice all the time, and I suppose in 6 months I'll be at a level where I can understand the general meaning of every conversation, at least that's my goal.
OH! I just unlocked my blackberry, so I'll be using that for local phone service here on Pohnpei. I'll be sure to send people the # just in case you want to get in touch with me quickly. Just remember, I live 7 hours behind you but a day ahead. Screws with your mind, right? It does to me.
I can't think of anything else to post, but if you think of anything you want to know, just post a question in the comments section. I'll be sure to get on it.
Kasalelia.
Apparently the pressure is on for me to get married. There's literally been about 10 comments about me getting married while I'm here in Pohnpei. The girls here are all quite nice, dark skinned, small, pretty, and can cook. If you know me, that's kind of my cup of tea, so we'll see what 2 years does to Mr. I'm Not Getting Married Until I'm 30.
Eating the local food is quite an adventure. The concept of washing hands and serving with spoons (not hands) is lost here, but I'll be immune to about every known bacteria/virus after living here. Ants crawl all over the table at all times. Flies land on the food. If your food hasn't been touched by ants, you've probably eaten quickly. My favorite food here has been sashimi skipjack tuna. Mango runs a close 2nd place, but fresh skipjack caught on the same day is without comparison.
I fixed up my current guitar (my uncle from the opposite of the island is lending me his). Since it was missing the 6th string and because I wanted to say 'thank you' in some way, I put new strings on it. It plays like a champ now after the new strings, cobwebs removed from the inside, spider removed, and random papers removed from the inside. I'll once I move to my main site in late August, but for now that Fender is all mine! I tried to teach the song "Sarah Beth" to my host sister AnJanet today. She kept saying "Serepein" (girl in Pohnpeian) instead of "Sarah Beth". It was adorable.
I'm learning more and more language through practice all the time, and I suppose in 6 months I'll be at a level where I can understand the general meaning of every conversation, at least that's my goal.
OH! I just unlocked my blackberry, so I'll be using that for local phone service here on Pohnpei. I'll be sure to send people the # just in case you want to get in touch with me quickly. Just remember, I live 7 hours behind you but a day ahead. Screws with your mind, right? It does to me.
I can't think of anything else to post, but if you think of anything you want to know, just post a question in the comments section. I'll be sure to get on it.
Kasalelia.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Home is where you're sent.
We had our site placements yesterday on Friday June 6th, and apparently Peace Corps thought I'd be a kickass 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teacher here on Pohnpei, Micronesia! I'll be stationed in a small community with less than 150 people (isolation anyone???) and in an elementary school with 70 or so students. Here's what I know about my placement as of now:
I'll be living on a compound with 20 or so family members whose names all start with the letter J.
My house dad is the 2nd highest chief on the entire island of Pohnpei (extremely important).
My house brothers are apparently extremely good-looking (The current female volunteers apparently have huge crushes on them).
It's an hour's drive from Kolonia to my site in Kitti (pronounced /key-chee/)
I move to that house and start working at that elementary school on August 15th ish. I'm really going to miss living with my current host family because we've made a good bond. I'm excited to continue learning Pohnpeian because I've already learned a fair amount of it. I'm also excited to start working and stop training. I'm excited to make really good connections with all of the other Peace Corps Volunteers who are stationed on Pohnpei (I believe there are 6 of us). In general, I'm excited/anxious to start my service instead of being in tourist/trainee mode.
I haven't been getting too homesick, but there are times when I miss you all from back home. I've been trying to limit my Facebook/internet time to once per 2 days since I have it at my current house, but it's hard to keep to that.
We've been running a 2 week summer school called Model School for about 200 Pohnpeian elementary students, and we just finished our first week. I'm working with exactly the age group I'll be working with in the future, and I believe that I can really have a good impact on some students in my future community. Teaching 11 year old kids isn't that bad, and I actually have kind of enjoyed this week in teaching them. One part that does suck is planning (Lesson planning would die a slow death in the burning pits of hell if I had a say in it).
In all, my first month of Peace Corps has been exciting. They call it the 'Honeymoon Phase', and I definitely have been aware of that. The next phase is supposed to be a little easier in some ways and harder in others, and we'll see how I do in that.
Well, it's Saturday night, and it's time to go party. Pwon Mwaow (goodnight)!
I'll be living on a compound with 20 or so family members whose names all start with the letter J.
My house dad is the 2nd highest chief on the entire island of Pohnpei (extremely important).
My house brothers are apparently extremely good-looking (The current female volunteers apparently have huge crushes on them).
It's an hour's drive from Kolonia to my site in Kitti (pronounced /key-chee/)
I move to that house and start working at that elementary school on August 15th ish. I'm really going to miss living with my current host family because we've made a good bond. I'm excited to continue learning Pohnpeian because I've already learned a fair amount of it. I'm also excited to start working and stop training. I'm excited to make really good connections with all of the other Peace Corps Volunteers who are stationed on Pohnpei (I believe there are 6 of us). In general, I'm excited/anxious to start my service instead of being in tourist/trainee mode.
I haven't been getting too homesick, but there are times when I miss you all from back home. I've been trying to limit my Facebook/internet time to once per 2 days since I have it at my current house, but it's hard to keep to that.
We've been running a 2 week summer school called Model School for about 200 Pohnpeian elementary students, and we just finished our first week. I'm working with exactly the age group I'll be working with in the future, and I believe that I can really have a good impact on some students in my future community. Teaching 11 year old kids isn't that bad, and I actually have kind of enjoyed this week in teaching them. One part that does suck is planning (Lesson planning would die a slow death in the burning pits of hell if I had a say in it).
In all, my first month of Peace Corps has been exciting. They call it the 'Honeymoon Phase', and I definitely have been aware of that. The next phase is supposed to be a little easier in some ways and harder in others, and we'll see how I do in that.
Well, it's Saturday night, and it's time to go party. Pwon Mwaow (goodnight)!
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