Life in the Fast Lane on the Slowest Lifestyle Island

I've been slacking off on the whole blog thing for a while. I could lie and say that I've been busy with school and things, but honestly, when people say things like "Oh I've been busy" it just means they haven't cared enough to do that thing. So let's skip the lying and jump right into the action. Light man, are you lit? Cameraman, are you clothed? Director, are you done checking your Facebook? Then let's kick this pig!

Some weeks ago the other volunteers and I found ourselves in the President of the FSM's office being thanked for our volunteer service. The President gave a nice speech about how his life and his countrymen have been positively affected from many years of Peace Corps Volunteers, Japanese Volunteers, Jesuits, World Teach Volunteers, and other groups. At the end of his speech, he proceeded to shoot himself in the foot (maybe); he said, perhaps just as a gesture of gratitude, that he would do anything to express his appreciation by anything such as organizing a fishing trip for us and himself. I waited impatiently until the end of his speech to talk to him to hold him to his word. I wanted to go fishing, bad. I had yet to go deep sea fishing, and what a better opportunity than to go the first time with a President. Right as I thought I was going to be the first one to test the President's waters on if he was sincere about his offer, two other volunteers from other organizations beat me to it. Good. So we signed up for a fishing trip, and within 10 days I was waking up at 4am to meet the President on a police patrol boat to go trolling for tuna. Now this boat was a monster. A true quarter horse of the seas. It was cruising flawlessly over huge waves at 40mph heading to Pakin Island about 18 miles from Pohnpei. The boat cabin was insane with air conditioning and a ridiculous GPS system that I’m sure the NSA was snooping on. We proceeded to have not much luck at all. The next 4 hours was as close to pure boredom as possible. I can't imagine being a sailor or a pirate if that's what it's like. Yo ho yo ho; screw that. I did however catch the most awesome yellow fin tuna possible. After multiple head droopings and slobber attacks after catching the tuna, we headed back to Pohnpei and sliced up the two tuna that we caught as a group. I can't put into words how amazing that sashimi was. Literally caught three hours ago, it was the tenderest succulent meal I've probably ever had (on par with buffalo steaks). If there were some hash tags for my fish deep sea fishing trip... #Doubledrool #Theonepercentproblems #Wheresthebeer?

School just started two weeks ago. Sorry, I just laughed myself there a little bit. Let me correct that statement. School just started one week ago. For our first week of school I was hoping to establish myself with the students, build up some good working relationships with my co teachers and staff, and do my job of co teaching and co planning. We started on Monday, August 26th. The first thing I noticed was how well my kids (yes, they're my kids now) could speak English already. It was clear as night and day the difference between Salapwuk English and Nett Elementary English. I would say that 30% of my students already speak English fluently with American accents. It blew my mind how I could say something funny like a joke or a play on words and they would understand me. It was incredible, but short-lived. School ended at 11:55am, a half day. I thought to myself, "Great. It's an easy day to ease the kids into the school life again. We'll hit it hard tomorrow." I should have known better. The next day there were rumors of a half day. Even the teachers didn't know the truth. Magically at 11:30 we heard the news. Half day again. Okay, maybe the kids needed two days to ease into it. Next day, half day. Oh, and the next, GUESS WHAT?! Half day. All the way through Friday the word "half" became "whole". The reason I came to figure out of why they were having half days was because there were transfer students going in and out of the school, but how does putting new kids in a class have anything to do with the amount of school in a day? Nothing, that's what. After the Monday half day, I figured out the real reason. "Well we had a half day yesterday. Why not today too?"

Enough complaining. I must say that Nett Elementary School's staff is excellent. The students have been wonderful. The facilities are awesome. People seem to care about their education. The students want to do their work. Behavior issues have been minimal. It's been a dream job for the past two weeks.

After school I've been keeping plenty busy with sports. I just finished up playing in a basketball tournament and a soccer tournament. My basketball skills have been long gone, if I ever had any. Honestly, I think I did a way better job at coaching my team than playing in one. I think it's that teacher's mentality that I've come to acquire after tutoring in college, teaching in Spain, and Peace Corps. However bad I might have been on the hardwood, on the grass I actually held up my own. I played with a mixture of Americans, British, and Pohnpeians on the Sokehs team, and we finished up third in the tournament. I have to say that I've really come to enjoy playing soccer over my Peace Corps service, and I've gotten a lot better at it than before. My best game in the tournament consisted of me putting 6 balls behind a goalie and into the net. By the end of the game I was tired of scoring. I kept telling my teammates to stop giving me good passes towards the goal. It was fun, too much fun. There's another soccer season coming up this fall. My name will be on the registration list.

I find myself smiling a lot. I feel integrated. I feel like I'm slightly making a difference. I feel happy. This year is going to be a ton easier than my last year, and I'm scared that it's going to go by too fast.

Here's to living life in the fast lane on an island with the slowest paced lifestyle in the world. Cheers.

Officially a Pohnpeian Man

In 6 days, I will have been a Peace Corps Volunteer for a year. Damn. That's a long time. People keep asking me how long I've been here, and I keep astounding myself when I say it's been a year. Part of me can't believe that it's been a year, and the other part can't believe that it's been only a year. This comes back to the concept of island time, no seasons to mentally mark a year, and a long drawn out summer. Without a doubt, it's been the best year of my life.

I also have to brag here for a bit, so pardon the slight ego trip. People keep telling me how good I am at speaking in Pohnpeian to the point where it's slightly getting annoying. I'm tempted to just start speaking in English and manokehla lokian Pohnpei. I do feel like my fluency has increased dramatically over the summer along with my vocabulary even though I'm now in the main town rather than in Salapwuk. It's a little counterintuitive, don't you think? Maybe I'm more confident now I'm here in town than in Salapwuk because I know I can rely on English, and I think that this confidence (or maybe I should say lack of being scared of making mistakes) is allowing the words to flow easier. Along with the increase in language has come a slight enlightening of Pohnpeian culture; people now say that I'm a Pohnpeian man because I act and sound like one. This makes me feel awesome because it's part of what I came here to do: integrate into a community. When people tell you that you are not "American" and that you're "Pohnpeian", you know you've come a long way. Smiles all around. [End ego trip]

After my spectacular Malaysian vacation I arrived back in Pohnpei with the fear of being caught in a web of boredom. Luckily I had some boredom evaders on hand. I got to coach a basketball team for an FSM wide tournament held here in Pohnpei. I got to hold the title of "Coach" for a little while, and it was probably the most enjoyable secondary project I've done with my time here. After coaching ended (some swift kicks in the pants in the form of lost close games), I needed another project. [Cue the National Geographic theme song] That's when some guys from Living Tongues, a linguistic team funded by National Geographic, came to Pohnpei. I got to help them create online talking dictionaries for two outer island languages by verbally recording speakers' speech and inserting the best English letter spellings into an online database. Here's the link to it: Online Talking Dictionary. It was my dream job. The Living Tongues guys are my heroes. I can now die knowing I got to be a linguist for a short period of time. After that another staring contest with boredom occurred until I got the chance to assist the Pohnpeian language training for the new Peace Corps Trainees (soon to become volunteers on August 14th!). My main goal was to take their sometimes confusing language handbook and from the dust create activities to make sure the words don't slip out the trainees' ears. It's been fun, and it's been even more fun to confuse the Madelonihmw trainees with my Kitti accent.

To conclude this brief message I've been winning the fight against boredom. I've had a great summer, I've met some awesome contacts, and I'm excited for the upcoming year. To all my homies back in the States, I miss you like a fat kid misses candy at fat camp. Sorry, let me pc that statement. I miss you like an obese child misses sweets at Wellspring Camps. Look it up.

From Malaysia, With Love.

Top of the morn' to ya folks.  I just came back from my trip to Malaysia, and it was probably the best time of my life.  I met so many cool people from all walks of life, ate a LOT of good food, and I saw a bunch of good touristy/non-touristy spots.  To sum up my trip, I'd like to share some things I've learned and experienced there in numbered points.  Bear with me...

1. No matter where you go, English is the international language of communication. 
There were too many times where I would be talking with people from Germany, Finland, America, Malaysia, and other countries at the same table, and we were all communicating and having a good time through one means of communication: English.  Although we all looked different, had different cultures, and economic backgrounds, we were all able to come together through our common language.  That was very comforting to me, not only because I didn't have to worry too much about miscommunication, but because it shows that our world is becoming more involved with each other.

2. Western Culture is everywhere.
There were multiple times where I was walking past Starbucks on a marble floor in a huge mall watching women run around in short shorts (I miss short shorts).  The consumerism culture is HUUUGGEE in Kuala Lumpur; buy, buy, buy!  At first it was absolutely overwhelming to me.  I was kind of getting used to escalators still while were were looking at which Samsung Galaxy was cheapest (almost bought a tablet).  The reoccurring question of 'which place is more western?' kept coming to me, and I honestly believe that Kuala Lumpur is more 'western' than Denver.  Crazy, right?

3. Muslims are really nice people and aren't that different from any other religion
Just as there are many kinds of Catholics (orthodox, uptight, relaxed, and just those ones who are addicted to repenting! haha) there are many kinds of Muslims.  At first when I saw women completely covered from head to toe with black veils I was a little shocked, but as soon as I learned the reasons behind their clothing I actually understood their practice; Muslims believe that a woman should only be able to seduce her husband and that showing any body parts other than the eyes is a way to seduce other men.  While I can see their point and appreciate it, I must say that some of those Muslim women were definitely trying to seduce me with their gorgeous eyes.  No matter how much you see of a woman, you still know it's a woman.

Muslims are also very loving people.  I got to briefly know a Muslim family who was absolutely wonderful.  They fasted during Ramadan, they accepted me into their home, and were just the most lovely people.  I truly got to know better the belief of how all religions are the same, or better said, how religions make good people no matter which one it is.

4. You never know where you'll meet good people
I wasn't expecting to meet too many people during my trip, but I did.  I met a wonderful girl named Lia, and we spent days exploring her city like tourists.  It's funny how when you live somewhere you never go see your place's tourist sites...  I also met a guy from Russia, girls from Finland, a guy from the Netherlands, local Malaysians, and many others.  All really good and interesting people who made my trip unforgettable, and I will definitely be seeing at least one of them in the future :)

Okay now, enough talk!  Picture time!

Kentucky Fried Chicken never tasted soooo good.

Cheap Indian food filled my stomach all the time

Chinatown: where you can buy almost anything for next to nothing.

Monkeys!

Petronas Towers.  Ya, I conquered them.

Coconut trees in a concrete jungle.

Lia and I decided to become Indians for a day.

Fish spas are scary.

Paul (from Russia) and I on top of the KL Communication Tower.

I went to the National Mosque during call to prayer.  A very humbling experience.

My Malaysian friend Mia with her Lilo and Stich Galaxy 4s phone.  Mia and Lilo are about the same in that they have unlimited energy and never stop moving.

Batu Caves.

I don't follow directions very well.



Any questions about my vacation?  Just leave a comment!

I miss you all back home, and I miss all of my new Malaysian friends.  Sama Sama (thanks).

Busily Bored

Summer: the time when everyone enjoys hot weather, one day of fireworks, and children peeing in pools.  Well for me it's been hot weather, the occasional beer, and a mixed period of being completely bored and feeling slightly overbooked. 

It started about a week ago.  I woke up at the crack of 10am to decide whether I should think about getting up or whether I should skip the internal 20 minute conversation and just get up.  I chose the latter because I was feeling ambitious. 

One productive decision leads to another...

I went to the Peace Corps office to kill some swings of the clock when my friend Ben walked in.  We convinced me that being a bum, although a respectable profession, was not the best way to spend my summer.  We headed to the Upward Bound office which runs a program for high school students during summer, and within 20 minutes I found myself signed up to teach a Junior Literature class four days a week. 

Two productive decisions lead to another...

After feeling slightly less hobo-ish, I walked to the library after hearing about a meeting after a planned meeting to the addendum of a meeting (basically, there was no meeting) to have a kids summer reading program.  I talked to the library director and basically begged him for some sort of free labor to do.  He signed me up for the reading program, and he also gave me some "come whenever you want to" book entry work.

Three productive decisions lead to another...

Two days later I was referenced to the Sports Office here in Pohnpei to see if there were any sports I could help out with.  I fell right smack dab into a meeting about a basketball tournament starting on July 15th.  Perfect.  By the time I headed out the door, I had a new title: Coach of Team 3 "The Underdogs".  We've had two practices, and my team is going to win the tournament.  This information is based on little to nothing, but whatever.

Four productive decisions lead to another...

On another referral (I think Peace Corps office gave me these referrals because they wanted me to stop drinking all of their coffee) I got a call from a IREI (Island Research and Education Initiative)  asking me to help in writing a book.  What the book is about or how much I'll be writing/helping I have no idea, but I like the idea of having my name on the list of supporting authors.  I start tomorrow.

Five productive decisions lead to... me locking my imaginary scheduling book for now.  It's a great start (or shall I say midway start since it's already mid-June) to my summer.  I've also been taking my little sisters and two other little relatives to the pool and the library, and I've also been letting them ABUSE my Gameboy and Ipod.  Mom, I know now why you locked up our N64; these kids won't stop playing video games!  It's been fun to hang out with the kids because I feel like I'm getting "dad practice".  Knowing when to say "yes" and "no" to my sisters' thousands of requests has been quite the learning experience over the past month.

To sum it all up, I'm busy and having fun, and that's all that matters.

1 year - The Foreign Country Isn't So Foreign Anymore

The gravity of this post really hasn't hit me yet.  While I've been here in Pohnpei, my planet has been busy making a whole revolution around our sun.  We've both been very busy the earth and I.

This year, and especially these last 5 months, has been the most intense personal growth period of my life.  I've learned to be more at ease with my personality and to take on life with a sense of I can control my situation more.  That's one of the reasons why I wanted to be a volunteer, and I feel like I've been a rock tumbling down a river becoming more smooth and refined as I meander down.  I feel comfortable.  I feel great.  I feel like Nick.

During this past year, I've been through hell, heaven, and thousands of "meh..." days.  Bacteria have become my new best friends, cold showers are actually relaxing, and the Pohnpeian language has gone from being something unpronounceable to being a social tool I use to connect with people (especially the ladies ;)).  Also, some serious cognitive dissonances have become common mental thought processes for me.  Dogs, for one, can be hit and fed next to nothing, but I can still go play and pet them.  I can go eat a hamburger in town and then instantly go to cooking rice on an outside fire without thinking twice.  Certain foods like bacon and ice cream (a good combination I must say) are now scavenging opportunities instead of culinary choices like in the States.  Socially, I can talk with Americans for hours about personal issues and in the next hour I can go back to traditional Pohnpeian society and not discuss feelings for days.

I've changed.

But I've changed mostly for good, and that feeling is a huge accomplishment for me.

There are so many misunderstandings, dangerous excursions, and accomplishments that have been jam packed into 2012-2013.  I can't do them all justice, and that sucks.

The mental unspoken question that's going through my mind is "Would you choose Peace Corps again knowing what you know now?".  Yes, no doubt.

I've got another whole year to go.  Here's to the past, and here's to the adventure that lies ahead of me.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Go Pee at 3am

I lived with just my mom and sister for a good amount of my life.  I've learned how to share the bathroom, deal with mood swings, and understand the necessity of a once a month band aid.  That was for 2 females. 

How about for more than 110 packed in a place with 3 toilets, 3 showers, and limited space?

That was Camp G.L.O.W. in the shortest of blurbs.  In all, it was a great experience where us Peace Corps Volunteers had the chance to teach 8th grade girls about the things to come in high school and with being a woman.

Some highlights were teaching some girls taekwondo, staying awake at night to make sure no Micronesian borrowing happened to our supplies, and telling multiple girls that 3am is not the time to hang out by the bathroom.

It was a great camp, but afterwards I needed a lot of sleep.  Girls are tiring.

Other news: I'm starting up my summer here in Kolonia looking for any volunteer activities to keep myself occupied.  I'm planning to do a summer reading camp at the library and coach some sports teams here, maybe even introduce Kolonia to Ultimate Frisbee!

Here's some Camp G.L.O.W. pictures.  Enjoy!

The Campers and "Staff".

Making Local Baskets.

Fun.

Dance Party.  Yes, I made a fool of myself.

The Blind Snake Leadership Activity.

Sunsets Forever.

Summertime on an Island Feels Like Winter

Well, it's officially been a year; well, almost.  Close to 11 1/2 months anyway.  Summer has just unofficially started, and that means a dilemma for a Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to an education position.  It means a huge change in my daily routine.  It means no students, no teachers, no classrooms ( *cough* Alice Cooper, it's your time to sing).  But here's what it really means:

Boredom.

To combat this brain-drain, I've been trying to find some other projects to take up my time.  I'm researching into the public library to see if I can help with their summer reading program and general library duties ( *cough* *hmmhmmm* Mr. Cooper, you can stop singing now).  I've been working on my school's library for the past month with categorizing books and helping the kids to sign-out books, so if needed I could boost my verbal resume' with that.

I also have some vacations planned.  The biggest being to Malaysia to party and see the beautiful country.

In other words, this summer is going to be a lot of downtime, but I'm going to use this opportunity to volunteer and see the world.  Oh, and it'd probably be a good time to skype with you guys more frequently than the once per never I'm currently doing.

More to come, and I hope you're enjoying your delicious hamburgers wherever you are.  Oh how I miss hamburgers.  And chicken nuggets.  And beer.  And wings.  Oh food...