Stitch comes to Church (01/11/10)

As you may have figured by my having to post all my blogs at once, the internet is not very good where we are. The high school has wireless, but there is no method as to when it’s working. I would guess it works about 3 minutes of every hour- which has made communication a bit difficult so far.

There are plenty of dogs here, and while most seem harmless, others bark and growl in warning to protect their property. I was pleased to find upon arrival that we have our own WorldTeach dog named Stitch. And by our own dog, I mean WorldTeach volunteers usually take care of him, so he obliges himself to follow us everywhere serving as protection. He follows Morgan into both class and church! I’d never had a dog that wasn’t the traditional “pet”, and now I’m starting to see their true use. By the end of the first day, as Stitch was walking us home from a neighbor’s in the dark, I felt compelled to pet him though his fleas, ticks, and sores swayed me otherwise. It’s hard not to feel bad for him, as he walks us everywhere on a wounded (probably broken) leg from a dog fight. I felt compelled to ask my mom to send some dog treats for him.

Last night was my first Sunday here, and both Marci and Morgan have joined local churches to play a role in the community. The three of us went together to a catholic mass, performed by a constantly smiling and jovial Indonesian missionary. I don’t think I can describe his perkiness in words. Stitch followed us in, unwelcomed, and sat by our sides.

After the mass, everyone gathered for a pot luck dinner. Chatting with local women, I saw the plates were being prepared and delivered to each individual. I saw the heaps of food on each plate and my mouth dropped. A second later I realized that each person was getting TWO of these mountainous plates. Anxiety crept over me as I stared at the amount of food staring at me. One plate contained piles of rice, coconut rice, pineapple (with mayo?), green beans (with mayo?), breadfruit, ramen, pasta, and desert. The second plate (dibbed the “meat plate”) held pork, turkey, chicken, a fish, sashimi, ribs, and octopus.

As I finished eating everything I knew I liked (not much), and was pondering where to start next, Stitch popped over, clenched my meat plate in his jaw, and made a run for it. My shock and anger was quickly overcome with hidden glee, as I would not have to make an excuse for not eating the rest of my food (there is no way I could bring myself to eat octopus).

As the scene lost attention, I was quickly brought a SECOND meat plate, to replace my stolen one. I started in on the chicken and realized Stitch was under me eating a bone that he suddenly mistook my sandal for. I felt his gnawing and moved in reaction. Stitch jumped away, bumping the bench that was serving as a table, and my meat plate yet again went flying to the joy of Stitch. The first time was partly funny, the second time I was entirely embarrassed. I was the new person in town, and I’d let my dog get my plate not once, but twice. My affection towards Stitch quickly diminished for the day.

First Days Gugeegue (01/10/10)

I finally arrived to Gugeegue yesterday! After a quick plane ride, I arrived at the Kwajelein US Military base. After being shuttled about, we were finally dropped in a holding area to wait for our luggage before leaving the base by boat. I quickly realized everyone knew who I was, and was dubbed the new WorldTeach teacher. While I was initially told I would be working at the elementary school on Ebeye, I had also heard word that I may be switched to the high school on Gugeegue. While waiting for my bags, I met the daughter of both a teacher at the elementary school and the highschool principal. Another woman next to me knew that someone from the elementary school had come to pick me up, and without my knowledge, they had gone looking for her. I realized quickly that word spreads instantaneously here.

I was finally met by the familiar face of my roommate Morgan who was nice enough to come meet me and we took a water taxi to Ebeye. While the boat was small and speeding to the point where it felt like a rollercoaster, the sun was shining and the water was a turquoise blue. I was definitely not in Majuro anymore.

The water taxi docked in Ebeye, the ½ square mile or so filled with thousands and thousands of people. It actually wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. I was predicting and aura of slums and poverty, but while houses were shack-like and built upon each other, everyone seemed friendly enough and the community seemed safe.

While we had made it to Ebeye, Gugeegue was still 5 miles away on a tiny road connecting the islands made of sand, gravel, rocks, and massive pot holes. Fortunately, we were able to get in touch with the elementary school (where I still wasn’t sure I’d be teaching) and they sent someone to drive us.

Arriving at our housing was nothing short of appalling. After initially being placed on an outer island which would have no amenities, I walked into Morgan and my apartment- a spacious two bedroom full furnished American style apartment. It has AC, large beds, a full kitchen, and even a little tv for dvds. You wouldn’t even know you were in the Marshall Islands while sitting in it. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Guegeegue is a small island community, with 100 or so people living on it. There are 2 high schools, one being a private catholic school and the other is the Kwajalein atoll high school (about 30 steps from my door front). Standing in the middle of the island, you can see the water on either side of you- the ocean on one and the lagoon on the other (the Kwajalein lagoon is the largest in the world). Guegeegue town is about a minute walk away and consists of two short rows of houses. Unfortunately, though the water is beautiful, there is little beach, mainly just rocks.

While it is beautiful here, I would have maybe sacrificed the luxury of my apartment for a more traditional area for the cultural experience, as many around us speak English and are familiar with the western cultures. Spearfishing, outrigger canoes, amimono (traditional crafts), and other traditions that seemed so common in the outer islands don’t seem to take place here. It leaves an awkward space between Marshallese traditions and western life. Most activities of western life are not entirely available to us here, yet neither are the Marshallese. I’m assuming it’s going to be very easy to get bored here, so I’ll just have to be creative. So much for learning to spearfish…

The climate is very dry and windy, as the rainy season has passed. Everything isn’t green with flowers like on Samoa. With the dry season also comes water shortage. We have a catchment behind out apartment, and have to be very thoughtful about our water usage.

I live with Morgan, who is a recent college graduate like myself. Across the yard lives Marci, another WorldTeach volunteer who works at Brandeis in Waltham. Both Morgan and Marci work at the high school and have been extremely welcoming.

Other than some wine making with some neighbors (it’s hard to come by here), I haven’t experienced much else of Gugeegue, and I’m sure my first impressions will change as they do.


This is pretty much the whole island of Gugeegue, other than the 2 high schools, an old rotting helicopter pad, and a few houses, there isnt much too it. As you can see, there is water all around us.

the apartment:

World War 2 wrecks are all around



Our backyard:

Majuro (01/08/10)

After two days of traveling, we arrived in Majuro to join all the volunteers for their three day mid-service conference. Everyone was put up in a hotel which was nice. We certainly were not expecting AC. Since most volunteers had just arrived from outer islands, they were excited to have AC, hot water, and good food. The picture above is the view from our hotel. There is water everywhere.

Fortunately, we were all together in Majuro for New Year’s Eve! Majuro’s one road had a few blocks closed for the annual block party, which held some local bands, and stands for food and drinks (and an opportunity to try yeast). The Marshall Islands is 17 hours ahead of East Coast time, and is the first time zone in the world. We were the first to welcome in the new year, though like everything else, it was done on island time (the countdown was not done until 12:15 or so). Thispicture is of the block party:





After the mid-service conference, the old volunteers returned to their placements- or tried to. The planes to the outer islands don’t run frequently, and sometimes don’t run at all. On the Jaluit Atoll, the planes had to stop running because the airstrip was covered with clam shells (I couldn’t help but laugh). The alternative is to take a boat out to your island, which are not passenger boats. One volunteer told how she had traveled nine days sleeping in cargo of a boat just to get to the conference. Needless to say, after the conference many volunteers were left as stragglers waiting for some form of transportation. We new volunteers were staying in Majuro an extra week as well for a few orientation sessions (or lack of) and to spend time with the other volunteers and learn from them. The program put us all up in two apartments, which while miniature and requiring lots of sleeping on the floor, allowed for some quality bonding.

The other volunteers we met were all welcoming. Their stories of the outer islands made me jealous, almost wishing I was headed to one. One had a hut built for her on the water, another had an outrigger canoe made and named after her. They were all close with their Marshallese families, and their language skills were extremely impressive. While I’m sure the stories we heard were a lot of the best times they had had, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

After spending almost two weeks in Majuro, we came to the conclusion there is not much to do there, yet many ways to spend lots of money. Majuro is one long road, with little on it. There are a few restaurants (karaoke is apparently very popular) and groceries, one movie theater and a bowling alley. For the most part it is not very attractive (though how can any place be ENTIRELY unattractive that is right on the water) and reminds you that you are in a third world country. Most of our time was spent sitting outside the hotel we had initially stayed at to get free internet, or spending money on the ridiculously overpriced groceries at the payless (the main grocery store). The girls spent a little time shopping for traditional clothing, as shoulders and knees must always be covered. Women here wear for the most part either Guam dresses (great for sleeping in, swimming in, or lounging around in), Mumus (a fancier guam dress), or Pohnpei skirts (colorful and decorative long skirts). We also discovered most volunteers had ukuleles and had learned to play, which I was very excited for and eager to do. Before long, we succumbed to boredom and were anxious to head to our placements.



This is what a lot of Majuro looked like...

World Teach in the Marshall Islands (01/08/10)

For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in the Marshall Islands with WorldTeach. I was looking at a few of WorldTeach’s programs in the Pacific and stumbled upon this 6 month program, and since I hadn’t yet been to the Marshall Islands, my curiosity forced me to apply.

The Marshall Islands is different from most countries because it is made of 27(?) atolls. An atoll is like a group of small islands surrounding a lagoon, but unlike typical islands, they are flat with little vegetation and extremely small.

World Teach has different kinds of placements in the Marshall Islands. While everyone serves as a teacher and most teach English, your location can give you a very different experience. Majuro is the main atoll, and the capital of the Marshall Islands. Being placed there you would have access to a movie theater, internet, restaurants, and the main airport; though you would have less of a cultural experience. The second placement type is Ebeye. Ebeye is an island in the Kwajelein Atoll that is less than half a square mile and has a population of over 13,000. I’ve heard it is the densest population in the world. Since it is near a military base on a nearby island, many speak English. While it does not have most amenities, it does have the basics. The third placement option is the outer islands, which makes up most of the placements. On outer islands you live in small communities. The villages are usually very traditional, going spear fishing and boating in outrigger canoes. For the most part, there is no electricity, water, phone, or internet. There are also no other volunteers placed in visiting distance. Isolated seems to be an understatement for the outer islands.

Most volunteers started this past summer, and the five of us who just arrived are joining to serve as replacements for this spring term. After sending in my application, I was told all new volunteers would be placed on the outer islands. While I was excited to explore traditional Marshallese life, the extreme isolation and lack of communication made me a little anxious (most outer islands only have a radio as communication).

After having mentally prepared myself for life on an outer island, I found out my placement had changed while I was halfway through packing. I found out I would be teaching English at an elementary school on Ebeye and living on a nearby island. While I knew my stories of “roughing it to the extreme” now wouldn’t exist, I was at ease to know I would have some communication AND another volunteer to live with. December 27th I was off to Majuro for some orientation.