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...
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