Hello,

So I’ve started work. I am officially Teacher Jessica or just Teacher. My community is now full so we started our weekly schedule. Sunday nights we have spirituality night, Thursday nights we have community night, Wednesday nights I cook for everyone and over the weekends we rotate cleaning…because our apartment is NOT clean! So this week is the first week of the full schedule and I’m ready for a break…and it’s only Wednesday. I have gotten through the first three days of teaching though. The first two days went well. I was able to do the same thing each day with all the classes because we have block schedule. The first two days with each class I gave them information on the class and myself and then had them write about what respect means to them. Then I broke them into groups to talk about respect and come up with three words to put on the board. We did that and I tried to get each of the groups to tell us why they picked the words but getting them to talk was like pulling teeth. Chukese students are very shy and don’t like to talk much. At least not the first day of class. It went decent though. I was able to get the point across that I expect respect in the classroom and will also do my best to be respectful to them. If we finished with that discussion I had them write about themselves, but I don’t know all the 105 names so I don’t know what face told me what…oops. I also had them make name signs for their desks but they didn’t have them today when I was in the room…arg. We’re going to have to work on that or I’ll never learn the names. I did the same thing yesterday with the sophomores and then crashed and slept longer than I was supposed to, so planning my lesson for today happened late at night and early this morning. We reviewed past present and future verbs, which i think was a super boring review for some. I have soooo much to teach myself about English before I continue to teach it, so tonight, before or after cooking dinner, I’m going to work my butt off to plan for tomorrow and learn what it is that I am planning. I also have papers to finish grading before planning my two lessons….Being a teacher is soooooooooo much work, and 1.5 hour lessons are a long time to speak and teach. Public speaking here I come!!! Woosh! I get so thirsty. Yesterday and today though I made my classes scream after I made a fool of myself screaming. I want them to openly talk in class. I want to have fun in class. As long as they are being respectful and paying attention when we are leaning, I want the application to be fun…and that takes some energy!!! I think I got my workout already for the day! My students all seem great too. They all have minor English mistakes, but in general their English is pretty good. I really think if they all work they can go to college. I hope if they want to, they know they can. I would love to help them get into college too. I feel so old though that I could be writing letters of recommendation for some of the students I have now. Crazy!!! I have a full time job teaching and I can write letters of rec.??? WHOA! Welp, that’s all for now. I hope everyone is doing well. I love receiving e-mails so feel free to send some. Also, if you remember anything great a teacher did to teach you English grammar, please let me know. I have to learn grammar and be able to explain it, yet make it fun…so feel free to help!
Peace and Love,
Jessica

So underneath is the e-mail i sent to most people yesterday, but i thought today was worth a post too. Ok, so today was ridiculous. As most of you know, i'm not very physically fit, yet we took a 4.5 hour hike from my school to the school that the other JVs are at...through mud, trees, forest, and up hill. I was miserable. I actually started wheezing at one point...i've never done that before. I took some pictures before that happened that everyone wants to see, the really beautiful ones of the clear blue pacific ocean. That and the stars are really great, but in general, that's not what i see every day when i walk out my door. I can see the water over some houses, but the water close to me is unswimmable because of the polution and docks. There is not beach all around the island. It is poor here, but not as poor as some of the other places i've been, or maybe it is, i'm not really sure. i also have yet to learn the culture better. Really i still know little other than it's hot and when it's that hot it's just plain stupid to take a 4 mile hike. I did it with machines too...i'm proud of myself now that it's over but i got so craby and NEVER want to do that again unless i can get myself into much better shape which would be great too.
Anyhow, i know that sounds like crabbing a little, but i am really glad i'm done. It's something i can say i did once, i saw the island a little better, and it's done...thank God. I'm just glad i'm no longer walking...haha. The view was beautiful though at lunch, and i got to see the true beauty of Chuuk as i have missed until now.

In general though, i'm doing well. still trying to put my feet on the ground. There is a lot to learn. I think school and community is going to be great, it's the heat and such that i need training for. One of the other JVs from the other island calls Chuuk Boot Camp...i think i experienced Chuuk boot camp today. So onward, the rest of this is the e-mail i sent yesterday. Hope all of you are well, love you and miss you!

Jessica

Hey everyone, How’s it going? I’m doing well. So not everyone is
getting this e-mail right now because I lot the list I created before,
but I just put as many people on the list as I could think of. Things
are going well for me now though. The first few nights were a little
hard because I got bit by something on the lip the first sweaty night
and my lip swelled to the size of a cherry tomato. Then the next 3
nights we got deathly ill, ok, I exaggerate, but we were really sick.
I’m better now though. I am meeting people which is nice and getting
slightly more used to the heat. Slightly. We’ve had teacher meetings
the last 3 days. One full day and 2 half days. Teaching is going to
be pretty demanding but if I can keep up with it I think I’ll like it.
I’m teaching English Skills to juniors which is more less writing,
English lit in which I get to read Anne Frank and To Kill a
Mockingbird along with other things from textbooks. That’ll be fun.
Then I’m also teaching Creative Writing which I could do a lot with I
hope…including some stuff for the school newspaper which I’d like to
start up again through journalism club which I sort of volunteered
myself for unknowingly. Oops.
Outside of school, we’re going to an outer island this weekend for
something….i don’t really know what. Haha. But we are. We’ve also
been having people over to talk about different things going on here
in Chuuk. One of the things that is really interesting and sad is
that the suicide rates here are really high. That might be a topic
of some of the papers in my English classes.
Additionally, the people I’m living with are really cool. Matt is in
his second year now and showing us around. We call him dad.
Caroline, Tyler, and I are all first years, and around the 20th Megan
should be coming. She will be volunteering for a 3rd year but this
will be her first year in Chuuk. She was on another island in FSM
before. I don’t really know what else to say. Hope you’re all well.
I’ll post on my blog and such as soon as I can figure it out!!!
Love ya’ll!
Jessica

I Made It!!!!

Ron Annim Everyone,
I made it to Micronesia. There is not much to say yet. We met one of our other community mates, Matt, and the Xavier community mate Meg. Stephanie, the other girl from SLU that is here in Xavier community is in the Mortlock Islands trying to get back to Weno (our island) but she missed the boat and the next flight isn't until the 12th. The other Saramen community mate (my community) is in the states because she is doing a third year and needed to be home for her sisters wedding so she wont get here until the 20th or something like that. Currently we are at Xavier after spending last night at Saramen. We haven't done a whole lot yet other than unpack and eat some local food...I'm finding out I don't like a good handful of the food...the fish is good, tuna is the fish we've had so far, but then there is spam...which isn't horrible but it sure isnt great either, and this potato like fruit called breadfruit which is GROSS!!! Um, there is also a lot of coconut and soy milk, neither of which i'm crazy about. Maybe i'll drop a few pounds while i'm here. Um, it is really hot, more humid than anything, but the people are really nice. I'm ready to get into a routine and start to feel more at home but that'll come with time.

More on the funny side, there are tons of mu mu's which everyone wears...i'm sure there will be pictures in time of me in one...i'm trying to hold off!!! haha. we're going to be heading to another island sometime in the next week or two which should be fabulous, go swimming tomorrow (in Capri's and a t-shirt!) and go see the old light house from WWII. There are a bunch of sunken ships around and lots still to learn. Sorry I don't have more to say, as I'm sure a good handful of people want details galore...it's just the beginning though. Oh, my apartment is good though, other than the bugs. Last night one bit me on the lip so when i woke up over half of my upper lip was super swollen!!! haha. Apparently i'm sweet too because they ate at me all night. I'm all better now though! No worries family! Love you all and miss you!
Jessica

Goodbyes and New Beginnings

So this is it, I'm off tomorrow early morning. We leave John Carroll at 3:30am "tomorrow" and I'll get there 10:30ish am Wednesday. I kind of miss Tuesday. haha. I'm pretty at peace with it. Scared, nervous, excited, but mostly at peace. These last two weeks of orientation really helped me trust that I am doing what God is asking me to do, and I am at peace with that. I also am at peace with the fact that this is going to be ridiculously hard at times, and unbelievably joyful at others. I will not have one without the other. I have learned from the past though that the hard times and the joy filled moments are wonderful learning moments.

As for orientation, it has been wonderful. Full of beautiful people with energy and passion. There have been really challenging times here too, and I have already learned about myself. Can you believe it, I get quiet when there are large groups. I really can be quiet and shy. My favorite workshop we had was Catholic Social Teaching. I had heard of this before, but if you're Catholic, I urge you to discover this wonderful secret of the Catholic Church. It's challenging us to really put our faith into action. WONDERFUL part of the church.
I am going to miss everyone from home no doubt, and I am sure I'll miss many of the luxuries from home too, but i am only closing the door, it's not locked. I'll be back as this new beginning becomes an end. 2 years seems like a long time right now, but as many Former Jesuit Volunteers (FJVs) have said, it will fly by and I'll be home before any of us know it.

So for now, this is adios! I'll see you soon and even though we wont be together physically, we are on the road together. We're together in mind, heart, thought, and prayer. We all travel this road we call life together, so I'll be seeing you!

Love,
Jessica