people, places, and things...and a poem

I realized that I never really went through and explanation of people and places I’m around here, or terms for that matter of what I’m doing, so this is your explanation of names I include, places, and that sort.

-Saramen Chuuk Academy (SCA): The high school I work at
-Community members: My roommates/people I live with who are like a family to me here. We support each other, eat together, cook for one another, and have intentional time together for meetings and spirituality nights.
-Matt: a community member who has been here for a year already (second year)
-Tyler: a community member who came when I came (currently first year, will be second year when the new people come and are first years)
-Caroline/Caro: a community member who came when I came.
Xavier High School: The Jesuit high school on island which is a boarding school for many different island regions where the other Jesuit Volunteers teach and live
Megan: Second year JV at Xavier
Stephanie: Second year JV at Xavier (also went to SLU as a social work major)
Mike: First year JV at Xavier
Sammy: First year JV at Xavier
Sam: Independent volunteer at Xavier
Lidia: Independent volunteer at Xavier
Yin Law-Jesuit scholastic at Xavier (there are others but I don’t know them well and would introduce them in the case I talk about them)
Saramen Teachers: Julia, Alexcia, Sister Erencia, John, Dion (also young friend of ours), Joe, J-Nick, Sister Ina, Sister Jane (both Pilipino nuns), Sister Faustina, Cecilia (long term expatriate here), that might be all of us…?
Marz- the Vice Principal at SCA
Wayne-SCA Principal
Kiki-my host mom and office worker/librarian/floater at the school (Some of the family-sisters: Crystal, Stella, Krystlyn, Kaynani (the youngest, the others are in HS), Junior-little brother, Joe, dad)
Marcelli-The secretary at the school (married to Mariano)
Bensi and Ben-Repairmen at the school
Mariana-handy lady at the school
Weno-the island I live on
Chuuk-the state of FSM which I live in
Yap, Pohnpei, Kosrea-other FSM states
Truk Stop, Blue Lagoon, High Tide-Hotels with restaurants here
St. Cecelia’s-Catholic Grade School Caroline works at
I’ll introduce other places too, but this is just a general main people and places.

So, this weekend we were on a small picnic island called Piseawee (or spelled something like that) for Saturday to do our retreat, and then we went to Blue Lagoon for the getaway part of the retreat. It was nice. Not really anything special but something different and time together which was good. It was really nice to stay at Blue Lagoon. Sometimes I feel bad that I enjoy luxury and an escape from really simple living, but I do. I loved having air con and feeling like I was in an uber beautiful place away from the realities…and then I quickly came back to them which was also fine.

I feel like I have been learning a lot about the issues in Chuuk recently. At first I didn’t see them so well, but the longer I’m here, the more I realize what I’m seeing and the inability to drastically change them. I went to Truk Stop to talk to Kiki whose husband owns the place. It was Caro, Steph, Lidia, and me talking to Kiki who runs an NGO to help women in Chuuk. We talked about different gender issues, such as prostitution of YOUNG girls, human trafficking into Guam, domestic violence, etc. Additionally, I am trying only somewhat successfully to get my students to do cause/effect/solution essays on the problems in Chuuk so they’re telling me more of what they see day to day living here and how the effects them. Sadly, getting them to really think about all three parts and what they can do or the processes to getting change is not coming so easily. They have the idea of what a 5 paragraph essay is in ONE form and are having problems deviating from the one form they know. I enjoy trying to get them to think about it though. I just hope I’m doing it culturally correct. It’s funny but I always wonder what I don’t know about the culture that could make me a better teacher if I really understood. I also can admit that I usually see the ideal picture and try to work towards that, and most people don’t see that as possible, but hey, dream big!!!

I’m also seeing more and more clearly that half of the problems come because there is not a very good law enforcement system. They frustrate me a lot!! Many of the students in their outlines say that the reason there is violence and rape is because the police don’t punish or follow though. It seems like if the law was enforced and consequences were real, then less would happen, but it’s almost in a way like an anarchy. Anyhow, we see this with our missing electronics how the police are not doing anything, or so it seems, and the people here say it too. It’s frustrating because saying something doesn’t really seem to be the right way to change it, and could be seen as disrespectful here, yet it’s not helping in any way…bah.

Sometimes I think these blogs are just my own ramblings or what’s going on in my head rather than what I’m doing…haha.

So, to recap the teaching part, I’m enjoying it a little more than I was at the beginning because I’m excited about the essays even though they’re taking more time than I had hoped. I still hope we can get through all of them I’ve planned.
I had a good retreat getaway and have lots of thoughts on luxury and how to an extent it’s ok. I don’t really feel guilty because I live simply most of the time, and well, I think everyone SHOULD be able to enjoy nice things sometimes, even if not always or to an extreme. Everything in moderation. Ok, I am never satisfied with the blogs, so I’m gonna just stop here before it becomes even more all over the place.

Love Jessica

And, finally, this is from the retreat; a poem for you I wrote with my limited poetry knowledge:

Spirituality

It starts with love and ends with love,
Stirring,
Moving,
The heavy heart
The deep feeling of love,
Passion,
Motivation

Love-the motivating factor,
The feeling inside

Eyes of children-the eyes of God,
Eyes of elderly,
Eyes of friends,
Eyes of all-looking inside me,
Stirring my heart.

Making me dance in circles and laugh,
Sing songs and cry,

The driving force to do something real,
Something hard,
Unpopular.

A peaceful feeling,
A lonely feeling,
An angry feeling,
Nevertheless, a passion,
Motivation,
Belief that no matter how small,
I can do something big.

Sometimes it makes me scream, rant and rave,
Sometimes it makes me sing, bounce and laugh,
And sometimes it makes me cry, sit, and think.

Sometimes it attributed to God,
Sometimes not.
But whatever it is, it’s inside.
Deep deep inside,
Stirring,
Loving…

It’s not put into words the deep love of humankind that moves me from within,
Pains me in a powerful way,
The longing to be fully human,
Fully alive,
To love the people I see God in,

The stirring starts with love,
And ends with LOVE.