Chuuk so far...struggles and joys

Ran Annim my loved ones! So I have made it through my first semester as a teacher, my first Christmas away from home (thank God that’s over!!!), and many other firsts. Things are going well in Chuuk. I am home in just another of my many homes throughout the world. I was talking to my community mate Caroline today about El Salvador and Nicaragua, both of which hold very special places in my heart and are my homes. Then there is St. Louis, Freeburg, and New Baden/Mascoutah. I am officially adding Chuuk.

Living in Chuuk has so many challenges and blessings. Many of these I have not processed yet, but I’m going to share a little about what I’ve learned this past semester…good and bad. Expect a long and informative update!!!

First, it is obviously very hard to live in a place where there are no options to do on the weekends. In high school we all used to complain that there was nothing to do…LIES!!! ALL LIES!!! Chuuk does not have movie theaters, malls, clubs, or even safe local bars. If I did want to go out to a bar though, I could not because I am a woman and women cannot buy alcohol here. So, it doesn’t matter that I’m almost 23, I’m still unable to buy myself a box of wine to indulge in (which is one of my new favorite pastimes!!!). Additionally, it’s sometimes a struggle not to be able to leave home at night without a male escort, and even then it would be stupid to leave too late.

Other major problems in Chuuk include alcoholism, gender discrimination, and incredible apathy. So, first and foremost, alcohol can kill here. Quite literally. If a man is drunk and kills someone, they are not punished because they were drunk. We specifically know of people in high positions that have killed people while drunk and are still in high positions. Plus, being drunk causes fights in the streets, at home, and is a main source of violence in Chuuk. Drunk men here are not funny and stupid as they are at home…they are dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.

Alcohol contributes to gender issues in many ways, but gender can easily be a lone standing issue. In regards to alcohol, as I mentioned, women cannot buy it and mostly do not drink. Plus, alcoholism adds to domestic violence. As a sole standing issue though, women and girls are expected to do so much while the men and boys can just run without consequences. Girls go home and cook and clean. They do whatever is asked of them and must always show respect to men and boys. The men can tell them to do anything they want them to do and in showing respect, the females must honor their requests. Plus, men are always out at night, and it is very unsafe for women to go out. Women are held responsible for anything that should not happen in a relationship also (dating someone they shouldn’t, getting pregers…). The frustrating thing is that I can see these differences between male and female in my classroom. The girls are very hard working and always do their own work. The guys (more than the girls, but not all the guys) are lazy and expect that I will give them a passing grade even when they do nothing. They sometimes have their female family members do the brunt of their homework for them, and get really angry when that is not ok or don’t understand why I won’t accept work that was obviously done by a girl. The laziness and expectations of some male students is very frustrating. This is not to say there are not exceptional, hard working male students because there are, but pretty much all of the female students are hard working, or very accepting of the grade they earned if they did not do their work, whereas I get much more mouth from males who were given the grade they earned.

Then there is this idea of apathy here. “I am not going to worry about it because there is nothing I can do” or “If I start to do something about that it’s just going to backfire” if the thought process even gets that far. Usually it’s more like “What can I do? I don’t care.” This is very frustrating when the education system is failing, when the police don’t do anything but ride around in the back of pickups, and everyone thinks they’re incapable of doing anything. This is just my take on apathy though. I’m not as immersed in the Chuukese culture as I thought I would be, so I don’t hear the true reasons from many Chuukese people.

I may have just written an unedited and unorganized essay on the problems and frustrations in Chuuk, but this year really has had a bundle of wonderful things too. One of the things I am most blessed is having a wonderful community. We have been able to really bond living so closely together. We joke around, do disgusting things, and even play fight a lot. It’s full of tons of laughs and long dinners. We are one another’s supports and really turning into friends. I feel especially blessed to click so well with the two volunteers I’m going to be spending my whole time in Chuuk with. I can’t imagine having a bad community next year because I feel as if we’ll set a great tone at the beginning.

In addition to a wonderful community here, we also have a wonderful, international extended community at Xavier High School here on Chuuk. Xavier is a Jesuit boarding school that takes students from all different Micronesian islands. There are people from the US, Burma, Japan, the Philippians, Australia, and FSM working there and they have students from Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrei, Yap….all kinds of island nations. It’s a pretty cool extended family and the people there are wonderful. They are friends and family all at the same time while here. I dread the day that some of them leave because there are some that will not be here as long as us…and that is going to be sad.

Then my school; I work with a wonderful staff of people who are mostly Chuukese. They are dedicated people and I am able to learn so much more about Chuukese culture and life through them. Our administration really tries their best to support us and be around for us which is wonderful. Obviously the school has its problems as part of a larger educational system, but it is really a good place to be and full of great people. One of my biggest joys is the students. Although I have had dreams the last two nights about flipping out on them, I really do love them. When they get excited about things that they are learning, or just want to share their life and culture with me I find great joy. I also enjoy joking around with them and pushing them to be better. Each student has their own personality and strengths which I love picking out in each of them. I feel like one of the things I have learned from being in Chuuk is how to pick out peoples strengths. It really helps to keep from disliking people. I may get frustrated but I remind myself of their strengths which helps me to see their potential and their well meaning.

One highlight of my work is being a college counselor. I really enjoy helping students to look at their possibilities and help them on their way to a time that was so wonderful in my life. At times I don’t put as much into it as I wish I could, but I’m also a teacher and don’t know about half of the schools in this area.

Some of the highlights from the school year were definitely the activities we do too though. At the beginning of the year we had New Comer’s Entertainment where the returning students put on a show for the freshmen, transfer students, and new staff. This was pretty funny and hospitable. They dressed up, danced, laughed, and really welcomed people. Then, shortly after that we had Spirit Week. Spirit Week was much like it is at home where they have different dress up days and then each day they have a competition. We were broken up into 4 teams grouping freshmen and seniors together, and sophomore and juniors. It was funny because they got really into harsh cheers and showed a very competitive side. It was also funny because there were contests such as Ramon eating, coin finding (in a box of flower) and then very traditional competitions that were just plain interesting to see for the first time. The last day we had field day in the rain and mud (which the child in me loved to squish around in the mud!!)

The most exciting even we had though was Cultural Day!!! This was a day we prepared for for many weeks. We had a cultural mass in which the students dressed culturally and did songs with motions as they used to do in the past. They blew the conch shell and some high language was used (a language that few people other than chiefs know, maybe similar to Shakespearian English???). The mass was wonderful! Then on Thursday night of that week most of the students stayed the night and worked on food preparation for the next day. Many of them did not sleep. The were grinding roots, weaving baskets and plates, digging fire pits, and grinding coconuts along with many other preparations. They were hard at work all night and into the next morning. Because of their labor we had a feast of roasted turtle, roasted pig, taro, breadfruit, other traditional foods, and plenty of interesting see urchins. We also put on a performance for the community. I took part in the dance and song from the Fiachuuk region and fully enjoyed watching the other groups. Marz, our Vice Principal was in charge of this week, and as usual, he did an awesome job organizing and inspiring the students.

Finally, before Christmas, we had a Christmas play which was wonderful. There was tons of Christmas music and even some solos which made me want to go hug the students and tell them how wonderful they did. It is fun to watch students I teach and be so proud of them! We also had a staff Christmas party. It’s a lot of fun to hang out with the staff outside of school and just joke around. That was really good and I got to hold Marcelli’s baby again!!! She’s the perfect age and I LOVE holding her when she falls asleep. We went to a concert one night and I got to hold her there for about 2 hours while she was sleeping!!! I LOVE BABIES!!! Lol. That was a little random tangent, but hey, it’s true.

So, to sum everything up, life in Chuuk can get rather frustrating, but it also has moments of wonder and joy. I think this is life everywhere. I stick to the idea that even though I’m in another country facing some different or unique challenges, I’m just living daily life with its ups and downs. I go to work every day. Some days are wonderful and others are not. I come home and sometimes have a great night, and other times the power goes out early and I go to sleep! The time is flying though because I’m working every day and then the weekends come and go. So there it is, a three page summary of what life has been like the past 5 months. Now it’s your turn. Tell me what your life has been like the last 5 months!!! What have your joys and frustrations been? Any takers???

Peace, Love, and Fresh Coconuts (I just had one 30 mins ago!!!),
Jessica

Pwapwan Kristmas

Dear family and friends,
Pwapwan Kristmas! Merry Christmas in Chuukese!!! Things are going well in Chuuk. The first semester is almost over…well, it is over, but I have a lot of grading left to do which is no fun!!! There have been some really great parts of Christmas here, such as a wonderful Christmas play with plenty of Christmas carols, time to relax, and a staff Christmas party at Truk Stop Hotel (one of the hotels Mom and Dad will probably stay at while visiting). I do feel at home here in the way that I could easily be fine here for a while if I could come home for holidays…it’s just become home as SLU did, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Freeburg. I guess I have many homes all around the world now, yet during Christmas, the one I want to be at is in Freeburg with family. Don’t get me wrong, in two years, I will appreciate Christmas so much more and love being with family even more than I did in the past. I probably even miss Christmas in Chuuk!!! Lol. I find it funny how wherever one is, they want to be in another place. This is something I realize, yet struggle to change.
Regardless, Christmas has had some of the great things here that there are at home, like carols, greetings, togetherness, and all that.
Wow, I have so much to say that if I said it all this would be all over the place…Lets stick with Christmas. So, this week we’re having a Christmas party for some of the volunteers with a potluck dinner and such, and then we’re probably going to go to Xavier for Christmas Eve and Day. Xavier is kinda like our extended family. We love them and see them sometimes, spend holidays with them…lol.
Ok, well, I don’t think this is my best post ever, but someone else wants to use the computer, so I’m just going to end, knowing this is unedited babble. Miss you and love you all!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Chuuk!

Also, check out the SCA blog, scathesedays.blogspot.com
and FSMs main page, www.micsem.org
www.chhukreform.org - a website keeping up with what's going on in Chuuk for those interested

A Long One...Just Micro Stuff (get it? small stuff!!!)

Ron Annim folks!!! So I haven’t given a good updated in a while, so this could be long. At times it doesn’t seem necessary because just as all of you, I’m going through day to day life at a full time job, just in another country. Sure, it’s hotter hear, and things are different in some ways, but daily everything is the same. I’m getting used to it. Sweating is just how the body works these days, and I don’t even really notice that I’m sweating at times. I can now tell what hot and cold days are here…today was hotter than normal as was yesterday. It’s kinda funny to be able to notice when it’s hotter than hot here.

Teaching has been a continuous struggle and joy. I feel constantly disrespected which is a really hard thing for me because I continuously try to respect others and remember to give them dignity, yet I ask a class to do something and they ignore me, or just walk out of the class, so I don’t really get to teach anything. Sometimes I wonder why I even try to do fun things with them or make good lesson plans because they just treat me like shit. It can be really hard because individually they are all great kids with awesome hearts. That’s where I find my joy most of the time. Yet, having students gather their things and walk out of class, make vulgar signs to one another and simply ignore me gets tiring. It’s so hard to try every day just to be taken for granted and disrespected. I think sometimes the way the students treat me makes me hyper sensitive at home and more easily irritated by little things which is not fair to the people I live with. Although teaching can be pressing at times, there truly is joy.

I find so much joy in the students too. Yesterday after school I was laughing with a group of students trying to learn Chuukese (really just how to say “you smell bad”) and then walked with some of those students to the youth center today. It’s really wonderful to see the students take me under their wings and help me out, and then laugh together. I fell into a mud puddle today (sorta-really just tried to walk around it and ended up loosing my balance and splashing mud all over myself from stepping right in the middle). They then took me to the Laundromat to wash my feet off before going to the youth center. Therefore, there are plenty of really wonderful, sweet, and respectful students. Sadly, they don’t get to learn as much as they could if the rest of their class and other classes with wonderful students like them behaved.

Another student joy is seeing through some of the bad behavior. Regardless of how frustrated I get with some students, I still know they are good and have reasons for their actions. The reasons may not be good, but they are in high school. Sure, I get pissed, but some of them that are super frustrating have huge huge hearts. I just have to find a way to let them see their hearts and their potentials. When I am unable to do that, I again get a little frustrated, but remember that good things don’t happen overnight.

In addition to joys and frustrations of school, nature can take hold of ones heart, mind and spirit. Daily I see coconut trees with delicious coconut water, drinkable right out of the coconuts, and sunsets over the ocean (along with rusted roofs and dirt roads). Sometimes that is overlooked by the off putting glaring men, mud puddles, and trash, but recently we got to see simple beauty. Last weekend We got to go to an island named Pisar, which means moving sand. Pisar is a tiny island near where the open ocean waves break on the reefs. The sand made island was filled with tropical plants, coconut trees, and surrounded by clear, blue-green ocean water. There were only three house-like buildings on the island, and 2 men that keep the island. We could see the water from one side of the island to the other. The only obstructions were the tropical plants and trees, but generally we could see through them. Walking around the island took about a total of 15 mins. We were even able to walk from island to island because of reefs and “moving sand” that when the tide moved it made the water shallow enough to walk on. We saw an eel, stingrays, jelly fish, and plenty reef fish while snorkeling over the variety of living reefs. At night we would only hear the waves crashing on the reefs. AMAZING!!!! That’s all I can say. I can’t wait to go back. I think we’re supposed to go back from Christmas and re-orientation/dis-orientation over the summer-and I promise, if anyone visits, they will be going to that island if resources allow!!! So, that weekend was a much needed refresher! It did make coming back to school a little hard on Monday, but I also found I had more patience to calmly deal with school stressors.

I also enjoy playing with my host siblings when they come to school with my host mom/co-worker. I have 3 sisters who attend SCA, a couple others who I don’t know well yet, and some little ones. The little ones include a baby boy at the perfect age to interact…a crawler! and a 6 year old wild child boy, and a 9 year old goofy girl!!! Today I got to play with them in the office after school.

So, to sum this all up, I’ve been living daily life-work stressors and joys along with a few new places. Of corse I miss home. I haven’t been too homesick recently until today (probably why I’m writing this) because of not being able to support people in times of struggles and joys and hearing of community mates who have hard situations at home too. I think missing out on the big things can be the hardest because I’m not there to just be with people along the way. So, on that note, please pray for one of my friends mother’s who has cancer and her family, another friends cousin who is having issues with health (organ failure), a community mate’s friend who recently lost her father, and other prayers for my family of course (mom keeps telling me how much she misses me and needs to hear my voice more-someone get her drunk!!! Jk ). So, goodbye from my tropical island in the middle of the pacific that I’m learning to love more and more each day.

Sorry it’s so long this time!!!

Peace, Love, and Coconuts,

Teacher Jessica

Things that happen in Micronesia!!!

“It’s Lard!!!” Hearing that was the second time I realized I cannot identify food in Micronesia!!! One of the first nights I was making dinner I decided to make breakfast for dinner. I thought this was a wonderful idea when I found bacon! I was so excited because I had not seen bacon on the island until that night. I opened the bacon and it wasn’t in the bacon strips, but I just thought that was a difference in Micronesian bacon. I cut it in chunks and started to fry it, it didn’t look or smell like bacon. When I put it on the table, my community member asked “is that lard?” To my confusion, I said, oh, no, it’s just some kind of pork. He replied, “No Jess. It’s lard!” So, I made lard for dinner!!!
Additionally, a couple days ago one of the women in the office told me some horrifying news! Ha-ha. So we were having a moment where I was telling her how sweet and loving she is and then I gave her a hug. She was sitting down and I was standing when this happened. I went outside to throw my trash away and then came back into the main office. She had lotion out and gave me some. Jokingly I asked her if I smelled and that’s why she was giving me lotion. She said “no, yes, no” and I asked “Which is it,” Meaning, yes or no. Then she pointed to her vagina to tell me that my vag smelled bad!!! I later found out she was joking but I was so scared I smelled like vag all day long!!! It took me a couple of days to find out she was joking.
Then, for the second time since coming to Chuuk I woke up with a swollen upper lip. Some bug tends to bite me while I’m sleeping. I’m going on a swollen lip once a month at the moment. The first night I was in Chuuk I woke up with a lip that looked like I got the crap kicked out of me, and it happened again. But hey, waking up the first morning with a swollen lip was much better than the following 3 days having horrible stomach pains and everything that goes with it (I’ll spare you, but I’m sure you all can imagine). We claim the second years poisoned us so things would just get better the longer we’re here…which they have.
And, the finale!!! I really really needed to do laundry so I was wearing that green skirt we have had for a long time. It is really big on me though but, I figured what the heck, my hips are bigger than my waist so all is fine. So I wore it around the school, upstairs and downstairs. My friend Grace came over and we were walking out to the STUCO car wash together. We were right in front of the side doors of the church (there was a wedding going on) when 4 guys around my age walked by. They said “Waioo” which means wow, or an expression of happiness here. I looked toward them but not too directly because I knew they were cat calling. When I turned back forward I felt something at my ankles and looked down. There I saw my green skirt!!! OMG!!! I assume that’s why the guys were yelling…and in front of the wedding!!! WOW!

quick update

Everything is going well here in Chuuk. There isn't much to report at the moment. This weekend I have been grading a ton. It took me 45 mins to grade 5 tests, and i had to grade 40+. Tomorrow I have to get 105 grades together!!! Last time I put 100 together in two days...so it's a crazy weekend but as soon as the weekend is over all will be good!!!
I have gotten a few packages the last couple of weeks which was exciting!!! Thank you to those of you who sent them. I always feel super loved when i get packages and know all the time put into it from people who love me!
um, really that's about it. I sent my first student to the office for taking 25 mins to get a tardy pass and finding him standing outside the office shooting the shit with another student. It happens. Welp, that's about all. Like i said, nothing exciting is going on right now. I miss ya'll yet i'm getting more and more adjusted here.
Peace, Love, and Cold Coconuts!!! (We finally got a freezer!!!!!!)
Jessica

Oh, and sorry ya'll are getting cold...i have been sweating ALL day!!

Student Esssay on the Problems in Chuuk

This is an essay from one of my students, Parky. I asked the students to write a 5 sentence paragraph about the problems in Chuuk because we are working on paragraphs, and she handed me a 5 paragraph essay. SWEET! I thought I would share it with ya’ll because this is some information on the problems in Chuuk, from a Chuukese lady. I was very proud when she gave me this, especially because not only is it a whole essay, but each paragraph flows so well! It is all her words other than some small editing, but not much at all. I changed position of a word here or changed an ending but it is almost completely her words-from a non-native English speaker…and let me tell you, Chuukese is a far different language than English!

“Essay-What are some problems in Chuuk?”

There are many problems that occur in Chuuk, but I would like to talk about some of them. Here are some problems that I want to talk about; pollution, population, and drinking alcohol.

Pollution is one of the problems in Chuuk. The ocean is polluted by the sewer, disposable things such as plastics, aluminum, and transportation stuff. The land is polluted by human beings and also from the island power, oil, diesel, and any fuels. Therefore, pollution is hand-made.

Population is the biggest problem in Chuuk. Chuuk is the smallest state among the states but it is extremely more populated than the other states in FSM. As we know, if there is a populated area, so there will also be more problems occurring. We need more land for our people but there is no such land that can be given out because of not having enough land and having too many people.

Drinking alcohol is also a problem in Chuuk. In Chuuk, adults think that drinking alcohol is a way to show that they are strong and broad men. They think of themselves as great and think that they can control everything. In this way, this situation can cause fighting. The fighting can cause death or many other harmful events.

We all learned that population, pollution, and drinking alcohol are just some problems in Chuuk. Besides these problems, there are a lot of other problems in Chuuk that frequently occur every year. Therefore, pollution, population, and drinking alcohol are just some of the problems in Chuuk.

Also, on a more personal note, I am doing fine. Teaching is going…I love it some days and hate it others as many jobs people do. We were not damaged by any tropical storms in the Pacific, and only have normal rain. The rain cools life for an hour or so and then it’s hot as hell again!!! We had a good conversation last night in community which made me feel better about life here. Yea, that’s all I have for now. It’s just daily grind of life and work in another country right now.
Peace, Love and COCONUTS!!!

Jessica

A Taste of Life in Micronesia

The ocean is beautiful from the roof, as is the sunset that overlooks the ocean. If you look straight out from the roof that’s what you see, but usually there is a ship blocking the view. There are always other buildings in the view with rusted roofs. Looking down there are dirt roads and small houses. It seems already to be a place of complete paradox. There is incredible beauty and also ugliness. I don’t even know how to describe this place…It’s not the island paradise everyone thought I was going to, yet I do not see blatant poverty or life to be too hard to get through here. There is nothing to do though. That’s for sure. The students will even admit that. Either we hang out and talk inside, or we hang out and talk outside. Those are our options. So we watch movies on laptops, talk, and lay on the roof looking at the stars, water, and sunsets.
Teaching has been quite the adventure. Teaching my native language is so hard because it just sounds natural to me. I have had to relearn so much English grammar and continue to do so. Lesson planning and grading also is very time consuming and sometimes hard because I have to learn it before I teach it. Sometimes…ok most of the time, I’m really unorganized and don’t know what the heck is going on. I feel like my students can tell. Then there is discipline…I am a huge pushover and everyone knows it after that have known me for any time at all, so the students know. And if I’m not being a pushover, then I’m a bitch. I’m not stern…sometimes I just don’t care to enforce rules. If I don’t think the rule is super important, I don’t pick that battle. For example, I’ll let the girls know they’re supposed to have their hair braided, but I warn them to do it before their next class starts because I don’t really care what their hair looks like. Some things really bother me though…like students being tardy in the morning. I cannot start class on time, or if I do they just miss half of the class. I feel like it’s really disrespectful. I also love students to have fun, but when fun means they don’t listen to me, it’s really frustrating. The great things about teaching though are when students really want to learn and ask questions to better understand. I actually really love questions even though I’m always scared I won’t know the answer. I also love that some students really want to go to college. I’ve been asked by a student to help him with college. That gets me so excited. Even the small moments I share with students are great. They are a lot of fun, especially outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom is a whole other setting which is more difficult to handle.
Here is where it gets funny. I have already learned my first lesson…things do not work out the way you think they might they will in Chuuk. We went one weekend with no power because someone in the office did not pay the power bill. We were the only people around us without power. We cooked in the dark, ate in the dark, and did dishes in the dark. Then there are things like getting a refrigerator and fans replaced. Things that in the states would happen right away, have not happened for over a month because we can’t get answers or people to come to the bank to get money out with us during bank hours-because they are also working while the bank is open. So you learn to be patient…or in my case, remind myself that’s something I need to keep working on.
Additionally…cooking…oh cooking. So I learned I’m not a great cook. I don’t know what goes together without a recipe, and well, here I cannot identify food. Haha. So here’s the story. We only have a 2 burner stove top and a toaster oven to cook with. When the power is out the toaster oven does not work. One night I decided to make spaghetti which tasted decent, but I bought bread to make garlic bread. That was the first time I couldn’t ID food here, because the bread was cinnamon bread…so we had desert. Then the second and even better time…I figured I’d make breakfast for dinner…eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, and fruit, bought all the food and started cooking. The bacon was not cut in strips like we have it so I had to cut it myself, but I didn’t do strips, but small chunks. Fine. Whatever. Then I started cooking it. Welp, it just didn’t smell or look right, so I tasted it and decided I bought some kind of pork…cooked it anyways. When I put it on the table that night, my community mate Matt said “Lard?” and I told him I didn’t know what it was but I thought it was bacon. He replies, “No. It is lard. You bought lard.” And so we ate lard for dinner, and fed the rest to the cats. Oops.
Other parts of Micronesia include: It’s f-ing hot! As aforementioned, we do not have fans yet, so I sleep on the floor and do work on my floor because it’s a little cooler on the tile, yet sometimes I find I have ants all over me because they are EVERYWHERE!!! Then, there are cockroaches. Those things charge!! They run towards you while you’re laying on the floor. I’ve learned to jump up so fast to get out of their path or to get them to change paths…yuck! And termites…So much termite dust. IT’s everywhere. Anywhere there is wood, there is termite dust on the floor underneath. It’s so hard to keep things clean with dust falling from everywhere! And finally, mold. I think my favorite pillow is molding because it’s so humid, and everyone is always sweating, so if it is occupied, it’s getting wet with sweat. If it is not in use, too much of it is wet to dry, especially with the humidity. So things mold…a lot. And that is a taste of life in Micronesia. There will be more to come!
Peace, Love and Coconuts!
Jessica