Creating a Camp

A few weekends ago Megan and I had a chance to visit a small island in the lagoon about 1 mile off shore of Pohnpei. A portion of this island was given to a member of our church and he in turn gave it to the church. It is to be used as a camp by the church and also by a school that is run by the church. Eventually they will construct a handful of grass huts for sleeping as well as a large meeting hut. Before this construction can take place the land must be prepared, water must be installed and money must be raised. Our job was to clear the jungle.

We arrived with ten to twelve others in two boats with two chainsaws and a dozen machetes. As it is custom here the men set about to the chopping and clearing while the women piled the brush and prepared lunch. The jobs of the men and women where equally interesting to me. Armed only with a machete I chopped down banana trees, bamboo trees and bread fruit trees along with grasses and shrubs. Watching some of the locals fall large trees with only a puny machete was very interesting. We would drop banana trees 20 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 8 inches with one swing! Meanwhile the women started a fire and using various leaves and stems they created the tools with which to prepare lunch. Among other things they made tongs to turn and pickup meat on the grill and a brush to add the marinade sauce. It was very educational to watch them use things from the jungle to accomplish basic tasks. For example, one man cut himself on a piece of bamboo ( FYI the edge of a recently cut bamboo shoot is as sharp as glass) he then cut up a part of a banana tree trunk squeezed some liquid out of it then tore a piece of his shirt to wrap the cut and then he went back to work.

Unfortunetly I did not bring my camera so I don't have any pictures to share with you. I did however find a fun picture that I took of Megan quite some time ago. Hope you enjoy!

Pohnpei is beautiful

This picture was taken yesterday. This is how it looked I didn't do any crazy photochopping to get these colors. Also notice that the body of water pictured is the ocean. It really is this beautiful...

...and another...


...but we really miss home.

Hello from the land of perpetual summer! As you may or may not know Megan and I keep in touch with our family with Skype.(if you use and want to talk to us we're usually on on Saturday between 0900-1300 our time ( good luck figuring out what time that is for you!)) If the person we are trying to contact has Skype this is free for us and them and if they have a webcam we also get to see them. If they don't have Skype it only costs us a few cents a minute (it is supposed to cost $.341/minute but there seems to be an error) so we have been very fortunate to be able to keep in contact with everybody. One popular topic as of late is the changing seasons. Currently it is really rainy in Oregon (why are you surprised mom and dad you've lived there 30 years!), unusually warm and now cold in PA, and becoming more tolerable in Riverside, CA. In Pohnpei it's the same. Really humid and uncomfortable for most of the day, every day, every season. The weather never changes. This is by far the hardest thing to deal with for me.

I love the people here. Their culture is rich and unique. I've talked to our neighbors and other locals for hours asking question after question. The pace of life is slow and forgiving. The traffic is very courteous to foreign cyclists. The food is very unique. We eat a little more fish then we'd like but also really enjoy it. Here is a picture of last Fridays dinner (thanks for the supplies Sachiko!)...


But alas the weather is unbearable. I am amazed at my inability to entertain myself during the heat of the day. I am a fairly active person and the weather has a tendency to sap the life out of me. This is especially evident on weekends when there no work to be done or AC'd office to be occupied. Being the person that I am, I am not content to sit inside and read a book all day.

I guess that'll be enough whining for today. But stay tuned for more there is weekend every 5 days!

I do enjoy anything that has to do with a boat. On Sunday Megan and I once again got to go out with our friend Dennis. We had a wonderful time swimming...


And exploring the mangrove forests...


It was a boatload of fun. You can't see but I'm actually smiling, even during the heat of the day...

Nan Madol

Hello again, last Saturday Megan and I rented a car and drove to Nan Madol the "Machu Pichu of the Pacific". You can read about here or here. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Nan Madol is located on the southeast side of the island. We live on the northwest side of the island and work on the west side of the island. So just going the other direction around the island was new to us.

Here is a picture of the what the major road around the island looks like...


We didn't actually have any driving directions only a terrible map. We knew the ruins were around near a school called P.A.T.S (Pohnepei Agricultural and Trade School). A little guessing was going to be needed to find our destination. When we guessed that we were fairly close we decided to follow a truck with 12-15 people in the back, thinking that might be headed in the same direction. We guessed right! When we arrived at Nan Madol we went through a very large party, at first we though "woah the ruins are going to be crowded." "Well it is Saturday" we reasoned. We followed the crowd for a while only to find that they were stopping and we still didn't see anything spectacular. Come to find out we parked our car at the correct spot however we walked in wrong direction. We were in the middle of a party for the village chief. We asked a little girl were Nan Madol was and she pointed us in the correct direction. After about a thirty minute walk we found this...



That's Megan standing by the wall. We had the entire place to ourselves.

We walked around for 2 hours taking it all in. To get from one islet to another you have to wade through water that is about a foot deep. This sounds refreshing but actually it was low tide and the water was very warm and above all not refreshing. The weather on this side of island is a little more pleasant. There was a nice breeze the whole time we were which kept us comfortable.
We also spotted an island about a mile off shore that had sandy beaches...


Here is another pic of the ruins...


As I said we came during low tide so when we left the water was a little higher maybe 30 inches. Next time we come we will try to rent a boat or kayak and come during high tide to see all the different islets.

Parting Shots: On our way home we found some pigs pigging out...


This shot is for my Father-in-Law. The name of the boat says it all...

Biking

Lately I've been feeling pretty proud of myself and all the biking I've been doing...

Andrew and I live town (Kolonia) here. The college where I teach is 5 miles down the road (in Palikir). We are content without a car, and so I bike to school. If I'm not feeling up to it, I can catch a ride with our next door neighbors (Eugene and Mayliza). The first few weeks, I biked 3 days per week. But lately, I've been feeling pretty good about myself because I've been biking every workday. And it's not just any 5 miles. There's not a single flat section - hills the whole way. With one giant one of about 100 meters and 6 switchbacks (vertically, its about the length of a football field).

So anyway, I'm feeling pretty good the other Saturday because we biked a couple miles further then the college, after I rode my bike every workday that week. My ego was about as giant as I thought my leg muscles were...

On the way home, at the beginning of the hill, I passed 2 girls, about age 8, and we greeted each other. And so I pedaled up the hill and thought what wonderful shape I must be in. When I got near the top, I heard some giggles. Those 2 little girls had stayed right behind me the whole way up. And they were walking... casually... in flip-flops. I felt my leg muscles deflate.


Hehe - anyway, other fun things on bikes... young kids do like to race/chase me... and I love it. There's a group of young boys who have a bike and fairly regularly race me for a section on the way home. I lose more often than I win.

I have once seen another girl on a bike here, but I get the impression that I'm a novelty - that's fun for me too.

Dogs chase us. Squirting them in the face with my water bottle scares them off. But then on busy dog-days, I run out of water.

I had a flat tire the other day, and Andrew was kind enough to take care of it for me, and walk to his closer school that day, while I took his bike.

I often get caught in the rain (this morning, yesterday, probably in about 15 minutes... I'm at school now, and it's raining). BUT, this is a terrifically fun thing for me. In the rain, I get to be cool, and I do enjoy splashing around, and not stinking like sweat when I get to my destination.


Random thing: Did you guys know we don't have hot water? We could get a hot water heater, and we could afford it, but we chose not to. We don't have hot water at the school either. So for 2 months I've taken nothing but cold showers. The first few weeks, there were days when this was torture to me. But now I don't usually think twice about it. And, my showers are usually after a bike ride, when I'm hot and sweaty, so they feel good.

Another random thing: I had moldy hair. Yes, really, truly stinky moldy hair. They said everything gets moldy here, and they didn't lie. The remedy is washing your hair with coconut oil. And if you use to much, you have oily clumpy hair for a few days afterward, just like I did. :o)


Last Saturday we went to Nan Madol (ancient ruins!). Andrew took a gazillion pictures, so stay tuned for the full story!

Pig Roast

First, I would like to remind you of my July post: PIGS! That day, Andrew and I were on our road trip, having a normal conversation, when I shouted "PIGS!" as we passed that truck. We slowed down to take pictures because those oinkers were so cute, with their noses and curly tails poking out of the truck. Pigs in Ohio are raised to eat. Pigs in Pohnpei are "grown" for the same reason.

Andrew and I sort of share a backyard with Eugene, Mayliza, and 14-year-old Corey. Corey is an exceptional student and recently left to go to a selective school in Chuuk. Before leaving, his parents, all of his mom's eleven siblings (10 brothers, 1 sister), and his grandmother threw him a big farewell picnic. Pohnpeians grow pigs for special occasions, and this was one. Saturday morning, Andrew and I woke up to some racket, and hurried off to school to make phone calls and to avoid the blood bath. Our neighbors and their brothers did the deed, barely escaping Rocky's (the dog) bites - he was rather upset, and has been barking at Eugene since.

Upon our return, we got to see them making coals and heating rocks in the yard. The spread out the coals, put down a layer of giant leaf stems, then the opened pig, then they cover it all with big leaves aiming to keep the smoke in. You can see the guys using to pieces of wood as large tongs to move the hot rocks.
For the event, Eugene and Mayliza rented a new hut on the ocean at the east side of the island. They dropped us there with some family in a borrowed minivan early in the afternoon. Here's the hut.
You can see a platform was built over the water. I had fun jumping off and playing with the younger kids. Having something like this to do helps overcome the language barrier with all the little ones here. It rained on and off throughout the day, so you can see a rainbow.
We waited all afternoon as more and more truck- and van- loads of people arrived. How many people were going to come? Where was the pig? Did we make enough yam bread for everyone? How long until we can eat?! They were also busy building a fire to cook some chicken and hotdogs. Eventually the pig arrived with Eugene and Mayliza. And we still didn't eat. Someone asked us if we were staying for the night. Overnight? Was everyone staying overnight? If we didn't want to, did we have a ride home? We estimated at least 40 people joined us.

Dinner started after a prayer. It was darker, so it must have been past 7pm. All the people who prepared the meal were served first. Then Andrew and I, as guests of the family, went along the table filling our plates, then the rest of the adults, then the adults made plates for the kids. Besides the meat, there were rice dishes, bananas prepared in coconut milk in various ways, my favorite was the potato salad, and there were cakes for desert. Here is the table with the food. Eugene is the man in front cutting the pig meat. Mayliza is wearing a brown shirt and holding a plate.
One family brought a tiny puppy along. It got wet and was shivering, so I held it for a while to keep it warm. One man gave me a towel to wrap around the pup. This puppy will be raised outdoors and to be a guard dog like all the others here.
There was also sakau (mostly just the men drank it) and betlenut (to chew) offered to us numerous times. We said no thanks, but it was a little neat to see how those things fit into the culture. Eugene and Mayliza gave us a ride home later in the evening with a few others. Nearly everyone else stayed overnight, and spend the entire next day swimming and hanging out. We were really grateful to be included in a family event like this.

We heard afterward, that there was one couple who spend a good deal of time together that weekend. On Tuesday, Malyiza told us that the whole family (everyone from the picnic, the male's side) was going the the female's parents, because the male was asking permission from the parents for marriage. The parents on both sides accepted, as did the couple. There's a special sakau ceremony, and by tradition the couple was considered married immediately. Later, they will have a church ceremony as well, to make it official.


Some tidbits from our daily life: There's little lizards that come and go in our home as they please. They don't bother us. I think they help keep some bugs away. I've been trying to get a picture, but this has been my best so far. They're fast!

And here's our sterilized milk. I don't like to drink a glass by itself, but I'm used to it on my cereal.

Fishing and swimming again

Once again Megan and I had an opportunity to go out on a boat. Another math instructor here, Dennis, goes out quite frequently so we joined him and once again we had a boat load of fun :)

We left at around 1pm and headed for a place in the lagoon called Manta Road. Appropriately named, Manta Road is where people quite frequently see manta rays. We had no such luck. We went during low tide and this is when visibility is at its worst so we may have been swimming with them and not known it.

We did get to swim with this school of fish though. I was having fun doing underwater video and someone decided to have some fun...



After leaving manta road we went to the outer reef for some more swimming and snorkeling. Megan and I were swimming together and Dennis told us he had seen a 12 foot shark and motioned where he saw it. Megan and I decided we would also try to find it. We had no such luck. But we did get to see some other cool fish. I saw several clown fish (Nemo) and one fish cleaning another fish.

By now it was late afternoon and Dennis wanted to try some fishing so we went outside the reef and scanned the horizon for feeding birds. Nearly 30 minutes went by before we saw some but once we spotted them Dennis gunned the engine and we were on our way. Megan and I both put lines in the water while Dennis drove. Here is what 'hand' fishing looks like...



And one of me...



After only a few minutes of fishing I caught my first fish a skipjack tuna. Shortly after that I caught my second fish. As I was pulling in my third fish Megan hooked her first fish. At the end of the day I had caught 4 Tuna, Megan caught one and we each had one on the line that got away. This all took place in 45 minutes. By now the cooler was full of 5 giant fish probably 10 or more pounds each, although I don't really know, and we were eight miles off of the lagoon. Of the distance Dennis said "That probably isn't smart". So we headed home.

On our way home we say a lot of sea creatures. The first thing we saw was some kind of brown whale, probably about 10 feet in length it was about 40 feet from our boat. The next thing we saw was a small dolphin. The dolphin was quite a but further way but it did jump in and out of the water so we headed towards it. Once we were very close to the dolphin we noticed that we were surrounded by a pod of dolphins that was jumping in and out of the water all around us. They were very curious and swam along the bow of the boat while it was moving. We even got a video...



The next thing we encountered where flying fish, and a lots of them. These a extremely fun to watch as the skim a few inches over the water for 15-20 feet. While descending some of them will hover so close to the water that their fin touches and they proceed to 'swim' generating more speed thus more lift and they are airborne again without getting back into the water. It is probably one of those things you have to see for yourself.

When we returned to the harbor we where invited to come aboard a 40 foot sailboat. The boat, or yacht as they referred to it, is owned by a couple that is sailing around the pacific. They are doing so very slowly. They left Seattle, WA in 1993 and have been working and sailing all through the pacific. We had a very nice evening with chatting and hearing about their experiences. They have been in Pohnpei since May so we also got some information about the island.

We returned home at 8pm and had quite a bit of work to do cleaning, skinning, and filleting our fish. Fortunetly we gave one to our neighbors, one to the couple from Seattle and Dennis kept one so we only had to clean two but before we did Megan snapped this shot...

Crab

One evening I went a store that sells local food and bought a 3 lb Mangrove Crab to have for dinner. It was delicious!

At the store they are displayed this way...

On the table they are displayed this way...

Rocky

This is Rocky! He hangs out at our house, but is certainly not an indoor dog. He finally knows us, and gets excited when we come home. Occasionally, he even waits for me at the corner, and walks me to the door.

He used to bark at the new strangers in his yard, and not get near us. He still won't eat from our hands, and he doesn't let anyone pet him.


This is Mayliza and her niece. Eugene and Mayliza are our neighbors and landlords. They've been really nice to us. Then bring us food, they take us places, and they just always watch out for us. They show us how to prepare some local foods: different varieties of bananas in coconut milk, how to fillet a fish, what kind of fish is best for what, and the latest was a lesson on coconuts: when you can drink out of them, how to scrape the guts after you drink, when you can get milk out of them, and all the tools involved. Yum!

Fishing!

Last Sunday afternoon Megan and I were invited to go out on a boat. Initially we thought we were going to do some swimming and maybe surfing. The guy who owned the boat, Dennis, had seen some birds feeding on tiny fish which usually means that there is tuna feeding too. So, we went fishing too. When fishing the Pacific for large tuna in Micronesia you don't use a pole you simply take some large fishing line, about 100 feet, attach a shiny lure, toss it out the back of the boat and hold on to the line with a glove then proceed to drive at 20 mph in large circles. While our host was demonstrating this he caught an 18 inch 10ish pound Skipjack Tuna...



Here is a picture of the birds feeing on the little fish (they don't eat tuna)...

Another person on our boat caught this fish...


Here is a view from Kolonia harbor...

I'm still here!

I'm working on a post! I just wanted to take some pictures first, but keep forgetting. In the mean time, here's a link: http://www.fm/pohnpei.htm

We live across the street from Angie's, where we go for a 75 cent good-sized cone of ice cream.

Andrew and I wanted to have a nice evening on Tuesday, so we took a taxi and had dinner at the Village:Yes, it really does look like that... that beautiful. We sat toward the closer side of that bridge-like walkway.

More soon!