Track and Field Day, Good Friday

Hello from my Easter Break! This vacation has been the most relaxing one I've had in my entire life. First of all, we haven't had a break since January 2nd. That's right. No spring break or anything like that. So this week has been very chill, just a lot of reading, hanging out on the wonderful porch overlooking the back field and the lagoon, waking up when i want, not following a schedule. It's been great. Here are some of the things that's been happening this April so far...

Track and Field

For the past month or so, the students have been practicing for track and field with a vengence. Even Fr. Arthur has been coaching the boys after school, making sure that everyone trains very diligently. He even locked up the computer room just so all the students would be on the field, practicing (that bothered me a bit, since most of the girls don't have computers at their sponsor familie's houses, and there were some weeks when I needed them to write papers for me).

Track and field officially started the last week of March, when the marathoners ran Tuesday morning at 5:00AM. Our boys and girls did OK (Jaclyn, who loves running more than anything else, has been training them hard, but sometimes it's really hard to motivate these students or get them to do anything. They are obidient, but they lack the enthusiasm to work hard on their own - that goes for academics as well). On Thursday, we had half a day, since the official Track and Field events started at Anderson Field in the afternoon. Anderson field is the only public park on Weno, and this Track and Field event is a huge thing here on Chuuk. It is like the Superbowl of Chuuk. Some schools have been practicing all year (since that is their only sport they train for...or can train for, since they don't have funds for a basketball) for these two days. Friday is the bulk of the events, and it lasts all day.

After many bus trips down to the "big city" (the faculty usually go on the last trip so they don't have to wait in the heat for so long), we found the Xavier tent. There must have been about 600 or more people on this one field. Each school had a tent on the perimeter, while the events took place in the middle. Each school loved to be as loud and wild as possible, which was fun to see. Each had their own cheers and chants. The Chuukese women and girls love to scream (literally screaming, more than yelling) for their players, and stepping out from under the tent to dance usually causes a HUGE uproar among the crowd. I think this is the only time (sporting events) for females to really "let loose" and go nuts. It is always fun to watch. Of course, Xavier students had many chants and cheers.

Most of the events were fun to watch. It did take a long time, since Track and Field events take all day. The most interesting events, however, were the coconut husking and basket weaving. There is no other place in the world (the announcer kept pointing out) that you will find events like this. Coconut husking involves jamming a coconut into a pointed stick to rip off the husk, or the dry "shell", stripping it down to the actual coconut shell where the meat and juice is inside. Each player has to husk as many coconuts in a certain amount of time. Basketweaving involved taking a palm branch and turning it into a good quality basket. It was amazing watching these girls' hands fly! It took them about 2-3 minutes to make a usable basket made entirely of one branch. (Check out my pictures, all of this is in there)

Xavier came in 2nd (tied for 2nd, actually) but it was a very fun time, overall. The best part, actually, was a the surprise that came from the Principal the Wednesday before Track and Field. Originally, we were supposed to have classes this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Instead, we had no school! So that meant that Easter break started Thursday afternoon! There was just no point having school for three days this week. Plus, it was very much needed. It is currently Saturday now, and I actually feel rejuvinated.

Good Friday

The Easter services have been fine so far, nothing that different (considering that I'm used to have 130 students sing beautifully in the hot humid weather and surrounded by sun and coconut trees.

However, yesterday was a bit different.

Good Friday involves the stations of the cross followed by a short service. Fr. Arthur has taken an idea from us JVIs and decided that we, as a school, along with the Sapuk Catholic community, would walk around the entire neighborhood while doing the stations. We did the same thing for our JVI retreat back in the fall, but we walked around the ENTIRE ISLAND (17 miles, 9 hours). If you check out a map of the island of Weno, you'll notice that Xavier is on the right side of the island, and it's located at the beginning of a small peninsula that jets out to create the eastern most point of the island. That little penisula is the Sapuk neighborhood, and that's what we all walked around. There were about 500 people walking and doing the stations. The Chuukese were singing traditional songs while we walked, and each station was said in Chuukese. I walked in the front with most of the Chuukese, and found some of my little friends that I see weekly. We stopped at some of the Catholic family's houses to do each station. The huge crowd of people followed a person, usually a Sapukian youth, carrying a huge cross that they cut themselves from coconut trees.
It was also considerably HOT that day. We started walking around 10 in the morning and ended a little after noon. We were all drentched in sweat. I also was asked to carry the cross on the last leg (up the hill that reaches Xavier) and I ended inside of the buildings where we sometimes say mass with a large crowd. The cross was heavier than it looked. But overall, it was a wonderful experience, doing the stations while walking, and being with the Chuukese community at the same time. I don't think I'll ever encounter a Catholic ritual like that again.

Well, break is almost over, but that's fine with me. I'm well rested, and I'm ready to finish classes, since we only have two more weeks! After that we'll be getting ready for finals (I'll also be getting ready for the Chuuk National Debate, since I am both in charge of the Xavier team as well as coordinating the other 3 schools in this tournament), Cultural Day and Graduation. After Graduation, I'll be going to the Marshall Islands for an orientation with two other JVI communities in Micronesia. After that, Dwyer and I head for Pohnpei to teach summer school while Jaclyn does the same back here in Chuuk.

Keep sending your love this way. I love hearing from everyone. Every time I have an IM conversation with you or get an email from you, it strenghtnes me more than you would beleive. Thank you for your support.