Summer Vacation - Majuro and Pohnpei

Times are certainly going very well for me right now. I am full swing into my summer vacation (summer school hasn’t started yet) and I am certainly getting the most out of relaxing and exploring these wonderful new places. Here’s a bit about what Majuro and Pohnpei - two completely different island states/nations from Chuuk.

Majuro - Republic of the Marshall Islands

Majuro is the capital of RMI. The Marshall Islands consists of dozens of atolls and very few actual islands. It is home to Kwajelane, the world’s biggest atoll and also an American military base, as well as Bikini atoll, where the U.S. staged many famous nuclear and hydrogen bomb tests. Majuro is an atoll, and like all other parts of the Marshall Islands, it is incredibly flat. By incredibly I mean 100%. It is also very very small. Basically at any time you’re on this atoll, you can see both the Pacific Ocean side as well as the lagoon side. The narrowest parts are as wide as the road itself, and the widest parts are maybe 5 football fields long. Yet many people live on these atolls. The most remarkable feature that stands out in comparison with Chuuk: Majuro is a metropolis. It is a lot more Americanized than Chuuk, or than the FSM for that matter. But there is still that mix of island life and culture. It was certainly surprising seeing countless stores, supermarkets, and big, modern buildings. For a second, I could have mistaken it for southern Florida or Puerto Rico. Yet it was all crammed in the little space of the atoll. There were also some parts of the atoll that were very beautiful that contained just trees and beaches. And the highest part of the atoll was a bridge. I heard that some Marshallese kids have never seen real mountains or hills before, so they are usually shocked when they arrive in Kosrae (the first stop in the FSM). Crazy.

There are a few things of note from my two week stay in Majuro:

First was the actual reason for going in the first place: the half-way retreat (for us 1st years), also known as Re-O Dis-O, the "O" standing for Orientation. It was a chance for us 1st years to get reacquainted with the values of JVI and to examine our times in the islands so far. So it was the Chuuk community along with the Pohnpeian community - Tom and Ashley, who visited us in Xmas - as well as the Majuro community. It was really meaningful to have three different island communities coming together to share their experiences. It was also great to hang out with people our age. It was also nice to see Emily, a Majuro JV, who I went to HC with. It was the first time I met up with someone from my "previous life." It was great, just weird. Hard to explain.
Another cool time was when we went to one end of the atoll (it’s not connected all the way around, there are a few islets in between, where the big boats come through) to a beach. It was a very beautiful place, and unlike the places in Chuuk (unless we’re on a reef island) the water led right into the big blue of the Pacific. Dwyer and I decided to venture out past the coral into the actual ocean. Probably not the smartest thing, but we tried anyway. After walking through shallow coral for about 150 yards, we made it to the waves crashing. Once we got past the waves, and once we made sure there was no rip tide, we swam around for a bit, exploring under the surface. A few things notably different: there were many fish and they were huge. Where we were swimming - the first few yards after the breaking waves onto the shallow land - was where most of the fishing takes place. Also there was this really cool crevasse that went really deep and cut into the ocean floor with sharp walls going down. It was very creepy to see, but unlike anything I’ve seen before. We swam down in it a bit and saw even more fish. Finally, the creepiest thing was this: once we swam merely a few yards out even further into the deep blue sea, the ocean floor drops dramatically. So far, in fact, that we couldn’t even see the ocean floor. Scariest feeling in the world. We did not stay out for long, for fear of a shark or something coming out of no where (I found out from a Marshallese teacher that came with us that that was where the sharks hung out…good thing I found out afterwards).

The other great thing about Majuro was the kids. The JVI house was right next door to the school and, like everything else on the atoll, right next to the main (and, really, only) road. There are always people walking about (or jambo, as it’s called in Marshallese) on the streets, which is a pleasant change. There is usually no where to go in Chuuk, so you don’t see people walking on the roads often. Anyway, there are ALWAYS kids walking around, and the JVI has a tendency to attract little kids there all the time. In the kitchen, there are some children’s books, coloring books, and some blocks that the kids always ask for. Even if you don’t want to play with the kids or pay attention to them, we just give them some crayons and books and they chill on the porch. But it was really nice to be interrupted by the cutest kids in the world. I can’t really explain it that well, but having children around who are really sweet and innocent is very refreshing for me. It’s definitely a good break from the high school punks I’m surrounded by. I had good times entertaining them for hours throughout my two weeks there. I miss them already.

Other than that, the two weeks went by fast with some sad goodbyes (Joe and Adrienne left), fun parties with the Majuro JVs, meeting many new people, BBQ at the American Embassy, and I saw X3 at a movie theater (also a incredibly weird experience. For the briefest moment, I thought I was back home in the states. It was a surreal experience leaving the cold theater into the humid atmosphere of downtown Majuro. It was like I was in a dream, back home, and a bit sad because I thought to myself "I can’t go back yet, I’m not done with my work here on the islands." That thought lasted for a second as I exited the theater, which made the whole experience even weirder…that’s just a glimpse of what may come with the whole reverse culture shock in one year).

After two weeks, Dwyer and I left for the island hopper to our new home for the summer, Pohnpei.
Pohnpei is the capital of the FSM, or to be more accurate, the capital is located on this huge island. Out of all the four FSM states (Yap, Chuuk, and Kosrae…I have to keep reminding you, just in case you forget), Pohnpei is the most developed. It is not as Americanized as Majuro, but the infrastructure is definitely … well, there and intact. It is full of jungles and constantly rains. It was nice landing in Pohnpei because it really reminded me of Chuuk. I wouldn’t really say Pohnpei is a cross between Pohnpei and Majuro, but it’s definitely Chuuk on steroids.

We’re staying at the Jesuit House, which is more like a hotel. We live in the town of Kolonia which is a pleasant town that has many streets and side streets (finally, a place that does not have just ONE road going around the island), stores, supermarkets and the usual sites of a normal town. Everything is in walking distance, so walking around is a nice change from being stuck up on the hill at Xavier.

Although we’re staying with the Jesuits, we’ve been hanging out with Tom and Ashley a lot. Although they are second years, they stayed after Re-O Dis-O because they were technically not done with school. On the first day Ashley took us out to a bar (a real one, with drinks and music and people and pool and a TV - not a run down place with one sketchy, drunk guy). It is also very safe here in Pohnpei. Being outside of Chuuk has made me realize how it compares with other places in the islands. People outside of Chuuk don’t really consider it a nice, safe place. It’s considered the ghetto of Micronesia. It’s hard for me to realize, because Chuuk was the first place I became acquainted with. I have no problem defending Chuuk and its people (who I believe to be the friendliest out of all other island states/nations).

Anyway, back to Pohnpei (or Ponape, for those of you using outdated maps to locate it.)

The first week here has been packed. So far we’ve walked all over Kolonia, and we already know our way around the entire town. We’ve also been to two waterfalls, which Pohnpei is known for. When I thought the first one was amazing, the second one blew me away. The first waterfall we went to was about 75 feet high. Dwyer, Tom, Ashley and I went swimming there, which was great. Yet when we went on the PCS (Pohnpei Catholic School) staff picnic the other day, we went to this place called "Twin Falls" because, as I noticed from the top of this huge hill overlooking a jungle valley in front of me, I saw two huge waterfalls streaming down, disappearing into the canopy below me. We had to hike one hour down an incredibly steep hill. If I ever compared any of the jungles in Chuuk to Jurassic Park, I take that back, because Pohnpei definitely resembles all those movies containing real jungle rain forests. The island of Pohnpei is huge compared to Weno, and it takes a few hours to drive around the entire island (on paved roads, going fast, no less). Anyway, after hiking down a muddy hill and then walking through a rocky river (all with NO ZORRIES! It was safer, since it was slippery wearing our sandles, so bare feet was much easier) we went to the first waterfall, which had to be about 200-250 feet high! It also contained a swimming hole. The second waterfall, just a short hike away, was also 250 feet high. It was very hypnotic to watch. I really hope I get pictures to you, though you may have to wait until August, because uploading pics here in Pohnpei is a bit hard, since I rarely get online now.
We also hiked up a mountain that contained a few Japanese guns (the Pohnpeian government actually preserves them as a historical site, unlike Chuuk) and saw a spectacular view of many of the hills of the island as well as the ocean. Being so high up and seeing water almost all around me really gives you that feeling that you are indeed on a small island in the middle of the vast ocean.

I also had the good fortune to have a small meal with a local Pohnpeian, a worker at the Jesuit House whom we befriended. We watched his family members pound Sakau in their community hut outside their house, and we joined in the drinking ritual of passing the coconut shell cup around and drinking the mud-like root-juice that makes your mouth go numb.

We still have lots to do, like check out more water falls and also go to the legendary Non Mandol, a pre colonial temple/ruins that you can only enter with a kayak. This island is incredibly beautiful and huge. It was a great first week here, and I know the rest of the two months will be great.

Chris and I start work on June 26th, so we have plenty of time to get ready. Chris and I are also preparing to welcome the new JVs to Pohnpei when they arrive in the beginning of August. Not only will we have to welcome 6 new JVs, but we are in charge of organizing the main in-country orientation for the Pohnpei JVs, since there are no overlapping second years.

It is all very exciting and happening very fast. But it feels great to be in limbo in my two year mission (the first year is done because I’m out of school and Adrienne and Joe have left, but the new JVs aren’t here yet, and this is almost like a real summer vacation for me). My next blog will be a bit more insightful to my whole year and I will try to capture any growth that I have noticed in the past year. I’ll try to make it exciting.

Anyway, it’s great to hear from all of you. Keep in touch. So long from Pohnpei.

Kalangan!