Sirow

            Sirow!  My deepest apologies for my lack of blog posts over the last month.  My adventures on Yap have seemed non-stop as January flew by and I was challenging myself to live in the moment, live fully in Yap, without getting distracted as much by the internet and that whole Facebook thing.   Unfortunately, this led to me failing quite a bit in the communication department (in terms of technology – I DID manage to get almost completely caught up in writing and responding to letters… almost… not fully yet).

            Let me try to put the past month into the best Spark Notes version I can manage (another thing that technology is ruining… what happened to a good old Cliff Notes reference.... we don’t even have shorter books to replace our books, we now have websites… but I digress).  

            I made it through my first midterm exam week, and so did all of our students.  I was blown away by how well my students did on my exams – which is a true testament to how hard they worked to show how much they have learned throughout the first semester.  I learned (well, more affirmed what I already know) that I cannot possibly sit still enough to proctor a 2-hour exam.  I needed to be moving around, or humming to myself, or looking everywhere else BUT watching the students.  I think it was a more painful experience for me than it was for the students.  I also just hate tests.  I am good at taking tests, I always have been… but I just despise them.  Who came up with the idea to “test” our knowledge in these written formats?  I literally told my Chemistry class that I knew they knew so much more information than I asked of them on the midterm…. But since I knew they knew it, I figured I wouldn’t waste my time or theirs putting it on the exam.  It makes sense in my world.

            My tree climbing skills have developed quite nicely.  I use my hibiscus wrap to hurry up betelnut trees, and I even managed to get up a tree at school completely barefoot as a reward for my freshmen.  I have been working a bit on my Yapese with an older woman who is slowly going blind.  I can say basic phrases and questions and can almost pronounce sounds that before I just couldn’t even comprehend.  My chief, Pugram, has agreed to teach me how to make tuba.  Tuba is fermented coconut sap which tastes like… well it tastes like something you don’t want to drink, but for some reason you do anyway.  He also has been helping me with my Yapese and one day while I was stuck in an out-of-nowhere rain storm (quite typical here), he called me over to his little shop to share some tuba with him to wait out the storm.  It was a fantastic bonding experience.

            Let me see… oh ya!  Maggie came to visit from South Korea for a week.  All I can say is that it was simply fantastic.  It really opened my eyes to the beauty of this island all over again – the nature, the culture, the people… it is just so pure and real.  Maggie really inspired me and re-invigorated me as this adventure continues on.  I am still so shocked that it has been 7 months and it is unbelievable how much I have grown.  Kammagar, Maggie, for a most perfect week.  It was our own little “International Service Immersion” trip.  We went snorkeling, we drank tuba, we chewed betelnut, we went to O’Keefe’s and danced, we ate local food, we just appreciated the island and all it had to offer us.  Maggie fit in perfectly and she put a smile on everyone’s face.  She even arranged a little pen-pal project with some of my freshmen girls.  Which reminds me – Maggie helped me to teach our girls volleyball team how to play some real volleyball (we hadn’t started practices yet) just in time to WIN the first ever sports competition in YCHS history!  There is a new league for the high schools (yes, all 3 of them) to compete in for volleyball and basketball.  Our girls were absolutely phenomenal – I almost cried – the excitement and thrill of the games was electric.

            I am now rejuvenated and re-inspired to continue doing whatever I can to give back to this wonderful island.  My spiritual life is in an amazing place that I cannot even describe, and I honestly could not be happier.  I am still growing and learning each day, and I am so truly blessed to have this opportunity on the island of Stone Money.

            Kammagar for reading!  Kefel’

“Let me lose my voice
Singing all my favorite songs
Let me stare up at the stars
'Cause it's where we all belong”

-“Living Louder” – The Cab