The Adventures of Yapman: Island Hopping

Over the Easter Break, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to a few of the Outer Islands of Yap State. Now, Yap Proper consists of four islands that all fall within the same barrier reef. Three of these islands are connected by short bridges, and the fourth is the Forbidden Island of Rumuung, which is stunningly peaceful and untouched and happens to be the home of the largest piece of stone money in the world. The State of Yap actually covers hundreds of miles of the Pacific Ocean and includes many small island atolls. These collectively are called the Outer Islands and have a completely separate language and culture from Yap Proper. In fact, there are actually multiple Outer Island languages and dialects, but they all are essentially flowing from the same general patterns of vocabulary.

One of my fellow volunteers, Jane, also went to the Outer Islands of Ulithi with me. We had plenty of ramen and canned meats packed in our bags to give to the islanders and we snuggled in nice and cozy into our 8-9 passenger prop-plane (I say 8-9 because on the way home, we needed to squeeze 9, so we improvised a seat and seat belt out of a cooler and a luggage strap). The plane ride was an adventure in itself. To see Yap from the sky (all United flights are in the middle of the night, so you can’t see too well) was mesmerizing – and then to fly over Falalop, Ulithi (Falalop means “Big Island”) to see that the runway spanned the island end to end was an unbelievable experience. As we landed, all you could see in front of us was the wide open ocean waiting to catch us if we couldn’t slow down fast enough. We were welcomed with many flowery marmars and taken by some incredible men to the church in the back of a pick up truck (one of two vehicles on the island).

We were staying with Fr. Nick who covers many of the Outer Islands of Yap. He was a really fun host due to his laid back personality and funny remarks. We had a bathroom, but no running water, so we showered using a cut off bleach bottle and a big metal can filled with water. We had some electricity, but really it was used to run the fridge and make sure the radio communication with the other islands was running. It was a humbling experience and made me appreciate all that I have been blessed with my entire life. The people of Ulithi were overwhelmingly hospitable – there was never a single moment where there was not barbequed fish, breadfruit, and coconuts on the kitchen table for Jane and me.

Since we were visiting over Holy Week, we were able to see many different traditions at the Church, which seemed to be the center of most of the activity on the island. The Outer Island High School took up one side of the island, the airport cut down the middle, and the village and the church were on the other side of the island. Altogether it would take about 6 minutes to walk from end to end, and that is walking leisurely – it was so beautiful. We spent lots of time reading on the beach, collecting shells (they were EVERYWHERE – I even got myself a full conch shell), and snorkeling. Jane and I did play some volleyball with the local kids to celebrate Easter and it was a blast.

The highlight of the Ulithi trip was what I can only refer to as the “Suicide Run” (term coined by Fr. John H.) In Ulithi, there are many small islands surrounded by a fringing reef. Four of these islands are inhabited, and each one has its own church. Every year, Fr. Nick hops into one of the islands small boats with a few trusty crew members and hops from island to island to perform the Easter Vigil Mass on each island. Yes – since it was the Easter Vigil Mass – this was all done in the middle of the night. The first island, Mogmog, is probably one of the most traditional places in the entire world. Everyone on the island is in their local attire. I took my shirt off to try to blend in, but unfortunately I forgot my thu cloth (the Outer Islanders wear thus, but they only use one piece of cloth and wear it slightly differently). The culture was astounding on the island, and once again the islanders welcomed us with a feast of food, offered us to shower despite being in a the dry season and low on water (we politely declined), and even put us on teams for the Easter games being held the next day despite us trying to explain that we had to leave right after mass – which led to a few offers to spend the night at various homes. I have never met such selfless, caring people.

By now, it was almost midnight and it was pitch black and the ocean was getting rougher. We headed to Asor, and then from Asor back to Falalop – but not before picking up a few passengers including two children who must have been about 3 and 5. The waves were splashing all over so I tried to cover the children with my shirt to keep them warm, but we were all soaked regardless. Then one of our motors decided to die around 2:00 AM and we had to putter back into Falalop taking an extra hour or so. When we hit Falalop, Jane and I passed out from exhaustion. I managed to wake up just in time to make the final boat ride to Fedrai, which was over an hour away and had us going over 20 foot swells. Again, it was a beautiful experience, and the ride back included a few chickens on board, and we had dolphins swimming along with us for a bit.

I will admit, at no point did I ever 100% believe that my life was truly in danger. However – I did spend a large portion of the boat rides contemplating whether I should try to save Fr. Nick, the elderly topless woman, or the 5 year old girl when the boat flipped over in the waves. Then I realized how silly I was being – obviously all 3 of these islanders would be the ones dragging me back onto the boat, not the other way around. Then I felt much safer.

When I finally was back on dry land, I thanked God for helping me to get through the awe-inspiring “Suicide Run” and happily drank some celebratory tuba with the men of the island. It was an unforgettable trip to one of the most remote places on the entire planet, and I once again had my views of the world shattered as I found so much love in the people of Ulithi. Sachigchig (Thank-you) for the adventure of a lifetime.