The Adventures of Yapman: Gu ba’adagem, Nina

Sirow for the long delay in between posts. Things have been quite busy on the island. A super quick update on things: I spent my 3 ½ weeks between summer session and the regular school year coaching some volleyball clinics at the Yap Community Center 4 times a week. The YCHS Boys and Girls teams both went on to take home the Championship Title in the end of the summer Junior League tournament. It was a hectic weekend of coaching, driving a pick-up truck without mirrors, and reffing – but it was an unforgettable experience with my kids.

School has been phenomenal this year. I adore my classes. I can’t believe how much love and laughter my students bring into my life. I could not be in a better place right now. I am even beginning to feel like a real math teacher and actually feel like I know what I am talking about. Oddly – I also am getting way too comfortable teaching chemistry and surprise myself with the random tidbits of knowledge that have stuck with me over the years.

And finally- for the blog-inducing event of my adventures – the birthday of my indescribably perfect Yapese mother. Mary Guchol has been my rock since I have come to Yap. Honestly, I do not think I could have survived without her and all of the love and support she has given me. She welcomed me without hesitation into her Yap family, and I could not be more proud to call her my “Nina.” Tonight, we celebrated her 67^th birthday over at Stan and Sheryl’s place (the amazing Australian couple who lives right across from us) in typical island fashion with heaps of delicious food. I meant to make the famous Mrs. Behe’s BBQ, but due to a ground beef shortage on island, I settled with making my mother’s even more famous chocolate chip cookies (they weren’t quite as good as hers – but they still made the impression they needed to.) Mary’s one daughter traveled all the way from Guam to surprise her for the week, and it was a fantastic dinner party with close friends from the village.

This blog post is dedicated to you, Nina. Gu ba’adagem – I love you. Thank-you for being my mother on Yap so that my mother back in Pennsylvania knows I am in good hands. You are an angel.