The time is 11:39 PM. I slowly walk down the aisle of the plane
carrying my laptop bag overflowing far past its natural capacity. As I descend the small, portable stairs onto
the pavement, I look around to see only 2 other planes (something I will learn
in a few hours is a rarity) and a little building with a couple kiosks
welcoming “Yap Citizens” and “Non-Yap Citizens.” I get my passport approved and stamped and am
surprisingly welcomed by a young boy and girl dressed in traditional clothing and
had a lea (there are like 2 other Yapese words for these, but I can barely
remember what “hello” is) placed around my neck. I was then ushered to baggage claim, which
consists of a few men unloading a pick-up truck of luggage to a group of about
60 people who wait patiently to see their bag get pulled from the truck. Once I have my bags, I pass through customs
(aka a man quickly glances at my form and welcomes me to the island). As I exit customs, I am greeted by the other
volunteers of Yap Catholic High School, the Superior General of the Yap
Jesuits, and one of my future students.
I should mention now that from the exit of the plane to exiting customs
all took place in less than 100 feet. A crown of flowers is quickly placed upon my
head and then I suddenly find myself being driven to my new home.
For
those of you who do not know, my name is Michael Joseph Wiencek and I am
volunteering on the developing island of Yap, Micronesia for the next
year. I have only been here for 3 days,
and I feel like I could write for hours about what I have experienced thus far. But that would make for one very long first
blog entry and then who knows what I would write about next time. So for now, I will say that I am currently on
a roller coaster of emotions. Life in
Yap is like nothing I have ever experienced before, and it will definitely take
some time to adjust to the island lifestyle, but I am happy and excited to be
here. This year is undoubtedly going to
be filled with struggles and challenges, but it will also be filled with
eye-opening experiences, invaluable wisdom, and unconditional love. There are so many things I will miss
throughout this year, so many people that I can barely imagine living without;
but I know that I will grow so much through how I react to all of the things
and people I miss. I will always hold
these people in my heart, but I must live in the moment, with the people of
Yap, in a world that I am a stranger.
Only then, will I be able to find myself truly at home.
“Say goodbye to golden yesterdays – or your
heart will never learn to love the present.”
-Anthony
de Mello SJ
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