The 6th graders perform "Peace Like a River" on the last day of school:
The girls sing "Let It Go" from Frozen:
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Videos
Now that I have fast enough internet, I wanted to post a few videos. This first video is a compilation of lots of quick scenes that I filmed to give you a sense of my daily experience with my host family. (Lots of dancing!)
The 6th graders perform "Peace Like a River" on the last day of school:
The girls sing "Let It Go" from Frozen:
The 6th graders perform "Peace Like a River" on the last day of school:
The girls sing "Let It Go" from Frozen:
Need a book recommendation?
There’s a lot of free time in the Peace Corps. Like, A LOT.
I’ve never had so much time for pleasure reading!
Here are my top ten recommendations:
The Bean Trees by
Barbara Kingsolver – I felt obligated to put one of Babs’ books on here since I
read so many of them. The Poisonwood
Bible is still by favorite, but I didn’t technically read it here.
En el tiempo de las
mariposas by Julia Alvarez – The English version is also available (In the Time of the Butterflies). Based
on the true story of four sisters who protested the dictatorship in the
Dominican Republic.
A Prayer for Owen
Meany by John Irving – I generally don’t like John Irving novels (they’re
just so weird!), so I was skeptical
when my dad sent this one to me. But this book is possibly one of my favorite
books of all time. Hilarious and heartbreaking. I can’t explain it and do it
justice, so just take my word for it and read it!
Game of Thrones by
George R.R. Martin – I read the first five books (possibly a 6th one
came out while I was here…?) and the first two were my favorites. Yes, there
are dragons, but the fantasy elements play a secondary role – it’s about
political intrigue and scheming. I haven’t seen the tv series yet, but everyone
says I have to watch it.
Columbine by Dave
Cullen – A disturbing book about the Columbine shooting, but absolutely
incredible, and an important read. And sadly, very timely.
The Pillars of the
Earth by Ken Follett – It kind of pains me to put a Follett book on here,
since Ken Follett’s smug author photos are something of an inside joke in our
volunteer lounge. But this book was just fabulous – an epic about building a
cathedral.
Les Miserables by
Victor Hugo – This one is a beast at 1400 pages. You might want to get an
abridged version, seeing as Mr. Hugo has an unfortunate tendency to go off on tangents
(like a chapter about the history of the Paris sewer system in the middle of
the climatic sewer escape).
River Town by
Peter Hessler – A memoir of a Peace Corps volunteer in China. Fascinating and
funny.
Angela’s Ashes by
Frank McCourt – So sad and touching, but also funny – just a gem.
A Short History of
Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson – A science book for non-scientists with
Bryson’s fabulous storytelling. This book had me gazing up at the night sky in
utter wonder. The universe is amazing!!!
And here’s the comprehensive list.
1.
Longshot
by Dick Francis
2.
Loving
Frank by Nancy Horan
3.
The
Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
4.
La ciudad
de las bestias by Isabel Allende
5.
The
Testament by John Grisham
6.
The Year
of Living Dangerously by C.J. Koch
7.
No Country
for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
8.
Emma by
Jane Austen
9.
The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
10. Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale
11. The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea
Barrett
12. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
13. Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
14. Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman
15. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
16. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
17. La sombra del viento by Carlos Ruiz
Zafón
18. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten
Troost
19. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by
Junot Díaz
20. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
21. English Creek by Ivan Doig
22. The Highest Frontier by Joan Slonczewski
23. A Room with a View by E.M. Foster
24. The Post-American World by Fareed
Zakaria
25. Olive
Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
26. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
27. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
28. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
29. The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris by Chris
Ewan
30. Tales of the South Pacific by James A.
Michener
31. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest
Hemingway
32. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop
Café by Fannie Flagg
33. En el tiempo de las mariposas by Julia
Alvarez
34. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
35. The Devil in the White City by Erik
Larson
36. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
37. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew
Quick
38. The Island of the Colorblind by Oliver
Sacks
39. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
40. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
41. To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite
42. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
43. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor
Hugo
44. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
45. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
46. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
47. The Valley of the Horses by Jean M. Auel
48. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
49. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
50. The Unheard: A Memoir of Dearness and Africa
by Josh Swiller
51. Once Minutos by Paulo Coehlo
52. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
53. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
54. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
55. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
56. A Dance with Dragons by George R.R.
Martin
57. Why People Believe Weird Things by
Michael Shermer
58. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
59. Columbine by Dave Cullen
60. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth
Stein
61. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
62. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
by Anne Fadiman
63. Escuadrón Guillotina by Guillermo
Arriaga
64. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
65. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
66. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
67. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
by Dave Eggers
68. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
69. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
70. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J.
Jacobs
71. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael
Gruber
72. El amor en los tiempos de cólera by
Gabriel García Marquez
73. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
74. White Out by Michael W. Clune
75. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
76. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
77. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
78. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
79. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
80. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
81. Yes Man by Danny Wallace
82. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
83. Home by Julie Andrews
84. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
85. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne
Harris
86. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
87. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David
Sedaris
88. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
89. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa
Gregory’
90. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel
García Marquez
91. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
92. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R.
Tolkein
93. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein
94. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein
95. Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan
Szymanski
96. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
97. Dune by Frank Herbert
98. The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll
Healey
99. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles
100.
Orange is
the New Black by Piper Kerman
101.
A Long Way
Down by Nick Hornby
102.
The
Pawnbroker by Edward Lewis Wallant
103.
Revolutionary
Road by Richard Yates
104.
Forrest
Gump by Winston Groom
105.
The
Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
106.
La casa de
los espíritus by Isabel Allende
107.
Marriage,
A History by Stephanie Coontz
108.
Me Talk Pretty
One Day by David Sedaris
109.
Into Thin
Air by Jon Krakaeur
110.
Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler
111.
Mystic
River by Dennis Lehane
112.
Slam
by Nick Hornby
113.
Empress
by Shan Su
114.
The Runner
by Christopher Reich
115.
Drinking
Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer
116.
Interpreter
of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
117.
The
Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
118.
Anna
Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
119.
Wild
by Cheryl Strayed
120.
The Edge
of Paradise: America in Micronesia by P.F. Kluge
121.
Labor Day
by Joyce Maynard
122.
The
Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
123.
Housekeeping
by Marilynne Robinson
124.
Squirrel
Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
125.
Every Last
One by Anna Quindlen
126.
1984
by George Orwell
127.
River Town
by Peter Hessler
128.
Dress Your
Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
129.
Ape House
by Sara Gruen
130.
A Hell of
a Place to Lose a Cow by Tim Brookes
131.
Ship
Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
132.
Fahrenheit
451 by Ray Bradbury
133.
Madame
Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
134.
Angela’s
Ashes by Frank McCourt
135.
Animal
Farm by George Orwell
136.
I’m a
Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
137.
Gone with
the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
138.
The
Awakening by Kate Chopin
139.
‘Tis
by Frank McCourt
140.
Teacher
Man by Frank McCourt
141.
The
Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
142.
The
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
143.
Animal
Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
144.
La mala
hora by Gabriel García Marquez
145.
Mansfield
Park by Jane Austen
146.
City of
Thieves by David Benioff
147.
Drown
by Junot Díaz
148.
A Short
History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
149.
Uncle
Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
150.
Love
Medicine by Louise Erdrich
151.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
152.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
153.
Dear Life by Alice Munro
154. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
155. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
154. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
155. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Summing up the Peace Corps Experience
Well, we’re getting down to it – only six days until my COS
(“close of service” – gotta love Peace Corps’ obsession with acronyms). I
dedicated two years of my life to this experience, so I’ve been doing lots of
reflecting this month.
Most importantly, would I do it again? Yes and no. If I were
able to go back in time and talk to myself two years ago, I would absolutely
say “YES!” But looking ahead, I don’t want to do Peace Corps for a second time
in my life – two years is just too long.
The best part of my experience was undoubtedly been building
relationships with the kids in my host family and at school. I’ve gotten to
watch babies learn how to walk, students graduate from high school, elementary
school, and ECE (the equivalent of Kindergarten), plus lots of goofy dancing
and singing. I don’t think I would have made it through without the kids – I
relied on their smiles and laughter when I was struggling.
And to be honest, I struggled a lot. I don’t remember how
many times I went down to the river to cry. I was frustrated almost daily at
school dealing with cross-cultural attitudes to teaching, treatment of
children, work ethic, etc. I missed home and never really found a way to
discuss my feelings in a meaningful or deep way with my host family (I relied
on my fellow volunteers for that). I confronted aspects of the culture that
were truly horrifying to me, and came to truly appreciate America’s gender
roles and attitudes. I survived some very unpleasant illnesses (and even got a
free trip to Thailand as a reward for my suffering, he he).
Overall, though, it was a positive and life-changing
experience (sorry for the cliché). Like many volunteers, I think I got much
more out of it than I was able to give to my community. I think it’s an
inevitable paradox of volunteering.
Also like many volunteers, I am constantly questioning
whether or not I made a difference. Once again, I think the answer is both yes
and no. I know that I had an impact on my students. Over the two years, they
improved their English and, more importantly, they developed their abilities to
think critically and express themselves creatively. The 8th graders
that participated in GLOW and BoyzIIMen camps learned the skills that will
hopefully help them transition to healthy, respectful, confident adults. Some
students started reading for pleasure and others gained a concept of world
geography from our Magic Tree House/World Map project.
But helping my students was only half of my task in
Micronesia. Peace Corps’ larger goal is SUSTAINABILITY, meaning that, after I
leave, the progress will continue from co-teaching and “skills transfer” (Peace
Corps’ favorite phrase). In that sense, I don’t know if my work will prove at
all sustainable. It depends on what the teachers choose to do when I leave. One
of the other volunteers described it well – we are only the catalysts for
change, but the actual change is up to other people. I am very lucky that my
school is receiving a new Peace Corps volunteer in August, so the progress will
continue for at least another two years!
The Micro Games
I’ve missed out on two Olympics while I’ve been on Pohnpei,
but this month I got to watch Micronesia’s version of the Olympics – The Micro
Games!
I can’t really overstate what a big deal this is here. There’s
been a countdown outside the government buildings for the past year (since I knew
I would be leaving Pohnpei around the same time as the Micro Games, it was a
strange reminder of my impending COS).
The four states of FSM, Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru,
Kiribati, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam all competed here on Pohnpei.
There were standard events like track and field, basketball, volleyball,
swimming, etc, and also traditional Micronesian events like spear fishing,
canoe racing, and the “Micronesian All-Around” that consisted of coconut
husking, swimming, tree climbing, spear throwing, etc. (Pohnpei won gold in the all-around, by the way.)
 |
| Speedy coconut husking |
 |
| A rainy day for a canoe race |
 |
| The crowd watching the volleyball game |
Pohnpei did quite well in the medal count – I think 2nd
in gold medals after the mighty Guam. But this was little comfort to many of my
family members who were focused solely on volleyball and basketball. Guam swept
both of these sports in both the women’s and men’s divisions.
This being Pohnpei, the crowds always showed the most
excitement for the dancing spectators during breaks in the game. The first
thing my nohno would ask when I got home was not “Who won?” but “Did you
dance?” They need a dancing event at the next Micro Games!
Pohnpeian Weddings
On Sunday my host sister and her husband got married. He was
already her husband by Pohnpeian standards. Sort of. The whole thing is kind of
confusing, but I’ll try to explain based on what I’ve seen in my village.
Things vary a lot on different parts of the island, so this post probably
doesn’t represent Pohnpeian culture as a whole.
Generally, when a relationship becomes public (when the
parents find out about it), a traditional Pohnpeian “wedding” takes place. The
wedding is just a sakau ceremony between the families. Then usually the woman
goes to live with the husband’s family (although sometimes the man moves
instead – of my nohno’s five married daughters, only one lives away from her
family compound).
Since the arrival of Christianity, however, couples need to
have a second wedding in the church. (One woman translated the traditional
Pohnpeian ceremony as an “engagement” in English, but most people translated it
as a marriage.) This second wedding isn’t rushed at all – it happens whenever
the couple gets around to it. Often, the church wedding happens several years
later after the couple has started a family and built their own house.
So anyway, congratulations to Padian and Jetny! (I had been
putting the pressure on them to get married before I left Pohnpei .)
 |
| The family |
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Boyz II Men (Not the 90s band)
I made it through my third camp of the year, this time for 8th
grade boys. Surprisingly, it went better than either of the girls’ camps. This
was surprising first because we planned it at the last minute, and second
because it was for 8th grade boys.
I expected lots of behavior problems, but the boys were great (it helped that
we had less than 30 boys, whereas the girls’ camps had 60 and 70 each). Plus,
this camp was the most fun because the boys got so into the teamwork and
leadership games. The enthusiasm was just off the charts.
 |
| The gang |
 |
| Human knot |
 |
| Acid river: cross without touching the ground! |
BoyzIIMen focused on five pillars: respect, community
service, leadership, teamwork, and ambition. We also had some peer educators
from the high school talk about drugs and HIV/AIDS. They brought ukuleles and
sang some awesome songs – the boys were singing the “say no to drugs” song on
the bus ride home!
 |
| Improvised CPR lesson |
 |
| Discussing goals |
The best part of the camp was our evening bonfire. We
introduced the all-American s’more, which was a huge hit (how could it not
be?), and glow sticks (which I guess would have been more appropriate for the
girls’ camp, considering it’s called Camp GLOW).
This camp served as a “pilot program” for BoyzIIMen on
Pohnpei (we got the framework from the Chuuk volunteers have been doing it for
several years), so hopefully next year the remaining Pohnpei volunteers will be
able to expand the program to more schools.
Summer Science
We’re halfway through my last Peace Corps project! It’s a
cross between summer school and day camp that focuses on hands-on science. Unfortunately,
science in Pohnpei is very textbook-focused due to a lack of materials and
teacher training. My principal is trying to get more support from the
Department of Education, but in the meantime I decided to give the students and
some of the interested teachers an introduction to scientific experiments. It’s
nothing fancy – just a very rudimentary overview of the scientific process and
some fun experiments.
We’ve already conducted classes for 5-7th grade,
and during the next two weeks we’ll be focusing on 2nd-4th
grade. I originally was going to teach a computer class for the 7th
graders, but the computers aren’t working (what else is new?). They were
disappointed, so I they joined in first week and they served as my assistants
the second week.
(By the way, a huge thank you to those of you who donated
money for supplies!)
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the first two
weeks:
 |
| Learning about density by layering liquids |
 |
| Gak! Is it a solid or a liquid? |
 |
| Neither! It's a POLYMER! |
 |
| Landslide simulation |
 |
| Egg drop experiment! |
 |
| Explosive baking soda and vinegar volcano! (Probably the most popular experiment of all) |
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Extreme Camp GLOW
This year the Pohnpei volunteers continued the Camp GLOW tradition for 8th grade girls. GLOW stands for "Girls Leading Our World," and the camp is all about women's health and empowerment. This year we did two separate camps since we had so many girls that wanted to join. Needless to say, it was a LOT of work and I'm relieved that we survived two camps! But it was also lots of fun :)
We led club sessions at our schools throughout the school year on puberty/menstruation, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, rape and sexual abuse, healthy and abusive relationships, substance abuse, leadership, and diabetes and staying healthy. These topics are all especially important on Pohnpei where teen pregnancy is a huge problem, one third of the population has diabetes, and domestic abuse is prevalent. Plus there's no sex ed on the island, so most of the girls had never had the "sex talk" before. Then at camp we did group activities involving these topics and invited guest speakers to join in the conversation. (Shocking things we learned from a local lawyer: the age of consent in Pohnpei is only 15, and only 13 in Chuuk. Also, marital rape is not illegal. Luckily the Pohnpei Women's Council is working hard with the legislature to change these laws.)
Overall, the two camps were huge successes, aside from one night when the volunteers got no sleep ("Girls, get OUT of the showers and BACK in bed. It is 4 o'clock in the morning!!") and one medical emergency.
Next up, a boys' camp in July! (By the way, it will be called "Boyz 2 Men," not "BLOW," despite the wishes of my co-teachers. I had to explain the English connotation to them...) Hopefully I'll have my energy back by then!
 |
| Camp 1 for the east side of the island. |
 |
| Camp 2 for the west side |
 |
| Learning CPR |
 |
| Kelly Jo and Aidee demonstrate condom use on a cucumber |
 |
| The International Organization for Migration came to talk about natural disaster preparedness and the girls learned how to start a generator, among other activities. |
 |
| The girls show off the local baskets that they wove from palm fronds |
 |
| My 11 GLOW girls from Pehleng Elementary, plus my two fabulous co-teachers :) |
Next up, a boys' camp in July! (By the way, it will be called "Boyz 2 Men," not "BLOW," despite the wishes of my co-teachers. I had to explain the English connotation to them...) Hopefully I'll have my energy back by then!
Island Style
Aside from sakau, embroidered skirts (urohs en Pohnpei) may
be the most quintessentially Pohnpeian symbol. Every Pohnpeian woman owns a collection of these skirts – simple embroidery for everyday wear and elaborate embroidery for special occasions, feasts, trips into town, etc.
 |
| At Education Day last year - the four of us on the ends are wearing different styles of Pohnpeian skirt |
Several of my family members make these skirts for a living.
Since all my medical problems this winter, I haven’t been going up to the
mountain to harvest sakau anymore – instead, I’ve been filling most Saturdays
helping Seileen make skirts.
 |
| Seileen and Pattiann work in their "skirt factory" |
She does all the sewing, but I’m responsible for
the cutting. The nicest skirts (the ones that sell for the most money) involve
three layers of fabric, and I cut around all the embroidery to expose the colored
fabrics in the 2nd layer. It takes about 1-2 hours per skirt, and
it’s a nice way to fill those weekend hours!
 |
| The middle skirt is an example of the layered cutting technique (the orange fabric is the 2nd layer) |
The other key element of a Pohnpeian woman's wardrobe is the oh-so-figure-flattering muumuu. It seems like they should be breezy and comfortable, but I find them unbearable to wear in the hot weather. I have to wear them to school and church, but I also change into Pohnpeian skirts as soon as I get home!
 |
| Matching muumuus are popular. People use the English word "uniform" when their clothes match |
Pohnpeian Legends
Earlier this year my 7th graders retold Pohnpeian legends in English and Pohnpeian. Here's a sampling...
The Legend of Sapwkini
Retold by Venniesha and Santiago
Long,
long ago there was a man named Sapwkini. One day he was sitting and thinking of
something to do. He wanted to see an island, so he built a big canoe.
He
sailed and sailed on the ocean. One day, Sapwkini met an octopus named
Lidakihki. Lidakihki asked Sapwkini, “Where are you going?” And Sapwkini said
that he wanted to find an island. Lidakihki showed him a reef, but the reef was
too small. So Sapwkini went back home.
He
told his friends to bring their canoes and rocks and soil. They all went back
to the little reef and built an island with the rocks and soil. Sapwkini named
the island Pohnpei.
The Legend of Isokelekel
Retold by Melyann and Orien
Long
long ago, the Nanmwarki of Pohnpei was Saudeleur. Saudeleur had many wives. One
of his wives went to the well to get water for Saudeleur. She met a man named
Luhk Nansapwe at the river. She talked with Luhk Nansapwe until her water pot
broke. She didn’t know what to do, so she cried and told Saudeleur that Luhk
Nansapwe was the one who broke the pot.
Saudeleur
got angry and told Soukomwpsul to bring Luhk Nansapwe to him. He put Luhk
Nansapwe in prison for days, but a man saved him. He put Luhk Nansapwe on a
fish called a trout. The trout carried Luhk Nansapwe to Kosrae.
A
woman saw Luhk Nansapwe on the beach and she took him to her house. Luhk
Nansapwe lived with the woman for days until he was about to die. He poured a
lemon into the woman’s eye and the woman got pregnant. The woman gave birth to
a boy named Isokelekel.
When
Isokelekel grew up, he heard that Saudeleur was the Nanmwarki of Pohnpei. He
wanted to defeat Saudeleur. Isokelekel collected all of his men and sailed to
Pohnpei. When they got to Pohnpei, they started to fight. Isokelekel killed
Saudeleur, and Isokelekel became the Nahnmwarki of Pohnpei.
The Legend of the Eel
Retold by Rihna, Meleny, and Bentrick
Long,
long ago there was a couple who lived on Pohnpei. One day the couple went
fishing and they found a small rock. They took the rock home with them. When
they got home, they saw that the rock had turned into an eel!
The
man and woman took care of the eel and it grew big. But one day the woman asked
the man, “Why don’t we eat the eel?” The eel heard what the woman said.
In
the morning the couple went to kill the eel, but the eel ran after them to eat them! The couple ran under a big rock,
and the eel ran after them and ate them up. The rock is called Takai
Dingidingi. Today people go there and take pictures.
The Legend of Lepen Palikir and Saudeleur
Retold by Jeffery and Detrick
Once
upon a time there was a man named Saudeleur who lived in Madolenihmw. The
people always brought Saudeleur food, but there was a man named Lepen Palikir
who didn’t want to give Saudeleur his food.
Saudeleur
sent his guard to bring Lepen Palikir. The guard got on a rock and rode the
rock to Lepin Palikir’s house. The guard told Lepen Palikir to go see
Saudeleur.
Lepen
Palikir turned into a chicken and flew to Saudeleur. He flew and made a
mountain called Dolen Pwisehn Malek. Lepen Palikir flew to Saudeleur and killed
him. Then Lepen Palikir was the king of Pohnpei.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
COS
It’s been an eventful few weeks. At the end of April, we had our COS (close of service) conference to prepare for our return to the states. And of course, since it’s Peace Corps, they also gave us tons of paperwork to complete before we leave. We also found out that our post-service health care package is so bad that it doesn’t even qualify for minimum coverage under the new Affordable Care Act. So basically we’ll be fined if we use it for more than six months – the same as if we had no coverage at all! Wow, thanks Peace Corps.
We flew to Chuuk, one of the other states in the Federated States of Micronesia. Along with several outer atolls, Chuuk is comprised of a group of islands in a large lagoon. Dozens of Japanese ships were bombed and sank in the lagoon during WWII, making Chuuk a popular diving destination today.
 |
| Flying in over Chuuk Lagoon |
 |
| A half-sunken ship, although I have no idea what era it's from. I took this picture while kayaking. I'm not dive-certified, plus I'm way too scared to dive, as cool as it would have been to see the ships. |
 |
| The original M78 gang on the day we arrived in Pohnpei (June 2012) |
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| The remaining volunteers at COS, plus some PC staff |
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