31 Club

My weeks in the RMI center around Thursdays. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all have their charm (for example, not having to work) but Thursday is truly a special day. In fact, Mandy and I always say that if we can just make it past Wednesday then the week is basically over, since Thursdays are such a delight. The reason for this hysteria is that Thursday is the day of the "31 Club" potluck at The Magee residence. I have mentioned Yvonne, Craig, and Amethyst before but I figured it was time to give them their due respect for conceiving one of the best things that I have been a part of in the RMI.

I met Yvonne and her family at the Marshall Islands Resort during orientation. All of the new ribelle teachers on the island were invited to a teachers' night at the Resort where we were given free food, an open bar, and prizes. While we stood in line to get food, Yvonne placed herself near the table and started to welcome everyone. Even from a distance I could see her infectious zeal. When I finally approached her I was greeted with a big hug. I asked her how long she had been here and what she did at the resort and she looked at me like I was crazy: "I don't work at the resort, hunny. I am a teacher like you. I am just standing here greeting people because I like to meet people...and I wanted to be close to the food." It was friendship that was meant to be. Through further discussion I learned that she too was from Chicago and the bond tightened even further. She took me under her wing as her "other black child" on the island (in fact, many people think that she is my mother due to the fact that there are so few African-Americans here, and due to the fact that she tells everyone that she is my mother) and promptly invited me over for dinner. In a few weeks, she accrued a number of friends from her workplace--the College of the Marshall Islands--and started to have weekly potluck dinners that she held on Thursdays. After the first week, I invited the rest of my housemates to come and Mandy started to attend regularly as well. Over the 7 months that we have been here, the members of the 31 Club (so dubbed because I brought the card game "31" to the group (Mandy taught it to me) and the members of the club used to play it at every dinner) have increased exponentially. Yvonne and Craig say that anyone is welcome to their home and as the number of people has increased, so has the amount and variety of food! At the most populated dinners, 25 or so people have been in the Magee residence! I have had some delicious foods including desert wantons (filled with white chocolate and blueberries), stuffed peppers, tres leches cake, crab cakes, fried mushrooms, peanut butter/chocolate/oatmeal cookies, and sushi.

The meetings of the 31 Club center around revelry, food, and card games. While the event started with parties bringing whatever they wanted, the dinners soon became themed. We have had such dinner themes as seafood (I made lobster bisque), Italian (I made garlic bread with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes), finger food (mango salsa), Mexican (guacamole), soul food (macaroni and cheese), and, most recently, "the best of" (for which I made guacamole again). After dinner, some portion of the group plays cards. Mandy has introduced many games to the group, but the games usually center around 31 and Palace (brought to the group by DVTP undergraduate Rosa '11). Most recently we have been playing Mao--which I brought to the group--the most (if you don't know this game, look it up and then play it with people who don't know the rules; the point of the game is to figure out the rules). After the festivities are over at the house, some members of the group go to the Marshall Islands Resort for a nightcap. This is a nice way to wind down after an extremely social event and spend sometime with some other friends of ours who are usually at the Resort but not at dinner.

Thursdays have become my favorite part of my weekly routine. No matter how the week is going, the Magee family and friends are full of energy, positivity and so many laughs. I feel greatly indebted to them all and all of our 31 Club friends for the support, companionship, and DELICIOUS food they have given me while in the RMI.

In other news, the undergrads, Mandy, Alex Huestis, Eric Hahn, and I rented a golf cart and drove down to Laura beach this past Saturday. It was the perfect way to see all parts of the island.



Happy Valentines Day (Happy Birthday Grandma Alice!) and Bar lo Kom,

Andrew