Welcome to my blog on my year (July 2010 - June 2011) in the Marshall Islands! The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a Micronesian nation composed on 29 coral atolls and 5 islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. I am here on the Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program which you can find out more about at this link: www.dartmouthrmi.com. I am staying in the capital, Majuro, and am teaching two sections of 7th grade English Grammar/Writing and English Reading at Majuro Middle School (MMS). I am living in dorms on the Marshall Islands High School (MIHS) campus, where MMS is located. If you have any other questions please feel free to email me at l.andrew.rayner@gmail.com, and thanks for visiting my blog. I update on Sundays as regularly as electricity/internet availability permits.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Best of Majuro

Dear blog readers,

In an attempt to upgrade the "blogginess" of my blog, I decided to keep up with this theme of lists (because, really, who doesn't enjoy a good list) for this week. Earlier in the week, I came to the terrifying conclusion that I had spent all of my stipend for the month and that I was in desperate need of next month's stipend. In thinking that, I realized that the month of January was almost over, that it had flown by, and that I only had four months left of my RMI/DVTP experience. The realization was exciting, depressing, and shocking. I do not know where the time has gone. In light of this, I figured that I should take some time out to give a more accurate picture of the place I have been living and give some credit to the people, places, and things that have made this experience so wonderful to me thus far. Conclusively, here we arrive at the best of Majuro list. Now, I know that many of these lists focus on a particular area--food, hotels, shops, performances, etc.--but since there is such a variety of somethings and a dearth of others, I figured that I would keep the list general. So, for those of you who are daring and are interested in coming out to Majuro for some Pacific Ocean fun, these are the people, places, and things that you will want to meet, go to, and eat/buy.

Best Handicraft (Animono) Store

There are a plethora of handicraft stores in Majuro. When I was doing my Christmas shopping, I went to every single store to find the best deals. Many people will tell you that the airport has the best handicraft store, and, in earnest, they do have the best deals. However, as far as the quality of the physical plant of the store, variety of animono, and service, Elefa is the best handicraft store in Majuro. The store itself is beautiful. Most all patrons take off their shoes before they come into the store in respect to the homeliness of the place and the wood floors. When you come in, the smell of the manipulated coconut fawns is the first thing you notice along with the numerous number of baskets covering the right wall. To the left, there is a depressed portion of the store that has a number of woven purses and hats (I have never seen woven hats at another store). In the far left corner of the store is an enclosed room where patrons can peek in and see a number of women working on the actual handicrafts. This is my favorite feature of the store. I love knowing that the profits are going to the women making the products. The store also offers classes. I have not taken any of them, but I hope to take a class or two before I go.

Best Pizza

There are a number of places that sell pizza in Majuro, but my favorite has to be The Marshall Islands Club. While the Marshall Islands Resort boasts a delicious array of toppings and a double sized garlic crust, for price and quantity, MIC takes the pie. There speciality pizza, which ports most vegetables you can think of, pineapple, and ham, and it runs around 18 dollars. The crust is delicious and the timing, from order to in your stomach, is extremely quick.

Best Restaurant (Ambiance)

This is an extremely difficult category. The most beautiful restaurant is definitely the Marshall Islands Club which is located right on the oceanside of the island with a beautiful outdoor view. But, as far as a winner in this category, I am going to have to concede this to the Tide Table. TT is an extremely popular spot for ribelles and visiting fishermen and sailors since it is right next to the Shoreline dock. Though small, the far wall that runs the length of the restaurant is all glass, giving a nice view of "downtown" Majuro and the lagoon. The walls are covered with animono and the restaurant has a nice bar with a large television that is almost always playing sports. The best part of the restaurant is the wait staff. All of the ladies that work at the restaurant are extremely nice and will cater to any dining experience need that you may have. It just so happens that I teach the children/siblings of almost the entire evening wait staff, so whenever I go there I get extra special treatment!

Best Restaurant (Food)

Majuro is full of excellent Chinese food. I assume this is because of the large number of Chinese residents in town. Ask any one and they will give you a different answer for which is the best Chinese food restaurant, but despite all other claims, I must side with Won Hai Shen. The prices are great, the variety of food is amazing, and the portions are hefty. If you do get a chance to go there, try any dish with eggplant (if it is on island), the sizzling beef (otherwise known on the menu as "hot beef on an iron board"), and the sweet and sour soup. You will be pining for another meal there soon after.

Best Bang For You Buck (Food)

There are two close contenders in this category. The second place winner is DAR (and, unfortunately, I have no idea what that stands for). DAR specializes in Marshallese and Pacific Islander cuisine (which includes curries, I was surprised to find out), however you can get your standard breakfast foods and lunch plates also. The portions there are large and the food is delicious and cheap. However, the real winner is one of the newest restaurants in Majuro. It is an unnamed sandwich shop in the Good Foods Market. The atmosphere of the place is like that of a Boarders Cafe and the sandwiches, made on homemade bread, are huge. You have have chicken, tuna, beef, hot dog, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cabbage, onions, pickles, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and cheese in any combination for the small price of $3.50. And you won't be hungry for a while.

Best Bar (Drinks and Bar Tender)

I must admit that have have frequented the few bar scenes that exist in Majuro and you cannot beat the guys at the Marshall Islands Resort bar. Many of the patrons are ribelles or Marshallese officials, so the service is top notch. Once the guys know you, they make your drinks strong and cut a lot of deals for your continued patronage. Gary, John, and Sunny are all great guys and my experience here would not have been as fun without them. Unfortunately, MIR has recently raised the price of their drinks, so I do not know if MIR will hold this title for the remainder of the year, but the bartenders still remain unbeatable. If you go there, make sure you ask for an "Aqua Shocka." It is an invention from some of the permabelles on island. It is the color of the ocean and will knock you off of your feet.

Best Bar (Ambiance)

The award for this category has to go to the Marshall Islands Club. Not only is the bar huge but it has a hand shuffle board, two bars (one indoors and one outside), live music, three different outdoor seating areas, three different indoor seating areas, pool tables, and karaoke. I mean, c'mon! It's also right on the water making it a beautiful spot. Unfortunately, enough people do not frequent there so it is never a "hopping" scene, but the lack of huge crowds in the big space is sometimes refreshing.

Best Karaoke

Many different spots offer karaoke in Majuro but the most entertaining place to test your vocal chords is at The Flame Tree Lounge. FTL, an infamous bar in its own right, has a small television in the corner of one of their bars and two microphones that patrons fight for vehemently. While the music selection is not full of popular hits, the regulars at FTL seem to know all the words to the most obscure songs. You get everyone, from people who can really wail to people who are actually wailing. The song I have heard performed the most?: "We Are The World."

Best Dance Spot

Rounding out this section on nightlife and entertainment is a Majuro favorite--The Pub. Now, it is a commonly known fact that you cannot go to The Pub before 1:00 AM, or else literally no one will be there. Most other bars close around this time so this is when The Pub comes to life. Best of all, they pretend to close down around 3:00 AM when the cops arrive, but stay open even longer afterwards. The bar itself only has two rooms, one for playing pool and another, large room with a second bar and a dance floor, complete with black lights and lasers. The music varies between Marshallese music (which can be difficult to dance to at times) and American music. If you want to get down, The Pub is definitely the best option.

Best Place to be Mobbed by Children

In a completely different vain, taking walks, or "jambos," around Majuro is a popular activity. As I have spent more and more time in Majuro, I have gotten to know more and more people. Still, there are a limited number of ribelles and since my students are spread all over the town my name has gotten around to all different groups of children. If you are looking to hang out with the local kids and have a great time, look no further than Demon Town. Demon Town is the name of the oceanside road next to MIHS. There, on the narrow street, seemingly dozens of kids are hanging out at all hours of the day and night. I always feel compelled to stop and play with them when I go on this jambo for the fear that if I don't, the kids will overtake me. Marshallese kids are extremely sweet and friendly and playing with the kids in Demon Town is actually one of my favorite activities in Majuro.

Best Jambo

The Demon Town jambo is an incredibly enjoyable one, but it is one that you have to be ready for. If you want to relax and go on a beautiful walk, you definitely have to walk across the ocean at low tide to Ejit. The home of Justin and Alex, Ejit is an island full of Bikinians who were placed there some time after the atomic bomb testing in the Bikini Atoll. The island itself has many mean dogs, but the walk to the island is a refreshing. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Going at low tide is highly encouraged since at high tide the current from the ocean can be strong and the water can be near or above one's head. Between the end of Majuro and Ejit, there are two small islands. The first is called Demon Island, since, supposedly, demons live there. The second is called Electric Island, aptly named because there is an electricity tower placed on the island. The walk itself is gorgeous. The ocean is on one side and the lagoon is on the other, you can see a few fish, and the sound of the waves is incredibly relaxing.

Best Place to Swim

On the other end of Majuro is the town called Laura. An hour ride from Majuro, I refer to Laura as the suburbs of the city. Life is different there and moves at a slower place. At the end of the island in Laura is a beautiful beach. The water is not deep for a long time because of the coral shelf making it the perfect place to lazily swim. You also have the option of going snorkeling in a relaxed setting.

Best Place to Snorkel

Speaking of snorkeling, Laura beach is NOT the best place to go in Majuro. Off in the lagoon side of Ejit is pretty beautiful, but really, the best snorkeling is on Enemanit, the picnic island. The island is a short ride from Shoreline and my host family and a few other people go there every Sunday for a picnic. The snorkeling there is unbelievable. There is a sunken WWII fighter plane and a sunken ship a few hundred yards from the beach. Even more amazing is that you can walk a few feet from the beach, put on goggles and see more fish or coral than you have probably ever seen in your life. It is like being in an aquarium.

Best Place to Relax

Enemanit also tops my list for the best place to relax in Majuro. In addition to great snorkeling, Enemanit has lazy swim spots, bungalows with hammocks, and the regulars usually bring a feast of food. Honestly, it is what I imagined island paradise to look like when I came to the RMI. It is the perfect place to spend a Sunday.


So there you have it. The Best of Majuro! If you have any questions or have some suggestions for categories to add the next time I do this (which will most likely be right before I leave), please don't hesitate to ask. Hopefully this gives you a bit of a better picture of what this place is like.

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

11 New "Things That Have Surprised Me In The RMI"

Due to faulty internet this post has been delayed a bit. Still I decided this week to bring back something that I was doing religiously at the beginning of my blogging but stopped due to the gravity of my posts and the normalcy of life here in the RMI after a few months. That being said, my on going list of "Things That Have Surprised Me In The RMI" has grown over the last few months, and since I do not really want to talk about last week (where my kids behaved so poorly that by the end of the week I had to sit in front of the classroom door for 50 mins and let them out one by one once they finally sat down with their heads down silently; they are acting much better this week), I figured I would re-post the oldies and write about some new traits that I recognized in the past few months.

So, here are the old ones so you don't have to look back through the blog...

1) There are wild roaming dogs EVERYWHERE. They are pretty docile because they used to people but I am terrified of dogs so I have not gotten used to this yet.

2) Marshallese people are extremely community oriented and friendly. While I did not assume that they wouldn't be, I am still humbled by their notion of family, which includes extended family, friends, and even teachers. The words in Marshallese for "want" and "like" are the same and the Marshallese are very quick to give you anything that you say you "want" or "like."

3) Young children (I am talking like 5 or 6 even) play in the street with almost anything until 10 or 11 at night. I guess this goes along with the idea that the community is close and everyone has to watch out for each other, but I still find this extremely strange.

4) Island time is a real thing. Things do not happen on time and usually go longer than expected. This is perfect for me since I am someone who is not very timely myself.

5) on the list of surprising things about Majuro is that you can take a taxi for 50 cents pretty much anywhere on the atoll. You just hold up the number of fingers of people that you have in your party that want to take a taxi and if the taxi has room it pulls over. Everyone shares the ride and people are constantly getting in and out of the cars. It can be a bit scary depending on the time of day or who gets in the cab but most people are extremely friendly.

6) The city has an initiative where some of the students got together and painted public service announcements about HIV/Aids and posted them around the city. Unprotected sex is common in the Marshall Islands and Majuro in particular and people become sexually active with multiple partners at a young age. The postings depict various illustrations of how to say no or avoid Aids, my favorite being a knight with a shield that has "Defender" on it (a type of condom) that is blocking bullets that say "gonorrhea," "syphilis," and "HIV." Pretty clever.

7) The water is ALWAYS warm in the ocean or the lagoon, and I mean WARM. I guess thats why they call the tropics paradise?

8) Everyone here can sing and does so liberally. We had a teacher induction ceremony during our first week of orientation and the Marshallese teachers all sang the RMI national anthem in perfect three part harmony. There were also guy parts and girl parts. It was as if they had all gotten together before and practiced it! It was very beautiful. I have caught my taxi drivers singing and heard many kids sing and they are all in tune. Most people can play the ukelele also.

9) The weather here is CRAZY. It will be balmy one minute, hot for a couple hours, and then rain torrentially for a few minutes and go back to being super hot right afterwards. These bursts of rain happen a couple times a day but are very short. Its amazing how the entire country seems to stop for those few minutes as everyone attempts to get out of the rain and then starts right back up again after it is over.

10) Geckos CLUCK! Yes, you read correctly. The entire time that the DVTP group was in a trailer together during orientation we would hear these noises that we assumed were rats. I later found out that the noise was actually geckos. I can't really describe the noise so I suggest you find an audio clip somewhere...but I can promise you that it is nothing like you thought they would sound. That being said, the only noise I have ever thought a gecko made had to go with car insurance...

11) The kids here are amazing at volleyball. While I do not have much experience playing volleyball with elementary students in America, these little kids are strong and accurate when it comes to hitting the ball. I played with some of my students during lunch on Friday and their slams were knocking me back off my feet!

12) Rat tails (the hairstyle) are totally in. Many of the young guys here have them and rock them liberally. This continues to surprise and confuse me everyday.

13) Everyone knows everyone. If you want to find someone, you can literally drive down the street and look for them or ask if people in an area where that person usually is hanging out and you will learn their whereabouts pretty quickly. Anne, one of the WT Field Directors needed to find Mandy's principal to figure out what was going on on the island she was supposed to go to and told us that she was just going to drive down the street and track him down. Impressive.

14) We have been told to be careful about what we say about others by many people because of something called "coconut wireless" which is how information spreads on the island. Everyone finds out about everything soon after it happens by word of mouth.

15) Kids are kids everywhere! Before coming we were told that we would never really have discipline problems in the classroom but that we would instead have problems with passivity. I have had the opposite problem. My kids have really enjoyed the team game concept I came up with and have been participating in class (or at least a good handful of them have) but there has been a lot of talking/coming in late/hitting. I guess middle school kids are the same everywhere, rebellious, disinterested in learning, and starting their interest in the opposite sex. Sigh...it's does wonders for my classroom management.

16) The word for black person in Marshallese is "rikilmej" ((roll the r) ri - kull - e - mezz). It means "black (as in the color) people." I think it is so much more fun to say and more colorful than the English equivalent, or any other term that black people have been called around the world for that matter (read: les noirs in French, which literally means "the blacks".

17) The ocean and lagoon are beautiful. I always knew there was a world under all the water but it is full of life! I have been snorkeling only a few times but I think it might be my new favorite thing on earth. Imagine being in an aquarium with as many different types of fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors that you can imagine AND huge building sized towers of coral and you will be close to seeing what I have seen.

18) Some of the kids here have hilarious names, which, while having strange meanings, do sound very nice as names. Mandy has a student named Nimrod and I have a student named Agency and one named Cloreen. Think about it.

19) The diversity of people on Majuro surprises me constantly. While "diversity" is usually confined to blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, and, sometimes, native americans, the RMI draws people from all over Asia, Australia, New Zeland, and the Pacific Islands. I never expected to meet people from the Soloman Islands or Fiji or that there would be so many Phillipino, Chinese, and Japanese people here. There are also SO MANY islands that i have never heard of before like Chuuk and Palau.

20) Even though it rains multiple times almost every day, I have only seen lighting once. That was this past Saturday.

21) Power outages are not THAT bad. We have had three unplanned power outages this week and for some reason whenever they happen everyone in the Bungalow gets quiet and reads or works silently. Usually the silence is not so pervasive. I guess the lack of electricity stills us. Kinda cool.

22) It costs 5 dollars every time you see a doctor for anything, a check up or surgery. The 5 dollars also covers all the medicine you could need. Dental is the same. You have to pay for your stay in the hospital, but when I asked how much it was, I was told, "a penny a night." This can't be true...but still its pretty obvious that its not expensive. One of the Marshallese women I work with said, "Primary healthcare is a must." I think this is one thing that the Marshallese have definitely gotten right.

23) The realization of how Americanized the RMI is yet how different it is from the places I am familiar with was striking to me, especially after having been here for two months.

24) Despite the idea that the pacific islands are isolated and paradisiacal, the islands (including the RMI) have had major influence from outside parties. They are not as disconnected from the rest of the world as one might think.

and HERE are the newbies...!

25) The idea of sharing transcends personal hygiene. One that never ceases to amaze me is how the kids will take the gum they are chewing, whip it around their finger--which, undoubtedly, has not been washed all school day--in large circles back and forth, eat it again, and then give it to someone else to eat. Suffice to say my students have learned the word "disgusting" from me.

26) To go along with 13, everyone here is related. Mention someone in passing in conversation to someone else and you will definitely hear, "Oh, that's my brother" or "Oh, that's my auntie" or, the famous, "Oh, that's my cousin." The notion of family relations is completely different here. Family friends can be aunts. Cousins once, twice, or even three times removed can be siblings, and cousins can be anyone. It's extremely confusing.

27) Ants are the most disgusting thing on earth. We all felt dominant over them as kids and as adults we barely even notice them but here they in force everywhere? Drop a crumb on the counter and leave it for a few minutes and there will be a swarm of them. Kill a cockroach and leave it for a night and the carcass will be gone by morning. I have grown a large respect for them for their fortuitous work ethic, but a disdain because of their ability to collectively maul any type of thing available to them. Be a bit more tasteful in your food choices guys.

28) My students had no idea who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is (not that I know any of their national heros--except for the first Iirojlaplap, Amata Kabua--or that I necessarily expect them to know American heroes, but many Marshallese people do go to America and are minorities there, benefiting from the work of MLK Jr. and those like him). It was one of my saddest moments teaching and the moment I felt it the most necessary to give them knowledge of something/someone.

29) From January to March is the dry season which is also referred to as winter. My students are always cold and wearing sweatshirts, but really, the only thing that has changed is that is windy all the time. I think it feels downright balmy and perfect, they say its cold. Go figure.

30) Marshallese children are the most resilient human beings I have ever met in my life. They play "karate" where they actually kick and punch the life out of each other, but come away with no scars. I have seen kids obliterated by a kick to the stomach and bounce right back. I literally do not understand how they are able to do it.

31) It is totally socially acceptable for men to wear "man-pris" (capris for men). Most students roll up there pants a few inches to keep them from being wet or to keep cool. I do this every day now.

32) Marshallese people find EVERYTHING funny. Seriously. It could be something that is not actually funny at all and they will get a good laugh out of it. Lucky them!

33) My students favorite songs have not changed since I have been here. "Waving Flag" by K'naan, "Down" by Jay Sean, "All the Above" by Maino, "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, and "Waka Waka" by Shakira are still the songs that the kids will choose when given the choice. However, I have recently made my kids obsessed with "Whip my Hair" by Willow Smith (who they knew as Jayden smith's sister, NOT will smith's daughter...kids these days...)

34) Because Majuro is such a small microcosm, one is able to notice the evolution of fads. First, we started with whipping bandanas--every young person on the island had a bandana and would wind it up and snap it. At first I thought the kids were doing it to hurt each other but after a while I found they just did it for the sound. While walking down the street or in the middle of conversation, they would snap their bandanas. It was EXTREMELY annoying as a teacher. Second, and my favorite of all the fads for its use of recycled materials and inventiveness was the Spiderman bottles. The students linked together the small red rubber bands that held together their disposable plastic lunch containers and attached them to the top of a standard Pacific Pure Water water bottle filled with rocks. The would then wrap the other end around their wrist and fling the bottle out in an attempt to hit other kids while yelling "Spiderman!" Third, after this, was a short lived fad by the boys of putting said red rubber bands in ones hair and making small ponytails. We had a dirth of fads for a while as the holiday season took over, but pogs were a big hit at the end of the year. Now they can been seen in the dirt everywhere. Who knows what will be next!

And to top it all off...

35) Every young person on this island, elementary, high school, and college LOVES Justin Bieber. While I know that he has some appeal in the US, it personally boggles MY mind that he could have such wide appeal (If I hear my kids sing "I will never say never..." again I might explode...mind you, I have never actually heard any of Justin Bieber's songs in their entirety besides MAYBE "Baby"...maybe this is why it drives me insane).

There you have it! Eleven more things that are shocking about the RMI. I am certain there will be more to come.

Just as a note for the future, over the next two weeks there will be random blackouts as the Marshall Islands Energy Company is going to be working on the generators and they do not know what will affect which areas of the island. I will do my best to post in a timely fashion but if you do not hear from me, that is why.

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Quarter 3: "O brave new year that has such interns in't!"



It is hard to believe that the school year and my time in the Marshall Islands is more than halfway over. We were told during our orientation at Dartmouth that volunteers typically start feeling most comfortable after winter break--they finally feel like they have the hang of things. The break ended and I was able to get my class back into motion in a short amount of time. I can speak a bit of Marshallese and can have pretty basic conversations. I have a myriad of friends and contacts around the island. I have even become a "regular" at a sandwich shop and at the Marshall Islands Resort. Still, it feels like I just got here. At the advent of the new year, Professor Garrod and undergrads from Dartmouth arrived for the winter term (3 months) and I am seen as a resource to these new comers. Sometimes it takes people from outside of a situation to show how much a situation has changed you. I feel that I have learned a lot in a short amount of time here and am very proud of my experience thus far.

Professor Garrod brought five people to the RMI with him: three undergraduates--Rosa Van Wie '11, John Around Him '11, and Kamil Adamczewski '11 --the daughter of one of the teachers in the Education department--Kestrel Coon--and one student who graduated with me--Dan Moore '10. I was very much looking forward to their arrival. Since I am the only Dartmouth volunteer in Majuro, my experience has always been more World Teach centered. With their arrival, the dorm space became dominated by the Big Green. They all live in a trailer next door and so I get to see them all fairly. All of these new comers are teaching with a Marshallese teacher except for Dan, who is already certified. Rosa is teaching 3rd grade at Delap Elementary, which is probably the best public elementary school in Majuro. Kestrel is helping Alex Huestis on Ejit with her 2nd graders. The boys are all teaching at MIHS. Dan has taken over Hannah's classes (she decided to not return after Christmas break) and John and Kamil will be teaching English and Math, respectively. I am extremely to have Dan around. We have always been pretty good friends at Dartmouth and, in fact, lived on the same freshman floor. I have also enjoyed getting to go the other volunteers as well, none of whom I knew before. I have started going to the Wellness Center (a diabetes care center by the hospital) gym with Kestrel and Rosa for example. Rosa has also joined Mandy and my card playing and movie nights. This past weekend, Anna drove Garrod et al, Alex, Mandy, Joanna, Eric, and I up to Laura beach where we spent the day. It was extremely relaxing and fun to spend time all together.

I was excited for the arrival of Professor Garrod and the interns (as I will refer to them collectively) because for the last 6 or so years Garrod has come here he has put on a Shakespeare production at MIHS. This year the play is "The Tempest" (from which came the inspiration for this week's blog title). He told me before coming that he wanted me to be involved in the play because of my previous perforative experience. From the moment he arrived Professor kicked things into gear. Garrod arrived on Saturday, New Years Day. School started on Monday. Auditions for this play were on Tuesday. I was extremely impressed by Garrod's ability to get the kids to jump out of their shells and act. Many of the students were very good at reading the lines and acting them out on the spot. I am extremely excited to watch the play develop. Garrod has cast me as Ariel, Prospero's subordinate magical spirit (Prospero is the lead of the play). He cast me and another Dartmouth volunteer, who is here on his third year--Jon Marable--in the play to be an example of dedication, timeliness, and expressiveness for the other students. The challenge for us lies in the fact that 80% of the play is going to be delivered in Marshallese. I am happy to have an opportunity to learn more Marshallese, but it will definitely be difficult to learn lines! Rehearsals have been everyday so far, but as we start doing more specific scene work, the time commitment will be cut down.

Starting school after the break was extremely difficult. The students didn't want to be there. I was not ready to come back. So, to appease both parties, we watched A LOT of Disney movies the first week. Three were for fun but the fourth, "Wall-E," I used to review literary elements and parts of a story. It was the perfect choice because there are few spoken words in the story. The students really liked it. This week, I started up reading groups again. It was the first time I was actually leading guided reading and while there were some awkward moments, I think it went over well. I realized that I was underestimating the reading ability of some of my students, so I will need to restructure groups. In grammar, since we have now covered all of the parts of speech, I made sure that my students knew their parts of speech well. I would write a sentence like, "Wow! This is a very long but beautiful sentence" and ask the students to identify the part of speech for each word. More than two-thirds of both of my classes passed the quiz at the end of the week with flying colors. This coming week I am focusing on subject-verb-objects again. The following week I am going to focus on all of the tenses again. This way, I can finally start talking about writing different types of sentences since they will have all of the pieces of basic syntax learned. My goal is to have the students writing a variety of grammatically correct sentences by the end of this quarter and short essays by the end of next quarter. The first five months went by quickly, so I better get moving!

Until next time,

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Christmas, Mid-Service, and Being One of the First in 2011




Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year! I have taken a short respite from blogging in accordance with the holiday season but now I have ALOT to catch you all up on.

First and foremost, I have my computer back! While it is missing such modern comforts as Microsoft Office and Garageband (the saddest thing of them all), I can blog again with (relative) ease. Now, on to business.

My last blog entry was the week before Christmas, which fell on a Saturday this year. The first two days of the week were semi-optional days of attendance at MMS. Since Monday and Tuesday were supposed to be final test days and we had them on the previous Thursday and Friday, Monday was used to clean up the school and Tuesday was used for class parties. I spent a bit of time at school both days playing with the few students in my class who showed up, however neither day had more than 8 students in attendance.

All throughout that week, World Teach and Dartmouth volunteers started to trickle in. For Dartmouth, the first volunteers to come in were the girls from Kili--Jenna Cunningham and Kristen Dewey. They brought with them their puppy, Cora. They decided to stay on Ejit, where they spent most of the break. Dave and Carleigh followed soon after and stayed in the dorms with us. While we were over crowded with volunteers, the added company was refreshing. For Christmas, many of the WT volunteers from nearby islands who had come in to visit during the beginning of their break decided to go back to their islands and some of the outer island WT volunteers went with them to have an authentic RMI island Christmas experience. The opportunity was tempting but I thought that since we had our own (real) Christmas tree (generously donated by the Hawley family) and that Majuro was my RMI experience, I wanted to be "home" for Christmas with my Majuro family. Another reason that I was excited to stay in Majuro was that I was going to cook my first turkey! I organized a potluck with the volunteers who were staying with us and the core Thursday potluck crew (the Magees, Ray, and Laura) and it seemed like it was going to be a diverse/large meal. On Christmas Eve, we huddled into the trailer next to the dorm (where the bulk of the remaining WT volunteers were sleeping) and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Home Alone 2." The former brought tears to most of our eyes. On Christmas Day we woke up around 9 and Mandy, Joanna, and I opened the presents that we got for each other. Joanna had made us Marshallese handicraft necklaces. Mandy bought me a number of DVD's that she knew I had my eye on, an ornament, and a necklace. I bought her a slew of my favorite martial arts movies. Afterwards, I opened up my presents from my parents which included a new pair of work slacks, John Irving novels, and learn to play the guitar materials. I was extremely pleased I heard from my parents on that day as they were celebrating Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house, per tradition. I had sent home a slew of Marshallese handicrafts and they were enthralled with them. After opening gifts, Mandy and I got to work on a tradition in both of our houses--Christmas breakfast. We made scones stuffed with cheddar, bacon, and onions, french toast, bacon, and eggs. It was a big meal that kept us full until dinner time. Between meals we watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Christmas dinner was ever more grand. Everyone contributed their favorite dish from their Christmases at home and so the spread was very diverse. We had everything from garlic mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes au gratin to ramen/turkey infused stuffing and spinach cakes. WT and Dartmouth provided muscles and the turkey. The turkey turned out so juicy that it was difficult to cut! I was extremely proud. The Magee family bought a roasted pig for the event. To put it curtly: there was way too much food and we had a great time. That evening, we rounded out the traditional Christmas films by watching "A Christmas Story," which my parents had sent me ("How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was part of the list, but the disk was too scratched to be played, much to my dismay). My only disappointment from the day was that Justin, Alex, Jenna, and Kristen were not able to join us because of Ejit/puppy obligations. All in all, it was a great Christmas, which I was not expecting. I thought that my homesickness would be at its height during the holiday, but, as I said over grace, the season is about love and family, wherever you find them.

On Tuesday of the following week, Dartmouth geared up for our mid-service on Three Bag Island (some of you readers will remember Three Bag as the site of the "Tidal Wrave"). The day started out with a downpour. We waited under some shoddy palm frond shacks for the rain to subside for about an hour. When it finally did, we packed the boat and got on our way, Cora and all. Eric, as a returning volunteer, now on contract, came along as well. The boat ride was long, since the boat was slow (imagine a large plank of wood with an engine and a small roof, and you have a pretty good image of what we traveled on; it was sturdy but extremely slow!), but enjoyable. Once we got to the island we had a lot of time to settle down and enjoy our surroundings. Many of us swam, snorkeled, and ocean kayaked. Even more of us read. After a few hours, the boys from Jaulit--Alex Rivadeneria and Chris Zablocki--arrived by boat on the island with Chris's sister who had just arrived for a visit. Their plane had just gotten in that day. Now that we were all united as a happy family, the mid-service activities started. The sessions centered around sharing experiences and lesson plans and were very low key. Each morning most of us woke up around 7:30 or 8 and we did not have our first session until around 10:30, so we were free to relax in the morning hours--something that few of us ever had the opportunity to do despite being on a tropical island. My two favorite sessions were the carousel exercises. In one, Anna set out large sheets of paper with prompts like "The RMI is...," "The RMI is not...," "Somethings I wish I had brought are," and "You know you've been in the RMI too long when..." We went around in a circle with 2 minutes at each station writing down our own responses. I thought this exercise was good because it allowed us to voice our opinions about our experiences in a collective and humorous way. In the other exercise, quote topics were laid out and we were asked to write down our own thoughts about our experiences. The prompts ranged from travel and animals in the RMI to food, communication, and education. Many of the responses were extremely clever. The major highlight of the mid-service retreat was the talent show in which each island group had to put on some kind of performance for the rest of the group. The performances were judged by Anna, Eric, and Chris's sister. The Kili girls won with a spoof of "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha on the subject of living in the RMI. Wotje came in second with a skit mocking radio check in (Carleigh did a spot on impression of Anna). The Majuro group, consisting of myself and Dan from Laura, got third with our performance of some common themes in the Marshall Islands Journal comic section. A good time was had by all.

The anticipation for New Years was high. We had been told since before coming here that Block Party, the city celebration on New Years Eve, was going to be one of the most ridiculous and raucous events any of us had ever seen. Drunkeness was supposed to be rampant and include all age groups. The Majuro atoll teachers were especially warned that we would see some of our students drunk, anywhere from 3rd grade and up. Consequently, in order to save face in front of our students, we were instructed to be careful about our own public drinking as well. To be honest, the Block Party itself was a bit of a let down in lieu all of the build up. I did happen to see two of my students, but I do not believe they were inebriated (thankfully). I saw many more of Mandy's students, but again they did not seem inebriated either (again, thankfully). The event consisted of a number of vender booths selling light-up wares, a variety of food, and alcohol. There were also many live performances including singing and beat dancing, which is a Marshallese dance style that is similar to line dancing to an uptempo song (it is performed constantly around Christmas time and the Marshallese take it very seriously; students and families begin practicing their beat dance with their church around the beginning of December). The event started out slow since most people did not arrive until around 10:30 or 11 and spent most of the time sitting around watching other people sit around. However, when midnight struck and all of the World Teach and Dartmouth volunteers were together, we decided to start the party ourselves. It started to rain lightly but we took this as an opportunity to dance in the rain in front of one of the performance groups. The singers were extremely appreciative. Most of the Marshallese adults and children nearby stood and watched and laughed at us. We attempted to coerce them into joining us, but they were not having it. I woke up the next morning having spent the night in a hotel room with my host brother and his friends who had rented the room to have their own party for New Years. It was a great bonding experience for all involved.

Between Christmas and New Years, the first group of Dartmouth undergraduate students arrived in Majuro--John '11 and Rosa '11. The other volunteers were supposed to arrive during this time, but because of the blizzards happening in the United States, flights were canceled. Professor Andrew Garrod, director of the DVTP program, and two other volunteers, Dan Moore '10 and Kestrel Coon (daughter of a Dartmouth professor) arrived on New Years day and the entire Dartmouth group was treated to dinner and drinks at MIR. As is typical with Professor Garrod, business started in a whirlwind. For the past few years, Garrod has brought undergraduates here for the winter quarter and put on a Shakespearian play at MIHS. This year the play is the Tempest. I was quickly asked to play a part to be an example to the students in the play and told that auditions would begin on that Tuesday. I will give you more information about this process in my next blog entry.

The holiday season was the time I feared I would be the most homesick, but the presence of so many volunteers who had quickly become my family, my Dartmouth volunteer family, and the arrival of Professor Garrod and the undergrads helped to ease my emotions and make the holiday season a pleasant experience. I stand by the fact that a warm Christmas is not a real Christmas, but I did my best to make it special, and, for me, it was.

Best wishes to you and yours in 2011. It's gonna be great!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew