Mönä Emman (Eat well!)

This week, I wanted to take a step back from talking about the Marshallese and teaching to discuss something that is near and dear to my heart--food. I knew that if one thing would make me homesick (or literally sick) it would be food here in the RMI. Luckily, on Majuro, supplies are not that bad. While prices are exorbitant on certain things (Doritos are like $6.50 and a pint of ice cream is like $7.00) and fairly high on others (avocados are $5.00 a pound, making that guacamole that you see pictured above a ~$25.00 endeavor with the other ingredients), you can get most things that any cook would need to be happy. There is a farm managed by a group of Taiwanese individuals that makes a lot of fresh produce, and while most other things are shipped over, vegetables, though expensive are available. Payless, one of the more favorably supplied local grocery stores, runs out of these things fairly quickly and shipments come in about every other week. After a few days, the vegetable racks, which were once a veritable palette of reds, greens, yellows, and purples (read: eggplant) turn a distinct greenish brown and orange (read: they always have cabbage and carrots). Even fruit is in good supply. I have fallen in love with granny smith apples, which I believe to be one of the most versatile ingredients in any meal (I have eaten them in salads, sandwiches, and with pork, for example). There is also frequently different types of melon, though I have yet to see strawberries. As far as meat is concerned, the quality is decent. Once again, the meat is coming from across the ocean by plane or boat and goes through a variety of temperatures before getting here. That being said, I have yet to get sick and cannot truly taste the difference between an organic slice of pork and one from a pig killed on island (this past week I had my first taste of a pig that was roasted over a spit--the process takes around 12 hours!)

Outside of the grocery store, I have really taken a liking to coconut. Breadfruit, a starchy fruit similar to a banana but even more firm in texture, is also delicious and is cooked in a variety of ways here. My favorite way is as thinly sliced, fried chips. Pandanas are another fruit that are indigenous to here and a big part of the Marshallese diet. It is starchy as well and slightly sweet.

As I mentioned before, Bill was a chef before coming to the RMI, so we are constantly spoiled. This past week he made barbecued ham and smothered pork chops. He also frequently cooks a whole chicken or pork roast. The other Bungalow residents are also great cooks. Joanna, originally from China, cooks amazing asian food. She dabbles mostly in noodles and vegetables but everything she makes is spicy and delicious. She has even become an expert in making a Japanese gummy desert! Hannah, our resident vegetarian, does wonders with very little. She is good at baking vegan breads and deserts and loves to make what she calls "pig food" which is an amalgamation of any type of noodles, beans, and vegetables that she can get her hands on. Outside of the home, Mandy and I go to the potluck dinner at Yvonne Magee's house. We have started to theme our nights to make it easier for everyone to figure out something to bring. Last week was Indian and we we had a feast of curry potatoes, curry chicken, homemade naan, homemade chutney, and rice pudding. The week before that was Mexican and the week before that was Japanese. This week is Italian. Mandy and I plan on bringing homemade garlic bread (with whole slices of tomato and melted cheese) and Mandy's delicious Alfredo sauce. We were told to expect lasagna, spaghetti, tiramisu, and a bacon/chili pasta sauce. Yum.

Mandy and I shop together since we are the meat eaters (Bill buys by himself). We almost always get fresh tuna filets (I know one thing I am definitely going to miss when I come back to the states is the never ending supply of fresh tuna--I crave it every couple days), pork chops, ground beef or steaks, and ground pork. We also always buy potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, apples, pasta, and sandwich supplies. This food, with supplements from our other housemates can usually last us around a week and a half. I do the majority of the cooking and Mandy does the cleaning. I do not think it has to be this way all the time, but it is the rhythm we have fallen into, and I really enjoy cooking (and do not enjoy cleaning), so that is how we operate each day. Below are some of the meals that I make in rotation each week. I did not include any measurements, because I am not that kind of cook here, but maybe you can find something to add to your kitchen routine? Please feel free to send recipes! I am always looking to try something new.

The Rayner's Homemade Pizza - Soft tortilla shells, tomato paste/sauce with added seasonings (I have also been adding defrosted frozen spinach to the sauce), veggies of your choice, meat of your choice (we have been using ground pork and pepperoni), shredded cheese of your choice (the key is to add oregano and basil to the sauce and on top of the pizza)

Burgers a la Bungalow with Homemade Fries - Ground beef mixed with fresh chopped garlic and onions, cooked in the skillet; sliced potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and onion salt and roasted in the oven.

Pork Chops with Granny Smith Apples and Roasted Potatoes (the title says it all)

Breaded Tuna with Pepper-jack Cheese/Granny Smith Apple Salad and Rosemary Potatoes with Onions. (pictured above; we had this for dinner tonight!)

Guacamole (for special occasions) - avocados, fresh garlic, chili sauce or jalapenos (depending on availability), tomatoes, onions, two limes. (pictured above)

In other, totally unrelated news, I got twists this week! The beginning of my island dreadlocks. We shall see how it goes. Pictures to come after they ferment themselves into my head!

Bon appetit and Bar lo kom,

Andrew

Daily Life

As the weeks fly by, life is really falling into a rhythm. I figure I would use this entry to give you some kind of sense of what my daily life is like in Majuro.

I wake up around 7:40 each morning, shower and eat breakfast, and make the 3 minute walk to school with Mandy before before the 8:15 bell. At school, Mandy and I are always greeted by exuberant children who are quick to give us high fives or attempt to mess with us before the day begins. The kids are usually playing volleyball or running around aimlessly before class. I teach my homeroom - 107 - reading, have a free period, then teach them writing and grammar. Third period, I teach another class, 104, reading. There is an hour break for lunch where most of the kids go home to get food. Mandy and I also usually go home to eat at the Bungalow. We both hurry to get back so we can play volleyball or hacky-sac with the kids before the bell rings for 5th period. I then teach 104 a class of grammar and writing. I have the last period free and I usually sit in the office/teachers lounge creating the next day's worksheets or grading papers. This is also the time that I am able to learn Marshallese from the teachers who are in the office. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with the other teachers during this period and after school.

Depending on the day, I do different things after school. Immediately after school, I usually have a snack, read whatever book I am currently on (at the moment it is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri--she is a beautiful writer), talk with my housemates about the day's blunders, and/or practice the guitar. As I mentioned in the previous blog entry I have started to play soccer with a group of Fijian guys and a few other ribelles every Monday and Wednesday from 6-7 pm. I finally bought cleats this week ($20, not too bad) so I will not be sliding all over the wet, long grass like I have been the past two weeks. On Tuesdays I try to go swimming/snorkeling. I had been going to Ejit, but I have not been doing this recently. It is much easier to swim in the ocean or lagoon right by the Bungalow (not to mention their aren't as many ferocious dogs waiting for me right outside the water like on Ejit). This past Tuesday I went to the Marshall Islands High School's gospel choir rehearsal with a previous DVTP volunteer who has been here for three years--Jonathan Marable. The kids are very high energy and the director is a guy from Samoa who is literally able to sing every voice part. It is very impressive. Thursdays and Fridays I usually rest after school. Friday evenings, however, Justin and I go out on the town. Usually there is some ribelle event happening each weekend and so it is a nice time to unwind and socialize with the other volunteers and Americans on the island. On Saturday, the residents of the Bungalow usually handle whatever affairs they were not able to get to during the week, such as using the internet for a prolonged period of time, running errands in town, or just taking it easy. In the late afternoon, one of the Japanese Volunteer Corps teachers named Misa who works with Hannah at MIHS comes over and trades language lessons with us. She teaches us Japanese (we even did calligraphy one Saturday, which is shown in the picture above) and Joanna teaches us Chinese. Hannah sometimes inputs the German she knows and I help with French. Strangely enough we all should be working on our Marshallese, but it is fun to do be able to learn about so many different cultures. We also play music. Hannah is pretty good at the guitar and Misa is great at the ukelele, while Joanna and I are trying to learn both. It is nice to be able to share music with one another. Sunday, as per Marshallese tradition, I go to church on Ejit, or with with my housemates. They are on a mission to go to all of the churches on the island before they leave. Good luck to them. There are dozens and many different denominations!

In the evenings, the Bungalow residents try to eat family dinners together. Bill used to be a chef and has been spoiling us with meals but all of us are pretty good cooks. I have enjoyed sharing my favorite dishes that my mom makes with my housemates and they have enjoyed eating them (they say to tell you that you are a great cook mom!). This past week we had pork loin, whole chicken with squash and salad, lemon pepper garlic tuna with alfredo/tomato/spinach pasta, and meatloaf with rice/corn/mushroom/ramen. Bill told me not to tell people that we were eating well because then no one would think we were roughing it, but be assured, we still appreciate packages of food from home! Good meat and vegetables are EXPENSIVE here! Friday nights the group usually goes out to eat (Justin and Alex coming in from Ejit make it a special occasion each week). We eat at a nice restaurant called Tide Table where a Fijian band plays every Friday night. Ironically enough, half of the band lives next door to us and the other half are people I play soccer and rugby with! It truly is a small island.

After dinner, Mandy and I have taken to playing cards. Mandy is a card shark and played a lot of card games with her family growing up. She has taught me how to play Rummy, Gin Rummy, 31, and a game of her family's own creation called Polish Poker. We play all of them at last once each night and I have gotten pretty good. At least one of the nights last week I beat Mandy in all four games! She hasn't let that happen since.

Another thing that I do after school almost each day is laundry. I have never had the experience of washing clothes by hand but it is the inexpensive and easier way to wash clothes here. The key, I have learned, is to do a little each day. Otherwise, your hands will hurt very badly after ringing out your entire wardrobe multiple times. Since it is so windy here, the weather provides the perfect dryer. We have at least 8 clothes lines at all times hanging in our "veranda" (which is basically an area around the entire house, but still inside the walls, that is enclosed by metal fencing, pictured above). I have come to find hand-washing clothes to be really relaxing and rewarding.

So that is a rough sketch of a week on the island.

The most exciting thing that happened this particular week was that all of the volunteer teachers for Dartmouth and World Teach that are on the Majuro atoll were invited to the house of the Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy named Eric Watnick. There, we had pizza and we able to use his internet to call home for free. He has already invited us back anytime we are in need of an "America" fix, including watching the Super Bowl. Many thanks to Eric and his family for their hospitality.

I only have one surprise about the RMI this week but it's a pretty big one:

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.

Thanks for reading!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew