Taxi’s, Sashimi, Prison, and Pig Slaughter: Just a Day In The Life

***This should have been posted several days ago.. there was a problem with my internet connection...***

This past weekend was my first weekend with my host family, which translates into two entire days, uninterrupted by my training. No Americans, just Pohnpeians. I anticipated experiencing some interesting things, and in fact I did. Here are a few gems from my weekend:

Taxi’s

My first cab ride ever was just about a week ago in Hawaii when a whole group of us took a can down to Waikiki, but really I didn’t have to do anything but sit and pay my share (really expensive!). My first solo cab ride was two days ago here in Pohnpei, and let me tell you—it was quite a ride. It was Friday evening, and some of the volunteers and I had decided to go out to dinner together to celebrate the first birthday in our group: Ben W. I had told my Nohno that I would be home by 7:00, and my time was running thin. Since no one else seemed ready to leave, and I didn’t want to walk all the way alone (20 minutes or so), I decided to call a taxi (they do not call them “cab’s” here, only taxi’s). The only problem was, there are no real addresses here. I couldn’t even give the driver the name of the street I live on, because there is none. Another volunteer suggested I tell him my Nohno’s name, which I did, and he still had no clue. So I gave him a few landmarks that form a perimeter to my neighborhood, and he knew where to go. I told him I’d give him turn by turn directions when we got closer (praise GOD he spoke English).

Now, the first thing you need to know about taxi’s in Pohnpei is they are always communal. So, after we drove around for 15 minutes, getting me several kinds of lost and confused, he says, “Okay, now where?”.  I confessed that I had no clue where to go, that this was my first taxi ride, and that I was horribly confused. He and the only other remaining passenger laughed hysterically (not the most comforting response as curfew and dusk approaches), and  he graciously took me to one of my landmarks and I was then able to get my barings and get him to my street. As soon as we turned onto the street he says, “Ohhh, Christina!” as he realizes he knew all along where to take me. We all laughed about it and I paid my fare (which is luckily a flat rate- $1 anywhere in town), and I survived my first taxi in Pohnpei! Nohno and Kman loved the story, too.

Sashimi

So I’ve never been much of a fish person. Sure I’ll eat tuna salad sandwiches and the occasional salmon at a restaurant, but nothing could have prepared me for the fish I was served for Saturday lunch. First there was fried fish. And not fish fillet, but an entire fish, fins and eyeballs and all, plopped on my plate. I smiled and asked Nohno which parts were okay to eat and she demonstrated on her own. So I began to carefully pick at my fish (fortunately Americans have a reputation for eating very little—probably because they’ll also pretending to be full to avoid unpleasant foods) and I tell her “Eh met”. I’m full. Whew, another survival…or so I think.

“Oh no!” Nohno says, “Now sashimi.” Sashimi? I think, trying to remember what that means, when a bowl of raw fish chunks in placed in front of me. I try to smile, but really I’m horrified. There is no way I want to eat this. But even things I didn’t like that Nohno has made I ate, smiled, and pulled the “full” card. But this, I didn’t think I could even swallow this. I mean the shiny silver scales were still on the fish pieces! Both Kman and Nohno are staring at me, expectantly, so I pick up what I think is the smallest piece (turns out it was monstrous, but partially hidden under what was a miniscule piece in comparison) and put it into my mouth and attempt to chew. I’m certain that I will actually puke. I couldn’t remember a time I’d actually thrown up a food that I didn’t like. I’m so afraid of offending them, but I figure vomit will probably be the most offensive thing possible. So I make the universal “yucky” face. The table explodes with laughter. I charade out a question of where I should spit it, and Kman walks me over, almost falling on the floor with hysteria. Turns out it was okay that I didn’t like it, and as a bonus, Nohno has told the story to every person we’ve come into contact with since (and all the relatives she’s phoned just for that reason). I know it’s the story because she gets really animated and then acts out me panicking and the other person immediately laughs and I meet their gaze with a polite smile and a shrug. Evidently this American is very entertaining.

Prison

I know what you’re thinking, and no, I did not get arrested, nor did anyone else I know. However, just as every wide-eyed Peace Corps Trainee only dreams of, I was able to visit the Pohnpei prison today. And now I can finally cross that off my bucket list.

All week Nohno has been calling friends and carting me around to meet people, and Saturday night she says, “Tomorrow I take you to meet my brother.” No problem, I think. Then, while Kman and I are watching a movie (well, actually a bootleg Filipino soap opera with English subtitles) he says very quietly, “You know my uncle is in prison.” I think he’s joking, so I laugh. He doesn’t smile. “Yeah, he killed somebody.” Now I’m sure he’s joking. But nonetheless, I begin to worry.

As Nohno and I climb into our taxi, I ask her where we were going. “Prison”, she says plainly. Awesome.  So now it’s too late to tell her I don’t want to go, and just as I’m thinking I might ask her to go back, we pick up another passenger—a man with a giant machete (I will never get used to people just carrying these things around), who climbs in next to me, resting his machete between our two legs. This is my real life, folks.

So, with no escape options, I reluctantly go along. The prison is tucked away and has next to no security. No I.D. was taken from myself or Nohno, the officers were in street clothes and combat boots, and the fencing was reminiscent of my Middle School (which, if you know anything about Augusta Raa Middle School is almost a point in the Prison’s favor). I felt so the opposite of safe. But nonetheless, I helplessly follow Nohno to a completely unmonitored location where we sit and chat with her son. Well, actually I just sit, and occasionally smile when she gestures to me, but Nohno does all the talking, in Pohnpeian. That’s probably all as well, because I felt awkward enough without having to hear the personal details of the mother-son reunion. I guess it only seems logical to bring the American staying in your house to meet your potentially murderous (still don’t know if Kman was joking) son in prison. I don’t know why I didn’t expect this all along.

Pig Slaughtering

As I have mentioned before, I am constantly bombarded with animal sounds as I attempt to sleep at night—chickens, roosters, dogs, cats, and of course, pigs. Some of these animals are strays, others are raised by neighbors for the purpose of food. Micronesians may not have a lot of fresh vegetables, but they sure have fresh meats.

Anywho, the other night Nohno and I were sitting in the kitchen when I heard the most gut-wrenching sound of what I thought was a child being beaten (there isn’t glass on any of the windows so pretty much anything that happens outsides is immediately audible inside the house). After it went on for a minute or so, Nohno seemingly unaware, I asked her what it was. “Pig.” She says simply , and continues her task, not even looking up.

Now Micronesians are known for their inhumane killing of livestock, and that knowledge suddenly dawns on me at this moment. “Nohno,” I dare ask, “what is happening to that pig?”. “It is time to eat pig.” She declares, still uninterested. The horrible sounds continue, and she eventually sighs and says, “They always cry.” I may never be able to erase those sounds from my memory.

But on the bright side, the pig cries finally subsided, and tonight we ate the freshest BBQ pork and ribs I have ever had. YUM! Or, as they say in Pohnpeian, “Yo!”

Hope you enjoyed reading these stories as much as I loved living them!

--Christy

Water Safety Day

Words just cannot adequately express how incredible today was.

As part of our standard Training, we must all complete a Water Safety Day, where we were issued our life jackets, learn how to start a boat motor, and learn what to do if your boat capsizes. We practiced several scenarios- you fall overboard and someone throws you a life vest and you must put it on while treading water, a group is stranded adrift (you form a safety circle, locking arms and legs and everyone just floats together), and you solo stranded adrift (you hug your knees to yourself to keep warm and just float). After we completed our tasks (which took about 15 minutes) we were allowed to snorkel.

I have never snorkeled before and the whole idea seemed a little terrifying. I’ve never quite figured out how to breathe using one, and I always end up panicking. Plus I was worried about the open water and seeing the rays and sharks up close and personal. But, I was with some of my favorite people and they promised to take care of me (and I wholeheartedly knew they would), so I decided to give it a try.

It was really hard at first, getting used to breathing with my face in the water. That took a lot of practice. I was also struggling to swim in general, as I’d never used flippers before and I am just generally not a very good swimmer. Two volunteers, Diana and Nick, actually gave me legit swimming lessons. They watched me swim, told me what to fix (a lot), modeled it, and then had me swim back and forth between them (can you tell we’re teachers?). I eventually figured it out and I am so grateful to them for taking the time because I had such an amazing experience as a result. 

I was able to snorkel over so much coral reef and see some of the most amazing fish. These are things you only see in fish tanks, or at aquariums, or in Finding Nemo. But I’m here to tell you, those fish really exist in the wild. Fish of every shape, size, and vibrant, incredible, beautiful color. It was almost too surreal to believe. And I was perfectly content just floating there for hours, watching fish amongst the coral and anemones. Which, is what I did, hence my horrific sunburn on only my backside. Luckily for me, due to the modesty requirements, I was wearing shorts and a rash guard, so only my legs from behind the knee down got burned. But they got roasted. I got burned on my forearms too, due to my swimming posture, and my face has awkward burn streaks across it, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

As I said, words cannot express the beauty I was able to experience today. I was way too uncoordinated to handle my camera, but a lot of volunteers brought theirs out into the water, and I’ll try to get a hold of some of their pictures, or at least give you the links to their facebook albums so you can get some idea. The experience solidified that I have to get scuba certified. No doubt about it. I have to get closer, see more, be in the reef. It is terrifying, no doubt. And yes, there were huge manta rays nearby (and sharks I’m sure, luckily we didn’t see any) which kind of freaked me out, but it was still insane to be that close to one in the wild. Incredible cannot even begin to describe it. 

So here’s to continuing to push myself to do things I would have never have considered before. I mean, I already jumped on a plane and flew across the world into the unknown. I think my playing it safe days are behind me.

Wishing you well,

Christy

I'm in Pohnpei!

Kasselelia! Greetings from Pohnpei!

I have been here in FSM since Friday/Saturday (time difference makes it challenging to explain) but it seems like a month. Days just last longer here. To say it is gorgeous here is a vast understatement. Every time I look around I find it impossible to believe I actually live here. The scenery seems literally unreal. 

The weather, though, is remarkable similar to what I am accustomed to in Tampa. The only real difference is there is no way for you to cool down. Whereas in America, you might be super sweaty and wildly uncomfortable, you can simply go inside or jump in your car and crank the air up. Here there is no escape. Thankfully fans work very well for sleeping, and it rains quite frequently—a cool, refreshing rain that calms and cleans everything. Speaking of rain, though, an unfortunate side effect is it results in an abundance (well, an extra abundance) of critters getting into my house.  My family laughed hysterically when a gecko fell from the ceiling onto my shoulder during dinner last night.

My family consists of my Nohno (mother) named Cristina (I know, our names!), my 13 year old brother named Kayman, and our dog Lucky. The first night with them was a tad awkward, but I think it is just because they were nervous, because things have definitely picked up. Kayman and I play together with his neighborhood friends when I get home every day, and my Nohno loves to gossip with me. Kayman  actually called me “sis” yesterday and it made my heart smile.

My bed is a wooden box-spring with a thin quilt laid on top, which doesn’t sound like much, but I have the best bed in the house, and surprisingly I have grown to find it quite comfortable. Also, my yoga mat adds an additional padding that I am thankful for. Essentially though, it makes little difference what my bed is like, because I would probably fall asleep standing up if I had to.  We have training classes from 8:00- 5:00 every day, which consist of us sitting and listening to a lecturer. And any time not spent in the meeting room is spent walking to and from the training center or to lunch, so essentially we are always hot. And being always hot translates quickly to complete and total exhaustion. It could also result from the constant  interruptions of my sleep throughout the night, either from torrential downpours that shake the house, groups of stray dogs barking all- throughout the night, or the trusty roosters that begin crowing at 4:00am (this “dawn” concept is lost to Micronesian roosters). Consequently,  I’m lucky if I can stay away until 9:00pm each night, which upsets Kayman greatly because he would rather me stay up and watch a movie with him or eat ice cream (or both).  

Overall, this experience so far has been nothing short of adventure. It still hasn’t really set in that this is in fact my real life. My M78 class is so wonderful, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. If you’re interested, check out the arrival photos at http://www.facebook.com/USembassyKolonia, and if you love me, email me the group photos and my arrival, just saying. 

I love you all! Hope everyone is well! Write me a letter!

--Christy

Hawaii

I made it to Hawaii!

Longest flight of my life (soon to be trumped tomorrow), but I am so excited to be here! I've met my team and they all seem wonderful. As my roommate Gretchen said, "How could they not be? This is the Peace Corps." We are from all over the country (my closest regional volunteers are Liz from Nashville and Mark from Orlando) and represent a large variety of experience, age, and pretty much everything else. I'm stoked to continue getting to know everyone.

I was able to identify two other volunteers in the airport prior to taking off from Atlanta, so it was nice to "know" some people on the flight. We grabbed another volunteer at baggage claim in Honolulu and then proceeded to the hotel, where an adorable and encouraging message was waiting for me at check in from Rachel and James. Love you guys. The afternoon was initially spent locating a bar (we were successful) and procuring immediate food. Then as more volunteers trickled in, we all sat around the pool with our feet in getting to know each other. We had registration and paperwork-fest, then I went out to "dinner" (around 1am Eastern Time) with a couple volunteers, then passed out at 9pm local time (3am Eastern).

Gretchen and I both woke up way before our intended wake up call, but we decided to catch up on emails and whatnot and head down early for breakfast before our sessions start. This should be an interesting day, and I'm hoping to learn a lot. But mostly it will be more time to get to know my team! :)

Hope all is well on the home front. I'll update again ASAP.

With love,

Christy

It's Time!

Well, the moment has finally come. I leave tomorrow to begin my adventure in the Peace Corps.

 It's so surreal that this date has actually arrived. June 6th seemed so far away for so long, and yet somehow it's in just a few short hours. But I must say, as sad as I am to leave my family and friends behind, I can not wait for this journey. I am eager to step outside (way outside) my comfort zone and experience new things, and to push myself as I attempt to impact the lives of others, even if just in some small way. I have quite the journey ahead of me, filled with trials no doubt, but I am so excited to begin it.

I've deactivated my Facebook, so if you want to reach me, leave a comment here or email me at christypeacecorps@gmail.com.  Also, my mailing address during training is in the previous post.

Thank you for all the well-wishes and support! Keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Next time you hear from me I'll be somewhere in the Pacific!

With love,

Christy