'Tis The Season

So this email is long over due! I apologize for the delay but December has kept all of us here in Micronesia super busy! We started off the month with a belated JV Thanksgiving dinner with the Sarem community, of course the food was delicious and the conversation was perfect! The next day we headed back to Xavier the infamous XAVIER DAY! It is a weekend filled with games and competitions, some athletic and some just down right silly between the faculty/alumni, seniors and freshmen, and juniors and sophomores. It was a long day, but it was totally worth it to just sit back and have a little fun and get a little crazy with the students! It is times like these that I really appreciate being here and having fun with them.

After this wild weekend we got right back to daily grind to finish up the semester. Of course the following three week were rigorous and stressing, but the two week break that followed made it all worth it. There were two weeks of break then finals. The last day of finals our second year, Mike, parents came into town. Its always really great to have parents here to remind us what it feels like to be in a "family."

Last Saturday, we went to Pisiwi, a picnic island about 20 minutes away with all of the students. They have this tradition of once we get close to the island a bunch of them just jump off the ship and swim to shore. I jumped off with one of the students, Erika and swam in. The whole day we just laid around, playing games, having chicken fights, and jumping off branches of trees, which unfortunately after climbing, gave me a nice scar on my leg! But it was so relaxing and fun to just hang out with the other JV's and students and just have fun! Peaches and I has a sand ball fight with some of the students, and I think I am still getting sand out of my hair!! But it really was a blast!! After that we headed to mass and the JV's went to Truk Stop with Mike's parents and had a great meal.

The majority of Christmas break has been filled with getting ready for Christmas and shopping for my host family. Mike's parents took us to Pisar on Tuesday and Wednesday! Pisar is the most beautiful place in the world!!! It is a little island located right by the reef, so we can see and hear the waves crashing in! It really is a fabulous place!! It was so unbelievably beautiful!!

We got back on Thursday and headed down to Sarem for a Christmas Party!! It was really fun and also relaxing! Of course we got a little goofy but had so much fun with each other and ended the night on the roof under the stars.

Friday when we got back I headed down to my host family. I really, really love my host family and have so much fun when I go!! When I got there we hung out a little bit then got ready for church. They are Protestant so I am still trying to figure out their service but it is such a good experience going. I feel like I am in more solidarity going then staying back here and not experiencing what they have to offer.

But their Christmas Eve was so wonderful! We went and everything was in Chuukese but I believe they had a little prayer service. Then it was present time! They did something similar to a secret santa, where everyone got a gift. Each family also got gifts from each other like bananas, rice, chicken, and all sorts of stuff!! It was really really awesome!! They we walked back to the house which was very fun!! It was about 30 minute walk but with no flashlights, only the moon light! It was tricky, but it was a wonderful experience!! We got home and opened presents...they got my a MUU MUU and TURTLE EARINGS!!!! As well as toiletries for when I stay over!! It was really one of the best gifts I have ever received!! After that is was pretty quiet and we went to bed.

On Christmas we woke up and eat breakfast, chicken and rice with some banana and fish!! Very delicious!! We put on our muumuu's and headed over to the church. It lasted a couple hours, but was very entertaining with singing and scripture...again all in Chuukese, but still very nice. Then after church we had a meal with the church community which was really really good! However I made a huge mistake!! I went to get water and drank water from the hand washing bucket instead of the drinking water!! But I am not sick yet (knock on wood) so hopefully I will be alright!!

Then I headed back to Xavier after a WONDERFUL Christmas with my Awesome Host Family!! When I got back up to Xavier it was straight to work, cooking Christmas dinner. The Sarem JVs were here decorating once I got back and they had the study hall look beautiful and so ready for a Christmas feast!! We had so much food, but the favorite of the night was pasta carbonara made my Joan (our nurse) and it was sooooo delicious!!!

After dinner we brought out the Karaoke machine and boy did the boys love it!! Some of us older folks got up and sang but the boys just had so much fun with it and literally sang Karaoke for hours and hours!! We gave out their presents which I think they liked and handed out some gifts from our families like board games. We played board games and card games the rest of the night until lights out which was just a lot of fun. It was really great to see the boys just having fun and it made for a great night.

At midnight, I was able to Skype home and talk with the family which completely topped off the night and made for a FABULOUS MICRO CHRISTMAS!! Seeing all aspects of life here was so great and then being able to talk to the best family in the world back at home always makes me so, utterly happy. I am so blessed and thankful for everything and for such a blessed and gracious Christmas!!


Thats all for now, I hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and Holiday Season!!


LOVE, MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (and happy birthday to me :) )


Ems

Malo! Malo! Thanks Be To God!

Well its Thanksgiving here and I have to much to be thankful for! Each week poses different challenges. This week we had two basketball games downtown. I guess because I am always with other JV's I havent really noticed how hard it is to be here sometimes. At basketball games, especially this week I have felt like a complete outsider. It is obvious that I am not from here and the men downtown especially make me feel like that with their gestures. Though it is tough, I have really been praying for it and for the wisdom to understand that those few men who have made me feel like less of a person, do not make up the majority of the people here. My students for one are wonderful and respect me and would never treat me poorly. There are other Chuukese men who have been wonderful towards me and not mocked me and made inappropriate gestures. I have really prayed for strength and guidance to overcome this challenge. I cannot put all men into the category that those men were in. And I cannot have a mindset that all men in Chuuk will act like that towards me and I have to continue to pray for guidance, acceptance, wisom, and strength while here. 
Today I woke up completely refreshed, I even thought twice about getting a cup of coffee because I awoke refreshed, excited for the day, and ready to see my lovely students. This morning we had a school-wide mass that was really beautiful. Fr. Mark gave a great homily and I just felt God's presence more then usual in mass. One of my students, Elie led the choir and she has such a beautiful voice that really makes me feel a strong presence of God. Then I taught two chemistry classes and really felt like I 'taught' and the students 'learned' instead of me just lecturing, which made me feel really great. I think everyday I will be closer and closer to the teacher they need and less of the volunteer who is teaching subjects she doesn't know much about. 
It's my break period and it feels good to be able to update my blog. I still have to teach two classes of English, but then after school the JV's-me, Mike, Peaches, and Alex are going to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the Xavier  Staff. I am really excited to cook and to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Later on for Mike's spirituality night we are going to have another mass but it is going to be a "Mass Under the Stars" and take place on the roof, which will just be really awesome. Because of where we are the stars are so vivid and bright. I also think their will not be a large marom (moon) tonight, which makes the stars really come up. So fingers crossed it doesn't rain!! :) So that is my Chuukese Thanksgiving in a nutshell!!


And I cannot leave without telling you some of the things I am most thankful for:
-my family-i would not be the person i am without them. i love my family, imediate, Ferron's, and Nagy's so much that I cannot put it into words.
-my friends-you guys are amazing, and i am most thankful for those who have still kept in contact with me-it means the world to know i have your support and will continue to have it when i get back
-this experience-it is a true calling and gift from God that I am here right now having this experience
-my community-i could never do this alone
-my students-they can be tough sometimes, but it could be so much worse. they also make me smile with their innocence and spirit which makes me such a happy person when i am around them
-my life experiences-they have shaped me in more ways then i could ever imagine




and of course, God. He has given me more then I ever needed to be happy and I am so happy for all of the prayers He has answered and for helping me sooo much throughout this time and experience. I am so excited to continue to grow closer to Him and feel His presence even more!




Thats all I have!! 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!
and as we sang today in mass:
MONO (give thanks), MONO (give thanks), THANKS BE TO GOD!!
em

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”

            For all of my life, the only poverty that I have seen first hand is that of the starving, those who are unable to obtain health care, those who cannot use their voice and speak out against the government, those who surely stick out to anyone physically poor and needy. We have served those who mourn, who want peace, who are treated unfairly and need help. But for the first time in my life, I have seen a new type of poverty. A type that might not stick out or be seen with our eyes, but one seen within our hearts.

            Beginning on the plane ride over. Many of the people we spoke with about Chuuk thought it was crazy that we were going to be on Chuuk for two years. They told us that it was the “ugly stepchild” of the FSM and there was no hope, no love, nothing encouraging or promising about the island.

            Then learning more about our new home from our second years continued to paint a picture of Chuuk. Much of the reason why Chuuk is failing is due to the respect, of each other and of one’s family. People don’t go to work here and everyone has so much respect for each other that no one gets fired for it, especially when its family. Because of this teachers don’t show up for school and nothing is done about it. The students continuously miss class because there is no one there to teach them. The road, which has digressed and become worse, is being rebuilt, but it will take years for a project that should only take months. Government money goes missing. Crime between villages sometimes ends in murder. The is violence which prevents people from leaving their house after dark and people don’t trust the police. And what is the hardest part is no one seems to care. There isn’t hope for this place. My students, especially the ones that do no come from Chuuk realize the failure of much of this state, yet, no one is working to fix things and it is usually foreigners or peopled educated in the States that see this. And even when they do see it, they can’t wait to get out.

             And so much can be done here, this place has so much potential. So the question then is, what is my role here as JV. Have I just romanticized that idea of volunteering for two years and who I thought I would be helping. Have I only thought that I would be able to help the poor if I fed or clothed them and given them shelter? I think once I saw the different type of poverty here, I felt more at peace. For a while I have been struggle with my placement not only as a teacher, but here in Chuuk. I saw so much injustice, but the part that made me struggle the most was the hopelessness that was in many of the minds here, that things will always be the way they are, and that it was ok.

            Maybe my role here is to give people hope, but maybe my role here is to give myself hope. As part of the JVC covenant says, “Not for their benefit, but for mine.” For a while here I struggled with not being able to share my passions as well as not give the community what I thought was my strengths. But I think one of the real reasons I was called to be here, to Chuuk, is to find an inner hope in myself. To find out what I would fight for, to find out what gives me hope, to find out what my deepest set of passions are.

            And maybe I won’t be able to use those gifts here, maybe the part I need I will not get here. It might take all two years or two years after I leave to figure that out. But I am lucky enough to have been raised and taught to  have hope, to have drive, and to want better for myself, my family, and my community.

            So even though, we may not be called to change things here, maybe we are called to a higher expectation, a higher calling. The Bible verse from Luke 12: 48 says, “to those much has been given, much is expected.” We have been give much. Not only in educational and health, but we have been hope. Therefore, because we have been given so much, much is still expected out of us. So I can’t say that I am going to change things here, but I hope  that I will bring change to myself. That I can promise. 

Post Fall JVC Retreat-My Past Week

            Things here have been busy! Unexpectedly we have a basketball season now! Which is great, but is now taking up most of my free time and evenings. It makes my days longer, which is actually ok because I am getting to know my students, especially the ones on the team on a better and closer level.

            Last weekend the JV’s both Xavier and Saram went to the island of Param for our Fall Retreat. Lin Yua and Tomi (two of our Jesuit novices) lead the retreat and it was so peaceful. It was a silent retreat from Friday night after dinner until 4pm on Saturday. It was actually just what I needed out of the retreat. I got a lot of thinking done and was really happy with how much I journaled and just thought about. Then we had fun, playing games, like Werewolf and 5 Crowns (two of our favorite games!). Sunday we had mass and then some of the children from the village took us around the island. It took about two hours to walk around the whole island and also found some WWII tanks which was really cool! We left Sunday around 3 and got back up to Home Sweet Xavier. Though it was a beautiful island it was nice to have a nice cold shower back at home.

            This week went by pretty slow. I think because of the retreat I felt really myself again here. Sometimes depending on the day or the week, I just don’t feel like myself. But this was a really great week. However, I found out that my great Uncle Bob passed away, which was really sad. I think my Poppy is in my prayers more then ever now! He is just such an inspiration in my life and I only want the best for him and I know how much he misses my Grammie and how lonely he can get when he is by himself. I pray for him to be satisfied and taken care of every night.  I just want him to be loved and cared for.

            Peaches and I went down to Saram on Thursday to spend the night. We didn’t have school Friday because Wednesday was FSM Independence day and we moved our day off to celebrate to Friday so we would have a 3 day weekend. It was really relaxing and we got some shopping done in down town. Just the basics like combs and some snacks. We also ate at one of the restaurants there, we both got Ramen noodlesJ which was delicious. (Yes, we get Ramen noodles when we go out to dinner here!) Then we made the hike up, only a little over half way then got a ride up for the rest of the way.

            Today (Saturday) we planned to climb on of the mountains, but it rained all day and decided not to. I hung out with the community a bit and also talked with some of the boys hanging out in the study hall. They really are really great kids. Sometimes I forgot how awesome they actually are, because they are just so bad in class, but really they so great and wonderful. I am blessed for having those kids in my life.

            We also got 3 new pigs! (Xavier) and will have then until graduation until, the majority of the staff…eats them. haha But they are cute and though I will be upset to kill them, I think I understand how the culture here views them, as means to food and not pets. I think we need to respect that for them.

            That about all I have this week. I have two basketball games on Monday and Wednesday which will be a lot of fun. Busy, but fun. So far we are 0-1 haha. We lost against the best team in the state so I guess we didn’t do that bad J The only good thing here is that they do love winning, but they really just enjoy the competitiveness and it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, which makes me a lot happier when we do lose J

But if anyone would like to help the school out below are things we are in need of:

Basketballs

Books-any books, just lots of books for our library!

School Supplies

Construction Paper

Tongue Depressors

Band Aides

Medical Masks

Computer paper

Computer Toner

And anything else you can think of just ask!

Love!

Em

12 Weeks In Chuuk

I will be gone all weekend for a JVC retreat, but wanted to leave you with a little song! It goes to the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas!"

On the first week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            A long trip to Pisar.

On the second week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            2 packs of beetlenut

             and a long trip to Pisar

On the third week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the fourth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the fifth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the sixth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the seventh week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the eighth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            8 banana’s peeling

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the ninth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            9 muu muu’s flowing

            8 banana’s peeling

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes           

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the tenth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            10 coconuts a falling

            9 muu muu’s flowing

            8 banana’s peeling

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes           

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the eleventh week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            11 flat bed’s riding

            10 coconuts a falling

            9 muu muu’s flowing

            8 banana’s peeling

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes           

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

On the tweleveth week in Chuuk, our second years gave to us

            12 combs were buying

            11 flat bed’s riding

            10 coconuts a falling

            9 muu muu’s flowing

            8 banana’s peeling

            7 roaches flying

            6 JV’s swimming

            5 turtle rings

            4 mar mars

            3 machettes           

            2 packs of beetlenut

            and a long trip to Pisar

           

           

Have a Blessed Weekend!!




Love, 
Em

           

            

 Above:  Me with some of the kids I played with during the CCSP weekend on Udot

 Above: My students and their means of transportation home...flatbeds!

 Above: Me and Peaches with Kiki, the secretary at Saraman-Chuuk Academy on Fefen

Above: All the Chuuk JV's at the waterfall during Phase II Orientaion

There will be more to come!! :)


Love,
Em

Coconut Crabs: A Rarity of a Lifetime

While away on the island of Udot for the Junior Class' Christian Community Service Project, we helped the villagers celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. As I have previously talked about in other blog posts, the Chuukese, as well as most Micronesians celebrate with food, singing, and dancing. The people of the village had an enormous feast ready for us, and because we were outsiders we were treated as special guests for the celebration.

Besides the taro, rice, breadfruit, tapioca, and other common Micro dishes, the village served us coconut crab. A rarity not only in Chuuk, but around the world. As one of the students from Yap explained, the coconut crab takes almost 60 years to become a big enough size to eat. He explained that this was most likely the only time, not only here in the FSM, but probably in my lifetime that I will be eating this dish.

As I sat but trying to process what he had said as well as where I was, a thought came to mind. Not only is eating the coconut crab a rare moment in my life, but my presence here is also a rarity. I remember at orientation past JVC'ers told us that there would be many moments in our 2 year experience where we would sit back and think "What in the World?" I think at that moment sitting in a school building sharing the coconut crab with my fellow volunteers I had one of those "moments."

I will only be here for two years. I will never, EVER, get another experience anything like this. I mean I was, and I still am on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a quarter the size of my hometown. I am teaching and working with the future leaders of Micronesia, maybe even a future president (since many have graduated from this school---it is the best school in Micro/Pacific Islands). I have the privileged of experiencing not only one culture, but Mallshallese, Yapese, Ponpheian, Paluan, and Chuukese cultures. I am working with people from Burma, the Phillipeans, Indonesia, Japan, the US, and Australia. I am living my life for two years in ways I have never and will never live again, and it is rare, but I am grateful for every moment of it.

I read in the "In The Field" newsletter, (a newsletter international JV's submit entries to, and are sent out every other month) about our experiences abroad and I would have to agree 100% with one of the articles. It talked about culture and either settling in to it or leaving it, and how no matter what we are just visitors. Though we wear the clothing, try and speak the language, and become culturally sensitive to the environment around us, we still are only visitors. People came here before us and people will be here after us. We are visitors. This is not our home, we have our home, our families, and our way of life to be lived some where else. This is temporary, and it will not last forever, if we are lucky, it will last two years.

There are many struggles day in and day out that are on our plates here at Xavier. The most important thing for me, is that everyday I need to embrace it, for it will not last forever. I need to really take advantage of the here and now, and continue to recognize it as a rare moment. I might not ever have coconut crab again, but at that moment, I know I enjoyed and savored every bite. I can only pray and hope that I can look back at every experience and every moment here and know that I enjoyed it, savored it, and took nothing for granted.


Kinemwae (Peace),
Em





On a side note, please keep all of the staff, students, and benefactors in your prayers. We are really struggling this week financially and with other events that have happened on campus. Kirneso! (Thanks!)