Majoro, RMI - I'm here!

I finally made it to the Marshall Islands. After many MANY delays, we arrived in the RMI Airport at 12 PM on July 23rd. The flight wasn't bad and took just under 5 hours. The people of the Marshall Islands are very welcoming, and are one of the few populations that have a genuine love for Americans! They greeted us with flowers and handshakes (no hugs) and the 33 volunteers loaded on one bus, with 25 seats - 5 of which were broken – and drove the 15 miles to our home here on Majuro, for the next 4 weeks.

We are living in an elementary school and sleeping 12 to a room on concrete floors. We have small little mats that we put our sheets on, and snuggle up with all our cockroach friends during the nights. The cockroaches here are literally the size of a normal middle finger – and they feel very welcome in all of our beds! The mice also feel very welcome to all of our things …even my shorts…when I am wearing them… The first night here I woke up to a little mouse having a midnight snack on my shorts. That was pleasant! The bugs here are definitely something that will take a bit of getting used to – but I am well on my way!

Aside from the initial travel mishaps, and getting settled, the Marshall Islands have been incredible. Way of life here is such an alternate reality, that it is somewhat challenging to wrap your mind around. The extraordinary beauty you see everywhere you look is belittled by the amount of trash everywhere. Driving down the road you see breathtaking views of ocean on one side, and the lagoon on the other, and a broken down almost entirely disintegrated pile of cars right on the beach. You see work trucks that might be twenty years old, immobilized on the side of the road because of rust – and that is where it has been since it broke down; and it is not likely that it will ever be moved.

Once you stop driving though, and get out of the car to meet Marshallese people, you are taken aback by their kind and enthusiastic nature. They treat you like a celebrity (I wasn’t sure how much that would be true when I was reading about it before I left, but it definitely is) and they try very hard to have conversations with you. The little kids coming running up to you, with the biggest smiles I have ever seen, bare foot and dirty, and practice every English word they know with you. They aren’t very good at teaching Marshallese - because they don’t know what the word we are asking them in English is – but they do their best to try and converse. Every night we sit out on the basketball courts with them and the girls play hand games while the older boys play basketball. Their culture is so lighthearted and authentic that it is truly a humbling experience to be around these people so much.

Running down the street each morning everyone is out on their lawns as a family and waves to say Yokwe. If they say much past that – I get lost and don’t know what to say back. A girl Erin, also a swimmer, and I have been running every morning and then go snorkeling when we get back. The ocean here is AMAZING. Going out into the ocean, swimming above all the coral and fish, I look around my self and am simply dwarfed by the spectacle of what might be the most beautiful place on earth. (At least the most beautiful that I have seen…but I am sure that that will change the more I see of this place!)

After running and snorkeling we have hours of language and teaching classes. As far as the language - it is definitely hard to get used to. Although it is much easier than Spanish and English because they don't conjugate many of their verbs, or use 's or 'ing', the sounds are very hard to make. Also, when I am practicing my Marshallese on the kids, I can't help but use half Marshallese and half Spanish. I don't know it its the just the fact that I know I should be using a foreign language and no English, but I use a very odd combination of Spanish and Marshallese. The kids probably think I am crazy! All of the classes and lessons get a bit tedious, but I am sure I will be completely glad we had all of them by the time I get to my island.

Well, that is about all I have time for right now. I don’t know when I will have internet again, but I will be sure to write again as soon as I can. I miss you all so SO much, and I can’t wait to talk to you. Getting used to not talking to people every day is hard, but is also refreshing in ways. I am sure I will get used to it soon…I have to!

Hope you all are doing well!

Love,
Taylor

PS - I forgot my camera cord, but I will be sure to upload pictures next time we come into town!