Yokwe RMI!!

Hey everyone! Yikes, this is really happening!!! Right now I am on my plane to Hawaii, and have officially left the continental U.S. No turning back now!

Although most of you have heard at least a little bit about what I am doing, I figured now would be a good time to let you know what this is all about. In the most general sense - I am going to the Marshall Islands (South Pacific islands – made up of 29 atolls that total 70 sq miles) to teach English in a local school. The official language of the islands is Marshallese (a Polynesian language) however, English is the second language and is becoming more and more necessary for their economical success. For a little more information on the islands you can go to: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rm.html. The program I am traveling with is WorldTeach and is a Harvard based non-profit organization.

My individual placement on the islands is on the atoll of Arno in Lukoj. Lukoj is one of 4 towns associated with Arno, and its population is roughly 100 people – with 40 of those 100 being kids. On Arno, I will be teaching grades K-8 English, and various grades in science, math and health. I am not sure how the latter 3 will go, not knowing the language and everything, but I am sure we will find out soon enough. The English abilities of the children range greatly, and it is going to be a definite challenge finding ways to teach subjects in English when they don’t understand the majority of what I am saying. But, that is the challenge I suppose!

The atoll of Arno is about an hour boat ride (16 miles) from the main island of Majuro. Majuro is a relatively developed city and has internet, restaurants, scuba diving, bowling, movies etc. The current energy crisis makes power a questionable subject at times – but when power is available the capital is generally up and running. This is the only island (except for nearby Ebeye) that has these amenities, and all other islands are considered outer islands. Some islands have solar power (sometimes), however none have internet or running water.

My island is considered an outer island – and has limited solar power – minimal running water, and an internet connection that allows you to send and receive e-mails - maybe. I am not sure how that works, but I am sure I will find out soon enough! We will catch rain water and gather it from springs and wells to get our drinking and bathing water, and our school has one generator. We will cook our meals over a fire and our meals will generally consist of: fish, breadfruit, pandanus, coconut, rice, and fresh, imported or canned seafood.

The community is very close knit and most of their free time is spent chatting with family and friends. The religion is predominately Christian, and they attend church every day. On the island I will be living with a host family (the father is the PTA of the school) and they have 7 children! It is going to be a full house, but I am sure it will be amazing! I am hoping they know only a little bit of English, because I think it would be amazing to learn the language as much as possible. (But I do hope they know some English so I am not totally in oblivion.)

As far as communication on Arno, there is very limited internet connection (only a possibility of e-mail if I can figure it out) and the best source of communication will be good old-fashioned mail! Letters and packages are shipped to my island on a regular basis and will come about every 2 weeks. I am sure I will absolutely LOVE getting letters so feel free to write any time!!! My address here is:

Taylor McFarlane
WorldTeach
PO Box 627
Majuro, MH 96960
Republic of the Marshall Islands

If you do mail a package, priority mail or flat rate boxes are the suggested means. It will generally take about 10-14 days to get to RMI and then about another week to get to my island. (so cookies probably wouldn’t make it! hehe) YOU HAVE TO USE A CUSTOMS FROM though. Even if the post office says that you don’t need one, YOU DO! They say that a lot, but if you don’t use one it will go by boat and take about 2 months! So you MUST use a customs form and write down what is in it. If it is a heavier package flat rate boxes are the way to go, and will only cost about 9 to 10 dollars regardless of weight. Priority mail is done by weight, and tends to be a bit more expensive. I am sure letters and packages will make my time SO much easier, so if you ever feel like writing definitely do! I can’t promise I will be able to write back immediately, but I will try my best to respond to all letters, e-mails and packages!

Well, that is about all of the information I can think of pre-departure, but I am sure there will be tons more in days to come! I also just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their continued support through out this entire process. It has been amazing to receive so much support from my family, my friends, Phil, SVGC, and everyone else that has wished me luck and been there for me over the past week! While I know this experience will be amazing, having everyone’s support through out will be incredible too! Thank you all again so much, and one last good-bye while I am still in the US! Next time I write I will be on the other side of the world in the South Pacific.

Miss you all tons already! Make sure to stay in touch!!!

Love,
Taylor