I got up early Monday morning (8/11) to catch what I thought was a 7 am boat – but, because this is the Marshall Islands, the boat didn’t leave until 11 am! While I was waiting for the boat though, my host, Father Kamot came to meet me at the dock. He and his wife were in town dropping two off their children at the high school in Majuro.
Once we were ready to go, Melissa and I got everything on the boat and decided it would be a good idea to sit up front…horrible idea. It started poring about 20 minutes in and big waves started splashing over the sides! We were SOAKED and had to sit there dripping wet. When we finally got to the island, we unloaded our things and waited in the rain for about an hour for the truck to come get us. At that point, we were thoroughly drenched, no rain coat, and so was out stuff. When the truck did come however and I hopped in the front. I was looking forward to being dry, but because the window didn’t work I sat in a mud colored puddle while the rain poured in the whole ride.
Leaving the dock we turned right onto the only road on the island, and it was hardly a road! It was basically part of the greenery on the island that had been driven over so many times that tire marks had engrained themselves in the dirt. There was no pavement anywhere – trees were falling all into the road and there were huge holes filled with water the entire way. My head definitely hit the ceiling a couple of times going over some of those! It was a fun ride.
About 20 minutes later we reached my HOUSE!!! I was greeted by Weinner and Andelson, who are my host brother and sister. Arriving there and it was such a surreal experience. It was a strange feeling knowing that I would get to know these people so well, and be able to talk with them and understand what they say a year from now, yet everything about them was so foreign to me at that point.
My house is the yellow one(in the first picture), and there are 4 windows in the back that let in a nice ocean breeze at night. (technically it is a lagoon breeze) There are actually 2 rooms inside one with a bedroom and the other has a desk! I feel badly that my house is bigger than the one that the 5 family members live in that is next to mine – but apparently that is their custom. The wooden area next to my house is where we eat and cook. There are mats made of coconut leafs that we sit on inside and a stove that burns coconuts for cooking. There is a place to wash the dishes outside across from my house and the bathroom is around back near the lagoon. The church is about 20 yards to the left of my house and the school is about 40 yards to the right. Everything I need is right here, and since there is nothing else but houses on this island, I am set!
The people here are amazing! All of the kids were SO SO excited to meet me, and were impressed by my Marshallese. I actually know quite a bit more than I thought I did, and that had helped a lot. Although they don’t speak very much English at all, a few know some words and between their English and my Marshallese we are able to communicate effectively. Michael is one of the little boys who I have hung out with a lot, and he is great. He is the one holding the air plane. He is extremely eager to teach me Marshallese and thinks it is hilarious when I mess things up…which I have done a lot of! Hahah since there are so many different sounds for the same letters it is really easy to say one word, and if you say the O sound just slightly different it has a completely different meaning! Bewbew, when the e is said one way means tuna and when said another mean crazy! Haha it is so strange, but at least I am able to laugh at myself with them. It is really funny because they all say WOWWWWWWWW when I say something really correct in Marshallese and are like “You know BIG Marshallese…WOOOOWWWW.” Hahah I clearly don’t, but they like to see people trying to learn and really appreciate it when they can see that you are making an effort.
The food out here is definitely way different than Majuro. When someone new comes you are supposed to offer them lots of food, and I don’t think I have eaten this much in my life. The first nights we just had rice, canned tuna and Katsup. It actually was rather good! Then this morning I woke up to a plate of about 10 pancakes and 10 fried eggs. They just sit there and watch you eat. I couldn’t eat it all, so the kids just came in and finished it. Then, no less than an hour later we had jamboed down the road to Amerco’s house, and she made me coconut juice, a regular coconut, and a cut up eu (type of cocnut). Still there, 20 minutes later she gave me a HUGE bowl of rice with some type of cooked clam. Yikes. And THEN 20 minutes later a huge plate of pancakes made from cococonut. I was so full it was not even funny, but it is really rude to refuse food because that is the most sincere form of generosity in Marshallese custom. I apparently should have stored the food though, because while that was at 12:30 we didn’t eat dinner (fish we caught today and rice) until 7:30! I was starvingggg. It was good though. And you drink a coconut, literally from the coconut, with every meal. They offered mine to me to open myself today, and apparently I did something wrong because it sprayed ALL OVER my face hahah. That gave everyone a good laugh – but I did have to admit it was rather hilarious.
Well I have to go now and get some sleep. Movie, (that's her name) the principle comes back tomorrow and we will decide when school starts! It could be Monday this week – or Monday in two weeks. Who knows – they do it Marshallese style!
Hopefully I will be able to write again soon. Miss and love you all lots!
Xo,
Taylor
2 comments:
Great blog! I love the pictures. I was born on Arno,Arno and Ocean site Lukoj was where we did a lot of fishing, fly fishing at night as a teenage boy. Now I reside in Maine, but yearning for the day I return. Say my Iakwe to all.
Take care!
Peter or as the Marshallese say "Peta"
Ciao Taylor, un posto splendido.
Un saluto e un bacio da Roma.
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