So I made it. I have officially arrived at my home for the next two years! This is wild.
Let's
start at the beginning: So we left the University of Scranton at 6:00am
on Tuesday and then the seven Micro volunteers (Meredith, Kristen, and I
and then the 4 volunteers on Chuuk) caught our flight to San Francisco!
Luckily, we found out our flight to HI was delayed so we had 7 hours in
SF! So I got to see my friends Katie, Cali, and Kevin before I left! We
all went to Boudins for soup and bread bowls and then to Ghirardelli's
for ice cream! A great last American meal! Also, it was so nice to see
some of my friends one last time before I left. I am eternally grateful
for them for coming out!
Next we were off to HI and some much needed
sleep on benches in the airport and then finally onto the island hopper
to go from HI to Majuro (in the Marshall islands) to Kwajalein (a US
military base, which had super weird Epcot like balls all over the
place) and finally to Pohnpei! The flight was unbelievably beautiful and
just mesmerizing! Most of the time it looked like we were flying upside down
and the sky was beneath us because of how blue the water was. Once we
finally sighted Pohnpei I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I
don't even have words to describe how amazing it is. It is perfect.
After
a very heartfelt goodbye to our Chuuk volunteers, we went through
customs and Meredith, Kristen and I finally got to meet our fourth
community mate Brian! He is wicked awesome and super nice! We also met Father Dave (our in country
coordinator and Jesuit pro), Staylor (our PCS principal), Sister Maria,
Katherine (a Chuuk JV who is here for the summer) and a few others! It
was supremely overwhelming but also totally awesome and we got leis and
fancy head pieces and then jumped into the back of a pickup to go see our
apartment! We live in one of the buildings of OLM high school (where
Brian and Kristen work) and within sight of Pohnpei Catholic School
(where I will be working). I have an ocean view out of my window. ALos, cold
showers are super refreshing and we eat on the floor. I love it.
We
drove to Nett's point after we settled in and while there we got caught in our first
Pohnpeian rain storm. And that we went to a graduation for a summer
program and the students sang and oh my gosh, they all sound beautiful.
Apparently Micronesians are all like ridiculously musical and have great
voices. We then got to try local fish and
breadfruit and mashed bananas for dinner! It tasted great, especially
the breadfruit (it kind of tastes like a potato).
And then
today we went to one of the most beautiful waterfalls. It was a great
way for us to continue to get to know each other and cool down and have
our breath taken away from us. Pictures to follow eventually...
I just would like to say I am so unbelievably lucky to be here and thank you everyone for your love and support. I am truly blessed. I love you all!
Kaselehlie! (ka-sa-leh-lia: it means hello/goodbye and kind of pretty/beautiful)
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Leave Well to Go Well...
Kasalehlie! (hello/goodbye/you're beautiful in Pohnpeian!)
So Orientation has officially come to an end and I am heading to the Newark airport in just about 3 hours! I am beyond excited to finally be in beautiful Micronesian paradise! (after an approximate 32 hour journey...) And my fellow first year community-mates, Meredith and Kristin, and I are super excited to meet our final community-mate Brian!
Orientation has been jam packed! I met tons of absolutely beautiful people and I learned so much. Maybe I will kind of be able to teach now... One of those tidbits of wisdom was "Leave well to go well." I think Orientation was a perfect way to be able to leave well and now I am ready to go! I have officially been commissioned and we even have legit Pohnpeian skirts to wear when we meet Brian at the airport!
Also, one product of these past two weeks is my Theology of Mission statement, which is basically my stamp on my JVC journey! I thought of the image of a ripple (for those of you who know me, you know I love Bobby Kennedy and I also love his idea of a ripple of hope) and so it would probably be better if I uploaded a picture (since it is in a pattern of a ripple) but I can do that later! So for now, here it is below:
I am called to act through JVC's pillars: Community, Spirituality, Social Justice, and Simplicity to live out empathy and solidarity and to strive to reach kinship with people on the periphery. I understand there is no peace without justice and I will work passionately and intentionally to be a woman for and with others and to see with not only my eyes but also my heart. In order to spread love and joy wherever I go I will strive to be present and encourage the flourishing of myself and all those I meet by sharing their stories and carrying their hearts in my heart. I do all this while knowing I am just a worker and not a master-builder; understanding I may not see the fruits of my labor but hoping that each ripple I send out will transform into a tidal wave of LOVE.
I miss you and love you all! Next time you'll hear from me I'll be in Micro!
Oceans of Love,
Britt
So Orientation has officially come to an end and I am heading to the Newark airport in just about 3 hours! I am beyond excited to finally be in beautiful Micronesian paradise! (after an approximate 32 hour journey...) And my fellow first year community-mates, Meredith and Kristin, and I are super excited to meet our final community-mate Brian!
Orientation has been jam packed! I met tons of absolutely beautiful people and I learned so much. Maybe I will kind of be able to teach now... One of those tidbits of wisdom was "Leave well to go well." I think Orientation was a perfect way to be able to leave well and now I am ready to go! I have officially been commissioned and we even have legit Pohnpeian skirts to wear when we meet Brian at the airport!
Also, one product of these past two weeks is my Theology of Mission statement, which is basically my stamp on my JVC journey! I thought of the image of a ripple (for those of you who know me, you know I love Bobby Kennedy and I also love his idea of a ripple of hope) and so it would probably be better if I uploaded a picture (since it is in a pattern of a ripple) but I can do that later! So for now, here it is below:
I am called to act through JVC's pillars: Community, Spirituality, Social Justice, and Simplicity to live out empathy and solidarity and to strive to reach kinship with people on the periphery. I understand there is no peace without justice and I will work passionately and intentionally to be a woman for and with others and to see with not only my eyes but also my heart. In order to spread love and joy wherever I go I will strive to be present and encourage the flourishing of myself and all those I meet by sharing their stories and carrying their hearts in my heart. I do all this while knowing I am just a worker and not a master-builder; understanding I may not see the fruits of my labor but hoping that each ripple I send out will transform into a tidal wave of LOVE.
I miss you and love you all! Next time you'll hear from me I'll be in Micro!
Oceans of Love,
Britt
Sunday, July 7, 2013
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Well the time has come! I am setting off for JVC orientation tomorrow and then in two weeks I will be heading to my home for the next two years: Pohnpei, Micronesia! My friend Claire helped me set up this beautiful blog in order to share my experiences and adventures. Incase you forgot, I will be teaching at the Pohnpei Catholic School and living with three other volunteers on the beautiful island of Pohnpei. And I cannot wait to start!
I am sad to be leaving all of my friends and family but, in the beautiful words of e. e. cummings (and even better in Marc Mescher's voice), I will be carrying all of your hearts with me wherever I go. I hope to keep everyone involved in my journey through this blog but I'd also love letters or emails from anyone who'd like to send one!
My email address is bbachantfsm13@gmail.com and my address will be
Brittany Bachant
Jesuit Volunteers
PO Box 160
Pohnpei, FM 96941
Thank you all for the love and support you've already given me and I hope to share it with everyone I meet in Micronesia! I'll see you in two years!
Oceans of Love,
Brit
I am sad to be leaving all of my friends and family but, in the beautiful words of e. e. cummings (and even better in Marc Mescher's voice), I will be carrying all of your hearts with me wherever I go. I hope to keep everyone involved in my journey through this blog but I'd also love letters or emails from anyone who'd like to send one!
My email address is bbachantfsm13@gmail.com and my address will be
Brittany Bachant
Jesuit Volunteers
PO Box 160
Pohnpei, FM 96941
Thank you all for the love and support you've already given me and I hope to share it with everyone I meet in Micronesia! I'll see you in two years!
Oceans of Love,
Brit
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