To Learn the Soul of Pohnpei...

I have officially been on island for a whole week! I really can’t believe it. One, because I still can’t believe I actually live here and two, because we have done so much. I feel kind of awful for even writing this because I know there will be no way that I can convey what this past week has really been like. I’ve met so many amazing people, seen so many amazing sights, and learned so many amazing things. I guess amazing is one word to describe it. If only…

But, I’ll try to give it an ounce of the articulation that it deserves. So after our magical expedition to Kepirohi falls we met two Peace Corps volunteers and climbed the old German Bell tower of the old Catholic church (only the bell tower survived WWII). Now I thought it was going to be just an easy climb up some stairs, little did I know that everything rusts here, hence, a very scary climb up disintegrating metal.  It was okay though because Brian told us it was “safe” and the view was so worth it. You could see the ocean and Sokehs rock on one side and Kolonia and the mountains on the other. It would be a fantastic place to bring a book…maybe.

The next morning we had the great scavenger hunt through Kolonia. I was paired up with Brian, it was an awesome time to learn more about each other and begin to see how lucky Meredith, Kristen and I are with our awesome second year. We got drinking coconuts, bought a Pohnpeian skirt, got cash power, got some frozen coconut deliciousness called ice pahr, bought zorries/flip flops, got a library card, tried breadfruit chips, and more. It was helpful to adventure through more of Kolonia and I’m still saying Brian and I won.

After the scavenger hunt we were all slightly (hugely) nervous because we were going to our host families for the first time for the rest of the weekend. Brian, Kristin, and I were all headed to Kitti (pronounced kitch-e) to have a feast at Brian’s host family’s house and meet our families. As soon as we arrived we were invited into the feast house to sit and finally try real sakau. It was a pretty big honor and the first sip was intense. My tongue was immediately tingly, it kind of feels like throat numbing medicine, and it tasted like peppery minty mud water (but in a good way). We sat there for a while and watched the pounding and straining and that was really cool and then we were invited to see the uhmw (Pohnpeian traditional oven made of stones and banana leaves) and what was cooking. There was a giant pig, two little pigs, a dog, and tons of breadfruit and yams. It was crazy. Then the speeches began (in Pohnpeian) and finally the food was portioned out (with the most going to the highest ranked people) and we got to eat. There was delicious sashmi (my favorite), fried breadfruit, fried bananas, rice, chicken, hotdogs, yams, and pig. I was doing great until I realized I had the jaw of a pig on my plate (woven out of leaves let me just add), teeth included. I couldn’t eat any more of the pig after that, it was too much, quite the experience though.

After the feast I got to meet my host family! So my host mom is named Jacqueline (silent j) but she lives with her two sisters and all of their kids and all of their grandkids. And then most of their cousins and the aunts and uncles live within like a five-minute walking radius. I met like fifty people that night. It was very overwhelming. Also, the three older women (my mom included) cannot speak English so communication was difficult, but my host sister speaks English and her oldest son will be a third grader at my school! She was super hospitable and generous and I’m pretty sure gave me her room to sleep in and really tried to make sure I had everything I needed. My family is great!

Another fun fact about them: they LOVE bingo! Like the whole family loves it and plays it for hours multiple times per week. I loved it though because now I know all the numbers between one and seventy-nine in Pohnpeian. Only took like five hours of playing/watching them play. They are super intense at bingo and I don’t think I will ever win because they play with like twelve boards at once and they play this special way called “tappel”, might be like table, where all these different arrangements can make you win but they go at like lightning speed. That was also slightly overwhelming. Maybe more than slightly. However, the concept behind their bingo is also beautiful and really indicative of the communal culture and importance of family in Pohnpei. So each time they play someone (or like a nuclear family) donates something like a bag of fish (or plates of food, shirts, skirts, etc.) and then everyone puts in money to play bingo each round and if they win then they win the bag of fish and the donator gets all the money. But since they play so much everyone gets to be the donator and receive money and everyone puts in money. I am probably doing a horrendous job of explaining it but it is really cool.

The next morning I checked out the river where most of my family showers (quite picturesque) and tried this unreal banana called Carat (maybe…) that was super fat and very yellow and wicked delicious! Then it was time for mass. It was so cool, well I mean it was hot, but it was awesome. Everyone sat on the floor and the whole mass was in Pohnpeian but there was a choir and like I said earlier, Pohnpeians have amazing voices. It was really magical. After mass three girls in my extended family took me to the top of Nihpai rock. It is this huge rock face in Kitti with incredible views. Again it is completely impossible to encapsulate with words or pictures; it was truly (I mean literally) breath taking. And it was amazing to have some more personal time with just three members of my family. The rest of the day was filled with more bingo, family dinner, and little-kid fun. First they “danced around like monkeys” for me (but really they super inappropriately danced but also were ridiculously good at sexy dancing at ages 4-9) and then played some other name games.  One of my favorite observations of Pohnpeian culture so far is how affectionate the entire family is with young children. I have seen so many examples, already, of parents, aunts, cousins, and family friends all treating the children with so much love and affection. It is beautiful and yet weird that adults never really show any to each other. It is really interesting.

The next day we went back to Kolonia, and got ready to say goodbye to Kevin and Katherine (two volunteers from Chuuk who were working in Pohnpei for the summer) and the Jesuits took us out to Cupids for dinner! The view from that restaurant, oh man. It was super special and our community even did a little Karaoke! But even better, we found out Kevin and Katherine got to stay a little longer because their flight was cancelled. So the next day (Kristin’s birthday!) we did so much. Like the most fun filled day ever. In the morning we swam in the lagoon for the first time and saw coral and tons of fish and had a blast! Then Meredith and I ventured off into Kolonia on our own to get things for Kristen’s birthday. It made us feel really independent, we could actually find something without Brian! But the best part of the day was when we climbed Sokehs Rock.

Let me preface this by saying that it is absurd that we did this in our first week. Usually people climb Sokehs ridge first (it is a much easier hike) but Kevin really wanted to climb the rock before he left so we went for it. The rock is known as the “Diamond head of Micronesia” and is a 662 foot tall cliff that juts out over the harbor at the end of Sokehs island. Look up Pohnpei and it’s definitely in some of the pictures. To start you need to hike through a slippery steep jungle then you reach ropes that let you traverse a giant tree and finally you reach the actual rock face that is pretty much an almost vertical climb with only a pole for support. I don’t want to scare anyone (sorry Mom and Dad!) but it was so totally awesome! I want to do that hike like all of the time. And then the view from the top, aw…spectacular! We want to have a retreat up there so we can watch the sunset and sunrise. I fell a couple of times on the way back through the muddy jungle but it was totally worth it! We ended up being 45 minutes late for our spirituality night with the Jesuits but they understood and we still caught the end of the sunset off the J-house porch (amazing view of Sokehs rock!) and had dinner and cake for Kristen’s birthday! Such a special day!

Since then we have been much less exciting and have been mostly having community talks, going to some World Teach language sessions (such cool volunteers though), meeting with some Pohnpeians to talk about culture, and checking out the new pool for the Micronesian games (Brian coaches there)! I might be a lifeguard! Who would have guessed? (the are pretty desperate…) Also! I found out what I’m teaching (probably) I will be the eighth grade homeroom teacher and teaching math to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade! I got the key to my classroom and everything; it was super exciting! And I start work on Monday with staff orientation and then school starts on the twelfth! It is coming up so fast.

So sorry this was so long, but so much happened and I had to share it. I’m sure once school starts my posts will not be like this but for this one I can! I hope you got a little taste of what this beautiful place has been like for me and can better imagine this tropical paradise and begin to learn the soul of Pohnpei.

I hope all is well back home! I miss you all so much and I’m sending lots of love to all of you! Feel free to write letters! I’d love to receive them!

Until next time…

Oceans of Love,

Britt