The Adventure Begins

Raan Annim (Hello) from Chuuk! Welcome to my blog and thank you for sharing in my adventure in Micronesia I am settling into life here and want to share what I have been up to.

To begin, I want to say that I hope to use this blog as a way to share my experiences, keep in touch, and perhaps even open those who read it to new perspectives. However, I want to be careful about passing judgments on a culture and country that I do not fully understand or writing in a way that causes others to do so. I am a learner in this experience and want to discover as much as possible. However, my experience is only one perspective, unique to my personal lens; thus, I recognize that I am not an adequate mouthpiece for a society, only for myself as a JV, as a guest, as a seeker. I simply invite you to walk with me, keeping an open mind and heart.

Ok, so now some context of where it is exactly that I am. I am living on the island of Weno (pronounced Weda), which is one of the islands inside the Chuuk Lagoon. Chuuk is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (which is part of the geographic region of Micronesia that also includes Palau and the Marshall Islands). To visualize, the land mass of all islands in Micronesia is about the size of Rhode Island while the water area between islands is close to that of the continental United States. Weda is the largest island in Chuuk and functions as the state capital. I will be teaching at Xavier High School, a Jesuit high school that accepts students from throughout Micronesia. Xavier is located in the village of Sapuk on Weno. 

View from the roof at Xavier

View from the other side of the roof

Traditional huts built by the students for each region

(Yap and Palau are shown) 

It is hard to believe that I set off from Kansas City, MO over a month ago to start my adventure as a Jesuit Volunteer. During a two week orientation in Scranton, PA, I was able to both reflect on what has lead me to this journey and attain in new insights and information to consider as I begin my time at Xavier. As a Jesuit Volunteer, I have committed to a covenant based on four pillars: social justice, community, simplicity, and spirituality.  Orientation was the perfect way to center myself with these in mind before I took off. Then, on July 23, the Pohnpei JVs, my community mates, and I set out, traveling for 43 straight hours with six boarding passes, an adventure which included spending a few hours on the bay in San Francisco and catching a couple hours of sleep in the Honolulu airport.

The crew at Ghirardelli Square in San Fran 

(not a bad way to spend a flight delay)

Finally, we arrived we were greeted at the airport with leis and necklaces by some of our new community mates as well as local staff. We first went to Saramen Chuuk Academy (the other JV community on island where we were to be staying the night) and then immediately went for a swim in the ocean! That night we were invited to a traditional feast that included breadfruit, rice, and fish at Saram. The next day, we went to Pisiwi, a small picnic island a few miles off of Weno with the students who had just completed the Xavier summer school program for middle school students interested in attending Xavier. It was great to swim and get to know the kids, some of whom I may end up teaching. When we got back to Saram, we had dinner with Father Marc, our In-country Coordinator, and then headed to Xavier for the first time.

Arriving at the airport to a warm welcome

For the next three days, we went to our host families. My family was so welcoming. It was a great way to gain insight into the culture and family structure. Hospitality is incredibly important as is respect. There were times when I felt uncomfortable such as when I was told to sit in a chair while everyone else, including my host grandma, was sitting on the floor or when I was not only asked to eat first, but eat by myself while everyone else waited until I was finished. However, it was humbling and I could see the joy they received from honoring me as a guest. I started to pick up a few phrases in Chuukese but once I am more fluent, I know that our relationships will be even better. On Sunday, my host niece was baptized at. Xavier. I was so glad to be a part of such a special day.

Once we got back to Xavier, we started in-country orientation (ICO). First the Saram JVs came up to Xavier to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Ignatius and we heard several presentations from community members and educators. We also went on a hike to see the Japanese Lighthouse left over from WWII as well as the Japanese dock (where we went swimming of course). The history nerd in me came out and was fascinated to see the bullet holes from aircraft fire as well as the various gun turrets long abandoned that remain along the trail. We also spent time at the Micronesia Seminar, a library of resources and studies on Micronesia that is hosted at Xavier. 

Japanese Lighthouse

Xavier community at the top of the lighthouse

For the past week, the nine JVs on Weno went back to Saram to finish ICO. This was a great time to get to know each other better and set expectations/hopes for life in community over the next year. We also met the new Peace Corps and did a joint scavenger hunt to better learn the area of Nepukos (the main commercial area of Weno.) We also got a lesson in basket weaving and hiked up a mountain to a man-made cave which served as a bunker for the Japanese during WWII. It was great to explore the cave and climb on the rusted out cannons. And there is nothing quite like drinking a freshly cut coconut when you've just climbed a mountain!

Our guide cutting coconuts for us

My attempt at basket weaving 

On the last night of ICO, we went to Leiside, a pizza restaurant, where we enjoyed a slice of home, in the aircon no less! It was a great way to cap off the two weeks and rejuvenate. Now I am back at Xavier, preparing to settle into my new office.