In Angaur

I’ve arrived in my permanent site now, and I must say- I love it. Angaur is small island about fifty miles south of the main island in Palau. This island has everything from lush forests, rocky shorelines, and sandy beaches. The population is small (about 150) but the people that do live here are awesome- very kind and welcoming to me as a guest on their island.

My host family is great as well. My dad is a fisherman and my mom manages the household, her four children (20, 16, 11, and 10), and me. She is a great cook, and I’m becoming a big fan of fried fish as well as sashimi (raw fish). The two oldest children spend the school year in Koror, the capitol city, while the youngest two live in Angaur.

I’ve been assigned a counterpart at the elementary school. She is to provide help and support during my stay here. If I have problems at home, school, or in the community- I have someone to turn to. We also team teach English classes. I think that I really lucked out with my counterpart; she has made my transition to Angaur as easy as it could possibly be.

The food here is good- lots of fish and crab. I’ve requested that my parents take me “crabbing” with them the next time that they go. I’m not sure what the process involves all I know is that they do it in the forest at night.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and the students (all 24 of them) all have school off. I had wanted to do some exploring on the island, but the weather is not cooperating with me. I guess it is the rainy season, as is evident by the daily torrential rains. Instead of exploring, I’ll be converting a storage room at the school to a small classroom for me to teach in and do some tutoring after normal school hours. Cleaning is not nearly as fun, but at least it is productive.

Overall I’m happy and healthy. Feel free to drop me an email anytime. I don’t get mail unless I take the 4-hour boat ride into the city to check it. So, apologies if you’ve written and not gotten a response, I’ve not received your letter yet.