Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry that it has been so long since my last update. I’ve not been off my little island since my last posting and now that I have time I figured that I’d share what I’ve been up to the last several weeks.

Halloween went well in Angaur. I got both of my brothers a costume. Valdez was the grim reaper and Cortez was supposed to be Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. I got some pumpkins and set out to have some fun this Halloween. Regrettably, Cortez decided that it’d be a good idea to try chewing betel nut with tobacco early Halloween afternoon. Being a inexperienced chewer, he swallowed more than he spat. The unfortunate result was violent vomiting for the next 36 hours. I was mildly sympathetic, but treated the situation as a good learning experience for him. I’m pretty sure that he hasn’t chewed since. Sad to say, the island of Angaur did not get to see Captain Jack Sparrow this Halloween. Maybe next year!

After Halloween not much has been going on. I’m still teaching at the school. This semester we’re focusing on microorganisms in my science class. We’ve cultured bacteria in Petri dishes, examined molds and fungi on the island and looked at everything we could think of under a microscope. English class is going well too, I focused a lot on writing. The students seem to be getting into it; at least they stopped complaining about it.

About two weeks ago I took a spur-of-the-moment weekend field trip to the old lighthouse in Angaur. During WWII it was a fully functioning lighthouse that was built by the Japanese. It toppled over during a battle I’m told. Now nature is in the process of reclaiming the massive tower and it is quite a sight. Many of the students had not seen this landmark on their own island, so I was glad to be able to share a bit of their own history with them.

And I made a turkey for the first time. I have (well, had) one of the only ovens in Angaur in my house. So when the President of the Legislature for Angaur State donated a turkey for the school, I was volunteered to make it. It’s funny what they assume I’m capable of just because I’m American. It was to be served on Wednesday for the student’s lunch as a Thanksgiving treat. Anyways, I woke up at 3:00am and put the bird in. After consulting friends and family both local and abroad, I finally had a game plan. I cut up some onions, garlic, and used what seasonings I had locally available to get it all flavored up. Then I put the bird in the oven and basted every 15 minutes (which I was later told was a waste of time). At the 5:30 baste, the electric oven started sparking and popping with loud and bright explosions. Annoyed, I unplugged the oven and thought about my options. It’s 5:30 in the morning and I’ve got an almost cooked turkey. I could either cut it up and cook it on the stove, or try the oven again. SO, I plugged in the oven again. Luckily the fireworks stopped, but the heating coil in the oven stopped working. Fortunately, Valdez was “helping” and he turned the knob all the way to “BROIL” and the upper coil heated up- so I spent the next couple hours trying to keep the oven at a somewhat constant temperate, which is harder than one might think. In the end, the bird was completely cooked and transported to school to be eaten. I got many compliments, but I’m pretty sure that they were just being nice.

Valdez cleaning his pumpking before cleaning on Halloween.

One of the Trick-or-Treaters

Our two Jack-o-Laterns and one carved papaya.

Magnified MSG- they eat it like salt here. Someone had donated a ProScope, which is like a microscope, but you connect it to your computer; it came in handy this quarter for my science class.

My sole eighth grader. Because he is the only one in his class, the room is partly used as storage.

Cortez showing off his slingshot skills.

Three of my students and one harmless community member who enjoys his alcohol a little more frequently than he probably should.

My student conquering his fear of heights by climbing a ladder to the top of the old lighthouse.
The adjacent building to the lighthouse has been used as a hangout for generations of Angaur youth, as evident by the graffiti. My students were laughing when they saw the current principal's name carved into the wall from when she was young.My students leaving their mark.

One student took my picture was I was telling him not to touch my camera. He insisted I put it on my blog so everyone could see how mean I am.

My turkey once it arrived at school.

My students did not believe that I could make a turkey.

Serving up a feast - Fried chicken, rice pilaf, turkey, stuffing, gravy, oranges, and pumpkin pie.

Kids enjoying their Thanksgiving meal.

Liberation Day

Liberation Day is a state holiday for Angaur. We celebrate the liberation of the people of Angaur sixty seven years ago. It is a day to remember those who were affected by the war in the Pacific and to celebrate the ending of WWII.

Anyways, the celebration has since evolved into a day-long competition. The island is separated into four sections. The part of the island in which you inhabit dictates what team you are on. There are four teams: Red, Blue, Green and Orange. Because I live on “I’Waikiki” section of the island, I’m on the Green team. The students and adults all take part in the competitions, it is just like a track and field day with activities ranging from relays, three-legged races, spear throwing, and a baseball tournament to top it all off.

The kids are required to participate, most are very excited. We’ve been practicing after school for the last few weeks. Rain or shine, the kids have been sprinting, pushing tires, kicking soccer balls while blindfolded and jumping rope to prepare for this day. Prizes for the students were notebooks and pencils. Most students get enough every Liberation Day to last an entire school year.

To entice the adults to participate, there are cash prizes. I participated in a relay where I had to balance a bottle of water on my head and race around the track. My team won (of course) and we got to split a $32 prize four ways, making me $8 richer!

Overall, a great time was had by all. It was really great to see the island get together like that and really enjoy the day. A band was hired to perform that night for everyone. The commotion was quite a change from the normal calmness that this island is usually known for.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Mom and Dad

Relay Race

My brother, Lopez, showing off his winnings

Me showing off my winnings.

My brother, Cortez, pushing a tire.

Another tire-pusher

My host mom helping team Green win the relay.

The students watching the games

More tire-pushing

Big City Life: Things I Love About Koror

Bem Armii:
English translation, “Come taste”. Bem Armii is a small burger stand that is a local favorite here in Koror. While there are other options for late night burgers (open until 4 AM on weekends), this one is the best by far. Nestled in the heart of the city, right next to the Asahi Baseball Field, Bem Armii boasts freshly grilled burgers, greasy fries, and even chocolate malts- all served with a big smile from the friendly staff.





Rock Island Café:
Palau is known for their “Rock Islands” a series of roughly 300 limestone or coral uprises in Palau’s Southern Lagoon. The “Rock Island Café” is known for its pizza. Although I’ve had better pizza in the past, there is none in Palau that can compare. They use real cheese, real pepperoni, and other fresh toppings. And don’t be fooled, they have a full American menu (burgers, lasagna, chicken strips, burritos, etc) as well- but I rarely go there and swerve from my usual pepperoni and jalapeño personal pan pizza.

Sunset on the Meyuns Causeway:
While in Koror I do find myself missing the quiet of Angaur. There is a causeway here that connects the island of Koror to the neighboring island of Meyuns. Ironically enough, on this causeway I’m able to find some of that quiet and peacefulness that I love about Angaur. Here is the perfect place to watch the sunset while in Koror. No two sunsets are the same and you are almost guaranteed to get a good sunset picture



Jello’s:
Want the latest season of your favorite T.V. show? How about a copy of that movie that was just premiered in American theaters last week? Well, you are in luck. Jello’s (pronounced like the gelatin snack) is a normal corner store that also dabbles in the Chinese bootleg movie trade. For $5, you can get an entire season of shows such as The Office, My Name is Earl, Weeds, Nurse Betty, or a new movie release like SALT, Resident Evil: Afterlife, or anything else the Chinese think that people might want to watch. The quality is hit and miss- sometimes they are near DVD quality (complete with subtitles) while other times the movies are recorded from a handheld camera inside a movie theater. What did I get this time around? I went with the newest season of 30 Rock and a collection of 20 children’s movies (on one disk- quite a deal if you ask me).



Peace Corps Office:
The Peace Corps provides its volunteers with a resource lounge. The lounge itself is great. We’ve got two computers with reliable internet access, hundreds of books in the Peace Corps’ informal library, and two comfortable couches for lounging. All of this is enclosed in air-conditioned comfort. It’s a great place to do research for projects, read mail, catch up with other volunteers or just take a quick nap during the heat of the day.

Ben Franklin’s and Surrangel’s
Koror boasts plenty of shopping options. I would say that they two main stores here are Ben Franklin’s and Surrangel’s (Surrangel's is pictured). Both of the stores have a grocery store on the main level where one can get nearly anything they might desire. Both have a small department store on the second level. Both remind me of a small scale Super Target- they have just about everything. Odds are, if you’re looking for something in particular and you can’t find it at one of these stores- you’re probably not going to find it at all. Which one do I prefer? Let’s just say both get their fair share of my Peace Corps monthly stipend.

Coffee House:
This one is pretty self explanatory. Seeing that there are no Starbucks or Caribou Coffee here (yet) this coffee house does a pretty darn good job at filling that role. Palauans are not as snobbish as Americans are with their coffee. Most coffee drinkers drink instant coffee. This coffee house also does a good job with smoothies and other iced drinks. What did I get today? Just a normal iced coffee.

The Republic of Palau Postal Service:
Let’s just say I like getting mail. Despite the fact that I’ve been terrible at maintaining a blog, some people still remember I’m here and drop a note or package from time to time. To those people, Thank You! This post office is part of the US Postal system, so mailing a letter or package back to the states is the same as the domestic postal rates. This is the only post office in the country and the only place where the mail is delivered- inside is a ton of post office boxes and a very familiar USPS service desk.

ACE Hardware:
Yup. We got one of those. I really don’t shop here often, but it has come in handy on many occasions. When my toilet was leaking for a few weeks, I was able to get a new seal kit at ACE. When the armrest for chair fell off, I was able to locate the right size replacement bolt to repair it at ACE. When I need things for my garden, ACE has it. Like I said, I don’t go here on most trips to Koror, but it’s like a safety net knowing that it is there should I need it.

Bank of Guam:
Ok, maybe this isn’t one of my favorite places to be while in Koror, but I tend to find myself there on nearly every visit. This is where my monthly stipend is deposited and the only place that I can access my money. Like any other bank it keeps banking hours, but unlike normal banking hours this bank is only open from 9:30am to 2:30pm. The lines are long, the hours suck, and the fees would qualify for highway robbery in the States- but because it has my money; it made it on my list.

Summer Update

It’s been a while since my last update. Not much has happened here on the small island of Angaur. Since school let out, the pace here has certainly slowed. I’ve gotten a few inquiries about what it is exactly that I’m doing over the summer here, so I thought that I’d share what I’m up to.

With regard to my work here- I’m working the summer reading camp at my school. It’s basically summer school, but the only focus is English and reading. I’m working with the first through third graders, which is proving to be a challenge for me. Older students you can reason with, but these young kids you just can’t do that. Oh well, it’s a learning experience for us both.

Summertime also holds a lot of special Peace Corps meetings and trainings. I’ve completed a training earlier this month where we focused on the collaboration between the volunteer and host agency. We also focused on different team teaching strategies, and how to best implement them at our specific sites. The coming week I will be attending a volunteer forum, where I am the representative for my team in Palau. We’ll share successes, work out problems, and discuss policy and how we can make this whole thing better for the incoming volunteers.

Lastly, I’m working with some members in my community on a campaign to keep the older teens off drugs and alcohol. I don’t think that it’s a huge problem in Angaur, but we got a grant to do some fun projects with the teenage kids. We are going to be painting a mural on one of the walls of the community center. Angaur is lucky to have a very good artist as one of its youth; I’ve seen his sketches and am eager to see what the finished product will look like. Also, we’ll be updating the signs on all the government buildings (hospital, state office, community center, school, etc.) and some landscaping around the state buildings- all things that will help the students take pride in their state.

Other than that, I’ve got a lot of time to explore, swim, read, “stroll”, and get to know the people in my community. I’m thoroughly enjoying my summer here.

Games; plenty, plenty games! No night here is complete without a game of some sort. Usually Hanaguda or Crazy 8’s. Speed is another favorite. Unfortunately, I rarely win.

Just hanging out with my cousins, the girl is Seba- a high school student and the baby is Joe. He insisted on seeing what was so intriguing about the book I was reading, and why it commanded all my attention (that could have been used on him).

My family just built a new house, and so we spent a few days clearing all the trees around it. It didn’t seem like much work, but after the 10th trip to dump a truck full of foliage, it became apparent that this would be a big task.

As I have more time, I’ve more of an opportunity to cook. Here I’m making white chicken chili. This particular dish led to a fiercely tongued debate between my host father and mother, as he much preferred my way of preparing the chicken for soups (de-boning and de-skinning) than my host mother’s (just cut the chicken into small pieces, bones included).

After swimming, we usually stick around to watch the sunset before heading home for dinner.

Graduation Day

This last Monday was the “Promotional Day” for my school. This is the day that the 8th graders graduate and all the other students get promoted to the next grade. This year Angaur Elementary School only had one 8th grader. It was a very emotional day for her.

In Palau, there are 16 public elementary schools and only one public high school. The high school is in Koror, the only real city in Palau. It is customary for the child to live with relatives in the capitol city to finish their education.

My graduate had to say goodbye to the only school she has known for whole life. Say goodbye to her life-long friends and say goodbye to the family that raised her in Angaur. When I asked her to explain how she felt in a writing assignment about graduating and moving on in life, she only wrote one word; bittersweet.

Me and the graduate.

The whole school congratulating the graduate.



The special cake, just for her (the bakery misspelled "Angaur")

The graduate with the old and new principal of Angaur Elementary

Happy Earth Day!

Not much to report, the school year is flying by. Our last day of school is May 21 and we've got a lot to cover in a short amount of time.

Here is a picture from yesterday's Earth Day festivities. Each one of the students were instructed to bring a tree from their home to plant on the school's porperty. Mango trees, coconut trees, lemon trees, betel nut trees, and many floral bushes were also planted.

EAW

The last week here was “Educational Awareness Week” (EAW) in Palau. During EAW the students spend time doing various educational activities. We did a beach clean-up, field trip to the mangroves, learned how to tie knots for fishing, and many other fun things. The last half of the week was spent presenting to the parents all of the things that we have learned so far during the school year. The parents came here and tolerated the two full days of presentations. Spelling bees, essays (in both English and Palauan), cultural dancing, singing, science presentations and even a volleyball game where the parents played against the students.


Overall, the week was good. The kids spent a lot of time and energy preparing for this and did really well. I was very happy to see the turn out of parents- maybe 90% of the students had their parents (or some other family support) show up.

Here are some pictures of what we did:

My host brother, Valdez, trying to concentrate and focus on knot tying, as he wasn’t paying attention when the instructions were given- he eventually did successfully tie the knot.

This is Vance and Beches, sixth graders, who are explaining the life cycle of stars to the crowd.

These are our two first graders, Pohai and Niro. Pohai is in a coconut leaf skirt and Niro is in a usaker (loincloth). They did the Mengesols, which is a traditional Palauan chant.

This is the fourth grade presentation for their career class. They did a fashion show showing what careers they’d like to pursue. From left to right we have Modesta that wants to be a dancer and eventually a dance instructor, then Klikm wants to be a singer, followed by Ucheliou who wants to be a teacher, and finally Tito who wants to become a doctor.

One of the most enthusiastic fourth graders happy with his EAW treats. We do not normally serve ice cream or oranges.

My host brother, Cortez, reading his expository essay that was prepared in both Palauan and English.

I’m showing off my find of a mangrove crab. Usually they stay in their homes during the day and only come out at night to eat. I let this one free, but I told it I’d be back to get it when it got a little bigger.

My sixth grade student, Beches and my seventh grade student Tsun show off their find from the field trip to the mangroves. Even though it’s been decades since Angaur has seen any fighting, there are still reminders of what this island went through during WWII.

On our field trip to the mangroves, Teacher John is showing off a specific type of plant and explaining its medicinal uses and its historical significance to the Palauan people. Most of the kids don’t have the same knowledge of their environment as the older generations do.

My and one of my sixth graders, Bizk. I tutor him every day after school and as a thank you he gave me the head band that I’m wearing in the picture.

While the boys tied knots, the girls learned how to make Bilum- the traditional preparation of the tapioca plant. Bilum was eaten regularly until the discovery of imported white rice, which has since replaced the native carbohydrate for most of the people on this island.

This is the fourth grade class taking a break from the hard work of the clean up.

This is just a picture of some of my students as we clean the beach.

This is Keo and Bizk impressed by their find of a hermit crab who has, “adapted to it’s new environment” by making it’s home in an empty beer can. Good thing we made it to the beach to clean!