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.