Hello Everyone!
So sorry to have kept everyone in suspense for so long -- who am I, to post a scary call for prayer and then never tell you what happened next?!
Anyway, I am happy to report that Pahpa is in stable condition and looks to be on the mend. Nohno flew to Majuro to be with him a few days after the stroke. Before she lefte we had heard rumors about life support (or, in rough translation of the Pohpeian phrase for it: "the machine beating his heart for him"). But that is not the case -- his heart is fine and beating on its own. And since Nohno has been with him, he has gradually gotten stronger -- he is no longer on oxygen or using an IV. He can eat. He can communicate with Nohno, although I'm not sure if that means actual speech yet. And, even though it looks like Pahpa will be using a wheelchair for the time being, the doctors are talking about physical therapy for him to regain movement on his left side.
Although I haven't talked to Nohno myself in a few days, I have heard that they are planning to come back to Pohnpei in a couple of weeks, and that my host brother (who lives in Florida and I have not yet met) might be coming with his wife and son to stay with us and help out around the house, too.
In the mean time, a wonderful cousin of ours and her family have been staying at the house with the kids and me (that is, when I'm home and not in town for meetings, projects, etc).
There has been a lot of coming and going in my neck of the woods, and it looks like it's going to continue. So big praises that Pahpa is in a stabe state, and maybe a prayer request that I can be calm and flexible for whatever the future holds.
Much love, and thank you all for your support!
Mollie
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Scary host family news
Dear Friends,
I just found out from Nohno that Pahpa has had a stroke and is in the Majuro hospital in critical condition. The doctors say the stroke was caused by undiagnosed diabetes. Pahpa was off-island for a professional conference, and although that distance makes the news harder on us, he will likely get better medical care there than here.
Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are incredibly prevalent and fast-growing killers in Micronesia. They're all the more tragic because they are usually preventable through diet and lifestyle changes and regular checkups. The rising statistics have been making me feel depressed and frustrated since I've been aware of them, but this development has brought those emotions to a much more raw and personal place.
Please pray for Pahpa. We're all very worried about him right now.
Thank you,
Mollie
I just found out from Nohno that Pahpa has had a stroke and is in the Majuro hospital in critical condition. The doctors say the stroke was caused by undiagnosed diabetes. Pahpa was off-island for a professional conference, and although that distance makes the news harder on us, he will likely get better medical care there than here.
Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are incredibly prevalent and fast-growing killers in Micronesia. They're all the more tragic because they are usually preventable through diet and lifestyle changes and regular checkups. The rising statistics have been making me feel depressed and frustrated since I've been aware of them, but this development has brought those emotions to a much more raw and personal place.
Please pray for Pahpa. We're all very worried about him right now.
Thank you,
Mollie
Friday, June 18, 2010
Stories from the Start of Summer
The last day of school was exactly one month ago, and time has been flying since then. The key word of this post is “surprise” … I’m learning that wonderful things happen when I relax and just let them go.
The first notable event after the end of school was graduation. My kids graduated the morning of May 27, the Thursday following the end of school. For a month we had been rehearsing their entrance, songs, exit, and other troop movements. From all of that I thought I knew exactly what to expect. But I was wrong. Graduation day found me surprised. It was a rainy morning as everyone arrived, and I was surprised to see how well—and in coordination—all of my students had cleaned up. All the boys were channeling the Blues Brothers in white oxfords and black ties—many with fly shades and all with spanking new kicks of the sneaker variety. The girls looked radiant in white silk dresses, fancy jewelry and hair, and makeup! (a first for many of them) Our graduation was much like a wedding—it was held in a church, we had two flower girls, and there was a receiving line afterwards with all 29 graduates accepting congratulations from everyone in attendance. After the first moment of the ceremonies—except for maybe when each student accepted his/her diploma along with mwarmwars/leis and hugs from family onstage—my surprises became less enjoyable. I was surprised at how hot & stuffy it got in the church, at how many people were crowded in. I was very unfortunately surprised at how long and inanely the guest speaker’s address was, and I was hungrily surprised at how quickly and voraciously the refreshments were horded and devoured by everyone but me. (I was trying to take pictures! Silly!) But my students were radiant and all 29 of them passed the high school entrance exam and will be continuing their education. The best surprise was perhaps how honestly proud of them I felt.
The next big news after graduation was Camp GLOW, a girls’ development camp led by the female Pohnpei PCVs from June 8-11. The week between the two events was spent running around soliciting donations and following up with guest speakers and participants. The camp was free(!!!) and open to the recently graduated 8th grade girls from each of our schools. Eleven girls came from Lukop—my most surprising cancellation was from one of my girls who couldn’t go because she was recently married! Camp was held at a beach park outside of Kolonia with enough space for all of the girls to sleep, play, and listen to speakers (all local professionals) who regaled us on various points of interest. Our focus was health—particularly mental, sexual, and making healthy choices with their futures. The girls also got to do the typical camp activities like arts & crafts, swimming, and immediately bonding with their new friends from around the island. We even had a talent show in which we PCVs/camp counselors made fools of ourselves with a Camp GLOW rewrite of an ABBA song—everyone loved it. I was particularly in my element and I may have overused my megaphone privileges. At separate times all of the other PCVs mentioned to me that my calling in life might just be that of a professional camp counselor.
Writing from a happy whirlwind—
Love,
Mollie
The first notable event after the end of school was graduation. My kids graduated the morning of May 27, the Thursday following the end of school. For a month we had been rehearsing their entrance, songs, exit, and other troop movements. From all of that I thought I knew exactly what to expect. But I was wrong. Graduation day found me surprised. It was a rainy morning as everyone arrived, and I was surprised to see how well—and in coordination—all of my students had cleaned up. All the boys were channeling the Blues Brothers in white oxfords and black ties—many with fly shades and all with spanking new kicks of the sneaker variety. The girls looked radiant in white silk dresses, fancy jewelry and hair, and makeup! (a first for many of them) Our graduation was much like a wedding—it was held in a church, we had two flower girls, and there was a receiving line afterwards with all 29 graduates accepting congratulations from everyone in attendance. After the first moment of the ceremonies—except for maybe when each student accepted his/her diploma along with mwarmwars/leis and hugs from family onstage—my surprises became less enjoyable. I was surprised at how hot & stuffy it got in the church, at how many people were crowded in. I was very unfortunately surprised at how long and inanely the guest speaker’s address was, and I was hungrily surprised at how quickly and voraciously the refreshments were horded and devoured by everyone but me. (I was trying to take pictures! Silly!) But my students were radiant and all 29 of them passed the high school entrance exam and will be continuing their education. The best surprise was perhaps how honestly proud of them I felt.
Writing from a happy whirlwind—
Love,
Mollie
Friday, May 21, 2010
Mollie is slow, but Mom is fast!
Pictures (from January through April) are UP!
http://picasaweb.google.com/wrightbusy4/MK3PeacefulPohnpei#
Thanks, Mom! I love you!
Mox
http://picasaweb.google.com/wrightbusy4/MK3PeacefulPohnpei#
Thanks, Mom! I love you!
Mox
HOW long has it been?
Greetings Readers!
I am sorry to say that it has been nearly FOUR full months since I wrote anything other than brief weather updates here. If someone were tracking my happenings through only this record, I suppose he or she could reasonably assume that I had been annihilated along with the rest of Pohnpei by some tragic, freak combination of tsunami-drought.
Evidently, this is not the case. I am alive and well. We've just finished the school year, and my eighth graders (all of whom passed the state entrance test and will be continuing on to high school!) are looking forward to their graduation ceremony next week.
Since I last wrote, many things have happened to me:
- Along with other volunteers, I weekended at Black Coral, a picnic island (small island inside the Pohnpei reef). It's a protected zone from fishing, so it was really amazing snorkeling.
- The PCVs had a bake sale over Women's Day (March 8) as a fundraiser for Camp GLOW*. Our favorite concoction was the cocoa-coconut-banana cake. Mmmm!
- We came out of the drought and now are getting our usual wealth of rain (I know you were all worried).
- The Easter Season came and went, as did a relaxing Spring Break.
- I started a Dance Club at school for all grades -- because the response was so big we split into three groups and met after school, once a week for each group. They all learned a dance of 4 8-counts that incorporates 7 or the 8 Movement Elements (I couldn't figure out how to translate "positive & negative space" into Pohnpeian).
- An auditor from the FSM national government came to Lukop School as part of an audit of the Pohnpei DOE. Among other things, I learned that I shouldn't be teaching for the length that I am without having taken the National Standard Teaching Test. The principal is working on helping me take it the next time it's offered. Maybe Peace Corps should get on that, too?
- My eighth graders won the Madolenihmw Science Fair with a presentation on the states of matter.
- The female PCVs have been in full Camp GLOW planning mode--meeting every week with our students and every other week with each other to prepare for camp. (*Not sure if I've already mentioned it, but Camp GLOW [Girls Leading Our World] is a summer camp to empower eighth grade girls as they approach the challenges of high school. Our camp this year will be four days in early June and will focus will be on how a Pohnpeian girl can lead a healthy, happy, and successful life.)
- The neighborhood youth started gathering every evening at the house next door to play volleyball and chat; when I'm not too pooped from school, I go over to watch, visit, or play cards with the kids.
- I ran a 5K put on by the FSM Olympic Committee to celebrate Women in Sports.
- On Earth Day (April 22) the wives of the US Ambassador and the Commander of the Coast Guard came to our school to read a picture book about a sea turtle and to distribute playground and school supplies to the students.
- The Spring found my students taking standardized tests -- just like in the US, except that the date of the tests were last-minute rescheduled a few times.
- In fourth quarter we started a lending library in my eighth grade class, with contributions from me (thanks for the books, Auntie Judy!) and my students. It was a test run to see how borrowing books might work for the whole school. The jury is out until I get all the books back!
- I've celebrated the numerous Constitution Days that exist here (FSM Constitution Day, Pohnpei Constitution Day, AND Madolenihmw Constitution Day are all observed holidays).
- I visited the local Baptist church and had my own "3rd service": one of the families invited me home after church to sit and visit (they actually said "fellowship") over lunch.
- I had my second In-Service Training session, in which my principal, coteachers and I learned new techniques for working as a team that we plan to implement for both summer school and the coming school year.
- I've now seen Pohnpeian weddings -- both a religious ceremony and the more traditional "local marriage" in which the groom's family visits the bride's family, gains permission over sakau, and takes the bride home with them.
- Less traditionally, I've gotten to know the dynamic community of expats and locals who live around Kolonia Town and tend to have a lot of fun gathering together in the evenings. Of particular note was Pohnpei Prom in early May--we made a high school dance playlist and rummaged for formal gowns at the Super Saver. I found and wore a child's Cinderella costume, which was very well-received.
- This past week was the only week all year that Pohnpeians can gather trochus (sea snails) from the reef. In Pohnpeian this practice is called "seisumwomw," and it's popular because the meat is delicious and the shells are worth about $1.50/lb. This is ALL my community of fisherpeople were talking about this week. My family FINALLY fixed our boat, and I got permission from the principal to go out of the water (instead of going to school) on Monday. Trochus is best caught by diving, and there weren't enough masks to go around. So Nohno ended up teaching me how to catch land crabs (pworu) instead. I was surprisingly good at it!
- Our school made it through a few bouts with technical difficulties during finals season--sick computers, broken power line attachments, etc.--to have a lovely Celebration of Learning this past Thursday (a day to present the awards for perfect attendance, good behavior, and good grades ... and also to eat LOTS of sugary food and run/dance around for a few hours).
- My host sibs have finished third grade! Nohno made a cake, Belva got an award for grades, and Iverson enjoyed a good chalk war with his buddies after the ceremony. It was a good day for all.
Overall, I think I've found it hard to update this blog because the more time I spend here the more complex and layered (and hard to relate) my experience becomes. I feel good about the work I've done in class this year, and I'm very proud of my students and the progress they've made. I have become very comfortable with my host family, and I think we understand each other better and better every day. I've made lots of friends, both locals and foreigners, both at site and in Kolonia. I'm improving very much in my spoken Pohnpeian, although I'm hoping the Lukop PTA President will tutor me in the "high," more respectful Pohnpeian that is best to use with my elders (read: everyone but little kids, pretty much).
I have a lot of ideas for the summer, both for school and community, but I now know that I need to approach change gradually for it to be successful here. My host fam also has a lot of plans for the summer -- we're aiming to build a second story on our house BEFORE Nohno leaves in early July to visit our family in Florida for a couple of months(?). Change is happening all over the place, and I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date here. No promises. Just best effort.
But most of all, I really want to express to all of you how grateful I am for your investment in my life here. Huge thanks to all of you who have been keeping in touch--sending me packages, letters, or even facebook posts/messages. Even though I haven't responded to everything, I want to express what an encouragement your support is to me. It has helped me come through some rougher moments over here. I would especially like to thank all of our friends who put up with my loving mother sticking a camera in your face with a "Say hi to Mollie!" I know from experience how awkward it is to say something heartfelt to someone many miles away with nothing but an unfeeling piece of machinery to look into. (Related note: television and screen actors are WAY more talented than I previously thought!) Seeing your faces and hearing your voices really touched me and made me feel so much closer to home. Thank you for that!
So, full of love and good intentions, I think I'll bring this post to a close. Momma, please upload those most recent photos so our friends have some new visuals to go with all of these new words.
Be well & please keep on keeping in touch!
Mollie
I am sorry to say that it has been nearly FOUR full months since I wrote anything other than brief weather updates here. If someone were tracking my happenings through only this record, I suppose he or she could reasonably assume that I had been annihilated along with the rest of Pohnpei by some tragic, freak combination of tsunami-drought.
Evidently, this is not the case. I am alive and well. We've just finished the school year, and my eighth graders (all of whom passed the state entrance test and will be continuing on to high school!) are looking forward to their graduation ceremony next week.
Since I last wrote, many things have happened to me:
- Along with other volunteers, I weekended at Black Coral, a picnic island (small island inside the Pohnpei reef). It's a protected zone from fishing, so it was really amazing snorkeling.
- The PCVs had a bake sale over Women's Day (March 8) as a fundraiser for Camp GLOW*. Our favorite concoction was the cocoa-coconut-banana cake. Mmmm!
- We came out of the drought and now are getting our usual wealth of rain (I know you were all worried).
- The Easter Season came and went, as did a relaxing Spring Break.
- I started a Dance Club at school for all grades -- because the response was so big we split into three groups and met after school, once a week for each group. They all learned a dance of 4 8-counts that incorporates 7 or the 8 Movement Elements (I couldn't figure out how to translate "positive & negative space" into Pohnpeian).
- An auditor from the FSM national government came to Lukop School as part of an audit of the Pohnpei DOE. Among other things, I learned that I shouldn't be teaching for the length that I am without having taken the National Standard Teaching Test. The principal is working on helping me take it the next time it's offered. Maybe Peace Corps should get on that, too?
- My eighth graders won the Madolenihmw Science Fair with a presentation on the states of matter.
- The female PCVs have been in full Camp GLOW planning mode--meeting every week with our students and every other week with each other to prepare for camp. (*Not sure if I've already mentioned it, but Camp GLOW [Girls Leading Our World] is a summer camp to empower eighth grade girls as they approach the challenges of high school. Our camp this year will be four days in early June and will focus will be on how a Pohnpeian girl can lead a healthy, happy, and successful life.)
- The neighborhood youth started gathering every evening at the house next door to play volleyball and chat; when I'm not too pooped from school, I go over to watch, visit, or play cards with the kids.
- I ran a 5K put on by the FSM Olympic Committee to celebrate Women in Sports.
- On Earth Day (April 22) the wives of the US Ambassador and the Commander of the Coast Guard came to our school to read a picture book about a sea turtle and to distribute playground and school supplies to the students.
- The Spring found my students taking standardized tests -- just like in the US, except that the date of the tests were last-minute rescheduled a few times.
- In fourth quarter we started a lending library in my eighth grade class, with contributions from me (thanks for the books, Auntie Judy!) and my students. It was a test run to see how borrowing books might work for the whole school. The jury is out until I get all the books back!
- I've celebrated the numerous Constitution Days that exist here (FSM Constitution Day, Pohnpei Constitution Day, AND Madolenihmw Constitution Day are all observed holidays).
- I visited the local Baptist church and had my own "3rd service": one of the families invited me home after church to sit and visit (they actually said "fellowship") over lunch.
- I had my second In-Service Training session, in which my principal, coteachers and I learned new techniques for working as a team that we plan to implement for both summer school and the coming school year.
- I've now seen Pohnpeian weddings -- both a religious ceremony and the more traditional "local marriage" in which the groom's family visits the bride's family, gains permission over sakau, and takes the bride home with them.
- Less traditionally, I've gotten to know the dynamic community of expats and locals who live around Kolonia Town and tend to have a lot of fun gathering together in the evenings. Of particular note was Pohnpei Prom in early May--we made a high school dance playlist and rummaged for formal gowns at the Super Saver. I found and wore a child's Cinderella costume, which was very well-received.
- This past week was the only week all year that Pohnpeians can gather trochus (sea snails) from the reef. In Pohnpeian this practice is called "seisumwomw," and it's popular because the meat is delicious and the shells are worth about $1.50/lb. This is ALL my community of fisherpeople were talking about this week. My family FINALLY fixed our boat, and I got permission from the principal to go out of the water (instead of going to school) on Monday. Trochus is best caught by diving, and there weren't enough masks to go around. So Nohno ended up teaching me how to catch land crabs (pworu) instead. I was surprisingly good at it!
- Our school made it through a few bouts with technical difficulties during finals season--sick computers, broken power line attachments, etc.--to have a lovely Celebration of Learning this past Thursday (a day to present the awards for perfect attendance, good behavior, and good grades ... and also to eat LOTS of sugary food and run/dance around for a few hours).
- My host sibs have finished third grade! Nohno made a cake, Belva got an award for grades, and Iverson enjoyed a good chalk war with his buddies after the ceremony. It was a good day for all.
Overall, I think I've found it hard to update this blog because the more time I spend here the more complex and layered (and hard to relate) my experience becomes. I feel good about the work I've done in class this year, and I'm very proud of my students and the progress they've made. I have become very comfortable with my host family, and I think we understand each other better and better every day. I've made lots of friends, both locals and foreigners, both at site and in Kolonia. I'm improving very much in my spoken Pohnpeian, although I'm hoping the Lukop PTA President will tutor me in the "high," more respectful Pohnpeian that is best to use with my elders (read: everyone but little kids, pretty much).
I have a lot of ideas for the summer, both for school and community, but I now know that I need to approach change gradually for it to be successful here. My host fam also has a lot of plans for the summer -- we're aiming to build a second story on our house BEFORE Nohno leaves in early July to visit our family in Florida for a couple of months(?). Change is happening all over the place, and I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date here. No promises. Just best effort.
But most of all, I really want to express to all of you how grateful I am for your investment in my life here. Huge thanks to all of you who have been keeping in touch--sending me packages, letters, or even facebook posts/messages. Even though I haven't responded to everything, I want to express what an encouragement your support is to me. It has helped me come through some rougher moments over here. I would especially like to thank all of our friends who put up with my loving mother sticking a camera in your face with a "Say hi to Mollie!" I know from experience how awkward it is to say something heartfelt to someone many miles away with nothing but an unfeeling piece of machinery to look into. (Related note: television and screen actors are WAY more talented than I previously thought!) Seeing your faces and hearing your voices really touched me and made me feel so much closer to home. Thank you for that!
So, full of love and good intentions, I think I'll bring this post to a close. Momma, please upload those most recent photos so our friends have some new visuals to go with all of these new words.
Be well & please keep on keeping in touch!
Mollie
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
(On Weather) And here's what the 7th graders are saying...
On Friday I had my 7th graders respond to a prompt about the weather. Many students said the drought would "break" or "destroy" the island. Some wrote about the possibility of stopping school when the water runs out. A few shared insight that the heat will be good for hatching chicks. Here are my favorites:
"El Nino is very dangerous. It can destroy our island. It can burn many trees in Pohnpei. Most cars in Pohnpei will explode."
"It can break our island. It is not good for all the people of the Earth."
"This El Nino is darkening my skin. It killed the grass."
And my personal favorite--this kids has a great sense of humor and is fairly into action movies, I'll wager.
"All people will die and no one will live. It will destroy all the islands on the earth. All the planets will break down. And the earth will explode. No one will be left over. And the Sun will win."
Maybe we should have a chat about how weather patterns work? Or maybe not.
"El Nino is very dangerous. It can destroy our island. It can burn many trees in Pohnpei. Most cars in Pohnpei will explode."
"It can break our island. It is not good for all the people of the Earth."
"This El Nino is darkening my skin. It killed the grass."
And my personal favorite--this kids has a great sense of humor and is fairly into action movies, I'll wager.
"All people will die and no one will live. It will destroy all the islands on the earth. All the planets will break down. And the earth will explode. No one will be left over. And the Sun will win."
Maybe we should have a chat about how weather patterns work? Or maybe not.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Crazy weather we've been having!
Here's the big news: El Niño makes a drought, an earthquake in Chile makes a tsunami warning, and I'm doing fine. Don't worry!
Growing up in Southern California, I always thought of El Niño as an extremely wet and rainy event. Which this tropical storm IS for CA residents--my folks have been writing about lots of recent rainstorms. But what never hit me before is that this wet weather doesn't just appear in California. It comes from somewhere. And now I know where it comes from: Here!
All of Micronesia is experiencing a severe drought right now. It began about a month ago, and it will likely continue through May or June. Our typically wet, frequently rainy island of lush, green plants is beginning to look a lot more like the dried-out brush of semiarid SoCal. People tend to burn their trash, so threats of wildfires will rise as more of the plants dry out. And because the water system relies on frequent rain, many homes and villages are without fresh water. My house and school still have functioning wells/tanks, but many of my neighbors who once had running water now have to collect their water for drinking, bathing, and cooking from more distant water sources. (Also, on another "don't worry" note, my family buys our drinking water in Kolonia; it will not run out.) Ideally communities will conserve, and those with plenty will help those without, but the longer the drought the more serious the problems that might arise.
This morning, the weird weather expectations got even stranger--my Program Assistant called me about a potential tsunami on its way from the enormous earthquake in Chile. Not only was I concerned for how things were going in Chile, but I was also worrying about our outer island volunteers who live only a few feet above sea level. The good news here is that the tsunami warning was just that--a warning, and no more. We got the all clear just as the wave was scheduled to hit, and it's been determined that there's now no threat to FSM.
So I hope everyone out there is doing alright, and that no more natural disasters cause panic--there have been far too many of late in my opinion. But this post is to let all those news-watching readers know that I'm okay. And thanks for your concern!
Love and sunblock (it's HOT here right now!),
Mollie
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