Category: FSM
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Cultural Days
Cultural Days happen every other year at Xavier High School. I am fortunate enough to be here during. Cultural Days are about displaying and celebrating the many heritages present on campus; the very breadth that brings us together is our differences.
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Earth Week
Early efforts to bury or burn waste were quickly proven inefficient due to the small square footage of the island. There is no where to bury garbage anymore, so it continues to surface. Burning plastics and other materials is too dangerous since people inhabit all areas of the island.
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The Edge of the Lagoon: Pisar
There is a tiny island on the edge of the Truk Lagoon called Pisar. The island is so small, I can see all edges of it from any given spot. This island is the definition of serenity, tranquility, and utter bliss.
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Fulfilled First Month
In the past 4 weeks, I have expanded my entirety more than imaginable. The smallest things have become the biggest: smiles, nods, ‘rananiems’ (Chuukese for ‘good morning’), ‘na-pungs’ (Chuukese for ‘good night’), having clean clothes, the comfort of my inch-thin sleeping mat on wooden frame after an 18 hour day, and the relief of a…
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Students and Teachers
Everything here is so different in ways I had never thought: facial expressions and gestures, hygiene and personal needs, relationship dynamics. The students are all so different, certainly they are in America too, but they are different in ways that seem so odd to me. These students know that us teachers have no idea of…
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Gaining a New Self in Chuuk
Here is a small history on Chuuk, Federal States of Micronesia (FSM): The state of Chuuk is within the Truk Lagoon. During WWII, the Japanese were stationed in Chuuk, FSM. All around the lagoon there are sunken WWII ships and the island I am on hosts various Japanese structures from the war. The building my…
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Chuuk, Day 1
I woke up this morning feeling energized and curious, much different than what I expected. The trip up to campus last night from the airport took about 45 minutes on a winding, half-flooded, unpaved road. It was dark, so I had no idea what I was looking at as students and my cousin pointed out…
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… And so I packed my bags.
I made myself impervious. Any fear, any excitement, any overwhelming anxiety I was about to feel, I snuffed out with thoughts of being fully present. I enjoyed my last days at my hometown job. I enjoyed my last days in my same old bedroom, with my same old bed and my same old routine. I…
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The Big Decision
In the beginning of 2016, I went to the Federal States of Micronesia (FSM), to teach Freshmen Literature and Junior and Senior Journalism while developing the campus newspaper at a boarding high school. The following entries are from my journal of my experience. Last week, my cousin–Kevin–asked me to apply to teach in Micronesia, where…
Sat Nam Grounding 