I am not wearing a slip and these white people don't care?!

So, I have not made a public announcement because I wanted to hope that I could surprise someone at home when I showed up at a local watering hole, but I think everyone knows. Darn! Any who-- I am in the LAX airport right now. I have been flying for years. I am not sure to the exact amount of time, but I know that I am getting woozy I am so tired! I should get into Chicago in about 6 hours... I think.

So let me tell you about all the wonderful things they have here on the big island. One, water fountains! They are this machine that comes out of the wall that has already been purified! I love those things. Two, food. They have yogurt that costs less than a months rent! I have raspberry, so good. Cheese! That same plate that I bought the yogurt on came with three different cheeses. Now, at one time I would have been able to tell you what kind, now all I know is they were beautiful and dairyrific! I took it slow and didn't eat much. I figured it was not a good job to play with dairy on an airplane.

Okay, you maybe able to tell but I am going to die I am so tired. I am going to waste some of this hour of Internet I bought but I need sleep.

K

Climbing the Mountain!

Things are getting better. Well really nothing has changed, but I am in a better place. I feel like my blogs are getting a bit repetitive, but I learn the same lessons over and over. My mood, I am learning again, are completely my choice. Monday I allowed myself to focus on the negatives. There are a lot of negatives in my life here, but for every negative there are a million positives. I just lost sight of that.

I am in town today for a couple reasons. One, we have no power. Which means that I have not running water. No showers, no toilets, no music! Ahh! Also, I got a skirt made this weekend. I am so excited. I am going to check it out today before they do the final construction. It is a traditional "ish" skirt made out of fabric scraps from other dresses that they made! It is going to be so fun!

I am also looking forward to Sunday. Sunday is learn to sail day with the Yacht Club. Woo Hoo! I am now a card carrying member of the Marshall Islands Yacht Club. Sunday we learn to sail and then each month we will be able to participate in races! I can't wait!

The Lowest of the Lows

Wow! Today sucked. I am really struggling with so much right now that I am not even going to be able to type a comprehensible email. The school is so diffrent. I strongly believe that kids need strong boundaries and routine and there is none of that here. The school is complete chaos and I am going crazy. I know I should provide specifics but even this email is getting me all riled up. I write more when I am in a better place. What I do know, however low I get is how high I will get another day. Here's hoping for the good days. I miss you all and I miss watches.

K

I am thankful for... my first book!

Happy late Thanksgiving. I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. Woo Hoo. Now that I am a full meat eater I gobbled down the turkey! Thursday night Mona, my host mother, took me, Dan, and Tim to a turkey buffet at one of the local hotels. Then Saturday night we had a WorldTeach dinner at the WT dorm. I made noodles with the help of my mom's recipe and some frozen noodles that she made while visiting. Everyone loved them! It reminded me a lot of the Thanksgiving I spent in Belgium with Maggie. It was so nice for everyone to bring their favorite traditional Thanksgiving dish. Like in Belgium, we also drank a little too much wine.

Now I am still, two days later, working on digesting all of the food. Things are going well here. I am enjoying teaching. The power outages are getting worse and that is hard to deal with at times. But, bring it on Marshall Islands... I feel like the more challenges that are sent my way the more I feel I can deal with anything. We'll see. Every time I post something like this on the blog it comes true. I bet when I get home I will no longer have a roof over my head.

PS Matt and Mel -- I love the bag and can't wait to read the book! I am going to put down the book I am reading now to enjoy that tasty reading treat tonight. (By the light of my headlamp)

Again... An Overdue Post

First, for all of you who check my blog I apologize for not updating it with the care and frequency that I should. Technology here sometimes seems to be more trouble than it is worth. But, it is important to me to stay connected to everyone at home. I have signed up for Internet at my house, but as you may have come to understand through the emails I will be lucky if it is working in 3 months.

Next, I wanted to share the wonderful time that I had with my mom with all of you. She arrived on October 27th. As you read in the blog, I was too excited to function in the days leading up to her arrival. My friends Robyee, Dan, and Darren joined me as the official “Majuro Welcome Team.” I forced everyone to arrive at the airport excessively early. (I have been known to miss flights due underestimating what time you need to arrive.) Because we arrived so early we were able to explore a part of Majuro we had not yet seen… the airport bar.

After Mom arrived we headed back to my house for a little brunch before setting out on an afternoon Jambo. (Jambo: To walk or drive with out destination.) We had a wonderful afternoon visiting Laura and going to a birthday party for the WT Director’s “daughter.” It was nice for my mom to meet everyone that is in my life in one quick swoop.

During the week my mom lived my Marshallese life with me. She went to school and met the students, dealt with the constant power outages like a pro, and joined in on an afternoon baseball game. At school the students graciously demonstrated one of my favorite parts of living here in the Marshall Islands: Marshallese Manit (culture). The students sang songs, brought gifts, gave speeches, and made my mother feel loved and appreciated. All of this without any request from me. It was amazing for me to see my mother with the students and equally amazing to see the students with her. I will never forget those days.
I took the Friday and Monday before my mom left off of school. Friday we took the bus into town and checked into the RRE Hotel. We spent the day “Jamboing” on foot looking at Marshallese handicrafts and I showed her all of the locations that I speak of so often on the phone and in my blog. Friday night we had all of the WT volunteers that are on island over to the bungalow for happy hour. (A Simpson Tradition) Needless to say we had a wonderful time. Robyee stepped on a sea erchant and… well… there is only one thing to do to help with the pain… poor ammonia on the sting. We didn’t have any ammonia, so Robyee got in the shower and person after person lined up to pee on her foot. Then we all got cleaned up and headed out to the Marshall Islands Club for a little shuffleboard.

The next morning we had a little bit of a rocky start. But, we rallied and met up with Courtney and Tim at Shoreline Dock. We took a 45-minute boat ride out to Ennco Island. Ennco Island is in the Majuro atoll and, other than the caretakers, completely uninhabited. We spent Saturday playing Rummy, eating, and looking for shells. Sunday we woke up to constant heavy rain. I was very impressed with Mom’s eagerness to go out and explore despite the yucky weather. We walked all the way around the island looking for shells and trying to avoid phenomena.

It was a wonderful week. The past week has been a little hard. Knowing that I will not see my family until June (maybe May) is hard. I am still happy to be here. Once I can get out of bed and get to school I am reminded why I am here. I love teaching and am not ready to leave yet.

Now, my request. Many of you have sent me messages telling me to let you know if I need anything. I need something. I am out of books to read. I would like who ever is interested to send me their favorite book. Not only will it provide me with a very diverse reading selection, I also think it would make me feel close to everyone. Maggie has sent me a book directly through Amazon and reportedly shipping was not outrageous. (Shipping it from home with a note written in the cover would be pretty wonderful too.) The book does not need to be a surprise if you would like to check with me to see if I have read it that would be okay. My address is:

Katie Smith
c/o WorldTeach
PO Box 627
Majuro, MH 96960
RMI

I have more pictures to go with this blog, but they are not working. I will try and add them this weekend. Katie

Mom is gone... I am sad.

This will be a very quick post because I have to return the rental car in the next 20 minutes. I took mom to the airport last night. I was not fun. I have been feeling very sad for the last 24 hours. But, I am still not ready to go home and very glad to be here. I am going to apply to get Internet out at my house. They have dropped the cost and after my move I am coming into town less and less. Hopefully the quality of my posts will begin to improve. Look for more pictures soon. Matt and Mel- I can't believe that you had Kenny Chesney over to your place! How cool is that! I got to have mom over to mine?! Too bad she doesn't sing. I love you and miss you. I can't wait to see pictures of you vacation!

Mom Has Arrived!

My mom arrived yesterday and everything is going well. We just finished brunch and are going to go get some groceries. Today is Sunday so nothing is open and there is not a lot to do. She will come to school with me Monday - Thursday. Then, Friday - Monday we will spend in town. We will make sure to upload pictures and update the blog once or twice in the next week.

I had to take a sleeping pill last night!

AHHHHHHHHHH! I am so excited! I am picking up my mom tomorrow from the airport. Time is going by so fast. I am at the hotel right now renting a car and then I am off to go out to eat with friends. I am trying to keep myself busy, because literally I am shaking with excitement. I will keep you updated and put up lots of pictures. You know what makes my mom coming even better? Maggie comes in 2 months! (I hope)

The Loss of My Street Credibility

Blogger will not allow me to upload any more pictures, but this in fact is the beautiful house that I have moved into. My experience in the Marshall Islands will now be slightly diffrent. A little more vacation like. Thus, my loss of street cred.

I am still learning flexibility and constantly impress myself with how well I am handling situations that in the States would have sent my into a downward spiral. Thursday night we had a WorldTeach party where all of the Majuro based volunteers who do not live with a host family received "families" to help expose them to cultural experiences and what not. I was given the truck you see in front of the house to pick up the volunteers that live in Woja and Laura and take them to and from the party. Like everything in the MI the party began late and after taking everyone home I did not arrive back at home until nearly midnight. Super late for me. When I arrived home I discovered, in true Katie fashion, that I had lost my house keys. Shocking! What I love about being here is that there is no room for "freaking out." I have become so much more of a problem solver. (I hope it remains) Anyways, I knew that I had to sleep and ideally not in the white truck. I drove to Woja to Hannah's house to see if I could sleep there. I was a little worried that this would not work, because I assumed she would be asleep and I would have to knock on her window. I knew if I knocked on her window if would worry her a bit because a common dating practice in the Marshall Islands is to "poke" a women who is sleeping and see if she invites you in. But, when I arrived at Hannah's house I discovered her awake and was able to crash at her house.

I woke up in the morning, very dirty, and headed off to school. Luckily, I had my school supplies in my backpack and not at home. After school I went into town to Mona's house to get keys. I then went back to the house to clean up, but first had to go into town to get gas. When I finished getting my gas I went to turn the car back on only to discover that the car was dead. Thanks to my father I recognized that the car battery had died and it was a simple fix. I did not anticipate how hard it would be to find jumper cables. I was able to use the gas station phone after an hour or so of asking everyone who walked / drove by if they has a knew where to get jumper cables. I called the WorldTeach office and Tamara, my field director, saved the day and called a mechanic to come jump the car. I finally hours later made it to the house and was able to get inside.

I then had a wonderful weekend. Courtney, Robyee, Dan, and Tim came out to the house where we cooked fresh fish and veggies over a fire of coconut shells. (Which makes food taste so much better than charcoal) Dan and I went out Kayaking around this abandoned boat that is stuck in the middle of the lagoon. The boat and the high coral, which caused the the boat to get stuck, create some big breaks. I had a great time "surfing" the kayak!

Okay, I am off to go back to Ajeltake. Everything is going well. My mom gets here in 6 days! Wow! I have an amazing 10 days planned for us! I will keep everyone updated on our adventures. I miss you all.

Update... but I have to do it really fast!

I am in a crazy rush but so much has happened in the last week I wanted to write a quick blog.

1. I moved. I am now living about a half a mile from school and around all of the kids. I am still living alone, but feel more apart of the community. Another benefit is that they moved me into a beautiful home. I would try to describe it, but am going to post pictures tomorrow for everyone to see. Let me put it this way... I have lost all karma points previously accumulated by volunteering. My life is now like a fancy beach vacation.

2. It is finals week. 1st quarter is already over. I can not believe that I am 30% done with my time here in the Marshall Islands. It is going way to fast.

3. There is more, but I have no time. My new host family allowed me to use a car to come into town and do my shopping for the week. I need to get to the store and head home. I will be back in town tomorrow because it is a half day to confirm reservations for when my mom gets here NEXT SATURDAY! I will write more then and post pictures.

4. Last but not least I got mail. Thank you Seth, Zach, and Andrea! I will read them tonight and respond as soon as I can. You made my day.

A Quick Update

I am town today for a meeting and had to take the day off work. Shucks! I have spent the day getting errands done that I typically cannot do, because on weekends so many things are closed. At noon I went to lunch with my field director, Mona, Monique, and Monique's adorable son. (Mona is Nika, my current host mom's sister, and Monique is Mona's daughter.) I have been looking for a new host family that will be around more and that lives closer to my school. Monique has offered to let me move in with her and her husband. They live within 15 minutes of school in a wonderful home. Today's lunch was all about discussing the details. I will be living in the house alone for a month or two until Monique and Ben move in , but at least I will be near the kids so I can play baseball.


This picture was taken last week. On my long walks home from school I take breaks to play with the kids . On Tuesday of last week I played baseball with Neirland, Ryan, and a few other kids that attend Ajeltalke. It is nice to be near them; they make me feel very happy and purposeful.

This weekend and the following week their is going to be a huge conference for "Friends of Taiwan." There are only 10 countries that recognize Taiwan as an independent state and the Marshall Islands is one of them. So, Taiwan gives tons of money to us. One of their latest gifts was the building on the left. This building was build just for the upcoming conference. There have been workers there 24 hours a day for the past 2 months. To illustrate how nice, and slightly out of place this building is, I turned around after taking the picture to show you what the building across the street looks like. The two buildings are truly complete opposites. I will keep you update on how the conference goes.

Back By Popular Demand

The Outrigger Hotel is one of two tourist oriented hotels on the island. This is the hotel where I previously wrote about the all-you-can-eat buffet. A wonderful place. In the back of the hotel they have a retaining wall that, depending on the tide, creates between a 7 - 15 foot drop down into the ocean. On weekends I head over alone or with friends for a little play time. Jumping is not only fun, but every time I jump off I feel like it makes up a little bit for the Boundary Waters Cliff Jumping Incident of 2006. Oh, a little bit of added danger: on more than one occasion I have seen a sting ray swimming in this same area. Ahhh! Crocodile Hunter!

Marshall Islands Club is one of my favorite places to relax when I am in town for the weekend. In this picture I am sitting with Robyee and Tim watching an amazing game of shuffleboard. Yes, shuffleboard. This particular establishment not only has delicious pizza but shuffleboard! It is also the only restaurant that I have found that is located on ocean side of the island which adds a wonderful view and cool breeze to the list of things I love about MIC.

This amazing little man is Joraur. He is in my first grade class and also lives about a half mile from me. He is very smart and always wanting to learn. this picture is taken in the library where I also work. He came in during recess to read with me. I had a ton of work today, but who can so no to a child who wants to read!

I will post more pictures, but it takes forever and I don't have time right now. The Taiwanese Farming Project here gave away fresh produce this weekend. I am heading over to make grilled eggplant sandwiches with Robyee. Yummy!

I miss you all and will post again soon.

Internet Karma

I am learning a lot while living on my sliver of land in the Pacific. One of the things that I am learning is that Karma is no joke. For example, last week I wrote an email from the comfort of my own home saying how I did not like having Internet in my house. It took away from my experience. The next day Karma came a-knocking. No more Internet at my house. I now can only check my email once a week or so. Dag-nabit. I am sorry Internet, please forgive me. I am weak. I need you. (Maybe it will work when I get home.)

Today is Thursday and I am in town for a long weekend. Tomorrow is Manit Day and there is no school. Manit Day is a celebration of the Marshallese Culture. I am going to the Alele Museum in the morning to watch the celebrations. If all goes the way I plan I will take pictures and do another post this weekend.

My life has completely normalized. My days come and go with very little excitement.

PS I got my first letter today. From Mary Darling. Thanks Mary you made my day. As for the rest of you, please stare at the floor and think about what bad friends you are. Did you not read the part about Karma?

PPS I tried to post a few pictures with cute stories all about them, but the stupid computer keeps deleting them. Arg. I will try again tomorrow.

A Ramble About the Weekend

I quick status update. Another half day today at school. The good teacher part of me hates half days. The slacker part of me ardors them. Today, I adore them. I am a very tired from a long weekend of fun. Greg, who is a mix of Zach and Andy, came in from Arno to submit his law school applications. It was wonderful to see him, because like Andy I feel amazingly comfortable talking to him and like Zach his wit and willingness to point out any mistake I make or character flaw keeps me entertained and on my toes.

Friday night I was able to get a cheeseburger with condiments. Real condiments. This almost brought me to tears I was so excited. Saturday I met Dan for breakfast at DAR. Then Dan helped me shop for a bike. I am hoping that owning a bike will let me feel less isolated out here in Woja. I am going for my first ride tonight and I will update you all on how it goes. Then Saturday night we all met at the local dock for the weigh in, because a couple friends had been out fishing. If you catch a Marlin over 750 pound you win $10,000! They did not catch the record breaking fish, but did provide us with a wonderful dinner. After dinner we all went out for drinks and dancing! It was a lovely time.

The best part of the weekend was Sunday. Greg and I woke up early and headed to the local hotel where they have a $15 all you can eat brunch. Spending $15 is so much money here, but it looked so good. It was. Greg and I ate, and occasionally talked, for hours. Cheesecake, pie, pancakes, made to order omelets and pasta, french fries, salads.... did I mention cheesecake? It was the greatest meal of my life. The best part was that I ate so much I was not hungry for the next 24 hours which made it not so pricey.

On My Way Up!

A quick update on how I am doing. I am not at school again today. Feeling much better than I did yesterday, but wanted to give myself one more day. I have been spending the day enjoying a Gatorade (a very special treat), working on monotonous school tasks, and sleeping.

I just had a little mini breakdown. I think it was because I am sick and tired. I don't know. I went to go make lunch and found that my cupboard had been taken over by bugs. They are inside everything except for the cans. What is harder still is that I wonder if I should be wasteful and throw it all out or try and rinse it off, cook it, and deal with it. My new plan is to wait a bit, clean the cupboard, and keep everything in the fridge where there are very few bugs.

So in the middle of my breakdown I notice the computer that is in the corner of the room. I have seen it a million times, but this time decided to turn it on and see if it has Internet. The story is spoiled because you are reading an Internet blog and I am sure you can guess how the story ends. I HAVE INTERNET IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who would have thought in the middle of the Pacific there is Internet in my home! When I log on I am able to ready an email from my mom and check my Blogger messages. There was one from my Uncle Oak. It made my day. I can already feel the day turning around. Still, all of this emotional craziness has made me very tired. I am off to read and fall asleep before dealing with the bugs.

Not so Bueno

Today is Monday and I am not at work, again. This is my second Monday in three weeks that I have missed due to being sick. I hope it stops. I feel like crap due to being sick and feeling like a slacker.

I came into town today because my throat is very sore and I just feel generally bad. I also thought I could really get my moneys worth by talking to the doctor about this thing that I have stuck in the bottom of my foot and the weird lump in my armpit.

1. The Throat: A virus. Sleep, drink water, deal with it.
2. The Foot Thing: Maybe it was a splinter, but last night when I jabbed at it with tweezers I caused it to become infected. Antibiotics.
3. Lump in My Armpit: ??? Maybe a boil. Yuck. Maybe something else. The doctor is pretty sure that the foot meds will clear up the lump. If not... we will try again.

I am off to bed. I feel horrible. For the first time since I arrived I really want to be home. I hate being alone and sick.

Welcome US Navy

Today I am feeling very "un-bloggish." I do want to update you on a few key events. I have decided to let the pictures speak 1,000 words, so that I only have to speak (write) a few.

The US Navy just left yesterday after a 10 day visit in the RMI working on humanitarian projects. They came with doctors, vets, and general navy men to work on fixing up schools. I did not have a lot of contact with the Navy out in Woja, but when I came to town it was terribly overwhelming to see all the white skin. While I am sure they did a lot of good and needed some good R and R off the ship they were also incredibly embarrassing. Going to a local pub last weekend felt like I was a Kam's. They was excessive drinking and cursing, and just generally lack of cultural sensitivity. But, again, I am sure they made a very positive impact on the schools and other efforts. They also helped the economy and I spoke more Marshallese than I ever have to try and make myself seem more "local." Speaking all that Marshallese allowed me to meet my first Marshallese friend Mercy!

This is me, Dan, and Darren at dinner the night I just spoke of. A pretty eventful night. We went to dinner and then to the end of summer concert. It was outdoors and fantastic. My friend Ben joined in and played with a local band as the opening act. I loved the outdoor music and danced the night away! It was great fun!

This is the hotel security guard that was working at the outdoor concert. I love him. While dancing in my calm and gracefully way my camera fell out of my backpack. (Shocking!) The next day I looked all over before running into this man. He had found my camera later that night, had a friend take a picture of him, and then held onto it to give back to me!

The most wonderful part of this country is that everything comes back to you. Laura, a wonderful Aussie, lost her water bottle at the Australian Navy dock and a week later it showed up at the post office where she found it. Is this island not perfect for me?!

An Overdue Update

Now that I have moved to Woja accessing the Internet has become increasingly default. I am not sure if it will remain this way throughout the year, but as things are now I will only be able to check my e-mail and update the blog once a week or so. I am hoping, however, that when I do update the blog it will have such abundant wit, information, and pictures that I will leave you satisfied for the whole week.

Let us begin.

I have just completed my second week of teaching at Ajeltake Elementary School. I am teaching 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 6^th, and 8^th grades. Now, I originally requested in my WorldTeach paperwork to teach younger students. I thought, “Heck. Little kids are cute and I know that I am smarter than them. How hard can it be?” Why did no one tell me that small children are idiots?! They cannot reason. They cannot sit still. They have no empathy. I hate them. I was scheduled to teach 1^st – 3^rd in a row for an hour each. After the second day I told my principal that 20 minutes in 1^st and 2^nd grade was all that I was physically and mentally able to do. (I always go over time, but at least this way I have an out.) Apparently he had met these kids and quickly agreed. My schedule is now as follows:

8:15 – 8:35 1^st Grade

9:15 – 9:35 2^nd Grade

10:30 – 11:30 3^rd Grade

11:30 – 12:30 Lunch

12:30 – 1:15 Prep

1:15 – 2:00 8^th Grade

2:00 – 2:45 6^th Grade

I realize that there are a few breaks in my schedule. I plan to use the extra time to pull out students from my classes to work with them if they need some one-on-one assistance. I would also like to contribute a little of my time to assisting the special education teacher in any way that I can. (Interesting Fact: His position is paid for by IDEA) The development of the special education is proving to be a very interesting facet of working in the RMI. (I would love to discuss this further if anyone is interested)

I will talk in more detail about what I am doing in each class in more detail as the year progresses. For now I will just briefly explain my thoughts on what I am going to do in each class. I feel that all of the classes are missing the basics. They seem to be lacking knowledge of letter sounds (phonics) and how letter sounds allow readers to decode and writers to spell. I am treating 2^nd grade as a accelerated version of 1^st grade, and essentially planning the same series of lessons for both classes. Currently we are reviewing letter names and correct letter formation. We are going slow and also focusing on basic classroom procedures and phrases. (There is an added level of difficulty because I do not speak much Marshallese and they speak little to no English) After the students master the letter names we will move into phonics. (I think.)

In 3^rd grade we are starting with phonics and building words using work families. This group of students is going to be really wonderful to work with. They are funny and truly seem motivated to be at school!

In 6^th and 8^th grade we are currently reviewing basic grammar and parts of speech. I have lots of ideas for both of these classes. I would like to have them journaling everyday. I think that this is a good way to differentiate instruction of the many different ability levels. I also would like to get them excited about reading. This will be hard because of my lack of resources. And like every other class think that phonics will need to be incorporated into class as well.

As for my home life. Some of you have heard that I was thrown a bit of a curve ball when I found out how far it is from my school and that my host family does not actually live there. After two weeks I love it. Transportation to school is a bit annoying, but it is making my more flexible and able to adapt to new situations. There is not much to say about the house. When I get home I am really tired. I go for a jog and try to avoid the crazy dogs. My host mom bought me Cinnamon Toast Crunch and I almost cried I was so happy. Thats about it.

I love and miss you all. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

p.s. I have not heard anything from Ben, Jacob, David, and Zack. Could someone pass on my blog information to them and send me a mailing address for one of them. Thanks.

Outside of Ajeltake Elementary School. I wanted to get a better pictures, but as you can see when I pulled out the camera kids came running. They were fighting over who was closet to the camera, so I had to put it away.

My desk. My area consists of the table and two drawers in the filing cabinet. The rest of the space is the library. I hope to use some of my time to clean this area out and organize it. I have heard in the past every volunteer has tried this and it never lasts. The wonderful home of Nika and Danny Wise. (aka where I live)
The porch where I spend a lot of time rearranging mosquito coils to try and minimize the number of bites I get while eating, lesson planning, or reading. My Room. There is a living room area where the rugs is. It really acts as a storage room for all of the stuff I have somehow accumulated in the last 6 weeks. Then, as you can see, my bed. And the door in the back of the room leads to the bathroom.

Can you wait?

Life has become a little more dramatic recently. Damn! I have, however, learned to handle my problems with ice cream. (Hidden benefit of living in a developing country -- ice cream is "healthy" it provides you with fat and calcium! There is a little house next to my house that sells a cone for 50 cents.)

I had to come into town for two reasons today. One, my friend Greg is leaving tomorrow for Arno. Arno is an island about 10 miles away from Majuro. Also, we have an emergency meeting with all WT vols on island tonight at 6 about the effects of the broken plane. (I will explain more tomorrow.)

I have to go. It is important to note that I will be composing a blog tonight when I get home and posting it this weekend with a lot of pictures. Also, I am doing okay. I came here for challenges and am pretty proud of how I am rolling with with the "punches."

Who New My Blog Was Soooo Popular!

So, shockingly, the Internet has been down for most of the last week and a half. I apologies for depriving you all of updates. Today is Friday and we have most of the day free because it is the last day of "summer camp" or what some might call orientation. Tomorrow I move about 15 miles to Woja where I will be living with my host family. I have a lot of mixed emotions about this. The past four weeks have been great. I have learned a lot, made great friends, and handled this whole experience very well. Now, moving, I am again fearful that I will become overwhelmed and not be the traveling champ I have started to think of myself as. I am also excited because I didn't move 7,000 miles to spend my days speaking English with a group of like minded people who are very similar to myself. I want to break out of my comfort zone. I will keep you all updated on how the move goes. Ahhhh!

As for what I have been doing over the past 2 weeks:

1. We had Practicum last week. Practicum took place at Ajeltake Elementary School. Bonus Points if you remembered that this is where I will be teaching. This was a very special event because I got to meet a lot of the staff and students, and now I feel more calm about the upcoming school year.

2. We attended yet another Ministry of Education party. This party was for all current teachers and principals. Extra little tidbit : After the party we headed down to the lagoon and drank vodka and Gatorade. Then later danced the night away. Until the bar where we were dancing was shut down by the police. This is apparently how bars here close. No closing time the just wait until things get rowdy and the police come?!

The following picture is of Greg and Kristen at the MOE Party. Not the best picture, but I know that many of you would like to put faces with names. Around their necks they are wearing long strings of bubble gum. Greg has since become addicted and goes through extreme withdrawal without it. 3. The day after the MOE party the same group that I went to Laura with headed out to Mile 17. We had heard that there was a rope swing and felt that it could provide us with hours of fun. Needless to say, there was no swing and I cut my foot! We did however spend the whole day playing in this tree building a "tree house". Anyone who knows me I am sure is aware that I would like to live with close friends in a tree house commune when I am an adult and anytime practicing this lifestyle is a good time to me. The picture is of Dan installing his hammock on the second floor. (ps I need a hammock... mom??)

I have more pictures that I would like to upload and send, but there are people waiting and it is taking forever. I will try to write tomorrow. I have great pictures and stories to share about a camping trip I took to one of the outer islands on my atoll. I will also be sending pictures of my new house and school as soon as I can. I miss you all. Please keep writing and telling me what is going on with you. (Specifically I am upset that Libby and Mary have not written me)

Our Trip to Laura

Sunday we had the day to enjoy and do as we wish. Dan, Daren, Greg, Ben, Kristen and I decided to head to Mile 17. Mile 17 is near Ajeltake where I will be teaching. It is called Mile 17 because it is 17 miles from somewhere. I have no idea where the starting point is, but that's how it got the name. Greg really wanted to play on a rope swing and insisted that we go to Mile 17, because somewhere he heard they had one.

At about 10am we had all gathered our PB and Js, filled out water bottles, collected our snorkel gear, and were ready to go. Hitchhiking is the best way to get to any distance on the island. A cab would cost up to $50 to get the 20 or so miles to the other end of the island. We started walking hopeing to quickly be picked up. Dan, as you can see in the picture, made a sign to let drivers know our destination. (Jouj means please) We walked for at least an hour before finally the man in the picture pulled over. As you can see in the picture he had a very small car and we had a lot of people with a lot of things. He was okay with it, so we made it work. Greg had to ride the 30 minute drive with his head out the window, but it was worth the pain. We found out once we were in the car that this was no ordinary man, but a respected Senator for over 20 years. He told us that he was not going to take us to Mile 17, because it was not as beautiful as Laura. (If you look at the map you can see that Laura the very end of the island.) He took us on a mini tour of the island which included showing me my school and where my host family lives. When we arrived in Laura we were amazed. The beaches were amazing and we were the only people there. The family that owns the beach charges a dollar a person, but the Senator explained that we were his personal friends and we were let in for free. When we arrived the Senator then called the local police to come see where we were (he made them drive there to talk to him in person) and instructed them to pick us up at four and take us back to Rairok where we are saying! Can you believe that?!

The day was wonderful. We played in the water, took pictures, listened to music, and drank water from coconuts that Ben collected. It was heaven!

The way home is not as good of a story. The police never showed up and we were left to walk the 20 miles home. A long story short... we all made it home.

Dan and the Senator! Thanks to him we had a great day!

Kristen and Daren in the hammock reading and talking.

The greatest place on earth! I sat at the end of this sandbar forever reading and listening music!

Crazy Day - Tune in Tomorrow

So, day one of trying to include a picture and already no picture. Oops. However, I have great pictures from yesterday and an even better story to tell. Here is a little story teaser.

1. Hitch hiked
2. Found heaven
3. Police

I have to get back to getting work done. Tomorrow, I hope, I will write and post more than one picture.

(Dad e mail me at kathrynsmit@gmail.com I tried to call today but I was out of time on my cell phone. I am going to try again sometime this week when you get home from work.)

This picture was taken tonight at the Ministry of Education building. WorldTeach invited all of the principals and teachers to come meet the new volunteers. Both my principal and the 6th grade teacher came. I will be teaching English Language classes for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I am very excited to get started. My principal brought me this beautiful headpiece to welcome me to the school. Obet, the principal, was the star of the party. He sang, told jokes, and made everyone laugh. The more people I meet from the community the more excited I become for the school year to begin!

I am now going to try and post a picture with each blog. Try.

(Dad you did a great job with the message post. You can also email me personally if you want. I love you.)

Questions Answered

1. Matt and Mel: I am going to see the Simpsons Movie here tonight! Movies come out here very fast and are also cheap! Best of all they still sell yummy popcorn.

2. Aunt Cheryl: It rains all of the time. Just scattered showers. Really heavy showers! You can normally wait it out. However, I see a mirror about once a week so I really don't care if I get wet. I dry as soon as the sun comes out. The rain water is also nicer than the shower water, so it is like a free bath. Some of my fellow WTeachers run and grab soap when it rains and literally take a shower in the rain.

3. Phone: As a few of you know I did get a cell phone. (Judge, judge away) I can't read my blog while I type but I may have entered the first three numbers wrong. Again the number is
011 692 455 2471. It is still best to communicate through email because of the crazy time diffrence. But please call if you want. Make sure you find a good phone card. You may want to talk to my mom for help with that. She is the only one who has called me sucessfully. I should be able to get texts, but it is not working. I will look into soon. However, I am begining to get used to island time and taking forever to do anything.

I have to go to the local bar now for food and a beer! Yokwe! (can be hello or goodbye)

I Was Able to Show My Sholders.... still no knees :(

Yesterday was great! We had the day off and drinking was encouraged! We met at the dock at 11am and got on this big, flat boat. The boat, no joke, was the kind they use to storm islands in war. The back end of the boat even lowered down into a ramp. When we got to the island is was like a picture. White sand and clean! (Majuro has a huge trash issue and no sand because they used all the sand for building. This was a nice change.) We spent all day snorkeling and drinking Cherry Potters. (To make a Cherry Potter add cheep vodka, Grenadine, and Sprite. Mix with a stick that you find on the ground. Enjoy.) The snorkeling was great! There was the front half of an airplane about 100 yards out from the beach. Some people swam through the middle of the plane. Mom you will be glad to know that I was way to fearful of getting stuck to do that. (Maggie and Mom when you both come I am taking you here) When we finished we headed back to Majuro where I ate a GREAT BLT (not as good as your Dad) and fries. Then crashed.

I am going to post pictures later this week. I miss you all. I am really busy, but hope to get personal letter to each of you soon.

"Katie Smith Town Whore"

Today I realized that the culture is sinking in. We went into town to see the Netajel (Government Building) I was on the bus when I realized that I did not have a slip on! I almost got off the bus, because I was mortified at the thought of someone being able to see the silhouette of my legs. Through the whole tour I stood against walls trying to block any light from passing through. I knew if someone saw they would think, "That Ri-Belle (translation "person who wears clothes" this term was first given to missionaries who came over and told the Marshallese people to put on clothes. Now it is used for tourists and non-natives) she is a whore!"

As soon as we left the tour I ran to a little store and bought a slip! I feel better now. When I was paying the woman did not have enough change. Without even asking she gave me part of my change in sticks of gum! How great is that. Gum used as money. My mom would be rich with all that Ice Breakers!

Update on "U-ker": Last night Kristen and I beat the boys (Dan and Tim) in U ker and walked away with breakfast. So this morning when I got done showering (ie pouring a cup of catchment water over my head while standing on a piece of wood surrounded with a tarp) I had a toasty bagel and fried egg! Ymm!

Lastly- I got a cell phone. I know it takes away from the experience, but I want to talk to people! There are phone cards that you can buy to call me for as cheep as 50 cents per minute. I get free incomming calls and can call you for $1.50 / minute. I think texting is only 10 cents per message for me, but check with you phone company before doing it. The number to call me is oo1 692 455 2471. Keep in mind the time diffrence. To find my time subtract six hours and add a day. ( I think. I am free after 6pm and before 9am for the next month.)

I am doing really bad on letters. So far I have only written Mags 1 page and have not mailed it. I am going to improve I promise. We are just so busy.

Love you all. Katie

I am an Interneting Fool

So.. I am in town again. Today we have time to relax. No meetings until 10:30. This morning I had to wake up and make breakfast for two west cost "U-ker" (no idea how to spell it) players. Another mid-west card player and I challenged and lost. As a result I had to make eggs for them. I blame this defeat on my own body smell. I was distracted and could not focus because of the funk floating off of me. Today I will shower and then play. This small change will allow us to win and regain the respect that we rightfully deserve.

Yokwe! (Hello)

Two nights down. I have to get back to the "compound" by 9am, so I don't have much time to write. I wanted to let everyone know that I am doing well. Last night I started to get a little sad, but am going strong. Accessing the Internet helps, I don't fell so far away.

Here is a little bit about where I am staying. I am living near the airport and about a 15 min. cab ride to downtown. I am living in a trailer with 15 other people and all of our things. There is air conditioning that makes the room about 10 degrees, but when you have been in the hot humid air all day it is okay. There are a lot of contrasts between the amenities that we are given. For example we have to bucket shower out doors and there are only two showers for 45 people! On the other hand lunch and dinner are catered by a REALLY nice restaurant. (There is no skim milk on the whole island!) I am planning to fly to Hawaii for milk! (not really, but I want to. 1000 dollars for milk MIGHT be silly)

Yesterday I went snorkeling and found Nemo! No joke! The "Nemo" fish is only found near the Marshall Islands. It was great. I am very excited to go again. (thanks Dad and Lisa for the gear)

I have to get back, but will write soon.

At the Double Tree in LA (or some town near it)

Okay, so I am slightly dehydrated from crying, but other than that I am doing well. When I got off the plane I quickly found the shuttle to get to the hotel. When I got on the bus I noticed there was a girl with her knees well covered and I knew she must be a WT vol. Indeed she was. We got to the hotel, set down or stuff, and went exploring. That sucked. There was nothing around. (A bar that caught my fancy... but I am trying to act like a good, upstanding citizen) I am off. I am going to go... maybe take a nap. I will write when I get into Majuro. XOXO (dorky i know)

Almost Time to Leave!

Today is the day before I leave. I am not ready. My bags are half way packed and there is still a lot of room left. I have been trying very hard to not bring to many "things" that I don't need. It is also helpful that the weather is always HOT. Summer clothes don't take up too much room. When I get to Majuro on Sunday (I think that it is Sunday, but with the 15 hours of flights and crossing the dateline, I will not know up from down when I get there) I plan to buy a large collection of MooMoos! (I will even have to swim in a MooMoo!)

I uploaded a picture of the island. The black part is the land. In the middle of the island is Majuro Lagoon. When I first arrive I will be living with all 44 other volunteers in the "downtown" area that is made up of the towns of Djarrit, Uliga, and Delap. I think that we will be sleeping in a school gym. (Maybe?) I will stay there for about a month before I move to Ajeltake where I will live with a family. I don't know many details, but am planning to add to my blog weekly.