After leaving Illinois June 3rd, I made a quick stop in Hawaii to see David, his wife Elsie and their beautiful daughter Mackenzie. (I really hope I correctly spelled her name) In my little under 36 hours in Hawaii, I was able to see the Army base that David and his family now call home, visit a beautiful beach and go on a snorkeling adventure with David, and most importantly have great conversation over good food with friends.
If only Oliver were a little older.
I left early in the morning on June 4th and after a 5-hour plane ride found myself magically transported to the future (June 5th) thanks to the International Dateline. Arriving back in the Majuro was such a weird feeling. I was instantly overwhelmed with memories of the first time I landed on this small atoll as a part of WorldTeach and how much that experience changed me.
For my six weeks here in Majuro, Darren, a fellow WorldTeach alum, has kindly allowed me to stay with him. If you remember for my last stay in the Marshall Islands, Majuro is about 30 miles long. The “town” is miles one – five. The bridge marks the end of the town. (Fun Fact: This bridge is the highest point in all of the RMI a soaring 12 meters) Darren’s house is right after the bridge at mile six. (All of these distances are estimates) Living here feels like big city living compared to my year in Ajeltake! (Mile 17) I am able to take a taxi into town (no more hitch hiking), have cable television, hot water, and air conditioning! Oh, and get this… I can drink the water right out of the faucet. Fancy!
For my six weeks here in Majuro, Darren, a fellow WorldTeach alum, has kindly allowed me to stay with him. If you remember for my last stay in the Marshall Islands, Majuro is about 30 miles long. The “town” is miles one – five. The bridge marks the end of the town. (Fun Fact: This bridge is the highest point in all of the RMI a soaring 12 meters) Darren’s house is right after the bridge at mile six. (All of these distances are estimates) Living here feels like big city living compared to my year in Ajeltake! (Mile 17) I am able to take a taxi into town (no more hitch hiking), have cable television, hot water, and air conditioning! Oh, and get this… I can drink the water right out of the faucet. Fancy!
Darren's Living Room / Kitchn
View out of the front door look left (Towards the lagoon)
View out the front door looking right. (Towards the ocean)
Even with all of these convinces the first few days back in Majuro were pretty hard. I was homesick. While everyday still has its lonely moments, I am doing better now that I have started working and discovered the joy of Skype (My Skype name is kathrynsmit. I am typically connected to the Internet here from 7-10 Illinois time and able to take calls)
Another joy that has made my time here easier, are my Ajeltake students. Walking down the street of the main town area I have run in to a surprising number of students. Last Wednesday night, Monkono, one of my favorite students and close friends from Ajeltake, and I went to dinner at the Tide Table. She brought a friend and the three of us had a good time eating pizza, drinking soda, chatting and laughing at the silly pictures we took on the I photo application on my laptop. Monkono is now entering the 11th grade. It was amazing to see what a wonderful young woman she has turned into since I taught her in the 8th grade. We plan to have dinner a few more times while I am here.
Another joy that has made my time here easier, are my Ajeltake students. Walking down the street of the main town area I have run in to a surprising number of students. Last Wednesday night, Monkono, one of my favorite students and close friends from Ajeltake, and I went to dinner at the Tide Table. She brought a friend and the three of us had a good time eating pizza, drinking soda, chatting and laughing at the silly pictures we took on the I photo application on my laptop. Monkono is now entering the 11th grade. It was amazing to see what a wonderful young woman she has turned into since I taught her in the 8th grade. We plan to have dinner a few more times while I am here.
For the six weeks that I am in the Marshall Islands, I will be teaching at the College of the Marshall Islands. The College of the Marshall Islands is a regionally accredited community college offering high school equivalency, community extension, student development, certificate, and associate degree programs in liberal arts, business and computer studies, elementary education, and nursing. I am teaching Introduction to Education and Foundations of Special Education. The idea that I have the opportunity to teach teachers and impact generations of students is both amazing and overwhelming.
I will try to post another update next week this time. Hope everyone on the other side of the ocean is doing well. I can't wait to see you'll in just a little over a month. :) Katie
