This has got to be the most memorable birthday I have ever and may ever have. On Thursday the 18th my fellow teachers told me we were going to have a meeting on Friday (my birthday) in the morning, but no school, to continue talking about graduation. I was really not looking forward to it because meetings here last for hours and I usually don’t understand a think they are saying anyways!
I woke up on Friday to my typical ocean shower, got ready for the day, and went to the cook house to get breakfast. I figured on eating some 4 day old breadfruit, but to my surprise there was fresh island style donuts and pancakes! They made them for my birthday which was really sweet of them to do that. I was then presented with 3 mwaremwares (leis) and off to the meeting I went. When I arrived at school people were waiting around for someone to say the meeting had started and during that time a few kids came into the office bringing me mwaremwares and wishing me happy birthday. I decided to wait in the library and find a book to read during the meeting when all of a sudden every one came in singing happy birthday to me and presented me with TONS of mwaremwares! I was covered in terrible perfume, baby powder, and turmeric (yes the cooking spice) and my students gave me all kinds of fruit and food and EGGS!! I was overwhelmed and overjoyed beyond words. I felt so blessed and lucky to have so much birthday love! As we sat and I expressed my thanks the women told me that the meeting was now over! They had tricked me and got me to come to school under the pretext of a boring meeting! They were very good liars, but I guess it is a lot easier to keep that secret when I don’t understand what they say to each other!
It didn’t stop there though. Later that afternoon one of my students came to get me and brought me to a family that I have come to feel is my second family on Falalop. The mother, Sophia, presented me with a new lavalava, covered me in turmeric (again!) and gave me a tupperware full of donuts, breadfruit, and a whole chicken (they killed a chicken for me!). I really love this family and feel so welcomed and loved by them. This whole day was wave after wave of love from everyone here. Throughout the day kids came up to me shaking my hand and wishing me happy birthday while handing me eggs, coconuts, and mwaremwares. Father Ken also announced that it was my birthday at the evening mass so everyone in church sang happy birthday to me. What a way to celebrate a quarter of a century!!!
Not your typical birthday gifts:
-7 eggs
-2 papayas
-2 bunches of bananas
-1 banana the size of my arm
-5 coconuts
-a box of fried breadfruit chips
-lots of donuts
-a whole cooked chicken
-a new lavalava
-perfume, baby powder, and turmeric
-39 mwaremwares
-3 pig tusks (two are on a necklace)
-1 max instant coffee mix
-2 birthday songs
-lots of hand shakes
-love, love, and more love!
All in all my birthday was the most beautiful day I have experienced. I received so much today, not only physically but emotionally. All of the love and generosity I received is a true sign that I am accepted in this community. I feel that I am making an impression on their lives as they are making one on my heart
I also want to thank everyone that sent me letters and packages for my birthday. I got them in April, but loved them all the same!! A train of about 7 kids brought them to my hut one day and it was so wonderful to hear from home! THANK YOU!!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
A call to read!
March 15, 2010
My primary focus here is teaching English, but I have just begun a secondary project that I am extremely excited with and that you can even help with! I am working with Cindia and another teacher named Lovenia to get the school library functioning again. Rumor has is that one of the last Peace Corps Volunteers out here got a bunch of books from the states and labeled all of the books like a real library. Over time the organization was lost and the library is in dire need of reorganization and new books. At the moment our “library” is a small plain room attached to the main office. There are a bunch of old books all jumbled up and stacked with text books on shelves just waiting for someone sort them out. Some of them are torn or completely missing covers and are extremely out dated. About half of the books are from the 70’s and there are even books from the 50’s on the shelves! One of them is actually a McCall’s Craft book from 1953 that I have been using to make little crafts in my free time. J Even though the books are outdated, the students still enjoy reading them. I can tell the students are eager to read and learn from the books, so I am very excited that things are moving towards a functioning library again.
I want to involve the students in this project as much as possible because it is their library. If I involve them and get them investing their time and energy into building up their library, then they will be more likely to keep it organized and orderly in the future. I have already gotten a library committee together with students and teachers and a library club is in the works. The students in the library club are actually going to be in charge of running the library so that they keep each other accountable for respecting the books and their shared space.
Here is the part where you can help! If you happen to have any books you do not want or know someone that has books that they don’t want or if you need a service project for an organization, I know of a few students and teachers here would be incredibly grateful for your donations!! We could use anything from little kiddie books to young adult to novels to dictionaries. Whatever you do not want we can use! Just imagine, the books that you send will stay here for years and be read by many students on the other side of the world. They will help to promote literacy and English learning, which will help these students go to high school and college. English is a key component to their success in school here. In Micronesia there are about twenty languages spoken, so English is a common language that they use in high schools, colleges, and even some elementary schools. These outer island students have a harder time understanding that because everyone on their island speaks the same language. They do not feel the need to learn English when their teacher parents, friends, and teachers speak to them in Woleaian. However, many of the students here are eager to learn English and read books about the world outside of their world. I believe that having new books in their library would encourage them even further to see the importance of learning English and help them to succeed in their future schooling. I wish you all could see what I see and feel what I feel when I work with these students. They are bright and fun and want to help their people. When I ask them what they want to do in the future, many of them say they want to go to college and get a degree so that they can return and help the people in Woleai. And the do it!! People who have gone to the United States for college have returned to teach or work for the government or something else that directly benefits their home island. I think it is an absolutely beautiful thing that they have such a strong connection with their home that they return to improve the lives of their families and friends.
My primary focus here is teaching English, but I have just begun a secondary project that I am extremely excited with and that you can even help with! I am working with Cindia and another teacher named Lovenia to get the school library functioning again. Rumor has is that one of the last Peace Corps Volunteers out here got a bunch of books from the states and labeled all of the books like a real library. Over time the organization was lost and the library is in dire need of reorganization and new books. At the moment our “library” is a small plain room attached to the main office. There are a bunch of old books all jumbled up and stacked with text books on shelves just waiting for someone sort them out. Some of them are torn or completely missing covers and are extremely out dated. About half of the books are from the 70’s and there are even books from the 50’s on the shelves! One of them is actually a McCall’s Craft book from 1953 that I have been using to make little crafts in my free time. J Even though the books are outdated, the students still enjoy reading them. I can tell the students are eager to read and learn from the books, so I am very excited that things are moving towards a functioning library again.
I want to involve the students in this project as much as possible because it is their library. If I involve them and get them investing their time and energy into building up their library, then they will be more likely to keep it organized and orderly in the future. I have already gotten a library committee together with students and teachers and a library club is in the works. The students in the library club are actually going to be in charge of running the library so that they keep each other accountable for respecting the books and their shared space.
Here is the part where you can help! If you happen to have any books you do not want or know someone that has books that they don’t want or if you need a service project for an organization, I know of a few students and teachers here would be incredibly grateful for your donations!! We could use anything from little kiddie books to young adult to novels to dictionaries. Whatever you do not want we can use! Just imagine, the books that you send will stay here for years and be read by many students on the other side of the world. They will help to promote literacy and English learning, which will help these students go to high school and college. English is a key component to their success in school here. In Micronesia there are about twenty languages spoken, so English is a common language that they use in high schools, colleges, and even some elementary schools. These outer island students have a harder time understanding that because everyone on their island speaks the same language. They do not feel the need to learn English when their teacher parents, friends, and teachers speak to them in Woleaian. However, many of the students here are eager to learn English and read books about the world outside of their world. I believe that having new books in their library would encourage them even further to see the importance of learning English and help them to succeed in their future schooling. I wish you all could see what I see and feel what I feel when I work with these students. They are bright and fun and want to help their people. When I ask them what they want to do in the future, many of them say they want to go to college and get a degree so that they can return and help the people in Woleai. And the do it!! People who have gone to the United States for college have returned to teach or work for the government or something else that directly benefits their home island. I think it is an absolutely beautiful thing that they have such a strong connection with their home that they return to improve the lives of their families and friends.
Birth Announcement!
March 9, 2010
The other day I was sitting on the “beranta”, porch, with my host father Simion, and we heard some people from another village chanting. Simion stopped talking to me and listened intently to the chanting. All of a sudden he told me that a baby was born in the village next to us! Then he focused and listened again to the chanting and said “and it’s a boy!” He could tell by how long they chanted weather it was a girl or a boy. If it was a girl they would have sung only three verses, but since it was a boy they just kept on singing.
I thought it was such a neat way to spread the word of a birth! Since there are no phones, and there are definitely no birth announcements sent out, chanting to the whole island is a fantastic way to let everyone know the news! The island is small enough that maybe about 2/3 of the people heard the announcement and I know these people LOVE to talk, so everyone else probably found out through each other. I was reminded that I am in a very remote and in some ways primitive part of the world. I am cut off from all modes of communication that I am used to and am experiencing ways that people probably communicated before all of this modern communication technology! It is a beautiful thing to hear about the birth of a child through songs of celebration! Just imagine if we could have a community in the United States that was so close both in relationships and location, in which all you had to do was gather a group of people and sing to make announcements! What a joyful place that would be!
The other day I was sitting on the “beranta”, porch, with my host father Simion, and we heard some people from another village chanting. Simion stopped talking to me and listened intently to the chanting. All of a sudden he told me that a baby was born in the village next to us! Then he focused and listened again to the chanting and said “and it’s a boy!” He could tell by how long they chanted weather it was a girl or a boy. If it was a girl they would have sung only three verses, but since it was a boy they just kept on singing.
I thought it was such a neat way to spread the word of a birth! Since there are no phones, and there are definitely no birth announcements sent out, chanting to the whole island is a fantastic way to let everyone know the news! The island is small enough that maybe about 2/3 of the people heard the announcement and I know these people LOVE to talk, so everyone else probably found out through each other. I was reminded that I am in a very remote and in some ways primitive part of the world. I am cut off from all modes of communication that I am used to and am experiencing ways that people probably communicated before all of this modern communication technology! It is a beautiful thing to hear about the birth of a child through songs of celebration! Just imagine if we could have a community in the United States that was so close both in relationships and location, in which all you had to do was gather a group of people and sing to make announcements! What a joyful place that would be!
January Thoughts
1/20/10: Some thoughts from the day…
I eat crab. Not only do I eat it, but today I was so hungry that I even pulled the claws off of the body and cracked them open! However, I was not hungry enough to fight the hairy legs to get more meat from them. Maybe that will come with time. Eating crab is definitely a battle between my stomach and my phobia. Sometimes my phobia wins. Toady my stomach won.
In regards to fish heads, I have not ventured there yet. I have gotten closer and closer and eat more and more of the fish, but the heads still look a bit gross to me. The thought of sucking out the brains and whatever else dwells in the head still turns me off…who knows how much time and hunger will motivate me later though.
In Yap, the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Not on all cars of course, but most of them. People still drive on the right side of the road though which seems like it would be interesting. That kind of makes me wish that Peace Corps did not have the no driving a car EVER policy. I would like to see what it is like to drive on the right side of the car and road.
There are no hellos here. People here are not accustomed to saying hello to each other. Their language does not have a word for hello or hi, so they do not really say it. If they greet you at all it is with ila nga, which means good-bye. That always makes me wonder why we say hello when we walk by someone and do not stay to chat. Why don’t we say good-bye? I mean we are if we are not staying to have a conversation it kind of makes sense to just say good-bye. It was hard at first to get used to the idea of not greeting people with a hello, but now it seems to work. Of course, I am still in the habit of saying hello, and people are actually catching on and will say hello back to me. The kids just love it! They will run up to me, say hello, and run away laughing. It cracks me up too, but for a different reason. They are laughing because they spoke to me and used that funny word hello. I am laughing because they are adorable and it is quite amusing to hear them experiment with English. I just love the kids here!
I think I am losing touch with the American reality. I have a hard time judging what is normal in the US and if things I do here would be normal back home. It is really strange because I will see something and think oh yeah, who doesn’t use coconut shells to crack open a crab claw? Or why is that lady wearing a shirt…that’s strange! Also, I have come to believe that cooking spam on a kerosene stove is luxury! I bought my first can of canned meat the other day as a splurge; a special treat! We ate it along with a package of Idahoan instant mashed potatoes and a pack of ramen. That was a feast for us and we were ooh-ing and aah-ing at how fancy and delicious our meal was! Our definition of luxury has definitely entered a new realm and would absolutely not be considered luxury to you all on your computers and internet. J
I have traded in my cell phone for a two-way radio! Woleai does not have internet or phone access, but we do have two-way radios! It is kind of fun using them too. If I ever want to tell Porter or Emily something I can just get on the radio and call their number with hopes that someone is on the other side of the radio to hear my call. “99. 99. 99. 99. 113 calling.” While I cannot really contact the US with the radio I can call my fellow Woleaian volunteers to ask a question or chat. Of course nothing is private, but every one knows all of my business anyways, so why not broadcast it on the radio?!
1/21/10: A new me
I just realized that I have to relearn all about myself again here. I mean knowing the self is an ongoing process, but I really have to put energy into figuring out my standards and limits. I have to figure out my eating habits all over again. I had pretty much figured out which foods made me feel good and which foods upset my stomach and that I needed to stay away from. Now, it’s like I am trying food for the first time. Sometimes when I eat taro I feel ok and I even enjoy eating it, but sometimes when I eat taro it tastes gross and my bowels hate me for eating it. It is like that with every food here. I have to rotate everything I eat so that I don’t get tired of eating a certain food and begin to really dislike the food. Another thing I have to adjust to is my sleeping habits. I am usually a great sleeper and don’t have any trouble sleeping through the night and getting a fantastic nights sleep. Sleeping here is a different story. I don’t feel like I sleep at all! I am constantly awake tossing and turning trying to get comfortable and get to sleep. I am not sure exactly what the contributors are to my lack of quality sleep, but I am sure it is a mix of diet and location. I sleep on a thin mattress that is getting even thinner from my sleeping on it. Luckily I have a great pillow that is quite comfortable, even if it is molding…
I am also learning my mental states. I have to figure out what are the contributing factors of my happiness and how I can try and get more of whatever it is into my life. I am trying to develop habits and routines here for myself that will lead to my success with myself and with the community. I am constantly in a whirlwind of learning and adjusting. Every day is different from the next depending on what I eat, what I don’t eat, who I talk to, who I spend time with or don’t spend time with. I am trying so hard to reach a balance in my life here but it is proving very difficult to find. Some days I do a perfect job at reaching that balance, and other days I fail miserably.
1/24/10: Success!
Today was a really good day in my classes. With seventh grade I am using the adjectives in writing and I think they feel good about it. They seem to know what I am teaching them. I can especially tell when students get it because the lowest one in the class will confidently say answers. With my eighth graders we played a game using subject and verb agreement practice. They all did really well and seemed to like the game. It went slowly at first but by the end they were getting into it and I could tell they were feeling competitive and wanted to win! There was one sentence that no one could get and even at the end of the game they could not figure out the answer, so we all did it together. They got all excited and were shouting the answers and trying to get it. It was really fun and they seemed to have fun with it today. Plus I felt like they were learning in the process which is always my goal!
1/29/10: Flower Shower
I was just showered with marmars! I am leaving on the ship today to head to Yap and my school made me tons and tons of marmars and put them around my neck and atop my head. I think there are like 8 on my head right now. Ok, I just counted and there are 5, but it seems like more. AND they have more in a box for me that they said I am going to take with me on the ship. I have to say that I smell quite beautifully! I truly love the marmars here. I have always loved flowers (who doesn’t?) and now I know how to make flower necklaces that I can share with friends and family back home! I am really excited about having that skill to take with me. Florida has many of these flowers that they have here and many others as well so I will be able to make beautiful marmars for people back home!
Also Cindia, the principal’s wife, gave me a lavalava yesterday! It is highlighter orange!! It is a bit small but I love it just the same! I know that lavalavas are an everyday ordinary thing, but I feel so honored and special when they give me one, or even when I wear them. Now that I have made one myself I know what all goes into making them and it is a LOT of work! A good amount of money and time go into the lavalavas they make and their work shows! I really enjoy being a part of a culture that takes pride in their work. It makes me proud to be a part of their community.
Now I am sitting at my house eating lunch, and about six kids came up to me and put more marmars on my head! I have this huge marmar turban that makes it hard to do much moving because if I bend my head down all of the flowers come toppling down!
This afternoon as I was getting into the boat that was going to take me to the ship, three people came running up to me and handed me even more marmars!! I was already covered and did not think I could fit any more on top of my head (I was wrong), so I passed about 5 out to the men on the boat to wear. I felt like an island princess in my chariot on my way to the ship that was going to take me to a new land full of yummy food! I just counted how many marmars I have on me…22!!!! That does not count the ones that I gave away on Falalop either! Yeesh I feel very loved!
2/21/10: Unexpected Lesson
Yesterday was pure magic. I went down to the beach to meet the ship so I could get the rest of my packages that I put on there. The ones with all of the yummy food that people sent to me J. The lagoon was absolutely dreamy! The sun was shining on the water and it looked like something out of a magazine, just dazzling! Well, I was walking along the beach when I heard a bunch of little kids begin chanting “Hello Gita!” over and over again. It was a group of the head start students just hanging out at the beach waiting for the people to come in from the ship. I went over to them and they all wanted to hold my hand and touch my skin and hair. They kept pointing to my arms and belly and saying “bueshibueshi” which means white. Yes I know I am white even though I live without a shirt on! I just do not tan okay! Plus these people think the sun is evil and they tell me to get out of it, even if I am in it for only a moment. I mean the sun is really hot, but seriously people I will not melt. Anyways, so these adorable children are showering me with attention and I am just soaking it up. We all sat down under a canoe house and I was teaching them a couple names for body parts like fingers, eyes, nose, ect. I would point to a part of my body and say the name and they would all giggle and say it back to me. As I sat there laughing with about ten 3 to 5 year olds all looking at me with intense curiosity and excitement, who were all covered in marmars and leis, wiggling and giggling trying to be the closest to me, I realized that this is what my time here is all about. I just want to hang out with the little kids and laugh and play and pretend to take pictures with digital cameras that did not exist. I was fully present in that moment and it was quite perfect. To add to the perfectness Porter brought me an envelope with bunch of letters in it! My day could not get much better then that.
I eat crab. Not only do I eat it, but today I was so hungry that I even pulled the claws off of the body and cracked them open! However, I was not hungry enough to fight the hairy legs to get more meat from them. Maybe that will come with time. Eating crab is definitely a battle between my stomach and my phobia. Sometimes my phobia wins. Toady my stomach won.
In regards to fish heads, I have not ventured there yet. I have gotten closer and closer and eat more and more of the fish, but the heads still look a bit gross to me. The thought of sucking out the brains and whatever else dwells in the head still turns me off…who knows how much time and hunger will motivate me later though.
In Yap, the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Not on all cars of course, but most of them. People still drive on the right side of the road though which seems like it would be interesting. That kind of makes me wish that Peace Corps did not have the no driving a car EVER policy. I would like to see what it is like to drive on the right side of the car and road.
There are no hellos here. People here are not accustomed to saying hello to each other. Their language does not have a word for hello or hi, so they do not really say it. If they greet you at all it is with ila nga, which means good-bye. That always makes me wonder why we say hello when we walk by someone and do not stay to chat. Why don’t we say good-bye? I mean we are if we are not staying to have a conversation it kind of makes sense to just say good-bye. It was hard at first to get used to the idea of not greeting people with a hello, but now it seems to work. Of course, I am still in the habit of saying hello, and people are actually catching on and will say hello back to me. The kids just love it! They will run up to me, say hello, and run away laughing. It cracks me up too, but for a different reason. They are laughing because they spoke to me and used that funny word hello. I am laughing because they are adorable and it is quite amusing to hear them experiment with English. I just love the kids here!
I think I am losing touch with the American reality. I have a hard time judging what is normal in the US and if things I do here would be normal back home. It is really strange because I will see something and think oh yeah, who doesn’t use coconut shells to crack open a crab claw? Or why is that lady wearing a shirt…that’s strange! Also, I have come to believe that cooking spam on a kerosene stove is luxury! I bought my first can of canned meat the other day as a splurge; a special treat! We ate it along with a package of Idahoan instant mashed potatoes and a pack of ramen. That was a feast for us and we were ooh-ing and aah-ing at how fancy and delicious our meal was! Our definition of luxury has definitely entered a new realm and would absolutely not be considered luxury to you all on your computers and internet. J
I have traded in my cell phone for a two-way radio! Woleai does not have internet or phone access, but we do have two-way radios! It is kind of fun using them too. If I ever want to tell Porter or Emily something I can just get on the radio and call their number with hopes that someone is on the other side of the radio to hear my call. “99. 99. 99. 99. 113 calling.” While I cannot really contact the US with the radio I can call my fellow Woleaian volunteers to ask a question or chat. Of course nothing is private, but every one knows all of my business anyways, so why not broadcast it on the radio?!
1/21/10: A new me
I just realized that I have to relearn all about myself again here. I mean knowing the self is an ongoing process, but I really have to put energy into figuring out my standards and limits. I have to figure out my eating habits all over again. I had pretty much figured out which foods made me feel good and which foods upset my stomach and that I needed to stay away from. Now, it’s like I am trying food for the first time. Sometimes when I eat taro I feel ok and I even enjoy eating it, but sometimes when I eat taro it tastes gross and my bowels hate me for eating it. It is like that with every food here. I have to rotate everything I eat so that I don’t get tired of eating a certain food and begin to really dislike the food. Another thing I have to adjust to is my sleeping habits. I am usually a great sleeper and don’t have any trouble sleeping through the night and getting a fantastic nights sleep. Sleeping here is a different story. I don’t feel like I sleep at all! I am constantly awake tossing and turning trying to get comfortable and get to sleep. I am not sure exactly what the contributors are to my lack of quality sleep, but I am sure it is a mix of diet and location. I sleep on a thin mattress that is getting even thinner from my sleeping on it. Luckily I have a great pillow that is quite comfortable, even if it is molding…
I am also learning my mental states. I have to figure out what are the contributing factors of my happiness and how I can try and get more of whatever it is into my life. I am trying to develop habits and routines here for myself that will lead to my success with myself and with the community. I am constantly in a whirlwind of learning and adjusting. Every day is different from the next depending on what I eat, what I don’t eat, who I talk to, who I spend time with or don’t spend time with. I am trying so hard to reach a balance in my life here but it is proving very difficult to find. Some days I do a perfect job at reaching that balance, and other days I fail miserably.
1/24/10: Success!
Today was a really good day in my classes. With seventh grade I am using the adjectives in writing and I think they feel good about it. They seem to know what I am teaching them. I can especially tell when students get it because the lowest one in the class will confidently say answers. With my eighth graders we played a game using subject and verb agreement practice. They all did really well and seemed to like the game. It went slowly at first but by the end they were getting into it and I could tell they were feeling competitive and wanted to win! There was one sentence that no one could get and even at the end of the game they could not figure out the answer, so we all did it together. They got all excited and were shouting the answers and trying to get it. It was really fun and they seemed to have fun with it today. Plus I felt like they were learning in the process which is always my goal!
1/29/10: Flower Shower
I was just showered with marmars! I am leaving on the ship today to head to Yap and my school made me tons and tons of marmars and put them around my neck and atop my head. I think there are like 8 on my head right now. Ok, I just counted and there are 5, but it seems like more. AND they have more in a box for me that they said I am going to take with me on the ship. I have to say that I smell quite beautifully! I truly love the marmars here. I have always loved flowers (who doesn’t?) and now I know how to make flower necklaces that I can share with friends and family back home! I am really excited about having that skill to take with me. Florida has many of these flowers that they have here and many others as well so I will be able to make beautiful marmars for people back home!
Also Cindia, the principal’s wife, gave me a lavalava yesterday! It is highlighter orange!! It is a bit small but I love it just the same! I know that lavalavas are an everyday ordinary thing, but I feel so honored and special when they give me one, or even when I wear them. Now that I have made one myself I know what all goes into making them and it is a LOT of work! A good amount of money and time go into the lavalavas they make and their work shows! I really enjoy being a part of a culture that takes pride in their work. It makes me proud to be a part of their community.
Now I am sitting at my house eating lunch, and about six kids came up to me and put more marmars on my head! I have this huge marmar turban that makes it hard to do much moving because if I bend my head down all of the flowers come toppling down!
This afternoon as I was getting into the boat that was going to take me to the ship, three people came running up to me and handed me even more marmars!! I was already covered and did not think I could fit any more on top of my head (I was wrong), so I passed about 5 out to the men on the boat to wear. I felt like an island princess in my chariot on my way to the ship that was going to take me to a new land full of yummy food! I just counted how many marmars I have on me…22!!!! That does not count the ones that I gave away on Falalop either! Yeesh I feel very loved!
2/21/10: Unexpected Lesson
Yesterday was pure magic. I went down to the beach to meet the ship so I could get the rest of my packages that I put on there. The ones with all of the yummy food that people sent to me J. The lagoon was absolutely dreamy! The sun was shining on the water and it looked like something out of a magazine, just dazzling! Well, I was walking along the beach when I heard a bunch of little kids begin chanting “Hello Gita!” over and over again. It was a group of the head start students just hanging out at the beach waiting for the people to come in from the ship. I went over to them and they all wanted to hold my hand and touch my skin and hair. They kept pointing to my arms and belly and saying “bueshibueshi” which means white. Yes I know I am white even though I live without a shirt on! I just do not tan okay! Plus these people think the sun is evil and they tell me to get out of it, even if I am in it for only a moment. I mean the sun is really hot, but seriously people I will not melt. Anyways, so these adorable children are showering me with attention and I am just soaking it up. We all sat down under a canoe house and I was teaching them a couple names for body parts like fingers, eyes, nose, ect. I would point to a part of my body and say the name and they would all giggle and say it back to me. As I sat there laughing with about ten 3 to 5 year olds all looking at me with intense curiosity and excitement, who were all covered in marmars and leis, wiggling and giggling trying to be the closest to me, I realized that this is what my time here is all about. I just want to hang out with the little kids and laugh and play and pretend to take pictures with digital cameras that did not exist. I was fully present in that moment and it was quite perfect. To add to the perfectness Porter brought me an envelope with bunch of letters in it! My day could not get much better then that.
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