sick

Right now i'm sick. Sicker than i've been my whole life. Nausea, throbbing head ache, fever from 100-102.5, and now a kidney infection. I'm a baby. I admit it. I want to go home, and my brother can fix me up in his emergency department. I just threw up my ibuprofen, and I just hope I can keep the antibiotics down. I want to be home.

Please God protect me (and Kelsey Hebard, as she is sick as well), and keep my spirits up. I know I'm not alone out here, it just feels like it. Wrap me up in your arms and make me well again. Please.

Bug bites.

Spent the day at home. Slept until 12 and had a substitute teacher teach my classes today. I've had an awful headache and stomach problems for a couple days. When I woke up I started feeling a little better so I planned tomorrow's lessons. I got sidetracked on my way to my classroom. I played out in the grass with two of my favorite middle school girls. We started watching Hunchback of Notre Dame (I told them I sang there and they refused to believe me!! They called me a liar! Haha). The sun went down, all the bugs came out and the frogs were bouncing around us. I have so many bug bites and a rash from the scratchy grass.

It's okay to be sidetracked sometimes.


13 weeks down. 30 to go.

pohnpei night life

It was dark last night. I heard a noise outside my window that startled me awake. Flip the switch to the light, no power. It was so utterly dark and I had been asleep for three hours. My eyes were all splotchy. Stumbling around my room I finally found a flashlight. Walk out into the living room area, and see around forty cockroaches running around the floor, walls, and counter tops. Great. I went to the bathroom, scanning the toilet for bugs, and found my way back to my bed. It was so noisy outside. Dogs barking, pigs screeching, and creaking noises of cockroaches in the kitchen. Such a bustling night life here in Kolonia.

One night I was sipping hot chocolate while reading a book in my room, (I am addicted to hot chocolate and it's not too expensive here, so I indulge once a night or so) I reached for my cup and took a gulp without looking carefully enough. It tasted funky. Look in my cup: ants. Lots of tiny ants swimming in liquid chocolate. Yum! I gagged, ran to the bathroom and started spitting out as much as I could. That of course did nothing since I had already swallowed everything.
Its really not that bad though. Most of the time everything is fairly clean and bug free. But you know, some days you just walk through the front door and a gazillion ants are feeding on the three dead cockroaches right next to your feet, but it's all kind of just..." oh well."

My nails get grimy here so fast, I have no idea why. My feet are always scratchy, dirty, bruised. I scratch the bug bites on my feet with my shoes, so all the muddiness spreads. I can't get the mud out of my toes from this 6 hour-6 waterfall hike we took last weekend. I wonder why bother anyways. Tonight I went to an evangelistic meeting out in Sokehs. It was in this concrete "noss," the grass-covered, sometimes concrete hut that everyone here hangs out or lives in. It was all in Pohnpeian, so I couldn't understand a word. We drove there in the back of the old red firetruck with a bunch of other locals. I sat in the back with a fellow SM, Katie, and we tried to entertain these two little girls. I gave her a pen and some paper so she was completely absorbed in her "art" :) I can't really explain it but it was so relaxing. After we said our "pwong mawhu's" we loaded back into the truck. I sat on the top of the truck and leaned back to stare up at the stars. I'm not used to being able to look straight ahead and see so many stars. They're all around you. Layers upon layers of stars.

When I stand before the Lord,
I’ll be standing alone
This journey is my own
Still I want man’s advice,
and I need man’s approval
This journey is my own

And why would I want to live for man,
and pay the highest price
And what does it mean to gain a whole world, only to lose my life

And I have never felt relief like I feel it right now
This journey is my own
'cause trying to please the world, it was breaking me down

And now I live and I breathe for an audience of one

This Journey is my Own (Sara Groves)

We'll never have to say goodbye again

Lord I've been traveling, so long, so long
Seems I'm always saying so long, so long
My pockets all are empty I've got nothing more to lose
Take me home to glory land and take away my blues

Lord I'm so far away from home
and I'm awful tired of singing all alone
Take me home to the glory, I know it's only then
that I'll never have to say goodbye again

I've don't really mind leaving town after town
Everyplace I go it's just the same all around
it's friends i leave behind me
just touching as we pass
that make me long for heaven where we'll meet again at last

Lord I'm so far away from home
and I'm awful tired of singing all alone
Take me home to the glory, I know it's only then
that I'll never have to say goodbye again

My pockets all are empty I've got nothing more to lose
Take me home to glory land and take away my blues

Say Goodbye

pampered prince?

So. I have a short interesting story to tell you about. It ends with the Prince of Pohnpei being arrested right next to me.

Today for our sunday adventure we traveled to the eastern side of Pohnpei to the city-ruins of Nan Madol. Nan Madol was basically the first place of human activity on Pohnpei, from around the early 1-2 century AD to about 1500 AD. It was the center of a large dynasty, and was the home for the leader, or chief. Funny thing is...Pohnpei still has a chief!! Well, Pohnpei actually has Kings. Five Kings, to be exact. One King for each municipality (Sokehs, Kitti, Nett, Uh, Kolonia, and Madolenihmw). To get to the Nan Madol ruins, you must ask permission and pay a fee to the King of Madolenihmw, who happens to be one of the most influential Kings on Pohnpei. Of course, Pohnpei is not a "monarchy" by any means. They have a "normal" legislative government, with a governor of pohnpei, a supreme court, and senate, etc. But the Kings do have some power in government. I guess once they wanted to build a casino here on Pohnpei, and the King's or one of them stopped that from happening.

Well, we traveled to Nan Madol and we were getting close when a man lounging in his nice black car honked at our two trucks full of American teachers. He then proceeded to talk to us, told us to give him three dollars each, all while clearly being totally wasted. We all figured out cash, but we were very hesitant to give this drunk man our money! Well, he for some reason drove off. Then we were talking to some of the locals, but no one really knew what was going on. He drove back, totally acting strange. Then he let one of the trucks pass, but not ours. So, he was talking to one of the teachers here, and then some guy came up, or rather, some cop (apparently...? he didn't look like one). The cop took out handcuffs and cuffed him, so we just drove off. Of course, this just happened to be the King's SON! We really have no idea what was actually going on. It was all crazy.

Then trying to get to the ruins was just a complex mess of people trying to take more of our money. Haha. Finally we were there! I'm glad we made it somehow, and also glad none of the SMs got punched in the face.

Both pictures by Stacey :)

After that we went to Keproi waterfall again, the huge, gorgeous, beautiful one. Ahh. Sitting inside that waterfall is definitely one of my top five favorite places on this earth. I could sit there all day. We just got back from a wonderful birthday part in a crammed apartment. It was a Filipino dinner for one of the lovely teachers here, Mrs. V :) Tomorrow begins the last week of the quarter! Finals week anyone? Good luck students. (they'll need it ;D)

Week 10

Snorkeling for treasures at Palikir Pass (read about it here)

Sunday some of us went out to Kitti Waterfall (pronounced: Kitchie) It is a beautiful waterfall, but the cost is a very, very muddy hike. Ankle deep in mud for about 1 mile after a bumpy drive in the truck that felt more like the disney Indiana Jones ride. Once we got there though we got a spectacular award: a beautiful pool of water with a 35+ foot waterfall on one end. Right next to waterfall was a spot perfect for jumping off into the deep deep water below.

Watch my jump

Several of the SM's were brave enough to jump, some of them being totally freaked out and others brave enough to do flips! I wasn't scared, but knew I was in for something crazy. I've never jumped off anything that high - it's so awesome!



Then on MONDAY everything was "back to normal"...we thought. After staff meeting it started to pour. Of course, that's not anything spectacular. It rains pretty much every day here, and by rain I mean a total downpour. But that usually only lasts for a little while and then the skies clear up. This rain, however, definitely did not clear up. Before I could even grab my stuff from the office I was ankle deep in water. The water was flooding into the workroom, gushing off of the steps, and even caused EELS to swim away from the gutter and run around the parking lot. The biology teacher attempted to catch the eel for dissection. Kids screaming, rain pouring, everyone running around trying to protect/save things from water damage. Some of us worked out back trying to clear the drainage system because it was clogged with so many branches. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. They say there hasn't been a storm like that for several years. (Picture: I am standing on the PNI SDA sign, while everyone runs around trying to get the eel)

Click to watch the flood!

Kelsey H and I attempting to dodge the flood.

Other than those crazy string of events...everything is pretty normal here in Pohnpei. Today I gave out a test on Ancient Greek society, and also managed to start the Revolutionary War. Every student in my geography class presented a map they had designed illustrating the various climate types in America, and next week they will have memorized all the states and capitals. All in all, a pretty normal week. I am getting SO anxious for every new thing. The next hike, the next snorkeling, the next camping trip! I also am constantly counting down to Christmas. My trip to Kauai - such a blessing to know that in 11 weeks I get to see my brother, sister in law, and two nephews!








Kelsey H. captured this snapshot.
Sometimes this is what happens on my 40 minutes break.








Also: Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! Today I got your package. I love every single thing and cannot wait to devour it all :) It means SO much to me!!! All my love, Kelsey.