Adios Madrid

Well, unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be doing TEFL in Spain after all. I just really can't afford it. Too many bills, too many uncertainties. It is definitely an option for after this summer. I still want to see Europe and I would be there if money weren't a factor. It is too expensive to go over there without a job or regular source of income.

To be honest, I have been giving a lot of thought to the Peace Corps and/or the Center for Pacific Island Studies at the University of Hawai'i. The more I work on my presentation and read my old blog entries, the more I remember how much I loved my trip and how passionate I am about the Pacific.

Speaking of my presentation, what would you want to hear about Pohnpei? My presentation is set up in two parts; Part 1 being sort of an atlas introduction to Pohnpei; and Part 2 is all about my trip and what I learned. Please share in the comments below what you would want to know if you (hypothetically) were coming to my presentation. Thanks!

For and Against: Volume 2

I'm just gonna jump right into this one.

What I'm for: Humor

I had a great weekend in Kalamazoo with a bunch of friends. The whole weekend was one big laugh and it felt great. We laughed at nicknames, diseases, jokes, art, everything. You name it, we laughed about it. Saturday night we saw Tracy Morgan. That man's stand up is so incredibly dirty, but hilarious nonetheless. I laughed so much this weekend that my face hurts.

I feel bad for those people that are so uptight that they can't laugh. Humor is such a great way to forget about any sort of troubles. Humor and laughing is good for you. Humor can be such and absurd escape from reality or the spot-on truth, and either way you can laugh. I was thinking about quoting a line from "Garden State", but that would just be lame. If you know it, you know it, if not...you can look it up on this page. It's pretty far down there.

Anyway, enjoy this video of Zac. Something I found funny.

What I'm against: Drinking too much

Monday was St. Patrick's Day and Zac and I decided to celebrate, as we have done for years at college. We started with an Irish breakfast at Kilkenny's and a few beers. Drinking beer at 9:00 am is easier than it sounds. We met up with a pub-crawl at noon and continued our binge.

Unfortunately, I drank way too much. Don't get me wrong, I had a fun time and met a ton of people, but I didn't need to drink as much as I did. As a result, my whole week has been thrown off. I wasn't able to work Tuesday because I was feeling the effects of Monday's gluttony. I had to peel myself out of bed just to get in the shower. Wednesday still felt weird and I couldn't find a job.

In a way I'm glad it happened because it reminded me of how much I hate being hungover. It was reminiscent of my days in college, but I'm not in college any more. The consequences of drinking are greater now. It costs more, its unhealthy, and I always feel down the next few days. So from here on out, I'm going to be taking it much easier.

For and Against: Volume 1

Welcome to the inaugural "For and Against" post. "What is 'For and Against'" you might ask? Well its my attempt to tell about the things I appreciate, enjoy, like and those things I am against, hate, or am annoyed by. I hope to bring you "For and Against" every Sunday and write about events or things relevant to my week. In that capacity, "For and Against" will also update you on some of the things I've been up to or some of those things I experienced that may not get their own post. Some will be humorous (at least I hope), some will be deep, and some may be boring (I hope not). Comprende? So without further adieu...

For and Against: Volume 1 --

What I'm for: Chicago/Chicagoland


What a great city! I got a chance to go visit my nohnoh at my Aunt Kimiya's house in St. Charles - a suburb of Chicago. (More on the visit in a bit) We took a wrong exit and instead of bypassing Chicago we ended up on the Chicago Skyway. While it took us an hour out of the way, we got a chance to drive next to the city.

The Chicago skyline is THE original skyline of America; the skyscraper was was first built and popularized in Chicago. From the Sears Tower to the Hancock Center and all buildings in between, downtown Chicago just looks like a city with a lot going on. I think of it as New York City with a Midwest attitude.

Driving by reminded me of my high school spring break trips with my siblings and my grandma. We went every spring break and explored the city. We went to plays and musicals, we went shopping at on Michigan Avenue and the Water Tower Place, and we always ate at restaurants - some new and some favorites.

Chicago is clean, fun, and relatively safe. Even metro-Chicago is nice. It is clean, plenty of shopping and restaurants, and they all have a small town feel.


My Aunt Kimiya and Uncle John live in St. Charles which is 40 miles due West of Chicago. Unfortunately my Grandma has had to fly all the way from Guam to have more work done on her heart. The good thing (maybe selfishly) is that I got to visit my Grandma for the first time since this summer. We talked for the longest time and her voice immediately reminded me of our late night talks from this summer.

It was the first time I've seen my Aunt since before the trip and I enjoyed talking with her about my experience and showing her my pictures. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit them soon.

What I'm against: Winter

The drive down was beautiful. It was sunny and the temperature was between 55 and 60 degrees; you could smell Spring. It was so refreshing.

The drive home was not so pleasant. The further north we drove the thicker the snow became. Thankfully it was sunny, but it is still depressing to see all this snow (especially after the tease of aforementioned weather). I don't need to go on about this as you can read my thoughts below.

Almost Famous

Only if famous means "your name tucked in some far corner of the Traverse City Record Eagle in a blurb about a group of presentations" I am famous. Think of it as the Where's Waldo? standard of fame. Before you read the plug I would like to clarify that: a)I am not an International Student nor am I a student of NMC and b) when it says "lived on Pohnpei" the writer is referring to the two whole months I lived there. No autographs please.

Jinxed

Me to Josh: "I hope this is the beginning of the spring thaw, although I probably just jinxed it."

Weather this morning: 13 degrees and snowing.

I am so sick of winter.I am sick of four-wheel-drive. I am sick of jackets. I am sick of walking up the driveway because the car won't make it up. The gray and the cold, it is so miserable.

This is what I want to do: lay on the beach, swim, throw a frisbee, and play volleyball all day. I want to be able to hang out outside. I want to barbeque. I want to camp.

I have been cooped up for 6 months now. Puxatony Bill is a bastard.

Interview

Well Justin Live has had a Pacific theme lately. As I've said, there has been no escaping the Pacific lately. My friend Holly interviewed me for a class project and I figured I'd share it with you because its Pacific theme (...and to think that I actually have a Pacific Blog that I could have been posting all this stuff on!).

1. What was it like growing up as a Pacific Islander?
I don’t think growing up as a Pacific Islander was any different of an experience than that of my White friends. We did everything together and weren’t really aware of any ethnic, cultural, or racial differences. We were just kids. I didn’t really become aware or interested in my heritage until I was much older. It may have been different if I grew up around other Micronesians, but growing up with White kids, I was more in tune with the European/Caucasian part of my heritage.

2. Does your family have any Pacific Islander traditions?
It is hard to practice any sort of traditions in Michigan because of the cold climate. The closest thing we do is speak to each other in our native language.

3. How do you feel about the culture of Pacific Islanders not being focused on in classrooms?
I feel that there needs to be some focus. While Pacific Islanders aren’t by any means the largest of minorities, they have a specific place in the history of this country. Hawaii is one of our states; the whole Pacific was (and is) the sight of United States colonialisms and an important area for our victory in World War II. The Pacific is a huge part of our history and to have no focus in school on Pacific Islanders/Islands is a shame.

4. How has traveling to the Pacific Islands affected your life? Has it changed your life in good ways or bad ways?
It has changed my life. Living there this summer gave me some perspective on my own life. I really have it easy here in the States. It showed me all I take for granted: electricity, water, transportation, food, etc. They have all those things there, but it is stuff you have to worry about on a daily basis.

It has also taught me more about myself and who I am. I feel both more and less Pohnpeian now. Less in the sense that my life isn’t same as it is for Pohnpeians on the island, but more in the sense that I know what it means to be a Pohnpeian now. I know about the culture, life, and attitudes of Pohnpeians.

5. How is education viewed in the Pacific Islands and in your household?
In my household education is very important. Throughout my childhood there was always an emphasis on getting good grades, preparing for college, and attending college. My brother and I were the first to graduate from college in my whole family.

I can’t say how it is for all Pacific Islands, but I can speak for Pohnpei. School is important there, but there are often religious ties. There is a Catholic school, a Protestant school, a Seventh Day Adventist school, etc. There are also public schools. College isn’t as important there. The College of Micronesia is there, but it’s probably about the same size or a little smaller than NMC. It is for all students from the Federated States of Micronesia (so it includes students from Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae). The reason college isn’t as important is because most make their living off the land and sea. They get the food they need from fruit, the pigs & chicken they raise, and fish from the sea. There isn’t this attitude of materialism where everyone is always looking to make more money so they can live more comfortably (with a bigger house, better car, nicer clothes). They need extra money so they can buy electricity (it is pay as you use – think cell phone minutes), gas, some clothes and soap.

Some do go off-island for schooling in the States (especially the University of Hawaii). Those that do go to college end up working in the States of for the government in most cases.

6. Are there any holidays or celebrations that your family participates in that are different from the USA?
No, there really aren’t. Even on the island they celebrate the same holidays. This is because Pohnpei used to be a US Territory and is the sight of many religious missions.

7. How is religion viewed in the Pacific Islands and in your household?
Religion isn’t important in my household, but it is very important on the islands. Ever since the Islands were “discovered” by the Western World, religious missionaries have been coming to the island. The two biggest religions are Catholic and Protestant. Most of the island goes to church every Sunday.

8. Have you ever taken a class on Pacific Islanders? If so, what was something new that you learned about Pacific Islanders that you didn’t know already?
Yes – my minor in college was Asian & Pacific Islander American studies, obviously I tried to get an emphasis on Pacific Islander Americans. I took a class called Canoe Cultures of the Pacific that taught me about Polynesian and Micronesian traditional seafaring and its cultural significance. It was a dying ‘art’, but there has been a huge push to regenerate interest and practice of seafaring. It was much more about the culture significance and renewing the significance than actually learning how to be guided by the stars, birds, waves, etc. I also took a class called World War II and the Pacific. This not only taught me about strategies and battles of the Pacific, but also how colonialism and the war affected the every day life of Pacific Islanders. I enjoyed both classes.

9. How and when did your father’s family come to the USA?
It was sometime in the early-to-mid 1970’s. A man in the Peace Corps adopted him. He was from Leelanau, but they first moved to Forks, WA before coming to Traverse City.

10. What languages are spoken in your household?
Just English. In fact, English is the official language in FSM, although it isn’t the language of choice. English is only spoken when talking to a mehn-Wai (American) or at the government Capital – Palikir.

My Dad has forgotten most of the language because he has never been back and doesn’t speak it enough with his family. I think I might know more than him now.

The Haka

Maybe its the weather. Maybe its because I am teaching a geography class and they are doing a unit on Asia and the Pacific. Or maybe its because its because there seems to be a lot of mention of the Pacific lately (see Survivor: Micronesia below). But whatever it is, I have been on a Pacific Islander kick lately. I really miss the mountains, sunrises, and beaches of Hawai'i. I miss the canoe house and family of Guam. And most of all, I miss the language, heat, sakau, simplicity, heritage, and culture of Pohnpei! It's so hard not to think of these things when I'm shivering cold, slipping up my ice-laden driveway.

To quell this nostalgia, I look at pictures from my trip, read my old blog posts and visit Pacific-specific (say that 10 times fast) websites.

One of my favorite thigns about the Pacifc is the Haka. The Haka is a Polynesian dance that is mostly thought of as a pre-war dance however they are not exclusively war dances. However, the Haka is very powerful, and I'm not sure there is anything that gets me more pumped up (for what, I'm not sure). The All-Blacks (New Zealand's rugby team) and University of Hawai'i football team do their own pre-game Haka to get them up and to intimidate their opponents. However, the Haka is a very important part of Polynesian culture and each dance has a culture or historical significance so some take offense to non-Ploynesians performing the Haka.

Anyway, take some time to check out the videos of the Haka above. Unfortunately, I don't have much control of which videos youtube selects, so all the examples are of the rugby teams. Watch the 3rd one though. The All-Blacks use the Haka to intimidate their opponents, but in this one Tonga responds. Just check out the intensity on their faces! WOO!