March 8-15: Village Life

Without further delay... letter-post #2

9 March
Hotel, S. Tarawa

This is my last evening in the hotel for some time. I am excited to go meet my host family tomorrow. I hope my language skills are good enough to be able to communicate with them. Today we went shopping in Biriki. I visited the only internet cafe in the country and was able to post my first in-country entry. This also means that for a few days every 3 months or so I will be on gmail to chat.

10 March
Nooto, Kiribati

Today was the day... I moved in with my host family in Nooto. I feel like I am starring in 'The Last Samurai' but, unlike Algren, I am not a linguistic genius. It is difficult not to fall back on English upon occasion. I even had a walk with my 10 year old tiram (sister) just like in the film- awkward pauses and all. Sometimes, I feel a bit like a pet. They watched me eat and go to bed. But I hope I made a good impression. I understand that these things take time.

11 March
Nooto

Went to church today... I did my best to sing along. I also tried to use the time to meditate.

12 March
Nooto

I'm growing.

I'm also analytical to a fault... at least I allow it to become a fault. I will not let a single mood become my existence. So what... I am overwhelmed- I have had little sleep and I am not in my comfort zone. I just need to so something I enjoy.

Things improved drastically. But I just need to recognize that this is hard- language aside, just living here is an accomplishment. The I-Kiribati don't see all the health concerns, dietary restrictions. It is nothing for them to live without privacy in a small room with rats. All that... and so far from my friends... I'm growing.

14 March
Nooto

I enjoy the challenge and frustrations of learning a new language. I've also started taking up old passtimes in new ways. I just built a bike rack out of pandanus bark and making a meditation cushion out of traditional woven mats. Little things that remind me of home and of who I am are important. Just negotiating my schedule each day with my tamau (dad) is a cross-cultural exchange. In a male-dominant country, an unmarried woman/daughter (my relative family status) has few rights and priveleges. But for myself, a woman as independent as they comes, it takes empathy, humility, and a sense of purpose to maintain my composure when I am told regardless of logic that I will do some particular thing, like return home at a certain hour. But this type of interaction is why I chose to join the PC.

15 March

Another volunteer has gone back to calling me by my affectionate nickname 'Beefykins'! I must admit it makes me smile.

---

Poem

Paradise disguised... not lost.
We all create our own circumstances.
Whether the water is clear and bright
or dark and clouded.

Phrase of the Week: Ko Kewe! (You lie!)

Learned:
- More Kiribati Language
- about the Public school system in Kiribati
- It is difficult to give up concern about appearance totally.
- Sleeping in a hammock is bad for your back.
- Your leg can indeed be covered entirely in mosquito bites.
- My skin can sunburn and then peel, making me look like a zombie.
- Sometimes the best thing you can do is breathe.

Important Contact Information.

Mauri! (Hello)

Anyone who would like may send an email to me at the following address:

PCVKiribati@gmail.com

It will be printed and mailed to me (read: seen by others)
For the next 2 months I should receive your letters weekly.

Kam Rabwa. (Thanks)

March 1-7: Arrival in Kiribati and Beginning Pre-Service Training

Here is the first of Rhi's letter posts. Please forgive any spelling errors. Sometimes her handwriting is a bit shaky.

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2 March
Lagoon Breeze Hotel, S. Tarawa

Today marks my second day in Kiribati.

So much has occurred in the last day and a half... its hard to sum it up in words. We were greeted by groups of children and PCVs at the airport. They brought us chilled moimoto (young coconuts with juice) and flower garlands to wear, each one exquisitely crafted by hand. We then had a briefing on the basics of training.

4 March
Lagoon Breeze Hotel, S. Tarawa

Language has me a bit stressed- my need for perfection is the source more than the classes themselves.

I was very moved by the sunset today... the landscape combined with some jazz that was playing set the tone for a mood that was relaxed and content and yet very moving. It was a beautiful moment.

7 March
Lagoon Breeze Hotel, S. Tarawa

I feel as thought I am beginning to adjust to this new way of life. Slowly, I recognize new patterns of behavior. I also am adapting previous patterns of behavior to fit a new context. On another note, I am finding that it is difficult to retaing personal priorities while in a group. I struggle to remain humble and dedicated to my role here.

Reading a letter from a friend reminds me that I should cherish each moment... cherish each person I come into contact with. I never can know how much I might effect them.

I visited the local JSS (junior high school). It looks a bit run down and very institutional but inside the students were attentive and well-behaved. It seemed as though each teacher I observed taught by rote form though. This will be a difficult attitude to alter significantly if it is embraced country-wide.

On another note, I had the unexpected delight of meeting several neighborhood children. We played games, they taught me to climb to the top of a coconut tree and how to count in Kiribati. I also showed them how to recycle wrappers into flowers for their hair.

---

Poem

A day that spans oceans,
A moment that passes without notice.
My breath rises and falls
Each breath should be seen as a
beautiful wave.

Phrase of the week: Tinam... (Your mom...)

Ideas:
- Create a traditionally woven meditation cushion.
- 'Root-cellar' style cooling pit with lid.

Learned this week:
- How to introduce myself and make simple polite conversation.
- How to tebotebo (bathe) Kiribati-style.
- Water safety near a coral reef.
- That I have several strong intelligence styles: Logical, Kinestic, Self and Existential.
- That I prefer private time after being in a crowd.
- Bonding with others is an active choice for me - a needful one to be effective here but also need to respect my personal needs to.

Travel: February 25th - March 1st

Logan Airport - Boston, Massachusetts

Pink hued morning glow
I travel far from the known
Flying with fullness

It is hard to determine if "this" has hit me yet... I am present in the moment (Or so I think) But is that truly the case if I am continually asking?

Above a land marbled with nature's wintry touch
I contemplate distance and identity
But while my mind struggles with answerless questions
The land below has changed completely.

---

Gateway Hotel - LA, California

I have enjoyed meeting everyone thus far. Everyone seems to be in a similar place to myself - pleased to begin a journey they have anticipated for months.

I spotted Colin from "Who's Line is It Anyway?" at Starbucks in the Airport.

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Raffles Hotel - Nadi, Fiji

The 12 hour plane ride was not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be. I slept through the worst of it for about 6 hours.

The moment I stepped off the plane in Fiji, I first sensed the fertile smell on the air and the heavy weight of the humidity and heat. But this climate which normally would be oppressive was my first taste of inspiration - this was the beginning.

In Fiji, I was able to walk the countryside with a fellow volunteer. The area near Sleeping Giant mountain was rural and very attractive. On the returning bus ride, we were dropping children at home after a day at school. The village homes and the people linger in my mind not for their profound beauty but the simple human connection they embody.

Also... I was mistaken for Natalie Portman by a Fijian local.

---

On the Plane to Kiribati

Red bridge without water

Distant mountains green and still

A Journey within a step

Time has passed strangely these last few days.

Looking below me at an atoll, I recognize that I will be spending my next two years on one of the most remote places on the planet.

I hope I am able to live up to this opportunity. I want to be worthy of this priviledge.

And now we descend toward an ocean like the sky.

Arrival & Staging

This will be the last post here for quite some time... months most likely.

I have arrived safely in L.A. My staging conference/training was very helpful in diffusing some of my concerns for this trip. I am exhausted and I imagine the 12 hour trip to Fiji will only add to this situation.

But more than all that... I am elated.

I want to thank everyone for their support this last year. I could not be here walking this path without you.

Namaste.

(I expect each of you to write... so get going.)

Kiribati/English Dictionary

This site provides a combined Kiribati-English dictionary as well as historical language descriptions and references.

Neutral Thoughts

I am unsure of how to give form to my thoughts.
They are full of weight but without any color of their own.

I am not afraid or even nervous. Nor am I filled with idealized expectations. I just take each day as it presents itself - working through my lists, collecting objects for my journey, and visiting with friends who will soon be distant. I have no doubts or hesitation. Nothing present but this singular vision and purpose. Somedays, my curious mind will ponder what will come of me when I return, but such thoughts pass quickly.

Is this what a calling feels like?

I want to be able to provide a snapshot of my mental state for future reflection, but I struggle with pining such neutral emotions on a page.

I prod seemingly sensitive aspects of my departure to conjure some more romantic ideal to write about. I think about leaving my friends. I reflect on how so much changed last time I left them for just a half a year. But then I also recall how each of those dear to me remained as they were despite their external circumstances altering. Each friend retained all aspects of their personality that had endeared them to me in the first place. So there is no regret at leaving them to pursue their own journeys.

Its strange... I have finally found some form of contentment in this life and yet I still grasp blindly for something to struggle against. I am more aware, more present than ever before and I am chaffing with the ease of it. I have a long way to go yet.

Destination

Destination

Surreal crossroads on foreign land

Waiting in the distance, yet abiding in my thoughts.

Will the vision of shores below wake me?

Will the tide pull my mind from its well-trod earthy paths?

Translucent Pacific, Harsh Atlantic

Ever-changing and ever-constant,

I am as the Ocean.

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