More Christmas Pics

Here are a few more views of what I am living in:



This is a view out directly outside my room. We go out into the Yapese sunshine...or rain. Nice, huh?

Here is my pillow and all my books...you can see the outside from here. A lot of this stuff is remnant of the last person that lived there.

My towels and the long red thing is my thuw! You can see my banjo case there too.

Bed, sitting chair, windows, concete floor..it's nice! Get a little muggy when is rains, but it's home!

This is the Christmas present my Aunt Barbara sent to me. It had all sorts of good stuff inside! Thanks, ABC!

Merry Christmas!!

Hey everyone,



Chirtmas was very nice! We had some great good. My Aunt Barbara sent a gift package that I opened on Christmas day. I was so excited!! It had Barack Obama's book, The Dark Knight, and other things that I just LOVE!



I also just wanted to share some pictures of my school and home!

Showing you all a big chessey smile!! Merry Christmas!!

My little host nephew on our way to school!! I pass this everyday!

Our dog, one of three, Copra. She is SO sweet!

The view directly outside my room. That is a coconut tree and if you open those fruits...you get really delicious coconut water! MMM---mmm good!

One New Pic from Swear In

Another one from swear in: Enjoy...the unedited version is for my eyes only :)

D

Christmas is coming...

A few things:

Had a Chirstmas party yesterday! Great fun...I took some pictures, ate SO much food that I had to nap afterwards, and had ice cream! So that was good fun for all!

Also, my little "nephew" sees me in my favorite striped shirt and asks, "That shirt is for training, right?!" So I say, "No...what do you mean?" He replies, "You know...like you're in prison...that's a shirt for prison people." I just had to laugh. I love that shirt..and now it's going to make me smile even more.

Also the other day I ask where is my host brother. My newphew replies, "He's playing basketball!" Then he starts SINGING..."He's playing basketballlllll. He's playing basketballlllll." Then he starts the rap part in perfect Enlgish. HAHA! It was great!!

He is so excited about Christmas. I really want to be back in NC for X-mas..but know that I love you all and I miss you all!

I also got a bike here in Yap...good price..good deal. I am hoping to rent Batman: The Dark Knight tonight and watch with my family. I am still adjusting to my new home so letter writing and general communication will be a little slow over the holidays. I will get back to writing letters very soon. I just have to find my stride.

Ok...
Gotta Run,
D

Lots of stuff...good, sad, all around...

So first, after my kind of crazy rant, I wanted to clarify some things that are coming into focus.

The next day I gave a quiz after doing math for about an hour and a half with my 6th and 7th graders. I just took over and did the Mr. Smith thing: show the steps, write them, go over them, practice them, sent the kids home to try on their own.

The day before the quiz I sat an hour after school with the same student whose house I went to for a conference! I gave him a little help..and another teacher was there to help me translate some things into Yapese. This kid, who is the worst, academically, sat there for one hour and finished 20 math problems exactly as I showed him in class. The awesome thing....they were ALL right! It was a really good feeling. I mean this kid has failed EVERYTHING this year so far. So...fast forward to the next day, quiz day. Here is the GREAT news!

Every student except one did all the problems just as I showed...and got them all right!!!!!!! Don't get the wrong idea, please. This isn't to say...oh I am awesome...it's not, I'm not. The thing is....it showed me with a little help and structure these kids can learn on their own. I won't have to pull my hair out! They can do it and with just a little support and a smile. The sternness was still there. If they weren't writing and paying attention I scolded them. Other than that, it was a great day for teaching. It made me feel like I can stay here and get things done!

Next is the sad stuff. Today, Saturday for me, I was listening to Dick Gordon's the story on a Podcast I downloaded. It's a story called, The Greatest Heart. PLEASE GO AND DOWNLOAD IT!! It's amazing!!

http://www.thestory.org/

Basically, it's about a heart transplant and all the feelings there: loss, love, sacrifice, life, sorrow, joy. Well, I couldn't help but think about my Dad. I still think about him a lot. I really miss him. If anyone had the greatest heart...it was him. Then I realized something, it brought me to tears. Lying in my Yapese bedroom, crying, I thought of my Mom and Dad. I realize they gave me a great heart. And Dad, while gone from this place, really does live on in me. There are small affirmations of this all the time. Mom tells me that I remind her of Dad. I see the way people react to my jokes, how easily I can make a friend, and I think of my Dad. He really did have the greatest heart and I have part of it. Well I suppose, now, that he is gone, I have alot of it. Being here I realize that I am directly part of him and he is of me. I don't mean in the scientific way..I mean in the spiritual, intangible way that interconnects everyone.

The thing that really started me thinking this was a comment the heart transplant recipient made on the show. She said that she would go over to the home of the girl who died to give her the heart, Lindsey. She would sit with Lindsey's mother and they would talk, eat, laugh. And she said that Lindsey's mother would feel her pulse to feel Lindsey's pulse. The host asks, "You said Lindsey's pulse?" The girl responds, "Yes, Lindsey's pulse."

Well...I suppose I have Newell's pulse, Newell's heart. Not only that...but I have Susan's heart too. I get my Dad's heart and I also get my Mom's! It was a bit overwhelming for me. I am this living embodiment of my parents' hopes and dreams. I don't know...maybe this isn't the forum for this. A blog of Yap might not be the place to put my familial feelings. Nevertheless, I was so moved that I got up, came to school, and had to write about it. I had to get it out.

Part of me knows this is about the holiday season. This will be first Christmas ever away from my family. I miss my Mom. I have missed my Dad for many years now. I think about them both everyday. My Dad never got to see me teach. He will not see my children (if I have any). He will not see pictures of me in Yap. Yet, today I thought of it this way: with every heartbeat I have, he will live those things with me. He'll put his feet in the warm salt water. He'll see the salt water tears of frustrated students. He'll see students walking barefoot along the road. He'll see me walking the road of my life and be somewhere around me when that road ends.

My Mom will hear about everything. She'll see me smile when I talk. She'll get pieces of Yap in the mail. She'll have more Christmases with me. She'll laugh with me about wild stories about bad students! She will worry about me and know that I will be OK. She'll know I have gone through much worse and have made it here today. She'll know that I will make it through harder times.

My parents, Rick, my family, my friends, have all given me part of themselves to make my heart a better heart. I am still working on it. I see I can be the mean, sarcastic, acidly rude, but ultimately, loving son and friend that misses everyone who contributed to who I am today. Anyway, that was way too sad, too contemplative, too wordy, but I had to get it out. I miss you all. Christmas is coming and I want nothing more than to see all of you.

Much love to all of you,

You have my heart,

You are the greatest,
D

Mr. Smith strikes again....

For those of you that know anything about me...I am apprently, the very serious friend and often times...asshole teacher.

So...after I was fueled up by a great breakfast of Fruit Loops....YES....I ate them....and YES...I love them....I walked 10 minutes to school. This morning I made a student cry. Crying students is something that I am pretty used to. It's hard when I have tried a lot of different things to get the kids to do their homework and take responsibility for their work. Yes, these are only 6th and 7th graders, but their English and academic levels are well below that.

So...I talked with a student about how homework needs to take priority, how school is imporant, and that I just want to help...but I can't help those who do nothing.

Then, after a day of teaching, I went to a student's house to conference with his Grandmother about his poor performance. It was shocking for this white guy to show up to a Yapese household to scold a child for failing literally, every class.

Also, understand: Education is the ONLY way to leave Yap to have what we in the U.S. would consider a better life (more money, opportunities etc.) This is not just something I am spouting off...it is TRULY the only way off the island. That or the military.

Just to be clear...this is not out of the blue. My work is harder here than it ever was in the states. I am at school until 5 on most days (school ends at 2:30). I am writing assesments for things, making multiple lesson plans, and staying up until 11 o'clock last night helping one of my students, who lives next door, finish his homework. Please don't take this blog as a complaint. The point is, I really do love teaching. I want to pull my hair out, I want to scream, I want to break things, I want to die sometimes BUT....it comes from the fact that I just want the kids to UNDERSTAND. So...with that in mind, the universe continues calling me to teach from the U.S. Read here in a note from a former chemistry student:


Hey Mr. Smith!I want to thank you for teaching me all of the chemistry that you taught me last year...I know that I definitely did not appreciate all of it during the Honors Chem course...but I definitely appreciate it now that I am in AP Chem. Every time we start a new topic, I am able to go into it with a basic understanding and that really helps me get the grades that I want. I averaged a 95 last quarter and I have a solid 98 so far this quarter. I had wanted to find a way to thank you earlier but only very recently remembered that you had a Facebook. Anyways, thanks once again.


I just want everyone to know...and all my critics, because I have MANY, to know I love teaching and my methods, while sometimes harsh, work. I HATED being the most hated chemistry teacher at my old school. But...emails such as this make it all worth it. Everyone knew I was mean, hard, short-tempered, but I also found out, very recently, that my students did great on the chemistry EOC.

I am also a hard ass becuase I was a crappy student. My parents fought with my tooth and nail to do the things I needed to do. I turned out O.K. Academically, I could have done SO much more...gone to a better school, got more scholarships, etc. I didn't. The only reason: I was LAZY. So I don't allow laziness from my students!

So...I am trying to transfer these things here. I have come to Yap, I gave up a damn good life in NC, I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my dog...but, if I can teach some of these kids to read, to think, to enjoy learning, I will have done something good here. Sometimes I get sad and wish I would have stayed home but these kids need me. The teachers need me and I WANT to help! Am I crazy?!?! I know I am rambling a bit...but your thoughts would be nice. Were your mean teachers your best ones? I want to be like Mrs. Woolard: kind, compassionate, loving, nurturing, or Mrs. Smith--whose eternal optimism in her students kept her (and me)alive. Or Mrs. Warren, who knew just when to back off...becuase she is a hard ass too! Yet, her students knew that she loved the hell out of them if they tried. Can I do it? Is it in me? Can I be a nice Mr. Smith? I don't know.

All I know is that I have the want and the knowledge to help. That is a good start. What else can I do?

I miss you all. I miss Enloe, I miss my chemistry department. I especially miss my family now that it's Christmas and we LOVED that holiday together. Yet again, I come back to the fact that I THINK I am helping...that I am truly changing lives 1000s of miles away. And maybe, just maybe, one day, a Yapese child will go to a college in the U.S. and make something good from the few Enligh vocab words I taught. It's a great thought...and I really feel it will come true. I miss you all.

D

Lobster Dinner!!!

Ok...so yesterday morning our nieghbor, my host father's brother, asks, "Do you like lobster?" And I answered something long the lines that I have only had it a few times in my life. So he asks, "Would you like to try it again?" Of course, I answer, yes. So he hands me a plastic bag with a huge lobster in it. I didn't even realize how large it was!!!

So here is the finished product. It was very tasty and we still have more. I am not even sure how much this would cost in the U.S. I asked my host Mom to put her hand in the picture to show you some scale. Cool huh??!?! I think that would be what, $50??? And how much did it cost me? A Thank YOu and a smile!!! Oh Micronesia....how amazing you can be!!


My host mother prepares it and here is the product:

This one is of me....My friend, Alyssa, is copped out becuase she is VERY topless and I didn't think she would like me putting up her tuttus on the internet!! I mean, unless she was going to get paif of course!! Just kiddin'! So this is another swear in pic where I am in full Yapese dress!

Finally, this is what I see when I sleep!! Can you see yourself?!?! If not, send me a picture!! My address is right on this blog!! Get going!!

School is going well. Soon I will take pictures of students, the school, the view, the teachers, and my library project. It's good....it's SO much harder than teaching in the U.S. I am working much harder but the kids are trying. I am also starting some work on the banjo so hopefully, I will be able to play soon. Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show makes me smile sadly. That song really makes me miss NC!! I hope you all are well there!!

Much love,

D

Also, as an aside I just finished reading, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Wow...that book is good..you should read it!

Guess Who Is A Volunteer Now?!!?

V. in her attire

Me. In my attire!

All the Yap Volunteers and our new country director.

Me and our dance instructor/language teacher...she has been awesome!!

Hey everyone,

Yay!! I did it. I am finally a Peace Corps Volunteer. Things are great. I will start at the school on Monday. We danced, we gave an introduction in Yapese, and we ate and laughed. We will have a video up soon. I am going to post some picutres in this blog to show you the super traditional clothing we wore.

I have to admit that I teared up when we gave our Oath. I felt a sense of patriotism that was so strong and so sure. To swear to defend our nation, America, it feels good. Also, to know that I am trying my best to dispel the notions that people have of America...it's a task that I am up to and really want to do well.

Anyway, enough with my sapiness. Finally, I am a real Volunteer!! I will start to teach soon and the place where I have moved to, is AMAZING. It's right on the Pacific Ocean. Pictures will come soon.

Much Love,

D

Two more...

This is me and my friend, V, getting ready to dance the day away in full Yap style dress.

Our Yap group all in full dress...YES, the girls are topless!! GASP!

Finally, PICTURES!!!!

This one is my in a thuw...you already had the back view...here is the front.

A rainbow in Pohnpei...In fact, I saw a rainbow yesterday before it rained ALL over my and soaked me to the bone!!!!

This is a picture from staging. There 27 smiling faces. You can't see me becuase I am taking the picture. The picture with me in it was too blurry to see. There are also our two trainers...which both were awesome!!

My mom wanted this picture up. A friend of ours, Dale, gave me this version of a Thai thuw. I forgot the name.

This is where I went cliff diving in Pohnpei. When I say diving maybe it was only 8 feet in the air...but it was scary enough for me!!!

So everyone...I have finally learned how to use a computer here...and I have lots of pictures. I won't go into too much explantion...just know....Things are going well here.

Know too, that I love and miss you all!!!

Some Images from Pohnpei and Yap

Yes, this is it...the Thuw!! In Main Island Style in all it's glory. Main islanders (as opposed to outer islanders) wear two thuws, with a male lava-lava. My red thuw is a little short...I already have another one. You will see me dance in these in our swear in video.

My favorite sight in Pohnpei!!

I just think this picture is amazing!!! It's the store we had in front of our house in Pohnpei....I just love it!

GObama!!

A New President!!!! YAY!! I had to write on this historic day! All the Peace Corps Trainees where anxiously awaiting to see who our next President would be...and it was Obama! Again..this blog is my own...not Peace Corps or U.S. Government. I would just like to say how PERSONALLY, I am so very happy with the outcome! It just such a historic day, time, event...and this will be one of those, "Where were you when_______"?

A few of us went out and had a beer and just smiled as we watched CNN and saw the results come in slowly but surely. I am also SO happy to say that North Carolina was a close race. As of now I don't know who won NC. I just looked on Yahoo and it said it was 50/50. That is so awesome for a state that is typically red!!!

Anyway, tomorrow I should have some pictures up on the blog. Trying to make it a little more Crazy, Wild, and Interesting as it's title denotes.

Again, know that I miss everyone!!! Things are going well...we swear in...in about two weeks from now. We will be going local--girls--topless--boys--thuw (long cloth, similar to a sorong/sari--I don't know the difference). I will have pictures of that no worries!! Sarah, another Volunteer, already has pictures of me rocking a thuw to the beach. You'll see soon..I know all of you can't wait!

Much love from Yap!!

Another Day...another ____________.

Went to my school yesterday...what a blast! Only about 150 students total..in the whole school!!!!! About 37 5th graders. We'll see how things go? Will I be mean Mr. Smith (the hated or sometimes loved chemistry teacher persona) or nice Mr. Smith....oh who am I kidding?!? There is so nice Mr. Smith!! HA!

Things are good. I miss my friends so very much. My family has been great taking care of so many things while I am away. Swear in soon...with thu and my white legs blazing like the sun.

I love you all!!

Devin

Finally...an update!!

So...I sit here on Sunday night...at 6:30ish...finally, I can update my blog with a little justice.

So much has happened here recently and I don't have my personal journal..so it will just have to do that I give as much info as I can.

1---Family
I live with a great family!!! I have two brothers that are a riot. I will not give names and such..but just know...they are both younger and make me laugh. My host father is funny too. He combs his hair and checks it closely in the mirror just as my own father did...so it makes me smile to no end when we whips out a comb and two mirrors (so he can check the back). My host Mom, in my opinion, is best of all. She is just so so so funny!! She tells all kinds of stories and is very animated it makes me laugh. I constantly remind her to speak to me in Yapese.

Speaking of which...2---Language
Could this language get any harder? There are 12 people in this langauge as opposed to the 6 in English. It's a stuggle but it's coming along rather nicely. There are so many time when we use the "ng" sound--Think...ng as in song. ..Now try to make that noise at the start of a word...Lord help me!!

3--Home Life
Ok...so when I first set off to Micronesia I heard that we would be taking "bucket showers". What this entails is literally pouring water on yourself, soaping or shampooing, then washing it all off by pouring another bucket of water on yourself. For those of you that know me...you are proabaly laughing. But...I say...I LOVE the bucket shower. It is great! Now that I am not in Pohnpei I can actually get naked in the shower (which has no door...but that's OK) and wash myself!! It's hot and humid here...so after a long day not much can beat a good bucket shower. It's true I tell you!!

I have setup my room...and it's cozy. Windows are right there at the front to let in breezes as well as light! The bed is a little to small for me. Imagine my feet sticking through the slats at the bottom...but it has worked so far. I also have setup my travel hammock on the porch which has been so great...thank you Nora!! I feel asleep it in today as I read, nothing better I tell you (except a bucket shower)!!

4---Food
The food is good. I eat vegetables, rice, fish, or something similar everyday. There will be a rice shortage soon so not much more rice in the near future. But...we also eat crab. I never really ate crab in the U.S. or fish for that matter...but it's what we have here...and it's been damn good!! Last night, in the dark...we went hunting for crab!!! It was pretty amazing. We are going through the Yapese darkness and low and behold we see these crabs around here and there. The trick is...you step on it to nullify the pinchers...claws..whatever...and pick it up from the back where it can't pinch you. Drop it in a burlap sack...and bam! you got good eatin'!!

To cook it we use our outside kitchen (Ta'ang--sounds like tong). You make a fire and cook it. Yes..it was SO smoky..but the good think about that...no mosquitos!!

5---Work/Training
Work has been pretty slow for me! Language training is hard and there aren't too many resources so Yapese seems impossible to learn. Especially since everyone here seems to have a good grasp on Enligh. Technical traning makes me want to die a little inside. I have taught before...as all of you know...so learning how to write a lesson plans makes me want to pull out my teeth with rusty disease covered pliers. But...everyone is trying to keep it interesting..and I am trying to add my input. Soon I will visit the school where I will work...and that will refresh me!

6---Life in general so far
It's great here. It's funny being the center of attention. Being so tall, so fair..with a huge tattoo and a crazy, hipster haircut has made me the source of conversation. People comment on hair here too. It makes me laugh...good hair is universal....cha-ching! The island is so clean..and the people are so friendly that is makes it hard to stay in a bad mood. Right now, I yearn for a purpose...something to do other than read. I am on my 5th book already!! Going from American time to Island time is a rough transition. I miss all my friends and family without which, none of this could have been possible. I try to keep it positive...but there are times when I want to see all of you so badly!! Know that I miss you but I am ok...and for the Moms out there..especially mine...I am eating well!!!

7---Lastly---The To Do List--

I have some things that while in Yap..I feel I have to do..you might laugh at some...but I will just list them now and explain them when they happen:

-Spear Fish
-Make a raft
-Learn to climb a coconut tree
-Weave a basket
-Sail on a traditional canoe
-Prepare hibicus bark to wear
-Wood craving
-Make Nu-Nus -Flower Leis
-Buy and learn to use a machete (ninja style optional)

See I have lots to do. Know that I miss you all and pictures will come as soon as I can arrage it.

Much love,
D

I am here!!

Hey everyone,

I have made it to Micronesia after much LONG LONG LONG travel. Things here are really nice. Hawaii was not all that I wanted...we didn't really have time to stop to see anything!

Otherwise, travel was long but everyone is SO nice! The Micronesian people, other Peace Corps members, the Peace Corps staff, are all really helpful.

So here is the deal: my training will last for 9 weeks. We will move to see the host family tomorrow. The food is good...and it is HOT. The temperature is not too bad..yet the air is very humid. Itś like NC on a hot day...just a little cooler.

I will post some pictures when I can. I should be back on this thing tomorrow. I am tired and I miss everyone...but I am having a great time. The playlists you all created for me mean SO much!!! I have laughed and even shed a few tears thinking of you all. Know that I love you and that I am happy!!! It hit me today: I am living a dream. I have wanted this for a long time and now it is happening. I want to also thank my family and friends for their support. Without them none of this could have been possible!! I love you all!!

Kaseleile---Kas a lay lee ah-It means..hello, goodbye, and all sorts of things...sort of like Aloha is Hawaii.

I love you,

Devin

First Post...a test

Does this thing work? Who knows?