Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Thoughts On A Saturday Morning

October 17, 2015

I read a lot. I wish I brought more movies though. I’ve seen Jurassic World about 6 times. I’ve seen Crazy Stupid Love probably 8 times. And I’ve watched The Grand Budapest Hotel probably 10 times. They’re all good movies, and I’m happy to have something to watch, but man…I know those movies backwards and forwards.

I love not having to shave. Or do my eyebrows. Or do my hair.

I really hope I don’t get sick from all the mosquito spray I’ve been using.

Mom just told me, “mongo tempura!” (Eat donuts!) I should really stop eating all these donuts. There is absolutely no nutritional value to them. Well, I guess if you count the bugs you find in them protein, then maybe there’s a little.

People are going to wonder why I’m still so light-skinned after living on an island for 2 years. And why I’ve gained weight when there’s not a lot of food to eat here. It’s from all the tempura, I swear.

Today we’re going to a fundraiser for the church where they’ll be raffling off amush (firewood). I don’t know why I like that word in Mortlockese so much…amush…

The women here are crazy about playing Bingo. Actually, crazy is an understatement. My host sisters sometimes don’t get home until 9pm from Bingo. I went with them once to watch and was bored within the first 5 minutes. Everyone knows gambling is addictive, but they don’t seem to care.

I need to choreograph the last few songs for my Zumba class tomorrow. Man, I love not having the Internet sometimes, but right now I wish I had some inspiration.

A drop of sweat just fell from behind my ear. It’s going to be really hot today.

I hope the women like my Zumba class tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll stop playing Bingo and come to Zumba instead. BREAKING NEWS: ZUMBA CURES THE WOMEN OF ETTAL OF THEIR BINGO ADDICTION.

I need to go shower. It’s hot.


Ants In Your Pants

October 15, 2015

What’s worse than ants in your pants? Ants in your care package food. I walked into my room one evening to find a trail of ants crawling up and into box of food my family and friends had generously sent me. I thought I had done a good job of putting everything into zip-loc baggies, but the ants had eaten their way through those. So, looking around at my limited resources, I emptied out my Pelican case where I usually keep my satellite phone and solar charger, and put all of the food in there instead. Sometimes, goodies from home are more important than technology.




Akino, and the Case of the Tipping Vase

October 11, 2015

There is one man on the island, Akino, who had taken a liking to me. He’s older, in his mid to late 30s, and is referred to as “crazy” because he smokes marijuana and prefers to spend time alone rather than with others. At first he would come up to me when I was standing on the beach or teaching in the classroom and ask how I was or if I was enjoying myself here on Ettal. One day he even waited outside of my classroom to give me a coconut to drink. Then he told my family that if I should ever need anything he was more than willing to help. Now, he’s building a local house, five feet from my own house, to impress me. People in the village, including my students, tease me about Akino almost every day. But, they also tell me that if I were not here Akino would still be living with his parents. 

One Sunday my family and I were in charge of making the flower vases and maramars for church. The maramars came out beautifully (my sister Nippy is very talented and taught me how to make them), but the flower vases kept falling over in the middle of mass. I’d stand one up, and it would fall down two minutes later. I’d stand it up again, then the other one would fall. Other’s tried helping me make them steady, but they didn’t have any luck either. My older sister and I eventually let them fall and reverted to giggling throughout the rest of the church service instead.


Grandma Makes Good Flour Balls

September 2015

On one rainy night my host grandmother made what we call soup. Soup is made from water, flour, and sugar. It’s this white goopy soup with balls of half-cooked flour in it that does not look the least bit appetizing. But the way my grandmother makes it is delicious. She takes the balls of flour and mixes chofar (the embreyo-type coconut meat) in it. The first thing I thought of when I tried her version of soup was, “Damn. Grandma makes good flour balls.” I started calling the dish “flour balls” and my family got a kick out of it. Now, we tack on “balls” to any and everything: breadfruit balls, taro balls, donut balls, bread balls…


Friday, August 14, 2015

We're Volunteers!

M81s, pre- Swear In

Taking our Peace Corps Oath

Country Director Robert Reid and I

We did it! We're Volunteers!

Mortlocks Volunteers and Belinda

Jasmin, Sana, David, and Dana (her face though...)

Lisa, Lorena, Me, and Brady enjoying milkshakes and pizza

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Meet the Mortlockese

A few Fridays ago, our Mortlockese teacher, Belinda, organized something incredibly special for us that I’ll remember for years to come.

She took us to meet her family.

There is a great amount of value placed on family here in the FSM and we all felt very honored that she, and her family, was willing to take us in for an afternoon and treat us like their own.

Peace Corps staff drove us an hour to Palikir, the capital of the FSM, where we met Belinda at the entrance of her family’s compound. We were shocked to see her in a tank top that showed off her shoulders and cleavage (Go Belinda! She looked GOOD!), but also pleasantly surprised that she felt comfortable wearing it around us.

She ushered us into the fal (Mortlockese meeting house) where more than 20 members of her family were waiting for us. Once we were seated, Belinda’s eldest brother stood up and welcomed us (As a woman, Belinda is not allowed to speak at meetings. Instead she has her brother speak for her.). He introduced us to the Chief (who had a cat perched on his lap), and the rest of their family.

It was then our turn to introduce ourselves, so we each stood up and thanked them in Mortlockese for having us. Talk about being nervous.

My speech was a blur, I’m not even sure if I said everything correctly:

“Laloas allem! Itai Rachel. Ngang sangei Los Angeles, California, pwal ngang ia ier ruameelu. Ipwe aiti English lon Ettal. Ike pirer fito eke, nge iiei pwapwa pwe oumi chiechiech. Ren emi etiwa amem. Killisou chapwur.”

“Good afternoon! My name is Rachel. I am from Los Angeles, California, and I am 23 years old. I will teach English on Ettal. I was nervous to come here, but now I am happy because you all are friendly. Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you very much.”

Once we finished our speeches, the family performed several Mortlockese songs and dances for us, which not only illustrated their culture’s love for musical expression, but was also a very special treat. In return, the 6 of us spontaneously decided to sing the song we had been practicing for our Swearing-In Ceremony. It was a train wreck (our voices were shaky and we sang way too low!), but her family appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

They came up to us afterwards and introduced themselves. We had been very confident in our Mortlockese-speaking abilities up until that point, but once they started talking to us individually, we were lost. They spoke so quickly and used words we hadn't learned yet. I'm pretty sure we looked like dear in the headlights. Belinda came to our rescue and helped us translate. She also offered to send parts of her body with each of us to the Mortlocks so we wouldn’t be so lost (another reason why I love her so much).

Her family had also cooked food for us, konen maai (pounded breadfruit in coconut milk) and iik apwech (grilled fish), which was incredibly kind of them. It did, however, remind me of sorority recruitment where you’d try to balance eating and talking, without making a fool of yourself. That made me laugh.

Looking back on the afternoon makes me laugh awkwardly in general, but I’ll always keep the memory close to my heart.

Ole no,
Rachel


Monday, August 10, 2015

Host Family Appreciation Day

Pahpa Pancake, Nohno Pancake, and I
Last Friday afternoon Peace Corps hosted a Host Family Appreciation Day where we were able to express our gratitude for our families.

We presented our families with vegetables from our garden in hand-woven baskets. They also received a certificate from the Peace Corps that thanked them for contributing to our success as Trainees and eventually Volunteers.

Later we showed them a video (filmed and edited by PCTs Jasmin and Kaylin) and held a small "talent show" that consisted of singing and dancing.

M81: Host Family Appreciation Video

It's crazy to think that we'll be leaving our host families and moving to our permanent sites across the FSM this weekend.

While there have certainly been frustrations living with host families, the overall experience has been positive.

And I really do feel like I've become part of my pancake family! My host sister got locally "married" last night and my Pahpa Pancake warned another menwei (white person) at the ceremony that he better not "take his other daughter (me) away!"

Here's to families, big and small, near and far.

Snorkeling In the Rain








Saturday, August 8, 2015

Belinda



“Belinda, where do people have sex here? There’s never any privacy!” we asked one day in Mortlockese class.
“What?! There’s always privacy in the bushes!” Belinda exclaimed.
We erupted in laughter, not expecting that answer, but realizing how right she was.

because coconut wireless isn't enough...
Belinda is our Mortlockese Language and Culture Facilitator (aka teacher) who probably thinks that the 6 of us getting ready to move to the Mortlocks are weird Americans. And I don’t blame her.

At the beginning of language class every day, we walk in, exchange “Ranallem, ia usumw?” and proceed to talk about anything and everything that’s on our minds. Usually it has to do with training or Model School complaints, but other times it’s totally and completely random. Belinda will just sit there in her seia (chair) for the first 15-20 minutes, listening to us. In no way is she being chipwanglech (lazy) or not doing her job. 4 hours of language class is just too long, and even she knows that, so she gives us time to ramble, and then turns our attention to learning Mortlockese.

After about an hour of reviewing and introducing new information, Belinda will either tell us to take asese (a break; where we usually lay on the floor for 30 minutes), or she’ll let us get off topic again and speak in English.

We alternate between learning, taking asese, and getting off topic about every hour, and while it may seem like a huge waste of time, it’s not. I greatly appreciate the routine and atmosphere she has created. It’s comfortable. It’s funny. It can be serious when it needs to be. But the most important part is that we’re learning.

We’re learning not only the language, but also about the culture.

Belinda does a great job of answering any random questions we may have (like where do people have sex?). And believe me, we have a lot of them.

We’ve asked her (in relation to the Mortlocks) about gender roles, the lack of toilets and toilet paper, what women do during their periods, how bisexuality and homosexuality are viewed, and what to do for fun on specific islands, amongst many other things.

She’s been able to provide great insight, especially since she is originally from the Mortlocks, and does not sugar-coat the realities we will be facing…like walking on our knees when we have to pass through a group of talking men. No joke.

I can’t stop raving about Belinda. She a beautiful, smart, sassy 30-year old raising 3 children. She wears awesome mumus and has even better facial expressions. She comes to class and sometimes complains about being out too late playing bingo and drinking sakau. She speaks great English and is interested in our views about the US and the world. She teaches us relevant vocabulary and grammar. She makes up fun games to enhance our learning. She’s honest. She’s kind. She’s patient. She’s a great human being. And I couldn’t be doing this without her.

Killisou Belinda,

Rachel
 Kaylin, Me, Sarah, Belinda, Dana, Lisa, and David

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Model School Week 2 &3

Weeks 2 and 3 of Model School were so hectic and such a blur that it’s difficult for me to reflect on them in depth. I will say however, that I am very satisfied with the overall experience for multiple reasons (not just the fact that I made it through alive).

For one, I am extremely thankful I got more hands-on experience teaching. I would loved to have even more before I moved to Ettal, but I realize how jam-packed PST is already. I was also glad to get an idea of what working with a counterpart will be like. While it can be frustrating trying to lesson plan together, it’s very rewarding when you find your rhythm.  Learning how to deal with and manage cultural differences, in regards to students, co-teachers, staff, administration, and the DOE (Department of Education), was extremely taxing, but beneficial in the long run.

Long story short, Model School opened my eyes to the education issues occurring across the FSM and presumably at my permanent site. Though many of these issues were negative, I did have some major “ah-hah!” moments as a teacher that I’ll keep in the back of my mind as I move to teach in Ettal:

-The enthusiasm you put in is the enthusiasm you’ll get out.

-Your enthusiasm has the potential to even engage and encourage your co-teacher.

Denny and Jesse acting out a story they wrote


-Targeting the different level groups of students and lesson planning with them in mind is extremely difficult.

-Station teaching is awesome if you have the resources and more than one teacher.

-Your body language can make or break a student’s confidence.

-Students love every chance they get to compete and celebrate.

Spelling Bee winners! 

First Annual Jupiter Spelling Bee


-If you’re a PCV in the FSM, you’re most likely going to be writing the lesson plans for you and your counterpart. Actually, all of them.

-You’ll also most likely have to jump in when your co-teacher is teaching and save the lesson.

-Teacher evaluations are not done efficiently or taken seriously in the FSM.

And I’m sure there will be many more take-aways during the next two years. But for now,

Cheers to a successful Model School!

Rachel

Laurel and I during our Christmas in July celebration

Friday, July 31, 2015

Nan Madol


On Sunday, July 19th my Pancake family took Marisa, a fellow PCT, and I to explore Nan Madol. 


The front of the ruins


Pancake girls




Marisa and I ran into PCTs Jasmin and Dana 

And joined them for some cliff jumping!




Monday, July 20, 2015

Model School Week 1

We finished our first week of Model School and I am exhausted, but oh so satisfied. 

After only 3 weeks of TESL training I thought that, for sure, Model School was going to be a train wreck: I barely knew how to lesson plan, I didn’t know what classroom management strategies I was going to implement, I didn’t even know if my HCT (Host Country Teacher, aka, my co-teacher) was going to show up. If all else failed I at least had my previous teaching and tutoring experiences to draw from, but even then, how was I suppose to walk into the classroom feeling confident and ready to teach? There was just so much that could go wrong.

But nothing went horribly wrong. It went really well for our first week.

In Model School, my HCT and I (Team A) are paired up with another PCT and her HCT (Team B) to teach 6th grade. We alternate teaching, so one day Team A teaches and Team B observes, and the next day it switches. It is the Peace Corps’ hope that by observing each other we’re able to improve as teachers. Along with team observations, Peace Corps staff will also conduct formal observations starting week 2 of model school.

The school day is broken up into 3 periods and 2 breaks:

Period 1- 8:30am to 9:15am (Language Arts)
Break- 9:15am to 9:25am
Period 2- 9:25am to 10:10am (Language Arts or Literature)
Break- 10:10am to 10:20am
Period 3- 10:20am- 11:05am (Math or Science)
Student Dismissal

After we dismiss our class, we have until noon to lesson plan with our HCT (Which yes, is nothing. Don’t ask me how I plan for three 45-minute periods in that time.) The PCTs then head back to PATS for lunch from 12pm-1pm, followed by language class until 5pm. The days are long, and we’re all drained by the end of 3rd period, but it’s been a really rewarding experience so far. Not to mention I don’t think I’ve ever learned so much in just one week. 

Model School is held at Madenolhimw High School, but is for students in grades 4-8.  The students are from schools around the area. And while they may be enrolled in a certain grade level, they are typically reading and writing 2 to 3 grades lower than that. My 6th graders, for example, are at about a 3rd to 4th grade level. This makes it extremely challenging to teach the national benchmarks and standards, but I’ll save that discussion (okay, more like rant) for another time.

Some of the students are extremely shy, especially when speaking English, while others are outgoing and eager to practice their English. The majority of them, however, will never tell you if they don’t understand the material being presented. We’ve established a thumbs up (no questions, they understand everything)/to the side (questions, they need clarification)/down (no idea what the teacher is saying, the teacher is speaking too fast) comprehension check in our classroom, but even then the students will always give us a thumbs up. They’re not blunt like American students who will tell the teacher if they’re lost. I try to refrain from labeling it as a cultural difference, but honestly that’s what it is. Micronesian culture is non-confrontational, so it’s something we’re adapting to in the classroom. And that’s fine. We’ll just have to get creative.

We have, however, tapped into our students’ strength to make our lessons flow and be more engaging. And you know what their strength is?

Dancing.

It’s fate. I adore dancing. I dance in my underwear in my room. I dance in my living room with my host sisters. I dance during Mortlockese class breaks. I dance in the rain with my fellow PCTs. I dance anywhere and everywhere. It’s fate.

In the first few minutes of class, we have our students stretch, warm up their bodies (because it’s not hot enough in Micronesia already, duh), and then either dance or do a class-related activity that involves moving around the room. It’s like magic. The shy students start smiling and talking, the outgoing students get to express themselves, and everyone remembers the material better because of TPR (Total Physical Response).

We’ve tried to incorporate as much movement as possible into the lessons this past week of Model School. We’re lucky to have a small class of 12 students so we have lots of space both inside and outside of the classroom. We’ve taken our students outside for a blind-fold game, we’ve taught them the Cha-Cha Slide, we’ve held relay races, and much more.

It’s draining. We’re running out of ideas. We have very limited resources. But we’re dancing and moving every day. And our students are learning, leaving the classroom happy, and are coming back each day ready and excited. That’s all I can really ask and could have hoped for.

As I was saying goodbye to our Temporary Country Director, Michael Ketover, last week, he gave me a big hug and said, “Keep dancing, Rachel.” Although I only knew Michael for a few weeks, what he said really hit me hard. I may have no idea how to make the best lesson plans, I may not know what classroom management strategies I’m going to use, and I may not even know if my co-teacher will show up. But that won’t stop me. I’ll keep dancing.

Love,
Rachel


Laurel and I


P.S. I would love to hear of any dance/movement activities that have worked for you inside or outside of the classroom that you think I may be able to tie into my lesson plans!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

TESL Training Reflection

**I would have posted this last week, but the internet went down at PATS.**

On Monday July 13th, we start model school. Model school is a teaching practicum for PCTs and their partner HCTs (host country teachers) that allows us to apply and perform ESL teaching methodologies and approaches that we (supposedly) gained from the first 3 weeks of our TESL technical training during PST.

These past 3 weeks we have covered topics like:
-Learning styles
-Teaching listening and listening activities
-Teaching speaking
-Teaching vocabulary
-Critical thinking
-School accreditation
-Classroom management
-Decoding: Learning to read
-Motivating students to learn
-Comprehending: Reading to learn
-Classroom assessments and tools
-Teaching young learners
-Beginning writing and paragraph writing
-Teaching grammar and functional approaches
-etc…

TESL training was nonstop for 3 weeks, yet I feel as if I didn’t learn anything new. And that really worries me. As a relatively new teacher I was hoping the sessions would provide me with useful and appropriate teaching theories and practices that I could try out during model school and then hopefully apply to my classroom on Ettal. However, much of what the training staff has “taught” us is common sense and not in the least bit enlightening.

On top of that, there were other issues that inhibited learning.

The sessions tended to be rushed and we rarely had time to debrief, discuss, or have our questions answered. I understand there was a lot to cover in the first 3 weeks, but that’s no reason to stop us in the middle of an activity or cut our lesson planning session (one of the more important sessions, in my opinion) down so we make it to lunch on time. If the sessions actually started on time and were paced appropriately (maybe have us do 1-2 group work activities per session instead of 5) I believe we would have gotten much more information from them. We would also have had opportunities to regroup and discuss any issues we struggle with or foresee struggling with in the classroom.

The presenters did not model good classroom management or teaching techniques. Many presenters had difficulty being engaging and providing us with clear directions when it came to individual or group work. It was blatantly obvious and, I’m sure, made many people think the session was a joke, which is really unfortunate.

The HCTs were and continue to be apathetic. A good number of the HCTs are required to come to the sessions and teach in model school either to earn credit for their teaching degree or because they’re getting paid to do so. To each his own, but really?! I can see the boredom on their faces, hear the sarcastic comments under their breath, and notice that they don’t have anything to contribute to lesson planning! The partnering between PCTs and HCTs was created to encourage the sharing of knowledge and experimentation in model school, and ultimately to plant the roots for sustainable development. But that’s definitely not happening when the PCTs are doing most of the work. It’s also incredibly discouraging for us to see the HCTs’ apathy.

In no way am I trying to be a Debbie Downer. I’m just trying to be as honest (yet respectful) as possible. There is very little public literature about whether or not Peace Corps trainings (Pre-Service Training, In-Service Training, and Mid-Service Training) are beneficial to Volunteers’ actual service. In theory they should be beneficial, but it’s hard to tell when Volunteers don’t actively record and reflect on it. So that’s what I’m trying to do here.

Do I feel like the 3 weeks of TESL training prepared me for Model School on Monday? Nope. But I’m predicting a lot of my Peace Corps experience will be jumping into things not really knowing what’s going on and doing my best. So I guess I need to get use to trial and error.

Did TESL training reinforce any ideas I had about teaching? Yes. Teaching is incredibly difficult and requires a lot of preparation. But when you see a light bulb go on in a student’s head, it’s all worth it.

Did I learn anything new during the TESL training? Sure. I learned some new songs and activities to refocus my student’s attention. But the most important thing I learned what the type of teacher I don’t want to be.

Do I foresee using anything from TESL training in my classroom in Ettal? It’s hard to say. Hopefully the “keep-at-it-Rachel!” reminders I tell myself when things aren’t going so smoothly (like when my HCT doesn’t say a word to me during lesson planning) will come in handy in Ettal.

I’ll let you know how Monday and the rest of Model school goes.

Stay well,
Rachel 


P.S. The TESL training content was created by the Peace Corps department in Washington D.C., so I do acknowledge that the Micronesia/Palau training staff had little say in the materials they presented. I do believe, however, that the manner in which they presented it could have been more engaging and time efficient.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

PST Pictures

I apologize for slacking on uploading pictures. I’ll admit I’m really lazy and hate waiting for them to upload on the slow wifi.

Here are a few pictures from the first 4 weeks of PST:




My host sister Emmy and my host nephew Estion (wearing my Chacos)

My host niece Natrine looking at some of the awesome notes my friends and family wrote me (she loved the design of yours, Pam!!)

Emmy, Estion, and I hanging out in my room after church

The itsy bitsy gato I found on our front porch when I came home from PST one day!

Swollen hands 


Some M81s and I at Cocos before 4th of July celebrations in Kolonia. From L to R: Laurel, Dana, Lorena, Marisa, me, and Sana.

Puppy Pancake and I!

Dana and I during our Water Safety Day
I was a prune by the end of the day, but loved every second of it!

Some M81s and I at the waterfall by PATS during our first weekend of PSTs