August 20, 2008
My last week on Majuro passed so quickly. Living in Darren’s apartment was fun. I was able to get to know Matt, Nick, and Stefani better, which is exciting because they will all be living on the Kwajelein Atoll with me.
Tuesday morning I finished my last minute packing in the morning and then packed up all of our stuff into a van. Luckily everything fit, including us! However the van’s battery decided it didn’t feel like starting up the engine. So we pushed the van in reverse, then forward, until it was in the road. The four of us, along with Lauren and Annie, pushed the van with Darren and our luggage inside down the road until we gained enough speed for the van to start. Oh how wonderfully exciting every moment is in the Marshall Islands.
The airport is as small as any paved airport you can think of. We walk in and bring our bags right to a short line that contains only a few passengers on our plane. A guy helps me weigh my bags (46 and 72 pounds) then brings them over to a table to hand inspect them. There is no x-ray machine so they must look through each bag. The inspector found a lighter in Stefani’s bag which she thought was long gone. After we checked our luggage we had breakfast then went through customs (a guy who glances at our passport) and into the one and only gate. I took a nap and read until we had to load the plane. I walked across the single runway and onto the plane; my second time on this specific Continental plane (four more times to go).
The flight was short and smooth. Considering all of the flights I have had since I left home I am lucky they have all been easy rides. On the Kwaj base there were strict procedures we had to follow. Our bags were sniffed by dogs and we were personally escorted to a holding area to wait in until we could catch our boat.
More to come later. Time is tight… sorry
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Leaving in the Morning
Hello Friends!
I am (pretty much) officially leaving tomorrow morning. Our plane is scheduled to leave at noon and we have to get there 4 hours early! There is only one customs officer so we have to go through customs before the plane arrives and the passengers go through customs. Everything here is awesome.
I just went to see the Dark Knight. Yes there is a movie theater in Majuro. Best of all it cost $3. The theater has three movies showing. They change weekly.
Last night the new ambassador's mother-in-law invited us to her house for a party. Her house is one of the nicest houses in the country. It is absolutely beautiful. The party was in the afternoon. When we arrived the host told us she has lots planned for us and she was true to her word. I learned how to cook breadfruit over coals in the traditional way, scraping off the soot with a seashell while holding the fruit with a coconut shell. I learned how to make plates out of coconut and breadfruit tree leaves, which we then ate out of. I ate fish, breadfruit, coconut, rice, chicken, coconut bread, and many other delicious dishes of which I still need to learn their names. After dinner a couple of the women made a "love potion" of coconut and special herbs which was used on the children. We played games of volleyball, the Marshallese teens totally ruined us. At the end of the night I learned how to make a "Marshallese Ball" which is really a cube our of coconut leaves. All of which was done in a backyard with two mini gazebos and a wall right next to the breathtaking lagoon. My first Marahallese party was one I'll never forget.
Leaving tomorrow is such a weird feeling. It is weird saying goodbye to people who I have come so close with in the past month, knowing that I will may never see them again.
Love you all! XOXO
I am (pretty much) officially leaving tomorrow morning. Our plane is scheduled to leave at noon and we have to get there 4 hours early! There is only one customs officer so we have to go through customs before the plane arrives and the passengers go through customs. Everything here is awesome.
I just went to see the Dark Knight. Yes there is a movie theater in Majuro. Best of all it cost $3. The theater has three movies showing. They change weekly.
Last night the new ambassador's mother-in-law invited us to her house for a party. Her house is one of the nicest houses in the country. It is absolutely beautiful. The party was in the afternoon. When we arrived the host told us she has lots planned for us and she was true to her word. I learned how to cook breadfruit over coals in the traditional way, scraping off the soot with a seashell while holding the fruit with a coconut shell. I learned how to make plates out of coconut and breadfruit tree leaves, which we then ate out of. I ate fish, breadfruit, coconut, rice, chicken, coconut bread, and many other delicious dishes of which I still need to learn their names. After dinner a couple of the women made a "love potion" of coconut and special herbs which was used on the children. We played games of volleyball, the Marshallese teens totally ruined us. At the end of the night I learned how to make a "Marshallese Ball" which is really a cube our of coconut leaves. All of which was done in a backyard with two mini gazebos and a wall right next to the breathtaking lagoon. My first Marahallese party was one I'll never forget.
Leaving tomorrow is such a weird feeling. It is weird saying goodbye to people who I have come so close with in the past month, knowing that I will may never see them again.
Love you all! XOXO
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hello
Thank you for all of your messages. I'm sorry I haven't been able to write back to them individually, but I just want to let you know that I love hearing from you all and I am thinking of you often.
Goobie & Jan- I did have a coconut! I drank the coconut water directly from the coconut, then broke it open and ate some of the meat. Yum! I also have coconut in many of my meals. The Marshallese make a dish that is similar to tapioca pudding that have coconut in it. Look up breadfruit, that is what I have been eating at almost every meal. Also look up pandanas. They are so healthy and very very yummy. I have only had one so far, but I hopefully will have more.
Love you all very much!! Enjoy the last few weeks of summer :D
Goobie & Jan- I did have a coconut! I drank the coconut water directly from the coconut, then broke it open and ate some of the meat. Yum! I also have coconut in many of my meals. The Marshallese make a dish that is similar to tapioca pudding that have coconut in it. Look up breadfruit, that is what I have been eating at almost every meal. Also look up pandanas. They are so healthy and very very yummy. I have only had one so far, but I hopefully will have more.
Love you all very much!! Enjoy the last few weeks of summer :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
