Stoned

Stoned
We have just finished up with a visit from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)….This has required months of preparation, meetings and discussions. The school invites and finances a team of three to come to Chuuk, observe every detail of the school and provide insight on how to improve our status as an accredited institution. While it has been wonderful to have visitors ogle over how amazing this school truly is, it has been difficult to watch them pick apart our school and critique what we do. I suppose I am aware of it more so because they are examining our school through American eyes. They suggest implementing a fine arts program – which sounds like a fantastic plan with the exception of two problems – our students already have phenomenal artistic and musical talent because they pretty much start singing and playing the ukulele in utero – organized instruction seems almost to be an infringement on their culture…….AND it doesn’t really seem practical to invest in musical instruments and art supplies when we have students sharing 3 to a textbook – at best! They suggest implementing more deliberate fire safety plans and taking more precautionary steps to ensure the safety of our students……While we as Americans have what one might call “street smarts” these kids have an admirable sense of “island smarts.” In the event of an injury – they would be giving US the local cure rather than vice versa……and in the event of a fire (which actually happened in the boys dormitory last year) a typical procedure might be to clear the building and wait until the fire department to arrive……here in Chuuk – the fire department is hit or miss – and the procedure instead entailed a mass storming of the dorm in order to be the hero of the day! It has also been difficult find the balance between glamorizing the school, and simply telling it like it is. During one of our questioning sessions, our girls moderator began speaking about how we take measures to ensure the safety of the girls on the way up to school every day. She told the WASC team how sometimes she will ride on the buses/flatbed trucks with them, and how there are rules in place to make sure their feet are not hanging over the outside, and that they are quiet etc….. “There have been some cases where the girls have been stoned, but for the most part they are safe on the ride up.” Needless to say, the WASC team’s jaws kind of dropped, and all of us kind of looked around to see who was going to try make amends to the situation. Of course the typical understanding of “stoned” is something relating to getting high. Here in Chuuk, (though marijuana is still very accessible) the use of “stoned” here refers to throwing stones, or sling-shotting stones at people passing by (I know – not much better!). People are very protective of their property, and often times the girls can get very loud on the way up to school – and unfortunately, that is the Chuukese way of showing their discontent for a disruption of the peace! Even after clarification, I’m sure it did not bode well for us – during those few seconds in which the team thought that our female students often come to school high as kites!!!!!

Weakness leaving the body....

I apologize that it has been so long since I have last made contact here, as the last few weeks have been quite a blur! At the beginning of February we began training for Track and Field Day. (Yes I realize that Track and Field is not a day – it’s a SEASON, it’s a WAY OF LIFE – but hey – I’ll take whatever I can get!!) I was worried that I would be unable to run and would have to coach from the sidelines, as I have been plagued by a wicked case of plantar fascitis for the better part of 4 months. Fortunately, with a little determination and some help from home, I was able to hit the roads with the team. Distance girls are very hard to come by due to the combination of lack of motivation and lack of athletic opportunities – so the ladies team has been very challenging to coach. But coaching the gentleman’s team has given me a new runner’s high – something I haven’t felt for MONTHS. Being stripped of the opportunity to compete has been among the hardest of adjustments coming here to Chuuk. Even in spite of the temperamental internet connection, I often found myself soaking up every e-mail from my hounds just to live in some way vicariously through their practices and meets. Ever since February however, I have been able to find an alternative source of the euphoria I once received from the thrill of the race. I think I’ve always known that part of me longed to coach someday, but little did I know that I had to travel half way around the world to find my opportunity.
The kids are like little untapped balls of talent. None of them have had any formal training in running and it has been exhilarating to just see the potential pour out of them!! It took a few weeks to establish a routine, but they have now become accustomed to the habit of warm-up, stretch, run, stride, stretch, crunch. They do often need a swift kick in the behind to get them moving though. The majority of the first days of practice were spent fending off the onslaught of excuses and complaints. We were in the middle of crunches and MT pipes up from the back, “Where did you come from – the army!?” “Yes,” I said, “Welcome to boot camp!”
They also enjoy just knowing some of the technicals of running, things as simple as stretching and learning the different parts of the legs. They have appropriately re-named muscle groups and stretches to titles more suitable to their liking. Calves are now called taxis, (Calves=cabs=taxis) glutes are simply referred to as “my maximus,” and the stretch where you cross your legs and bend towards the ground has been deemed “leftover rice.” (left over right) Precious Isidore (or EZ-Door as we affectionately call him) came running up only a few days into the season on a day after we had gone through stretching in great detail, “Jackie, I forget – can you tell me again how to stretch my pigstrings?” I tried unsuccessfully to stifle my laugh – he caught me grinning and very seriously corrected himself, “errrrr uhh I mean my porkstrings.”
Even in just 2 months of running, their times have plummeted. They used to think the 4 mile roundtrip run to the bridge (if you want to call it a bridge – crumbling concrete that leaves no room for error when driving across) and back was just shy of a marathon, and anything under a 7 minute mile was of Olympic caliber. Now running to the bridge is considered an easy run, and one of my runners PR’ed at a 5:46 round a roughly 200m grass oval. When we huddle up at the end of practice to cheer, the cries that can be heard is a faint "what is pain?" following by a resounding "WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!!!!!"
Track and Field day is quickly approaching – April 4th, 6th & 7th. All of the high-schools on the island come together in heated competition to battle for the title of champion. Xavier will return to defend their title from last year.
In addition to running with the boys in the afternoon, I’ve been trying to maintain sanity by getting up to run in the mornings as well. The kids ask me why I run twice a day and I ask them why they eat 3 times a day……it’s just something I have to do to survive! Just today my community mate – Joe and I set out to actually run around the island!! There are about 11 miles of road/crumbling road/dirt paths, and then another 3-4 miles of nice hiking trails that wander through the shacks hidden amidst the jungle.