The Everyday...

I cannot take credit for this one, as it was written by one of our new JV’s Ellen and some of her thoughts on the everyday here on Weno…

One month has flown by. One year has flown by. Here we sit, the seven of us in Chuuk, Micronesia and look at the island paradise around us and realize that there are aspects of life here that are not so idyllic. There are moments of greatness, top of the hill moments, where we sit back and prop open a book only to be distracted by the dozens of different shades of blue in the lagoon waters that peek out from behind the book cover. AJ, Chris, and Jackie have been here a full year; they've survived teaching at Xavier High School, numerous jolty boat rides, humid weather, learning the local language, and living in a culture so different from Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, respectively. Colleen, Ellen, Lincoln, and Marcos arrived about a month ago. Despite a six inch wide, 2 inch deep "scratch", sixty mosquito bites, infected poison ivy, and lack of tortillas, respectively, the new JVs have managed to stay grounded in soaking in all Chuuk has to offer.

Although Lincoln and Marcos live a few miles away and teach at a different high school, we all get together on Wednesday evenings for some JV bonding. Recently, we decided to check in with each other in the form of a roses/thorns question. In other words, what's been going well and not so well. The following with give you a little rundown of how we're all doing.

AJ is the moderator for the Student Senate at Xavier. There are about thirty members and there were twelve boys who were removed from their positions due to a disciplinary violation at the end of last school year. AJ was responsible for telling them that they were fired. This was his recent "thorn" because he was not sure how they would react- or what the upcoming years' Senate was going to do to replace these young gentlemen. However, his "rose" was that after relaying this news, the boys handled it very well and maturely. They were aware that they had chosen to break the rules, and recognized that they should be punished accordingly. A teacher's best happy: a lessoned learned.

Chris's "thorn" was having lots of time to get work prepared for the past few weeks and no deadlines to actually force him to get that work completed. A few hours of meetings a day, reading a bit about upcoming courses, going swimming, repairing guitars, and cleaning his office have not made him focus on the beginning of school. However, his "rose" was realizing that his relationship with AJ was more brother-like now. They laugh, they fight, they joke around, but still remain family.

Colleen's "thorn" was that a Jesuit priest who had spent his retreat at Xavier for a week had just left to return to Pohnpei. He was a great man who livened up any conversation. Her "rose" was that after feeling overwhelmed by creating syllabi and lesson plans and being here in general, she read a bible quote that made her feel at peace. In essence it said that the battles are not ours, but God's. With that, she had a great night sleep the night before.

Ellen's "thorn" was struggling to find a place within the Xavier community- amongst a staff of twenty or so. The familiarities of home are no longer around; the ways to relax are different; the stress level is different. She described it as a daily struggle to handle the rush of everything unfamiliar. The "rose" was bonding with people over silly things- like hanging out in the kitchen with the ladies who cook our meals and pretending to toss cocoa puffs into their mouths.

Jackie's "thorn" was leaving her pillow out on the balcony to air out- but hours later it was soaked by the island torrential rains. The "happy" was getting excited that the students were arriving back on campus. It is different this year to actually know most of them as they move back into the dormitory and into the homes' of their host families. Additionally, Jackie was happy about the general optimism amongst the staff and general willingness to foster the greater staff community.

Lincoln's "thorn" was having trouble in the Spirituality class that he teaches. He has discovered over the past three weeks that Spirituality is one of the most (if not, THE most) broad words in the English language. He is trying to find topics that would interest the students. On the upside of teaching though, his "rose" was that no one fell asleep in his class that day.

Marcos's "thorn" also had to do with teaching. He is trying to find material for the Theology class that he teaches and is dealing with the general drain of teaching many classes and coaching basketball at the same time. However, his "rose" had to do with the Music class that he teaches. He continues to be amazed by the natural talent these students have- they have no formal training but they can pick up a song quickly and sound incredible.

Although this only gives you a glimpse of what's been going on in Chuuk, it may show you that although we are all here immersed in one culture, our experiences are vastly different. Xavier started school today so things are certainly picking up speed. We are in two high schools, in three houses, in different staff communities but still united by the fact that we're JVs.