Learning Pohnpeian is going okay. It is a tough language. And living with a host family is definitely helping me practice, but i still usually have no clue what they are saying to me. I hope that I improve during the last 3 weeks. I know that I will continue to learn when I get to my village as well.
Today we had "Cross Cultural Thursday" which was a lesson about how to clean and gut a fish. Ugh. It was disgusting. I was not very good at it. I managed to de-scale the fish... I couldn't bring myself to cut open the belly and pull the guts out. Amber had to step in and help me out. I guess I'm not really surprised, I can't even cut the fat off of a packaged chicken breast without gagging at home. I guess I will be offering to help was the dishes instead of cook dinner most of the time.
Last night I started scuba classes. The next 3 weekends will be filled with training dives. There are a lot of great dive spots around Pohnpei so I am very excited about learning. And once certified, your scuba license never expires so it is worth the small fortune it is costing me (when living on a peace corps salary).
Some pictures:
Snorkeling 
Kate and I watching the sunset
Erica:
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that as soon as you get to your site, you'll have a project for us.
I am COO of Water Charity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that does water, sanitation, and public health projects worldwide. We recently started a new initiative, Appropriate Projects, to fund small water and sanitation projects very quickly.
I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Bolivia ’66-’68), and am well aware of the difficulties Volunteers face in the field. Appropriate Projects is an addition to our regular Water Charity model that is allowing us to provide project resources to PCVs in the field immediately.
Often there is that little project that must be done now (before the rains start, before school begins, or in response to a critical need), but there are no funds available. Traditional funding sources are cumbersome, and there are long forms, detailed requirements, limited resources, and long delays.
PCVs working in water and sanitation usually have potential projects lined up. For those working in other program areas, there may be water components to their projects, or improvements needed where they work or teach.
Sample projects may be: a rainwater catchment, handwashing stations for a school, water for a clinic, piping, tanks, pumps, sinks, latrines, wells, etc.
We like to “finish” projects that have been started, and “fix” things that have ceased to function.
We encourage follow-up projects that expand upon the successful completion of the first small project.
If you have a project in mind, please fill out the application form. We want this to be easy for you, so we have developed a simple form that you can fill out in one sitting.
If you have any questions about the appropriateness of your project, or you need some time to get it together, just let us know.
If you do not have a project that qualifies, please pass this message on to your fellow Volunteers who may have an interest. Finally, if this initiative resonates with you, please let others know what we are doing through your social networks, websites, and blogs.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Averill Strasser
Appropriate Projects
http://appropriateprojects.com
Water Charity
http://watercharity.org
That is one awesome Power Rangers T-Shirt!
ReplyDeletethank you averill... i will keep you in mind when i get to my site and get in touch with you if i find any possible projects!
ReplyDelete