Dear Friends

Things I'm thankful for:

• Batteries & my water purifier
• 100 Calorie pack chips A'hoy fudge drizzled cookies! Need I say more? I will anyway- they are the best treat ever!
• Peanut butter
• Dove chocolate :)
• Bug spray & mosquito coils
• Bleach
• Family and friends, of course!

My field director came to Kaben to work out my host family situation (I think/hope I mentioned that), missed her boat home and is stuck here for at least another week & a half. She is good company and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to speak in English & be understood. I guess I missed talking (imagine how much I'll have to say when I get back next summer!) cause that's all I do now!

In my non stop talking I mentioned how impressed I was with my junior high teachers who taught mixed 7th 8th and 9th grade classes. Split classes are tough (who would have thought?) Angela kindly pointed out they had a curriculum, book, collegues, copier, internet, they weren't isolated & spoke the same language as their students. Yeah, their job sounds a bit easier now! They were still amazing even if they had all of those things. I like my students more every day. They are eager to learn and excited to come to class! It is fun to watch them scurry in & out of my class;always in such a rush because they don't have any time between classes. When the bell rings (which is a little kid with a hammer hitting a big metal bar) it's chaos! Kids scamper out of my room while others run in to get their cherished notebooks & sharpen pencils. My room serves as a classroom, lockers, library, sometimes a playground and the pencil sharpening spot. My $5 pencil sharpener, from Walmart, was a great purchase! Sometimes the chaos is a lot to handle but I manage to survive.

I've eaten tuna hamburgers with Bona as my new mom. It was just tuna shaped like hamburgers then fried & of course eaten with rice. Not bad but it reminded me of all the things I would put on a hamburger.

Yesterday my host brother wore a hoddie all day! I didn't think it was that cold, but I did get the chills a few times.

My Marshallese seems to be at a stand still. Maybe people started talking faster, but I sure have a hard time understanding everyone right now. It will get better.

Much love, Heidi

Hi Everyone

Many people asked what things they could send. For me letters are great & the occassional treat from home! For the community:

School supplies: (I ahve > 50 students)
The school has children's books that are to hard for the students, white paper & pencils.
helpful things: scissors, pens, notebooks, (those are the little things I can think of). Backpacks would be a great treat that the students only dream of. Educational games/activities.

Clothes: Kids clothes would be great!!! They love denim(for some crazy reason because it's much to hot for jeans if you ask me!) Kids pants, shorts, shirts, undies, shirts would be great! Mens pants/shorts & t-shirts well. Keep in mind that the kids here are TINY!! I don't think there's one kid here bigger than me (even close for that matter)

Entertainment
Kids movies (both VHS or DVD). They watch a movie every weekend but they have no good movies. (we are watching movies in Japanese instead of English or rated R movies).
Basketballs, volleyballs & nets :), and baseball gloves would be loved dearly here.

The thing is, these people REALLY have no form of entertainment but each other so anything new is always appreciated.

I appreciate every one's willingness & desire to help! It gives me much joy & strength knowing we (the people of Kaben & myself) have your support! Thank you!

I get a $50 stipend each month for shipping things to me so once something gets to Majuro World Teach covers the cost (& hassle) of getting boxes to me which is a wonderful blessing for the community (& me) since they can't just mail in request for clothes & such.

Thank you again for your support!

Love, Heidi

(side note from Heidi's mom, Shauna)
We have sent her packages in the mail and the least expensive way is to use the flat rate boxes from the post office. I don't think basketballs and volleyballs would fit in it however. You need a customs form but it is domestic postage rate.

another letter but still no mail since Oct 16

Hello Everyone,



I forgot to finish telling everyone about the rest of the birthday party. After we ate I had NO IDEA what was going on so I tried to go with the flow of things. There was singing & yelling & laughing. Don't forget the big dog fight that some poor little boy (maybe 7) got trampled by (not a planned part of the party, just a random act of nature). He was a bit shaken but okay. Then it started raining so people moved under trees or into the house. I was rushed into the cook house with all of the old women & was given a spot with no leak in the roof to sit. Nut, the party continued. (I forgot to mention EVERYONE from the island was at the party so the trees, cook house & house were packed with people) & by this time it was about 11 p m. I was enjoying watching everything that was happening when Bona grabbed my hand and said, "Etok!(come!)" as she dragged me into the house. We proceeded to sing & I was encouraged (some might say forced) to dance and everyone got a kick out of that!



After my dance show more songs were sung, can was thrown at us(quite forcefully I might add). Then a lady brought out Pine Sol and started pouring it on people! I was confused! (I was also spared the Pine Sol shower!) All of this happened in a crazy, wild, out of control scene that reminds me of something you might see hyper 10 yr olds doing, but it was all the older women of the island! CRAZY! ( I (meaning Heidi's mom Shauna) wrote and asked her why pine sol and what that means, but we have not received any mail since I wrote that letter).



We then waled around the baby we were celebrating (who slept through everything I described because we were pushing mid night by this time) and eventually dropped our gifts (mine was a soggy $1) by the sleeping baby & that was it. Then I had to find my flip flops in the pile of maybe 60 shoes! Luckily my current pair is orange & easy to spot. I worry about when I were my black ones!

That was quite a party!



Before I came here I never imagined I would be busy & wouldn't have enough time to get things done. I didn't realize a few key things though. First, teaching is exhausting and planning takes so much time, energy, & work! Second, I am encouraged to rest & lay down all the time especially after I've done ANYTHING (for example: Bona,"Heidi what were you doing?" Me," I showered. "Bona, "Oh, lay down! Rest! Relax! ). Third, doing laundry takes at least 1.5 hours (no that does not include the time my clothes are drying or putting them away) & must be done once a week. Fourth, writing by hand is a slow process. Fifth, getting 5 weeks of mail all at once takes a long time to read. Finally, the sun sets around 7 but the last good light is about 6:30 so I have to do everything that requires light before then (I've yet to find anything besides reading & writhing to be "easy" at night). Oh yes, how could I forget, Sundays are spent doing NOTHING! Sundays are good days to read & write as well.



I now have all my stuff (previously I only had 30 lbs of stuff). As I'm trying to decide what to do with everything (did I mention my house leaks?) My roof has many holes in it so I have to be careful where I put things. I now have a much better idea of the dry spots & have my stuff in random places in the middle of the floor. My house is quite a sight, but I promise it's organized! I'm very thankful for a few things. My mail-I don't know how I survived 5 weeks without it, bleach-to clean my nalgene bottles (not going to lie, they got cleaned once in 5 wks & it was with cold water & laundry soap-probably not sanitary but my standards have changed.), batteries- to power my water purifier! (It is very nice to have my water taste good! Which of course means it doesn't taste like tea or smoke & merely tastes like nothing!) and all of the goodies received from you lovely people. For those who are wondering, I have LOVED EVERYTHING you've sent!



I feel like sharing a typical day. Wake up at 4 am when my neighbors kids get up and start raking rocks (in case you didn't know that's quite noisy!), go back to sleep & wale up between 6-6:30. Get up, shower (1st decide of it's really worth the effort to wash my hair or if I should just do a quick rinse), get ready, spend a few minutes getting me mentally ready for another day by reading, writing a letter, or listening to my IPOD. Then I head to breakfast (around 7-715) chat a little bit, go back to my house eat a vitamin & possibly a granola bar if breakfast was ramen, brush my teeth & head to school around 8-8:15. Teach until lunch break which thankfully is 1 hr & 15 min. Eat lunch then relax in my room & try to find the energy for my last 3 classes. Schools out @ 3:15 then I stick around & plan (which often ends up being me reading some of the children's books or me writing letters) until I'm done (4:30-5ish). Head home & steal a few minutes of quiet me time & around 6 head to Bona's for an evening with her family. I usually head to bed around 9:30 -10, brush my teeth, get rid of all the bugs & try to sleep. When I'm lucky I fall asleep by 11 but that is rare.

I miss everyone. Hope all is well!
Much love, Heidi

Sunday Oct. 2, 2009

Hello!!



So much to say...where to begin. I'll start with the birthday party I went to last night. It was a great event. (Keep in mind we just had a boat here so more food is on the island then usual.) The party started at 7 pm which really means it started a little past 9. There were balloons & lights (powered by many trusty car batteries) and it looked like quite the event. The party was a 1st birthday (1 yr old) and they are a HUGE deal here so I was excited sitting on my mat waiting for the short 2 hr. delay. When the party started I was AMAZED at how much food there was!



I was served the BIGGEST lobster I've ever seen. I didn't know lobsters got so big. There was also 2 donuts bwiro (which I've yet to like. It's made from aged breadfruit), a big bone with pork on it and, of course, rice. I've seen all of those things here before, but on top of all that I was given fried chicken (truely like a chicken breast from KFC but with a much different taste), a slice of ham (like sandwich meat, but I debated for a long time if it was ham or spam & finally decided it was ham), and my FAVORITE part, a half a hot dog!! There was more protein on my plate that most of the kids eat in a month(probably more than I've eaten in a month as well) not to mention the amazing variety!



Not everyone got lobster, I quickly noticed. You may recall I don't really care much for lobster but I do LOVE hot dogs so I decided to try to trade my lobster for HALF a hot dog. I bet you wouldn't believe that I could find no one willing to swap me! Not one person!!! People here aren't dumb, they know a hot dog is much more valuable than a lobster. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed.



Remember all of that food & now I must back up a bit more & update everyone on my life.



My field director came on the Captain Peter (the boat) and has been trying to work out my less than ideal host family situation. After she talked to many people (including me), she decided to change my host family! It was the cause of much drama here on Kaben and I fear it will be the talk of the island for weeks to come, but it is definitely the best thing for me (and when I say drama it isn't all bad drama, I think everyone but maybe 2 people are glad my family has been changed & support the decision which, as those of you from small communities know, is important!). My new host family is the one and only Samson family! This is Bona's family & I'm relieved.



Let me tell you about my family. Bona is my new Mama & she is great company & takes very good care of me. Junior, my baba, is the doctor for the island and is only concerned about my well being and happiness, I now have 7 brothers & sisters. My favorite is Roxiana, the energetic, talkative 2 yr. old. I think we'll have a good time together.



Along with the change of host parents came a threat that I had to move out of my house(you'll recall I was living a decent 6 min. walk away from my old host family). After many conversations in Marshallese, none of which I understood, my very upset old host grandpa lost the fight to kick me out & it was decided I would stay. This was good because otherwise I would have moved into Bona's 2 bedroom house & they would have given me one room all to myself & put the 9 of them in the other room.



Now I live next to my host family & couldn't be happier about it!



Back to all the food I was given. Naturally, I didn't eat all of it. I ate the hot dog (delicious!!!), some of the mystery ham, some chicken, a bit of rice, a bit of breadfruit, and both my donuts (of course)! After i ate all that (and it was so much after 5 weeks of eating so little!) Bona took my leftovers home, including the giant lobster, I didn't touch. I was glad cause I figured the 9 of them would enjoy the lobster & I wouldn't have to eat it. This morning at breakfast Bona happily showed me the whole lobster that she was warming in the oven for lunch. I'll try to enjoy it.

For breakfast this morning I got chocolate "milk". It was hot water, chocolate milk mix, and coffee creamer. It was surprisingly good (did I mention that is was the first time I've drank anything other than water or coconut in 5 weeks?) I've started to wonder if some things REALLY taste good or if they just taste different so I enjoy them. At this point I also wonder if it matters, and , of course, it doesn't!

Yesterday I also ate shrimp(apparently we have shrimp here as well) and not surprising, wasn't a fan, once again. I just wasn't meant to eat seafood.

My school schedule has also been changed. I now teach 2nd - 8th grade. My schedule is now 8/7, 6, 4/5, 2/3, 4/5, 6, 7/8 and I am NOT excited! I was also told this is potentially temporary & just for this coming week. I guess it's a good thing I procrastinate & didn't have much planned with my old schedule. I think one more teacher is on island and 2 more are supposed to be coming on the next plane (supposed to be sat. the 10th) which is the cause of the change.

Heidi

Saturday Oct. 2, 2009

Hello!
I GOT MY MAIL!!! It has been 5 weeks, but I got it! A boat came to our island on Thursday & with it came my mail!! :) :) :) :)

This week has definitely been my hardest week to date. Maybe 5 weeks is my limit for isolation? It was the most encouraging thing to see all the love & support in letter form that I have. I haven't even been able to read all of it yet and I'm still reaping the rewards & benefiting. Here is a HUGE thank you to everyone that has written. I cannot say how great it is/was to know people are supporting me at home. Getting my mail was 1000 times better than Christmas, if you've ever been isolated from your family & friends for 5 weeks you'll understand! And, since most of you haven't, just trust me, mail is the best thing in the world!!!!!

I got my mail late Thursday night & couldn't read it then, had to teach yesterday (what a challenge it was teaching a full day knowing I had a LARGE stack of mail waiting for me!) & finally around 3:30 I was able to read my 1st letter. Unfortunately, it's been an unordinarily busy couple of days and I've only been able to read my letters up to Sept. 8 (yes, of course, I put them in order as best I could!) There is supposed to be a plane this afternoon so I don't have time to read, let alone respond, today but I'll get it all done!

I'm going to throw out some special thanks since I won't get personal letters out for a bit.
Grandma, Grandpa & Grandma J your letters brightened my day! :) Thanks for thinking of me! Ronnie the pictures you sent are great! I love pictures, especially of family!! Chelsie-OMG! I loved your pictures. What an adventure you had, lucky! :) Dad, I appreciate the jokes- it makes me feel like I'm at home & is a great touch to your letters! And, finally, to everyone, thank you, thank you, thank you for writing!!

My field director is here (hence why it's been so busy) trying to make changes to my host family. Today we will be working out those messy details. I also have to do my laundry, grade papers, write a test, plan lessons, and clean my room (the cleaner it is the less bugs I have). I need to also find the time to open my packages & properly store all of the goodies I'm dreaming are in them! :) Oh yeah, and tonight there is an island wide birthday party!

I have so much to say but for once I'm under a time crunch.
I'll wrote soon & hope you get it soon!
Sending my love & appreciation!
Heidi :)

Oct. 1, 2009

Everyone,

I encountered my first mouse today. It was kicking back in my shower bucket this morning. What a nasty surprise! I woke up & wasn't going to shower because it hasn't been sunny for almost a week & it been raining so that means my water is FREEZING cold, but I had convinced myself a shower would be nice. Imagine my dismay when I found the mouse contaminating my bucket after I'd put in so much mental effort to shower in the first place. I still decided to shower, but I found a different bucket to use. My water was, once again, freezing cold, but, now I'm clean & feel much better.

I've also learned that the days my lunch doesn't have meat are the hardest days physically. Today my lunch consisted of rice, coconut, and a soup. I was told not to eat too much soup cause it would make me sick so you better believe I didn't eat any of it. I'm not crazy and I don't want to be sick here. Cone to find out, there was fish in the soup (fish & coconut to be precise) & right about now I'm wishing I'd eaten some. It's 3:30 & I'm STARVING! I guess I'll really appreciate dinner tonight. I've had meatless lunches before but I usually get ramen when there is no fish & I can eat a lot more ramen than I can eat just plain rice.

Today I had my first issue with discipline in my class. One of my 6th graders, had quite a day. He was throwing paper & yelling, & was just out of control. I learned the importance of my teacher look & voice today. I know he didn't understand what I said but he understood he was in trouble or had done something wrong. Thank goodness for MEAN Heidi! :)

The 16th of this month marks the end of the 1st quarter. By my calculating that makes each quarter 2 months long & puts school out mid-May! :)

I wear my hair in french braids a lot because it is easy & keeps my hair out of my face. My favorite little girl here, Layna, has started wearing her hair the same as me. I love it! She is so funny!

I made it to 4:15 pm but I had to eat some peanut butter with a precious granola bar. I still have to plan lessons so I need the extra energy!

My field director is coming to visit today & she is bringing me apples & oranges! Oh happy day! Hopefully many changes take place as well from her visit. I'll keep you posted.

Love, Heidi

Sept. 28, 2009

My dear friends,

What a lucky day. I found a math puzzle book to help exercise my brain! Would you believe there was a perfect joke in it for me?

*Which insects are excellent in Math?
A-Mosquitoes! They add to my misery, subtract from my pleasure, divide my attention, & multiply quickly!!

I'm also excited to report that I've found a game that is entertaining & helpful for the class. It's called: See How Many Mosquitoes We Can Kill! Yes, I really had my 5th graders play that. Today there were too many mosquitoes in class and my students kept giving their attention to the mosquitoes instead of the activity. I don't blame them at all & I even caught myself slapping at the mosquitoes on me so I turned it into a game. We spent 5 minutes killing mosquitoes & getting rid of the some excess energy! The kids enjoyed it & were able to sit & participate in the rest of the lesson. There's an activity I never learned/played in school!

Last night I helped Bona make rolls. It was fun but I didn't get to help on the mixing part so I didn't get to see what went in them. Maybe next time.

I didn't get my mail again Saturday even though there was a plane. I can't even express how upset I was. This is the 2nd time a plane has come with no mail for me. I know it's not a lack of mail so I wonder why am now facing my 5th week with no word from home. I hope there's a good reason!

My 6th, 7th, & 8th grade classes are going well. I think I would be okay teaching those classes (middle school), but I still struggle with my 4th & 5th. They know so little & have a SHORT attention span! Again I say, they are cute but the aren't much fun to teach if you ask me.

I do still hate planning. I dread doing it & I'm always putting it off. My brain is out of creative ideas to say the very least.

I have spent more nights at Bona's house. I sleep much better even though I sleep on a traditional mat on the floor. It's just better being with company & her house is much cooler than mine. My field director is coming to visit and I'm hoping we make some changes to my living conditions while she is here.

I had crab for dinner tonight. I wasn't a big fan. I just don't think I was meant to eat seafood. Here is my ranking of all the meat here..1. chicken (but only white meat) 2. some fish 3. crab
4.pig 5. lobster 6.octopus 7. other fish. Canned meat fits in there somewhere but I haven't had any for so long I forgot what it tastes like. I dream of eating a hamburger almost every day!

I miss everyone!
Love, Heidi

Thurs. Sept. 24, 2009

Everyone!

I've been here 4 weeks now (remember I am slow to post this) and this morning when I came back to my room after a quick trip to the bathroom, I tried to turn on my light that doesn't exist! You know the familiar swipe of the hand along the wall? That's what I did! Much to my disappointment, no light turned on. It's sad too because today is an overcast day and I'd love to get ready in some light. Oh well.

I used to think I was a pro at getting water from my well (9 pales of water every time I do laundry, 3 every time I "flush" my toilet, & 3 when I take a shower), then I had to do it in the dark. Ha ha ha ha ha!!! I wasn't so good anymore.

Eating is a chore here I decided. I go to my meals only because I feel obligated to not because I actually want to eat. Last night I had decided I was going to enjoy my dinner though. So with a new & improved attitude I made my way to dinner. Would you believe the world was out to test my resolve though? My rice tasted burnt and my fish tasted too much like fish and though I sure tried, I did NOT enjoy my dinner. Maybe today will be a better day!

I've found that fish caught by fishing western style (w/a real & rod) is not really as good as fish caught by spear fishing. I can now tell the difference between the 2 and I definitely prefer the latter. Delicious! (last night the fish was caught w/a pole not a spear)

It has been rainy the past couple of days which is great except it makes teaching a challenge. When it rains it is dark & noisy in my classroom. The school has a tin roof, so we hear every drop of rain that falls! Plus it is always windy so we also battle the wind. Even if the sun is shining the classroom is dark when it rains as well. We have to close the windows because otherwise EVERYTHING get soaking wet!! So, rainy days mean dark & noisy classes! I haven't quite figured out what to do on these days since we have no lights at school but I've managed to survive a few days like it.

Last night was actually a chilly night. It was fun to see people in sweatshirts!! I didn't get mine on, but if it would have been any cooler I would have broken mine out! The nice change in weather reminded me of the fall season I'll be missing this year. I'm going to miss seeing the trees change colors & being cold!

With love, Heidi

Sept. 19 2009

Hello!!

There's so much to say! Where to begin. First thing on my mind, I made bread with Bona the other night. What a treat, but let's not kid ourselves Bona made it & I watched and asked questions. While the bread was rising we started a fire in a metal box let it burn down to coals, then we put the bread & box into a large wooden oven to cook. The oven is lined with metal on the inside & has re-barb for a shelf. Very nice! Anyway, somehow Bona knows just when to take the bread out (maybe 40 mins later) to have perfectly delicious bread! Yummy!!!

Last night I had a "sleep over" at Bona's & enjoyed every bit of it. Let me share the highlights. First, it was cool!!! It was so nice to use my sheet for once! Plus, they have real tile floors which were nice & cold to lay on. Second, there were minimal bugs. No battling with roaches last night!! Finally, I was in great company with her & her kids! Last night was also my first night of sleeping on just a mat (Grandpa Cal, exactly like the one I practiced laying on at your house!), which was, I'll admit, not the most comfy. I do plan to spend many more nights there so maybe I'll get used to it.

I,m 3 weeks into my adventure (remember I am a bit slow at posting this) & I've eaten rice & fish at least 42 times (lunch & dinner every day). Yes, I'm tired of it, but the good news is my stomach seems to be handling it okay. Most days after school I eat a granola bar to help hold me over till my next bit of rice and fish and I never thought a granola bar could taste so good!

Tonight for dinner octopus! I don't know how I feel about this one. Hmmm...octopus was okay. I liked it better than the lobster but I had a hard time eating it. It was a bit chewy for for my liking and I think the fact that it was octopus played games with my head. Anyway, I ate with Bona's family & they have octopus a lot so Bona said I will eat with them every time they have it until I like it.

The other night there was a thunderstorm! It was so cool!!! The lightening was beautiful and the thunder was deafening; I loved it! I was one of the few who liked it though. The 7, 12, & 2 year old all screamed every time it thundered & Bona started chanting some black magic type chant. She taught it to me & after a lot of chanting we finally made the thunder stop. What a fun night!!

Sun Sept. 20
I got to enjoy another movie last night. I don't know what it was but is was older & corny!! It was probably called The Rainbow Room or something like that because the people went to the Rainbow Room to time travel. It had the worst computer graphics; it's amazing how much improvement there has been in that area!!

I miss everyone & apples!
Love, Heidi

Sept. 19 2009

letter from sept. 11

Hello!

What a week it's been. I experienced my first bit of missing home ( at least to the extent that I wanted to leave) and at some points this week I'd even decided I would leave. Of course, the only day that's an option is some Saturdays so we needn't worry I'm still here! I realize I was just having some bad days and things will (and have) gotten better. Each bad day from here on out will be easier because they will be one day closer to a successful completion of this year. :)

This week I had a cold. Don't ask me how I caught a cold out here bit I did. It wasn't the worst cold, but I didn't have any tissue so my nose got irritated, I was congested, and I was tired! One night I slept for almost 12 hours 7:30 PM to 6:45 AM! On top of my cold, my, my catchment ran out of water so I had to haul my water for showers,laundry, & the toilet from my well. Don't worry, I can now get water out of my well like the best of them & my arms are getting stronger by the day!

If I had to give this week a title it would be "Attack of the Killer Mosquitoes". Now Kaben is well know for its lack of mosquitoes; on a typical day one might see 7 mosquitoes. This past week mosquitoes have been everywhere and in huge swarms. Up until this week I think I've had 3 bites total. This week I probably got 40+ bites. These mosquitoes are not regular mosquitoes. They are monstrous! These monsters are abnormally large and vicious. I have mosquito bits on my back & stomach which means I'm being bitten through my clothes! It is awful! I get bit all day and excessively while I'm teaching but today is promising, some mosquitoes seem to have left!

I came to a weird realization yesterday while walking to breakfast. If this island disappeared tomorrow few people in the world would be concerned. What a weird thought. I wonder if the people here think about that. I doubt it because for many their whole world is the RMI, but wow! I thought about that while I was swatting at mosquitoes wondering why they even exist.

This morning for breakfast I had ramen noodles. I wasn't to thrilled about that even though I have been wishing for ramen for a few days. I only wanted ramen for lunch or dinner instead of rice, but be careful what you wish for cause you might get ramen for breakfast! Anyway, I ate a few bites but ramen isn't very good in the morning (at least to me) so I didn't eat much & was content to eat a granola bar before school. Well I had just gotten back to my house when my neighbor said (in Marshallese), "Heidi, eat!" I was going to pass & stick to my granola bar but then I saw she had pancakes and I love the pancakes here so I went to eat. Much to my surprise, the pancakes had BANANAS in them!! What a treat!!! I was only going to eat 1 because I wasn't all that hungry but when I tasted the sweetness of the banana I had to have more! I had 3 pancakes and was offered plenty more but I couldn't eat any more. I was also offered a dried and salted fish but I can't eat fish in the morning yet. Maybe one day, but definitely not a day I get banana pancakes!

I was so excited about my banana pancakes I forgot to tell you the funniest thing. When I was asked/told to eat with my neighbor she asked me what I had for breakfast but before my brain had time to translate her question into English and my answer into Marshallese she answered for me and said, very confidently, "Ramen?" I was shocked she knew already. It had only been maybe 6 minutes since I'd finished my ramen but she knew! Also, my neighbor's name is Nerry or Tolly depending on the day. Everyone here has 2 names which, you can imagine, is confusing. I'm slowly starting to remember who's who now that I know things like Nerry and Tolly is the same person!

For lunch today my family had bananas! I bet word got out that I was impressed & excited about having banana pancakes so then my host family got me banana for lunch! Apparently there is a (or more, I don't know) banana, lime, lemon, and papaya tree somewhere on Kaben. Have I mentioned how delicious the bananas were? Delicious! Keep in mind, these bananas are not the same as we're used to. They are the mini bananas that I used to see in the store & wonder about. I'd say they are more sweet & have a different texture from the bananas I eat at home.

Today was a good day for food. For dinner I had rice &meat (sound familiar?) but when I tasted the meat I wasn't sure what it was. Important sidenote : we eat dinner in the very dimmest of light. As most of you know, I like to see what I eat and am very particular about what goes in my mouth so this has been quite the experience. Too bad I can't just ask them to turn on the lights! So, in the near darkness I tried to discover what meat I was eating (also, it wasn't on a bone or I would have been able to tell). After several bites I thought it might be pork cause it didn't taste like fish except every now and then I would think I tasted fish. The problem is, I wasn't sure if I was imagining the fish taste or if I was imagining the fish taste or if it was really there. In the state of my confusion I asked Jessica (my host mom) what it was and she either said fish or pig. She doesn't speak much English but for some reason she decided to try saying fish or pig in English. unfortunately the f & p sound exactly the same as do the g and sh sound for most people here. I continued eating, wishing I knew what I was eating because it was delicious! Fortunately, I came across a tiny bone (which I am very familiar with) so I finally knew it was fish. I never thought the day would come that I wouldn't be able to tell I was eating fish, but tonight I couldn't tell. (it was a relief knowing I wasn't imagining the fish taste too!)

It's Saturday Sept 11. no plane today.

Last night I watched another movie with Bona's kids (6 of them!). It was in an Asian language that I didn't know though so I don't think I really understood what was going on. I think it was similar to the Denzel Washington movie where his son needs a transplant and he ends up "holding up" the hospital to get it done.

Right now I'm sitting under a coconut tree by the beach on a day long picnic. We walked to the end of the island to a house that I'm very confused about. Loa, my host grandpa, told me it is my host parents house but no one lives in it, but when we arrived there were clothes inside and out on the line as if someone lives here. Who knows, maybe we're borrowing it for the day. Anyway, some boys cut some branches/leaves off a coconut tree and made a nice mat for me to sit on while another climbed a tree to get me a coconut to drink. then they found me a straw (some kind of thick grass thing) so I'm sitting on the beach, on a mat, under a coconut tree, drinking a coconut with a straw. Paradise!

Well, today I had pork for lunch. Still on nasty bone too. What a different life here. I didn't love it (I've never been a pork fan) but it was a nice change from fish.

My favorite part of any day is when Bona lets me sit on their hammock in the evening! the stars start to come out and the hammock is in the just right place to see them and enjoy the breeze!

I went swimming at my picnic with all of the kids and they found the most amazing coral. We saw bright blue, purple, green, pink, white, and yellow coral that we could see without goggles just looking down! it was beautiful!

I'm trying to enjoy everything Kaben has to offer but I'm glad I have a few more weeks to see everything. I'll deal with the challenges of island life a bit longer sense I get to enjoy the beauty of it!

I hope everyone is well! I look forward to the next batch of mail I get!

Sending my love,
Heidi